Preparation is paramount when it comes to having a successful archery season. The problem with being fully prepared when you are a college student is time. Many students’ familiar stomping grounds are far from campus. Those students who hunt the public lands near campus still have to battle their class schedules when it comes to getting in adequate scouting time. Failing to plan is planning to fail, right? Well, not necessarily.
While many hunters agree knowing the regular activities of deer they’ll be hunting for weeks leading up to Oct. 1 is second to none when prepping for the season, it’s not a make or break situation.
John Ashford, of Madison, a veteran bow hunter of 20 years, said he enjoys and capitalizes on hunting new, unfamiliar ground. His tactics make sense, and by the evidence on his wall, they work.
“Knowing what motivates deer this time of year is just as useful as hours of scouting,” Ashford said. “Bucks and does alike are keying in on food sources. Right before and just after bucks shed their velvet, they hit protein sources hard. Does aren’t much different, either. They are still nursing fawns to an extent, and they have to nourish their milk regularly.”
This may sound elementary to some hunters, but it can take out a lot of legwork if time isn’t on your side. Knowing what food the deer are keying on the most is the best tool for hunting deer anytime of the season.
“I just bought a new piece of hunting property,” Ashford said. “The first thing I did was locate the food sources they are using now. Some of these are obvious. About 30 percent of my land is in hardwoods. I first looked for some of the larger, older oaks. Then, I found and stored in my memory all of the persimmon trees I could find. Next, I looked at the natural browse available, and tried to figure out which of these plants the deer are hitting right now.”
Most Mississippi hunters know deer don’t have to move far this time of year to find sufficient food. But just like humans, they enjoy and crave the good stuff, which can be a variety of things.
If you hunt near farmland, you can’t beat soybeans and corn. If you don’t hunt near farmland, it’s probably one of two things: The fall food sources that you plant yourself, or the one’s nature provides, like oaks and persimmons.
“Usually in the last couple of weeks leading up to opening day, there will be some early dropping oaks, persimmons and bean trees,” Ashford said. “Deer have great senses, and if there are mast trees dropping in their home range, they know it. I’ve shot deer during the first week of the season with very little scouting time involved.”
Many things in life are easier said than done, but that doesn’t mean impossible. If hunting is your passion, but time isn’t on your side, don’t put it off until the holidays. With the season opening next week, you still have time to use these tactics to find a hot spot by October.
Brandon Parker is a senior majoring in communication. He can be reached at
[email protected].