| Where Did The Deer Go?, Early Season | | | | hunter will have to become mobile and hunt the |
| Thoughts..You have worked all spring and summer | | | | natural food supply using portable stands. With this in |
| keeping your feeders filled, building new deer stands | | | | mind, you will also want to choose future permanent |
| or fixing old ones, planting food plots and planning | | | | stand locations that are close to natural food sources |
| hunting strategies for your first fall hunt. Each time | | | | when possible. Another good strategy is to place |
| you checked your feeders, food plots or game trails, | | | | your stands between natural food sources, between |
| you were encouraged by new deer sign, fresh | | | | food and water sources or between food or water |
| tracks, rubs, scrapes and other signs that deer | | | | sources and deer bedding areas. |
| continue to use the area. But, now that archery or | | | | Another factor that can reduce deer traffic to your |
| early gun season opening day are here, you're not | | | | permanent stand locations, feeders and food plots is |
| seeing the deer you expected to see and now you | | | | human traffic. By late summer, it is important that |
| may be asking yourself, "where are the deer?" or, | | | | your trips to stand locations be limited and that when |
| "what did I do wrong?"When this happens, and | | | | you do visit these locations, it is important to reduce |
| believe me it happens to all of us, there are several | | | | human scent left behind. If you are visiting your |
| factors to keep in mind. Let's discuss a few.First, | | | | stands and feeders just to check for fresh deer sign, |
| most of us observe deer patterns over the spring | | | | stop. Trust your stand location choices, fill your |
| and summer and work to draw deer into our areas | | | | feeders and work the food plots early enough that |
| using any number of tactics including feeders, food | | | | your present is no longer required long before season |
| plots, salt licks and other game getting techniques. | | | | opens and it is time to hunt. Repeated trips will |
| While all of these are good strategies, many of us | | | | inevitably leave behind human scent and prevent deer |
| forget that deer also require a good source of water. | | | | from visiting. Your best chances of a successful deer |
| By late summer and early fall, water sources can "dry | | | | hunting stand are those less visited by you the |
| up" leaving few locations for deer and other wildlife | | | | hunter. If you do visit your stand locations before |
| to get that life sustaining fluid.If your hunting area | | | | your early season hunts, take care to use quality |
| that has shown good promise all summer long | | | | scent elimination products and strategies. It is a good |
| suddenly stops showing deer activity and deer | | | | idea to use different routes to and from your hunting |
| sighting are down, it may be that the deer are | | | | areas before during and after hunting season. The |
| seeking a water source. If you believe this is the | | | | point is that you don't want a human scent trail |
| case, try to locate a creek bed, small pond or any | | | | caused by repeated visits to your stands.Changes to |
| other water source, no matter how small. Chances | | | | the environment near your hunting area can also play |
| are that if you find water, you will find fresh deer | | | | a part in changing the frequency that deer visit a |
| signs. Even if a creek appears to be dried up, search | | | | stand location. These factors may include timber |
| up and down the creek bed for any remaining pools | | | | logging, field plowing, construction or another hunter |
| of water and look for deer signs. Once you find | | | | creating a new stand location to close to your |
| water and fresh deer sign, consider using a portable | | | | existing one. For example, we have two deer hunting |
| deer stand to set up on this location for early season | | | | stands that are close to a paper company property |
| success. | | | | line. About a month before deer season, the paper |
| Second, regardless of how much corn and feed | | | | company decided to cut timber on the adjacent land. |
| supplement is around your feeder or how well your | | | | Before the timber started falling, these stands always |
| food plot has grown, deer, especially mature bucks, | | | | showed good deer sign. When the timber cutting |
| prefer the natural forage of the woods and field | | | | started, even though it was about 100 yards away, |
| edges. If your deer feeders and food plots are not | | | | the deer traffic to these stands was greatly reduced. |
| located near natural food sources, you may be | | | | In this case, we also learned that the logging would |
| waiting until natural food sources run low before deer | | | | stop just before gun deer season opened. So we |
| seek your feeders and food plots more actively. If | | | | chose to leave the stands in place and hunt other |
| your man made food sources are not drawing in deer | | | | stand locations until the deer return to this area. |
| and other wildlife, it may be because natural food | | | | For successful deer hunts, my bet is on the hunter |
| sources such as acorns or other mast crops have | | | | who adjusts to both natural and man made |
| the attention and your stand is not in the path of the | | | | conditions, uses sound judgment when choosing |
| natural sources. Your choices are to either wait for | | | | stand locations and makes the necessary |
| the natural food sources to dwindle and for deer to | | | | adjustments as the environment changes with the |
| return to your feeders and food plots, or, you the | | | | season. |