Iowa Hunting Land and preparing for deer season.

Here we are right in the early part of Summer, late June and early July.  For those folks that love the beach I suppose this is a pretty exciting time of year.  For the deer hunter thought- well the excitement is just starting to build.  This is the time you want to get prepared for deer hunting.  You can separate the serious hunters from the not so serious hunters by looking at what they do in the Summer time.  If you have found this writing most likely you are serious or want to get serious.  So what exactly should you be doing right now? 

Here in Iowa Whitetail season is exactly 92 days off and for the serious folks thats just around the corner.  You have to plan for a great season and I'll give you a few tips here that might give you a few things to do this Summer while everybody else is at the beach getting a tan.

 #1 Be out in the evenings looking over the ag fields.  Especially look at the alfalfa and soybean fields where crops are short and you can spot deer easily.  Alfalfa is a part of the whitetail diet this time of year here in Iowa, and the alfalfa fields have just been cut and baled for the first cutting.  Try to figure out where the deer are coming into and leaving fields or where they run to if they are spooked.  I can't say enough about a good pair of binoculars here.  I'm not saying that because I want you to have a good view of the deer, but because its best to stay as far away as possible and still be able to observe the deer.  At this point you don't have to memorize the racks.  You just need to be able to tell the big boys from the little boys and discover patterns.  These patterns will likely be in use until the next major change which will come in the fall with the hunters hitting the woods and farmers harvesting crops.  Keep in mind where deer will be able to find food at those times and make your plans accordingly because patterns will change from Summer to Fall.  This is a great time to determine bedding locations.

#2 When you have discovered patterns its time to get your scouting cameras out there so you can get a closer look at the deer and discover those deer that are not coming out during daylight.  Disturb the area as little as possible and avoid the temptation to check your cameras to frequently.  When buying media cards for your cameras buy large ones that will hold many images.  Try to get at least 1 gigabyte or more.  The cards are very reasonably priced at Wal Mart and Sam's Club.  You want the card to hold 4-6 weeks of images if you have a battery system that will hold out that long.  If you can afford the solar panel options for your cameras its well worth being able to leave the out long term and not disturb the area. 

#3 Spend a lot of time shooting your weapon of choice.  I am an archery and muzzleloader hunter and spend more time with my bow and arrow just because that weapon takes much more practice and dedication.  It is critically important that you are proficient with your weapon and can make an accurate shot and not wound animals.  Practice like you play.  Spend some time shooting from all positions on the ground and in a tree stand.  On the ground practice shooting from behind a tree, from a kneeling position, standing positions.  Practice shooting uphill, level and downhill.  If you use tree stands you have to practice this.  Get used to the arrow or bullet trajectory when shooting down.  Learn what your weapon does in these situations. 

#4 Be preparing your treestands if you have not done so already.  Ideally they should be up by now, you should have your shooting lanes trimmed and you should have manipulated any trails that you needed to.  If you know deer are going to take a certain route near your treestand where you will not have a shot the pile some brush there and carve a new trail in the forest floor with a rake.  Bend the trail to where you need it to go, bearing in mind that deer will naturally take the path of least resistance. 

#5 I mentioned food and water sources above but want to mention them again.  Water and food are critical to any living creature and deer are no different.  Here in Iowa they have an abundant food supply during this time of year but many of their patterns revolve around food and water.  Most folks don't give water much of a thought when hunting whitetail.  If water is abundant in the area you hunt then you won't give it much thought either but I hope you at least notice the more popular places where the deer water themselves.  If water is scarce then you have an attraction thats hard to be beat.  Find the trails leading to and away from these sources for some great activity. 

#6 Make sure your hunting clothing is well stored and not packed in a closet.  Get them out and hang them on the clothes line on on the branch of a tree where they will no absorb foreign odors.  Refresh the cover scent you store them in. 

#7 Be looking over aerial photos you can find on the Internet or from your County Courthouse.  Google Earth is a great tool but has some poor photography in some locations.  There are many free sources out there for aerial photography so make sure you are looking these over to see what you land looks like overhead.  Here you may be able to discover features such as bedding areas, food and water sources and predict travel habits by in the different parts of the season. 

In part two of this post I'll discuss those different parts of the Iowa Whitetail Season.