Scouting
In my opinion, there’s no better time to scout than in late winter/early spring. Not only is deer sign clearly evident, but you also have a plethora of in season scouting knowledge still fresh on your mind. If you’ve noticed the deer on your property using a specific trail, or want to check out a certain bedding area, this is the time to investigate. Take your time, study the sign, take notes, and make sure you mark any locations you want to revisit. Marking locations, whether on one of the many hunting applications or on a physical map, is very important. This can be especially helpful later on when the weather warms up and the Michigan landscape begins to change.
Habitat Improvements
This is the time of year I do most of the habitat work on the properties I hunt. Whether that’s hinge cutting, trail maintenance, frost seeding, etc. this is the only time of the year where it really has no effect on your deer season if you spook the deer in your area. Feel free to head into a bedding area with a chainsaw in hand if there’s projects that need to be done. As an added bonus, it’s cooler and the threat of poison ivy is much lower than in the summer months! The amount of work needed can fluctuate from year to year, but it seems like there’s always something to do.
Tree Stand Maintenance
The winter months are a great time to inspect your existing tree stands and blinds to see if any components will need to be replaced. I will also use this time to loosen the straps on my stands/climbing sticks just slightly to keep them from growing into the tree and also remove any lifelines. Storing your lifelines indoors will greatly increase their longevity and it only takes a few minutes to remove them. Although I also may do some trimming this time of year, I save most of that work for the summer when I have a better idea of what the foliage will look like. I generally revisit these stands in early August to trim shooting lanes, reinsert lifelines, and tighten straps.
Deer hunting can be as involved as you want it to be. “Hunt Your Hunt” is an expression that is often used in the hunting world and I think that’s a perfect attitude for hunters to have. Some hunters simply show up to a piece of state land the day before the season opens and trust their knowledge and previous encounters to guide them through the season. Other hunters spend the entire year thinking about, and preparing for, the upcoming season. There’s nothing wrong with either approach. I personally enjoy everything that goes into preparing for a deer season about as much as I enjoy sitting in a tree stand. I have learned that putting in some extra work in the off season helps me and my family to be consistently successful when fall rolls around. It’s never too early to start thinking about the next deer season and the winter months are a great time to start preparing for it.
To view the article in the online 2023 Winter Partners Magazine, click here.
