What do we do now?

By Chris Brown

Although the season is over, there is still much to do.

Let me kick off this week's blog by saying "Thanks!" to those of you who responded to my rookie blog. I appreciate it and I hope to share some of your stories (with permission of course) in future blogs.

Okay, on to the task at hand.

When I was growing up, my Dad always told me, "You learn something new every day." I can still hear him saying it, and it has stuck with me forever. I often tell my son the same thing and then catch myself as I realize I sound like my father.

Learning something every day when I was a fisherman was a little tougher, especially this time of year (yes, you will see a lot of references between fishing and hunting here, so get used to it).

One thing I learned while fishing, especially in cold months, is the water is often lower on reservoirs, so I spent quite a bit of time "hunting" visible structure that would almost certainly be covered up when the water rises in spring.

I found creek channel swings and other features that couldn't be found with anything other than sonar - at least during regular fishing months. I would idle for long periods and mark spots with my GPS. I sometimes borrowed a buddy's flat-bottom and found real shallow water and marked stuff there as well. When spring and summer tournaments rolled around, some of those places I marked proved very beneficial.

So how does this relate to hunting? It's the same thing, basically.

Just because the season is done doesn't mean you have to pack up everything and leave the woods. A good friend who is introducing me to this wonderful sport is still checking trail cameras and learning more about the routes these deer are taking to and from food plots on his 500-acre lease.

Now is the time to poke around in bedding areas and high traffic corridors to learn where to place stands for next hunting season. All deer sign is much more visible this time of year, and you can bet deer will be using the same areas next season.

One thing to note is to take deer health into consideration if you live in an area with particularly tough winters. Whitetails are at their weakest late in winter, and many use up their fat reserves before spring green-up. Being pushed from their beds can be put a lot of stress on an already weakened deer, so use common sense deciding when to scout.

This is also a good time to think about the bigger picture. Just like us bass and crappie guys who drop old Christmas trees in the lake for structure, this is a great time for deer hunters to re-examine food plot and shooting house locations. You can have the best food plot on the planet or the most well-hidden shooting house, but if they're not near a good traffic area, they're not going to produce.

I plan to spend some time in a couple of my buddy's stands as well photograph some deer and take notes.

You might want to get fresh batteries in your trail cameras and put them on new routes you think deer might use. Time lapse cameras like the Plot Watcher Pro can cover an entire food plot and not require deer to pass directly in front to get a good idea of where and when deer are using the plot.

Now I understand routes can change and weather and wind will dictate a lot of where you will hunt, but learning a piece of property or hunting lease early will cut out hours of wasted time when the season rolls around. Even properties where local agriculture rotates or changes will have enough similarities from season to season that winter scouting is more than worth your while.

Just like eliminating water that might not produce that big five-fish limit in a tournament, increasing your odds on where and when you hunt could be your ticket to a great hunting season.

Thanks,
CB

Did you learn something new today? Care to share it? Myself and many others who are just starting out in our hunting infancy want to know what your off-season practices are. Shoot them to me at cbrown@buckmasters.com. Inquiring minds want to know!