In the area we scouted previously (Sept. 6th), the White Tail Deer season for general tags opened September 17th. This early WTD season is an amazing opportunity for new hunters like us, because it allows us to learn about the area and takes the pressure off November. Even though the rutting season hasn’t started yet, we can still practice our tracking and stalking techniques, while also giving us a chance to develop strategies and make decisions based on what we are seeing. These techniques and skills would be much harder to refine if we are under a more restricted time crunch and facing potentially bitter cold conditions. Scouting during an early hunting season means that the potential to success is still there, and therefore, we are highly motivated to home in on our technique and skills in safer outdoor conditions.
We feel like we are setting ourselves up for success, while also keeping in mind that deer are not moving around or responding to calls the way they would during rutting season. This means that all our work and effort now, will be aided by the increased movement of the animal in November. We have already been to the area twice this September, and the places we thought would produce have shown to be problematic when we checked them out. For example, we hiked to a lake with a cut line access and saw a bunch of fresh tracks. However, after placing the game camera there, we noticed that people were frequent visitors down that line. So, competition in that area may produce hunting pressure that would scare the deer off and make them wary to use that route. So, we decided that finding other areas less travelled by people would be a better strategy.
The other issue that we experienced our first time out there was wet, muddy driving conditions that decreased the accessibility of the area. That meant that while we were home, Troy had to make repairs to his work truck so we could have a more durable vehicle. If we were discovering this closer to the rutting season with snowy conditions, then the need for repairs would have made hunting season much more stressful, possibly affecting our success. Having a reliable vehicle that can handle the terrain means accessing more areas and means you can get out of a tough spot. Troy has recently restored the suburban, find out more about this project Thursday.
Another benefit of hunting early is that game bird is open, and we had great success getting Spruce Grouse while scouting around. So, even though we didn’t even set eyes on a deer, we had an enjoyable day out in the forest. Check out our facebook page @wildhearthacres to see photographs of our grouse hunt and stay tuned for pictures of our grouse meal. Until then, stay wild.