My season started off in the Edmonton Bow Zone this year, unsuccessfully I might add, but I did have my opportunity! The week started off slow, showing up a week ahead of the season opener I thought I would have time to locate some deer worth hunting, not so. The weather was extremely hot, and after spending 4 nights glassing alfalfa and canola fields with no mature deer spotted, I began to wonder about my decision to drive half way across the country to start my bow season.
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If deer season opened up next week, how prepared are you right now? I know, it’s only the first week in July and the opener is 3 months away, but how ready are you? Have you found a buck you are interested in harvesting yet? Do you know where you have the best chance of getting a shot at him once season begins? This is a great time to take inventory and evaluate how ready you are for season, while there’s still time to do something about it! I’m a HUGE believer in the fact that “it’s the little things we do right now to prepare ourselves, that will make the BIGGEST differences later in the year when it will be too late!
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When is the best time to see a Monster buck this time of the year? I’m sure if you are reading this column, you’ve probably been running trail cameras in your hunting area and cruising the roads glassing the bean fields, trying to catch a glimpse of a giant in velvet. I’ll bet some of you have even purchased your moon guides, and you have those special evenings for seeing the big boys highlighted on your calendars! I know I’ve been out on those red evenings and caught a glimpse of some big bone already. The deer in my area are showing some good growth with most racks over half way developed and a few looking like they are almost done. Like I’ve said before though, the only definite when it comes to chasing mature whitetails is “nothing is ever definite” and as much as I believe in the moon guide, there may be some better nights to catch a big buck out in the open, and it has nothing to do with the moon – it has to do with salad dressing!
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If I had to name just one thing that has increased my success on seeing monster bucks during the daylight hours, whether it’s in season or during summer scouting, it would have to be paying attention to the MOON! I know there are many different opinions about the moon and what impact it has on whitetail deer, and some of you may or may not believe in it depending on your own experiences, but I’m here to tell you it is vitally important to my success! What I’m going to share with you comes from my own personal experiences after following this tactic for the past 16 years, and from 30 years of trial and error and in the field experience from my good friend and the late Jeff Murray.
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Although it can be extremely hot and humid during the summer months here in the mid west, the dedicated hunter can accumulate some valuable information from June through September to help him score on a monster whitetail! Last week, I started on the subject of summer scouting and the best locations I’ve found for keeping an eye on local bachelor groups, this week we’ll take a look at the very low impact, two step approach I use to monitor these deer.
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