Matt Flynn's not going to simply waltz into this coming season for Seattle without practicing with what weapons he has to work with and neither should we (I do hope the best for Flynn as I'm a Packer fan...I pray I don't lose some of you as followers due to that).
Here's my Spring hunting agenda:
Get Gear Ready To Go:
Here in the coming weeks I'll be making the switch over to new arrows, as I was underspined and had far too low of a FOC in my opinion (if that all sounded like gibberish no worries, I'm going to have an arrow expert right a Arrow 101 post). My goal is to shoot 3 shots everyday from the month of June all the way up to October, minimum....becoming an after work routine. I'm not going to lie and say I've always done that as there has been years I've barely shot any leading up to the season...however if I want to do all I can to maximize my chances come Fall this is something that must be done.
I'm also officially entering the world of Range Finders...not sure how much I'll use it in the field, but it'll be getting lots of use during those practice shots I mentioned above as to make sure I'm proficient with it.
Food Plot & Mineral Sites:
Food plots are a HUGE part of the spring for my father and I. As many of you know and even watched we cleared out new spots for plots this Spring, planted them and now are simply begging for rain to assist in their growth. We will periodically check on the food plots to see if they need mowed (clover especially) back or simply to gauge deer usage, documenting everything along the way.
While we live in Indiana, where mineral sites are illegal during hunting seasons (10 days prior to season also), we can't go crazy with having multiple sites. We only have one right now, which will go unfreshened the months leading up to the season and even dug out some by hand to remove all leftover mineral still in the ground (as outlined by DNR correspondance I had and am still having). While it may seem tedious to have to remove or shut down the site come the season, we feel it's well worth it if it means our local deer are getting the nutrients they need. I'll just be 100% honest and state that if you are going to use a mineral you need to check out and try Monsterraxx. I am not in any way employed by them nor was I asked to mention their product, however when you experience a product with the amount of success we and others I've talked to have had with Monsterraxx. I'll share that knowledge with anyone!
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| Picture courtesy of Pat H. Monsterraxx at work! |
Gaining permission for new properties:
This is the time frame to get out and find new places to hunt. My approach to this "touchy" often times disappointing feat is to write a letter. The advantage to a letter is it takes out any chance that you leave a first impression you would rather not have. A letter is a lot less intrusive than merely knocking on doors, which does have it's own benefits and place in gaining permission. The letter allows you to get out everything from your character, hunting experience, expectations and understanding of all rules set before you by the state and the landowner if allowed to hunt the property. *I will expand upon this idea by doing a full write up of my exact technique which has expanded my hunting properties a little each year. I'll even share a copy of the exact letter I use everytime, editing only to fit the situation.
Observational logging:
This season will be the first time I hope to keep a log on everything we do from property to property. The where/when/how we planted each food plot. Any hinging of trees or clear cutting we did. Where we hang stands or positioned trail cameras. When reviewing the trail cam pictures I hope to log weather conditions of each high activity day in hopes of making correlations between the weather and how the deer use our property. *I am also going to pay attention to moon phases and the pictures as well. Bill Vale has opened this hunter's eyes to how the moon can and does affect deer travel in both small and huge ways throughout the year.
There you have it, my short but quite involved Spring agenda. Hopefully all of you are busy doing similar things in hopes of upping the odds against the awesome creature that is the whitetail buck. I'll finish with the same thought I have before; what we do now we will reap from in the fall.
God Bless,
Ty
8 comments:
Do you mix anything with the monster raxx, or just rake up the ground and dump it in straight?
Monsterraxx doesn't need to be raked in but I like to very-very lightly rake some soil in...if you have a stump or log many guys like to pour some right on it.
Oh and the mixing part of your question. Tom from Monsterraxx is experimenting with mixing their attractants in with their minerals with great success. I don't believe their selling the product like that yet but you can order the attractant separate and mix/spray it in yourself.
Alright thanks Ty I'll have to try out the attractant cause the deer haven't been real interested in it. The heat probably hasn't helped it any but we just got a bit of rain so we'll see if that turns things around? Thanks again
If I dug up a stump and put it with the mineral like in your picture would that help?
No problem, I'm amazed it isn't attracting them...although depending how late you got it out there this year they may just not be needing it as bad. Deer really need it in the later winter and springtime...once summer hits the need isn't quite as high as it normally would be. They'll hit it year round it just declines outside those times. Also think about the location, we've had better success with our second location than first (we dug it up according to the laws of Indiana)and will more than likely keep re-doing this second one each year after hunting season as they seem to prefer it's location.
As to your stump question, it's all about preference. I know Pat Howard, whose picture that is, always has a stump in his licks. One reason guys do this is because some do prefer to just lick the minerals...another reason is when you do get rain the stump actually keeps the ground moister and longer due to its presence.
You got to remember when trying to establish mineral locations, it is always best to do in very early spring as they'll be seeking it more then. However, we have deer coming to ours all the way up till we have to shut it down for IN rules. We put a new bag (spray it with attractant sometimes) ever month and a half to two months.
Thanks for the help Ty!
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