[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/prepping-for-fall-hunting\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/prepping-for-fall-hunting\/","headline":"Prepping for Fall Hunting","name":"Prepping for Fall Hunting","description":"Oh, the delicious smell of fresh venison tenderloins and back strap poppers sizzling on the grill during fall tailgating parties...","datePublished":"2014-08-26","dateModified":"2018-10-24","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/#Person","name":"Hector Agosto","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Legendary Whitetails","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","url":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","width":522,"height":226}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/TrailCamUpClose-e1431031238767.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/TrailCamUpClose-e1431031238767.jpg","height":702,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/prepping-for-fall-hunting\/","about":["News"],"wordCount":1071,"keywords":["News"],"articleBody":"Oh, the delicious smell of fresh venison tenderloins and back strap poppers sizzling on the grill during fall tailgating parties \u2013 can\u2019t you almost taste them!\u00a0 Finally, the long awaited deer season is less than a month away in most parts of the country and what always feels like an eternal wait, somehow manages to sneak up on me every season.\u00a0 So what\u2019s still unchecked on the summer to do list that will help me get a bite of those little grilled sensations come fall?Lock up the hunting rights to another property or twoEvery season I try to expand my \u201cland network\u201d.\u00a0 Basically I try to accumulate more land to hunt come fall.\u00a0 No, not by buying land, rather by simply asking for permission to hunt on other properties.\u00a0 If knocking on doors doesn\u2019t work, I research and scout public areas.\u00a0 While I don\u2019t mind hunting public land and like the challenges it brings, I would much rather hunt a prime piece of private land where hunting pressure is controlled. \u00a0It\u2019s simple \u2013 the more I can lock up, the more I can leave unpressured, then the more options I have, and the more my odds go up.Hang Stands \u2013 as many as I can affordThis task will be completed sooner rather than later to avoid any major disturbances close to the season opener.\u00a0 A few have already been hung, but there are few new areas and hopefully properties that will need some stands.\u00a0 I am a firm believer in the more options you have, the better off you will be.\u00a0 You need at least four different stands just to cover the main wind directions unless you would rather sit some days out.\u00a0 Not saying that skipping on a sit is necessarily a bad thing if it means not messing up an area, but I\u2019d still rather have the option to hunt if possible.\u00a0 From my experience with filming and hunting the past couple seasons, more mature bucks were killed during one of the first two sits at any particular stand location.\u00a0 That was enough proof for me to hang additional stands this season.\u00a0 Not to bore you with science, but there is university research that supports the notion of mature bucks avoiding known stand sites after a single sit!Conduct a camera survey It\u2019s like Christmas in August!\u00a0 There is nothing better than a Legendary buck in velvet!\u00a0 Talk about getting pumped up for the season.\u00a0 While most folks stick out there cameras to see what bucks are trouncing around the property, I take it a couple steps further and conduct a detailed deer herd survey.\u00a0 The survey allows me to learn some important characteristics about the deer herd such as the buck to doe ratio, age class distribution, fawn recruitment and the number of unique bucks using the property.\u00a0 It takes some time and effort to do it right, but it\u2019s well worth it.\u00a0 From the survey, I also build a \u201chit-list\u201d, which is simply a list of bucks that meet my harvest criteria.Deer Gear PreparationEven after thirteen years of accumulating mounds of hunting gear, I still find a way to spend at least a couple hundred bucks on more gear every single season.\u00a0 I always organize my gear and find out what I\u2019m missing prior to season opener.\u00a0 I also take the time to wash my clothes a couple of times and hang them outside for at least a week or more before opening day.\u00a0 Scent control is no joke and it takes a strong willed commitment to follow through the entire season, especially once the temperature plummets.\u00a0 Part of my gear preparation also includes checking all my tree stand straps and hanging a safety line from every stand.\u00a0 A safety line keeps you harnessed to the tree while climbing up and down.\u00a0 This is literally a life saver and a \u201cmust have\u201d for all hunters, especially on those frost-covered mornings.If you want that shirt click here!Shooting my bow is basically a year round activity, however, I ramp it up during the final month before season.\u00a0 The bow never sees the case, it\u2019s left sitting on the table near the door so that every time I walk outside, a few arrows get zipped at the target.Wowza! \u00a0I got exhausted just writing about all the stuff left to do.\u00a0 Now I actually need to do it!\u00a0 Thankfully, all these activities are enjoyable (minus the ones in mosquito-infested areas) and build the anticipation of that season we o\u2019 so love."},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Legendary Whitetail's Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/prepping-for-fall-hunting\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Prepping for Fall Hunting"}}]}]