What I do in the off season to stay sane, caution it's lengthy!

Joined
Mar 12, 2018
Messages
24
Location
Northern Illinois
Most people complaint about this time of the year, nothing to do, nothing to hunt, even walking into the woods right now in my region means you’re going to spend 45 minutes removing ticks off yourself and not even mention ol’ yeller. I used to be one of those people, counting down the days to bow season, filling my outdoor addiction with fishing, camping, etc, but we all know it’s not the same. Up until about 4 years ago I would stare at the calendar and not be proactive but then I decided to change that. I decided that every month of my off season would be spent doing something productive that would help my odds and harvest for the hunting season. I live in Illinois and am truly blessed with some of the properties I’m hunting and more importantly the people I’m hunting them with but since I hunt a variety of species; that means “getting ready for the hunt” can mean a variety of things. Here’s how I split my time during the off season to ensure my hunting season is a success every year.

February- I do an equipment recollection and determine what worked and what didn’t, what I need to replace and what I need to get doubles for. Last season I had a pair of heated socks fail mid hunt in -5 degree weather, purchased the most expensive heated insoles on the market only to deem them worthless, and realized that two of my cameras stopped working. Needless to say, i’ve since replaced the cameras and am still looking at effective ways to heat my feet, if anyone has any input by all means…Lastly, I use February to loosen my stands from their trees. Leaving stand tightened for years weakens the straps and damages the tree so it’s good routine to loosen them after the season is over.

March- I begin working out. I’m not some super athlete or anything nor do I want to be, but I’m a firm believer in hardening your body to accomplish the mission at task. I can’t tell you how many porkers I’ve seen miss out on awesome stand placement because they can’t use a climber or a clamp on stand. I’ve also seen some porkers that possess squirrel like agility in a tree and are unaffected by their size. Needless to say, if you hunt deer from a stand in the Midwest, it helps to be in shape, you feel better, you think well, you’re quieter, and ultimately more effective. If you hunt big game in the west you understand that your physical conditioning is the most important part of your hunt. I’ve spent countless hours on the continental divide and can personally attest that your body must be in par with your psychological intent. Anyways, I digress. To summarize, it’s important to be in good shape, not a tri athlete, but in good shape, do this and you will be more successful. A helpful hint is to walk with a weighted rod in your hand to simulate your rifle. I prefer 15lbs.

April- Ahh old April. In April I hit the trails of my properties, usually I’m taking down cameras at this point and drooling over the ones I missed while praying they return the following season. I also find that early April in northern Illinois is perfect to walk through the woods without being too loud and without losing all of your visibility to vegetation. I take the month of April to study game trails, have they changed, are they still active, etc? I prefer to go midafternoon when the deer have settled down and bit for the day. I also use this time to think strategy and to bring up discussion with fellow hunters as to stand placement. It’s not uncommon that I take down a less productive stand and relocate it to an areas where I saw activity but didn’t have a stand. This happened last season. I’m sitting 80 yards away in December watching a buck parade prance down a game trail I didn’t even know existed. Guess where I discretely placed a hang on stand, bingo. April is good, I spend time in the woods and I feel like I’m accomplishing something. By end of April I like to have my stands in place for the following season and ready to be tightened down.

May- FOOD FOOD FOOD. Now be very very very careful here. In Illinoistan where I’m from we have very low crime rates and incredibly low firearm related homicides thanks to our laws and local ordinances, : ). What we do however have is CWD and so for that reason it is totally illegal to feed deer any day of the year. I hunt Wisconsin as well and dedicate the month of May to fixing blinds and setting up foodplots. The boys and I had an idea to plant 40 apple trees this year but dealing with a distributor from the area we ended up rescheduling that for next year because we are a bit too late. We did however get the blinds cleaned out and fixed up and even build a deck for the RV. We just returned from that trip and not even the ticks were as bad we we thought. Hopefully it's a good season in Wisconsin.

June- I switch my workout routine to be more weight based instead of cardio based to I can gain some strength and shock the body by switching the routine. I continue doing ruck walks with my pack and doing as many stairs as possible. I’m lucky to work at an organization that has stairs everywhere so I keep my old allice pack weighed down with sand in the back of my truck and go on ruck marches after work when it cools down. I also take an annual fishing trip to Canada in June which then makes me want to finally setup my bucket list hunt, an archery moose hunt.

July- When we return from Canada I start to think real heavy about October 1 and begin routinely shooting my bow. I’m making sure everything is tuned up and that I’m dialed in at all my distances. Additionally, I’m spending one weekend a month from this point forward at the rifle range. November 2018 I’ll be at the 4th season rifle hunt for Elk in Colorado and starting in July I will be zeroing the Remington 700 .300WSM. That gives me 4 trips to the range before my hunt and on each trip I shoot around 20 rounds, totaling 80 practice rounds before my hunt. I load my own 100 cartridges in July as well and zero at 300 yards.

August- I take the beginning of August and setup my cameras in the location I’m planning on hunting and begin to pattern the deer. I find it so exciting to see what has walked past my stand and what has left so I like to put my cameras out early. I’m still shooting here and I’m still workout out as well. It’s important not to spook your deer. If you haven’t been around all spring and summer and you start to make weekly appearances on the property, they will notice that and they will register that. It’s also really hot out during these times so smell travels move and stays longer. Once I place my cameras I check them every 3 weeks and not sooner than that. Don’t over travel your property and whatever you do stay out of the woods. I’m a firm believer in leaving trails un-walked and as organic as possible. I stay to the fence rows and place cameras directly underneath stands. It’s worked for me.

September- I’m back to a cardio based workout now and shooting my bow just about every day, after work, before, even if it’s just sending a few arrows into a block in your living room…do it! I pull my clothes out in September as well and hang them in my backyard on a clothes line. My clothes stay outside all season long for the most part. My inner layers I leave inside during subzero weather but my external shell, hats, gloves, and boots stay outside all year. The first week of September I take one full Saturday or Sunday and visit each hunting site, tighten down the straps, clear shooting lanes, and check cameras. I’ll also decide then where to put fellow hunters and what properties we’re going to hunt first. The cameras won’t be checked again until October 1, which also means that all the properties are ready to hunt and have been uninterrupted in 3 weeks. During the first week of October I also take a spray bottle of corn oil and spray down squeaky stands and ladders, I’ll do this as needed throughout the season. Nothing more demoralizing than being busted because of a squeak.

The eve of opening day- I sleep like a baby, throw back a few brews, and know that come tomorrow nothing can bother me. Hope this helps someone, enjoy boys and girls, be safe and have a wonderful season. Hang in there we’re almost there! ;)
 
Joined
Sep 28, 2018
Messages
1,670
Location
VA
Gee Golly.. I figured with a name like Chubby Chaser, you'd be busy without all those paragraphs of activity
 
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