The turkey season is long over. Crops are sprouting. The intense heat and humidity of summer’s “dog days” approach.
Nevertheless, for those of us who are avidly involved in the hunting lifestyle, it is truly a year-round process which definitely includes summer!
Like me, even though your grabbing your catfish or bass rod, I’m sure that some of your thoughts are now drifting toward cool, crisp mornings, falling leaves and maybe even a bit of snow cover on the ground.
Perhaps you can picture yourself throwing out teal duck decoys on warm, humid, early September morning in your favorite wetland.
I know that you have been spending some time on the target range practicing with your firearm or bow. I know that you have been down the aisles of nearby sporting goods stores perusing the newest hunting clothing and equipment and checking out the special sales.
But even with some tasks done, there’s more to do in the domain of hunting than just daydreaming about active game animals and birds this time of year.
This is the time to sweat, literally and otherwise. It is actually the time to sweat the small stuff of your upcoming fall hunts.
Planning in the summer avoids the haste and franticness of sorting gear and packing the night before your big, opening morning adventure. It’s those little, but critical things that have a way of piling up quickly and being forgotten or overlooked in the days just prior to your major hunting season openers.
You see, there is much hunting homework that needs to be completed!
Being one who practices what he preaches, I sat down recently and put fingers to my computer keyboard to develop a handy, but extensive checklist for you and I to use to make certain that we are fully prepared when our Nebraska hunting seasons arrive. Here’s the list:
____Visit the landowner where you plan to hunt. Make certain that you still have permission to hunt and part of their land hasn’t been sold or leased. Bring a gift or offer to assist your landowner friends with some farm/ranch chores or the fall harvest.
____Arrange time off work for crucial dates like opening days, weekends, weeks, or the peak of the deer rut.
____Purchase required permits and stamps and acquire other mandatory items for your hunt when obtainable (e.g. H.I.P. number for hunting doves, ducks and geese, free East Zone grouse hunting permit, state park entry permit, etc.).
____Apply in lotteries for draw unit big game hunting permits, Gifford Point WMA access permit, super tag, combo/multi-species permit and bighorn sheep permit.
____Check hunter education requirements for youth and other young folks, and then make plans for them and you to successfully complete a firearm or bow hunter education course together.
____ Study the current laws and regulations that apply to the game animals or birds you plan to hunt. Put the local conservation officer’s phone number and Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers phone number (1.800.742.7627) in your Android or iPhone.
____Book lodging and camping reservations. For state park area info, logon to www.OutdoorNebraska.gov/parks/
____Download fresh, new apps on your mobile device to get up-to-date, detailed maps of your hunting areas. OnX would be an example of this.
____Review your compass. map and GPS interpreting skills. If your mobile device or GPS stopped working, could you navigate out of a remote location like the Nebraska sandhills or pine ridge with a compass and a topographic map?
____Scout your hunting land repetitively at periodic intervals as we progress into fall. Note where certain crops are planted, grass has been hayed and cattle or other livestock are grazing. Highlight any changes with the habitat or landscape. Put up trail/game cameras and start monitoring them.
____Trim tree limbs/branches or brush for shooting lanes.
____Mow or weed-whack deer/game trails.
___ Regularly water and weed your spring-planted food plots.
____Take soil samples and have them tested. Then you will know what to plant, where to plant and when to plant and with regard to fall wildlife food plots on your private land where allowed. Crops such as wheat, oats, rye, clover, turnips and brassicas like rape are those commonly planted.
____Make the necessary repairs to treestands, box blinds, trailer blinds, etc. and clean/touch-up decoys and patch waders.
____Service your ATV or UTV. Opening weekend is not the time to find out the machine won’t start.
____Assemble all your gear, examine it, clean it and repair or replace any things that are worn-out or broken. How’s your portable, camouflaged pop up blind? Carefully inspect fall restraint systems that are utilized for hunting from elevated deer hunting positions.
____Compile a small, lightweight survival kit to include such things as a multitool, lighter and fire starting materials, water, high-energy snacks, emergency space blanket and some rope or cord.
___ Read reviews on the latest hunting gear. Find out if special sales exist on those new, highly-rated gear products either online through reputable websites or at local sporting goods stores.
____Wash all of your hunting clothes in unscented soap and store it in a plastic bag, if you have not done so already.
___ Buy new human scent-reducing supplies for deer hunting.
_____ Put fresh batteries in head lamps, flashlights, cameras, GPS units, etc.
_____Sharpen your field-dressing, skinning and other hunting knives.
____Get a physical examination by your doctor if haven’t had one lately. Schedule your hunting dog for a pre-season check up with your veterinarian. Become acclimated to the weather for early season hunting. You and your hunting dog both should start a fitness regimen and stick to it.
____Practice shooting as much as possible. Just as with our physical conditioning, we also need to maintain our shooting abilities. A lot of hunters shoot their firearms and bows only 2 or 3 times a year and that may not be enough. Kick up your shooting sessions a few notches with realistic hunting scenarios, if possible. Remember, our duty as a hunter is to make an effective shot for a quick, humane kill through regular target shooting sessions.
____Practice calling. From ducks to bucks, if you’re going to use a call, practice sounding like the game bird or animal you want to draw to within shooting range before getting in the field.
____Begin breaking in your new hunting boots. Do not let painful blisters or sore, aching feet ruin your fall hunt.
____Touch base with local butcher shops that have processed deer. Find out if they are still going to be processing deer. Jot down their contact information, hours of operation and involvement in the Nebraska Hunters Helping the Hungry program.
___Stock up on your favorite spices, seasonings and sauces that you use to enhance the flavor of wild game meats.
____Mark down and look over those miscellaneous items you take to the field. Some are necessary, others make the experience more comfortable or efficient. What are some of your miscellaneous items? Several of mine are binoculars, range finder, wind-checking device, folding saw, rubber gloves and hand warmers.
____Place all your hunting gear in one, easily accessible place, such as a large plastic or wooden storage box. Better yet, arrange it neatly in your hunting packs.
Simultaneously savoring and anticipating autumn’s great hunts is a rather large assignment. But, as the old saying goes: Failure to plan is a plan for failure.
Okay, now you can go back to indulging in your daydreams.
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