January Hunting Tips

January Hunting Tips Now that we right in the middle of winter, most deer season are over and hunters putting away all their equipment. It is a good time to check over your hunting stuff, take note of what didn't work right, what needs to be replaced, wash and store your camo, and reflect on what went right and what went wrong this past season. I also look over my notes to see where I saw any deer while driving around the area so I can maybe find a new hunting spot for next year. It is also the time to thank all of the farmers and land owners that let you hunt on their land. Every January I will start to put away all my hunting equipment, this year is different for me because we are moving to new house. I have all the tree stands and ladders in the garage waiting to be moved, and all the camo and small stuff boxed up and waiting to go. When we get to the new house I will have to take time to check the nuts and bolts and touch up the paint on all the tree stands and ladders before putting away. The camouflage hunting clothes will be washed in baking soda and checked for tears or holes and any new camo needs noted on my list to purchase for next season, then all camo hung and stored away in the basement closet. As I look back over my notes from this past season, I see the positive things that happened. I saw that we passed up 6 or 7 different yearling bucks very early in the bow season. We had many deer coming to the Food Plots we made. We also got some good footage of the deer on Video Tape. I saw two Pope and Young Bucks from my stand during the archery season, and could have shot numerous other deer. There were many negative things that happened this past hunting season also. The first and biggest was that we did not draw an Iowa deer tag. The second negative was that we didn't have a solid " Plan B ". We had leads on possible hunts in Buffalo County, but they all fell through. Another negative was when I had my chance at a book buck I missed a diffcult shot, had I took the time to bring my deer decoy out that morning I most likely would have had a much easier shot as the buck would have been focused on the decoy. The next negative came during the gun season, in the area we were hunting, the deer movement was almost non existent and I didn't have a good " Plan B ". I was going to check out a new area before the season started but I didn't get around to it and when I did finally check out the new area during the gun season, it looked very good but it was too late in the hunt and I had to return home with an empty tag. One last negitive was that I didn't take the time to find any new Bowhunting spots. You always need to be on the lookout for new spots, you can lose a great spot you have been hunting for years if the farmer sells his land. It happens all the time. Always keep your eyes open for new spots. Now that the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season is over, we will thank the land owners and offer venison sausage and other goodies for their generosity in letting us hunt on their land. And hope they will do so again next fall. Keep checking www.advanced-whitetail-hunting.com for updates on hunting permit deadlines, new equipment and new info for your upcoming Food Plots and Mineral Licks. Also, send me any pictures of you or your buddies' deer and tell me how your season turned out. Enjoy the winter, dale@advanced-whitetail-hunting.com