Its just turned August and it’s time to start getting ready for hunting season. Here are a few things to consider as you prepare for the upcoming seasons.
First up, make sure you have enough ammo. In a typical fall I go through around 3 boxes of ammo for each of the rifles and slug guns I plan on using. Two and a half for sighting in and range practice, the remainder for actually hunting.
Given the current conditions, you should pick up ammo any time you find it. Keep in mind, between all the panic buying and the ammo plants in the northeast being closed for several months, ammo is scarce. And going into this election, I doubt it’s going to be more available later.
While we’re on the subject of scarcity, good luck picking up a new gun for this fall. The same factors come into play as with the ammo.
Hopefully you cleaned your guns before you put them away last year. If you didn’t, shame on you. Regardless, pull out the rigs you’re planning on using, give them a scrub, make sure they function properly and check the screws in the scope mounts. Once that’s done, make sure any accessories like slings and bipods are secure and don’t make excessive noise.
Once you’ve laid in your ammo supplies and checked your equipment out, it’s time to head to the range. Check your zero. Then get off the bench and shoot from more realistic positions. Prone, kneeling, standing off-hand and standing supported. Let be honest, I’ve never shot a deer or bear from a bench rest, and I’m pretty sure none of you have either.
The same can be said for you archers out there. You should have been practicing all summer. It’s not too late to start if you haven’t. But, you should mix up your shooting, try it from your knees or sitting. If you primarily hunt from a tree stand, get up in the air and shoot from there. Trust me when I tell you that your point of impact changes from a tree stand. (Don’t ask me how I know this, I just do OK?)
While we’re on the subject of archery, go get your bow tuned up. A good tech can get your bow perfectly set up, and make it shoot better.
Now is a good time to make sure you still have access to your favorite spots. If you hunt on someone else’s land, stop by and check. If you hunt state or federal land, make sure you can still get in. There’s a move afoot to restrict access to a lot of public lands, and that road or trail you used last year may be closed this year.
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The last thing we’re going to discuss is hunting clothing. Dig it all out. Make sure it’s all serviceable, and throw it in the wash with some scent free, UV brightener free detergent. I personally use the Scent Killer brand, but there are a lot of different brands out there.
The biggest plus from using these types of detergent isn’t the lack of scent, although that’s good, it’s the lack of UV brighteners found in regular laundry detergent. Most game animals see more in the UV spectrum, and clothes laundered with brighteners just stand out more.
Got any prep tips? Anything you think I missed? Let us know in the comments below.