Whitetails 365: Preparing for Opening Day

Whitetails 365: Preparing for Opening Day

By Aaron McKinney

When it comes to preparing for Iowa’s opening day of bow season, or even youth season, there are some things you want to do now, rather than wait until late. By performing prep work now, you will have a slight advantage as you won’t be leaving as much scent behind in the field, and you will give deer a chance to settle down before you pursue them during bow, youth, or the upcoming early muzzleloader season.

Get Your Trail Cameras Moved
When it comes to early season scouting for deer, trail cameras can be invaluable tools. A lot of us have specific cameras set up to capture the summertime movement of deer. Right now, deer are adjusting their patterns slightly. Now is the time, before opening day, to get cameras set to help you patten target bucks. Bucks can be patterened and targeted during the first couple weeks of bow season, before they change their habits. Make sure to use scent control when you do venture into possible hunting areas, and be mindful of bumping deer. I like to get in and get out quietly disturbing as little as possible.

First, you should choose suitable locations for your trail cameras. Right now, deer are starting to really hit alfalfa fields, corn, and green soybean fields. This will change as the beans defoliate and turn. However, for early season bucks, get your cameras set up on these fields. Place the cameras near the food sources. Even though the acorns haven’t dropped yet, they will soon. Don’t discount mast-producing trees, as deer tend to concentrate around these areas during the early season. Set up the cameras at a height and angle that captures the deer’s movement effectively. Getting these set up now will give you some time to make sure the cameras are performing adequately; unwanted weeds are out of the way, and that you’re getting the best pictures. Review the captured images or videos to identify deer patterns, travel corridors, and specific bucks you might be interested in. Take note of the time of day and weather conditions when the deer are most active. This information will help you determine the best hunting spots and times during the early season. Additionally, consider using multiple cameras to cover a larger area and get a more comprehensive understanding of deer movement. By utilizing trail cameras effectively, you can gain valuable insights that will enhance your early season deer scouting and improve your chances of success in the field.

Check Your Stands
Sometimes we get busy and are just now getting around to moving some stands. Try to go in during the heat of the day, when deer are more likely to be deep in the timber bedded down. Put up your stand or blind, and trim shooting lanes. Blinds tend to make deer wary, so getting them set up now is by far more advantageous than waiting. There might still be some vegetation growing between now and the first hard frost, so take that into consideration as you are trimming shooting lanes. If you are setting up a blind, be sure to camouflage it with some brush and vegetation. Some of this vegetation can be moved and placed around your blind now, but you might want to wait for some green vegetation closer to the season.

If you haven’t already, check your stands, straps and chains. Don’t forget to replace seat cushions in treestands. You will be ok for the first few times, but as November approaches, long sits can get cold. Especially if you do not have some insulation between you and your stand.

Deer Lures
I like to get my scrapes set up now instead of waiting until mid-season. There are some deer scents that will slowly release over several weeks. Some people like to use drippers, that will drip deer scent (either pre-orbital scent or urine) into the scrape. I’ve used a product that you bury in the ground, in a mock scrape. It has a wick that brings the scent towards the surface. It gets bucks used to pawing the ground early, and both bucks and does will visit these sites. I like this and have witnessed a fair amount of activity early on in the season. It is worth noting that a lot of times, especially early in the season, bucks tend to use these during the night. However, once the conditions are right, the wind is in your favor and a cold front moves in, you are now set up to hopefully get on your target buck.

Preparing for Youth Season
As adults, we are busy. However, if you can set aside a few hours to mentor a youth hunter, do it! Taking a kid out for youth season hunting is incredibly important for several reasons: bonding and quality time, passing on values, ethics, and instilling responsibility and respect, which are all fostered through hunting. First you will have the task of pairing a caliber to the hunter.
When it comes to selecting a caliber for youth season hunting, there are a few options to consider. According to the Iowa DNR’s rules and regulation, “Rifles firing straight wall or other centerfire ammunition propelling an expanding-type bullet with a maximum diameter of no less than .350 of an inch and no larger than .500 of an inch and with a published or calculated muzzle energy of 500 foot pounds or higher is legal for hunting deer during the youth and disabled hunting season and first and second shotgun seasons”. When most of us were hunting during the youth seasons, it meant toting along a 12 or 20 guage shotgun. However, recent legislation has expanded the options for rifles. Here are some calibers to consider.

The .350 Legend has gained a lot of popularity since its introduction in 2019. It has very little recoil, which is ideal for kids and new hunters. New for 2023 is the .400 Legend, it is also a straight walled cartridge, but when compared to the .350 Legend, it is supposed to have a little more potential when shooting deer at a little farther distances. Using either caliber for youth will make it easier to coach them through shots without the shooter having fear of too much recoil. It’s a good choice for young hunters who want a caliber with manageable recoil and enough power for deer.

If you are interested in lever-action guns, the .444 Marlin, 45-70 Government, and .360 Buckhammer all are straight walled cartridges that offer more than enough capability to harvest whitetail deer. The .45-70 Government has been around since the 1870s, but gained popularity with Iowa hunters over the last few years as legislation began to allow rifles for deer hunting. It offers a heavy bullet and moderate velocities. The .444 Marlin came around in the 1960’s and is tried and true having a lot of power. A new cartridge, the .360 Buckhammer, compatible with Henry .360 Buckhammer rifles, is designed to have more power and a flatter trajectory for hunters.

Once you have selected the caliber, practice with the youth and coach them through gun safety and help them form good shooting habits.

Get Started!
Now, before the seasons open, is the time to finish moving trail cameras, checking stands, and getting spots picked out for opening day. Bumping a trophy buck is never a good thing. However, you are giving the buck a little time to adjust and calm down before you will be hunting him. Do not be lax on scent control programs. Wear your rubber boots and gloves, and do not leave too much scent behind on objects. There is no need to create any more pressure than necessary. If you can avoid touching vegetation with bare hands at this time, do so to minimize your presence.