While many outdoorsmen have fishing on their minds in August, bowhunters should be thinking ahead. This method is used to limit pressure on the deer herd as to not cause negative effects on your future hunts.

When it comes to food plot preparation, stand and blind sets. The earlier you get them done the better. Deer use their incredible sense of smell to detect your presence days or even weeks after you have left the area. The scent left behind can cause deer to avoid or even abandon the area for weeks. Combined with the fear created by jumping them out of their beds, I recommend giving at least a month for the woods to cool down before attempting to hunt them.

Over the years, I have learned a lot about the habits of deer by simple observation. I have found that even the heaviest used deer trail, will either show less sign, or dry up completely after only a few days of pressure. Furthermore, I have noticed that the tracks you will see are left behind by smaller deer. This has allowed me to understand that the larger deer you wish to hunt are more affected by your presence.

The more property I acquire, the earlier I have to start my work routine. I began hacking new trail systems and cutting shooting lanes just after May this year. The work has kept me busy the whole summer, and it seemed I would never be able to finish it all. I had to sit down and organize what needed to be done to finish up by the first of September. I broke down the areas needing work into categories based on the length of time it takes for the land to reclaim the work sites.