Early Season Tactics

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Todd_W_Lydell]Todd W Lydell
Don't you just love those videos on TV where the unsuspecting victim approaches the seemingly normal birthday cake only to be totally surprised when the trap is sprung and it smashes into their face? The birthday person had seen lots of birthday cakes before where nothing out of the ordinary occurred and this cake was approached in a relaxed manner with no thought to a set up.
IT'S A PARTY
In the early archery season, deer are locked into their late summer / early fall feeding patterns. They haven't been harassed at all for many months and for the past several weeks, they have been leaving their nearby bedding area and travelling to the bountiful and easily accessible food source in the back corner of the roadside field.
SURPRISE!!!
But if you've done your preseason scouting, on the opening day of archery season you will be in a stand on the field's edge. If you've used scent control and are playing the wind correctly, our unsuspecting victim should be coming down the trail to the seemingly normal food source. And if you are patient and have been practicing, you should be able to spring your trap.
IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS
Some things to remember though... First, have an exit strategy. If a bunch of deer are feeding in the field you are hunting but the deer you want does not show up on the first night, you need a plan to get out of your stand and out of the area without disturbing the whole herd. You do NOT want to walk through the field and blow them all out of there.
Second, if the wind isn't right, don't hunt that location. Third, it won't take Mr. Big long to realize he's being hunted. If you don't get him on the first or second night, give the location a rest for a while.
Fourth, if the animal you want is not coming to the field until after legal shooting hours have expired, look for a staging area about 50-150 yards from the field. Sometimes bucks will find an elevated location to check out the field during daylight hours before committing to it after dark.
CONCLUSION
I'm not sure which is better to hunt... the first week of archery season when deer are relaxed and in predictable patterns or the pre-rut when calls, scents, and rattling can bring on an extra element of excitement. I will admit that early archery season is something I look forward to each year. The weather is agreeable, I'm excited to be archery hunting again, and the deer are somewhat foreseeable in their movements. Missing the early archery season is a mistake and could cost you the buck of a lifetime.
Check out my blog, videos, and lots of other stuff at [http://www.thinkarchery.com/]www.thinkarchery.com. If you would like to discuss this or any other archery topic with me directly, please feel free to email me at  [mailto:todd@thinkarchery.com]todd@thinkarchery.com
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Early-Season-Tactics&id=6502183] Early Season Tactics