The Off-Season Lull

Each year it approaches. That time of year where most big game seasons wrap up or have already wrapped up, that downtime that most of us as hunters dread. For me this is a time I’ve come to still greatly enjoy. That lull time of year.

The off season for me is a time to grow,

It is a time to gain more knowledge and prepare for the next season to come. The hunt is active year round for me as a hunter, by that I mean the off season brings the prep work that the leads to that successful hunt during my hunting season.

I thought I would share a few tip and tricks focused on the archery hunter during the off season however some of these tips reign true to all hunters to help prepare for that next season. Although having as much knowledge as possible doesn’t fill a tag it does contribute to a successful season for any hunter in my eyes.

Practice

Get out and practice in the off season. Don’t wait until your season rolls around to practice and prep. Waiting until the last minute tends to create more stress when adjustments are needed. Adjustments in turn then can be rushed in those last moments before a hunt which can jeopardize many things.

Practice year round, get out and shoot your bow or firearm. This gives you opportunity to shoot in different scenarios to include; positions, gear scenario, weather condition, time of day and such. In the end it gives you opportunity to make adjustments that aren’t rushed, aides in building your confidence for situations that may arise and also reduces stress making the hunt more enjoyable when an animal comes into range.

Shoot

Get out and shoot your broad heads or firearm ammo of choice. Once you have your bow all set up and dialed in, get out and shoot the broad heads you plan to hunt with. The same rings true for your firearm, once you have your set up lined out make sure to practice with the specific ammo you plan to hunt with.

Yes, you read that right, get out and shoot!.

I don’t know how many times I have had fellow hunters tell me stories how they didn’t get out and shoot the broad head/ammo they were hunting with before they shot at an animal with intentions of harvesting to fill their tag and they missed or had a bad shot.

No one wants to experience either of those. Don’t shoot your hunting broad heads more then you need to, just enough to know they are going to fly true and then tuck them away for the hunt. As for your firearm ammo, make note of what ammo you’re shooting and make sure it matches what you take on your hunt.

By doing this, this gives you more practice and opportunity to again make further adjustments as needed.

Trail Cameras

I have found a joy in placing my trail cameras and checking them year round. The past couple years I really dove into this hard and let me just say it paid off. I placed trail cameras year round this past year, checking them every 2-4 weeks.

I was able to pattern several coastal blacktail deer, roosevelt elk and black bear starting in the spring well through November. This also helped me understand the factors in the area that contributed to the animal populations in my area and their patterns which included predators, moon phases and natural feed.

Scout

Get out and scout. Lay your eyes and feet on the land you plan to hunt. This gives you opportunity to see what animals, natural feed and habitat is in the area and so much more including changes related to logging operations or natural disasters.

Use resources to assist with your scouting, I personally use BaseMap. BaseMap is such a great tool, it is truly a lifesaver in the field. This smartphone app offers land layers making it easy to see private and public lands, parcel boundaries and landowner names.

Along with all that BaseMap shares season dates, species information and more. With features to place markers, share your location and so much more BaseMap makes it so you can “Own Your Hunt.” Lastly, you can use your offline maps wherever you go!

Along with using BaseMap to identify the lands, terrain, mark important locations/fresh animal sign and much more of the areas I hunt I also rely on my handheld Garmin InReach Exploer + GPS. This specific GPS also has the capability to send messages out or SOS via satellite.

Check out BaseMap here: https://app.basemap.com/ Use Code: sutherlin10 and save!

Check out Garmin InReach here: https://explore.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/

Maintaining Grounds

Maintaining your primary hunting grounds with up keep can really help. It doesn’t matter if your hunting public land or private land maintaining areas you plan to hunt can be helpful. However, it is important to keep areas as natural as possible.

If you are setting up ground blinds or tree stands make sure your shooting lanes are clean and well-kept, this is so important to provide you with a clean shot. Reminder to always take out what you brought in and then some, we must do our part and work together to maintain and keep our lands as natural as possible.

My step-kids love helping me with this part of the hunt from clearing trails, shooting paths and picking up trash on our public lands.

Train

Training year round is very beneficial. This helps keep your body in shape for hitting those mountains and helps keep your endurance up.

Hunting is hard, well it can be and western hunting is just plain difficult. This is where training to hunt can be beneficial for you the hunter. Diet and exercise together will help your body in the field where it’s predator and prey.

It’s up to you the individual to decide what training works for you and your hunt. One thing I don’t suggest doing is foregoing the preparations in the off season and paying the price while in the field. You want to be able to keep up with the demands of the hunt and fully enjoy it.

Enjoy

Enjoy the journey that leads up to the hunt! Always remember, “A hunt based only on trophies taken falls short of what the ultimate goal should be.” Fred Bear

Happy Hunting!

Written by ReelCamo Girl Pro Staffer Stacey Sutherlin