Get these five things before deer hunting season starts and you'll be better off.
Deer season is right around the corner. Whether you're choosing to hunt public or private land, during archery or firearms season, you always have time to increase your odds of success.
You know your deer hunting regulations and your north zone from your south zone, now you just need an edge to boost your chances of getting that big antlered deer. While not every one of these items will do just that, I've tried to keep in mind that most deer hunters are attuned to their craft and have already begun to collect the items they need to fill their big-game tag.
You're aching for that first sunrise in your favorite deer management unit. With your hunting area waiting, a deer harvest is only a matter of time, right? Deer hunters know quite well how much every little detail counts.
Here are five things to try that'll hopefully bring you more success this season.
1. Shoulder-length field dressing gloves
As I said, not everything here is meant to help you successfully harvest your deer; you're already good at that. But once the deer's down, there are other things to concern yourself with, such as deer ticks and chronic wasting disease.
When you need to get up to your armpits in a deer to field dress it, a pair of regular-sized gloves just isn't enough. These Game Cleaning Gloves Between working on your animal and dragging it out, you'll have your hands on it a lot in those first minutes.
2. OnX HUNT app
With so much high praise and a wide range of users, the OnX Hunt app might be here to stay. This is an app that's meant to work in both online and offline areas to maximize what the user can do.
You can use the various layered features to understand your hunting area even better than you thought you could. The app's tool gives you wind speed, including direction along with access to weather and even solunar activity.
3. Ozone Generator
Gone are the days of scent coverup, because the next generation of controlling your smell, or at least what your quarry can smell, is here.
This Scent-Lok OZ Radial EZ Ozone Generator in Mossy Oak Bottomland keeps your closet and gear free of scent so you're ready when the time comes. Use it leading up to the season, and in between every hunting session.
4. Optics Harness
If you use binoculars on your hunts, a harness goes a long way. Not only can this impressive Mountain Optics Harness from Sitka keep your glasses where you need them, but it carries a ton more essentials too.
5. Extra doe tag
Not every state offers these, and even in states that do, it can be difficult to get one. In New York, you can apply for more than one Deer Management Permits when you get your license (if your wildlife management areas offer them), or you can wait until Nov. 1 when all the leftover tags are available for the general public to claim.
Heck, in other states, you have to earn a buck tag only by killing a doe first. All we're saying is, if you aren't worried about killing a target buck and are really out to harvest game meat, help manage a herd, or work on your skills with perhaps less pressure, then a doe tag is a nice thing to have in your pocket.
Trust me on this: having an extra tag doesn't automatically get you an extra deer. Bagging an antlerless deer is about being in the woods during all the deer hunting seasons, including muzzleloader season.
Obviously you should have this year's hunting license and your deer permit by now, but the season comes up fast. These few things may be a heap of help, so be sure to check them out! Good luck this season!
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