100% opening week. Like what was said above, treat it like a sheep hunt. Get out there, scout your butt off, get permission and FIND YOUR BUCKS ahead of the season. They’re super easy to pattern the earlier you locate them. Again, as was said above, once the velvet comes off, harvest starts, they’ll move around more. They’ll be a TINY bit calmer early in the season as well. By the time October comes around, the bachelor groups have broken up, and they’ll be on their own.
Not only that, but the earlier you go, the leaves and grass are all still green and MUCH quieter for stalking in close.
In my guiding, outfitting and personal hunting experience, probably the biggest 5 bucks I’ve been a part of killing have ALL gone down in the first 7-10 days of the season. I would honestly say that 70% to 80% of my success has come in the early season.
Not only all that, but velvet, early season bucks look amazing on the wall.
|