The First Few Days...

[Singing Bridge]

For those of you that are up against it... high hunting pressure whether public or private... a little reminder of the importance of those first few days. In super high pressure areas where a three year old is a great buck and a four year old is very rare, there is no better time to have a legitimate chance of taking a good buck near bedding. We don't see much rut movement before dark in super pressure areas, they are dead if they do...

Make those days a serious priority- A Michigan high-schooler friend of mine is sure glad that he did on our opening day last year- a high pressure public land hunt.

Bridge

[Dewey]

Great post SB. I truly believe the first few days mature bucks are maybe even more vulnerable than they are during the rut. Hit your absolute best spots now. Once they figure out their being hunted all bets are off and it gets so much more difficult.

[headgear]

I've seen a ton of your average run of the mill hunters connect on good to great bucks opening weekend by accident, I think you can catch them in the mornings and evenings those first few days.

[d_rek]

I need to get in the habit of hunting my best spots on Oct. 1. My tradition has been to hunt convenient spots just to say I was out on opening day.

[magicman54494]

Another important aspect is that you need to be 100% ready. make sure your gear is in perfect shape and that you have your equipment organized and ready. many a big buck has survived those first few days because the hunter wasnt ready and made mistakes.
It is a good idea to do a few practice runs in your yard before the opener. these runs will allow you to identify thing that need attention and allow you to have all your gear organized and located. do complete practice runs including actually lifting your bow and shooting. Its better to find out you forgot your lift rope at home than in the woods opening day. Its better to find and silence a squeak at home than with a buck 20 yds away.

good luck everyone, be safe!

[Hawthorne]

Good post SB! My plan the first week is to be aggressive. Do you hunt mornings the first week?

[Dewey]

Don’t forget to shoot with all of you hunting clothing on including facemask if you wear one. Many of us shoot all summer in shorts and a t-shirt and choke the first shot due to not practicing this. A lot of bucks lived another day due to poor shot execution.

[oldrank]

Good advice !!!

It's so close I can taste it in the air !!

[Singing Bridge]

Good post SB! My plan the first week is to be aggressive. Do you hunt mornings the first week?

Typically I hunt observation stands in the morning that won’t disrupt bedding. But I’ve shot a number of bucks in the morning those first few days.

[Singing Bridge]

Back when I was young and more foolish than I am now, some buddies wanted to bet me on who would take the first buck of the season. I dont let such foolishness be a factor in my hunting now. Anywho, all the cash to the winner. They were hunting private and I was hunting public. 7 minutes into the new Michigan archery season I had a buck down. They didn’t want to bet anymore after that. Mornings can produce if you find the right buck.