A giant whitetail buck can leave evidence of its existence in an area in late February / early March when it sheds its antlers from the previous year. In late March and early April, most of the males have lost their hoof and have started working on their new antler growth. Although it can sometimes be like “finding a needle in a haystack,” it never hurts to cure a little winter cabin fever and take a walk around your hunting property to see if you may be lucky enough to find somewhere or other. side. cases, both sides.

Know where the water source is and find out where they come to drink. If you are lucky enough to have a stream or river running through your property, scan the banks to find where the deer have a beaten path that leads to the water. This would be a great place to put a tree within about 15-20 yards of the trail as this is evidence that deer frequent that particular spot because it allows them easy access to the water. If you don’t have a water feature on your property, you can create one by purchasing a fairly inexpensive outdoor pond and burying it. It will catch and hold rainwater, eventually deer will pick up on it and associate it as a place to get a drink when they are thirsty. Water sources are extremely essential for deer early in the bow season, when temperatures are still quite warm in most regions of the United States.

Like a water feature, white tails develop a year-round pattern with their eating habits. If you have forests on your property adjacent to a field full of crops, walk along the field about 20 yards into the forest and look for a “funnel” of deer trails joining and leading out into the field. Deer are very cautious animals and have a main point of view that they often use before entering an open area and becoming vulnerable to attack by predators. Deer are quite routine during the early archery season, usually feeding in the mid to late morning and evening until the routine begins. Find the trail funnel and place your bracket right next to it about 15-20 yards, too, allow yourself a clear line of sight to the field and set shooting lines in that direction as well.

The early archery season can be rewarding if you take the time to learn the routine feeding and watering habits of the whitetail. However, you should also spend your time outside the forest. When you finally get that perfect shot, you certainly don’t want to hurt the animal. Make sure the sights on your compound bow are fine-tuned and that you are striking where your sight or crosshairs line up with the target. If you can keep a group of arrows within an area the size of a paper plate, then you will have no trouble hitting one of the vital organs and hopefully turning it into a quick clean kill.