Bud prepares his favorite hunting spots early for deer season

Yeah, I know the deer season is still a few weeks away, but I have always said deer hunting is actually 365 days a year. Well, as far as being able to harvest a deer it is not, but you can always visit your hunting properties and simply walk around and check things out.

That can be relaxing, and eventually it can also be rewarding. It is a good opportunity to get some much-needed exercise after sitting around the house.

I like to visit the properties and reconnect with the landowners. I decided to load up the "Critter-Getter," which happens to be my 2006 Honda Rancher 350 ES, and headed north. I had fallen behind my normal time schedule last spring. By then, I usually had all my trail cameras out and several hundred photos downloaded, viewed, and either stored in files or deleted, but with all the doctor appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, and shooting podcasts, time managed to pass with much needing to be done.

It seemed like Mother Nature was not cooperating either. I had planned to visit a couple places, and I managed to get only one place checked out. On the way to the first stop, I encountered electrical issues with my trailer lights, so I decided to end the effort early.

I pretty well knew from past experience where I wanted the camera locations, and I also had a few ideas of a number of other locations I wanted to monitor. I took the "Critter-Getter" off the trailer and loaded my over-sized trail camera bag with a dozen Browning trail cameras, batteries, and fresh SD cards.

I also had my Thermacell mosquito and bug device and all my EZ-Kut tools for trimming dead branches and limbs. I fired up the Honda and headed for the woods. I was excited to see what I could discover. I was sure happy I had a light-weight jacket with me. It was cool, but comfortable.

The first thing I noticed was the field would be corn this year. That will be a great place for the deer to hide during the early bow season, but once the corn is picked, it makes the deer travel the woods more.

Usually, during bow season, deer like to stay in the standing corn where they cannot be seen and do not use the woods as often as they do in the later season. I have taken some of my larger deer, both bucks and does, when the corn is standing.

As I drove around the edge of the field, I saw an abundance of deer tracks which is pretty normal. I drove the lane back to what we refer to as the back stand, and I noticed several pretty large trees that had been blown down or suffered storm damage. So, I did a little bit of trimming with my folding saw, especially when something was blocking the lane going back. In the morning darkness, I don't want to hit anything that might upset the ATV and get hurt or cause damage.

As I approached the ladder stand, I carefully checked the rachet straps fastening the ladder to the tree, and I checked the haul line to make sure it was in good condition. I noticed the squirrels made a lunch out of the padded seat cushion, so I made a mental list of obtaining a new cushion.

After satisfying myself the stand was good, I walked over and placed the trail camera on the same tree I have used for several years. The trail most of the deer had been using indicated it was still active, so I headed for the other stands to check them out.

I could still see some of last season's buck rubs where the buck deer had been rubbing to remove the velvet from their antlers, and even some of the breeding scrapes were still visible. All of the ladder stands were in great shape, and I replaced anything and everything that indicated any wear and tear from the weather elements.

I placed all the trail cameras and got excited with a couple new locations for cameras. I even jumped a couple deer. Seeing deer and signs of deer activity made Oct. 1 seem a long way off.

As I headed back to my truck, I knew in a couple weeks I would be returning to change SD cards in the trail cameras. I headed home to see what was going on in the woods.

I never thought I would ever get involved with the use of trail cameras, but it is exciting and addictive. I have seen does before and after they had their fawns, and I have pictures of the bucks as they go through the process of growing antlers. Normally, before deer season arrives, I have a pretty good idea of the inventory of deer in my areas.

I loaded the Critter-Getter on the trailer, and since I was having the wiring issues, I decided to forego heading to the other properties. I took the back roads going home so I would not get stopped, and I was a nervous wreck until I backed the trailer into my driveway.

I decided it was time to upgrade my trailer wiring and lights, and I soon discovered I was not an electrician. Thank God I have been blessed with good friends who can bail me out of these situations. I think I will stick to writing, fishing, and hunting and leave electrical work to the smart people.

The photos shared in this article are from two of the best hunting spots I have ever had. The single ladder stand is known as the back stand. The first time I hunted it, I shot a dandy 13-point buck on opening day of the Indiana archery season, and I imagine there have been at least 20 deer taken from it since then.

The other photo is called the two-man stand. There have been many deer taken from it, including a number of nice bucks and huge does. I promise to keep you updated on future trips to the woods. You can expect a bunch of photos of deer and who knows what else.