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Too late??

Stonegod

Junior Member
How close to opening day would you say it's ok to set up ground blinds and clear shooting lanes without spooking the deer? I still have two blinds to put up and was wondering if it will effect the deer this close to opening day. And if so how long should I put off hunting those blinds?
 

cotty16

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
I try to get my stuff done early, however there are times when I have too much going on and can't do all I want.

Most on here know the story of my 2010 opening weekend buck. Long story short, I put up a ladder stand opening day and killed my best buck to date the next morning. Ya just never know.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
I plan to set a groundblind this weekend for my son. I'm late in getting it done, but it will be next to a burr oak that is loaded. It usually draws every deer in the area, so I'm betting they will get used to the blind pretty quick. I've been this late before, in fact two years ago I was. We saw 9 bucks the first evening of season. I hope it's similar this year.
 
I'll take a weedeater and/or a leaf blower to clear out trails that the deer are or could be using. I do this before and during the hunting season and it attracts them to the paths of least resistance. Especially, after most of the leaves are on the ground and it's very "crunchy" to walk through a wooded area, it seems as though the deer appreciate it and use it more often. I usually do these actions in the middle of the day, on the weekend, so as not to spook them. That is to say, I make my presense pretty obvious.

Even so, I still see the bigger bucks walking straight through the timber, as though the were wanting everything to know they're in the woods.

Bowhunter57
 

huntnfool

Junior Member
67
0
Thornville
I am resetting a few stands this weekend. I also stuck a ground blind out last Thursday. I think of like this. We move stands during the season and we still see the deer so doing work a few weeks before opener you will be ok. I do have stands that have been in the same spot for few years. One tip if you have these same stands check the straps before you enter. Last season i had this one stand I went to that has been hunt for 4 years. For some reason I decided to kick the stand and my strap broke. Had I just stepped in like 99% of the time I would have fallen and been hurt pretty damn bad.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
We did set the blind up for Mason, and had deer under the oak tree that night and next morning.

Bowhunter, I clean out trails too. Hunting small patches of timber as I do, I have to be able to sneak into my stands which are not far into the woods. Often times, I will spot deer bedded right around my stand after climbing aboard. I clean the trails before the leaves drop however. The freshly fallen leaves make a quiet entry, and the trails are less obvious to others. If you have the sticks cleared, you are stealthy enough to get right in there with 'em! In fact, I shot a doe several years ago on opening evening as soon as I untied my bow! Our WO officer came to see me about that. I'd purchased my tag at 4pm, and had it filled out shortly after 5.
 
I would say you will be good to go with setting them up and hunting. The problem can be if you are clearing all kinds of brush, sweating and walking to and from your blind to re-check the lanes, then you may sour your spot for a while. Notice several of the guys above and even myself have gone in that day, set up a blind and shot a deer that same day. Would venture to say likely none of us spent time trimming lanes and walking around though. So if you can, set the blind up and do as little as you have to and get out of there. JMHO
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
I agree it can be done, it is the amount of disturbance that will be the ultimate deciding factor as to how the deer accept the latest intrusion. If I was going to hang one now, I wouldn't do much cutting at all and I'd try to do it will it was good and cool so I didn't sweat like a whore in church.

Good luck to those that still have work to do. Hope it pays off!!!
 

Beentown

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,740
154
Sunbury, OH
I left the last two sets to hang where I feed/bait. I figured that since I am going into those spots every other week anyway that throwing a stand up while dumping food/changing cards isn't going to hurt anything...much more at least.

I very well could be wrong though.
 

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
I already have a good amount in place but i'll b hanging and moving stands through out the season based on what's going on at different properties. Just going to b smart about it.
 

Lundy

Member
1,307
127
It is never too late.

Put it up when you want and hunt immediatly.

This should apply to 99.00% of the deer that don't yet know how to read the books telling them how they should react and what they should do in a given situation.

If you have a deer that is part of the 1% that has read chapter six on "new blinds and shooting lanes"...... you are screwed.:)
 
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viper

Junior Member
Every year we always move and hang stands through out season never seems to bother the deer. It would be nice to have our stands done before season but it never works out that way for us.