After a long deer season, most hunters are ready for a break. Hunters like myself consider deer season a year-round event. The preparations made during the preseason are typically your biggest advantage.

To be honest, this is the first deer season that I couldn't wait to be over. I'm not sure if it was just bad luck, burnt out spots or because of a lack of preparation. I missed the first three weeks of bow season because I was out of town. I also was too busy to clear out all of my stand locations and trail systems, so I was off to a rough start from the word go. To combat this issue in the future, I'm going to leave my girlfriend. Just kidding, I'm going to do as I should have done last winter. There is plenty of time for the most strapped hunter to get their stand sites prepared. The trick is to plan ahead. You also have the opportunity to move stands to new travel routes.