Archery deer opener this weekend

[erikwells]

I last bowhunted around 1988 and I'm excited to head out this weekend after working hard the past year on practicing, scouting and putting up stands. I've seen a few deer on my trail camera over the past week. Only 1 small buck but I'm not trophy hunting just yet so all deer get my heart pumping. What is opening typically like, what do you veterans typically expect that opening weekend? I hunt the New London Spicer area. Any early season tips for a newbie like myself?

Thanks,

Erik

[Rippinlip]

Don't set your expectations too high.

I have found that most deer movement will occur towards sunset.

Plan on dealing with bugs, Thermacell is a great product.

Have a plan for if/when you down a deer. The after harvest plan.

Have fun, enjoy the woods and if you see a deer and decide NOT to harvest it, still try to pull back on it and see if you can do it without getting busted.

[Musky hunter 82]

where about the New London area do you hunt? I have hunted that area on Private ground for the last 5-6 years, you can PM me if you want to talk more off line, so we don't bottle up this thread.

[BoxMN]

Don't set your expectations too high.

I have found that most deer movement will occur towards sunset.

Plan on dealing with bugs, Thermacell is a great product.

Have a plan for if/when you down a deer. The after harvest plan.

Have fun, enjoy the woods and if you see a deer and decide NOT to harvest it, still try to pull back on it and see if you can do it without getting busted.

That is my goal, as I am still bow rookie. Only pulled back on one fawn so far and it was way out there. This year I hope to do that with some does, but can't really shoot one near where I want to, or my rifle season will be over too - hunters choice areas, though 150 miles apart... I do plan to hunt in metro though, so maybe more chances there.

[eyesonly]

I have found that most deer movement will occur towards sunset.

Plan on dealing with bugs, Thermacell is a great product.

I told my dad that a thermacell was Just a Gimmick and Id never be that Sucker that bought one- I was dead wrong. That thing is amazing . Its the most amazing Product !!

[erikwells]

I have a couple thermacells that I use for fishing and they are a life saver. It's sure nice when you don't have to spray. I personally hate the feeling of having that stuff on but its still better than getting eaten alive. I remember bowhunting back in 88 and having deer in close and I was trying to blow biting mosquitos off my face and trying to not get busted by deer. Yay thermacell!

[Swiftswamper]

erik I hunt just down the road in swift county. My couple buddies and I have had a lot of luck in the first two weeks of season. We have shot five bucks in the month of september over the last four years. We hunt a lot of bean fields in the evenings. Mornings have been great to us also, it's typically cool in the morning which I feel helps with deer movement early in the season. We have been lucky enuf to run into a few bachelor groups of bucks still together on opening weekend.

[eyeguy 54]

walk very slow to the stand with your hat off. helps me stay cool and that means less bugs.

[Swiftswamper]

I many times walk to stand in a t-shirt this time of year....

white would not be my first choice...

[Lunker]

warm, buggy, not enough deer activity during shooting hours....

every year i tell myself i'm not hunting for the first week or so...

and every year i'm sitting in my stand opening weekend...

[Hoyt4]

Love opening weekend have taken most my bucks that first weeke or two. Mornings have been good to us also. Let a few walk last year on opener but this year I will be filling my tag with the first decent buck that comes by. Have a few other states I need to put some more time into this fall.

[leechlake]

I haven't hunted in September for years, it seemed the mosquitos flock to you whenever you see a deer you want to shoot. It's uncanny and I think mosquitos must have some deal with deer working as their bodyguards.

[Scott K]

My goal every September is to get one early so I have some meat in the freezer, but then all I see is small bucks, and doe's with spotted fawns, and never let an arrow fly. This year, I have the same goal, but hopefully I can either see a decent doe, with no fawns, or a decent buck early on. I too have other states to hunt, in fact I will be in sconsin the following weekend.

[paceman]

I probably won't get out until next week sometime. Kids activities on Saturday and a golf tourney sunday. But my mind will be sitting up in a tree..

[archerystud]

Finally pulled the first image with antler on it last weekend and I'm really not sure if it will be a legal buck after the velvet is gone. Thus I don't think I'll label that one a shooter!?!?!?

I might stay out of my good spots completely for a while and try and harvest a doe somewhere else just for some freezer meat. The wife roped me into a golf tourney for this weekend so I'll do the husband thing for now.

Good luck this weekend guys!!!

[Swiftswamper]

Deer camp day is here! So excited! The boys will be here in less than 12 hours and the buck stories only get better every year! Good luck everyone! It it only takes 10 seconds for the hunt of a life time!

[Cheetah]

Weekend is shot for me, but I have Monday off so will hit the field then.

[erikwells]

I'm off to Kandiyohi county. A few errands and then it's out to the oat field for likely my last goose hunting for a while unless I'm lucky enough to shoot an early deer. Good luck!

[bigbucks]

Plan on SE wind, odds are that's what you'll get a lot of in September.

Skip the afternoons if it's over 75. You can still shoot deer in those conditions, but it's miserable, so don't go unless you can't bear not to, you're short on possible times to go, or you already drove a long ways to hunt. Shot the biggest buck of my life in hot weather. Only deer I saw in 5 sits that weekend...

Stay out of the good deep cover spots, until closer to the rut in my opinion, unless you think you have a big one patterned, then go get him.