It’s the last days of summer and everywhere there are signs that change is coming.
Deer are in a transitional period, still feeding in open fields, especially late the day, where they can find clover, alfalfa and other lush forage. But they are increasingly spending more time on the edge — in overgrown areas adjacent to woodlands, and in the woods, as the first acorns begin to drop from oaks.
Kentucky’s archery deer season has not been open for two weeks and hunters are already posting impressive harvest numbers — 2,988 deer as of Monday, Sept. 14, after an unseasonably cool weekend.
Gabe Jenkins, deer and elk program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said recently that archery hunting in September is growing in popularity.
There’s certainly a good argument for early season hunting. Deer are not as wary as they become later in the season, after an encounter or two with someone other than a farmer on a tractor. They are preoccupied with feeding, as deer usually are this time of year, because they innately know what the decreasing hours of daylight and cooler temperatures mean.
The September deer harvest is trending up, from 4,407 five seasons ago in 2010, to 5,298 in 2014, according to Telecheck data posted on http://app.fw.ky.gov/harvest/deerharvest.asp
The record deer harvest by archers in September was 5,838 during the 2013 season. That year checked in an average of about 243 a day, with 24 days open to hunting (the season opened Sept. 7, 2013).
This season, as of Monday, Sept. 14, the archery harvest for the month is on pace to surpass the record for the month. During the first 10 days of hunting, archers have bagged an average of 298 deer per day.
Kentucky’s 2015-16 deer season opened on Sept. 5, is 136 days long, and continues through Jan. 18, 2016. There are 26 days open to hunting in September.
Early Season Hunting Strategies
Here’s a look at three successful archery hunting strategies for early season (until mid-October):
* Find falling acorns and the deer will be there. A climbing treestand is the best way to hunt a grove of oak trees. Take an observation stand, down wind of the grove to find out from which direction the deer are approaching, the time of day they feed, and which trees they are feeding under. Then the next hunt, move in closer, where you can get a shot.
A climbing treestand allows the hunter to come into an area under the cover of darkness and climb up with minimal disturbance. It’s easy to change position on a daily basis, moving with the deer.
* Deer utilize benches as travel corridors. In hilly woods deer often move along terrain contours, following a bench on the side of the hill. It’s flat, so the walking is less strenuous and the deer can easily see what’s ahead.
Sometimes a bench extends around the spur (end) of a ridge. This offers the hunter the opportunity to hunt the bench on both sides of the ridge, when conditions are favorable — facing east on a east wind, or facing west on a west wind.
On clear, sunny days, with a west wind, the hunter would hunt facing west in the morning, as the sun comes up over the shoulder. Unless there’s heavy overcast, the east-facing stand could only be hunted in the evening, with an east wind, as the sun goes down over the shoulder.
Ladder stands are ideal for hunting benches. Position the stand on a tree uphill of the bench, so the hunter can take advantage of the higher elevation. The hunter will be able to see up and down the bench, and human scent will be blown uphill, away from the deer.
* Portable, pop-up ground blinds are ideal for hunting field edges. Position your blind near a clover, winter wheat or alfalfa field where deer are feeding. Portable ground blinds are light, set up and take down in minutes and usually come with a cloth bag with shoulder straps so they can be carried into the field.
When hunting deer, the blind must be brushed, or deer will be spooked. The blind has to blend into the surroundings or it will be noticeable to them from a considerable distance. Cedar boughs draped over the blind will break it’s outline and provide some scent control.
If possible set up your ground blind a few days before you start hunting and brush it in, so that deer will get used to seeing it.
Light and wind create issues with ground blinds when hunting deer. Position the blind so that the sun is at your back and the wind is in your face. If the blind is facing east in the morning or west in the afternoon, the sun will be in your eyes and deer will be able to easily see inside the blind. Despite the fact that a pop-up portable blind will keep your dry in rain and shield you somewhat from wind, your scent can be detected by deer if they are downwind.
Seats that swivel are worth their added cost since the archer can quickly and quietly move a full 180 degrees into position to shoot.
Since the interior of a ground blinds is black, it makes sense to wear black clothing on your upper body so you will be able to hide in the shadows. A black hoodie, face mask or sock cap will help conceal you inside the blind, when worn with camouflage.
Hunting from the ground is exciting. An eye-to-eye encounter with a deer at 15 to 20 yards will get your heart pumping and test your ability to shoot under pressure.
Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.