July 02, 2015
By Derrek Sigler
Serious deer hunters know that the season never really ends. From planting and maintaining food plots to servicing your ATV and practicing your shot, deer hunting is a year-round obsession.
To help you maximize your results when the season rolls around and keep you on track, we've compiled a list of the 10 most important days each month for deer management and what you need to be doing.
July 2015
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The middle of summer is the time to get those fall food plots prepped and planted.
July 2 — Practice with the bow
July 4 — Happy Fourth of July!
July 7 — Check the oil in the ATV
July 8 — Work on mental shot sequence with bow
July 10 — Wash the ATV
July 11 — Take the mower and cut back the clover food plot from spring
July 18 — Take the ATV or tractor back and work up the fall plot
July 21 — Add fertilizer to the fall plot
July 25 — Plant the fall plot
July 28 — Shoot your bow
August 2015
The dog days of summer can lead to the deer days of autumn. Time to get the stands hung and get serious about the preparations.
August 1 — Change the oil and fluids in the ATV/tractor
August 2 — Hang the stands around the property
August 9 — Sharpen the chainsaw and clear shooting lanes around the stands
August 11 — Check the trail cameras and brag to your buddies
August 16 — How is the new plot growing? Check area fields for deer activity at dusk
August 17 — Go shoot your bow!
August 24 — Fine tune hunting trip lists
August 27 — How are your arrows grouping ?
August 28 — Plan to spend the whole weekend doing what your wife wants
August 29 — Clean lenses on all optics
August 30 — Hunting season is almost here!
September 2015
September is the kick off month for autumn. It's game time!
September 1 — Do something nice for the spouse
September 3 — How about adding 10 yards to your effective range ?
September 6 — Double check your ATV tire pressures
September 8 — TIP: Deer are more used to engine noise than silence
September 11 — Check those trail cameras
September 15 — Check the oil and fluids in your ATV
September 17 — Identify your deer sanctuary and stay away
September 23 — First official day of autumn
September 24 — Wash all of your camo gear with scent-killing soap
September 27 — Check integrity of safety harness
September 29 — See a big buck while scouting? Give him space
October 2015
This is the harvest month. It is also traditionally the best month to harvest a mature buck.
October 2 — Did you shoot your bow today? Stay in practice even during season
October 5 — When's the last time you checked the ATV oil?
October 9 — Did you know that almost 20 percent of P&Y bucks were taken before October 15?
October 10 — Today would be a good day to try a deer decoy
October 12 — Get fresh set of rattling antlers
October 16 — Boss' Day — You should celebrate by going hunting
October 20 — Update deer movement patterns
October 21 — Be on the lookout for bucks you've never seen before
October 24-30 — Go hunting!
October 31 — Happy Halloween! Going as a deer hunter again?
November 2015
The month of giving thanks for friends, family and whitetails.
November 1 — Make sure you can find your blaze orange
November 5 — Check those trail cameras
November 7 — Have your gun sighted in yet ?
November 11 — Practice downward shots
November 15 — Many deer hunters view this day as a holiday... maybe you should too?
November 18 — Warm, soapy water will get that frozen deer blood out of the ATV
November 21 — Are you staying warm in the deer stand ?
November 26 — Thanksgiving
November 27 — Camo Friday - Go buy some new hunting stuff!
November 28 — Go hunting!
December 2015
As winter creeps in, now's the time to find those late season deer..
December 3 — Get more hand/toe warmers
December 5 — Keep a close eye on the weather; deer will move early ahead of a winter storm.
December 8 — Practice shooting your bow with heavy clothes on
December 10 — Watch Jeremiah Johnson for inspiration
December 12 — Scout winter deer feeding areas and look for bucks in late rut
December 15 — Make sure you've winterized your ATV
December 22 — First official day of winter
December 24 — Last day to get your wife something really nice for Christmas
December 27 — Still time to fill that tag!
December 30 — Thaw out some burger for venison chili
January 2016
A new year is upon you.
January 1 — Happy New Year!
January 3 — Make list of application deadlines
January 5 — Your ATV can plow snow just as well, and is more fun
January 7 — Now is a great time to score clearance hunting gear
January 10 — Might be time to pull the trail cameras that are still out
January 12 — You're still shooting your bow, right?
January 14 — Catalog the past season's trail cam photos
January 21 — Your local archery shop probably has a winter league
January 23 — Get trophies out of freezer and to taxidermist
January 30 — If you plan to store your ATV or saw, drain the gas
February 2016
Winter's grip is in full effect. Deer are tough survivors though.
February 1 — So what worked this past season? What didn't?
February 3 — You know, there are some great deals to be had on ATVs this time of year
February 5 — Deer follow paths in the snow so get out on the ATV or snowmobile
February 10 — Order flowers to be delivered on Sunday
February 14 — Take your significant other out for a nice evening
February 17 — Make sure your saw will start in the cold
February 24 — Finally get around to storing your hunting clothes
February 25 — Now get your hunting clothes back out and go to Texas to hunt hogs
February 27 — Attend a winter outdoor expo
February 28 — Plan a spring bear hunt in Canada
February 29 — Leap year!
March 2016
As winter starts to lighten up, now is a great time to prune your trees.
March 3 — Get a new turkey decoy
March 5 — Pay off the new bow early
March 7 — Buy your wife something to make up for the new bow
March 12 — Good time to prune trees and cut paths through thick growth
March 16 — Invite your neighbors over for venison steaks
March 19 — Find any sheds yet ?
March 20 — First day of spring
March 26 — Go rabbit hunting
March 27 — Happy Easter
March 31 — Third quarter moon
April 2016
April showers bring May food plots.
April 2 — Go shed hunting
April 3 — See if you can find rubs and scrapes you missed last fall
April 9 — Scout some turkey hunting spots
April 13 — Make sure your ATV tire pressures are good
April 18 — When does your state release winter kill deer herd reports?
April 23 — Turkey hunting is a good stand-in for deer season
April 24 — Plant some fruit trees for the deer
April 26 — Spray Roundup on the spring plots
April 28 — Soil PH tests for spring plots
April 30 — Plow up the plots
May 2016
Time to get those early spring food plots going.
May 1 — Fertilize the plots
May 2 — Buy lime in bulk and save
May 7 — Plant the spring food plots
May 8 — Happy Mother's Day
May 13 — First quarter moon; check plots for signs of growth
May 17 — Simple measures can keep critters from destroying plots
May 22 — Trail cameras can monitor growth and visitors on plots
May 24 — Shoot a few arrows and check for sprouts
May 30 — Memorial Day
May 31 — Be on the lookout for fawns
June 2016
Summer time, and the living is easy.
June 1 — Do something nice for the spouse
June 5 — Don't be afraid to spray a little fertilizer on after things start growing
June 7 — Check your drive belt on your ATV
June 11 — Take those mulched lawn clipping and dump them on the fall plots
June 14 — Don't you have something to pick up from the taxidermist?
June 19 — Father's Day
June 22 — Does the chain on the chainsaw need to be replaced?
June 25 — Don't be afraid to mow down clover and alfalfa
June 27 — Replace the string and cables on bow
June 30 — Shoot your bow.
