Now that the whitetail season is starting to wind down for much of the country, many hunters are putting away their camouflage, and their thoughts are starting to turn toward their next activity. It may be small game, turkey, or fishing, but now is the time to start thinking about next years whitetail hunting season. Why now? Well think about it. The weather is still cool (maybe down right cold in some places), the bugs and snakes are still in hibernation, and the trees are still with out their leaves, so that you can see the woods as they will be next year during hunting season. Also deer are still in their fall or winter pattern, depending on when your season is out and you can start your post season scouting.

One of the first things that I recommend this time of year is to get those trail cameras back out, and do an inventory of who made it through the year, while the bucks are still sporting their head gear. It's good to know who survived the season, so you can start making plans to hunt them the following season. This is also a chance to put cameras in new areas to see if the area will be worth the effort to setup for a stand location to hunt next year.

Next I like scouting out new areas. It seems every year, I find a place that I want to investigate further. Some places are open enough that I can ease in and out of them during the season without leaving to much human presence in the area. Other places are to just too thick, and require lots of hacking, and cutting to make a trail into them. So often I may hunt the edges and wait till after the season to really get into the location and scout it out for next season. By doing this work as soon as deer season is over, the place has the whole year to cool off, and let the deer get use to the changes that you have made cutting shooting lanes and trails, creating funnels, and putting up blinds or stands. Also the cooler weather make the work much easier. With the trees still void of their leaves, you can really see how the woods will look next year when you are hunting it, which helps in deciding stand or blind locations. Once you get your stand or blind setup, go ahead and cut your shooting lanes out. The trees, bushes, and weeds may grow back some during the summer, but if you get the bulk of the work done now it will make your preseason work a breeze, and limit your presence in the area, which helps keep the pressure off the deer. Remember to use a scent prevention products, such as Dead Down Wind to help minimize the scent you leave in an area.

Another thing to keep in mind while doing your post season scouting and setup is to pay attention to the natural browse that you know deer love, that is in the area that you are considering to hunt next season. You may want to make notes of these, and come back in the spring and summer and fertilize them, to help ensure a better mast crop or growth over the off season. These can ensure that your new setup is more enticing to the deer. Also late winter and early spring are an excellent time to plant trees that will be beneficial to wildlife. So if your thinking about planting mast producing or fruit trees, this is a good time to get those in the ground.

So before you move on to your next hobby or sport, take a little time right after your season closes to start preparing for a successful 2011 whitetail season. A little extra effort now could go a long way in bagging that trophy buck of a life time next season.

By Denny Chambers

TalkHunting Pro Staff Director, Denny "Bugfixer" Chambers, of Summerdale, Alabama, was introduced to hunting at age six by his father. He began hunting small game and gradually moved up to whitetail deer and turkeys.

Denny has many years of experience hunting whitetail in the thick woods of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. He just recently started chasing the elusive Eastern Turkey that Alabama is known for, and he harvested his first gobbler during the 2009 spring season. Denny is currently working on becoming an accomplished turkey caller.

Denny is currently the camp leader for Scotland Ridge Hunting Club - East Camp, located in Tunnel Springs, Alabama. Denny along with other club members manage a 1340 acre hunting lease, maintaining 17 food plots for deer and 9 food plots for turkeys.

Outside of hunting, Denny is an Army veteran of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Denny also has a Computer Engineering degree from Auburn University, and currently works as a software engineer. Denny has been married to his wife Samantha for over 10 years, and is a father of 4 children, three girls and boy, who all share in his love of hunting, fishing and the outdoors.

Comments(2):

1. Well said...

   Well put Denny. Now is a great time to get started for next year. Many look at post-season as down time. There's much to learn in the weeks following the season. Great article.

   Saturday, February 05, 2011 Duane

2. Good ideas Thanks

   We are having a hunting expo in August at Celebration Arena in Priceville AL. Would love to have you come up.

   Wednesday, June 01, 2011 Sam