Hunt early-season water sources

Sweltering heat drives deer to water

For many deer hunters across the Carolinas, deer season can’t begin soon enough. For others, they’d rather wait until the temperature cools down. But seasons wait for no one, and for Game Zones 3 and 4 in South Carolina, Aug. 15 marks the beginning of deer hunting season.

With many deer still in velvet, hunters in these regions get a great chance to bag a unique trophy before they shed. For those that like the slick look of clean antlers, plenty of bucks have already shed their velvet in these same areas, so the best of both worlds is waiting for hunters willing to swelter in the summer heat.

The most productive stand I’ve ever hunted in the early season is a tripod stand set up just off an old railroad bed. The swivel seat allows me to face multiple directions, including a narrow funnel that cuts in between two very deep, very wide ditches with a mixture of thickets and trees. The deer traveling this railroad bed have only one option, and that is to cross that narrow funnel.

And crossing the narrow funnel, especially in the first few weeks of deer season, is imperative for deer in the area, because the railroad bed takes them to a series of three small ponds with gradual banks, giving them easy access to one of the only water sources around.

Once the deer cross that narrow area, I can swivel my seat as they walk, and continue spying on them throughout their journey.

I can shoot a deer at the crossing easily enough, but in the early season, when bucks are still traveling in bachelor groups, watching them is often preferable so that I can pick out which buck I want to shoot. In more recent years, I’ve used this as an opportunity to pick out a buck I’d like to target later in the season when the velvet has shed and the antlers have hardened. I’ve killed my share of deer in velvet, a blessing that comes from hunting South Carolina’s lowcountry, and I’ve put many a friend, many a relative, many a kid just starting out, in that stand to score their first velvet buck.

It’s that combination of the funnel, which forces deer to cross there, and the easy water source that makes this stand so effective.

Once the deer cross that funnel, they have a good 400 yards to reach the water source. And in between, on both sides of the railroad bed, are agricultural crops. Sometimes it’s corn, which is not my favorite because deer disappear in it. Other times it’s beans. That’s good for the hunter.

Usually, the deer in this area are focused on getting to the water first, then they lolligag in the fields to eat.

My best time of day for this stand has always been in the later afternoon and early evening, but I like to get in the stand between noon and 2 p.m., because I want to get in the stand long before any deer are around for me to bump.

For me, the best time to shoot a deer from this stand is before he gets to the water. When he’s focused on getting to the water, a buck seems less focused on safety. Once he’s gotten his fill of water, more of his attention goes back to safety.

Find a water source like this, preferably with a narrow path to it, set a stand up off the trail that allows you to watch the whole travel route, and you’ll kill more early-season deer.

Stands like this will become less effective later in the season, unless it offers something other than easy access to water. But for those first few weeks of the season, stands located in such a way will yield big results.

Watch fields closely

Shade is a deer’s best friend during the summer, but that doesn’t mean they always prefer to be inside the woods. Bean fields offer plenty of shade, and deer love to lie down in them. They have the best of three worlds: shade, food, and when they’re lucky, some wind.

Wind is more difficult to come by in the thick woods. Deer also catch a break from the pestiest of summer bugs while lying in agricultural fields, thanks to whatever practice used by the farmers to keep their crops safe.

When watching these fields, hunters need to stay alert at all times. A buck can suddenly appear, seemingly out of nowhere, just by standing up to stretch or get a bite to eat.

Binoculars come in handy here, and it’s important to look for parts of a deer, like antlers, rather than the whole deer. They can stay fairly hidden in crops, so remind yourself to look for anything that appears out of place, which you’ll usually notice long before you realize a buck is standing there.