Gearing up for your 2022 hunting season? Pre-season preparation is an important part making sure you’re set up for success. A lot goes into it. Dusting off your gear, making sure all the right pieces and parts are still in proper function, and purchasing updated or new gear to make sure you’re safe – and these are just about your gear. There are trail cameras and tree stands that need to be set up, checked, and maintained for a majority of the summer months. All these things come together to ensure a successful hunting season. But where to start? We caught up with CRUSH with Lee & Tiffany to see how the Lakosky’s prepare for deer season. Location, location, location is the key to success when it comes to trail cameras, tree stands and blinds.

Picking Trail Camera Spots

How do you know if one spot is better than another for a trail camera? It probably depends on when you’re choosing to set up your camera. For those in the Midwest, the first week in June is great time to start watching your deer. This is when the fawns are being born. During this time, you’ll want to focus on water sources, clover or alfalfa fields and good cover such as warm season grasses. This is where the deer will congregate and you’ll be able to watch them, pattern them, and get to know their habits. 

Between late August and September, the deer will begin to shed their velvet, which contains the oxygen and nutrients needed for the antlers to grow into healthy, mature antlers. Once they turn hard horned, you will be able to get a sense of how the deer have grown year over year. September and on is when the trail camera inventory become imperative to the success of your season. 

“Once you’ve found the best locations, you can use the intel to determine the health of your herd, buck to doe ratio, fawn recruitment percentage, fawn survival percentage, general health throughout the season as well as the age structure of your deer” says Lee Lakosky. 

Setting up Tree Stands or Blinds 

Your trail cameras will give you a lot of information about the health of your deer, where they are hanging out and what time of day they’re active. But to find to find the best location to hang your tree stand or set up your blind, you’ll want to look at the landscape of your surroundings. You’ll need to think about food and water sources, wind direction, thermal cover, funnels, crossings, and access in and out.

If you can locate where they bed in relation to food sources, start to look for funnels – man-made or natural terrain – that herd the deer into a single direction. And keep your eye out for places where deer can cross creeks, rivers, and drain ditches. The deer will pass through these funnels and crossings to get to their food and water sources from their bedding areas. Your blinds should be placed where you have a clear vision of their feeding area. “In the cold months, they are often coming from where they bed to go straight to the feeding area to conserve energy,” says Lakosky.

As hunters, we know that smell is the first thing that will tip off a deer and alert them that something isn’t quite right. As you pick a location for your tree stand or blind, think about if there will be a predominant wind direction where you’re set up. Will the wind be coming around a bend or swirling in a field? You need to take that into consideration, so you don’t get winded. 

As you’re thinking about wind, you also need to plan how you’re going to access your tree stand or blind. What route are you going to take to and from your spot? If the wind change, is there another way to your stand? Will you be able to find your way in the dark? 

Once you have selected the perfect spot, positioning your tree stand or blind is all too important. Make sure you have clear shooting lanes. “Keeping your shooting lanes maintained and clear is very important so you have an unobstructed passage,” says Lakosky. He recommends bringing a high-quality extendable pole saw and handsaw in the woods to keep your lanes clear. 

You’ll want to make sure you’re set up with the sun behind you and a clear line of sight to feeding areas. “I recommend hanging tree stands 18-20 feet high,” says Lakosky. “Most shots are close and any higher, the shot angle gets pretty severe.” However, in recent years Lakosky has been hanging tree stands higher at 25-30 feet because they typically have two people in a tree, and they get spotted and winded less with the extra movement by being higher up. He says that they do have to watch their shot angles more and wait for 30+ yard opportunities. 

“Set up your blinds early so the deer have a chance to become acclimated to this new foreign object in their territory,” says Lakosky. 

Tree Stands or Blind?

Depending on the nature of your spot and weather conditions, you may be looking for a climber, ladder stand, hang-on tree stand, or a variety of blinds.  And don’t forget that you’ll want to get a harness for your safety while in the air!

Hunting from a tree stand can give you a wider field of view from an elevated position, allowing you to spot a deer sooner and prepare for a shot.

Some blinds are scent proof and large enough to sit up to 3-4 people. This could be a great option, especially in cold weather. “Redneck Blinds are great for us because we love to bring the kids out hunting with us and we have our camera crew. Plus, it’s ideal for scanning a wide range, so we don’t miss any of the deer action,” says Lakosky. 

When deer are focused on food sources in the winter and bed close to those sources, Lakosky says it’s better to be in a blind so you’re better hidden. If you’re just starting out with deer hunting, Lakosky recommends hunting from a ground blind because they conceal movement more effectively than a tree stand.

If your hunting grounds offer a variety of desirable spots to set up, you can always set up a tree stand and a bind to maximize your chances of shooting a deer! 

Picking locations for trail cameras, tree stand and blinds are just a few things that need to be done as you prepare for deer season. Managing food plots, navigating access to public land, gaining permission for private land, sharpening your shooting skills, scouting and browsing wild game recipes are also part of the fun!