3 (More) Things Every Deer Hunter Should Do Right Now

Back in my newspaper days, every night in the office featured its own deadline. There was a big, round clock hanging on the newsroom wall and everyone in that building knew where the hands were pointing.

Missing the deadline wasn't something to be taken lightly. Miss the deadline and that meant files were late getting to the production team. And that meant the production team would be late in making the plates.

Late plates meant a late start to the press. And a late start to the press meant a delay to the delivery runs.

All of which meant overtime hours would be paid. And the print media world has never been a fan of paying more than is required.

The very best journalists and editors learn how to handle deadline pressure. And the key is the panic button. Hit it early and you usually made the deadline. Think you have more time than you really do and you're late.

What's this got to do with deer hunting? Everything, actually.

With July 4 behind us, summer has hit its stride. The All-Star game -- the mid-summer classic -- is on TV right now. The beach seems far more inviting than a mosquito-infested woodlot.

But deer season is coming. And it's coming faster than you think.

It may not be time to hit the panic button. But it is time to start getting things in order, particularly those items that are often neglected until the last minute. And if you didn't heed my advice and do these three things already, you best get moving. You're already falling behind.

Here are three more things you can do right now to get the jump on deer season

1. SHOOT

This isn't ground-breaking advice. But it bears repeating: If you don't practice, you won't hit what you're aiming at very often. And is that not the point?

Shooting your bow or gun during the summer months is fun. And it's fun with a purpose.

Establish a summer shooting ritual and stick to it.

2. GET PERMISSION

Most of us likely have places that we've hunted for a long time. We assume we will continue to hunt them in the future. But what would happen if you lost your hunting ground?

For those of us who rely on the kindliness of landowners who allow us to hunt by permission, that's a dangerous assumption to make. Now is the time to make certain you still have a place to hunt come fall. It's also the time to seek out new areas.

While it's true that gaining access to good hunting ground is getting harder and harder, it's still quite possible to gain permission simply by asking. But waiting until the week before bow season opens certainly isn't the right way to go about it.

Ask now.

3. SHAPE UP

I realize this is odd advice coming from a guy who despises exercise. But that doesn't mean I don't do things to get myself ready for deer season.

I cover a ton of ground each fall. Most of that is on foot and with treestands, climbing sticks, camera gear and a heavy pack on my back.

I'm not one who is going to go running. Or lift weights. Or join my wife's Zumba classes.

Instead, I work.

This summer I finally decided to tear down the dilapidated pole barn in my back yard and replace it with one that actually will serve a purpose. While building a pole barn isn't exactly the same as training for a marathon, it's plenty of hard work and my sore muscles at the end of the weekend tell me progress is being made. In more ways than one.

If you're anything like me, there's no shortage of projects that need to be done. Do them. Physical labor is not just good for the Honey Do list. It's also a great way to get some work in that'll pay off come fall.