Although I have whitetails on the brain just about 12 months out of the year, when the bug-biting days of summer roll around, it's really time to start putting the final pieces together for the upcoming season. For me, that means heading to the shed and breaking out my multiple treestands, setting up the pop-up blinds in the backyard to be aired out, laying out the climbing sticks to make sure all the straps are accounted for--when you have six little hands running around the house as I do it's amazing what walks off - and all the other stuff that goes with me to the whitetail woods. At the end of the day, my backyard looks more like a second-hand sporting goods store, and I'm sure many of you can relate to this.
Even though every piece of equipment I use has its place throughout the season, during the sizzling days of summer the most important items are my trail cameras. I can't wait to head to the woods to get them set up along the prime travel routes, water holes and food sources I know the bucks will be visiting on a daily basis. With trail cameras set up in virtually all of the states in which I'll be hunting whitetails this season--Wyoming, Iowa, Kansas and Texas--it usually doesn't take long to catch some of the upcoming season's stars sneaking through. And nothing gets my thoughts more focused on the upcoming season than seeing that first batch of fuzzy visitors skirting through the frame.
Just the other day I got my first look at just what a couple of the properties I'll be spending time on this fall has on it. As I scroll through the pictures my eyes widen with each click of the mouse--4, 6, 8, 10 and even more points. Add to that split brows, tall tines and heavy beams, and I know this will be another season filled with many of those "oh so close" moments, as well as a released arrow or two.
So what have your trail cams been spitting out this summer? If you're anything like us on the Rack Report, these fuzzy little jewels get you dreaming of what's to come in just a few months. Here's a look at just a handful of what I've been seeing. The last two trail pics are from the Solitude Ranch in Wyoming and you can understand why I'm looking forward to heading there come September. http://www.huntsro.com/
Courtesy of http://www.huntsro.com/
Courtesy of www.huntsro.com
From the Wild West
-Brian Strickland
Published by The Whitetail Team on Friday, July 25, 2008 at 6:40 AM.
