It’s the time of year outdoor sportsmen wait for all year long: hunting season. Well, guess what, guys? It’s just around the corner. So while you lick your chops over the prospect of a weekend away with the boys in the wilderness where your boss couldn’t get a hold of you no matter how hard he tries, while you tromp through dried leaves and maybe even a little snow… here are some tips to help you to get ready for hunting season.
Get Your Permits In Order
It’s the first step for any responsible, conservation-minded hunter to take: get the right permits. If you don’t have a tag for it, you have absolutely no business bagging it. 
You might agree and we’re glad, but nothing is going to ruin a trip out into the backcountry faster than realizing you didn’t get your permits after you just took a five-hour drive to your favorite hunting retreat.
Get Your Gear In Order
Possibly an even bigger bummer is getting to your campsite, getting a great night’s sleep under the stars, having a campfire breakfast… then getting out into the wilderness and realizing your forgot some essential piece of gear.
Vests, tags, bags, ammunition and even if your weapon should be checked and double checked – you would absolutely not be the first hunter in history to get halfway out into the woods and realize that the super cool, ultra-light hunting rifle you just got is sitting in your den back home. So make a list and check it twice!
Buy Ammunition Way Ahead Of Time
Anyone reading this is probably old enough to remember COVID-19, when ammo couldn’t be found for love or money. Even when it hit the shelves again, it was way above what you paid for it last year.
Don’t leave your ammunition shopping until the last minute. Things happen beyond your control that can leave you holding that cool new rifle in your hands, dry firing it in your backyard because the ammunition you need for a hunt has suddenly gone missing from the shelves, with no timeline to reappear.
Fine Tune Your Equipment
It doesn’t matter how nice your rifle is if you don’t know how to zero it in. Do you zeroing in weather that’s like what you’re going to expect for the day of the hunt. Temperature changes can greatly impact accuracy, especially when we’re talking about long-distance shooting.
On the same note, take some time to make sure that everything that moves is moving and everything that’s not supposed to be moving isn’t. Your hunt can easily be ruined by a loose screw and you’ll spend the rest of hunting season telling everyone about “the one that got away” instead of enjoying the fruits of your hunt.
Finally, sharpen your knife. You’re going to need to field dress your kill when you’re out in the woods. Doing that with a blunt knife isn’t going to be much fun and sharpening your knife on the spot isn’t a heck of a lot better.
We like to think of hunting season prep as part of the fun of the season. Think of it like writing a Christmas list for Santa Claus – a little taste of what’s to come that whets your appetite for the main event. *This article contains 3rd party affiliate offers*
