Hunting tips
August 14th, 2006 by Administrator
Squirrel — Before acorns begin falling in September, hunters should key on large shagbark hickory trees, heavy with mast. Squirrels will sample nuts on all the trees and converge on the ones with early-maturing nuts. Arrive at these trees before shooting hours in the early morning, and wait until the squirrels show up to feed. Early in the season squirrels could also be feeding on soft mast (seeds) on cherry, maple, or ash trees. An hour or so of scouting will usually uncover evidence of feeding squirrels.
Dove — Freshly disc-harrowed ground, harvested tobacco fields planted in winter wheat and fields of sunflowers are the best places to find doves in the early season. Birds flock up in September and tend to key on these local food sources, with most feeding occurring in the afternoons. Finding concentrations of doves often requires some scouting, driving back roads, looking for flocks resting in trees and on phone lines.
Deer — Early in the season deer are still in their summer patterns, feeding primarily in open areas. The best hunting is in the afternoons, when a quarter moon is high in the sky at dusk. Stand sites in fencerows, downwind of where deer enter fields to feed on clover or alfalfa, are a fool-proof setup. If you choose to hunt in the woods, key on moist bottoms where water is available and browse is still lush, but these areas are difficult to hunt. The best access to your treestand might be by water, and stands should be high and well camouflaged.
Wild Turkey — In the early fall turkeys could be anywhere, but it’s likely they will be in flocks, segregated by sex. The key is finding where turkeys are feeding. Look for tracks and feathers in fresh dirt. Disc-harrowed crop fields, where tobacco has been harvested, and mowed fields and trails, where insects are abundant, are good places to start. Look for scratching in the leaves in open woods and dusting areas on dry sites.
Canada Geese — Locally produced “resident” Canada geese are rapidly populating Central Kentucky, nesting on ponds and lakes in urban, suburban and rural areas. When you find a concentration of birds on a small pond, and get the landowner’s permission to hunt, set out a small spread of floating decoys in the dark, prior to shooting hours, and blind up near the water’s edge. Portable “layout” blinds where the shooter reclines behind camouflaged netting is ideal for this style of waterfowl hunting. Resident geese wise up fast so you’ll need several hunting areas.
Wood Duck/Teal — Wood ducks nest around lakes, ponds, creeks and rivers throughout the state, anywhere large trees grow near the water’s edge. Use a small boat to scout waterways, looking for concentrations of birds. Once you’ve found birds, get there early, set out your decoys and hide in the shoreline brush. Learn how to use a wood duck call, and blow it to attract birds if you are not seeing many early in the morning. For teal, hunt areas where they have migrated through in the past. Call your local conservation officer for advice on where to hunt.