5 Things To Do in the Off Season
Early July, probably the most boring time for a sports fan and hunter like myself. No football, basketball, dove hunting, or anything else to entertain me on the weekends. I’ve even caught myself trying to get in to soccer, but it’s not working. The best sport on right now is politics, and I can only stand so much of that before I wanna puke. So what’s a person supposed to do? Here are a few tips to help make for a better opening day.
- Get your dog in shape. Dogs are just like people, if they lay around for a few months, it’s difficult for them to get out and hunt all day. If you’ve ever had your dog lay down on you in the middle of a shoot, it can be frustrating to say the least. Break out the decoy and scent, and get to training. The small investment of time will pay great dividends come opening day.
- Get yourself in shape. Whatever this means for you. It could mean shooting shape or physical shape, or both. Join a league, shoot, shoot, shoot. This way your dog is not the only one ready to hunt come September.
- Get your gun in shape. Clean it, if it’s gas operated, soak it the gas cylinder in mineral spirits for 12 hours. Doing this will dramatically decrease the amount of problems you will have in the field.
- Get your accessories in shape. Things get old, wear out, or just need to be replenished. Go out and get that new chair, or camo you’ve been needing. Things like bug spray, flashlights, batteries, shells, and other accessories can be purchased ahead of time. By shopping early, you will be more thorough and you will spread the cost out over a period of time instead of one lump sum.
- Scout. Early season scouting can pay off big time. It may save you some money by stopping you from buying the lease, save you time by not wasting it on opening day false alarming on dragonflies, or make you look like the hero to your hunting buddies.
Off season sucks, make it suck less by preparing for the on season.
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