The offseason is the best time to make big improvements in your duck and goose calling abilities.  Listen to recordings of live birds, practice very specific calls, or learn a new style of call.  Refer to our article on offseason calling practice tips for more info.

Find a shady spot by heading out to the local skeet club for some work on your shotgun skills.  Summer is a great time to work on those tough crossing shots, or brush up on the basics of mounting and swinging through the target.  Wear a thick shoulder pad to simulate the layers of clothing you’ll be wearing during waterfowl season.

Summer is a great time to get out and catch a few fish in small backwaters.  It’s also a great time to scout for wood ducks.  As you’re chasing those tasty panfish, watch for small creeks and backwater areas with soft mass trees around them.  Pay attention to the terrain on the sides of the creek, and make note of potential areas for a jump shoot.  You’ve got to make the most of your outdoor trips, so plan for wood ducks while drowning worms and crickets.

In late-summer, you can tell how the corn and bean harvest will turn out.  Drive around and see which fields are doing well and which ones failed.  Make note of them, and map them in Google Maps.  For early goose season, knowing the location of these successful fields, and their relation to water sources, could help give you the edge in determining the birds’ travel routes.

In many places around the country, you must get drawn to hunt public land.  Whether it be a certain time period permit or a yearly drawing for a blind on a public lake, these state or federal owned pieces of property represent hunting opportunity that might be close to home.  Check out your state’s wildlife resources website for info about public land drawings near you.

Dont’ wait until the first day of archery season to discover a frayed bowstring.  Take care of simple bow maintenance now.  Wax the bow string, re-fletch your arrows, get your bow tuned, all the basics.  If it’s been a while since you went to full draw, get out the foam target, or even a blank bale of straw, and fling a few arrows.  Don’t wait until the last minute to get your gear in order.

Summer is when deer need various minerals the most.  Bucks are growing antlers, fawns are just plain growing, and all of them are trying to beat the heat.  Help them out with some mineral licks, while also helping them establish a pattern of traveling past your favorite early season stand!

When trying to follow a deer’s feeding habits, we’re constantly noting the acorn, persimmon, and other naturally occuring food sources in the woods.  Give yourself a leg up and pick the best looking trees now to fertilize.  You’ll give them a boost during the stage when the tree is preparing the future deer food, so you’ll know where to focus your attention later in the season.

July is a good time to take stock of your future turkey population.  Use trail cams and scouting to determine the health and recruitment of this year’s hatch.  Make note now, and 2 years from now, the dominant population of turkeys on your property will match this hatch.  So if you see a ton of poults running around this year, you can go ahead and start getting excited for turkey season 2 years from now!