If you are a hunter, be it serious or casual, your mind is often focused on how and when you can get your next fix of being in the field. When the hunting day is over, it's tough to get a chance to reflect when you are immediately back into the cycle of figuring out when your next hunt will be and how you will try to execute it. Well, you should change that. We came up with five activities you can do after the day's hunt and for some of us, these activities might even become a tradition over some time. Let's jump into our list and find out what activities you might be able to do after your next hunt.
1. Get Warm and Socialize
After a cold sit in the treestand, there is nothing like getting warm! It might be as simple as warming up in your truck with the heater on full blast and the seat warmers on. Or it might involve driving to your favorite diner to go in and get a cup of hot coffee. In some areas where hunting is very prevalent, there might even be a convenience store or local hangout where hunters go to meet and talk about hunting. If you hunt any public land, head to the nearest place and I bet you can find another hunter or two lurking around.
2. Chat with Your Hunting Buddies
More than likely, at some point you have hunted with a group of buddies or at least one fellow hunter. A great post-hunt activity is to chat about your hunting strategy or go over the day's hunt with your pals. Camaraderie is a great part of hunting, keeping us connected to other hunters. Sitting around after a long day of hunting, enjoying a cold beer, and laughing at ourselves and each other is the best form of fun out there, in my opinion. It is even better if that day ends with a kill. If you don't have this or mostly hunt alone, finding a hunter hangout like we mentioned in number one is a great thing to do. Or if you have a buddy that also hunts, just maybe not in your area or at the same time, you should shoot them a text about your hunt that day. This is about building bonds and friendships, so don't overlook that.
3. Scout New Areas
This advice is more for those who hunt in the morning and then take a break until the afternoon hunt. Scouting new areas to hunt is essential, and the more options you have, the better your chances of harvesting an animal. Use the time after a hunt to scout and investigate. If you are a run and gun type of hunter that uses a climber or a saddle to hunt, this is a great time to look for game animal sign during the day. You might just find that perfect spot that you can set up to execute a good harvest that evening. You can't do that from the seat of your truck in between hunts.
You can do some scouting at night as well if you know where to go. You can drive by feeding areas (if possible) and see if there is any activity there. If you can hunt near that location, you might be able to catch those deer in the morning or know exactly where to set up the next evening to catch your target going to feed. Make sure you do this legally by checking all rules and regulations in your area, and don't get too aggressive or you may push deer out of the area.
4. Log Data and Hunt Information
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If you are a truly serious hunter or just love looking for patterns when it comes to hunting, a great way to do that is by keeping track of important information. With a cell phone and a notebook, you can gather a lot of data from your day's hunt. Over time you might realize that there is a clear pattern to when you see deer and when you don't. That will allow you to maximize your hunting time and put you in the stand when the conditions are perfect.
Some important data and information could include things like temperature, wind speed and direction, precipitation, conditions, what stand you were in and the direction you were facing, moon phases, and so much more. Write down what deer you saw and where you saw them, including the direction they came from and the direction they were going. This could help you locate bedding and feeding areas if you frequently see deer traveling the same areas. This is also great information to help you prepare for the next season as well. It has helped a lot of hunters tremendously in getting into the right spot year after year.
5. Prepare for the Next Hunt
A great thing to do post-hunt is make sure that your gear is in order. Regardless of if you used all your gear or not, get it ready for the next hunt. Inspect it, repack it, and deem it ready to go for your next hunt. If you try to squeeze in as much hunting time as possible, it's a huge time saver to just be able to grab your stuff and go. Inspecting your gear will also ensure that you won't have a failure when the time is most pressing, especially if you have the giant buck in the crosshairs. This is a quick and easy post-hunt activity, but we implore more hunters to do it. Make it a habit after every hunt.
After reading our list, did we hit on things you already do, or did we mention things that you should be doing? If so, start those post-hunt activities. They can add to the enjoyment to your hunts and keep you actively enjoying the great outdoors even more than before.
