Scouting & Preparation                                                                    Mark A. DePugh

 

As the summer fades and lends way to the hint of fall, many things begin to enter the  mind of the hunter. Squirrel hunters prepare their guns, fall turkey hunters seek out their calls, and archery deer hunters work towards honing their shooting skills. Regardless of the game you choose to hunt; scouting and pre-season preparation is essential for the successful hunter.

 

Squirrel hunters will enter the woods in hopes of finding a good acorn mast, fall turkey hunters will search for fresh scratches which ultimately reveal feeding areas, and the whitetail hunters will began to glass alphalfa fields hoping to catch an evening glimpse of a monster buck ripe for the harvest.

 

It would be hard to argue whether scouting and preparation pays off, especially when you talk to a serious hunter. My preference for the fall is hunting whitetails; however, I have tried my hand at fall turkey hunting. Back to whitetails, Now… I do not consider myself to be a tremendous archer, but I do feel that I have a good understanding of whitetail deer and what makes them tick: Understanding their habits, patterns, and tendancies definitely increases your chances of success. I have said it before and it’s worth saying again… “It pays to know the land you are hunting”. When we recognize well used travel routes, high activity scrape areas, escape routes, natural funnels, bottlenecks, feeding areas and bedding areas, a hunters plan of attack can really come together. We must prepare for our endeavor!

 

We must also prepare for a much larger and better harvest day….  The day when Jesus Christ returns for His bride! Who is the bride of Christ? We the Christians…. We the church…. Those who have accepted Him into their hearts and lives! It doesn’t just happen… We do not just die and cross into heaven… We must prepare for that day! We must place Christ first in our lives each and every day. God loves each and every one of us and stands with open arms waiting for us to seek Him as our Lord and Savior. Our Christian conversion is the end of a hopeless and selfish life and the beginning of a joyful and victorious one. If God is for us, He’s more than all that can be against us!

 

At times you may hear of a hunter who without preparation stumbled across a nice buck or happened to be in the right place at the right time. I guess a few of these stories are possibly true but a hunter that consistently puts meat on the table is one that prepares long before the actual harvest. The same goes for the Christian, be prepared for the royal harvest when Jesus Christ returns!