Key ingredients to up your odds for success on early-season morning hunts

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A doe and her two fawns feed on a habitat edge where giant ragweed meets shorter grasses and forbs. These “soft edges” where one type of vegetation meets another are great areas to target. Deer tend to feel safe there while feeding during daylight because they are not far from security cover if they need to disappear. -Outdoor News

A buck slips into a bed two hours after daylight during a hunt Morken had on the morning of Sept. 1, 2024, in North Dakota. If you have setups that provide great access opportunities into security cover with good natural vegetation for deer to feed on, then you have a chance at success during early-season morning hunts. (Photos courtesy of Eric Morken)

By Eric Morken – Outdoor News

I bumped a couple of bucks off their beds during a late-summer scouting trip two years ago. The weather and habitat conditions then were similar to what we typically see during the early archery season.

It was hot, with high humidity and temperatures in the 70s by early morning. My first goal was to find exactly where the biggest of the bucks was bedded.

Sure enough, it was in a location many bucks seem to prefer. A deadfall that arched over a low spot in the terrain created the ideal area for a whitetail to safely and comfortably hunker down. It featured great shade cover above, and the air was cooler there than it was in the surrounding area.

Fast forward to Sept. 1 of this year in North Dakota. I was set up in a tree 20 yards from that specific bed. About two hours after first light, a buck passed in front of me and bedded down in that exact spot. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL STORY