Why You Should Arrive Early For Hunting Season

Hunting is one of those annual treks and adventures that many people may undertake year after year. When preparing for your hunt, one of the most important things is to arrive early. And here comes why.

1. Setup

The number one reason you need to arrive multiple days before the season starts is to set up your camp and gear in a stress-free way. It doesn't matter whether you're sleeping in a camper, wall tent, small tent or truck, arriving the night before your hunt is a stressful way to start. No matter how organized you are, you always seem to be scrambling to find your headlight, your knife, your water, and many other things when you try to set up your tent and organize your things. It's getting dark, or it's already dark, because it always takes longer than you expect to get there, so you'll be too late to prepare. The best part is that if you forget something like a battery or a game pack, you can run into town and get it instead of wasting your hunting time.

2. Friendship

The second reason you need to arrive a few days before the season is for some camaraderie. Hopefully you have a few hunting buddies in camp to make your experience even more memorable. Arriving a few days before the season starts can give you some moments that aren't all business. Sharing some hunting intelligence, sights, stories, and laughter is a great way to get started. Enjoy the days before the hunt, when spirits are at their highest and everyone is excited about finding and harvesting the animal you're chasing.

3. Find animals

The last and most important reason to arrive early is to find the animals before the season starts. No matter how good your equipment is, what happened last year, or where you remember seeing animals, you need to understand that this year will be different. By arriving before the season begins and hiking to possible locations at dawn and last light, you can learn how the area is good and bad and make alternative plans. Nothing hurts your high hopes and spirits more than a season opening day without animal sightings. Spend a few days before the season scouting and finding animals, and you'll be in a great position for opening day.

If you're all set, your hunt will be a perfect experience and you'll enjoy it.