Early season archery hunting can be an exciting time of year. Each year I listen as many hunters tell me that they don’t start hunting with stick and string until the rut. I listen to their reasoning, and while they offer many good points, I still enjoy spending time swinging from a tree.

Now there are dozens of things that archery hunters must keep in mind each time they strap on their tree harness, and early season hunters have a unique set of challenges they must over-come.

Many of the early season challenges are the same for “rut” hunters, but early season hunters have more things to keep in their mind. Over the years I have compiled a list of early season hunting mistakes from various sources, and many of these I have had personal experiences with.

The first few weeks of fall hunters can experience major weather options. One morning it may be in the low 40s, while a couple days later we can a have a 20-degree temperature swing. With those changes, comes a shift in wind direction.

There is nothing worse than starting your hunt with the perfect wind only to discover shifting winds blowing your scent directly over travel routes or food sources. It’s no secret that scent control should be a staple of your overall hunting routine, but in the early season it is perhaps more important than any other time. This is simply because of the high temperatures and the limited amount of clothing that you are wearing.

One of the easiest ways to control scent on a stand is not to wear your actual hunting clothes to and from your stand. Carry your hunting clothing in a large plastic bag — there are other options out there — and then change either at your stand or close to it. It’s surprising how much a heavy-duty black garbage bag offers when sealed properly.

How many times have you been hunting, overlooking cut corn fields, apple orchard or oak ridge, and either you can’t get off a good shot or the deer hunting hasn’t shown up yet, and then shooting time is over. If you have spent any time in the fall woods hunting deer, this will happen to you. The question is, do you have an exit plan?

Hunting near food sources in the early season means you are going to get caught in your stand while deer are feeding nearby. How are you going to handle this situation?

Having a plan is important, starting with getting out of the stand safely and not giving the deer any idea that you are there.

One of things I have carried with me the past few years is a coyote call. This will no doubt clear the field or apple orchard, with little harm to giving your location. While deer don’t like the sound of a coyote near them, they are fairly used to the sound and put distance between them and the “sound. This will give you a chance to sneak out of your stand without being seen.

This old-school, tried-and-true technique is simple. If you are hunting a field edge and deer are in the field, keeping you from getting to your truck undetected, get a hold of a friend and have them pull up to the field. Generally, just showing up at field at dusk while chasing deer off, or something as simple as beeping the horn from the road, will often empty a field.

Of course, the best way is to have a backup exit route that will not take you by the deer or give away your presence. This generally is a longer walk, but is well worth the effort, keeping your deer oblivious to your location.

Outside of scent control and wind direction, the biggest mistake a hunter makes is not practicing enough. Throughout your preseason, how many times have you actually shot from a stand or elevated position?

This is a must no matter what you read or what you hear. It is true today’s bows are much faster than years past. There is more than aiming a little high at particular distances. There are angles to take into account. Knowing and understanding these angles on proper shot placement is imperative. Making a clean kill shot is your responsibility as a hunter and to knowing how to make the best shot in any situation.

There is one mistake that I think we all can admit to making — not spending enough time pre-scouting. Perhaps the best time to pattern a big buck is in the weeks leading up to opening day. Food dominates the thoughts of a deer at this time and they pretty much stick to the same routine unless an outside variable like scouting pressure or changes in food availability change that.

This is one of my pet peeves: checking trail camera too often. Trail cameras are a double-edged sword. On one side they are a great scouting tool, but when you check them all the time, you could be bumping your wall hanger.

If you know a shooter is using the area then hang a camera and check it once or twice and forget about it. Work out your game plan based on the information that you have gathered. Remember, trail cameras are a tool, they aren’t the end all of hunting tools. They are a part of.

If you have a particular deer you are after, you need to understand the food sources. If there are apples in the area you plan on setting up, understand that apples may or may not be dropping when you can hunt your stand. Understanding food sources and how and when deer will be hitting them is a key to hunters’ success, especially during the early season.

Successful hunters understand how important it is to stay one step ahead of the deer by understanding which food sources will be available not only when the season opens but in the weeks that follow, too.

Those hunting hardwoods need to know the availability of mast crops as well as which ridges hold oaks that are actually dropping them. Also, the bounty of food plots can change depending on how hard they’ve been hit during the preseason and how the weather has affected their overall growth.

Knowing the food sources in your hunting areas and when deer are using them, before and during the season, will make you more successful.

These are a few things that mess up any archery hunt, early or regular season. From not practicing with your broadheads, to forgetting to change out, to not practicing with your “nocks,” to always carrying an extra release with you, to making sure you always have an extra release in your backpack are just few more things to add to the list.

Archery hunting is one of my favorite hunting seasons. There are many things I love about early season archery hunting, so to just limit it to one thing is impossible. Archery season is fun, exciting and you will not only be a better hunter, but a better person.

Remember to always remember safety first.