Do you really know where and how to set up a ground blind? When preparing for your hunt, there are a lot of things that need to be done before setting out in the woods, securing a good location for a deer stand is one of those. Picking the wrong location can leave you empty-handed at the end of season. Learn how to pick a perfect hunting location by following these steps.

First, you will need to scout an area for deer before choosing a location for your blind. Choose a well concealed or heavily wooded area with water and/or a food source (such as acorn trees, rye grass, soybeans, oats, corn feeders etc) available. Look for deer trails, tracks and rubbings on trees. You can begin your scouting process for deer months to a year in advance depending on how detailed you want to get.

Second, choose an area to locate your ground blind after you have found all the signs you where looking for. Make sure you are able to reach the area without making a lot of noise and that it is easily accessible. Many times you will arrive at the stand in the dark, the deer might still be bedded down and you don't want to scare them off and risk the chance of losing that good buck.

Third, if you have the means, plant a food plot in the summer months of May and June. Planting a food plot of corn, soybeans or field peas will invite deer to keep coming back for the food during the year. In the winter you can plant rye grass in the plot to keep the game interested in the area. Have the plot clearly visible from your deer blind, but make sure the stand is not visible to the passing deer. If you choose not to plant a food plot, you may need to set up a feeder and the most common feed slung from these is corn. If you have other wildlife on the lease (i.e. cows, sheep, goats), you will need to build a feeder pen in order to keep these unwanted animals from getting to your corn and knocking your feeder over. The feeder pen should be big enough so the deer has plenty of room to move around and not feel crowded, they will never jump in if they feel they don’t have enough room to maneuver. I use t-post and barbwire to make my feeder pens but you can also use cattle panels or similar materials.

Lastly, place your stand 10 to 30 feet away from you food source or trail so you have a good view of your hunting spot and so you’re not crowding the deer’s "personal space" so to speak. You want the deer to come in and eat and never know you are there, if you’re too close, they may hear you draw back on your bow or smell you before you get the shot off. Make sure there are no limbs or brush to obstruct your vision or shot in any direction. Place the ground blind in your desired location as early as possible in the season so the deer can get used to having it there. After awhile, the deer will consider it a permanent fixture and you will have a better edge as long as you remain quiet and they don't catch your scent.

Now that you are armed with all this knowledge, you can set out, set up correctly and prepare for the hunt of your life. With the proper ground blind, hunting equipment, and maybe a little target practice, nothing will stand in your way of harvesting that mature buck we are all waiting to find.

Happy Hunting!