Opening Day Plan?!

This will be my first opening day here in Texas!! Already got that sleepless feeling coming on. But right now I'm at a bit of a loss on how I want to approach Saturday. We have 3 hard blinds, one pop up, one tree stand and one tripod-- only 3 feeders (w/ cameras on them) and we hand corn the treestand area. It's a good mix of ag fields, pasture and some creek bottom/dense hardwoods.

Our last cam check was when my buddy went out and whacked a big boar that was camping at a feeder. That will have been 10 days ago... he saw some 2-3 year old bucks on camera, one good deer and then he saw a few in person. This was mostly at or well after dark. We haven't hunted this place hard at all (just a few nighttime boar hunts).

No discernible buck patterns elsewhere right now-- I'm thinking mainly because of all the oaks along the creek and around the tanks.

My gut tells me to get into our main 'good' blind with feeder and spend my early dawn hours at that spot-- it is central to the activity he saw and I plan to check corn levels and cam cards at each spot. BUT- I love the location of the tripod- it has a commanding view but some of the lanes are looooong and we don't have a feeder in place on it yet. The unknown is exciting.

After the main early movement hours I plan to work into the wind to check the other feeders/cams and maybe do a little rattling? Cover some ground smartly during midday, see what rut activity is going and then have checked all the sites for activity and be ready to choose a spot for the evening?

Would yall do anything different??-- the treestand is a known producer but its near our sanctuary and I kinda want to let it be unless we are slinging arrows.

What are your thoughts??

Know the feeling sir - am up with jitters ready to head out early! Opening morning stand is always a toss up for me - I just try to stay away from bedding areas and any other local hunters, whether on the ranch or neighboring ones. Good luck and be safe out there!

Keep it simple.

I’d put my options in a hat and draw one and stick to it till 10:30 at least. Grab your cards by 11 and figure out your PM spot by noon and be on location by 2:00 and stay put. You’ll do more harm than good by slinking around a bunch. Your feeder with the most does is what you want. They’re your buck bait. Good luck.

Agree...best deer movement was from 10AM - NOON yesterday in Concho County.

Sit in my ground blind at the edge of a pasture and bedding area, sip some hot chocolate while listening to the early Farm and Ranch Report on my pocket radio, and thank the Man upstairs for allowing me to enjoy another Opening Day. And should an otherwise peaceful morning become interrupted by the sight of a feral hog or great-looking buck, send some hot lead its way.

Another vote for keeping it simple. Don't try to do it all in one day or one weekend. Slow down, look and listen and you'll really start to learn the place. Take what the land and the Almighty give you, don't try to force it. (I perpetually remind myself of this.)

I'm going to slip in the gate quietly that's at the top of a hill, sit in pickup and drink my coffee and watch the sun come up. Feeder is about 500 yds NW of said position and wind is forecast to be out of the SW with a low of 31 degrees. I have a box blind 100 yds from feeder, but my old pickup is the best blind I have!

X2

Your focus should be on where the Does are. Hunt there.

Thanks guys!! Glad to know I'm not alone when it comes to over analyzing before opening day. I think our middle stand has seen the most doe activity and it's easy to access in the AM. I will probably take my thermos of coffee and sit there for the morning and then to a quick 'azimuth check' when I look at the other cameras and then get settled in for the PM sit!

Are we too far along to rattle?? I may seem hung up on this but this is my second season here in Texas and I've got that visual in my head. I had some luck with it in Oklahoma when I lived there but never managed to kill one. We have about 800 acres to hunt so I feel like I can do some rattling but leave enough alone that I don't screw up an evening sit?

Stay down wind or where the does are.

Some folks way over think this deer hunting stuff.

Got viable acorns on the ground or still dropping?
Thats where I'd pay attention.

Have an edge with dense cover and full eastern exposure?
I'd watch that during the first 1.5 hours of legal shooting light.

Just me, if I wanted to check cards/pictures I'd go get them whenever it was convenient to me.
Even if there was corn bouncing off my coat from the feeder going off while I did it.

I was talking to a wise old hunter one night around the campfire doing the same thing you are doing. Going over all the stands that I wanted to hunt. All the places that I thought there might be deer. and the place that we had seen a few deer. His advice was short and to the point. "Hunt where the deer are." In other words. If you have seen deer, or have a known, long time producing stand, that is probably where you should hunt.

Thanks gents!! Def over thinking- but its a new place to me this year, and only my second year in Texas so I feel there are variables that I just haven't seen or sorted out yet. Send me back to OK or KY and I'll walk right in to a map spot and be good to go.

Only a couple hours to go!!