Year after year, deer hunters spend thousands of dollars on expensive hunting gear. It seems like each year, hunting gear products become more and more expensive to purchase. Along with hunting gear, hunting leases and club dues seem to always go up in price from one year to the next. For most of us in the real world, money doesn’t grow on trees nor are we paid to hunt for a living like the guys on the popular tv programs. For this reason, taking care of your gear is critical to reduce spending hard earned money in replacing hunting equipment. If you will take a little time after hunting season to properly store your gear, you can save a substantial amount of money and enjoy years of use from your gear.
Why we believe in taking care of our hunting gear
I grew up hunting without a lot of fancy gear. My dad and grandad did not believe in waisting money on fancy gimmicks or foolish gadgets for deer hunting. However, we have used deer feeders, trail cams, popup blinds and climbing stands for many years. The items just mentioned are expensive. Yet, we have enjoyed years of use from our equipment by taking a little time, after deer season each year, to properly store our equipment during the off season. You can too and it doesn’t take a lot of expertise to do so.
Below is a list of our four most expensive types of equipment we take time to properly store each year.
- Trail cams
- Deer feeders
- Popup blinds
- Climbing stands
Trail Camera Maintenance and Storage
Trail cameras have become one of the most important tools a deer hunter can ever own. Trail cams offer countless benefits for deer hunters however, trail cams can be very expensive to buy. There are three tips we use for storing our trail cams each year.
- Remove batteries
If you are not going to use your trail cameras during the off season, you might want to remove the batteries. batteries can produce corrosion over time. This will lead to corrosion buildup in the batterie compartment of your trail cam and could potentially ruin the electrical connections inside the the camera.
- Open the access covers for the control and batterie compartments
Throughout hunting season, weather conditions consistently change. Trail cameras are exposed to many different weather conditions. Temperature change and rainy weather produce moisture. After time, moisture will eventually find its way into the electronics of your camera. Moisture can ruin electronics and fog the lenses on your trail camera. I like to let my cameras dry out for a couple weeks by placing the cameras in a dry place and opening every access cover.
Deer feeder Maintenance and storage
There are many different types of deer feeders on the market. Each type has pros and cons, however automatic feeders seem to require a little more maintenance than gravity feeders. Yet they are efficient and can allow hunters to control the amount of feed dispersed at a set time each day. We share two tips we use each year for storing our automatic spin feeders.
- Remove batteries from the motor
Like trail cams, automatic spin feeders are powered by batteries. By removing the batteries from your spin feeder, you can greatly reduce corrosion build up and electronic failure. We also store our motors in a dry space during the off season.
- Remove the old feed
By removing old feed from the hooper of an auto feeder, you will avoid mold growing inside the hopper during the off season. Old feed will also produce unpleasant odors after time. Unpleasant odors can transfer into the new feed which will be less appetizing to deer the following year.
Popup Blind Storage
Our popup blind maintenance is pretty simple however, I have many buddies that fail to do this each year. We take them out of the field and store them in a dry place out of direct sunlight.
Some guys like to leave their blinds in the field all year long. They will not last very long by doing so. Over time UV rays will destroy most fabrics that cove popup blinds. We like to bring our popup blind out of the field each off season and store them in a dry environment until next season.
Climbing Stand Storage
Climbing stands are great tools for deer hunters. However they can be dangerous if not properly maintained and serviced. Always follow the manufacture’s recommendations for maintenance and service on you climbing stands. You should always read the owner’s manual and follow all safety precautions when using and maintaining your climbing stands.
We always inspect our climbing stands before each use. We try to look for wear and tear on the safety components, pins and cables. Once season is over, we replace every item on our climbing stands that appear to be damaged or show wear. We also keep our climbers out of the weather in a dry area during the off season.
Summary
I hope these simple tips help you guys. I like to look at my hunting equipment as an investment for success in the field. Taking care of your equipment can save you a ton of money year after year.
I highly recommend you properly maintain and properly store all of your safety equipment for deer hunting as well. Remember to follow all safety recommendations from the manufacturer. Some safety equipment has an expiration date, be sure to replace any components or equipment that has expired.
If you would like more useful tips for deer hunting go to Americanhuntingsafari.com then select our deer page. You can also subscribe to Americanhuntingsafari.com and receive the latest tips for hunting, fishing and cooking wild game.
Thanks for reading!!