First thing’s first-

Going off ‘half cocked’ into the woods without any forethought to what changes the weather might bring or knowledge of the land you are traipsing through is an ignorance that should be avoided. Information that you need to know like how to use a map and a compass are invaluable when you find yourself lost, and having them in your pack can mean the difference between finding your way out or an unexpected overnight in the woods. A compass is still the single most reliable way of finding your direction. I also take a topography map of my hunting area with me when I hike into the wild. You can search online by state and county for an overhead of your favorite hunting site, and print off a copy to include in your pack.

Safety and preparedness in the out-of-doors' environment can keep you from injury and save your life when the unexpected happens. Wear adequate clothing for the environment you will be in, waterproof boots won’t do you any good if they are left at home. Pace yourself in extreme weather as you will exhaust more energy out in those temperatures than on a day of average environment. Exercise like walking will warm you on a cold day, but too much exertion will rob you of precious energy. Issues, like being responsible for your own firearm and archery safety, remembering tree stand harnesses and keeping your wits about you when encountering wild animals come to mind as I mention this. It doesn’t have to be a large creature to upset your leisurely time in the field. My first bow hunt ever I watched stunned as a racoon attempted an attack on my husband and I. We had hunted the edge of a field out near Cooley Lake in west central Missouri just a few miles from the Missouri River several years ago during the fall deer season, when after about three hours of rattling and calling for deer we were suddenly interrupted by a huge coon advancing toward us snarling and hissing. She had to be killed and it was not a pleasant thing to do, but panic was not an option if we were to remain safe.

Listening and observing-

Each new outdoor experience from the first step onto a woodland trail until our feet can no longer take us into the woods is an accumulation of woodcraft wisdom. Reading the latest magazines and books or watching TV shows on outdoor skills and how to scout animal signs in the rough will bring a variety of basic hunting and advanced wilderness survival skills to your attention. That said, I find that no matter how many mediums I read or watch they just don’t produce the know-how that good old-fashioned hands on experience will give me. Deer track identification is useful information to a novice, but when fresh tracks can be properly read and followed that is the beginning of knowledge.

My mentor and hunting buddy is my husband Stacy. When I asked, ‘What the single important thing he recommended I remember when scouting?’ his response was, "Tread lightly and don’t walk the entire woods leaving your scent everywhere." Look to those ethical hunters who are willing to share valuable knowledge about what common mistakes they’ve learned to avoid and ask specific how to questions, their first hand knowledge will help you but only if you listen. Similarly, in the wood you must pay close attention, frequently stop and listen to the sounds you hear so that you can recognize what is going on and learn from them. The panicked wheeze of a deer when alerted to your presence is an uncanny sound from behind the tangle of forest underbrush that is impenetrable to the human eye. The first time I heard that sound I had no idea what had made it, the next time I was in the woods and heard that sound I spotted the deer before he saw me and when he vocalized, I had the picture of what had happened in my previous experience.

We learn by doing-

In the off season when there is no hunting pressure, scouting can reveal areas to avoid like flattened grass bedding areas where deer hold up, as well as sign like tracks in the snow where they travel between bedding areas and food or water sources. Actively hunting and scouting teaches obvious things like not to travel through most frequented wildlife areas, instead glass these areas from a short distance. Learn to correct previous mistakes, I no longer sit in the open on a large rock where the brush hidden deer can pick me off and sound the alarm without being seen, instead I use cedars and brush to my advantage and sit camouflaged in natural surroundings. As the accumulation of sound advice you read and hear is practiced and you apply in the field training of trial and error in your off season stalking and observation you will know what to look for in the hunting season and be more confident in those hunts. Don’t forget to polish the skills you already have through repetition and brushing up on more difficult shots that might present themselves in the upcoming season. That square target at the end of my shooting lane is good practice for the real thing and the 3-D deer target presents a challenge to accurately hit the kill zone, but taking a shot at a passing buck is the real meat and potatoes of archery woodcraft.

Hunting and stalking against a breeze will give you an edge that keeps your scent from the keen sense of an animal’s nose, the trick is in understanding your position to the wind's direction. Knowing that deer hold up on ridge tops with their backs to the wind or deep in gorges out of the wind is another key in choosing how to hunt a windy day. Understanding that thermal columns rise, taking your scent with them to the deer upon the top of the ridge, when the sun casts rays on the steeper hills like those in south Missouri’s geography, will help you choose where to hunt at that time of day.

Share the knowledge with other ladies who show an interest in hunting they will need a mentor to encourage them in building woodcraft skills. My first gun hunt (more like a tag along with my husband hunt) brought me face to face with helping my husband scout a blood trail to his deer harvest. That was extreme for me! I was so into it and every glistening drop we found brought us another 10 plus steps toward the end of the search for his deer. I learned more from that day's blood trail and evisceration of the harvest than any other one day in the woods. Had it not been for his willingness to include me and teaching me how to follow the sign I would not be standing where I am now immersed in the joy of learning to be woodcraft savvy.