Offseason is here, but there's still plenty to do

Here's my monthly column that ran in The News Journal on May 7, 2009.

Let the long offseason begin.

True, I could be referencing the first-round playoff exits of the Flyers or the Sixers, but instead I'm talking about the four-month gap that we hunters must endure between the end of turkey season in May and the beginning of the dove and deer archery seasons in September.

For diehard hunters, some summertime hunting opportunities exist, but most of us choose not to pursue the likes of bullfrogs, groundhogs and crows in the hot sun. Many of us trade our shotguns and bows for fishing rods as warm weather arrives, but there are other important pieces of business to take care of during the offseason.

It's easy to place your guns in your safe and throw all of your hunting gear into a closet at the end of the season, but you should take the time to ensure that all of your firearms and gear are in top condition before storing them for the summer.

In fact, now -- not a week before deer season -- is the time to fully disassemble and clean your firearms. Thoroughly clean gun components and be sure to inspect the parts to make sure they are in safe operating condition. Take note of any damaged or worn parts, and see your local gun dealer or gunsmith soon. It is much easier to repair and replace gun parts now, before the preseason rush.

The spring cleaning does not stop with your hunting firearms. It is also time to sort through your other hunting gear, including backpacks, clothing, boots, scents, calls, decoys and all of the other stuff that seems to accumulate in our basements, garages and truck beds.

Remove all items from your packs and clothes pockets, throwing out trash and unwanted gear. If the packs and clothes haven't seen the inside of a washing machine in a while, now is a good time to reacquaint them. Better yet, if they are in poor shape, get rid of them. Summer is a great time to find bargains on new gear.

Additionally, take some time to do all of the little things that we keep putting off during the season.

Apply touchup paint to your decoys. Apply waterproofing to your boots. Throw out all of the old deer scents that migrated to the bottom of your backpack. Clean your waterfowl and deer calls with some compressed air and a bit of alcohol. Pull the burrs and "hitchhikers" off your hunting camo. Sharpen you knives. Clean out your game freezer. The list is seemingly endless.

Most importantly, the offseason is the time to practice and learn. As ethical hunters, we want to be as skilled and as efficient as possible. Use the summer months to become an even better hunter.

Read books. Attend training seminars. Shoot targets, skeet, trap and sporting clays. And share the hunting tradition by introducing a kid to the outdoors.