The dry summers over the past few years are the reason why I rarely hunt the early season anymore for ML, and stopped hunting modern for deer because the majority of the season is in October when there is a good chance the woods will still be closed.

We only have a few days, 7, and the woods are crackly dry. I sure like the late season when the deer are more active, and you can sneak up on them in a quieter fashion.

Best of luck, hope you have some private land lined up.