While I do see the vast majority of my bucks in November, often I will see them only once, and they are usually moving with a steady purpose. And they do not always cooperate by traveling through funnels as they should. Throw in a doe ready to breed, and a buck might not stand still long enough to present a shot, even if he does come within bow range.

On morning hunts during the early season, I leave the big bucks alone and focus on hunting does.

THE EARLY-SEASON ADVANTAGE
Year in and year out, I hunt public property almost exclusively, which presents trade-offs.

On the plus side, public lands afford me lots of acreage to roam. On the minus side, older-age-class bucks are few and far between, and lots of hunters are vying for those bucks. By hunting the early season, I run into significantly fewer hunters than at any other time of the season, which I attribute to a number of things -- heat, bugs, and the oft-mentioned "October lull," when bucks supposedly go underground.

Whatever the reason, my hunting logs show that I see the most hunters during two time periods -- the overall rut period, and the last week of the season. Yes, I see hunters in the woods during the early season, but they aren't burning a lot of vacation then, and they don't spend a lot of time hunting during the week. I can't remember running into a single hunter during the week on an early-season hunt in recent years. The relatively light pressure can more than make up for the sheer numbers of bucks that will materialize in a few short weeks by allowing me to hunt relatively undisturbed bucks that are still on a somewhat predictable pattern.

TIMING AND STRATEGY
I've hunted opening days as early as September 11 and as late as October 1, and while I have seen big bucks on occasion in the mornings during early season, these sightings have been few and far between. Remember, I am talking big bucks, not the 1½ and 2½-year-olds that do routinely show up in the mornings.

Consulting my notes, I see a pattern emerging over the years -- early-season mornings are poor and evenings are good for seeing big bucks. I believe that's because most older bucks are already in their beds before dawn. Rather than risk tipping my hand and wasting potentially productive spots by bumping bucks in the dark, I reserve the mornings for hunting does in areas not frequented by bucks. In short, I simply avoid hunting early-season bucks in the mornings.

In the evenings, though, the potential reward outweighs the risk, and I hunt spots that give me a good chance of catching bucks on their feet during daylight. My strategy is relatively simple -- I set up as close as possible to where I think the bucks are bedding. My experience tells me that bucks will move a relatively short distance before dark, maybe as little as 100 yards.