Spook Spann's Pre-Rut Whitetail Tactics

Without question, legendary bow hunter and big bone collector "Spook" William Spann of the hit television show "Spook Nation" knows how to take advantage of heavy-racked bucks. This is especially true during the three pre-rut transitional periods, which just happen to be his favorite times to be in the stand.

Step 1: Hunt Key Setups

During this early segment of the season Spook hunts isolated food sources that are surrounded by thick cover. "On all of my Big Buck Properties, I try to grow some type of warm-season food plot or agricultural crop that is located dangerously close to mature buck bedding areas. When hunting public-land or away from my properties, I will only focus on current food source locations that make veteran bruisers feel safe. In most cases, these areas will generally be located near or within protective cover," explained Spook.

Step 2: Implement High-Tech Scouting Tactics

"For the most part, I always try to avoid over-hunting these highly-sensitive setups at all cost. In fact, religiously monitoring my trail-camera have undoubtedly allowed me to score big during this phase of the season," said Spook.

Step 3: Take Advantage Of Prime Times

"Lastly, I always watch the weather to look for key frontal periods or temperature changes that can generate short bursts of big buck activity. Last season, I smoked a high-racked giant by staying out of a good stand location until the right weather conditions. I waited for an approaching storm to drop the temperatures after two weeks of very hot weather. Up until that point, most of my trail-cam pics of the buck had consistently been taken right at or just after dark. However, this shooter could not fight the urge to feed during the cooler weather and it ended up costing him!" said Spook.