Author Travis Faulkner examines a mature whitetail that he arrowed during the early season — before the buck had switched to a nocturnal schedule. Photo courtesy of Travis Faulkner.

During the late summer, I glassed several nice bucks in a bachelor group feeding in an isolated clover field that was surrounded by thickets and hardwoods. Like clockwork, the bucks entered the field at the same location and time about every evening. Two of the bucks were definite shooters, with long, symmetrical lines that stood out among the group. With opening day just around the corner, all I needed was the right wind and, with any luck, one of those bad boys would be riding in the back of my truck.

On the first evening of the season, I packed a lightweight climbing stand and quickly set up along the back corner of the clover field. It was still a couple of hours before the bucks had been entering the field and a steady wind helped muffle the sound of climbing the tree. About 30 minutes before dark, I heard a stick break just inside the woods where a worn deer trail zigzagged through the thick underbrush. A slight flicker of a deer tail caught my eye as the first buck slowly came into view. At this point, a sudden rush of adrenaline shot through my entire body and I forgot all about the hot temperatures and hungry mosquitoes.

The buck paused while scanning the open field with its nose in the air checking the wind. Just as before, the other three bucks fell in behind and followed the smaller 8-point out of the safety of the woods. The long-tined 10-pointer came out last and cautiously walked within 30 yards of my stand.

At full draw, I made myself pick a spot just behind the buck's shoulder and took one last deep breath before letting the arrow fly. All at once, the buck kicked out its hind legs and frantically ran into the middle of the field before piling up and ending another great early-season hunt. Without a doubt, a hunt like this can really start the year out right, and this is just one of the reasons why I love climbing into the stand during the pre-rut period. (Continued)

THE EARLY-SEASON EDGE
There are about a million reasons or excuses you can come up with for not hunting during the early season. During this time of year, hunters are dealing with an extreme environment consisting of snakes, biting insects, hot temperatures and the human scent factor. Later in October, the weather will be much cooler and the bugs are not as bad. Unfortunately, it's this kind of thinking that can knock you right off a giant buck long before the temperatures start to drop. In reality, choosing to tough it out and hunt during the opening days of the season can provide you with the ultimate edge.

Consequently, the early pre-rut period is one of the easiest times to close the deal on a mature buck. Think about it: bucks are generally traveling together in bachelor groups and sticking to a strict feeding-to-bedding pattern. The chaotic rut is still months away, and the absence of intense outside hunting pressure has not yet forced a veteran buck into a nocturnal schedule. With the right game plan, hunting during the opening days of the season will enable you to shoot a buck packing antlers that are sure to make all of your hunting buddies green with envy.