Mistake Number 7
Not hunting during midday. This is one of the worst mistakes of all. Hunters get up well before the crack of dawn brimming with enthusiasm, eat huge breakfasts, study the woods intensely . . . and in about three hours, wear down.

Often by 9, almost always by 10 or 11 a.m., the majority of hunters are too worn out to continue without a break. And what better excuse than lunch time to take that break? You can get some circulation back in your legs, stretch a bit, and grab a nice meal and hot cup of coffee. And it's a good time to compare notes and shoot the bull with your hunting buddies. It's getting hotter. No use staying. Better freshen up for the productive evening hours.

All those rationales and more are used by the vast majority of hunters to take a break from midmorning to mid-afternoon. Make sure you don't make that mistake. Pack a big, hearty lunch, a urinal, plenty of water or juice to drink, maybe a thermos of hot chocolate and stay put.

Bucks move often during the middle of the day when the rut is on. In fact, I've seen more big bucks moving at this time of day during breeding season than early and late. Noon is one of the four natural "movement periods" bucks have, so that in itself gets them going.

The urge to find every female available also makes them want to keep pressing and searching for the next mate to breed even during these midday hours. And finally, I'm convinced some of the most savvy bucks that have survived several hunting seasons pattern hunters and know when most of them will be back in camp, allowing free movement during the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. period. And move they do. Don't miss it.

MISTAKE NUMBER 8
Not paying enough attention to scent control and wind direction. There's a tendency to get obsessed with the rut and think bucks are so focused on finding a ready mate that they won't smell you or at least won't be as concerned. This may be true a bit with 1- and 2-year-old bucks. However, if you want to tag a mature animal 3 or older, chances are you will flub up by not paying enough attention to your scent.

Wear scent-absorbing clothing, use sprays to eliminate your odor further, and always pay attention to wind direction. This doesn't just mean when you start out, but periodically all day long. Bring a thread or powder squirting bottle and check the wind direction often.

If it turns bad for where you expect bucks to appear, shift your location. Even if a buck might ignore your scent, the doe he's chasing won't and will blow out of there at the first whiff of a human.

MISTAKE NUMBER 9
Ignoring small pockets of isolated cover. Too often hunters want to choose a stand that offers a large, panoramic viewing area. If they're going to sit for 10 or 12 hours straight, might as well see some nice scenery. Moreover, the more area you see, the more likely you'll see a buck. So goes the reasoning.

But in fact, does going into estrus often hook up with a buck and move into a small pocket of isolated cover such as a brushy island in a field, a small pocket of cedars and honeysuckle or a thicket with saplings and blowdowns. It's not necessarily thick or jungle-like, but offers some cover and isolation from the main herd of deer for their breeding period of a day or two. Search out these isolated pockets and pinpoint fresh sign, such as a fresh rut or scrape. Find a good downwind spot for a stand or blind and hunt there. You won't see as much, but what you see may be the buck of your dreams.

MISTAKE NUMBER 10
Using the wrong tactics. Putting on drives is plenty of fun and it's often a productive hunting method. But save this tactic for later hunts. During the rut, bucks (and does) are moving heavily. The most reliable tactic is to stay put, on stand and wait for the activity to come to you.