So, put a lot of forethought into your stand selection site from that aspect, not just the total amount of deer sign seen. During the rut, it may not be as important to locate a stand in this manner, as deer will be moving much more throughout the day.

Another item that I noted earlier is that many good Lowcountry hunters are now also working on other stands in areas where the deer will be when the rut kicks in later on in the season. Plus, they're looking for the best sites for late-season hotspots during the post-rut. What they do in August in terms of locating good potential rutting areas for October hunting will be very important to success at that time.

Thus, there's more to be done in August than sight-in your rifle (which is a great thing to do by the way) if you want to continue harvesting deer in the mid- and late-season period.

For a large part of the state, the opening of deer season, either bow or gun seasons or both, will actually occur during the month of September. If you're going to be hunting in these areas, then you've got a bit more time, but you've still got plenty to accomplish. You need to do all of the above, but you're not tardy yet if you don't have it all done.

I'm a big believer in doing a lot of my major scouting even earlier in the year, but if you know where you intend to hunt but haven't become very familiar with the land, then now is the time to finish up in these areas and in the Upstate. You can drive through the areas, get out and walk, looking for fresh deer sign as well as any tell-tale sign left over from last year, such as old buck rubs.

If a buck used an area the previous year, odds are good the area has the needed requirements to attract him again the following year, assuming he survived. That is unless something major -- like a clearcut -- has left the area void of timber or has otherwise changed the habitat drastically. Now is the time to be discovering any major impacts to your hunting lands if you have not already done so.

I know of one guy who did not scout, went to his favorite tract of land on opening morning (he knew exactly which tree he was going to hang his climber on) only to find the woods had been clear cut about two months earlier. Oops.

If you have a large club or own your own land, then taking the four-wheeler for a spin is always an enjoyable and productive effort during August. Generally, I'd stay on the main dirt trails, but look for heavily used deer crossings. If you see something that looks particularly promising, wear rubber boots to leave less scent and take a hike to check it out. I've found some exceptionally good places like this a few weeks before the season opener.

Although I've been preaching early preparations in this feature, continuous preparation is actually a better choice of words. Be ready and willing to refine your hunting locations and tactics at any given time. I'm also a big believer in walking the roads, again with scent-reducing footwear during the midday hours. Sometimes when walking instead of riding, you notice the more subtle sign of big bucks.