This is the time to "hunt does." Find the area nearest to the buck's core area with heavy generic deer sign. Every situation is different, but this is typically going to be a relatively flat place within steep terrain with good acorns. This is the place where does in heat go to find the "monarch of the mountain."

I have actually seen does in heat stand on the same spot for 10 or 15 minutes in these gathering places with their tail held out horizontal to the ground. When that happens, get ready, it usually doesn't take long for a buck of some sort to catch the scent and come grunting through the woods.

How do you know when you have found the right place? It should contain several key elements. It should be a section of relatively open woods, predominately white oaks. Secondly, compared with adjacent areas, it should have more generic deer sign than anywhere else. Finally, it's the place that you keep coming back to as you scout along deer trails. If you have made several scouting trips and the deer trails you're following keep leading to the same little oak flat, that's the place to be, at least during the rut.

At times, other than during the rut, the big buck might visit that area to check for does coming into estrus, but almost exclusively at night. During the height of the rut, however, it is the one place that he is likely to show up during daylight hours, either cruising for does or actually chasing a doe.

From Thanksgiving on through the end of deer season, this is the place to spend at least half of your hunting time. The remainder of your time should be spent back in his core area.