Ideally, he doesn't cut any shooting lanes, but rather chooses a tree that will give multiple chances for a shot.

Hunters who are members of hunt clubs that plant food plots can factor in the importance of the food plots for the deer that they are hunting.

"On most of the deer clubs I am a member of, we plant food plots consisting of wheat, clover and dwarf essex rape," Roddey said. "Long rectangular plots give more 'edge' and are generally more productive than square ones. Binoculars can help you pinpoint where deer enter and exit a field. Get close enough to these spots to climb a tree for an easy shot, but don't try to get too close; a few yards too far is better than an inch too close. Hunters who use rifles don't have to be quite as precise about stand location as bowhunters do."

During the critical rut period, Roddey gets a picture of where the deer are feeding (including the feeding patterns of the does) and where they are bedding, and the travel corridors between the feeding and bedding spots. Travel patterns, sign and actual deer sightings all factor heavily into his decision about where to put a stand. The better you understand the movements of the deer as they use the land, the more effective you will be at choosing a stand site where you hunt.

Roddey also factors in the wind, both in choosing the stand site itself and in approaching the stand.

"When approaching my hunting site, I come in from downwind, and get there as quickly and quietly as possible. Wind in the woods is a freaky thing; it will blow from almost every point on the compass during the course of a day. The prevailing wind is the one to observe as you approach your stand site; climbing over 20 feet high in your chosen tree will practically eliminate scent as a problem," he said.

He also suggests that hunters remember that air currents rise during the early morning hours, and they fall during the late evening. Take this into consideration when choosing a stand site. Some places are a better choice for a morning hunt and others are a better choice as the sun goes down.

Partly because of his desire not to have the deer pattern him, and partly because of wind considerations, Roddey changes stand locations frequently -- far more often than the average hunter. Not surprisingly, he prefers climbing stands to permanent stands because they increase his mobility and that, he believes, increases his effectiveness.

Again, the "effective" part of this strategy doesn't come from randomly moving the stand. What makes it effective is knowing the hunting area and the habits of the deer well enough to have several good spots in mind, and have reasons to hunt one stand on one day, and another on another day.

For Roddey, the hunt moves from scouting to stand selection, but of course, doesn't end there. In addition to considering the prevailing winds when he approaches his stand, and to trying to get in and out of his stand quickly and quietly to minimize the disturbance he makes, he also pays attention to a number of small things.

For example, he wears rubber boots when hunting to minimize his own scent trail. Like almost all modern whitetail hunters, he uses full camo, but he also pays attention to minimizing his movement in the stand, up to and including drawing his bow.

Interestingly, he does not use attractant scents. Although many hunters have used them to good effect, Roddey said, "Very seldom do I use scents. I have spooked more deer while they are being put in place than I have killed with them."

As we enter the late stage of the season, keeping Roddey's philosophy in mind can be helpful on a couple of levels. First, as much as deer activity is curtailed in December, hunter activity declines even faster. To kill a buck, you have to hunt the buck. Second, the sign and activity you do see, whether or not it results in a trophy on any given hunt, can help lay the foundation for your next hunt, or even next year.