I'd seen the buck the previous day, but although I still could have shot to the opening by the seep, that's not where he walked. He slipped through the scrub of young pines as I strained to nail down his rack.

The rack looked tall and heavy, but did he have the required three points on one side? I just couldn't see the rack clearly until he briefly crossed a four-wheeler trail, but he was out too far by then.The next day I climbed the same tree and the buck seemed to be punching a clock. He appeared at almost exactly the same time, and on this night headed to the seep for his last drink. I sent an arrow through him at 22 yards.He tucked tail and scrambled in the manner of a deer hard hit, disappearing into the pines where I shortly heard him crash down. It sounded just like something had crashed onto a couple of those webbed, aluminum lawn chairs. Something had. I knew without working the trail that the buck had died on the trash heap where people illegally dumped their junk.I hadn't purposely scouted the area around the dump, where old lawn furniture, cans of paint and roofing tar, hulking floor model TV's and many tires wafted their combined years of stink into even the coolest of fall mornings. During the summer months, I jogged the ATV trail.We bow hunters are always scanning the ground, and during one morning jog I spotted a heavily used deer crossing. What the heck were they doing around here? There was nothing but scrub pines and laurel bushes, leaving very little foliage to eat. I followed the trail, and it went to the secluded seep. Giving it a little thought, I realized it was the only water source for a long ways.White-tailed deer are some of nature's most adaptable creatures. Here in the northeast, dozens of them can live in small pockets of suburban woods. One of the things I love about hunting is its spiritual side, but admittedly that wasn't something I experienced as I toted my climbing stand past the illegal dump.So if you're feeling frustrated, not seeing as many deer as you usually see, kick your tried and true methods to the curb for a time.Scout new areas, including areas that don't seem like they'd be much good.Water sources can be productive areas for stands and that will really be the case this year. Deer typically get about 60 percent of the moisture they need from the foliage they eat.We've just experienced a summer which break records for lack of moisture. That means that the moisture content of the foliage will be much less, sending deer to the water sources. Walking a creek to check for deer crossings is a great early-season tactic.Early season tacticsDon't sit in your stand like a dud because it's hot or because the rut is still a month away. Deer are social animals who communicate with each other often, whether it's a doe bleating to her youngsters or a group of bachelor bucks making soft social grunts. As always, let the woods settle down after you arrive in you stand and start out by calling softly.Don't call and rattle the same way you do during the rut. This is not the right time for the dramatic clash of antlers. But before the rut, bucks are often testing each other, pushing each other around in behavior that helps establish pecking order long before the real game begins. If you use rattling antlers, just click the tips together. You can rattle in this manner more often than you would rattle rut style, because the noise of the tinkling antlers won't carry far through the woods.Although deer will be traveling from bedding to feeding areas, during really hot weather they limit those distances as much as possible. If you're hunting over a food plot or standing agricultural crops, you may be bumping deer out as you arrive, or deer may be bedding so near that they see you climb into your stand. Really analyze the area and carefully pick stand locations. Spray yourself liberally with a scent killer spray before you make the trek to your stand, and re-spray once you arrive in your stand. Since it's inevitable that you'll be shedding some body scent, limit your use of the same stand.In every state, there's always that first doe that comes in season and starts the rut. I want to "be" that deer. Although hunters would argue, studies have proven that using estrus scents early, as long as you're careful about your own scent control, will not spook bucks. In fact, it may feed their curiosity. Bucks of all ages want to find that first doe.One of the best scents to use during the preseason, and especially when making a mock scrape, is an orbital (eye gland) scent. The majority of bucks that check a scrape will nudge and worry the overhanging limb. Many mock scrapes are unproductive because they lack the overhanging limb. Deer use the overhanging limb throughout the year, and open up the scrape under it as rut behavior begins.Change your hunting hours in response to the moon phase. We'll have a full moon Oct. 8, which means that during the three days before and after the full moon, the deer will be be most active during the night. Time your hunting to take advantage of the full moon. According to predicted deer movements for the first week of the season (Doug Hannon "moon clock"), during the first week of the Pennsylvania season the deer will move: from 6 to 7:15 a.m., from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and from noon to 2 p.m.