This year (actually next week) I am heading to the spot I killed my 07' buck to alter the landscape and trails a bit.
The upper field from my stand is going to be corn again this year and I need to open the single trail that will lead past my stand the entire length through the edge of the bedding area, and at the same time I need to cut trees and BLOCK the exit trails into the field that run perpendicular to the trail I want them to use.

Basically I'm going to take away their entrance points to the field and force them to walk past my ground blind and ultimately a sharp stick.

When the neighboring property holds the crops they use the trail everyday to get to those fields but if MY fields hold the crops they basically just have to wake up, stretch and head straight up the hill into the field from multiple points. I'm going to take that away from them as best as I can.

1) give myself more options. I just did not have enough early season stands (or places) to hunt. Come the rut I have many great funnels of one type or another to choose from, but I only really had two stands designed specifically for getting close to early season bucks. Neither allowed south winds, and guess what we got the whole month of october[&:].

2) Hunt more from the ground. I have realised I really like the mobility, intencity, and smooth entry/exit of this.

Last season there was one long skinny draw where I hunt that was insane during the rut. My brother had numerous close encounters with mature bucks when he sat in my stand at the base of it but never closed the deal - it was his first year. I sat there once with a camera and had two more big boys pass within bow range. The top 200 yards of that draw was destroyed - you could smell the urine and tarsal when you stood downwind in the field. Almost deer we saw was entering/leaving the area. I am still not sure if I should have hung something right on top of the sign and run the risk of burning it out. I saw the biggest track I have ever seen in a scrape there, it was not a calf track and I have seen a lot of big buck tracks.

I mainly hunt the rut. I hunt big woods settings where the bucks travel long distances. The key is to find them where they are right now. Waiting for them can be a long boring proess that produces little results. I started looking for them instead of waiting for them. When I find them I set up on them.

I agree Joe with all your points, sometimes the ground is the best option when you weigh all the variables

Same here Magic, usually I won't start buck hunting till the last week of October. Last year was the 1st time in many years that I started a little earlier and screwed around some in the pre rut, I'm talking mid October. It worked for me very well, I seen 2 P&Y bucks in 3 sittings last year. I did some rattling and it worked incredibly. I usually rattle every year but this last year I started up a few weeks earlier and it paid off well. What I learned from last year= Rattling seems to be more successful earlier in the rut (pre rut) at least for me it did anyway.

I will hunt where I feel I have the best chance at killing a buck, rather than trying to make things work in my home areas first.