As with so many other of life’s endeavors, there is always something new to learn about deer hunting. Every time I open a book about deer hunting, I learn. Every time I hunt these wonderful, wary animals, I learn.

So as you make your preparations for opening day on Oct. 28, here for your consideration are some pointers gleaned from my time in the swamps and in the deer hunting books:

• Scent – This is critical. If your clothes smell of tobacco, wood smoke or bacon in the pan, you are depending on sheer luck to see a deer in shooting range before it smells you. Keep your hunting togs in a plastic bag with cedar bows, or hang them outside the camp.

• Wind – Know the wind direction and always hunt into it. If the wind is swirling, get up in a tree stand or hunker down at camp and cook a stew.

• Feed – Become familiar with deer foraging habits and food preferences. Hunt where the food is. (No brainer, right?) More on this later.

• Sex – The male deer lose their good sense when hormones take over. Your best chance to outwit a big buck anywhere in Maine is either Nov. 6 or Nov. 15, depending on whose rut theory you buy. Our former state deer biologist Gerry Lavigne swears that year after year Nov. 15th is the Old Bruiser’s busiest romance day. Not the case, says New York deer behaviorist Charlie Alsheimer. In keeping with his lunar rut theory, Charlie says that the rut peaks early this season: Nov. 6. Your call.

• Snow – The deer hunter’s best friend. A fresh track in the snow at daybreak, a patient, doggedly persistent hunter and favorable terrain adds up to a winning combination. Adjust your tracking method to the animal you are pursuing. A mature buck will usually leave drag marks, will have a wider stance and leave deeper impressions in the snow.

• Hunter – Know what type of hunter you are and adjust accordingly. Patience is the ultimate virtue in the whitetail quest. Hunters who can sit in tree stands for hours at a stretch, or methodically still-hunt (5 steps forward, 3 minutes standing) will always see more deer and get the best shots.

• Vision – Seeing a deer before it sees you can make all the difference. No easy task. My Air Force pilot son, blessed with 20-15 vision, sees far more deer in the woods than I and can bring home the venison with half the effort. If you haven’t had your glasses updated, do it before Opening Day.

• Deer Gun – The debate over which firearm is the perfect deer rifle rages on. I’ve decided that it’s not the gun: it’s the shooter. We love our guns. But we’d be better off as hunters to spend more time at the shooting range than the gun shops.

Back to the subject of feeding. Because deer must feed every few hours, a good understanding of their feeding habits can provide tips on travel habits to and from feeding grounds, and thus improve your hunting success. Deer, according to Lavigne, are finicky eaters. They prefer a varied diet. In fact, in a given year a deer will feed on several hundred species of plants.

This is key – deer will seek out the most nutritious foods available. For example, being selective, a deer that has a choice will feed on an acorn from a white oak rather than a red oak (more energy in the former).

If it is a trophy buck you are after, here are some tips from Maine’s trophy-deer hunter Dick Bernier:

• Peak deer movement: 5:30-to-9:30 a.m., and 2:30-to-6 p.m.

• Any track more than three hours old is not worth taking.

• The rut, contrary to what you may have read or heard, peaks 7 days after the second full moon.

• In tracking deer in snow, most hunters blow it during the last critical 100 yards.

• Deer that dress 200 pounds or less are called “borderline deer.” A “mature buck” is one that weighs more than 200 pounds.

• Contrary to conventional wisdom, really big trophy bucks rarely make scrapes. Like the lion who sleeps wherever he wants to, the Big Boys don’t need to leave their calling card in the woods.

• If you come upon a cluster of buck rubs that appear to have been made by the same deer, get ready. “You are in the deer’s bedroom!”

Of course, in hunting all of the know-how in the world sometimes can’t compensate for a run of bad luck. But even a little bad luck can enhance the hunting experience. For me, the best hunts – the real, soul-satisfying hunts – were those that required the most effort.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal.He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].