Since my first deer hunt with my dad nearly 50 years ago, I recall only one November that I have missed a fall deer hunt in Maine. It was November 1964. Our country was preoccupied with Southeast Asia, and the U.S. Navy had other ideas about where I would spend my November.

My ardor for the hunt hasn’t cooled. Like a sleepless kid on Christmas Eve, I still await eagerly those soon-to-come frosty mornings when I head off into the cedar swamp with rifle, thermos of hot coffee and great expectations.

Truth be known, though, mere devotion to the pursuit of whitetails does not a great hunter make. My hunt record ain’t nothing to shout about. No Boone & Crocketts. Not even a membership in Maine’s Biggest Buck Club. Mostly a meat hunter, I have brought home venison on the average of about every other year. This may explain why my wife – a grandmother – has taken up deer hunting.

But I have learned some things about hunting these wary, wonderful critters. And I read a lot.

So as you make your preparations and take to the November deer woods, here, for your consideration, are some pointers gleaned from my time in the swamps and in the deer hunting books:

1. 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.

2. Wind – Know the wind direction and always hunt into it. If it’s a squirrelly, swirly day windwise, get up in a treestand or hunker down at camp and cook a stew.

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

4. Sex – The male deer, like presidents, lose their good sense when hormones take over. Your best chance to outwit a big buck anywhere in Maine is Nov. 15 year after year. State deer biologist Gerry LaVigne knows his critter, and Gerry has studied the rut in Maine. Nov. 15 is the Old Bruiser’s Big Day. You should plan to get the day off.

5. Snow – The deer hunter’s best friend. A fresh track in the snow at daybreak, a patient, doggedly persistent hunter and favorable terrain add 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.

6. 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 (five steps forward, three minutes standing) will always see more deer and get the best shots.

7. 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.

8. Deer Gun – The debate over what firearm is the perfect deer rifle rages on. An interesting exercise round a camp fire, but 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 thereby 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. Now 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).

Of course, all the know-how in the world 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.

May venison find its way to your freezer this November. And please hunt safely.

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].