If you're not hunting right now, you better have a really good excuse. The pre-rut is rolling and whitetails are on a serious hunt for the first hot does. I'm sure a few of you have already seen chasing, and possibly even a flurry of breeding. It's happening now, and there's no better time to hunt whitetails or muleys.

I'm going to be knee deep in whitetail hunting, both archery and firearm the next couple weeks, and I'll be employing these tactics as situations arise:

1. Use scents. I always use scents to distract, but this is the time of year when a good drag system can bring a buck right under your treestand. Check out the kits from Hunter's Specialties if you have questions.

2. Hunt all day long. Even in warm temperatures you can find a big buck. Last year I tagged my largest this same period in 70-degree heat as he chased does. Take a sandwich and tough it out.

3. Hunt inside the edges. Bucks may not show themselves on field edges during the day, but they will roam behind the scenes. Set up stands inside cover and along corners where bucks may show up sniffing, without showing themselves on a field.

4. Be optimistic. Even if you only have access to 80 acres of woods, this is the time of season when those 80 acres can produce a whopper. Bucks are cruising, and it's time to take advantage of their increased movements.

Good luck!

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