Rainy days are good times to use a stand close to a buck's bedding area. Behavior Successful deer hunters are never finished learning about deer behavior. They demand to know why any deer is where it is at any particular time and use their accumulated knowledge to predict where the deer will go next. Keep aware of moon phases, and be in your stand whenever the moon is visible during daylight hours. Deer are more active in the daytime when the moon is visible.
Bucks settle dominance disputes before the breeding season begins.
Rattling antlers and grunt calls are very effective during this pre-rut period. Ground scrapes are made by bucks of all sizes. The size of the track in the scrape, not the size of the scrape itself, indicates the size of the buck that made it. Bucks approach scrapes from downwind. Travel corridors, where several heavily used doe trails join or parallel one another, are patrolled by bucks during the peak of the rut.