The archery-only season for whitetail deer opens Saturday throughout the state.

Some local hunters will take off to the Hill Country or South Texas but the bulk of local archers hunt right here in Southeast Texas or at least in the greater Pinewoods region.

While discussing local bowhunting opportunities with my friend Josh Slone, I realized there are some keys that can make a big difference for local bowhunters in the super thick woods of Southeast Texas.
These are five things I believe can make a big difference.

• Locate the “Hot” Acorns: The woods are loaded with acorns right now due to all of the rain we have had this year. Take the time to scout and find acorns but not just any. Find the acorns the deer are feeding on right now. On your lease it might be pin oaks and another it is white oaks. Do not just assume because a tree near your stand has acorns it will draw deer. There are acorns everywhere. Find the ones with current deer sign and set up there.

• Rutting activity in our region peaks toward the end of October but can start as early as now. The key to the rut is does because it is the doe going into estrus that gets the bucks excited. If you have a spot you have only seen does, monitor it closely. Bucks will not be far behind soon. And also consider using “doe in heat” and other attracts to give yourself a chance to lure that buck in for a close shot.

Here’s a tip from years of experience gathering local outdoors information. If you can, hunt right up until the general season opener. The “youth-only” weekend falls right at the peak of our local rut as there are many big, swollen-necked buck taken during this brief window. Remember you have a few days to hunt after that and if you can do. The bucks should be chasing does big time.

• Hunt Around Human Schedules: Many shift workers at local refineries cannot hunt on a normal schedule. Normal in this case means getting in the woods at 6 a.m.No worries. Research suggests the biggest bucks are taken during the 10-2 timeframe.

Why? That is when hunters leave the woods to get lunch or take a nap. If you can hunt only in the middle of the day before you have to pick the kids up from school you might actually have an advantage over others hunters.

• Hunt the “Edge”: Very few local hunters have stands located near main roadways and highways. That could be a mistake in bow season. Right now deer are still freely moving from place to place without that feeling of pressure that comes with hunting season. There is not enough pressure in the archery-only season to make deer get too wary and there are lots of fresh green things to eat along our roadways. Never set up right by the roads but find travels perhaps 100-150 yards off of them to set up and intercept deer as they travel back and forth. Deer movement outside of the rut gets restricted as soon as guns start firing especially on big East Texas hunting clubs with lots of hunters.

• Hunting Prevailing Winds: The ultimate defense weapon of a whitetail is its nose which is hundreds of times more sensitive than ours. Always hunt the with the wind in mind. In other words, set up your stand so that your scent blows away from the spot you believe the deer will come from. They of course can come fro any direction but scouting can give you an idea of where they are traveling to and from. Our local prevailing wind is Southeast so that is a good guess for a permanent stand.

Cold fronts bring a north or sometimes northwesterly wind and on any give day it can switch directions. Consider having a bolt on or other portable stand to set up so the deer’s nose doesn’t bust you before you can get a shot.

Be aware of your surroundings out there and always remember to wear a safety belt while you are in a tree stand. Most bowhunting injures come from falls.
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(To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him at chester@kingdomzoo.com. You can hear him on “Moore Outdoors” Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI or online at www.klvi.com.)