It's really easy to find a deer trail. Just take a walk in the woods and odds are good that you will end up walking on one. There are natural "lines of drift," places that are simply easier to walk than others - both for deer and for people. However, those broad and easy to find deer trails are most often the avenues used by does and fawns. Bucks make their own trails in heavier cover. To find these lanes look where the brush is thick and/or the terrain is tough. Buck trails can be very subtle, just a trace here and there. Look for old rub lines. These are usually adjacent to buck travel areas. Buck trails frequently parallel and intersect with doe trails and during the peak of rut you might see a buck on a main deer trail chasing a doe. However, most of the time bucks want to walk their own "roads" and keep out of sight, even when traveling.

If you own hunting dogs, early fall should be the "shape-up" season for both you and the pooch. It is unrealistic to expect you or your hard-working canine athlete to leap into hunting season in top form and deliver peak performance after loafing through the "dog days" all summer long. Run a bit of the weight off both of you. Refresh obedience training and handling commands. Because it is still pretty warm in the early fall, schedule these exercise periods early in the morning to avoid overheating either one of you. Because you'll be taking your dog to new places and possibly hunting with other dogs after opening day, you need to take Fido to the vet for a health check and refresh necessary vaccinations before hunting season. Low-fat diets help pare away ounces during the training. However, later in the season, when the real work and sometimes real cold begins, consider a higher protein diet for hard-working hunting dogs.

For best accuracy, a rifle's bore needs to be clean of excessive powder and copper fouling. When you prepare your rifle for off-season storage, clean it thoroughly. You might use special copper-removal agents and follow that treatment with a rust preventative. When your rifle comes out of storage in preparation for the season, clean the oil residue out of the bore before sighting in. Next, fire a couple of fouling shots, because the first shots from a really clean bore seldom fly true. After you finish zeroing, clean the bore again. Then shoot one more group to verify the zero, but remember the fouling shots. Unless you hunt in a very damp climate, you might not need to clean again until season's end. However, should the rifle get wet, you must clean it to prevent rust. Then you should foul the bore again to be sure of your first shot at a buck.

The most important factor for a successful sighting-in session is a steady rest. No one can shoot well enough to really zero a rifle without a rest. A rolled up sleeping bag or a sofa cushion is better than nothing, but a solid table or benchrest is best. Always make sure your bedding screws and scope mounts or sights are tight before starting a sighting-in session. Always sight in with the same brand of ammo and bullet weight you plan to hunt with. Most rifles will not shoot a variety of ammunition into a true group. Always base sight adjustments on the center of a group of three or more shots. Adjusting after a single shot can lead your group badly astray. Always shoot a verifying group. Don't assume that the final adjustment gives you a "good" zero. Always wear hearing and eye protection when you shoot. All centerfire rifles powerful enough for deer hunting produce enough muzzle blast to damage your hearing.

Many hunters have a special hunting vehicle. It usually is an old, high-mileage, beat-up, four-wheel drive that looks like a piece of junk to the rest of the world. However, to the proud owner of such a valuable hunting vehicle, it is a treasure. You have no fear of the roughest back roads and brush-choked logging trails. You will take it places you would never dream of driving the family's new sport/utility. But it must be reliable to get you there and back. A vehicle that is seldom used except for a short period of hard driving each year needs a special maintenance program. Start every hunting season with fresh oil, fresh gas in a "cleaned" tank (use a gas-cleaning additive), a tune-up and a general check-out by a competent mechanic. Check hoses, belts, brakes and electrical system. Nothing is more frustrating than to have a really hot hotspot and a vehicle that won't crank to get you there before daylight.