Well its been a tough couple of weeks on my land. I've done some scouting and there are acorns and trails everywhere. I've seen a couple of spikes but I'm having trouble finding a good spot for shooters because of all the trails, acorns, and how thick the woods are. What are some of your early season strategies and where have u seen the bucks this year?

Hunt the hot spots...find the acorns that they're hitting the most (lots of sign around them), hang a climber or whatever you like, pound that spot til you're successful or have spooked everything outta there, and then find another hot tree. They're not hitting the fields, persimmons, or anything other than the acorns @ our place.

I'm seeing alot of deer on our fields in the evening....the plots are about 8" high and are really getting hit.

Keep the wind in your face and push in deep.

That's what I figured. I saw several deer including two huge 8 pointers in this peanut field multiple afternoons right before season started. Now I can't find where they went. Do deer like any type of acorns? The reason I ask is because there are a few water oaks near the area of the peanut fields but no white oaks or big acorns.

Our plots are tall and lush with some tracks in them, but the deer aren't eating them yet.

Bow hunting is primarily doe hunting for me, a "shooter" is any big fat doe that gives me a broadside shot.

Acorns are everywhere, so I look (first) for White Oak groves, and (second) for lots of deer poop near a White Oak grove.

Find a stand of white oaks, with several piles of scat nearby, and you won't have to wait long for a parade of deer.

I've noticed that too. Lots of tracks crossing the fields, but no indication that they are staying very long.

Persimmons are thick as gravel on the ground and not much indication that they are interested in them.

In years past, with mediocre acorn crops, the persimmons would be eaten fast as they hit the ground.

Yea, bowhunting for me is primarily doe hunting also. I was just interested in where the guys who have had some luck with bucks have been seeing them.

Bucks are on acorns. They are putting on fat and eating carbs. No better way to do that than on acorns.

The deer on my place are really grazing my 2 winter wheat food plots at night. I've also seen does browsing them in the morning (at 7:30-8:00) and late afternoon. But acorns are close nearby and they are hitting both really hard. Brier patches and honeysuckle vines are other good hunting sites...especially near a known bedding area. Hit'em on the trails leading to and from their feeding/bedding areas.

Me too ive been lucky this yr.Gone back to my roots hunting public land and man ive had a great start.Killed #2 another big mature doe yesterday evening oct 25 on the backside of nowhere..Took the 23 ft flat bottom to some tva land in Limestone county and hunted an old deer hole from times past they still there.Took me and a buddy 2 hrs to get her back to the boat.I am so glad he let his does walk we might still be in there.Ive hunted 1 full day and 1 half day so far and killed 2 big mature does.Rather be lucky than good.