Author Travis Faulkner arrowed this dream buck, a 160-class 10-pointer, during his early-season hunt in Missouri. Hunting bucks like this while they are still in bachelor groups before they change their late-summer feeding habits is challenging, exciting and very effective.

It was the last evening of my early-season bowhunt in Missouri, and uncertainty about my decision to pass on several 130-class bucks earlier in the week began to creep through my mind. Then just before dark, a high-racked giant topped the edge of a hardwood ridge that ran parallel to a power line. The buck cautiously worked his way toward my stand, which was completely concealed by the leafy branches of a wide-bodied oak at the top of the hill.

A quick surge of adrenaline shot through my entire body as I came to full draw and waited for the buck to enter a cleared shooting lane. A few more steps created a perfect broadside shot at 30 yards. The gentle squeeze of the release generated a loud smack as the arrow collided just to the right of the buck's massive shoulder. The buck piled up well within sight of my stand, ending another perfect early-season bowhunt. Without question, the opening weeks of the season can be a great time to pattern and connect with a trophy-class buck.

THE EARLY-SEASON ADVANTAGE
Many hunters miss the boat during the early season by waiting for cooler weather and better conditions to hunt. These guys look forward to climbing in the stand during the fabled rut, when a buck's neck is swollen and his testosterone levels are off the chart. According to legend, this mythical period is the one time when bruisers with cranked-up hormones temporarily lose their minds and throw caution to the wind while chasing does across the countryside.

I'll be the first to admit that the period of the rut can be an intense and exciting time to be in the woods. Unfortunately, sometimes the only thing predictable about a buck during the rut is the fact that he is very unpredictable and probably harder to pattern than at any other time of the year.

On the other hand, during the opening weeks of the season, the white-tailed deer is a completely different animal. Bucks are generally traveling in bachelor groups and are locked in a strict feeding-to-bedding pattern that you can almost bank on. A combination of limited outside hunting pressure and a predictable pattern creates a window of opportunity for hunters looking to take a trophy-class buck. On that note, let's take a look at four key secrets to early-season success that will enable you to consistently tag giants well before other hunters are even considering being in the woods.

1. Scouting --
A High-Impact Approach
One of the worst moves an early-season hunter can make is stomping through the woods just before opening day and contaminating the entire area with scent and noise. This is a great way to make a veteran buck switch to a nocturnal schedule and eliminate any possible shot opportunity during daylight hours. There are two ways you can avoid running into this nocturnal nightmare. One is to simply scout smarter rather than harder by glassing known early-season food sources from a distance. Spending a few evenings scanning these areas is sometimes all it takes to find a buck that is worth hunting.

Glassing a food source from a safe distance weeks before opening day will allow you to determine what bucks are frequenting the area and the exact location of preferred entry points. In many cases, bucks will enter and exit the food source from the same location on a daily basis. This information will come in handy when deciding where to place a tree stand. The second high-impact scouting technique involves studying a topo map or aerial photo. These handy scouting tools will allow you to pinpoint perfect ambush setups like natural funnels, pinch points and possible bedding and feeding areas without ever stepping into the woods.

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