Whitetails are masters of their domain, especially as they mature. Even subtle changes in their home habitat will turn settled bucks into evasive, nocturnal spooks.

And if you carelessly intrude on their most secure spots—their bedding areas—the oldest, most pressure-sensitive bucks will simply leave the area.

So how do you set up your next ambush spot without triggering these flight tendencies in the very deer you want to hunt?

Use stealthy tactics to hang your stands or erect your ground blinds long before the hunting seasons actually open.

Of late we have been seeing single does crossing roads, standing in fields and feeding at strange times of day. We’ve also been seeing yearlings wandering around looking lost and sadly, a number of them dead on the side of the highway. This would all seem very strange if it weren’t for the fact that this scene plays out every year this time of year. Mature does have taken control of the woods and are hard at work raising their fawns.

It took me a couple of years of doing it the hard way, but once I started treating my food plots with chemical herbicides I couldn’t live without them. They keep your plots growing strong and can double (or even triple) the life of a perennial food plot like clover or a clover chicory mix. They are best applied when things green up and are growing strong which in most parts of deer country is now.

Each year, we round up photos of the country's biggest bucks and most thrilling hunting stories for the Outdoor Life Deer of the Year contest. We started off with 24 finalists, and we're now down to the final two. The overall winner will be awarded a Cabela's gift card and a Weaver range finder in addition to eternal bragging rights. Select your favorite buck and then hit the submit button at the bottom to enter your vote.