With the opening of the regular hunting season for deer just a couple weeks away (the season opens Nov.15), the days prior to that are probably more critical to hunters' odds of success than are those of opening day and week. Why? Because the average firearms deer hunter has probably not shot his firearm or scouted where he plans to hunt since last fall.

Certainly luck always plays a part in successful deer hunting – being in the right place at the right time – but the hunter's odds increase proportionately with the amount of time they've spent scouting the area they plan to hunt. Just plunking down on the same log you saw deer from last fall is no guarantee you'll see them this season. Things like logging, food source changes and hunter movement patterns all play a role in where deer are and how they react.