Try to pattern the deer on your property by using game cameras. Good places to hang a game camera are near known deer trails, food & water sources and mineral stations. If you can catch a buck coming to a food source in the daylight, pay attention to the time of day and his travel corridor so you know where to hang your stand or set up your ground blind.
Another thing to keep in mind when choosing a spot for your tree stand is acorns. If it’s a year where there are a lot of acorns it’s a good idea to set up your stands in the woods. Deer love acorns and once they start dropping, deer almost always choose acorns over any other type of food source you may have available on your property.
Scent control is always a major factor but especially in early season since the temperature is still pretty warm. I use scent control body care products and field spray by Deaux Girl. Also the Deaux Girl lotion and mineral foundation do a great job at controlling odors caused by sweat.
Another thing to keep in mind with the warmer temperatures is mosquitos. I always bring a ThermaCELL along with me on my early season hunts and they work wonders to keep the mosquitos away!
If you are looking to shoot a mature buck, make sure you are sitting in your stand as long as possible. Especially in the early season, the older deer usually hit the food sources later than the younger deer and usually come out at last light.
Bucks are still in their bachelor groups at beginning of season. You may have a certain group of bucks identified from your game cameras and have a buck picked out that you want to shoot. If you see the bachelor group but don’t see the buck you are after, hold tight. He is usually there with them and may come in later.
Make sure you have an exit plan when it’s time to leave. When you walk to your stand in the afternoon you may walk through a field, but the deer may be feeding there when you want to leave. If that happens I either sit tight until I know the deer are gone from that area or exit in a different direction that I know will not spook the deer.