Breaking out a small basket-racked-buck decoy during the cruise transition can very well strike a nerve in a jealous, hormonally deranged buck on the move. Photo courtesy of Travis Faulkner.

Bucks will start breaking out of their bachelor groups and will feed heavily upon acorns that are high in protein to put on extra weight for the rut. This is also when rubbing and scraping activity will begin to pick up seemingly overnight. Once again, knowing how to match your strategy with the current transitional period can pay off big and it's another primetime to be in the woods.

Finding acorn flats with fresh scratching and deer droppings can be the key to knowing where to hang a stand. Entry and exit routes to these sensitive areas can definitely dictate stand location. For example, if you can safely enter and exit an area dropping acorns without being busted by deer, then you may want to hang a stand directly over the food source. However, if you're going to potentially bump deer every time you enter or leave your stand, then you should back out and try to intercept a buck traveling to and from the oaks along a worn trail.

In the past, I have experienced more success by playing it safe and trying to connect with a buck going to and from the food source. Hunting directly over the acorns can be dangerous when you find yourself surrounded by several deer, which increases your chance of either being seen or smelled by all of those eyes and noses.

In most cases, the does and small bucks will enter these areas first, and you're stuck gambling with the wind and other factors until a decent buck finally shows up. The safe bet is to hang a stand between a buck's bedding area and the oaks that are dropping. This setup will also increase your chances of connecting with a buck that waits until almost dark to enter the acorn flat. Sometimes a few minutes and few yards can spell the difference between tagging a monster buck and simply hearing crunching leaves in the dark.

HUNTING THE CRUISE TRANSITION
By late October in most areas, and November in parts of the Deep South, bucks are starting to feel a little anxious and are getting fired up about the upcoming rut. This transitional phase is an exciting time to be in the woods, because daytime buck activity is really picking up. Bucks are laying down a lot of fresh rubs and working scrape lines hard. It's not uncommon to see bucks on the move later in the morning and even earlier in the evening, cruising areas for hot does. This is when you will begin noticing new scrapes around doe bedding and feeding areas made by bucks checking out the estrous cycles of does holding in these prime locations.

Pinpointing fresh scrape and rub lines around areas that does frequent throughout the day can be a lethal strategy during the cruise transition. Hanging a stand overlooking a hot scrape line can be all it takes to put you right on top of a lovesick buck. With this strategy it's not a bad idea to mix things up and hit the bucks with some calling and other little tricks. For example, this is an excellent time to break out a small basket-racked buck decoy in an area with high visibility and add some buck urine scent to the setup in a 360-degree circle. Calling sequences consisting of challenge grunts, rattling and possibly snort wheezing can turn a dominant buck's bristles up and bring him in on a dead run.