"Remember, though, that during the rut, all bets are off regarding deer movement. There will be a mid-day activity period just like always, but deer, especially bucks, can move at all times. That's why during the rut, I like to stay, and recommend to others that they do the same, on stand all day or as long as I can."

I agree with Steffen and if I am able to hunt all day will generally not move from a morning stand until 1 p.m. The exception to this axiom will be discussed shortly. A quick glance at my records shows that I have taken deer at such "unorthodox" times as 12:09, 10:53, 10:40, 12:55, 11:15 and 10:45. Do I believe in the noontime stroll? The answer is obvious.

MID-DAY FEEDING AREAS
Mid-day feeding areas can be both the same as and different from early-morning locales. For example, let's say that the hard-mast crop, specifically oaks, has been particularly heavy this particular season. The whitetails will not have to move far to find food, and consequently, many hunters will report seeing fewer deer because of this restricted movement.

In this situation, mid-day feeding areas will likely be the same as morning ones. This is especially true if a thicket (or other type of bedding area) borders or is close by the food source. For this scenario, hunters in the know should take a stand between the adjacent feeding and bedding area or within one or the other. Natural funnels between feeding and bedding areas are obvious stand sites. What's more, they should remain put until after the noon stroll occurs.

But when the hard-mast source is very limited, deer may undertake longer travels at mid-day. They may visit a soft-mast source, such as persimmons, grapes, apples or a host of others peculiar to your home area. The individual who has scouted for and ascertained these alternative foods will likely see his efforts pay off now.

One of the times I will depart a morning stand is when I know that deer are feeding on these backup menu items. In this situation, I will leave a morning stand in time to be on the mid-day one by 10 a.m.

Finally, Fields offers these general tips on feeding areas.

"To properly hunt the noon stroll, bear in mind that the deer are not going to walk a mile," he told me. "Know where they are likely to be bedded down, and set up along trails just outside that area. Does and yearlings are much more likely to stroll than mature bucks, the rut excepting, of course."

During the rut, said Fields, the bucks will either be on the move on their own or following does during their mid-day walkabouts. The rut is an excellent time to take a bruiser at high noon, he concludes.

MID-DAY BEDDING AREAS
Obviously, mid-day bedding areas can be very similar to early-morning ones: deadfalls, impenetrable thickets, overgrown clearcuts and numerous other forms of tangles and lush growth. Again, though, these areas must be close to the aforementioned mid-day food sources.

Also, keep in mind that deer will often bed in strange places at mid-day during the rut. For example, this past season while driving down a road, I observed two twin 10-pointers moving about not long before noon. These two monster bucks were ambling through a cow pasture and ended up bedding at the edge of the opening and in full view. Although I gawked at their audacity to be walking through and bedding in such an open area, I was not surprised by the behavior.