In just a few weeks many of you will be hitting the field in hopes of tagging an early season buck. Do not wait until the rut to try and bag a trophy buck. Early season archery can actually be your best chance as the woods have little pressure, bucks are roaming in bachelor groups, and they are less afraid to step out in the open to feed. This means during the early season your tactics might be different than hunting the heart of the rut. Here are some things I like to take into consideration when developing an early season game plan.    The most important thing to keep in mind when archery hunting early season is that deer are following their late summer patterns which usually do not change until early to mid October; depending were you are located in the country. With that said, during the months, even weeks leading up to the season I do extensive scouting, by glassing deer and utilizing trail cameras. By utilizing trail cameras I can better pattern deer activity; learning the areas they are traveling and times they are moving. Taking time to pattern a deer and fully understand it may be a time consuming process, but will beneficial to your chances of early season success.    Another key piece to being successful in the early season is finding the primary food source. During the late summer deer will usually feed at the same food source day after day, so finding that source is important and will increase your odds of being successful. A food source can consist of acorns, soybeans, corn, or a food plot you may have planted. I have found that if acorns are abundant that deer, especially bucks, will be more apt to stay in the forest where they have cover.  As for placement of a stand setting up between woodland food sources and crops is a great strategy.   When finding the primary food source it usually means their bedding area is not far away. During their late summer feeding patterns bucks tend to bed close to the primary food source they are using. Intercepting them between the food source and bedding area can be a great location for hanging a stand.    Other things that need to be taken into consideration when finally setting a stand are wind direction and scent control during your sit. Also make sure your bow is shooting correctly and that you are comfortable taking shots at a variety of different ranges. Get out there today, prepare, pattern, and the shot will be left up to you. Good luck this fall and shoot em straight.