It is possible that a mature whitetail can recall areas where it previously encountered humans or their scent. Afterward, it will purposely avoid those areas during daylight. However, I believe mature bucks simply find comfort in thick cover and undisturbed areas where human scent is encountered rarely, if ever. Also, thick bedding areas are where bucks can easily hear an intruder approaching. Any area with good vantage points further intensifies their desire to bed and lay low.

Contrary to what some might think, even mature whitetails displaying the most extreme nocturnal behavior don't simply find a nice place to lie and sleep the day away. At the very least, a deer must take periodic breaks throughout the day to answer nature's call.

One study conducted during the winter months, whitetails deer will take as many as 22 such breaks a day! This means that during daylight hours, you can expect a buck to get up and move around approximately 10 times. Whitetails typically stand at these times and generally travel at least a few feet from their previous bed before lying down again.

In addition, though mature bucks' major feeding activity often occurs under the cover of darkness, they'll take advantage of these two-minute daytime bathroom breaks to stretch their legs, browse on available vegetation or mast and -- depending on the time of year -- rub their antlers on a small tree or two before bedding down once more.

Over the course of a day, and after 10 or so repeated episodes, a buck may move 100 yards or more, depending on the size of the security cover available.

Late in the season, Central Florida bucks may not move much during daylight hours, but they do move. So remaining vigilant and hunting hard is the ticket.

LESSONS FROM A VETERAN
None of this information should come as a surprise to veteran hunters of Central Florida's WMAs.

Dr. Ray McIntyre -- a retired dentist, former President of Warren & Sweat Tree Stands and author of the book 110% Success Bowhunting Whitetails, knows all too well the challenges of harvesting bucks during the late Central Florida firearms season.

Dr. Mac, as his friends call him, has hunted this region's WMAs most of his adult life. Most hunters, he admits, have a good idea where deer go as a result of hunting pressure.

"Deer go where few hunters are willing to venture late in the season," he said. "Everybody knows where the thick, nasty and tough-to-reach areas are. They just aren't willing to penetrate those areas and hunt."

Dr. Mac and a former colleague of his logged several successful hunts while still-hunting the Hell's Bay area of the Ocala National Forest. They hacked their way deep into swamps and found small slivers of high ground where deer found refuge from hunting pressure.

With their traditional sources of soft and hard mast used up, the deer switched to browsing on emergent aquatic vegetation.

"We used this same pattern to zero in on bucks along the shores of the Lake George WMA," the doctor added, "That area of the lake provided lots of thick cover and an abundance of succulent aquatic vegetation for the deer to browse on.

"Late in the season, I look for ground that is so thick you can barely pucker up to spit," he continued.

"That's where the bucks will be. Some of my stands were set in areas that provided less than 10-yard shots, and the canopy was so low I had to set my tree stand less than 8 feet off the ground.

"This setup sounds less than ideal, but I harvested lots of bucks over the years in these locations."

Dr. Mac also indicated that in areas where large stands of pine trees are prominent, gallberry thickets concentrate whitetail-feeding activity.

Gallberry bushes often grow as a sub-canopy plants within pine stands and produce berries that whitetails relish in the late season, when other food sources are not available. Gallberry thickets produce food and cover -- a winning combination for late-season pressured bucks.