How close you set up to a bedding area should be determined by when you'll be hunting. If you plan to hunt mornings only, stay close to the bedding area. That way you can catch deer when they are coming back from the feeding areas. If you set up too close to the feeding areas in the morning, you will only see deer when it's too dark to shoot.

If you plan to hunt only in the late afternoon, stay a little closer to the feeding areas. Don't hunt right on the edge of the field, though, because then you'll probably only see deer after shooting hours are over. Set up somewhere between the bedding and feeding areas, and you can catch the deer when they are coming out for their evening meal.

If, like many hunters, you prefer to hunt on the edge of a farm field rather than in the woods, select a spot for your stand that is near a main deer route to or from the field. Your first scouting trip around the edge of a grain or alfalfa field may reveal enough deer tracks to give you the shakes. But don't let this confuse you: Careful scouting will reveal a main route for entering and leaving the field.

It also is best to choose a stand that offers good cover going to and from your stand, so farmland deer won't be as likely to notice your entry and exit.

Still-hunting can be effective as well, if conditions are right, but deer are spooky late in the season and difficult to sneak up on. Hunt to the last legal minute of the day, and be in position in the morning before first light. Try to find bottlenecks or other physical features that help funnel a buck your way. Things are tough during the late season, so use every advantage you can.

When you do find an area to hunt, it's a mistake to think that taking farmland deer is easy. In fact, whitetails haunting agricultural areas are sometimes much harder to collect than their cousins in wilder territory. Nevertheless, hunters who invest heavily in pre-season scouting to learn the day-to-day habits of their quarry can enjoy a bountiful harvest on these often overlooked deer lands.

Woodland hunting will probably always be the mainstay for most whitetail fans, but if you are seeking a new tack to spice up your outings this year, give farmland deer hunting a try. Prime farm country offers some of Arkansas' best hunting for big, healthy deer.

(Editor's Note: For a limited time, autographed copies of Keith Sutton's book Hunting Arkansas: The Sportsman's Guide to Natural State Game -- regularly $24.95 -- can be purchased by readers of Arkansas Sportsman for $12.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Send a check or money order to C&C Outdoors, 15601 Mountain Dr., Alexander, AR 72002.)