▶ My hunting buddies and I must eat waffles opening morning. If we don't, we have a bad year. Guaranteed. No calls, no elaborate scents, no scent blockers, no decoys, no treestands—just waffles. —Travis Arthur

▶ At deer camp, the evening before the opener, we gather around, drink a beer, and hang the hoist and gambrel from a tree. We failed to do this one year and went without any meat that season. Never again. —Justin Hartnett

▶ I carve a jack-o'-lantern every Halloween, then place it near my stand and sit over it all day. I've shot multiple bucks that have come to scent-check a doe nibbling on the pumpkin. —Isaac Hackett