As deer hunters unite this coming weekend for the opening of rifle season, the tales of past hunts - both successful and disappointing - will radiate through the crisp autumn air, as thick as the wood smoke spiraling skyward above the stone-rimmed fire pit.

Among these stories will undoubtedly be some helpful information that observant newcomers and grizzled veterans alike could glean from beneath the starry stage of deer camp. Unfortunately, there is also bound to be some misinformation passed around, and some of these fallacies will ultimately be absorbed right alongside the truths.

Myths about deer hunting have probably been around since the first man attempted to toss a spear toward the fleeting white flanks of a spooked whitetail. So many odd whitetail myths exist today that it would take a lifetime of traveling the continent in order to hear all the perplexing - and sometimes comical - renderings involving deer and deer hunting.

The following are just a handful of frequently discussed deer myths that need to be debunked:

Deer do not look up

If only this erroneous myth were true - how much easier would it be to tag Old Tanglehead. This statement is one of the most blatantly false myths that circulates, yet somehow many newcomers fall victim to the belief before quickly being set straight once they hit the woods.

I don’t know if one of the first tree stand manufacturers used the errant assumption as their advertising hook three decades ago or what, but anyone who has spent even a minimal amount of time in the woods will quickly notice that deer do indeed look up, down and all around. A lot.

A spike buck will always remain a spike

The old spike saying has probably been the most detrimental myth ever associated with deer hunting, and somehow it still pops up in conversation year after year despite numerous studies proving the notion completely bogus.

Spike bucks are simply young bucks, generally 18-month-olds that need a couple more years so their bodies can devote more nutrients to antler growth instead of body growth. This is their earliest set of antlers, and although some yearlings are six- or eight-pointers, just because a young buck has spikes or forked horns his first year doesn’t mean that by age 3 he will not have caught up or surpassed the other bucks in his area.

I liken the scenario to a freshman who enters high school a bit undersized but ultimately finishes his senior year larger and stronger than most of his classmates.

Big, mature bucks do the bulk of the breeding

In a perfectly managed herd of whitetails, this myth may prove to be at least partly true. But here in the real world, this fabrication simply doesn’t hold up.

I believe that many of us assume that the biggest buck in our woodlot is much like the massive herd bull in a pasture full of cows. Whitetail bucks, unlike fenced-in bovine, must work hard in order to pass on their genes to the next generation. There are many more female than male deer out there, and even a big boss buck rarely has time to court and breed more than three or four doe in one season.

So who takes up the slack? Younger, less dominant bucks do. Some hunters mistakenly believe that something is wrong or out of sync when they see an immature buck chasing or breeding a doe this time of the year. The fact of the matter is, if only mature bucks were responsible for fathering the next generation, there wouldn’t be many fawns around come spring.

The idea to keep in mind is that a young buck has the same genetics whether he is 1 year old or 4 years old, and just because his antlers aren’t huge at present doesn’t mean he is passing on inferior genes to his offspring. Additionally, we cannot forget that the doe is also responsible for half of the genetic makeup.

Fact and fiction are sometimes difficult to discern at deer camp, and the best way to learn more about whitetails is to spend a lot of time observing them. Therefore, take to the hills, be safe and have a great deer season.

— Geordon T. Howell is outdoors columnist for the Daily News. He may be reached by e-mailing highbrasshowell@yahoo.com.