How To Hunt Deer In November

November is here and everyone is on the lookout for that big buck. However, it’s easy to overlook the main factor controlling buck movements in November – does.

When the rut starts up, bucks will be criss-crossing their home ranges to dial in on does. If you find and pattern does, you’ll find the bucks. With that in mind, here are some strategies to get close to those hot does and increase your chances of having that shooter in range.

Bedding Areas

Just like bucks, does have home ranges. In those home ranges is where does will spend the majority of their time. In the fall, does are packing on fat for winter. Their core areas usually center around a combination of quality fall food sources and quality bedding cover. The likely targets for feeding are acorns, standing corn, and food plots. Once you determine their food source, then determine the nearest quality bedding cover. You’re now in the right general area. The travel routes to and from food and bedding are ideal ambush areas to both see does and call in amped up bucks.

Mid-day

During the middle of the day, does often get up out of their bedding areas to wander and browse between areas of bedding cover, but they seem to make shorter distance trips.  To find bucks looking for does in the middle of the day, set up between two known bedding areas.  Waterholes in good cover can also be great ambush points for a mid-day hunt, as both bucks and does will stop for a drink on warmer days.  Bucks have one thing on their mind.  Therefore, buck movement can occur throughout the day making it important to not forget those mid-day hunts.

Evenings

As the sun begins to set, does will fill fields and food plots, trying to pack on the pounds before the cold of winter.  Bucks won’t be far behind.  Set up a stand along major deer trails leading to these prime food sources.  Older bucks are often hesitant to step out into the open during daylight.  Setting up a stand 20 yards or more off the field edge, inside the timber may be the perfect ambush.

Escape to Thick Cover

We usually think of “escape cover” as something deer use to escape predators, but in this case does use it to escape bucks. This kind of escape cover includes dense stands of native grass, grown-up clearcuts, or any extremely dense vegetation where does can get out of sight quickly. Look for this kind of cover near the doe “core areas” you previously identified, and set up your stand site along travel routes and trails close by. Does trying to elude these aggressive bucks will often draw their pursuers right past you.

Thick cover also means deer can be close by without you knowing, so blind calling periodically with tending grunts may draw a buck out into the open as he looks for his competition and the hot doe he is trailing.

INTIMIDATOR GRUNT / SNORT WHEEZE Deer Call by Woodhaven

The Woodhaven “Intimidator” custom deer call is designed to be easy to use and requires very little air to op­erate. With the “Intimidator” you can produce a wide range of grunts, varying from whisper soft to extremely loud. The “Intimidator” grunt call also comes with our Inflexor Tube which allows for easier and more dynamic sound control.  With the integrated snort wheeze you can create the range of buck vocalizations to call them close.

The overall tone quality of the “Intimidator” is unsurpassed!  Careful hands on construction, assembly, and tuning ensures each call to have an extremely realistic sound.  The “Intimidator”……Realism UnLeashed!