TIME TO TURN THOSE NOVEMBER DREAMS INTO A REALITY
November. The one word that makes every avid bowhunters hair on the back of their neck stand up, followed by loss of sleep and high anxiety waiting patiently for that time of year to come to chase legendary whitetails across the fields, swamps, and timber that cover the Midwest. Luckily, the waiting game is over and the clock has struck November, and now it’s time to go to work, and by work I don't mean your actual 8-5 job, I mean take vacation from that work and go to work in the field. This isn’t the time of year to hunt from 7 am to 10 am, and then back out at 4pm until dark either; if you really want to harvest a mature deer you’re going to have to get comfortable and sit as long as you possibly can. All day sits are never a bad idea the first two weeks of November, and looking at the pressure systems and forecast the next two weeks, the best hours to be in stand could be from 10 am to 2 pm. Read any article, forum, or blog written by the best hunters in the industry, and you will be hard-pressed to come across any of them saying that hunting midday during the rut is a bad idea. I ran into a guy in while hunting in Ohio last year that has harvested public land giants on a yearly basis for the past decade, and he doesn't even get to his stand until 9:30am in the morning. Now I’m not saying take that advice and run with it, because I saw a stud buck this morning at 8:30 am dogging a doe all over a big CRP field, but there is something to be said about hunting midday. If you have the opportunity to do so, it is not a bad idea over these next couple weeks.
He disappeared for two months. Then the calendar turned to November, and he showed himself. Twice. 4.5 year old Michigan Magnum I’ll be dreaming about and chasing the next two weeks.
It’s not as simple as just being in the woods though; have a strategic approach and game plan in place and stick to it. Know where your primary bedding areas, funnels, and food sources are because essentially you want to be hunting the does on your property. The bucks will be where the does are, and the does will be where the food and shelter are. Don't get discouraged either if you are on the does and aren't seeing bucks right away; if there are does in the area the bucks will eventually show up as long as you continue to play the wind correctly and don't bust the does out of the area. Find well-covered funnels and bedding areas and get in tight to them because those are where your big boys will be traveling; even though they might be stupid enough to show themselves in daylight over the next couple weeks, they are old for a reason and not THAT stupid and won’t be running around like a chicken with their head cut off chasing tail.
THINK BEFORE YOU CALL
Don’t get too crazy with your calling. Grunting and bleating every 10 minutes will alarm a mature deer more than attract his attention. Keep blind calling to a minimum because the majority of the time a mature buck will circle downwind of a call to get a whiff before he approaches, and unless you’re running an ozonics, you might be doing more harm than good blind calling. Don’t completely abandon blind calling, especially if you’ve been sitting for 6+ hours and nothing seems to be happening, just make sure to do it very sparingly and keep your attention shifted toward the downwind side of your stand. If you do see a buck, and want to turn his attention your way with a call, try bleating before grunting, especially in the early part of November. The number of does in heat this early is minimal, and the majority of bucks testosterone is way up, so take advantage of that and try bleating before grunting when you are trying to get his attention; he will more than likely be more attracted to the potential of a doe in heat than a rutted up buck. A grunting buck will become more enticing to another buck as we move further into November as the number of does in heat increases, and the sound of a bleat won’t be as enticing as it was when the number of does in heat was minimal in the early part of November.
RUT FORECAST
I’ll start by saying there is some rain in the forecast, but the moon is dwindling and the next full moon in the forecast isn’t until November 23rd, so daylight activity should be increasing over the next couple weeks. With the new moon approaching, temperatures staying in the 30’s and 40s, and a consistently high pressure above 30 over the next 10 days or so, I’m predicting one of the better ruts we’ve had in quite some time. I’m going to be in the stand rain or shine, because with everything else working in our favor, I don't think the an occasional rainfall is going to keep the bucks off their feet.
The first great window we have is November 2nd, 3rd and into the morning of the 4th. That's a Friday, Saturday, Sunday so even if you work during the week you’ll be able to get in the stand during this awesome window of opportunity. Highs are in the mid 40s, lows in the mid 30s and the pressure will be on a continuous rise from Friday at noon until Sunday at noon with a gradual decline Sunday evening. The majority of the weekend though the pressure will be above 30, and actually get as high as 30.3 on Saturday evening, so BE IN THE STAND if possible. The second great window of opportunity will be Thursday, November 8th through Sunday November 11th. Would you look at that, both windows fall on the weekends; another reason why I think a lot of bucks are going to be taking dirt naps over the next two weeks. The pressure will be between 30.08 and 30.3 for that whole window, with no rain, virtually no moon, and temperatures in the 30s. BE IN THE STAND.
With that being said, time for bed; need to be up early to get back in the woods to chase legendary whitetails in the morning. Good luck during this magical time of year, and don’t hesitate to click the link below and visit our social media pages to ask questions and send us success stories and images! We live for that!
HAPPY HUNTING!
~Steven Crawford