Whitetail deer behavior changes more in November than any other month. Bucks that have been absent from fields and deer woods suddenly seem to appear. Trees become rubbed, the ground pawed as bucks make scrapes and search for receptive does, and stands near predictable deer travel may suddenly go dry. What’s changing and why? Bernie Barringer does a great job of capsulizing the four phases of the rut in this post for OutdoorHub. Here’s his plan for November:
Patterning bucks can be like pushing a rope—it really doesn’t work very well. The advent of digital game cameras has significantly improved our odds of being in the right place at the right time. Many people buy a couple of trail cameras and put them out in a good-looking spot, then leave them there for the entire season. Big mistake. The patterns and movements of the deer change and you should, too. If you haven’t seen much on your trail camera lately, you may think the bucks have left your property or gone underground. In fact, they may have just changed their patterns. Let’s take a look at where our game cameras should be placed through the month of November for maximum benefit and exposure to the bucks during the rut over most of North America.
Scrapes are the place to have your trail cameras during the pre-rut. Bucks will check them often and allow you to inventory what you have where you hunt. Scrapes are the place to have your trail cameras during the pre-rut. Bucks will check them often and allow you to inventory what you have where you hunt.
