Topography and terrain play major roles in deer movement.
November is my favorite month of the year, and I make it my goal to spend as much time chasing rutting white-tailed deer as possible.
Although I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to hunt some top-notch whitetail properties each year, my primary focus is on exploring new tracts of land and trying to figure out the deer that inhabit them.
I prefer a personalized approach, and don’t want things laid out for me. I aim to apply my knowledge of deer and their behavior, combined with the latest available technology, to assess a new property. For me, there is nothing more satisfying than learning a new property and then harvesting a buck.
It’s mid-November, and bucks are starting to lock down with does, making this the perfect time to hunt a new property and punch your tag. So, here’s the complete 411 on how I learn new deer hunting land on the fly.
HuntStand's Monthly Satellite feature provides low-resolution aerial photos of an area, allowing you to observe the present-day look of the location.
The Power of Toggling Between Monthly Satellite and 3D Mapping
One of my favorite HuntStand features is Monthly Satellite. Available to Pro members, Monthly Satellite is precisely what the name implies. Most aerial imagery gets updated yearly, which does very little for the new-property whitetail hunter.
Why?
Properties change every single year. Last June, one of my favorite properties along the Arkansas River flooded. The flood pushed down trees and piled up dirt and debris. As water levels dropped, new growth sprouted, which was beneficial and challenging. The flood transformed the property’s appearance instantly.
Because my HuntStand Pro membership provides me with access to Monthly Satellite, I was able to observe how the flood altered the landscape as the water level receded. This gave me a foot forward when I went in and started hanging stands in late September.
How to Find Deer with Topo Maps
As you move about your new property, hang trail cameras so you have eyes in the field in multiple areas 24/7.
Crop rotation is another aspect that affects whitetail movement. I’ve hunted public parcels in Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota, and had excellent success due to the amount of grain crops planted near the locales I was hunting. Then, there are years when I have shown up at an area that had been on fire the previous season and found a ghost town. With Monthly Satellite, you can stay on top of crop rotation.
Monthly Satellite’s aerial imagery is of lower resolution. The further you zoom in, the blurrier the image gets. However, if you want to stay on top of new clear cuts that pop up due to logging, fires, snow, ice cover, etc. — Monthly Satellite is a must-use feature.
Before heading out to hunt a new property, I use Monthly Satellite to study the area and figure out where deer will be at particular times of the year. After using Monthly Satellite, I switch my map back to 3D Mapping so I can zoom in on specific locations and pick out trees and areas I want to hunt from the ground.
How to Find Killer Deer Hunting Funnels
Use HuntStand tools to locate and target mature whitetails.
In mid-November, I concentrate on river crossings that connect to food sources, traditional rut funnels that connect to doe bedding areas, and the semi-open regions with patches of dense, nasty cover that I can glass from a distance.
Because my HuntStand Pro membership updates me every single time a new Monthly Satellite image is available, I’m able to study where I want to be before I ever put boots on the ground. In fact, the first time I head into a new property, I know where I want to hunt, and I either get on the ground or do a hang and hunt my first time in.’
You can scout while you hunt. It’s November, and you never know what will wander by. Some of my most successful hunts in a new area have occurred during my first visit to the area.
Find Better Deer Stand Sites with HuntStand
The 3D Map is an incredibly powerful asset available to whitetail hunters.
I use 3D Mapping to plan my entrance and exit routes. Most of the time, the new properties I’m hunting are public, which means a longer walk-in. I use these longer walks to study deer sign and hang cameras.
Most states I hunt in prohibit the use of cellular trail cameras, so I carry a half-dozen Muddy Pro Cam 24 digital cameras and place them strategically throughout my new hunting grounds as I move from one location to another.
Trail cameras will help you learn a lot about where you need to be and when. As you hunt a new property over your rut-cation, you can check trail cameras as you come and go. You can’t be everywhere at once, but if you get a half-dozen trail cameras out, you’ll glean a great deal of intel.
Using This One-Two Punch During the Rut
Monthly Satellite gets you in the game and springboards your research. Once you start hunting a new property, make necessary adjustments right away.
A few years back, while hunting a new-to-me public parcel in Colorado, I spied a mature buck locked down with a doe. Lots of times, when I’m hunting an area in mid-November, I hang an observation stand. While it’s not unlikely that I will kill a buck from the stand, my primary goal is to get eyes on areas deer are using.
Plus, it’s not uncommon for a buck to push a doe into habitat that’s away from major travel areas when he locks her down. Many times, over the years, I’ve seen a duo stand up to breed or stretch. Some of my favorite places to find a breeding pair include isolated marshes, heavy weed patches away from main timber draws, tumbleweed-lined fence lines, and small pockets of CRP. An observation stand will allow you to see lots of ground.
Whitetail Rut Map : A HuntStand Exclusive Feature
If you observe buck movement, crash in on it.
November is fleeting, and time is of the essence. If I find a buck locked with a doe and the cover allows, I climb down and stalk in.
If the cover is too heavy to stalk into bow range, I slap a bow-mounted decoy on my bow. My go-to is Ultimate Predator Gear’s Stalker Whitetail. I attach the Stalker Antlers, converting the doe decoy into a buck, and then move in. When I think I’m within 75 yards of the breeding pair, I toss out a few grunts. This will typically get the buck on his feet. If the buck can see the decoy through the cover, chances are good he will bristle up and come in. This is one of the most exciting ways to hunt whitetails.
Editor’s Note: Please do not attempt to use a bow-mounted decoy if a firearms season is underway.
Even if you don’t spy a breeding pair from your observation stand, chances are good you’ll uncover where bucks are moving. When you find an area that looks productive, crash in on it. Of course, you must play the wind, but if you see bucks actively cruising and chasing, it won’t be long before those bucks find a doe. Strike while the iron is hot.
If your observation sit reveals lone fawns and young bucks, crash in. These are signs that mature bucks are locked on a doe, but the second they turn that doe loose, they will start cruising hard to find another estrous doe.
A bow-mounted decoy and a grunt call are excellent tools to get a lock-down buck in bow range.
Extend Your Sits
Mid-November can be tough. You will have days where the woods feel empty, and your mental focus can easily shift to thoughts of breakfast, emails, etc. You must force yourself to stay in the woods. Not every mature buck in the area is locked on a doe, and those that are might resume their search at any moment.
On Monday, November 10, I observed a mature buck come off a doe. After kicking her loose, he took off, nose down in the other direction. Three hours later, he came under my stand, grunting like crazy. Though he was mature, he wasn’t my target buck, and I gave him a pass. Regardless of weather conditions or buck activity, you must force yourself to stay in the woods from dawn until dusk.
