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Looks like a warm November Hunting Strategies

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Trapshooter1

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You guys who ve been around or seen a warm November. What works for you??? What doesn't work??

I understand the rut is going to happen regardless of temps. It will just happen at night. Very few daylight sightings.
 
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I pushed my usually vacation times from the 5-9th of November to the 7th to 11th of November either right or wrong
 
I think we all prefer to see normal, whatever that is these days :rolleyes:, temps in November...but we have seen these warm Novembers before and there will still be nice bucks on their feet in the daylight. IMO, the #1 thing is to watch for the cooler days and do whatever you can to hunt those days. I feel as though a cool day during a warm rut(breeding period) can actually be a little better than a regular day in a normal rut.

I think you will see less all out chasing during a warm spell, but bucks will still get the job done and are more vulnerable than any other time of the year...and it is Iowa, so there is still plenty to be optimistic about. Try to focus your time on the best(cooler) days is what I would say, but don't be afraid to hunt when it is warm, it can still happen.
 
I don't have a lot of evidence to back this up, but I'm not entirely sure that warm temps really have much of an affect on buck movement during the rut. The way I see it is, regardless of temps, the does will come into estrous. Regardless of temps, the bucks will work to find those does and breed. Once a buck breeds a doe, he's going to run and find the next one, regardless of temps. Now, the temps may play a factor in where that buck will look, but I can't imagine it would vary much. Bucks will still run the downwind sides of bedding and feeding areas. Those bedding areas might be filled up earlier in the morning in a warm period but the buck won't care what time the does go to bed, he's still going to try to find them. Will warm temps cause a buck to tire more easily and make more frequent stops in his doe seeking journey? Probably, but I have a hard time thinking that some warm weather will make a horny buck quit searching. Just my thoughts anyways. We all know that warm weather plays a big role in early season movement, no doubt. I just don't know that it's as big of a deal during the rut as we all may think it is. Like I said, no hard evidence to back that up, just my thoughts. I'll be out there regardless.
 
The rut will still happen but weather plays a huge role in the amount of daylight activity we will see. I dont speak deer so i cant ask them why but i always assumed it had to do with the warm winter coat they wear by this time of year. Like daver said, try to take advantage of the cooler days . On warmer days early morning seems to be best for me but anything can happen at any time in November
 
Bucks will always breed,,does will always be waiting,,but my hard evidence says deer will wait until it cools down to run round. Last Nov was very warm until mid-month. Wife and I drive around in the evenings. We ALWAYS see some deer running across the roads, "Chasing". Last November,,Nothing. Full moon mkes nights even more inviting..They were out..lots of evidence from the night time activity. When if finally cooled off around the 15th, I began to see movement but the rut was trailing off. I bet more bucks will survive this rut due to Weather. More bucks for the Shot-Gun Season !
 
They simply will not move during the day as much when it is this warm. That doesn't mean you won't see a 160 running across a field at lunch time looking for an estrous doe he caught a wiff of, you just won't see it as much. There is no way to predict what any particular buck will or will not do from today to Thanksgiving. There will be pockets of daytime activity. Last November was very similar temperature wise up through around the 10th or 11th I think. We weren't seeing squat after 8:30 am and the evenings were worse. 5 days of hunting and nothing worth taking our bows off the hanger. Then out of the blue a buck walks in front of my wife with a hot doe and beds down. 5 minutes later another buck follows and she gets a shot. She's done. She had a rough week due to temps and moon phase but that all changed in 30 seconds. I killed mine on Friday the 13th in the morning. He was mature, a tank really, and he was just slow trolling, not running hot and heavy. We never did see heavy chasing last November where we hunt in SE Ia. Although I did not hunt after the 13th. I am sure with the little cold that followed it got a little better. The does will still come into estrous but if the bucks are overheating they just have to bed down and cool off. A pond is a decent place to hunt during a warm rut because they will go for a dip to cool off.

This year I am excited about the moon phase and timing. Nov 7th will show a waxing moon that rises at 1:58pm. If we get the little cold front we are supposed to it should be the perfect time to be in the woods.
 
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look fellas, over the age of consent and all that stuff. if you could only be "active" maybe 3-4 times a year and that activity only happen in say roughly a months time period would you really care when, where or how.
they are going to breed no matter what the moon, temperature, barometric pressure and all that is. some of that may have an effect on daylight movement but it's going to happen regardless. sit in a tree as many hours as you possibly can from Halloween to thanksgiving and you will probably have a chance at a good deer
 
If it is 70 degrees or just plain warm, sit by a pond with good cover around it. Bucks that have been moving, will often come to get a drink
 
Saw 5 different does this morn, all by themselves, NO bucks SE Iowa
. Drove 30 miles and back across VanBuren and Davis Counties yesterday eve as darkness fell,,no chasing,, no deer...Rut? Don't think yet....
 
Loneranger, I think it's probably time to find a different hobby! Not trying to be a smart arse. From no rain on ur little piece of haven for ur trees and food plots to the deer on ur place not playing fair and showing themselves during daylight, I think you would be a more positive guy with an indoor hobby that you can play with til ur hearts content and it don't matter how much rain we do or don't get and the only one who needs to cooperate is you!
Best of luck when the weather finally cools off at the middle to end of nov.
 
You are right on one point,",Got to get out there drive" is less every year. Guess have killed enough. Only empty freezer gets me out in a tree. I have an over active Thyroid, so I perspire at 30 degrees. 70's are not helping to me moving across fields much,, On the moisture front,,1% of Iowa is reported low or very low in soil moisture. This area continues to be the Ottumwa,Albia,Centerville area. A fact,,not my opinion. Just the way it is. I left N-MI for Love,,or I would still be up there. I enjoy cold and fresh Canadian Air. Not so many 3 or 5 yr old bucks up there, but that means less and less to me. If I ever do move would be West. I love the Mtns. Spent some years in Wyoming and B.C. Canada...Thanks for best Wishes....
 
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