All,
We've been hunting for about 4 years, our normal week long trip is late October and we've had zero success that month. This year I was able to book off November for the first time. Our only successful hunt (for deer) has been on a one day trip that took place Nov 11th 2017. So hopefully that date can repeat itself for us this year.
We've scouted our normal area which is in region 3 a lot but have never seen any mature bucks, lots of does, any bucks we see are smaller and out of season. Never seen a WT there, only Mule. Love the area though.
We made a trip this year to region 8, saw some WT and Mules, no bucks but only spent one full day there. Saw our first Moose. The WT does provided us with no shots as they ran across the road at last, but still legal light, after we'd packed up as it was too dark for us to shoot comfortably.
At this point we're considering going back to the same area in region 8 as we've done a bit of exploring there already and have some way points. Region 4 is not out of the question we'll just be starting from scratch.
When we reach a new MU we typically spend the first day driving logging roads and learning the lay of the land to decide on an area we think looks reasonable to scout on foot. If weather gets too "out of control" for our gear we drive again.
Our main concern is staying warm while out. We both have outer rain gear and a layering system we've built up over the years but we're still getting used to what conditions we can handle.
All that said I understand that November is a great time to hunt. Any advice on hunting the rut would be appreciated, and of course any leads from people who have filled their tags already or don't mind sharing a good MU via PM is appreciated. Really trying to avoid explaining to the wife that I spent X dollars on fuel, food, and gear to come back empty handed again.
Thanks in advance.