Have you ever noticed that there is no in-between in November? We either have bright sunny days or it is damp and dreary. It always rains on Election Day, or so it seems. If I could pick one month out the of the year, it would consist of the first two weeks in May and the first two in November. No, I'm not crazy; let me explain. May is the real beginning of spring in the mountains; turkeys are gobbling, fish are biting and the garden is coming along. November is different; everything is winding down in preparation for winter. The garden is finished and cleaned-up, winter rye is sprouting green, and garlic and shallots are emerging from the soil. It's time to head for the woods for the other harvest season.

I always combine my deer scouting with turkey hunting. Wildlife is still in its natural patterns at this time. Deer are beginning to rut and create a lot of sign. Everything else is in the process of accumulating calories before winter sets in and it gets a lot harder to make a living. I can make a couple of trips into an area and know what I can expect to find once deer firearms season opens on November 24th. Scrapes appear like magic in the freshly fallen leaves. The days are numbered before the woods are boogered up with the roaming masses of deer hunters, which make normal daytime activity impossible.

The area in which I choose to do most of my deer hunting is a one hour steady uphill hike behind a locked gate. It is in a heavily hunted area of the Monongahela National Forest, but other hunters rarely make it farther than about a half of a mile up the road. They wander around and push deer up the mountain all day long.

Now that we are in the era of $17.00 pot roasts, I intend to take advantage of all antlerless deer hunting opportunities. I am hoping to be selected for one of the permits in the Stonewall Resort Controlled Deer Hunt, which will be held November 17-19. Antlerless seasons vary from county to county, so make sure you consult the WV Hunting Regulations Summary or www.wvdnr.gov for the county of your choice. The first part of the special youth antlerless hunt will be held on November 1, for ages of 8-14 in all counties with a firearms season. Trapping and rabbit seasons open on November 1 also.

Trout fishermen often find some really good action on gray damp days; blue-winged olives can bring on some good surface feeding action. Those of you who quit fishing the day after the fish trucks stop don't know what you are missing. I found a pair of really huge Brown Trout in late September. I intend to give them a try one gloomy day in November. Hopefully we will get some rain by then.