Win With Your Winchester During Lockdown

Whitetail redemption is on the brink, or in some locales, already going. It’s time to put away the stick-and-string, sight-in your deer slayer, and hit the woods with a rifle slung over your shoulder.

Mid-November is a special time of year for many. A time for deer camp with family and friends and bucks and does hanging from a meat pole. The whitetail rut is in full swing, and though many bucks are locked down with does, hunters sit on edge, their eyes constantly scanning the forest or field edge.

Why?

Savvy rut hunters know that at any moment, a mature buck could finish breeding and kick his doe loose. The second he does, he will frantically search for another doe. Bucks know their window to pass on their genes is shrinking by the minute, which means they will cover ground as quickly as possible to find their next mate.

The Drury’s are a household name in the hunting world, and when it comes to whitetail knowledge, few know more. The Drury Team dedicates most of the year to chasing North America’s most popular game animal. When they’re not hunting, the Drury’s spend their time preparing for the next hunt. From shed hunting to habitat improvements to studying trail camera photos, their whitetail addiction knows no bounds.

According to Matt Drury, mid-November is one of the premier times to be in the woods with a rifle in hand.

“I love it when rifle deer season rolls around,” Matt said. “With a Winchester rifle in your hand, you can greatly extend your effective killing range, even if you’re in a straight-wall state. If you’ve been chasing a particular buck during bow season and haven’t sent carbon yet, now is the perfect time to even the score. And, if you’re not a bowhunter, this is the time of year you live for. This is your time to fill the freezer and put a hefty set of horns on the wall.”

Concerning tactics, Matt’s biggest tip was for hunters to extend their sits.

“Too many hunters — rifle and bow — call it quits too soon. It’s November, and you never know what will happen unless you’re out in the woods and ready to experience it.”

Matt told me that one of the best timeframes to catch a mid-November shooter wandering is between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

“If you're seeing fawns wandering lost and young bucks trying to act tough, chances are that several mature bucks in your area are locked with a doe. However, not all of them are, and the second a buck releases a doe, that buck will be scrambling to find another. I see a lot of mature bucks up on their feet cruising during the mid-day hours.”

Matt went on to point out that those hunting public dirt or sharing private land permission will often find the woods void of hunters during this timeframe.

“Many hunters call it quits by 9 a.m. and don’t get back out in the woods until around 2 p.m. Don’t be one of those hunters. Stay disciplined; you only get so many rifle seasons. Even though it’s the rut, deer sense hunting pressure. When hunting pressure is reduced, deer are more apt to cruise.”

Matt also discussed trail cameras, and the intel the previous year’s photos can provide.

“If you have history with a particular buck, go back and check your trail camera photos from the previous years. Make notes about where the bucks you’re after tend to spend the rut. Challenge yourself and see if you notice a pattern. The rut is frantic, but often, mature bucks will rut in the same area year after year. You need to know the tendencies of those bucks and capitalize on them.” 

Matt also went into deep detail about the chaos that the whitetail rut brings, and how that chaos can help you score.

“Things change during the rut. You never know when a buck you’ve never caught on a trail camera will show up. Sometimes, bucks make big moves during the rut. If hunt pressure is intense in an area, or a buck isn’t finding an estrous doe, that buck will often wander. This is another reason you should spend as much time as possible in the woods. You never know when a new shooter will show up. We see it happen year in and year out.”

Team Drury has been on the Winchester rifle train for a very long time and has no plans to stray from those tracks. When the royal family of deer hunting continues to sling an XPR model over their shoulder, there’s a very good reason behind it.

“Our number one go-to whitetail rifle is the Winchester Repeating Arms XPR,” Matt said. “When Winchester built the XPR, they knew they had something special. It’s not often you find a quality bolt-action rifle offered in a smattering of deer-killing calibers at such an affordable price point. Additionally, we appreciate that Winchester strives to accommodate every hunter with a rifle that suits their needs. Left-handed shooters will appreciate the XPR Left-Hand, and smaller-framed shooters will have no trouble handling the XPR Stealth Suppressor Ready or XPR Stealth.”

If you’re looking for a new deer slayer and decide to heed Matt’s XPR advice, or if you’ve already got an XPR but want to expand your collection, consider these four XPR makes.

Showcasing an all-black polymer stock with a matte blue finish on all metal parts minus the nickel Teflon® coating on the bolt body, the XPR is pure meat and potatoes. The go-to rifle of Team Drury, the XPR will stand up to any weather event and conquer any whitetail terrain you decide to roam.

Blending tried-and-true concepts from Winchester’s legendary Model 70, the XPR is an ultra-affordable deer rifle that will stand the test of time. It features many purposeful design elements, including a steel recoil lug, a two-position thumb safety, and the M.O.A. Trigger System. This 42-inch-long, 6-pound 12-ounce rifle is the economical workhorse of Winchester’s rifle line.

An XPR on steroids, the Stealth SR model showcases a Picatinny-style scope rail and 5/8"x24 threading for a suppressor or muzzle brake.

With a barrel length of only 16-1/2 inches and a total length of 36-1/2 inches, hunters can add a suppressor and still have a compact deer slayer. The total weight is 6 pounds 8 ounces, making the rifle a joy to tote. The green composite stock and Perma-Cote black barreled action finish gives this rifle a distinctive look that’s hard to ignore.

With a tough no-shine Perma-Cote finish on the barrel and the receiver, this composite stocked bolt-action is just what Dr. Deer ordered. The Inflex Technology recoil pad soaks-up shoulder shock so you can stay in your optic and make a quick follow-up shot, and the M.O.A. Trigger breaks clean. Combining concepts from the legendary Model 70, the XPR Hunter is tough and ultra-accurate.

Many deer hunters want to leave the gun shop with a field-ready rifle. Enter Winchester’s XPR Scope Combo. Sporting all the excellent features of the XPR, this 22-inch button-rifled, free-floated steel barrel beauty comes topped with a Vortex® Crossfire II Scope. With the XPR Scope Combo, all you need to do is pick your ammo of choice, hit the range, and you’ll be woods-ready in no time.

Concerning caliber, Matt noted that he prefers an XPR chambered in 350 Legend when hunting in straight-wall states or when shots are within 250 yards.

“There are several straight-wall calibers out there,” said Matt. “However, the 350 Legend is a hard-hitting caliber, and because most of our setups create shots inside of 250 yards, it’s the perfect caliber for our needs.”

“Its accuracy is uncanny, especially when loaded with Winchester 150-Grain Deer Season XP. The bullet design ensures rapid expansion, and the ballistic profile leads to a flatter overall trajectory and retained energy. Mostly, though, this ammo has proven amazing in the field repeatedly.”

Something else Matt mentioned, which is another feather in the XPR 350 Legend’s hat, is its versatility.

“When we have guests in camp or youth hunters, this rifle, in this caliber, produces minimal recoil, which helps with shooting confidence, which leads to improved accuracy and a more enjoyable hunting and shooting experience. It’s essential for young hunters or those who have yet to spend much time behind a rifle not to be overwhelmed by recoil. With the XPR in 350 Legend shooting Deer Season XP ammo, these shooters can learn good shooting technique.”

When Matt heads to a location where longer shots are possible and bottleneck calibers are legal, he leans on the 6.8 Western.

“The 6.8 Western is an excellent all-around caliber. It fires a heavy-for-caliber bullet at high speeds, and the longer projectile produces exceptional accuracy. The caliber hits like a freight train, produces little recoil, and it works as well on mule deer and elk as it does on whitetail.”

There you have it; all the intel and gear you need to dominate mid-November. Remember, extend those sits, and chances are good you’ll wrap your hands around some heavy base horns in the near future.