I'm also not sure I would call it intelligence, but they definately seem more in "tune" with their habitat. They seem to do things with more of a "purpose". For instance, during the rut, they don't go around running willy-nilly chasing does. They seem to find 1 doe that's in heat and stick with her until he breeds her then goes and finds another. They seem to be more willing to travel during the middle part of the day instead of just sunrise and sundown, in fact may not move until dark and midday.
I would call it more of a reaction to stimulus received from past hunting seasons, ie., getting shot at, maybe wounded,getting bumped by hunters, noticing the increase of human odor during the season. It's like how you see a big bruiser during thefirst part of the season but never see him again until after the season is over. He's probably responding to the stimuli ofhuman scent and knows what worked in the past and knows it's time to rely on those "haunts" that saved him in the past.