The first thing I want to know is how much you are planning to cut out, and how big and old the specimen is - with most kinds you do not want to do a lot of volume reduction to a mature tree, regardless of the time of year. Otherwise, yes, maples may bleed when pruned during the winter - the time when this could be expected to be the worst would presumably be the same period as when sugar maples might be tapped. November might be too early in the season for much bleeding, and it wouldn't be expected to hurt the tree anyway. Unless there is going to be so much cutting that a whole bunch of sap comes out. But again there the main problem will be the amount of wood and potential foliage that is taken away, rather then the bleeding.

It always depends on the specific details involved but in general if a tree looks quite dramatically different after pruning it has been pruned too much.

The obvious answer to your question is that it's best to do it before the tree gets out of hand. However, like the last comment suggested, the late autumn may be your best option for pruning. I also agree about trees looking significantly different after an over-pruning. Just make sure the tree service you hire is certified and actually knows what they're doing. I hope everything works out! http://www.bhaneyandsons.com/services/

The so-called bleeding of maples and a few others is a red herring. All woody plants are best pruned in late winter/early spring, this based on the energy flow within the organism, as well as the quest to reduce to the absolute minimum the time it takes the plant to close these pruning wounds. But.......the difference between the absolute best timeframe and all the other times of year are fairly minor. You can dwarf a tree by pruning just as it is leafing out, or by doing same during fall leaf coloration/drop. Other than that, it's all good. Mid-summer is a decent time to prune trees like maples. Don't get too hung up on pseudo-info and half-truths. Lots of those floating around.

So, to recap, if at all possible, stay away from those two times of year when the tree is doing something with its foliage-late spring or early fall. Other than that, prune away.

+oM