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Author Topic: Blacktail Rut?  (Read 60021 times)

Offline PolarBear

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Re: Blacktail Rut?
« Reply #360 on: November 20, 2017, 10:35:59 PM »
Woke up this morning at my folks Kamilche house to that 3 point that my daughter almost hit last night, standin in my folks yard. Lol!

Offline fishnfur

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Re: Blacktail Rut?
« Reply #361 on: November 21, 2017, 10:21:48 AM »
Hunters of Wa - sorry I re-read that post and saw my confusing entry.  Meant to say only saw 1 buck in those two days. 

Lost wallet Friday morning, I thought at Freddies.  Turned out it fell out of my pocket at Freddies and into my bib pants and then eventually, fell out the pant leg and onto a road in the Capitol Forest.  Got a call last night from a hunting husband/wife that they found it.  Sacrificed the AM hunt today to drive to Oly to get it.   That was the good part of the weekend.

Went out to Willy Hills for the PM - hunting my alder property.  Slow hunting, which I expected with the windy conditions.  Taking a stand on a high spot overlooking a bench for the first hour produced zip.  Headed down the hill and ran into a couple does feeding, completely oblivious to my noisy arrival 50 yards away.  Watched them for fifteen minutes or so till they fed off in the distance, then hunted down the hill and looked for new rubs for the next hour.  Came back up the hill through the same area and found one of the two does (I think) standing out by herself in the alder flat. She kept her eyes and ears on me, but she wasn't going anywhere.  No bucks anywhere close by that I could see, so I worked up the hill above her till she thought I'd left, and to where I could only see her ass end.  Clearly, she was waiting for a buck to come by, so I figured I'd wait along with her.  She and I stood motionless in the pissing rain, 39 degrees, for over an hour.  Once I was cold enough that I no longer cared if I killed a buck or not, I worked my way out with about thirty more minutes of light left for the day. 

So ends the Modern Firearm season.   :'(
Those last 30 minutes are pretty good minutes.........

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

I was well aware that I would later question leaving early.  I don't yet (but as a reminder for later when I do, I'm stating my case so I can go back and refresh my memory).  Unusual setup on this one:   
 - I pulled my cams off the property in July since I had no bucks on cam all spring and summer. 
 - I didn't think this doe was hot yet, just out trolling for a friend.  She was likely a day or two until she was ready to breed.  Either way, if a buck had been close, he'd have come in unless he knew I was there. 
 - winds were swirling up and down the hill, my scent was everywhere above, below and behind me.  The property is surrounded by a brand new huge cut on both uphill sides of a finger ridge and pastureland below.  The chances of a buck showing up from the 180 degrees on the far side of her during the next 30 minutes were getting slimmer by the moment.     
  - It was already really dark out due to the heavy overcast/pouring rain conditions.  I was already questioning whether I could accurately target a shot with my open sights. 
  - Once the hands and toes were numb and I was starting to shiver a bit, in my mind, it was definitely time to pull chocks and leave.  I gave it a good chance.  It didn't happen.
  - I still had other spots to check on the way out , and it turned into a scary drive home in the pouring rain and copious standing water on the road.   

It was a fitting end for a difficult MF season. I've still got my MS tag un-notched, so it ain't over yet.

No deer at all on backyard cam since the 16th. 
« Last Edit: November 21, 2017, 10:54:13 AM by fishnfur »
“When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.”  - Will Rogers

Offline predatorG

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Re: Blacktail Rut?
« Reply #362 on: November 22, 2017, 06:54:33 AM »
Hunters of Wa - sorry I re-read that post and saw my confusing entry.  Meant to say only saw 1 buck in those two days. 

Lost wallet Friday morning, I thought at Freddies.  Turned out it fell out of my pocket at Freddies and into my bib pants and then eventually, fell out the pant leg and onto a road in the Capitol Forest.  Got a call last night from a hunting husband/wife that they found it.  Sacrificed the AM hunt today to drive to Oly to get it.   That was the good part of the weekend.

Went out to Willy Hills for the PM - hunting my alder property.  Slow hunting, which I expected with the windy conditions.  Taking a stand on a high spot overlooking a bench for the first hour produced zip.  Headed down the hill and ran into a couple does feeding, completely oblivious to my noisy arrival 50 yards away.  Watched them for fifteen minutes or so till they fed off in the distance, then hunted down the hill and looked for new rubs for the next hour.  Came back up the hill through the same area and found one of the two does (I think) standing out by herself in the alder flat. She kept her eyes and ears on me, but she wasn't going anywhere.  No bucks anywhere close by that I could see, so I worked up the hill above her till she thought I'd left, and to where I could only see her ass end.  Clearly, she was waiting for a buck to come by, so I figured I'd wait along with her.  She and I stood motionless in the pissing rain, 39 degrees, for over an hour.  Once I was cold enough that I no longer cared if I killed a buck or not, I worked my way out with about thirty more minutes of light left for the day. 

So ends the Modern Firearm season.   :'(
Those last 30 minutes are pretty good minutes.........

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

30 minutes you can't get back...
"All of my best elk hunts are the ones where I come home with a big buck!" -RadSav

Offline fishnfur

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Re: Blacktail Rut?
« Reply #363 on: November 29, 2017, 07:16:05 PM »
Any updates?

Went out late in a ML - Any Deer area this evening.  Swore I'd kill the first deer I saw.  Forty-five minutes later, (4:35 PM), glassed a doe coming my direction.  She walked within 20 - 25 yards of me.  I couldn't pull the trigger - too easy, or just not the buck that I'd been waiting for all season, I'll never know   :dunno:.  I let her walk, then looked over her shoulder behind her somewhere.  My hopes raised, thinking my buck was just behind her.  Sadly, it was just her little button buck, who made it to 10 yards before I busted up the party and sent them bounding out of sight.

There's always tomorrow, but this season's growing short.....


“When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.”  - Will Rogers

Offline andr3wxmma

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Re: Blacktail Rut?
« Reply #364 on: November 29, 2017, 08:24:17 PM »
Any updates?

Went out late in a ML - Any Deer area this evening.  Swore I'd kill the first deer I saw.  Forty-five minutes later, (4:35 PM), glassed a doe coming my direction.  She walked within 20 - 25 yards of me.  I couldn't pull the trigger - too easy, or just not the buck that I'd been waiting for all season, I'll never know   :dunno:.  I let her walk, then looked over her shoulder behind her somewhere.  My hopes raised, thinking my buck was just behind her.  Sadly, it was just her little button buck, who made it to 10 yards before I busted up the party and sent them bounding out of sight.

There's always tomorrow, but this season's growing short.....
Saw two nice rack bucks feeding together right off the road mid day today, during my lunch break. They didnt seem to have a care in the world about chasing does or hiding from hunters.

Offline beav1980

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Re: Blacktail Rut?
« Reply #365 on: November 29, 2017, 11:38:47 PM »
Thanksgiving rut here in Chehalis.

Offline fishnfur

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Re: Blacktail Rut?
« Reply #366 on: November 30, 2017, 09:51:39 AM »
Nice shot Beav.   
All's quiet in the rain this AM.  Nothin' movin'.
“When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.”  - Will Rogers

Offline meat hntr78

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Re: Blacktail Rut?
« Reply #367 on: November 30, 2017, 07:05:28 PM »
Still something worth fighting about this week. Of course the only afternoon I wasn't there they come out during shooting hours. And start fighting. These are the 2 bucks who wereally fighting.

 


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