So did the rut come much earlier this year? It seemed as if more bucks were killed in the four day long late modern firearm season than all of the other because the four days landed right in the rut.
When it comes to blacktail hunting 60-70% of mature buck harvests happen during that four day hunt every year not just this year. Only difference this year was the rut started before the end of the early season instead of during elk season. Happens that way every four or five years. I will try and find the WDFW report that stated these figures. Been about three years since I read/found it, but I'll give it a try.
If you have a good low pressure area to hunt I actually like archery hunting the post rut. These big bucks are so dang tired they become very stalkable. During the rut they can be flighty and inconsistent. That's great for the rifle hunter as you do see more bucks during the rut. But for the archery hunter it can sometimes make getting up close difficult unless you tree stand hunt. My second largest buck was killed close to the 15th of December. He had zero fat after burning it all chasing does. Only one thing was on his mind now and that was putting food in his belly. He flinched as the arrow went through his chest but then he took one last bite of vegetation before his body shut down. Too dang tired to even care he had been given a lethal injection.
I had tried a couple times in early September to stalk this same buck. He was having none of it. Sharp as a tack and nervous as heck. Getting too caught up in casing the women was his death sentence. Just like it has been for men since the beginning of time
