blacktail deer pre-rut

[flyfishWA]

does anyone know if its started yet?

[3nails]

 This is possibly the hardest time all year to catch a decent buck out in the daylight. For the next 3 to 4 weeks, POOF, almost completely nocturnal. Shedding rubs are done and territory rubs are a couple weeks out.

[KP-Skagit]

Not to in anyway contradict 3nails as this is what I generally see but I have a friend who knows his deer that saw a massive 3 point chasing a lone doe outside of Woolley last week. Neck was even swelled up.

[RadSav]

I've seen two good blacktail cruising the past week.  Normally would not even think of Pre-Rut before October 15, but looks like it might be starting early this year.

I do think some younger bucks get confused by the smell of elk estrus and start looking way before it's time.  But good bucks doing it in late September...very odd.  Last year was early too, but I didn't see any cruisers until the end of Muzzy season last year.  Peak rut last year seemed the same as usual though.

[slowhand]

LOL!!!
Love The is the Rut starting Thread.
Tag
It's still September LOL

[deerhunter_98520]

This is possibly the hardest time all year to catch a decent buck out in the daylight. For the next 3 to 4 weeks, POOF, almost completely nocturnal. Shedding rubs are done and territory rubs are a couple weeks out.

 

[JimmyHoffa]

LOL!!!
Love The is the Rut starting Thread.
Tag
It's still September LOL

Christmas stuff has been out at Walmart since last week, so things are happening early this year.

[3nails]

Not to in anyway contradict 3nails as this is what I generally see but I have a friend who knows his deer that saw a massive 3 point chasing a lone doe outside of Woolley last week. Neck was even swelled up.

I almost commented about how early city deer seem to rut. I don't know what it is but every year I see and hear about it going only to find nothing happening in the hills.

[buggy]

Saw 14 deer Saturday. 6 bucks still bached up. They weren't shooters but I did not see any rut activity. Pretty sure we're still a month out.

[brew]

don't know what this means but recently saw a real nice blacktail buck that was as wide as his ears skylined about 300 yards away with 6 does.  kinda wierd that none of the does had any fawns

[RadSav]

don't know what this means but recently saw a real nice blacktail buck that was as wide as his ears skylined about 300 yards away with 6 does.  kinda wierd that none of the does had any fawns

Think we are starting to see the signs of the cougar population on the westside.  And of course our late quotas are a complete joke.  Very few fawns or calves the past few years.  I know some guys in S Central who see more cats per year than they do fawns.

[N7XW]

tagging along for this one.

[lokidog]

Bucks are still very visible out here.  My buck last week had some smell to his tarsals though.

[grundy53]

Going to be a hard winter... actually I don't know what any of this early activity means...

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[fishnfur]

don't know what this means but recently saw a real nice blacktail buck that was as wide as his ears skylined about 300 yards away with 6 does.  kinda wierd that none of the does had any fawns

Seems like the fawns don't hang so tight to mama once they get about 5 months old.  I saw a weird goings on this AM:  I saw  a couple of fawns get spooked out of a creek bed by the car in front of me as I drove on a main road that intersects nearby with HWY 4 in W. Longview.  The two fawns were running berserk style, right along the side of the road, like their tails were on fire.  One was clearly a normal sized fawn for this time of year.  He ran full speed right next to my truck for awhile but then pulled up after about 50 yards and gave me the stink eye.  I had to stop for the upcoming stoplight and could only watch as the second fawn, which was absolutely tiny and with remnant spotting on his sides, as he continued his high-octane sprint out into highway traffic.  Luck was on his side as he jumped between cars and log trucks and finally cleared the far side of the road and disappeared from view.  Clearly the two were not of the same mother but they were off doing young deer stuff without parental supervision.  I doubt the little one had even been weaned yet. 

Anyways, the pre-rut really starts once the velvet is gone.  I would assume that they start play jousting and testing out the other bucks a bit shortly thereafter.  The earliest I've heard them raking antlers in the woods was a couple of years ago on the last day of muzzy elk - the end of September.    Seeking and chasing phases of the rut often seem to be spotty and differ by regions and even smaller areas. It can be red hot in one area and completely dead fifty miles away.  If there is an early rut (early estrus), keep your eyes open starting around the 12th of October.  That is often the time of the season that members here start posting photos of nice bucks showing up in broad daylight in unusual places.  Members here have also reported seeing some breeding going on as early as the 20th or so of October.   The majority of the hunting action typically occurs in the last few days of October, though last year, I heard more gunshots in the woods (down here) on the 18th of October than on any other day in the entire season.  Go figure?     The peak of the rut is still sometime in early-mid November.