Blacktail - Here we go!

[WapitiTalk1]

OK, its time you Hunt WA cats.  With some weather coming (finally) THU morning for many of our locations, things are getting ready to pick up.  If you can swing it, get out WED afternoon and hunt till legal shooting hours expire.  The deer will become more active on WED than they have in the past few weeks with a change in the weather (rain) looming on THU.  They just do it...always move more before and after a weather front (whether mild or severe).  This weather change, coupled with the pre-rut activity starting to kick in pretty good, should make for a great last 10 days of the early BT season for one and all.  If you're back at your truck in the coming evenings before legal shooting hours have expired, you're coming out too early folks..... make sure you have a headlamp in your pack and use that to come out (don't waste that last precious bit of hunting time in the evenings by leaving the deer woods too early). Same with the morning hunts.... get where you want to be (not on the way, not almost there) in advance of legal shooting light/time so you're ready when the time comes.  Good luck to all and am looking forward to hearing/seeing how everybody does over the next week.     

[swordtine]

Good advice RJ--many of us are done on the eastside after tomorrow, but you folks on the westside have some of the best days of the year to hunt deer in the next week and a half.....good luck to all

[npaull]

What do guys figure peak rut time will be this year?

I drew a special permit for GMU 651, Nov 1-14...

Had to stop myself from shooting a spike this morning!

[WSU]

It's about 3 years running that I have hunted through Halloween and not seen a decent buck in my hunting spot and then run into good bucks the first week or so of November.  I'd say your tag is prime time.

[fishnfur]

7 - 14 Nov, but that doesn't mean those big ones will be sitting on their heels before then.  Good luck!

[bobcat]

What do guys figure peak rut time will be this year?

I drew a special permit for GMU 651, Nov 1-14...

Had to stop myself from shooting a spike this morning!

I'd focus most of my time from November 3rd through the 9th. That's just from my experience with trail cams. The bucks will be moving in the middle of the day, and ranging further into areas outside their normal home range. Up to about the 11th should be pretty good but daytime buck activity drastically drops off after that.

[fishnfur]

My trail cams say 8 - 12.  Bobcat and I have jawed on this a bit in the past.  I believe it varies a bit by area and elevation (total conjecture).

[bobcat]

It definitely varies by area, and probably varies year to year as well. All I know is if I had that late permit I'd be hunting it hard from November 1st on as much as I could, but I'd for sure want to be tagged out by the 11th. After that it could get pretty tough. The bucks are tired out and aren't moving, just trying to recover from chasing does non stop for a week or more.

[BackStrappin]

had a forky in the yard yesterday that was well on his way to stinking up the place. 

[WapitiTalk1]

Suddenly..cough...hack...cough, feeling feverish. Gonna have to take tomorrow afternoon off from work and get out into the deer woods and get some fresh air.  I fear, it’s the only way to feel better.  We’ll see if the BT bucks are feeling the “twitch” in my area 

[elkrack]

Suddenly..cough...hack...cough, feeling feverish. Gonna have to take tomorrow afternoon off from work and get out into the deer woods and get some fresh air.  I fear, it’s the only way to feel better.  We’ll see if the BT bucks are feeling the “twitch” in my area 

Sounds like a fool proof plan to me

[aman]

I'll give it a shot tomorrow afternoon. Should I sit down at a clearcut and wait or walk the trails?

[Twispriver]

Today, for the first time since early September I saw a buck in my field in the daylight. Last night's trail cam pics showed three bucks that I'd not seen before, a spike and two 2-points dogging a doe. The two biggest bucks that I had been getting pictures of nightly have been MIA since October 7th but I'll definitely be on the lookout from now until the end of the season.

[PeninsulaPariah]

I'll give it a shot tomorrow afternoon. Should I sit down at a clearcut and wait or walk the trails?

 Both can be effective. Depending on how early you get out, if you have just a couple hours till dark I would just head to one of my favorite units and watch it like a hawk. If you get out earlier in the afternoon, cover some ground first. Walk slow, glass a lot. Old roads flanked with timber on one side an reprod on the other should be poppin’

[aman]

Sat down at a clearcut until last light and nada..  After the sun went down there were some thermals that were changing the wind directions all over for about 15 minutes but qind was good majority of the time.

I did see a doe walking in middle of the road at night on my way out.