Blacktail - Here we go!

[WapitiTalk1]

Not much going on at my location this evening either. I did locate some new and old rubs in same location (recurrent yearly use), a good thing, and bumped a few after dark coming out.  Gonna hit it early morning next go around. Oh, found a battle spot on old skid road where two bucks had had a scrap.

[aman]

I found this rub. Most likely done under the cover of the night though.

[fishnfur]

You'll see quite a few of those quick hit rubs as you hunt.  At least there was a buck there in the past.  Looks like he dug in with an eyeguard or two and worked it long enough to leave some scent there.  That buck may have laid down a rubline along many trees in the area to mark his turf.  Somewhere relatively close by, he may have a couple of trees that he's hit hard and really done some real damage to, quite possibly close to drainage/creek/wet area that has some Alder, or in the smaller reprod where trails enter and exit the timber.  Those bigger rubs might be a decent spot to spend some time.  Also, you might want to try to scout around the perimeter of that cut, in the woods. There should be a trail maybe 10 - 20 yards inside the timber that follows much of the edge of that cut, perhaps stopping and starting again in spots.  Go super slow and slowly scan your surroundings as you move.  Stop and look/listen more than walk.  There's no rush to get to some unseen spot ahead of you.  He might be right there bedded in the ferns just off to your left, or standing partially hidden behind brush as his doe girlfriend is feeding 10 yards away.

Take a look at RadSav's post on page 11 of the blacktail pre-rut thread.  He describes in detail how he and his wife hunt old skid roads where Alder meets reprod or timber.  The real work is finding a spot that matches his description without having a truckload of hunters already working it.  Gated roads will cut down hunter numbers very quickly.  Google Earth is your friend.

[fishnfur]

I took a second look at your photo and the cut in the background.  Many people hunt young cuts like that.  Occasionally, a buck might cross there in the middle of the day and give you a shot.  The reality is that there is so little food there that it has little attraction yet for animals to come in and feed.  If it looks mostly like brown dirt, then look elsewhere.  You will find some fresh sign in there.  Deer will come in at night and feed on the few sparse plants there, but typically not in great numbers. 

A better aged cut has had trees planted in the ground somewhere around 3 - 8 years ago, possibly up to 10 or 11 years ago, depending on how fast the trees grow in that spot.  You will not see much brown dirt, and there will be a lot of brush (food) growing everywhere.  Here's a pic of a cut I hunted last year.  The trees have been in the ground six years.  They have space in between them that allow deer to feel safe enough to spend the whole day in there.  The extra advantage of a spot like this is that you have the ability to look directly down in between the trees and see deer as they stand or travel.  If you're hunting a spot with less elevation change, I'd recommend a bit younger/smaller trees that allow vision into and in between the trees.  Spend 90% of your time in your binoculars looking for parts of deer obscured by foliage where they are hiding.  Good luck!

[WapitiTalk1]

Great tip fishnfur  .

Its' always a good thing when you find a spot where a buck(s) have rubbed for multiple years.  Took a few snaps last night while out to one of my spots that have been frequented by rubbing bucks for multiple years (I'm terrible about taking pics when I'm out and about but figured you cats would enjoy these).  PIC 1 shows previous year rubs; PIC 2 shows a "re-rub" this year on a previous year's rub; and PIC 3 shows a brand spanking new rub from this year.  There are a bunch of rubs (new this year and from previous years) in this small area which keeps me interested in this BT spot.  I have not put out trail cams in this area but will do so at some point .

[bobcat]

One thing I've learned about those old rubs, the ones that get used every year, is that the bucks may begin using them in late October/early November and by looking at them you wouldn't even know they had been recently used. But put a trail camera on it and you might find out several bucks are coming by daily but all they really do is rub their foreheads on it. I've got many videos of just that, and until I saw the videos from my trail cam I had no idea there was all the recent activity. No bark was scraped off, no fresh marks whatsoever, because they weren't rubbing the tree with their antlers, as all they're doing is marking the tree with their scent.

[Archsnipe]

The property we hunted last weekend on the Kitsap Peninsula has two bucks taken off sunday morning in the fog at 8:30am.  All with does, rutting hard.  The group of 10 has already taken 8 deer. 

Last year only 4 guys got bucks. 

Every year, moon cycle, weather, etc. changes the rut a little in different areas, IMHO. But yes, the weather is coming, and that pushes them around ALOT more.  Go get em!

[WapitiTalk1]

Taking tomorrow/Friday off from work and will spend the day in the deer woods, before the crack of dawn till after nightfall; may even take some sheds with and do a bit of rattling.  Looks like the "weather" has finally landed and I have a feeling the bucks will be tweaking in my area.   

[WSU]

My wife took one of our 5 year old sons out last night and shot a nice little 2x3.  Not bad for a grand total of 2 hours deer hunting this year!  Pretty happy for both of them to get to go out on their own and be successful.

[WapitiTalk1]

That’s awesome WSU!  Congrats to your hunters 

[WSU]

The best part was the play by play after from the 5 year old, complete with an on-all-fours demonstration of the buck jumping and taking off at the shot.  Demonstrated like only a wildly over-excited 5 year old could do!

[WapitiTalk1]

The best part was the play by play after from the 5 year old, complete with an on-all-fours demonstration of the buck jumping and taking off at the shot.  Demonstrated like only a wildly over-excited 5 year old could do!

Perfect!  I can picture it. 

[fishnfur]

Nice!  Congrats to the lucky hunters. You must have a quiet 5 year old.  My son is 10 and he never ever stops talking.  We just keep watching TV while he rattles on and on.   

[WSU]

I was kinda shocked.  He's NOT quiet.  But he takes his hunting pretty serious, so he was probably doing as well as a 5 year old could.

[fishnfur]

OK+, check this out.  I went out to scout a bit on my property in Willipa Hills today.  There are new elk rubs everywhere and a smattering of buck rubs - pretty typical for late October.  Then I saw this.  I thought from afar that it was an elk rub, but I got up close and saw the damage to the hemlock trees.  Totally debarked about 40% of the circumference at the base of the big one.  The bark completely missing in action - gone!  Big honkin' claw marks above head level dug right through the bark as well.  I figured a bear was the responsible party, but they typically debark Doug Fir in the Spring when the sap first starts running, so I'm not a hundred percent sure.  Anybody have ideas?  Squatch?