Blacktail rattling 2019

[predatorG]

Hey!  Predator G takes a break from the books and makes an appearance!  How's college young man?  Are you coming home to hunt this season?

College is good! Pretty warm down here in AZ. Saw a 350+ In. Bull while backpacking last weekend. I lived in Missouri and worked all summer so I didn't come home at all, which meant no August bear season for me

December I'll be back and better than ever for the end of late archery 

Won't count on any rut or rattling that late, so this thread is just theory and future info for me... I'll just be cruising around and looking for deer in the open when I'm home, maybe some stand hunting.

Man I miss hunting good dates

[slowhand]

Hey!  Predator G takes a break from the books and makes an appearance!  How's college young man?  Are you coming home to hunt this season?

Regarding rattling during the opener, I would just say that I have never had a deer respond to rattling prior to the season opener, and it was likely a week after that that the earliest buck moved in response to the horns -somewhere around the 20th.   During the end of the muzzy week one season, I could hear bucks about 75 yards or so deeper in the woods sparring towards last light.  I did three sets of rattling and they showed no interest in my attempts.  Totally unresponsive.

 The deer are curious to what is going on when they hear rattling.  One of my graduate level college books on Mule Deer and BT deer states that the deer act like kids running to see a fight when they hear the antlers banging between two sparring deer.  That remark was made regarding Mule Deer, though I suppose it happens in the BT world as well, though I've never seen it.  From Pred. G.'s story about the doe and fawn showing up after rattling, that may be exactly what happened in that case.  Regardless, I consider rattling to be a quality tactic to consider in the last 10 or so days of October.  If I was chasing a big buck in the early season, I'd save that tactic till his hormones are raging a bit more, say the last week of October.  I'd guess that you're only going to get one chance to get it right on that buck, so timing is of the essence.   

Let us know how it turns out.

I absolutely will. Trucks outside all loaded up and ready to roll as soon as the clock strikes 4pm or My boss gives Me the green light.
Set up camp tonight then up at 4am and off to My favorite gate. Zack (hunting partner) took today off so He will be all set by the time I get there. Super pumped.
It's going to be a great weekend. 
 

[fishnfur]

[fishnfur]

Here's one more video.  I skipped it on Youtube and went straight to the BT vids.  This one  is a QDMA piece on rattling for WTs and is probably the best of the three.  I would guess that this information also holds true for BTs, without proof otherwise.

[ridgefire]

I know very little about rattling Blacktails but I rattled in four different Blacktail bucks in one evening a few years back so I know it works. The crazy thing is that it was on Dec 8. Not sure why they liked the rattling so much but they were def coming in to it.

[Turner89]

I have pretty good series a pics of 2 nice blacktail fighting. It was the end of December.

[slowhand]

Gave it a shot rattling Oct 5th about an hour before dark. Light rattling and a couple of Doe bleats.
Zack and I found a nice spot way down in a hole with decent views in all directions. No luck
I stayed out of My number one and number two spots as I anticipate the greatest chance for success to be in those areas and would prefer to wait until a better part of the season (more run activity) before any rattling in these locations. We did do a morning hunt in My number two spot looking for a chance at a buck and a good rattling location for future use. I found an absolute ton of last years rubs. It made Me wonder. How many rubs does one buck make? How many bucks can be in a few square miles of land? There just can't be any way all these rubs are made buy one or two Bucks?

[sagerat]

I have pretty good series a pics of 2 nice blacktail fighting. It was the end of December.

Please share those!

[fishnfur]

http://www.outdoorblog.net/pnwbowhunting/2011/04/13/deer-post-season-scouting-part-2-finding-core-rut-zones/

[deerhunter_98520]

Seen some new rubs Monday, just a matter of time fellas

[Turner89]

I have pretty good series a pics of 2 nice blacktail fighting. It was the end of December.

Please share those!

I will 

[Turner89]

Seen some new rubs Monday, just a matter of time fellas

This should be a pretty good year in BT country.

[Turner89]

@sagerat
These pics of buck fighting were actually early January. This camera was left out almost a year and a half. I couldn't get back to it due to some road construction. The camera actually took pics of me when I finally got back to check it.  Thats how I know that the date is correct.   I figured they would be all done fighting by this time.

[SeaRun1]

It’s definitely starting.  I scan for bucks everyday on my 16 mile country commute to work in very big Blacktail area.  I might see two does on average in a week.  Starting this Monday I am seeing three to four bucks a day cruising the roads.  It’s definitely ramping up.  They are out cruising checking out the available hotties for sure.   On Monday I watched two 4x4’s sniffing up a frontage road with no concern for my truck checking them out.  Yep...  something has changed in their daily patterns...  Best of luck to all the Blacktail hunters out there.

SR1

[fishnfur]

Wow!  SeaRun1 is back and full of good news.  Good report man.  Seems early for that kind of activity.  Could be a banner year, at least in your neck of the woods (which is where I hunt when I can get away). 

The only rubs I've seen were from a month ago when the bucks were shedding velvet.  Lost a couple trees on one of the tree farms, one from a bull, one from a buck.  Normally the bucks won't kill a tree stripping velvet, but it happens from time to time that they girdle the thing completely.  Bulls are rubbing everywhere and everything.

Rather than hijack this thread, I think it's time for a new one on early season.  Look for it!

Good luck to the rattlers on the MF opener.  Might be a touch early, but you never know what might come in to the horns.