When do north cascade blacktails rut?

[Elkfun12]

My brother has a quality deer tag in North cascades. He is headed out in the morning. Was wondering if anyone can tell us when those high country bucks rut versus the low country deer?

[SeatoSummit88]

Now I have no personal experience, but I would have to imagine/from the videos I've watched on YouTube...Those alpine deer should follow the same rut cycle as the lower land ones do. (So about now...but every little piece of land differs per doe). The one thing I've heard is that those Mountain Bucks will move down out of the snow level to find does in heat...but as soon as they done mating, those big boys move into knee to waist high snow to stay away from people and to have a good vantage point below them. But once again, no personal experience myself hunting high alpine deer...just from reading and video hunts.  Good luck!

[SeatoSummit88]

Now I have no personal experience, but I would have to imagine/from the videos I've watched on YouTube...Those alpine deer should follow the same rut cycle as the lower land ones do. (So about now...but every little piece of land differs per doe). The one thing I've heard is that those Mountain Bucks will move down out of the snow level to find does in heat...but as soon as they are done mating, those big boys move into knee to waist high snow to stay away from people and to have a good vantage point below them. But once again, no personal experience myself hunting high alpine deer...just from reading and video hunts.  Good luck!

[7mmfan]

It's all basically the same. Rut timing happens in basically the same 2 week period for all deer in WA, with localized small variances. Rut timing is not due to elevation, weather, or moon, but photo periods, and the amount of daylight during the day. When the right amount of daylight hits the rut starts. It happens the same time every year so that fawns are all born at roughly the same time during the spring, ensuring maximum survival.

They are rutting now, and will likely peak sometime in the next 10 days. I have always noticed more bucks on the move between the 10-15, but that is my personal experience.

[lewy]

Island and lower elevation bt bucks are slightly ahead of the higher elevation bt bucks to start showing rut activity, if you are starting tomorrow we’re you mentioned you should be right in the sweet spot

[Tbar]

Tomorrow! Literally,  it will likely be the best day of the year.

[skagitsteel]

Which unit does he have a tag for? I have quite a few years trail camera data to prove the higher elevation bucks certainly rut later. It’s about a week behind the foothills and a solid 2 weeks behind bucks hanging around close to puget sound. There are very few places the bucks actually stay up high to rut,  most of them head down by now looking for does regardless of weather. Most of my cams show truly rutting bucks and does in heat starting around the 7th, peaking the 10th-15th and still showing some chasing and rutty behavior until the 20th-25th of November. Fawns drop later as well.

[3nails]

Which unit does he have a tag for? I have quite a few years trail camera data to prove the higher elevation bucks certainly rut later. It’s about a week behind the foothills and a solid 2 weeks behind bucks hanging around close to puget sound. There are very few places the bucks actually stay up high to rut,  most of them head down by now looking for does regardless of weather. Most of my cams show truly rutting bucks and does in heat starting around the 7th, peaking the 10th-15th and still showing some chasing and rutty behavior until the 20th-25th of November. Fawns drop later as well.

Spot on.

[Elkfun12]

Hes has the tag for 426.

[highside74]

I figured Skagitsteel and 3nails would be the go to source when I saw this thread. Great info. Thanks

[fishnfur]

   You got it from the source.  Don't question it. 

Edit -  and when you think about it, the timing makes perfect sense.  Fawns born in the lowlands in late May/early June have a warm comfy climate in which to grow and put on weight/fat.  Those born at high elevation may suffer the effects cold/wet weather, which (due to poor fawn recruitment) reduces the populations of those deer that tend to breed earlier rather than later.  The subtle differences we see in situations like these are the way they are for a good reason.  Often, it is the result of many thousands of years of environmental effects or predator/prey relationships that ultimately directed the way a species worked around (managed to survive and prosper) a difficult local situation.   

[skagitsteel]

Hes has the tag for 426.

That can be a tough unit. It’s mostly steep timbered hillsides. Blacktail toward the western edge, crosses and mule deer on the eastern edge of Ross lake.

[Elkfun12]

So he's been busting his butt. Hes had 2 cameras with salt going since summer. First camera he hiked in 5 miles from hearts pass 3 time and only had 1 doe on camera. We had a camera on the west side of the lake last year and found a huge scrap line but never seen a mature buck during general season. But his main camera this year has had great action. He had 2 different 4x4 with eyegaurds and multiply smaller bucks with a bunch of does. Since about September all the bucks have left. He went and checked his camera 2 weeks ago and the batteries had died on October 10th with no bucks. Does are still hammering the salt though. He has a picture of 5 does in 1 picture so I looks promising.  This camera is 2 miles in and lower elevation and are hoping some of those big mountain bucks make there way down. And most of the deer he has on camera look like crosses. Black top on tail with black stripe up the center. But I'm no expert. Thanks for all the information from everybody. I'll keep everybody posted. He's up there right now

[fishnfur]

Hope he finds a masher!

[Pacific Ghost]

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about the later rut timing in the higher elevations as well. Now, don't laugh at me, but I have my own theory on why it might be just a fuzz later. If you are up thousands of feet higher, the earth curvature comes into play. In other words, the site line toward the horizon, where the daylight emanates. The sunlight hits the high areas just a tad longer, which might be enough to lengthen the photo period just enough to make those deer up higher generally lag just behind the lowland deer. So, it would not be because of elevation itself, but rather how that significant increase in elevation interacts with the amount of light.