Blacktail Rut Thread - Post updates here

[7mmfan]

What a looker elkoholic! Congratz!!

I agree, very pretty buck.

[fishnfur]

Still no real evidence of any real action on my backyard trailcams.  Doe still with fawns, smaller bucks coming and going in the last couple nights  Been about 5 days since I captured a big buck - perhaps their in lockdown.

My cam caught an unusual Blacktailed Deer vocalization by a fawn a night or two ago.  I didn't have the date/time set on this cam.  A quiet croaking noise is the best I can describe the sound. I've certainly never heard this noise before that I know of.  It is pretty quiet though.  You can hear it three times in this 20 second vid:

 

[b0bbyg]

saw a bunch of does and yearlings scatter out of the neighbors yard an hour ago, watched for a while and in comes a spike. 

most just bailed out and ran off a few were going slower trying to get him to go away and watched him follow the others of across another neighbors yard.  That little guy was trying but nobody wanted to tolerate him much.  his spike antlers were shined up quite a bit since the last time I saw him a week ago.

[fishngamereaper]

Imo it's come and gone mostly.

All my haunt's had activity 23rd ish till the 29th ish ....car v deer collisions also increased which is a for sure sign..

Might be some late activity but I think the full on stupid is done.

[fishnfur]

Imo it's come and gone mostly.

All my haunt's had activity 23rd ish till the 29th ish ....car v deer collisions also increased which is a for sure sign..

Might be some late activity but I think the full on stupid is done.

The next day or three should prove you right or wrong.  I have no idea if it is done but I find it hard to imagine that it is.  These deer, while not well studied when compared to WTs and MD, have been studied enought for scientists to narrow down the peak of the rut to a period "in the second week of November", and it happens like that every single year. Fawn birthing studies bear out the same dates for peak of the rut. 

While I understand your belief that since you're seeing way less activity now than in late Oct, the rut must be over in your area.  I've been advocating the idea that many BT doe have a first estrus cycle that starts sometime in mid to late Oct. That first cycle seems to be much less successful in fertilizing doe eggs than the cycle that follow, but is responsible for that first massive rush of buck activity we hunters often observe.  My idea could easily be a load of crap as well.  It seems to be a little more complicated that this simple explanation suggests, but the general idea seems in line with observations.

In a typical year, the period when cams pick up the most bucks at night and an occasional one during the daylight (a rarity in my 'hood) is 8 - 11 Nov. Occasionally the 12th as well.  From what I remember, Bobcat's cams seem to suggest the same timeframe that I've observed (which corresponds nicely to "the peak of the rut').  The last two years were way outside the norm.  I caught big bucks still cruising hard all the way out to the 20th of Nov. - a full week later than had been the case for many years prior to that.  It would not surprise me if that was the case this year as well - though if it doesn't happen soon then  .  I will, (of course) keep updating as the days pass. 

[Buzzsaw461]

Imo it's come and gone mostly.

All my haunt's had activity 23rd ish till the 29th ish ....car v deer collisions also increased which is a for sure sign..

Might be some late activity but I think the full on stupid is done.

The next day or three should prove you right or wrong.  I have no idea if it is done but I find it hard to imagine that it is.  These deer, while not well studied when compared to WTs and MD, have been studied enought for scientists to narrow down the peak of the rut to a period "in the second week of November", and it happens like that every single year. Fawn birthing studies bear out the same dates for peak of the rut. 

While I understand your belief that since you're seeing way less activity now than in late Oct, the rut must be over in your area.  I've been advocating the idea that many BT doe have a first estrus cycle that starts sometime in mid to late Oct. That first cycle seems to be much less successful in fertilizing doe eggs than the cycle that follow, but is responsible for that first massive rush of buck activity we hunters often observe.  My idea could easily be a load of crap as well.  It seems to be a little more complicated that this simple explanation suggests, but the general idea seems in line with observations.

In a typical year, the period when cams pick up the most bucks at night and an occasional one during the daylight (a rarity in my 'hood) is 8 - 11 Nov. Occasionally the 12th as well.  From what I remember, Bobcat's cams seem to suggest the same timeframe that I've observed (which corresponds nicely to "the peak of the rut').  The last two years were way outside the norm.  I caught big bucks still cruising hard all the way out to the 20th of Nov. - a full week later than had been the case for many years prior to that.  It would not surprise me if that was the case this year as well - though if it doesn't happen soon then  .  I will, (of course) keep updating as the days pass.

Been driving logging roads around Granite Falls and yesterday was the first day I’ve seen Bucks out during the day. The one 2 point had his nose to the ground and could care less that I was driving right by him.

[IslandHunter]

It's been really interesting as a new hunter with 3 seasons under my belt. Never really knew anything about the rut until recently.

Last week I saw a beautiful BT cruising through my neighborhood around 9:00 AM. I also found a nice buck Halloween weekend at like 2 am as I was walking back from my neighbors house after too many adult sodas. Got within like 10 yards of him before he ran off. I guess he could tell I wasn't going to be making any quick or graceful moves with the state I was in.

In the past week I have seen probably 5 or 6 pictures or videos from friends social media showing nice bucks chasing does or walking through peoples yards. Kind of funny most people have no idea what's going on, they just think they caught a random buck coming through their yard during the daylight...

Seeing all this action really makes me more interested in hunting the rut and going for some of the permit draw tags.

[WapitiTalk1]

It’s still rolling, just a bit different now . The pre rut for BT, as with most deer, kicks hard the last few weeks of OCT, into early NOV …lots of sniffing, moving in odd times of the day (the bucks are pretty dizzy as their testosterone level rises). Most of the receptive mounting is happening now thru the third/fourth week of NOV.  Stay on the does, even just one or a few of them, you’ll see a buck. I double dog guarantee it. The late modern season for deer here is a great time to drop a buck. Stay with it. 

[Buzzsaw461]

 

It’s still rolling, just a bit different now . The pre rut for BT, as with most deer, kicks hard the last few weeks of OCT, into early NOV …lots of sniffing, moving in odd times of the day (the bucks are pretty dizzy as their testosterone level rises). Most of the receptive mounting is happening now thru the third/fourth week of NOV.  Stay on the does, even just one or a few of them, you’ll see a buck. I double dog guarantee it. The late modern season for deer here is a great time to drop a buck. Stay with it. 

[Sundance]

Had to brake hard for a stout 2pt this morning, he was walking through town on a mission. Might be time to hang a stand off a telephone pole in downtown Kingston.

[gutsnthegrass]

I had a nice 3 point go between me and the car in front of me this morning on Petrovistky right by the park. His nose was to the ground and didn’t even slow down.

[fishngamereaper]

Decent buck got hit last night local..my buddy grabbed it..kind of rutty...and skinny so he's been running for a while...seen some deer moving today but seems weather driven.
Check all my cams this morning. All showed major activity 24th thru the 2nd...one cam had 7 different bucks. Zero rut looking activity in 6 days. Could just be my area's...but they are pretty consistent from year to year...
And my big bucks survived general...

[fishnfur]

Had to brake hard for a stout 2pt this morning, he was walking through town on a mission. Might be time to hang a stand off a telephone pole in downtown Kingston.

Ahhh, I get it.  I though you meant you had to break hard for a stout - like a Guinness.  It made perfect sense since a good beer will bring me to a pause pretty quick.

The rut is hard to gauge.  All we can do is best guess what is going on in their world based on what we see and hear from others.  Understanding the general timing of when each of the four stages of the rut occur (Seeking, chasing, tending, post rut/second (third?) estrus) gives a hunter an advantage in the woods.   Non-hunters are never really aware that anything is happening at all.  Rut activity always seems to wax and wane in the way tides rhythmically change over time.  Crazy hot for a few days then a period of very slow/minimal activity, then increasing again.  Once December rolls around, scientific studies say that roughly 99% of the breeding is done.

Around here, I'd like to scream to the city manager that all they have to do is put up temporary road signs on roads that are perennially problematic indicating that deer crossings are likely after sunset.  Three weeks of temporary signage would reduce deer strikes and expensive insurance claims substantially.

[Trigger05-11]

Woodland Thursday Morning. Seen this guy three times in the last week. Always hot on the tail of a doe.

[HunterofWA]

Nice buck, looks almost like one I've seen.