2023 Blacktail Rut Thread

[blackymaster20]

Younger bucks have been crusing mostly at night around my place. Last night I went put at 7:30 and watched a 2 point with his noise down chasing the does on my place. The bigger bucks are still not chasing hard yet. Things can change overnight but from experience that first week of November is magic for mature bucks.

[Jrtishchuk]

Yesterday evening, killed 2 bucks.  While taking pictures a hot doe runs by about 20 yards with a mature buck on her.  Shot him. Both buck smelled bad


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jrtishchuk]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[highside74]

Sky scraper wow

[Dark2Dark]

This guy was alone but his glands were a little smelly and when he came out into the clearcut he was terrorizing all the bushes around him.

While I was cutting him up and dark was setting in, there was a bunch of racket in the brush that sounded a little like another buck raking.

I stopped by to chat with my uncle and there was a doe and a dawn in his yard. After a while a doe came running across the yard and driveway, with another deer hot on her tracks. It was too dark to see antlers but with the way his nose was down and they were both running, I’m pretty sure it was a him chasing her.

[slavenoid]

On Monday the 23rd I saw a buck at last light stuck to a doe. The following morning at first light we saw this guy absolutely stuck to a doe so my brother got him. He was really smelly. Hunted hard the next seven days and only found one more smaller guy interested in does. I took him too but he didn't smell at all.

[kramman]

Hunted grays harbor Co. Yesterday afternoon. No deer movement till after dark? Congrats to those who filled their tags.

[dilleytech]

Hunted grays harbor Co. Yesterday afternoon. No deer movement till after dark? Congrats to those who filled their tags.

The last 5 days of the season we had horrible conditions. Full moon, clear sky’s not great. Watched a buck push a doe into the bushes at work. Wish I was hunting this week.

[Bullkllr]

Hunted grays harbor Co. Yesterday afternoon. No deer movement till after dark? Congrats to those who filled their tags.

The last 5 days of the season we had horrible conditions. Full moon, clear sky’s not great. Watched a buck push a doe into the bushes at work. Wish I was hunting this week.

 

In my experience, the daylight activity and deer sightings just got progressively worse day after day.

[Griiz]

Hunted grays harbor Co. Yesterday afternoon. No deer movement till after dark? Congrats to those who filled their tags.

The last 5 days of the season we had horrible conditions. Full moon, clear sky’s not great. Watched a buck push a doe into the bushes at work. Wish I was hunting this week.

 

In my experience, the daylight activity and deer sightings just got progressively worse day after day.

I had a tree stand in a swampy area with timber, swamp and thick brush around me. It is a trail convergent area with a convergence of multiple habitats. The nice weather and moon wasn't our friend, but at least it was cool out. I was seeing deer movement from daybreak until around 11:30. I was usually climbing out of my stand around noon to still hunt and would climb back in in the evenings. I didn't have much action in evenings, it was a morning show, but usually is for me. While still hunting, I was still seeing deer movement during mid day, but could be from me bumping them or them smelling me. I wasn't hunting clear cuts or real open areas. I had young bucks strutting around and pushing does, but little mature animal activity. The deer I harvested on the 31st had a swollen neck, but little rut smell and scent glands weren't lubed up yet. In my area, I usually see the mature buck start cruising around the 30th to the 5th of November and then they seem to be locked down on does. I noticed in the dark timber yesterday that the trails were really cut up with tracks and jumping and pawing behavior. Interesting and fun trying to figure blacktails out. I wish there was more quality literature about their behavior. On Saturday I had a 2" spike strut through, flaming, and smelling the ground like a hound dog. He pulled circles and went everywhere a doe and her fawns had been earlier. Then followed their trail into the thick brush. The mature buck I harvested was walking fast and cruising through under my stand when I harvested him. I even had a spike hit his antler on my tree step when he busted in on a doe that was feeding below me. Pretty cool to watch.

[BLH69]

can i send pictures to someone so they can post them?

[BLH69]

All these years and i still cant do it. im computer not smart.

[7mmfan]

All these years and i still cant do it. im computer not smart.

If it's on your phone, take a screenshot of the picture and then post the screenshot. Works every time.

[pickardjw]

@BLH69 here a link to a post I made on how to resize your photos to be able to upload.

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,86272.1320.html

Or you can send them my way and I'll post em. Same as my username @gmail.com

[tvandy45]

Confirmed rut action on the golf course today