2025 blacktail rut thread

[Blacktail Sniper]

Hanging out in our field a little bit ago with 3 does.

[redi]

Nice inspiration

[Pete112288]

I look forward to this week every year. This thread is making me wish I still had a tag  got lucky the first Monday of season. But nothing gets me going like blacktail but hunting. Shot one that was 170lbs just meat and bones hanging in 2020, would have probably never seen him if it wasn't for the last week of October, he was an old boy. Good luck to those still out there.

[trophyhunt]

Haven’t seen the activity like I did last year at this time, didn’t see a single deer today but didn’t hunt long, gotta keep the generator going since we lost power at 5 yesterday.  Have Thursday and Friday off, it has to be on by then!  Then, my dads special permit starts Nov 1-10 for the white river buck tag.

[Kingofthemountain83]

Ratted in a small 2x about 3pm... My Dad would've taken him... But he held up at 24 yards in the alders and never gave a shot... Stared our direction for a few then turned and headed back into the big timber...

[fowl smacker]

My kid shot her buck today, a little forky.  No swelling, no stink.  Saw well over 40 does this weekend.  2 had little spikes with them, not acting rutty.

[redi]

I grunted in a nice two point to 80 yards and watched him shred several jacks over the next 40 minutes. His neck was very swollen and he was ready to go.

[highside74]

We sat on a cut last night. Just before 6pm a small 2x and 3 does entered from a dead end short skid road about 450 yards directly across from us. One doe clearly had his attention. They proceeded to give us a full pre rut show. He never let her get to far from him. He went and stuck his nose in every place she peed and came up lip curling. He dogged her all across the cut and ended up 210 yards from us by 6:30. It was the 1st blacktail buck my son has spotted on his own and the 1st rut type activity that he's been able to witness. Very fun night. If he was still 12 we probably would have shot it but now he's old enough to hold out a bit. We still have 5 great evenings plus the late season to go. There were 5 total does in that cut last night so we have a great chance at a big bit showing up this week.

[elkboy]

(Benton County, Oregon)   I got out for 3 hours last night, and glassed up a nice blacktail 3x2 and a doe in some fairly dense Douglas-fir, oak, and bigleaf maple timber.  The brush and low limbs prevented a clear shot, but the deer were fun to watch.  He was definitely interested in that doe, but there wasn't really intense behavior just yet. 

Good luck out there, everyone!   

[pianoman9701]

(Benton County, Oregon)   I got out for 3 hours last night, and glassed up a nice blacktail 3x2 and a doe in some fairly dense Douglas-fir, oak, and bigleaf maple timber.  The brush and low limbs prevented a clear shot, but the deer were fun to watch.  He was definitely interested in that doe, but there wasn't really intense behavior just yet. 

Good luck out there, everyone!   

Go get 'em, Prof!