How is late season whitetail hunting? Good, bad, decent? GMU 105/117?

[eddyr]

With Roosevelt elk going extremely tough for me, and with this rain and fog I don't know if it will get better (although should lighten on over the weekend)
I am considering maybe going for a late season whitetail? Have next week off anyway. It's a 6 hour drive for me and will be completely new area. Also never hunted during the rut before. What can I expect? I read the reports and the success rates in those units seem good but I wonder if most of it during the general season? Not looking for anything big. Just something legal so I can have some game meat in the freezer and not just fish.

Also how is CWD in there? A lot of sightings/positive tests or not really?

Thanks for any info!

[Caseknife]

No CWD in those units yet, to my knowledge.  EHD/blue tongue hit the population hard this summer.  Think it will be pretty slim pickings this fall in late WT.  Sorry for the downer info, but that is what I have seen on our property and the surrounding area, not a lot of deer.

[Billy74]

Public is busier late season where i go.  I never see much rut behavior the first week but buck movement ramps up as the late season goes on.  I don’t even think its in full swing by the last day


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[hunter399]

No CWD in those units yet, to my knowledge.  EHD/blue tongue hit the population hard this summer.  Think it will be pretty slim pickings this fall in late WT.  Sorry for the downer info, but that is what I have seen on our property and the surrounding area, not a lot of deer.

CWD has been confirmed last year in 117,on the eastern edge of unit.
117/124 both have it, according to WDFW. As of last year.

[hunter399]

With Roosevelt elk going extremely tough for me, and with this rain and fog I don't know if it will get better (although should lighten on over the weekend)
I am considering maybe going for a late season whitetail? Have next week off anyway. It's a 6 hour drive for me and will be completely new area. Also never hunted during the rut before. What can I expect? I read the reports and the success rates in those units seem good but I wonder if most of it during the general season? Not looking for anything big. Just something legal so I can have some game meat in the freezer and not just fish.

Also how is CWD in there? A lot of sightings/positive tests or not really?

Thanks for any info!

I'm gonna give a decent, not gonna say good or bad.
Cause it just depends where you go. Some areas hit very hard by blue tongue this year.
But that's not everywhere,so I'd say give it a try.

[BrockWeilep]

With Roosevelt elk going extremely tough for me, and with this rain and fog I don't know if it will get better (although should lighten on over the weekend)
I am considering maybe going for a late season whitetail? Have next week off anyway. It's a 6 hour drive for me and will be completely new area. Also never hunted during the rut before. What can I expect? I read the reports and the success rates in those units seem good but I wonder if most of it during the general season? Not looking for anything big. Just something legal so I can have some game meat in the freezer and not just fish.

Also how is CWD in there? A lot of sightings/positive tests or not really?

Thanks for any info!

You’ll run into a lot of predators. Theres some deer in pockets. I don’t spend too much time in those units though, so I don’t know them well.


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[kodiak06]

Unless the deer are rutting earlier their than the places I hunt, you won't be hunting the rut. It'll be pre-rut tactics

[eddyr]

Unless the deer are rutting earlier their than the places I hunt, you won't be hunting the rut. It'll be pre-rut tactics

Honestly Im still not even totally sure when rut is, never hunted late season before. I heard for blacktails (which is the only deer I hunted so far) rut starts first week of November. Not sure how true that is but I have been seeing quite a few more bucks this week compared to last.

[Billy74]

Unless the deer are rutting earlier their than the places I hunt, you won't be hunting the rut. It'll be pre-rut tactics

Honestly Im still not even totally sure when rut is, never hunted late season before. I heard for blacktails (which is the only deer I hunted so far) rut starts first week of November. Not sure how true that is but I have been seeing quite a few more bucks this week compared to last.

I think people talk about “the rut” but mean different things.  I think most hunters refer to the rut to talk about buck behavior leading up to breeding and some refer to the rut as actual breeding and female receptivity which I think is only a day or two and almost always the same days based on a days photo period.  For the hunter the only thing that matters is the bucks behavior leading up to breeding which may be weeks or days ahead of the breeding so casually speaking it seems to move around the calendar.   


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[Billy74]

Unless the deer are rutting earlier their than the places I hunt, you won't be hunting the rut. It'll be pre-rut tactics

Honestly Im still not even totally sure when rut is, never hunted late season before. I heard for blacktails (which is the only deer I hunted so far) rut starts first week of November. Not sure how true that is but I have been seeing quite a few more bucks this week compared to last.

I think people talk about “the rut” but mean different things.  I think most hunters refer to the rut to talk about buck behavior leading up to breeding and some refer to the rut as actual breeding and female receptivity which I think is only a day or two and almost always the same days based on a days photo period.  For the hunter the only thing that matters is the bucks behavior leading up to breeding which may be weeks or days ahead of the breeding so casually speaking it seems to move around the calendar.   


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[dmoua]

Slim pickings. Even more so now that all Hancock property is closed. Peak rut for whitetail in those areas is usually Thanksgiving week meaning you will not be hunting the rut.

[WoodHacker]

Those units seem to be better when there's snow on the ground, but that's not forecast for the coming season. Colville's forecast is for a high of 50 degrees during the first 7 days.  My cameras in 117 haven't seen a buck in three weeks!

[huntnnw]

What people think of the rut is bucks out chasing does around. When you see the first ones chasing give it about 3-5 days and that’s when the mature bucks join the game. I can set a clock every year to when it really ramps up. Nov 18-26 are the primo dates to be in the whitetail woods. Some years you could be a day or 2 earlier or a day or 2 later .

[vandeman17]

What people think of the rut is bucks out chasing does around. When you see the first ones chasing give it about 3-5 days and that’s when the mature bucks join the game. I can set a clock every year to when it really ramps up. Nov 18-26 are the primo dates to be in the whitetail woods. Some years you could be a day or 2 earlier or a day or 2 later .

So your clock is close but not spot on... 

[kodiak06]

Unless the deer are rutting earlier their than the places I hunt, you won't be hunting the rut. It'll be pre-rut tactics

Honestly Im still not even totally sure when rut is, never hunted late season before. I heard for blacktails (which is the only deer I hunted so far) rut starts first week of November. Not sure how true that is but I have been seeing quite a few more bucks this week compared to last.

Yea the blacktail rut in the lower coast area starts ramping up pretty good a few days before halloween. It's hot on the Oregon side right now.

[hunter399]

Slim pickings. Even more so now that all Hancock property is closed. Peak rut for whitetail in those areas is usually Thanksgiving week meaning you will not be hunting the rut.

That Hancock closed will displace some late season camps for sure.
A lot of folks don't think it's a big deal, until the 25-50 other hunters are moved to other public lands. Looks like a lot of hunting clubs, whatever ranch, are leasing.
Basically turned NE into the rich and elite only for those Hancock lands.

[hunter399]

Back on topic though.
I'm still gonna say decent to bad. Anybody that's never hunted NE , needs to do it at least once.
You can get a feel for it, access, amount of hunters,all that.
Slim pickings as said is true,it's no slam dunk hunt.
It will never be what it was years ago, predators, access,CWD/blue tongue, just to name a few factors.
I've seen more deer hit by cars on 395 during the month of October,than all summer,I drive it regularly for work.

[Ghost Hunter]

    For the first time I passed on waiting for late season.