Blacktail Down - Rutting up already

[klikboom]

Well I spent the weekend hunting hard, and came away with my best blacktail to date (of three). Saturday was crazy, but overall was the most fun I've had hunting. The rain was torrential, I mean coming down like I had not seen. I had a rubber rain jacket underneath my gore-tex jacket, and still spent most of the day in the truck. We saw 2 forkies. I was trying to concentrate on getting my father in law a deer, as he hasn't since he stopped hunting regularly in the 70's. He got really close to getting a nice 2pt but narrowly missed. Then I went on to miss 2 grouse with a 12 gauge later  Why had I not been practicing with the shotty! Overall, the animals were up and moving on Saturday! I was really surprised to see one of the forked horn buck trying to hump a doe.

So I headed back out this morning. This is my third year of deer hunting and officially the first year I have been able to spot deer by their ears. I got a lot of practice yesterday spotting a bunch of does throughout the day. Today upon entering "the area" after checking out a couple clear cuts, I spotted a bedded doe. Right under the doe's ears I saw the horns of a buck!
 
I jumped out of the truck (I know  road hunting but we were heading to our spot) put the scope on him, and popped one while he was still bedded down. He jumped up stumbling, and I hit him with one more to seal it. I thought he may have dropped into the gulley, but my father in law found him just a little way from his bed. THe shot was close, only 200 feet or so.

I gutted him there and got some help dragging him back up the clearcut. He has a big body, and a MASSIVE neck. He was very rutted up, I was surprised to see him all stinky and horny this early. He is a really nice buck for me, and i am STOKED to bring him in. I am getting it cape mounted. I know its not a huge rack but I am really impressed overall that he is just a good looking buck and I want his Roman nose splendor on my wall.

My props go to the Winchester Supreme .308 ballistic tip. The fern behind where he was bedded looked like a Quentin Tarantino Film-set (165gr).

I took it back to my in-laws place, caped it, then boned it out right there because I didn't want to have to come back. I am recovering from shoulder surgery so I totally overused it, and now I think I am paying for it. I left a good amount of meat on the bones, just because I needed to stop the butchering for my shoulders sake.

[BLKBEARKLR]

Sweet buck, that neck is swollen quite a bit, can't believe they are already starting. Congrats to you

[Schmalzfam]

Nice buck!! 

We saw a lot of bucks chasing the does around. I think they are starting to rut.

[nw_bowhunter]

Nice buck. He sure does look like he was rutting pretty good.

[bankwalker]

seen a nice buck yesterday rutting already. also the one i shot at yesterday was following a doe (idk if he was just with with her, or rutting)

[klikboom]

Speculation on why they are rutting early? The past couple years they are are not moving like this for 2 more weeks.

[chester]

wow...nice buck man, congrats! 

[Aneoakleaf]

Wow great story and nice Huge buck for a blacktail!! Congradulations!!

[G.R.K]

Good to see the fatty necks already.

[Buschingc]

Congrats man.. Thanks for sharing..

[bucklucky]

Great job on the fine blacktail!

A little info from a seasoned blacktail veteran:

They arent rutting early, this is about the normal time they start chasing. I have usually killed my blacktail the first week and almost all have been rutted up chasing does.

[bowsandhose]

nice buck. grats

[shag]

Seems a bit early to me.  At least where I live but what do I know..

Congrats on your biggest yet!!!!

[klikboom]

Thanks Bucklucky, I trust your seasoned opinion. One more question for blacktails, have you found a correlation between size/elevation/time? As in do the bigger blackies stay higher (within the same landscape or area) during the rut? Or do they all come down low to chase does?

[Yelm hunter]

Not sure if there was a DOE around or not... But there was this years FAWN and a massive 3 or 4 point buck as I was leaving work last night right on gateway blvd. in front of CABELAS...

A NO HUNTING ZONE!!

He would kill that fawn if he is rutting...BIG BODY DEER!!