Westside Blacktail rut?

[Bean]

Hey guys, I'm hunting a nice buck thats strictly nocturnal right now. Got some trail cam pics of him all hours of the night but none during shooting light. I know where he sleeps and I know where he eats but I've had no luck seeing is how I can't see in the dark. I'm looking forward to the rut so he'll break his pattern. I read that the rut gets going around mid October but my wife saw him in our driveway the other night (sep 17th) and told me "I think he's sick cause his neck looks swollen"  Just wondering what the word on the street is from ya'll experience guys.  This is my first year hunting in the PNW. I've searched around for rut times for the westside (I'm currently hunting on Whidbey) but didn't find much. Hopefully I'm not re-asking an answered question.

[NWBREW]

Personally I think the BT rut comes to full swing the first week or two in Nov......maybe the end of Oct. depending on wheather and location. If you think his neck looks swollen now....just wait. My buddy killed a huge BT last year in the middle of Oct. and I would have sworn he was rutted up. Huge neck and stunk up like he was. 160lbs. at the butcher (no head, hide, guts or legs) but he was still hanging with 3 other bucks when he was killed.

Have you tried any trail cams. Good luck Bean

[croix]

i think this question has been discussed before but i doubt that you'll find a definitive "answer". my experience has been that mid october is pre-rut for blacktails. the rut is on at the end of oct. i will be in the woods 29-31 oct. - again, just my experience. others have seen blacktail rut activity all the way until dec 1.

to sum it up - blacktail rut is anywhere from october to december.  

i have no personal experience on whidbey so things may be significantly different. good luck.

[lewy]

First week of Nov. is prime, but late Oct. offers some good buck movement as well....I love hunting bt's on holloween day

[Bean]

Thanks for the speedy replies. Thanks guys. About the Trail Cam. My wife feeds the deer by our house. She likes watching the "babies" before dark. I put up a trail cam and What do you know. Jack pot! I've since moved it to a trail he frequents but we only get pics of him by the house. No problem, I'll take the above advice and get him chasing tail

[grundy53]

usually the blacktails are rutting hardest during rifle elk season but i agree the best time you can actually hunt them is around halloween.

[billythekidrock]

i think this question has been discussed before but i doubt that you'll find a definitive "answer". my experience has been that mid october is pre-rut for blacktails. the rut is on at the end of oct. i will be in the woods 29-31 oct. - again, just my experience. others have seen blacktail rut activity all the way until dec 1.

 
Most serious BT hunters will be hitting it hard the last week of October.

[head hunter]

grundy53 is right i hunt them around mount vernon and the last week of october is the best ive seen up this direction last holloween it was in sane watched deer running everywhere but filled my tag the week before so i couldnt pull the trigger

[SFD2015]

I shot my 3 X 3 last year on the 20th and his neck was HUGE!!!! Plus he was acting really Stoooopid. It came charging through the brush where we had seen a doe earlier in the morning (I don't know if that has anything to do with it though) and stood there about 20 yards broadside with his head turned staring at me. .300 Win Mag, double lung, bad boy took one jump back and fell about 15 feet from where I had shot him. Nobody believed me he was rutting until they saw his neck.... I will try to find some pics and post them!

[Trailstrider]

Watch for the last full moon in October to trigger the start of the rut and runs about three weeks. Keep in mind that it is also weather related and can come with the first heavy frost. I have seen them still in a rut daze in late November as well!

[flashover52]

A friend took a small buck within the last couple of days. We've been watching does all month come through in the AM and PM and the buck only appeared at night (trail cam). I wasn't there but he told me that this buck was following a doe across his viewing area and when the doe turned back and moved from 70 yards out to within 30, the buck was again, right behind her the whole way. Not sure if this is normal or whether he was starting to get in the mood early.   

While late to mid Octobe is what I would have expected, could the cool wet weather we've had for September be helping to get the rut going a bit early? I thought I read some of the guys getting bears that they seemed fatter this year than the last couple of years and seemed to think that might be a sign of an earlier/colder winter.   

[257 Wby Mag]

I hear good things about the last few days of Oct, but I've also ben told I need to get outta my "knot hole". I'd ask D-man, he'll know for sure.....

[Bigshooter]

My four most favorite days to hunt blacktails are the last four days of october.  If we get weather its even better. 

[Dmanmastertracker]

I hear good things about the last few days of Oct, but I've also ben told I need to get outta my "knot hole". I'd ask D-man, he'll know for sure.....

 There he is, I knew you'd make your annual appearance for this one . FYI, I did get my buck the last week of Oct. last year, but that's not a full endorsement it's the best.

[BLR 243]

Last week of October. Had a 125 class Buck cruise through my east pasture last Nov. 4th 7 am.

[racksandtails]

Don't give up on the daylight hours.  Blacktails will change position throughout the day to keep the wind at their back while keeping and eye on their back trail.  If you know where he beds, he should be easy pickins.  He has a secondary feeding location guaranteed and he feeds in relationship to the winds.  Find the correlation, stay in your stand until you can't see and he will be hanging on your wall.

[coachcw]

you might try throwing down some sent and a decoy . If he's the domonant buck he may show him self. the other way may be to hunt through his zone kinda fast then turnaround and back track slowly , this may cause him to move . I've taken many deer off the island with a shotgun most were trying to back door me after i hunted through there bedding area. good luck he looks like a healthy buck.

[longstevo]

I've seen blacktails in full rut the week before Thanksgiving. 

[JCClement]

I saw them in rut during the first weeks of the late archery season in 2008.

[billythekidrock]

According to a recent Outdoor Life article, the number one trophy day in the NW is November 11th.

[krout81]

Seen Blacktails chasing does in Late Season Archery many different years.  Also have not seen any bucks in late season several years.  Seems like the Buck I got in 07 late season was rutting he was quite puffy in the neck.