How late will BT's rut?

[AKBowman]

Hunting 454 again this year for late archery. Was able to connect on a spike last year.

Was wondering if anyone experienced in hunting the Issaquah general area knows how late the Blacktails rut? Think it will still be going next Wednesday?

I am thinking about bringing the grunt tube and rattle bag into an area I had seen a few bucks while scouting the past couple weeks.

[AKBowman]

The spike I shot last year seemed to be a little rutted up (stinky) and was following a doe. I was pretty sure the doe was its mom though but maybe not. I shot it the first week of December. I know the does run off the fawns just prior to the rut. Do they end up joining back together with the fawns after the rut?

[Hunter Dug]

I have witnessed a small buck breed a doe on November 28, and shot a good buck on November 25 that was chasing a doe, this may have been the second cycling period but there may be a few does that may not have been bred that will come back into season. The bucks in my area were seeking/chasing at the end of October this year so its hard to tell what might happen it cant hurt to try some rattling.  I would think that most of the bucks will be pretty tired and not to interested in fighting.  May peek intersted though.

[Tree Killer]

Down here in Oregon the secondary usually kicks in about the 5th of December and will last through the middle of the month.  I've had really good rattling and hunting well into December.  Killed this buck on Dec. 3 last year.



Good luck and have fun!

[PolarBear]

I came across a big 4x4 that was aggressively pushing a doe and trying to mount her in mid/late December many years ago.  I found a guy who was down the logging road who had a muzzy permit and took him to it.  We could smell that thing from 50 yards away.

[gutsnthegrass]

I was working on snoqualmie ridge yesterday and a 3 point buck ran across the parking lot, right past some landscapers with gas powered blowers with his nose to the ground the whole time.  I would say they are still rutting abit right now.

[AKBowman]

saweeeet! Yeah I think they should still be rutting too. If they smell something that comes into estrus they hopefully will be right back at it tryin to get em some!!