Post by: frogman on October 22, 2015, 07:18:58 PM
Post by: cowboycraig on October 22, 2015, 07:26:42 PM
Post by: PolarBear on October 22, 2015, 07:31:44 PM
Post by: fishnfur on October 22, 2015, 07:34:11 PM
A great way to find a cut is to look back in time on google earth - back to 2003 - 2008, and look for freshly cut units. These may or may not be replanted immediately, (the next spring) after the cut is completed. DNR lands may take two years before they are replanted. Anyway, these units that were cut in those time frames should now be prime for hunting.
Post by: fishnfur on October 22, 2015, 07:37:17 PM
If you hunt younger cuts, hunt early and late. Don't waste your time in mid-day looking for deer there -instead, work inside the edges - 50 - 100 yards inside the adjacent timber (very very slowly).
Post by: kodiak 907 on October 22, 2015, 08:44:27 PM
Post by: cowboycraig on October 22, 2015, 09:22:08 PM
Generally 4 -10 year old cuts with reprod that is head high or higher will hold deer in them throughout the day. Smaller/younger trees don't hide the deer too well, so the bucks get out just at or just before first light.
A great way to find a cut is to look back in time on google earth - back to 2003 - 2008, and look for freshly cut units. These may or may not be replanted immediately, (the next spring) after the cut is completed. DNR lands may take two years before they are replanted. Anyway, these units that were cut in those time frames should now be prime for hunting.
Love the look back in time feature for Google Earth. Looks like I am hunting a "just right" cut and a young cut. This weekend and next week was thinking of heading to the young cut in the morning and just "Watching". Than after daylight kicks in goto the "just right" cut and rattle just inside the edge and see if I can draw a buck.
Sound like a sound strategy?
Post by: JimmyHoffa on October 22, 2015, 09:27:27 PM
There's usually some well used trails inside the edge 30-50 yds in for some cases. Can look for rubs and tracks along the trail.Generally 4 -10 year old cuts with reprod that is head high or higher will hold deer in them throughout the day. Smaller/younger trees don't hide the deer too well, so the bucks get out just at or just before first light.
A great way to find a cut is to look back in time on google earth - back to 2003 - 2008, and look for freshly cut units. These may or may not be replanted immediately, (the next spring) after the cut is completed. DNR lands may take two years before they are replanted. Anyway, these units that were cut in those time frames should now be prime for hunting.
Love the look back in time feature for Google Earth. Looks like I am hunting a "just right" cut and a young cut. This weekend and next week was thinking of heading to the young cut in the morning and just "Watching". Than after daylight kicks in goto the "just right" cut and rattle just inside the edge and see if I can draw a buck.
Sound like a sound strategy?
Post by: fishnfur on October 22, 2015, 09:34:00 PM
The easiest way to hunt reprod is by glassing from an area where you can look down or into the timber and search for bedded animals. Look below (downhill side) of stumps and trees, under and behind trees, especially low hanging Doug Fir, cedars, and old vine maple that survived the clear cutting process.
The deer are hiding for protection. They are normally not easily found. Spend 90% of your time in your binoculars, and spend hours not minutes glassing the entire area over and over and over, studying every little thing in your field of view before moving on to the next. You will likely only see a small part of a deer, not the whole deer, until your brain finds a familiar shape and you realize you've been staring at a deer for the last hour, or one suddenly one stands up where just a minute ago, there was nothing there.
I hate this type of hunting but still do it occasionally. Boring, but it does work very well for those with patience.
Post by: Humptulips on October 22, 2015, 09:44:04 PM
I took my buck this year at about 9:30 in a year old cut. Just planted last winter.
Tracks tell the tale.
Post by: fishnfur on October 22, 2015, 09:47:43 PM
[/quote]
Love the look back in time feature for Google Earth. Looks like I am hunting a "just right" cut and a young cut. This weekend and next week was thinking of heading to the young cut in the morning and just "Watching". Than after daylight kicks in goto the "just right" cut and rattle just inside the edge and see if I can draw a buck.
Sound like a sound strategy?
[/quote]
Yes! Stay hidden when rattling, but have some way to see through to your target zone, and perhaps use a drag rag with doe estrous urine scent pulled around the perimeter of the cut before daylight, ending near the place you choose to take a stand. (Polar Bear's technique).
Post by: sled on October 22, 2015, 09:54:19 PM
Post by: Natas5150 on October 23, 2015, 09:16:03 AM
-more
The easiest way to hunt reprod is by glassing from an area where you can look down or into the timber and search for bedded animals. Look below (downhill side) of stumps and trees, under and behind trees, especially low hanging Doug Fir, cedars, and old vine maple that survived the clear cutting process.
The deer are hiding for protection. They are normally not easily found. Spend 90% of your time in your binoculars, and spend hours not minutes glassing the entire area over and over and over, studying every little thing in your field of view before moving on to the next. You will likely only see a small part of a deer, not the whole deer, until your brain finds a familiar shape and you realize you've been staring at a deer for the last hour, or one suddenly one stands up where just a minute ago, there was nothing there.
I hate this type of hunting but still do it occasionally. Boring, but it does work very well for those with patience.
:yeah: I like to stick to the edge of clear cuts. I find a stump and just sit very still for hours and glass the area. As for the age of the clear cut I never have really paid that close to attention. I just like the clear cuts that I can see into that aren't very high with growth. So I guess that would make the clearcut a few years old like around 2 to 5 years I guess.
Post by: JimmyHoffa on October 23, 2015, 10:12:02 AM
Post by: cowboycraig on October 23, 2015, 10:59:31 AM
I have noticed that on the west side in clear cuts deer love to stomp down and bed on old rotted stump wood. I have seen where the have made beds that they use often.
I have found bedding areas in the middle of cuts only 2-4 years old. Just need a little natural cover like piles of "Shake" think it is called. Those piles of sticks etc they burn sometimes.
Also if grass starts getting tall in a cut, even a newer one, have found fresh bedding areas. Crap, in CA have see Deer sleeping next to the road! lol
Post by: RC3 on October 23, 2015, 11:25:14 AM
Post by: Eric M on October 23, 2015, 11:36:28 AM
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Post by: fishnfur on October 23, 2015, 05:22:19 PM
Post by: RadSav on October 23, 2015, 05:46:30 PM
Rut bucks will cruise the borders then enter if does are present. 50-100 yards inside trees is a good tip. Not so far you can't glass into the cut, but far enough bucks should be cruising between you and the cut. Trails will usually be at right angles to the fire trail. Rut bucks will work parallel to the fire trail cutting as many of those game trails as they can. They work rather fast. So what isn't producing at 8AM might be producing at 10:30 AM.
These rut bucks are looking for does. They are on high alert for any movement and any scent they can put in their nose. So odds are they will be smelling and or seeing you long before you see them. So I like to go, stop, glass, go, stop, glass, go, stop, glass...
Vast majority of my blacktail bucks in rut are killed between 10:30AM and 12:30PM on foggy days with occasional sun breaks. Think the fog gives them a false sense of security and they venture into the cuts during daylight when they otherwise would not. The fog also covers my movements too.
You see a doe acting funny, walking in a pee type squat, tail kicked to the side...stop and watch her for at least a half hour. That's usually a sign she is telling a buck she is willing and able. No guy can resist that! ;)
Post by: fishnfur on October 23, 2015, 08:23:19 PM
Blacktail rubs: I used to think that these buggers rubbed small brush and conifer to loose their velvet and then small to mid-sized alder to mark territory once they get rutted up - usually during the next week or so through the end of the rut. More and more, I see small Grand Fir and Doug Fir somewhere around 4 years old getting the brunt of the action, and what I thought was buck rubs on alder were often bull elk rubs. Can you clear this one up in 5000 words or less??? :)
Most appreciated by your students!
Post by: bobcat on October 23, 2015, 08:38:28 PM
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1140.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn580%2Fbdan68%2FONeill%2520East%25202012%2Fth_WGI_0032c.mp4&hash=14f9786433bc2e1be20acdce3c98bbc685e908f9) (http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n580/bdan68/ONeill%20East%202012/WGI_0032c.mp4)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1140.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn580%2Fbdan68%2FONeill%2520East%25202012%2Fth_WGI_0031.mp4&hash=d87c1821305186aa9e39d5c66efefaddb4e471f1) (http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n580/bdan68/ONeill%20East%202012/WGI_0031.mp4)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1140.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn580%2Fbdan68%2FONeill%2520East%25202012%2Fth_WGI_0030.mp4&hash=78c94a023f35d74c029921c98b6b4cfc54f7a9c3) (http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n580/bdan68/ONeill%20East%202012/WGI_0030.mp4)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1140.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn580%2Fbdan68%2FONeill%2520East%25202012%2Fth_WGI_0050.mp4&hash=a9a63f4d1f93e732ad734f3ab36ac4c8a07dfd5e) (http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n580/bdan68/ONeill%20East%202012/WGI_0050.mp4)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1140.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn580%2Fbdan68%2FONeill%2520East%25202012%2Fth_WGI_0024.mp4&hash=6b185ef71fef4bb88d7dc083585fd7a500660b21) (http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n580/bdan68/ONeill%20East%202012/WGI_0024.mp4)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1140.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn580%2Fbdan68%2FONeill%2520East%25202012%2Fth_WGI_0006.mp4&hash=738570cb0428dc0b3bcef8ce54e331adbfd98496) (http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n580/bdan68/ONeill%20East%202012/WGI_0006.mp4)
Post by: washingtonhunter121 on October 23, 2015, 09:31:05 PM
Post by: RadSav on October 23, 2015, 10:03:41 PM
Blacktail rubs: I used to think that these buggers rubbed small brush and conifer to loose their velvet and then small to mid-sized alder to mark territory once they get rutted up - usually during the next week or so through the end of the rut. More and more, I see small Grand Fir and Doug Fir somewhere around 4 years old getting the brunt of the action, and what I thought was buck rubs on alder were often bull elk rubs. Can you clear this one up in 5000 words or less??? :)
:chuckle:
Depends on where you are at. I see buck rubs on a lot of different trees this time of year. I think it has to do with where the does are moving. If they are moving through alder then they rub alder. If they are moving through Christmas trees then they rub those. Anything that will 1: Mark territory to other males. and 2: Lay note to the does to scrape/pee there once they enter estrus.
Some say the secreted pheromones from the sudoriferous glands will actually induce the does into estrus. I'm not sure if I agree or disagree with that. Seems a wives tale, but I have never asked a qualified biologist about that specifically.
It has seemed to me that when larger trees are rubbed the competition for does seems greater. As if the smaller deer think that rubbing a large tree will somehow make others think they are bad arses and move on. No scientific data to confirm that. Just seems like it to me after many years of observation.
I also think that winter rubs tend to be on larger trees as they find the itch and prepare to drop antlers. Sort of like picking a scab. You firmly pic and rub it as it begin to itch. Then one day it just falls off on it's own. :chuckle:
I do agree that early in the year when they are rubbing the velvet from their antlers elk use alder more than deer do. Deer seem to prefer small spruce. Elk alder. But then again elk are starting pre-rut about the time most blacktails are rubbing their velvet.
Biggest thing I look for this time of year (pre-rut/full rut) is freshness. I like when I see a new rub one week and then the next week I see four or five more along side it. If that is alder or fir, big or small I don't pay it much mind. I just want to find a spot they are returning to often. And really get excited if the level of rubbing intensifies as they enter full rut.
Post by: predatorG on October 23, 2015, 10:27:40 PM
Post by: jtw on October 23, 2015, 10:40:44 PM
I'm feeling like this should be a sticky.
Post by: fishnfur on October 23, 2015, 10:44:45 PM
I discussed bull elk and alder rubs with Sundance. He got me rethinking what I was seeing. Sure as heck, rutting bulls rubbing the hell out of big alders on my cam a week later. In Cowlitz Co. and farther west, the bulls seem to prefer to beat the crap out of spruce before anything else - both big and small. I've never pulled a deer hair out of one, always elk. I have pulled tons of deer hair out of alder rubs, but after seeing the bulls rub out those alders this fall, I have been pondering this whole issue again, and now take a second look at alder rubs with fresh eyes. As you allude to, it may not matter the type of tree so much, but instead, the freshness and frequency of rubbing in the area.
I'd love to find a spot like that in the videos Bobcat posted. I thought I did, but the next few weeks will tell if that is really the case.
Enough of that. Thanks for the lesson! Sorry all for the off topic discussion.
Post by: RadSav on October 23, 2015, 11:24:15 PM
I have never seen a blacktail mount a doe on a steep hillside. I have, however, watched bucks bed in the trees while does feed on steep hillsides. Then as the does reach the timber the buck pushes them onto a flat (usually alder or viney maple) and starts to pressure the receptive doe.
One day in Oregon I watched a buck shadow a group of does for four hours. He never left the timber but he never laid down. He kept his eyes on them the whole time. When the does left the cut on the opposite side he disappeared. Before I could adjust my position to continue watching the does he had made it all the way around the perimeter and met them within 20 yards of the cut. They went through a small patch of timber and out into some heavy Christmas trees. He pushed them nearly a mile like a cattle dog. Far enough I ran back to the truck and drove five miles around to a better vantage point and caught them as they were moving into an alder flat where finally the wind and terrain was conducive to a stalk (archery). Furthest I have ever seen a blacktail push does!
He dismounted off a doe just as I let an arrow fly...sailing over his back at 35 yards. From the time I spotted him to the time I shot was six hours and almost two miles of deer travel. Never once did he step into the open clear cut. With a rifle I would have been lucky to tag him as he cut through the Christmas trees they were that thick and he was in constant motion. Once in the alder flat he threw out all caution and focused only on servicing the does.
Now, any time I am glassing a clear cut I am also trying to determine where all adjacent flats are. Especially alder or viney maple flats. If I see what I think may be receptive does I try to get to that flat before they do. It has led to some quality shot opportunities and some great mounts on the wall.
Bow Wow Chicky Chicky Bow Wow...Where's the bedroom?!! :chuckle:
Post by: fishnfur on October 24, 2015, 12:30:54 AM
Do you believe the bucks in the situation you described above prefer young thick alder over more mature and more open alder flats for the doing the deed? Alternatively, do you think they learn a core rutting zone as a young buck (from the older boys in the bachelor group) and then use that same spot to breed the does as they become more dominant, (as long as the rutting zone still provides sufficient cover) and that the age of the surrounding alder is of little importance?
Yes, sorry, sorry. I'm off topic again.
That's it for tonight. Off to bed for dreams of Blacktails.
Post by: cowboycraig on October 24, 2015, 01:59:17 PM
Thinking of parking my blind right about were these two were hanging out a few weeks ago. This is in Kapowsin, but not saying exactly where :)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatisanoperator.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F09%2FSTC_0081.jpg&hash=57a8b594a0997cea7e5c4135d9c1796c47488698)
Post by: oysters00 on October 24, 2015, 07:09:49 PM
thanks radsav and others
Post by: fishnfur on October 24, 2015, 09:20:24 PM
I'd put your blind inside the edge of timber and brush it in a bit (quietly). It will be less noticeable to the residents of the cut. That's my take on the situation.
Post by: PolarBear on October 24, 2015, 10:39:59 PM
Putting it in the cut will make you stand out like a sore thumb to the critters and other hunters. Well inside the timber is preferred.
Post by: RadSav on October 25, 2015, 12:29:51 AM
Rad - last one tonight.
Do you believe the bucks in the situation you described above prefer young thick alder over more mature and more open alder flats for the doing the deed? Alternatively, do you think they learn a core rutting zone as a young buck (from the older boys in the bachelor group) and then use that same spot to breed the does as they become more dominant, (as long as the rutting zone still provides sufficient cover) and that the age of the surrounding alder is of little importance?
Sorry for the late reply. Bad day in the woods today. No dead deer and Old Faithful ain't old faithful anymore. She came out of the woods on a trailer. Thank goodness for some very nice folks in the woods and a brother with a car trailer!
I have seen deer breed in Christmas trees, old growth timber, 15 year old fir that have been limbed, viney maples and old swampy alder flats. I've even seen a buck mount a doe on level skid road through a near vertical cut. So I don't think it matters too much. But what they all seem to have in common is visibility, level ground and a clean floor. I have never seen a buck breed a doe in thick cover with a lot of downfall or slash. Probably seen the most breeding in older alder flats. Probably because they are so lack of vegetation below the deck. It could, however, be that I simply spent more time there in my glory days than any other place. :dunno:
Post rut I catch more deer in young fir that have been limbed. Dang near impossible to get an arrow into those bucks. But low and slow with a rifle would be some real fun hunting. Too bad rifle season is usually over by then. Most of my post rut kills have been on Christmas Tree edges with 5 year old cuts. That's an ambush perfect for the bowhunter! My second largest buck was in a five year old cut that bordered a swampy alder flat. My partner and I did a squeeze play and I was insanely lucky he chose to run out of cover instead of toward cover where Channon was.
Is hunkering down in a cut, rattling, and watching the wooded edge a sound strategy?
Thinking of parking my blind right about were these two were hanging out a few weeks ago. This is in Kapowsin, but not saying exactly where :)
I agree with fishnfur and Polarbear :tup: :tup: You are rifle hunting, right? Go as far back as you can and still shoot comfortably into the cut.
Be sure your blind has some sort of silent window closures. If a buck comes in from behind close the windows toward the front first and then crack open the rear. Need that back drop black as night!
Looks like you have yourself a terrific spot :whoo:
Post by: Humptulips on October 25, 2015, 12:46:17 AM
Is hunkering down in a cut, rattling, and watching the wooded edge a sound strategy?
Thinking of parking my blind right about were these two were hanging out a few weeks ago. This is in Kapowsin, but not saying exactly where :)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatisanoperator.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F09%2FSTC_0081.jpg&hash=57a8b594a0997cea7e5c4135d9c1796c47488698)
I cannot imagine sitting in a blind. Not my style of hunting. I will sit for a while and watch a clearcut especially if I can see a long way but the place like you have pictured I wouldn't give it too long let alone set a blind up.
IMO black tails don't get hard into the rut until elk season so you can't expect bucks to come running blindly out into the middle of a cut in the middle of the day. It happens but poor odds I would say.
I would rather think that buck was out there that night and never got out. I give it a good hunt and then move on to another spot.
On the deer breeding, I don't care where they do the act, all I know is bucks will follow does around no matter the terrain. If I see a doe I give the area extra scrutiny.
Just so you bow hunters don't jump on me I hunt modern rifle and speak from that perspective.
I do like to find those spots no one else has hunted so I'm not afraid to pedal a long ways to hunt. Works for me anyway.
Post by: predatorG on October 31, 2015, 04:08:54 PM
Post by: billythekidrock on October 31, 2015, 04:22:41 PM
Is hunkering down in a cut, rattling, and watching the wooded edge a sound strategy?
Thinking of parking my blind right about were these two were hanging out a few weeks ago. This is in Kapowsin, but not saying exactly where :)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatisanoperator.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F09%2FSTC_0081.jpg&hash=57a8b594a0997cea7e5c4135d9c1796c47488698)
As mentioned, a blind in a cut like that will stick out too much. I also noticed that those pics are from July. I would not expect to see either one of them in the cut in October or November.
You might get lucky sitting on the cut right at daylight or evening but they will most likely be nocturnal or in the timber most of the time.
I would still hunt the timber. The rain is your friend.
Post by: cowboycraig on October 31, 2015, 04:28:58 PM
Ya I gave up the cuts and started trailblazing about 50 to 100 yards inside the treeline. Talk about a crossfit workout! After that I walk the road through the cut to see if anything was flushed out.Is hunkering down in a cut, rattling, and watching the wooded edge a sound strategy?
Thinking of parking my blind right about were these two were hanging out a few weeks ago. This is in Kapowsin, but not saying exactly where :)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatisanoperator.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F09%2FSTC_0081.jpg&hash=57a8b594a0997cea7e5c4135d9c1796c47488698)
As mentioned, a blind in a cut like that will stick out too much. I also noticed that those pics are from July. I would not expect to see either one of them in the cut in October or November.
You might get lucky sitting on the cut right at daylight or evening but they will most likely be nocturnal or in the timber most of the time.
I would still hunt the timber. The rain is your friend.
In one area I am working just found a bunch of new scrapes. Could not be more that a few days old. Scrapes seem to be under treeline close to clear cut edge. Usually a game trail nearby. Trail cams on a few of the scrapes and game trails now. Will get'em late season.
Thanks for all the help, I am making progress.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
Post by: billythekidrock on October 31, 2015, 04:55:17 PM
Post by: bobcat on October 31, 2015, 05:05:58 PM
Post by: PolarBear on October 31, 2015, 05:15:23 PM
Post by: billythekidrock on October 31, 2015, 05:26:32 PM
Post by: cowboycraig on October 31, 2015, 07:17:41 PM
I am not calling bs but blacktails very seldom make scrapes so I would be interested to see what you get on camera.Craps, sorry I meant rub. Pic should be attached.
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Post by: predatorG on October 31, 2015, 07:58:30 PM
Post by: RadSav on October 31, 2015, 09:15:39 PM
I am not calling bs but blacktails very seldom make scrapes so I would be interested to see what you get on camera.
Seen them very seldom up here. Corvalis, OR south I would see quite a few. Had a favorite hunting spot not far from the Sea Lion Caves, less than a mile from the ocean, and the place was littered with scrapes. Strange how a species can be so different with 100 miles of separation.
Post by: fishnfur on November 01, 2015, 02:21:57 PM
RadSav - I have trouble leaving the alder areas completely when I hunt because there is so much sign in it. Rubs, dung, browsed vegetation, etc. My take is that they are nocturnal use only for the bucks though. Someday, I'd love to hear about your hunting methods around alder. In the mean time - is there a chance that those scrapes in OR were made by Columbian Whitetails that have re-established themselves pretty well in that area - (Douglas County anyway)? Perhaps a BT-WT hybrid subspecies that has established itself well enough to display that trait (making scrapes) in West Central OR? I'm going to research the issue 'cause your tale has me really curious.
Predator G - bark stripping on Doug Fir is common for black bears in the spring. Porcupines and some other small forest critters do it as well, but the photo shows an elk rub.
Back to clear cuts - several good kills in the last few days in cuts posted on the forum. I went into the big timber for the storm on Halloween hoping to catch a big boy standing up in the wind and rain. About 45 minutes into the worst of the storm, the guys in the clear cuts started popping off shots. I just got wet. Really, really wet. Next storm, I'm going to a cut.
Post by: RadSav on November 01, 2015, 02:46:09 PM
RadSav - I have trouble leaving the alder areas completely when I hunt because there is so much sign in it. Rubs, dung, browsed vegetation, etc. My take is that they are nocturnal use only for the bucks though. Someday, I'd love to hear about your hunting methods around alder. In the mean time - is there a chance that those scrapes in OR were made by Columbian Whitetails that have re-established themselves pretty well in that area - (Douglas County anyway)? Perhaps a BT-WT hybrid subspecies that has established itself well enough to display that trait (making scrapes) in West Central OR? I'm going to research the issue 'cause your tale has me really curious.
This past Friday we were into bucks quite a bit. All but one were in the alder flat just below big timber and within a few 1,000 yards of a three year old cut. Six bucks five different areas. All with the same features, except one in the Christmas trees.
Those coastal blacktail are about as pure a blacktail as you will ever find. However, both the bucks and does in that area seem to act a lot like whitetails. We've stand hunted trails that looked like cattle trails coming into clearcuts. Same deer same trails day after day, month after month. I sure don't see that much up here.
Post by: fishnfur on November 01, 2015, 04:46:21 PM
I searched the web and ifish.net forum for blacktail scrapes and got nada in 11 pages of results. I'll take your word on that one and run with it - it kind of mimics what I've heard before, Blacktails generally don't make scrapes, but some very good hunters swear they've seen them.
Post by: RadSav on November 01, 2015, 05:07:55 PM
Post by: fishnfur on November 01, 2015, 05:24:00 PM
I'm curious if you noticed them using a licking branch in conjunction with the scrape making. That would amaze me to no end! (well, maybe not to "no end", but you get my drift).
Post by: RadSav on November 01, 2015, 05:39:07 PM
I'm curious if you noticed them using a licking branch in conjunction with the scrape making. That would amaze me to no end! (well, maybe not to "no end", but you get my drift).
Always! Never seen a buck no matter what time of year, whitetail or blacktail, scrape without some sort of scent stick deposit. One scrape in Oregon they used a salal bush. Saw the same 2X2 use it four days in a row 100 yards from our camp during 90 degree weather in August. Crazy part of that was he used it on his way from feeding headed for the bedding area between 10 and 11 A.M.. Thinking those bucks there are just confused :chuckle:
Post by: fishnfur on November 01, 2015, 05:48:48 PM
Confused, or they know something the others have yet to learn.
Post by: SteelheadTed on November 03, 2015, 06:25:43 PM
Post by: RadSav on November 03, 2015, 06:59:10 PM
Post by: fishnfur on November 03, 2015, 07:14:23 PM
Post by: Turner89 on November 03, 2015, 07:30:51 PM
We saw a buck Saturday run out of the timber into a clear cut, jump at a doe, jab her in the chest and run her back into the timber. She tried to come out into the cut again and he did the same thing. What a rude SOB. I would have shot him for being such an A hole, but the wind was blowing too hard and the rain was too heavy to get a good range. Of course the hurricane stopped about the time he finished pushing her up and over the hill. Was sort of fun to watch!I watched a rude SOB do the same thing. He jabbed her in the butt. I was lucky enough to punish him for it though :chuckle:
Post by: RadSav on November 03, 2015, 07:32:44 PM
Really interesting reports you've posted about the bucks herding or pushing the does. I've never seen or heard of that before in 7 or 8 books on blacktails. Usually, it is reported that the buck will follow a hot doe around and basically stand by waiting until she lets him mount her.
Have seen that too. Especially as we get later and later in the rut. I think the bucks start to get tired after weeks of pushing, fighting, seldom resting and choosing sex over food. But as the pre-rut transfers into full-rut, especially in areas with good buck numbers, I think they are more aggressive. I'm no biologist so I don't know their true mentality. Just seems I witness as much aggressive behavior as I do passive behavior. I'm also usually hunting steep country and big timber bucks...maybe that makes a difference :dunno:
I know when I told Larry D. Jones and Neil Summers where I had been hunting blacktails they both called me crazy :o Maybe I need to find some flat spots in the valley :chuckle:
Post by: RadSav on November 03, 2015, 07:34:16 PM
We saw a buck Saturday run out of the timber into a clear cut, jump at a doe, jab her in the chest and run her back into the timber. She tried to come out into the cut again and he did the same thing. What a rude SOB. I would have shot him for being such an A hole, but the wind was blowing too hard and the rain was too heavy to get a good range. Of course the hurricane stopped about the time he finished pushing her up and over the hill. Was sort of fun to watch!I watched a rude SOB do the same thing. He jabbed her in the butt. I was lucky enough to punish him for it though :chuckle:
Those rude bass turds. Let 'em have it! Good work :tup:
Post by: fishnfur on November 03, 2015, 08:01:50 PM
I'm wondering if the situation goes something like this: storms come up that cause the does to get nervous and come out of the big timber for safety, leaving the buck that has been courting her for the last few hours or day (thinking he's going to get lucky), who then suddenly finds himself in a situation where he's lost control of the doe and where a potential second buck might intrude into his love affair, so the buck gets aggressive and works to get her back to where he feels he can control the situation. (or something like that)
Post by: kodiak06 on April 27, 2024, 12:11:13 PM
I have no first-hand knowledge of Whitetails, and I've only read a bit and watched a few thousand hunting shows on TV, but if I remember correctly, and as I'm sure you're aware, scrape making by Whitetails isn't just a pre-rut or rut time behavior. Apparently they do it all year long. Where's the whitetail guys to confirm or call BS on this???
I'm curious if you noticed them using a licking branch in conjunction with the scrape making. That would amaze me to no end! (well, maybe not to "no end", but you get my drift).
WT have "community" scrapes that are active all year and visited by any deer. The bucks tend to make a lot of scrapes during the pre-rut time and often never visit them again. Once the times right, they will make scrapes that does visit and they wind check them typically for the right doe.
Post by: Big6bull on April 27, 2024, 11:26:45 PM
Hunt the sign you are seeing in person. If you are not seeing buck tracks/rubs move on. There should be a reason you spend more time in an area like Big buck tracks, fresh tubs, groups of does, no boot tracks etc.
Post by: cem3434 on April 28, 2024, 08:23:33 AM
I think we overthink our “strategy “ sometimes and we catch ourselves looking for perfect circumstances like ages of cuts or big open timber or feeding area vs bedding.
Hunt the sign you are seeing in person. If you are not seeing buck tracks/rubs move on. There should be a reason you spend more time in an area like Big buck tracks, fresh tubs, groups of does, no boot tracks etc.
:yeah: Pretty sound advice right there.