Post by: eddyr on November 03, 2025, 05:06:48 PM
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!
Post by: Caseknife on November 03, 2025, 05:32:50 PM
Post by: Billy74 on November 03, 2025, 06:11:51 PM
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Post by: hunter399 on November 03, 2025, 09:07:11 PM
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.
Post by: hunter399 on November 03, 2025, 09:11:05 PM
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.
Post by: BrockWeilep on November 03, 2025, 09:43:45 PM
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)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.
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!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: kodiak06 on November 04, 2025, 06:24:23 AM
Post by: eddyr on November 05, 2025, 06:27:31 AM
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.
Post by: Billy74 on November 05, 2025, 07:17:31 AM
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.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.
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Post by: Billy74 on November 05, 2025, 07:17:37 AM
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.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.
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Post by: dmoua on November 05, 2025, 09:34:11 AM
Post by: WoodHacker on November 05, 2025, 10:56:33 AM
Post by: huntnnw on November 05, 2025, 03:32:43 PM
Post by: vandeman17 on November 05, 2025, 04:01:24 PM
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... :chuckle:
Post by: kodiak06 on November 05, 2025, 06:57:22 PM
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.
Post by: hunter399 on November 06, 2025, 04:00:56 AM
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.
Post by: hunter399 on November 06, 2025, 04:14:26 AM
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.
Post by: Ghost Hunter on November 06, 2025, 06:18:51 AM