2020 Blacktail rut/pre-rut and post rut thread

[SeatoSummit88]

Trigger thats a nice buck! How many does do you have around your property?

[Trigger05-11]

We have many does. It’s not uncommon to walk to the mailbox and see 8-10. Hopefully he sticks around.

[SeatoSummit88]

Right on! If he's a horny guy, which we all are, im sure he will try to breed as much as possible. If the girls are there, he should be.

[fishnfur]

We have this guy about 400 yards behind our house near Ridgefield. He is still only nocturnal. Tonight about 9:30 we had a huge 3pt standing by our mailbox. Not rutting, but it’s starting to go that direction.

Hell of a buck!

Geeze, was it ever dark out this morning.  I was tripping over logs and falling into salal holes that were invisible an hour before first light.

[fishnfur]

Where I was hunting today, almost all the shots occurred from 10:45 AM - 12:30 PM.  Slooow in the early morning.  Perhaps that is the effect of the new moon.   

[jamesfromseattle]

On Orcas Island right now.  The deer are a little nutty up here so probably not the best gauge of what's going on elsewhere, but a big (by Orcas standards) forkey was grunting and chasing does around last night.  They had no interest in him, but he looked pretty rutty to me.  Watched for about half an hour and kept seeing him cross back and forth in the yard with his nose to the ground.

[Spuddieselwwu]

Where I was hunting today, almost all the shots occurred from 10:45 AM - 12:30 PM.  Slooow in the early morning.  Perhaps that is the effect of the new moon.   

Same here. Toutle/1900ln

[cohocrazy]

My son shot a 2 point yesterday morning. No sign of rut at all. No smell and he was still palling around with another buck. NE Snohomish county.

[Axle]

I saw a lot of fresh rubs opening day.

[dilleytech]

I saw a lot of fresh rubs opening day.

Deer rub all fall starting with removing of velvet, no?

Most shots being middle of the day is mostly guys still hunting the timber jumping bucks I would assume.

[CP]

Every deer that I saw this weekend was bedded down or was busted out of their bed.  A landowner that I spoke with told me that he has been chasing them out of his orchard 3 or 4 times a night but they all disappear before daybreak.   

[Fatherof5]

  

[fishnfur]

The hunter I've been mentoring over the summer went out Sunday morning and grunted up a nice buck from the logging road he was walking.  He got busted but learned a valuable lesson - gotta stay hidden if you're calling.  I tried rattling over the weekend with no results. 

[WSU]

I saw a 3 point today at 930 here in town.  He must have been interested in a doe because he just stood there when I pulled over to take his pic with my cell.

[cavemann]

This thread drives me nuts every year.  People post pics and stories of rutting blacktails while I spend days in the woods with no sign of any activity (only to drive home and damn near run over the town bucks rutting all over).

Went out this weekend because its opening weekend..  LOL..  I typically hunt the last week harder and I won't be out until next weekend and all next week.  Surprised at the deer movement this early this year and mid day.  No bucks though..

But to your point, pulled down my road last night and huge 3 point standing on side of my road with a doe.  Never fails!!  And I live in a neighborhood lightly wooded.