Blacktail Rut Thread - Post updates here

[Learo2000GT]

Good article on calling blacktails as we move closer to peak rut.

https://pnwbowhunting.com/blog/f/calling-blacktails-top-10-questions-answers-a7abb46e7044?blogcategory=Blacktail+deer&fbclid=IwAR3mTisv15DYTi-UAkmiQEcYmZ_gRcSHUNkbfeS9AqcA0dw9mFz3qwsRq5I

I have watched his videos and listened to his podcast. He’s great.


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[fishnfur]

Here's where the rut seems to be at where I'm hunting - bucks are seeming to be very interested in the does, but the does aren't ready yet. Lots of scent checking, and cruising but not a lot of daylight activity. Occasionally, a nice buck will show up randomly in daylight cruising, but the does don't always have a buck in tow.

For instance, last Friday a buck I call "Royal" followed a doe in on camera in the midnight hours. He walked circles around her and then bedded 10 yards from her for 2 hours watching. After that, he chased a little and then left. Doe looked uninterested and she and the fawn stuck around for a while longer. A few hours later, a young fork buck came in and did the same thing, nose in the air sniffing circles around the doe. He chased harder and separated the doe and fawn for the rest of the day. The fawn came back by herself during midday and the doe rejoined her late Saturday night. Not sure what to make of it all, but it seems the bucks are just scent checking and waiting it out for a while before checking other does. I'm betting daylight activity will pick up more soon.

Here are two hitlist bucks: the first is "Royal" and the other "Rogue." (Yes, named after a dog brand...) Would be super happy with either. I've got a multi-season tag so there's a chance at least!

I was reviewing some BT estrus info the other day and remember reading that this type of behavior from bucks acutally hastens the doe's onset of estrus.   Not really surprising.  Nature's way of making hay while the sun shines.

[fishnfur]

I struck out as well for the final day of the General Season in Mason.  I did not see any sign of an outright hot doe.  Saw three doe and two fawns by 1000, one of the doe had a spike buck on her tail went right by me,he following dilligently but not harassing her. 

Earlier, around 0830 or so, I'd gotten cold sitting out on the edge of a cut.  No action so I jumped in my rig (mobile blind) and switched sides of the property.  Hung out in the truck just glassing.  Big bodied deer runs across the forest road, nose to the ground and moving light speed, and passes behind a slash pile.  Saw it for maybe a half-second.  Slid out of the "blind" gun in hand and glassing frantically with the other hand.... 5 seconds, 10 seconds..nothing.  Stood on a stump trying to locate the (presumed) buck in the wide expanse of deep Bracken Fern, all dead, brown, and plenty deep to hide an animal.  Nothing!  Some dude drives by me, brakes, then backs up and rolls down his window.  He holds up four fingers and whispers "four point in there"! That didn't help the situation at all.  Rushed to the slash pile and glassed from there - vanished.  Completely vanished.  Spent an hour in vain searching the periphery of the cut for the buck - absolutely nothing.  Just cruising through I guess.  I keep hoping for more than a half-second look at these big bucks this year.  A hot doe would go a long way towards slowing these bucks down.

Not a bad day for watching deer.  Not a good day for killing one.  Here's a pic of the spike (screen shot off a vid) as he followed the doe past my position.  That's all I've got.

[HunterofWA]

Thanks for sharing fishnfur - and bummer that buck got away!

[TheStovePipeKid]

I had some bucks moving into my area last week, also in Mason county. There were doe moving early morning pre light most of the week. No indication any were hot. Never got sight of anything the whole season. Hoping they are moving more when late rifle hits.

[fishngamereaper]

Pretty active the last couple of days...go figure right.
West Kitsap/ N Mason.

[Jrtishchuk]

Was with a mature doe an fawn.
Auburn


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[fishnfur]

   Big ol' bases on that buck!

[85yota]

Today was a wild day in 460.. was driving between jobs delivery  parts and saw 3 separate bucks cruising including this big old guy..

[brokentrail]

I saw a buck cruising at 1pm Wednesday in 654, right down the edge of a thick bedding area and then crossed the road and kept going.

[HunterofWA]

Got some broad daylight activity on the cams! Started right on Nov 1st - go figure 

[Sundance]

Yesterday I saw (2) different two points locked in on does. The does were feeding with the bucks patiently waiting within 10 yards. I'd imagine pretty soon the big ones will move in to push out the smaller bucks.

[JakeLand]

Decent guy

[fishnfur]

Yup.  Decent alright.  Split main beam on the left?

[fishnfur]

Here's my rut report - Third weekend in a row, ditched the wife and kids and went hunting Friday for a three day weekend.  I drew a Quality Tag for Mason, wehre I'd spent the last two weekends. Itseemed really slow early yesterday morning.  Absolutely dead.  No animals making noise or moving.    I tried both sides of the cut already. I had some firewood work that needed attending to and I was considering leaving for awhile.  I decided I'd sit and wait a while where a nice buck had run through last weekend and see what happens.   I was hidden in a large pile of bark left by the loggers where they de-barked the cut timber. I'd dug a nice little seat into the pile and threw some slash limbs and ferns  on each side of me to break up my body from deer looking my way. 

It was 10:15 or so -I'd just finished glassing the entire area, paused for a minute or two then glassed again.    Suddenly, there's two deer in the cut up moving, 125 yards out where moments before there was nothing.  I guessed that one following was a buck, and indeed, he was a small forkie.  l Watched him for 15 minutes and I kept telling myself to let hiim walk, but the thought of going home and spending time with the family seemed a better idea.  I killed him there on the side of the hill with my 20 ga. rifled slug gun.  He looked to be thrashing around a bit after the first shot, so I put a second round into him.  10 seconds pass after that second shot and an almost identical forkie walks out from behind a fallen tree's root wad just 30 yards out.  He's heading away as though he's leaving the cut. I think the noise of the shots at close range got him up and moving.  I wrestled out my phone out of my pocket to record him (or at least his butt) as he walked.  Five seconds later, a decent three point, a three-year-old or better, walks out from behind the same root wad and follows the first buck out.  Lousy quality vid made for poor quality screen capture - below is a pic of the three point.


Somehow that seemed a perfect end to the season.  I just can't figure out why the three-point was content letting the smaller forkie hang out with the doe on the side of the hill.  Perhaps she wasn't hot and the forkie was just a bit too eager. Part of my reasoning for killing that buck was that since the doe was obviously letting him court her, all the larger bucks in the area must be locked down with other receptive doe.  I decided on the bird in the hand...   Now that I think back, I'm not sure that I even saw any doe that appeared hot this season.  It certainly seems like the rut clock is a bit behind schedule...