Washington Rut

Crunchy · Nov 3, 2006

So when do the blacktail start to rut here in W. Washington?

BigsacK · Nov 3, 2006

Should be starting right about now. Seems to change by a week or so every year. Weather has alot to do with it, the last week or so should have got things going.

LEMONDOG · Nov 3, 2006

Usually starts good this first two week of November. That is why it is closed except for a few permits. The late 4 day hunt is still very good. I killed a good buck while he was fighting with another on November 17th a few years back.....

polarbear · Nov 4, 2006

Right now!!! Blacktails and Mulies in this state (for the most part) start around Halloween and tail off just before Thanksgiving. The Whitetails start right at Thanksgiving give or take a few days.
Eric

Crunchy · Nov 4, 2006

Good to hear I am trying to plan my last 4 day hunt. So far I've seen nothing but does everyday.

Dmanmastertracker · Nov 6, 2006

If you've been seeing does every day in Oct. I would DEFINITELY hit those areas for the late hunt. Nearly every place I have seen does early in the season on a regular basis will hold a buck during the rut. Wish I could hunt all four days, hopefully I'll only need one.

Crunchy · Nov 7, 2006

I'm hopeful to see something. Its been my honey hole for the last three years. Not much hunting pressure this year which is why I was surprised I hadnt seen any bucks.

LEMONDOG · Nov 7, 2006

Deman, did you find a spot for the late buck hunt or do you need my spot?? I dont think I can go late because I am going back to help a friend who drew a Entiat tag....Let me know,

ridgerunner · Nov 7, 2006

Glad to hear they are rutting, I may be trying for my first blacktail this late season. I'll need all the help I can get, lol, I really haven't hunted the wetside ever.......

Dmanmastertracker · Nov 8, 2006

Hope you have underarmor Ridge.... Gonna be sloppy out. I thought Eric was going to let me shoot that 3pt. in his back yard but he dogged me on that one

kirkl · Nov 9, 2006

Ill be over trying to shoot a blackie this year. shot a spike last year, hope something a little bigger steps out this year.

polarbear · Nov 9, 2006

Now, now D-man, I havent dogged you. Late season isnt even here yet. Besides, you havent said that you were ready for him. I havent seen him in a while, but I havent been looking. I will go out and see if I can find and tie him to a tree for you. Otay?
Eric

Dmanmastertracker · Nov 9, 2006

Sounds good bud, I need all the help I can get. Paint a neon bullseye on him too....

JACKELOPE · Nov 10, 2006

>Glad to hear they are rutting,
>I may be trying for
>my first blacktail this late
>season. I'll need all the
>help I can get, lol,
>I really haven't hunted the
>wetside ever.......

I'm with you ridge... the pot is heating for tag soup unless i can pull off a miracle. anybody got any pointers?? i was thinking about stampede unit, but maybe too much snow??
never done it, haven't scouted, etc. odds are slim and none and slim's leaving town. i don't mind an armed hike in the woods just to get out and try something new. is rattling and grunting a good tactic? will a whitetail grunt tube work or is there a different one for blackies...

AOD · Nov 10, 2006

CRUNCHY- OVER THE YEARS I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE RUT VARIES FROM YEAR TO YEAR. BUT USUALLY I HAVE FOUND THAT THE LOWER ELEVATION BLACKTAILS START TO RUT AROUND THE LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER. THIS YEAR IT WAS ABOUT 10 DAYS EARLIER. I SHOT A NICE 4X3 JUST WANDERING AROUND IN MY FIELD NOSE TO THE GROUND. THAT WAS ON OCTOBER 17TH. FOR THE NEXT WEEK I SAW SEVERAL OTHER GOOD BUCKS TROMPING AROUND OUT IN THE OPEN. SO I WOULD START KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THE DOES AROUND MID OCTOBER. HOPE THIS HELPS.

Crunchy · Nov 10, 2006

AOD,
Well it helps, but I was hoping they wouldnt start to rut until early November as the last part of the rifle season start on the 16th. I will hit the woods anyways and hope for the best.

Crunchy · Nov 10, 2006

JACKELOPE
I've hunted Stampede hard for several years and have yet to see many deer, mostly elk. I havent been up there this year, but I cant imagine it would be much different. It is a huge area, and maybe I just hunted the elk areas, which is why I havent seen many deer.

JACKELOPE · Nov 10, 2006

crunchy...thanks for the info

Sportfury · Nov 13, 2006

My Dad has seen two two point blacktails this past week both trailing with noses to the ground. I saw another two point pheasant hunting down at scatter creek yesterday. He was so busy he didn't notice me till I yelled for my dad. Stopped about 30 yards off. Got a good look at him. Looks like they are in some sort of rut right now.

Sportfury

Crunchy · Nov 13, 2006

Well come Friday morning I will be hiking in before light. I have my spot all ready. Come daylight glassin and hopefully shooting within a couple of hours. Then a couple of hours of packing out.

Dmanmastertracker · Nov 17, 2006

Well, no buck yet, hit it yesterday and saw all kinds of rubs, one area I'd really like to see the buck responsible, broke off some saplings. Saw rubs most everywhere. Saw a button buck that will live another year thanks to his poor genes. Hoping for meat hanging tomorrow.

Crunchy · Nov 17, 2006

Well your not alone. I saw four deer. Two does, one I saw before light and I could only see it body shape as it was too dark. The fourth I jumped and it ran off in the thick stuff so I dont know what it was. Saturday is it for me. Better get lucky. I also saw a ton of rubs but no buck.

MrClyde · Nov 19, 2006

So, any late buck success!! I went out with some friends to help spot deer and found him a nice three point that he missed at two hundred yards. He had buck fever for sure! Just wondering if some of you guys had any luck!

Crunchy · Nov 20, 2006

Not me I got beat to my spot. Sucks cause the guy that beat me there shot a nice 3X4. There were two other bucks shot that morning, in the same general area. I cant be too upset cause I got my elk.

kirkl · Nov 20, 2006

I only went friday. saw lots of older tracks in snow, saw some really good rubs but no deer. Saw couple pretty big buck tracks.

Dmanmastertracker · Nov 20, 2006

Tag soup for '06, saw a good number of deer this weekend but no shooters. Two guys about 4-500 yards away shot a spike and a 20" four point together. Sunday got real nasty. Montana in '07 will be nice after the last two years.....

Crunchy · Nov 20, 2006

Dmanmastertracker,

Sounds like you were in the same area as I was. Two kids shot a spike that was about 500 yards away on Saturday. I thought they might have gotten a second but only saw the gut pile.

kirkl · Nov 20, 2006

I did find a 4pt elk shed while hunting, that was a bonus. I was about 5-10 miles on the west side of white pass.

Dmanmastertracker · Nov 21, 2006

Nice find. We we're coming back from the Blues elk hunting a couple weeks ago and it turned out we bought the wrong tag. On the way home West of the mountains in public lands we saw a really nice bull.... Been a while since I found a shed, four years to be exact. I really don't go out shed hunting much and usually find them while hunting. I haven't seen one Washingtonian bag a blackie this year on here, makes me wonder if the numbers are declining as I've suspected for a while. I sent DFW a note asking why Stilly, Sauk and Snoqualmie are all closed during the late season. As thick as a lot of those units are there is a guarenteed high escapement, it just doesn't make sense to me.

ironhead · Nov 28, 2006

The reason there are no late hunts in those units is that quite a few Muleys will migrate down the west side into these units and get killed during the late hunt. I know some valleys that get some real monster bucks late if the snow flies up high early. The WDFG will tell you it's a decline due to hair loss but I think there are alterior motives. I know there are still a ton of Blacky's in 448 and 460.

Dmanmastertracker · Nov 28, 2006

Do you think the Gold Bar record buck might have been one of those muleys? At 26" wide, seems like it could have been. I'll post the response from DFW on that question about 448 and 460.

Dmanmastertracker · Dec 4, 2006

I heard back from WDFW on the 448 and 460 seasons, here was the response;

"These are all excellent questions. We welcome this kind of input, especially during the year we make major changes to the 3 year season package, which we just concluded. I will keep you suggestions for the next go around."

-My questions were essentially, could there be a 2-3 pt. min. late hunt in these units in the future and also, why are the harvest figures so low for the Snoqualmie late-season special permit hunt? Perhaps more timber harvest is needed, etc.. on the lands open in that area to boost productivity?

WAsharpstick · Dec 13, 2006

460 is a tuff unit to hunt but they are in there I saw several nice blackies this year but once they step out of the open they really disseapper and are impossible to catch up with.

ironhead · Dec 13, 2006

Not much of an answer to your question Dman.
I saw the buck from spada in person and it was definately a hybrid, still a friggin monster though. I was in 460 yesterday with the the owner of Sky Valley Taxidermy and he took a forked horn with his front stuffer also saw 3 other bucks with one being a good buck. That unit in my opinion is loaded with animals I don't think the WDFW have any idea how many animals are in there. It is just to thick to get a real count and the hunting is super tough in the general season. The late hunt use to be an outstanding hunt in there. Here is a pic of Jarrid's tasty 2 point.

Dmanmastertracker · Dec 13, 2006

Right on, nice forkie! You the same Ironhead on BT Country? Yesterday I found an archived DFW study on the 460 just prior to the closure of the late hunt. It stated that in following the annual movements of nearly 60 bucks throughout the last late season in 460, 60% of them were harvested, thus the closure went in to effect. I know the bio well for that area, I believe they will seriously look at a 2-3pt or better late opening in that area the next 3 year management session.

ironhead · Dec 13, 2006

Yea, thats me. I would really like to see a 3pt or better season in there we used to take some dandy's. The spikes and 2 pts are just to stupid in the rut.

Dmanmastertracker · Dec 14, 2006

Cool, I cut some track in there on the modern opener that looked to be a really heavy buck. I just couldn't get over the timber cover though, hard to get at them in there. I've tried the timber gig before, but my feet are so damn big (extra wide 12) that I crunch around too much to shoot anything in the timber.....