I'd been watching blacktail does for several months. Now that it was late November, I knew the big bucks would be moving into the area at any time.

Last season, author Scott Haugen arrowed this dandy migratory blacktail from 28 yards away. Photo courtesy of Scott Haugen.

Late season is one of the best -- and sometimes, the only -- times when hunters can get a good look at the bucks in an area and see what's really out there.

Better yet, this is a time when blacktails are on the move, and big bucks are no exception.

Last season I hunted at about 500 feet of elevation. At this level, deer live year-round, but there's also an influx of bucks coming down from the hills to check on potentially hot does. This is why it's crucial to keep track of the does at all times.

My first three days of hunting revealed only smaller bucks, but they were acting rutty.

On Day 4, a handsome buck caught my eye. But he was on the trail of two does and wouldn't leave them for the rattle bag. I couldn't get a shot with my bow.

The next day I was back, searching pockets for does and any big bucks that might have moved in. That afternoon, I spotted a good buck, in the same place I'd seen the one the day before.

A closer look through the binoculars confirmed it was the same buck. Though he was following does, it was obvious none of them were in heat.

I broke out the Jones Calls rattle bag and tickled the sticks ever so slightly. It worked. The buck immediately lifted his head and cocked his ears back, trying to locate the source of the sound. As soon as the buck took a step to continue following the does, I hit him again, this time a bit more aggressively.

He snapped his black face in my direction, stared into the dark timber where I sat, and came trotting in. The moment his head passed behind a fat fir tree, I reached full draw.

The 21-yard shot was a slam-dunk, and my hunting season came to a glorious end.

RUT AND MIGRATION
The most interesting aspect about this buck was not that I'd seen him on two consecutive days, although that itself is quite uncommon in the world of brush-country blacktail hunting.

The most interesting part was that he was taken within 50 yards of where I'd arrowed a rutting buck the year before. Both deer fell on the first day of December, and both bucks were rattled in.

Based on my 33 years' experience of hunting blacktails, I honestly believe the rut is one of the least understood behaviors of these deer. I've seen black-tailed bucks chasing does in mid-October, all through November and well into December.

The timing of the rut can be unpredictable. It only goes to show that though the bucks may be ready to play both early and late, it's the does that ultimately decide when breeding will take place. (Continued)

This is where targeting migrating bucks comes in.

Bucks do seem to move into some drainages at specific times. In one valley I've hunted for years, for example, I know the bucks will start moving in around Oct. 25, give or take a day. Until around Thanksgiving, I don't even think about concentrating on that area where I killed that previously mentioned buck.