It’s the best time of the year to be a deer hunter in the Northwest. That is, if deer season is still open in your area. Although rut activity among blacktails, whitetails and mule deer is at its peak, for many hunters, it’s too late to pull the trigger. Antlered deer seasons are closed in most units in Idaho and Oregon. There are still a few units open for bucks in Wyoming, as well as late-season opportunities for blacktails and whitetails in Washington. For hunters in Alaska and Montana, the states with the most opportunities to hunt bucks in mid-November, now is the time to put on your orange and grab your gun.

It's been a busy time for my family in Montana. The week started with butchering a mule deer buck in the garage and ended with breaking down a white-tailed doe. After spending the first part of November chasing whitetails, which were still exhibiting minimal rut activity, my husband decided to flip the switch and take a shot at mule deer hunting. On Nov. 4, his gamble in a new, rugged area paid off. After searching for a big mountain muley, he spotted a big-bodied mule deer right at first shooting light. Despite sporting a swollen neck and chasing does, the buck was still wary enough to head for the timber right at daylight. A quick look through a spotting scope confirmed the buck was shooter, and seconds later, my husband shot his biggest mule deer buck to date: a thick, dark-horned 6-by-6.

Don’t Miss: Korean BBQ Deer Jerkey

It’s a great time to be chasing Montana’s mule deer. I’m writing this sentence as I watch forked-horn muley push a group of does through my horse pasture. Last night, on my way back from feeding the horses, my headlights illuminated two bucks fighting by the corral. For a split second, it looked like the one buck, a 4-by-4, had broken the other buck’s antler because one side was hanging down in front of the buck’s face. But as I watched the pair begin to push a band of does, I saw that’s how the antler grew; straight down on one side. I love this time of year, when bucks come down from the mountains in search of does. You never know what you’ll see.

Rut activity is finally increasing among Montana’s whitetails. This is the first week our trail cameras are showing mature bucks, tongues out, trotting by the cameras during daylight.

On Nov. 9, my husband took a friend out on his first-ever deer hunt. His tag was good for an antlerless whitetail doe. Before shooting light, they glassed a whitetail buck pushing a group of does through an agricultural river bottom field. About an hour after legal shooting hours, another smaller buck chased a group of does just out of shooting range. Luckily, a few minutes later, a white-tailed doe walked within 100 yards, and our friend tagged his first-ever big game animal.

Blacktail hunters in Washington and Alaska are punching their tags on big bucks. Hunters on Kodiak said this past week has been incredible for rut activity, and the biggest bucks of the year are making fatal mistakes. Bucks are cruising all day in search of does. Hunters are also seeing a lot of success calling in mature bucks.

If the season is still open and you still have a tag in your pocket, like I do, now is prime time to get out. So, excuse me while I sign off and head out hunting for the evening.