Backtail Help!!!

[SDR]

If your able to pull it off,, hunt the last five days of the season. This will allow you to catch them starting the rut. Use the wind, USE YOUR OPTICS! And by optics, I'm not talking about your scope. I have seen far to many hunters out in the woods that are not carrying anything other than their scoped rifle,, there's your sign, danger Will Robinson!
Still hunting Blacktails is perhaps more challenging than still hunting elk, they are far more alert as mature bucks tend to be solitary animals that depend upon their own senses to survive rather than the entire herd. Deer have proportionally larger ears with less hair in them than Elk and their ability to smell is at least as keen.

+1 all good Info......
End of the season is golden...
When a buddy or a friend gets that fork try to get the scent glands off it, De scenting is a good idea when going after a trophy, But smelling like one of them and not like some imitation in a jar is a real benefit...

 

[Spitpatch]

This is a paraphrased quote from Chuck Adams: arguably the best living bowhunter in the world (and previously an extremely successful gun hunter).

A fully mature Blacktail buck is probably the most difficult animal on the face of the earth to harvest.

This from a man who's hunted and harvested nearly everything, nearly everywhere.

I do know that my own (and my uncle's) success rate on Blackies was much greater when we lived and hunted them in the oak scrub/rolling hills area around Eugene. Up here in the Mekong Delta/Subtropical Amazon region in the NW corner of the state, things have become problematic.

I have read and re-read all SDR has offered here. I am dwelling on it. (And I've been chasing Blackies since 1970). His daughter showing Chuck Adams (and all of us) that "even a girl can do it", has inspired me to try a bit harder.

 

[Stumps]

I am on a 5 year killing streak up here in Washington. All of 5 of these have been taken in the same 200 sq. yard area. Every year I go out and beat myself half to death trying to find a better spot with bigger deer. And every year I end up back at the proven spot and take a good meat buck. Largest I have taken was a nice 3x3, most were 2x2's. I have gotten flack from some buddies for hunting the same hole and only having success there. But I think this is likely just them getting pissed because I will not tell them where the hole is, and they are not filling tags.

I have a couple coworkers that have been hunting the last couple years. They keep hounding me for the location of my secret spot, and swear they will not tell anyone where it is. They just don't get that if I tell them where it is they become competition. As their sons start hunting they will show them the spot, next thing you know, no more deer in the area. I think a good hunting spot is a family treasure and should not be shared outside of the family until there is no one to carry on the tradition.

 

[bijan]

good luck , i have tried it for last 25 years and i havent had anyluck so i started peogon hunting

 

[SDR]

This is a paraphrased quote from Chuck Adams: arguably the best living bowhunter in the world (and previously an extremely successful gun hunter).

A fully mature Blacktail buck is probably the most difficult animal on the face of the earth to harvest.

This from a man who's hunted and harvested nearly everything, nearly everywhere.

I do know that my own (and my uncle's) success rate on Blackies was much greater when we lived and hunted them in the oak scrub/rolling hills area around Eugene. Up here in the Mekong Delta/Subtropical Amazon region in the NW corner of the state, things have become problematic.

I have read and re-read all SDR has offered here. I am dwelling on it. (And I've been chasing Blackies since 1970). His daughter showing Chuck Adams (and all of us) that "even a girl can do it", has inspired me to try a bit harder.

Thanks!, Inspiration... I like it......
I have been playing with Blacktails for 32 Yrs, I'm by no means a master... I learn something every year, As long as I'm paying attention "LOL"...
Last year I had my A$$ handed to me by a phenomenal ball dragger as we call them... Hunting him I could not pass up the big four by five with drop tines, A nice addition, Though I did leave with that one I still have dreams of that monster that outsmarted me... ... I spent most of the after season playing in my head what to do different, I'm ready to put in the time on him, But my father has a serious illness, I need to hunt around home in case of a 911 situation and maybe even get him out, Then my buddies decided I need to play this little , Can I harvest a Deer outside my normal hunting area, Sure I can, It just might not be a Ball Dragger... ....

Again I'm no master by any means, But I take a lot of nice legal Deer on public land, That is a personal accomplishment for me...

I will be happy to help anyone any way I can, I sure as heck did not roll outa my crib knowing what to do... I have a few more tools in the tool box for getting the nice Buck...

Heck, Maybe I'll post a list of helpful things I use to be-aware of while out hunting for the Wiley one...

A fully mature Blacktail buck is probably the most difficult animal on the face of the earth to harvest.
In my opinion anyone can luck into a harvest once in awhile, Being successful every year can't all be luck... But I will take lucky over good any day as long as it is consistent...

Absolutely, If you can legally harvest a Blacktail every year on public land in the NW jungle you can go anyplace and apply those skills and be successful...

"even a girl can do it"....LOL, My wife choked on her coffee on that one... Yes sir, I have three female Blacktail harvesting machines in my family... Girls make great hunters...No Buck fever, Patience ...
Also nice to have in camp for a little cooking and cleaning... ...

 

[ehunter]

Your not alone deer numbers are way down in the Scappoose and Saddle mountain units and unless you have access to some private lands the odds are against you for 2 reasons one lack of numbers and 2 they are can be hard to find. HLS has taken a bigger tole than the state lets on because they can't afford to not sell tags, way too many doe tags as well were sold in the past and the deer numbers are showing it. I grew up in the Scappoose unit and if we did not see 15 deer or more a day it was a bad day. Last week end bow hunting behind gates we did 20 miles of walking in 3 days and we never saw a deer did see elk but no deer. There are pockets of deer around, just not in the numbers that these units can and should be able to sustain.

My advice is get to know a 1/4 mile location that has cover like 6 or 7 years old reprod patch big alders and vine maple and hunt in the rain and get to know every single foot of that 1/4 mile and stay with it. Eventually you will get to know the deer and their habits. Scout it all year and work at it you will find a buck. Look for trailing blackberry's that is their favorite winter food.

I've been hunting blacktails in NW Oregon, mostly in Columbia County, for a few years now with 0 luck. Either I'm the worlds worst hunter or I just don't know what the heck I'm doing. I was never shown how to hunt, and the old farts I hunt with now mostly like to road hunt or only go out for about 2 hours a day. Without a little advice I feel like I'm doomed to be skunked again this year.
Can anyone please post best hunting advice, websites with GOOD info, tips, prayers, or anything else that might help a guy fill his tag this year?

 

[ehunter]

I have hunted BT in SO and NW Oregon I went 15 straight years getting my buck with a rifle or bow. I am here to tell you that it is a lot harder now to get Blacktail buck in NW Oregon SO has a lot more deer than we do and less pressure. Black tails have a way of humbling all hunters::winkkiss:

SDR! lol man.. that last part... too funny

I've never hunted the upper Northwest area of Oregon but I don't think it should be a problem finding Blacktail deer anywhere I have hunted. I've never hunted private land in my life. Wait, maybe on accident and then hightailed out of there... I have been successful in various public lands on a good span of the coast, also Oakridge area, Fern Ridge/Veneta area, Mohawk valley area, and the high cascades. Sometimes snowing, sometimes raining, and even when it was warm. I prefer the rain though. I just feel like it gives me extra cover from smell and sound. It's kind of a license to go anywhere more or less.

 

[coyote223]

Your not alone deer numbers are way down in the Scappoose and Saddle mountain units and unless you have access to some private lands the odds are against you for 2 reasons one lack of numbers and 2 they are can be hard to find. HLS has taken a bigger tole than the state lets on because they can't afford to not sell tags, way too many doe tags as well were sold in the past and the deer numbers are showing it. I grew up in the Scappoose unit and if we did not see 15 deer or more a day it was a bad day. Last week end bow hunting behind gates we did 20 miles of walking in 3 days and we never saw a deer did see elk but no deer. There are pockets of deer around, just not in the numbers that these units can and should be able to sustain.

My advice is get to know a 1/4 mile location that has cover like 6 or 7 years old reprod patch big alders and vine maple and hunt in the rain and get to know every single foot of that 1/4 mile and stay with it. Eventually you will get to know the deer and their habits. Scout it all year and work at it you will find a buck. Look for trailing blackberry's that is their favorite winter food.

Kind of what I thought as well. Used to be you would see a lot of deer in the springtime, while hiking. Not so anymore.

A good portion is dumb luck too. I hear a lot of stories about people getting their buck, with very little effort. Luck, the right place at the right time. I havn't been that lucky myself,,,

 

[DeanMk]

I've been hunting blacktails in NW Oregon, mostly in Columbia County, for a few years now with 0 luck. Either I'm the worlds worst hunter or I just don't know what the heck I'm doing. I was never shown how to hunt, and the old farts I hunt with now mostly like to road hunt or only go out for about 2 hours a day. Without a little advice I feel like I'm doomed to be skunked again this year.
Can anyone please post best hunting advice, websites with GOOD info, tips, prayers, or anything else that might help a guy fill his tag this year?

"Road hunting" LOL! Reminds me of the Ron White joke - "Well, I got me a deer, too. With A VAN. Goin' fifty-five miles an hour...".
I know, we've all heard it before, but it just seemed too fitting this time.


Ok, seriously - deer a super skiddish. You make a noise, they know you're there.
Do you smoke? Don't even bother going out. They'll smell you before you leave the house.
Some guys use "attractants" and while I've never used them, I've never heard anything bad about them, either.
Do you know if the particular area you're hunting in is known for a good deer population?
Check with the local gun shop or sporting goods store crowd and see what you can find out.
When I was a kid, I used to hunt in the south end of the Hood Canal, in Washington.
Very "woodsy" and LOTS of Salial brush.
Basically, you can't help but make noise going down into that stuff, so you make your noise, you find a good vantage point, sit down and just wait.
Sometimes for hours.
The deer will eventually venture back.
I shot one of the largest blacktails ever taken in that area, because I sat on the edge of a draw for 3 hours.



DeanMk

 

[SDR]

"Road hunting" LOL! Reminds me of the Ron White joke - "Well, I got me a deer, too. With A VAN. Goin' fifty-five miles an hour...".
I know, we've all heard it before, but it just seemed too fitting this time.


Ok, seriously - deer a super skiddish. You make a noise, they know you're there.
Do you smoke? Don't even bother going out. They'll smell you before you leave the house.
Some guys use "attractants" and while I've never used them, I've never heard anything bad about them, either.
Do you know if the particular area you're hunting in is known for a good deer population?
Check with the local gun shop or sporting goods store crowd and see what you can find out.
When I was a kid, I used to hunt in the south end of the Hood Canal, in Washington.
Very "woodsy" and LOTS of Salial brush.
Basically, you can't help but make noise going down into that stuff, so you make your noise, you find a good vantage point, sit down and just wait.
Sometimes for hours.
The deer will eventually venture back.
I shot one of the largest blacktails ever taken in that area, because I sat on the edge of a draw for 3 hours.



DeanMk

Ok, seriously - deer a super skiddish. You make a noise, they know you're there....The Deer know your there before you think you make a noise, It just depends on how tolerant/ skiddish they are that day...

Do you smoke? Don't even bother going out. They'll smell you before you leave the house....+1...

Some guys use "attractants" and while I've never used them, I've never heard anything bad about them, either....Natural scents for that area are a big +, Using pine in the middle of scrub oak not good... Chemical generated scents smell good to us, Not not the critters, You might as well put a dab of the Old ladies best, It will mean the same...


Check with the local gun shop or sporting goods store crowd and see what you can find out.... What has worked for me is the Little Cafe/Bar in a new area I have never been to before...At the end of a meal having a fat tip on the table while talking to the the young girl that has a Dad,Brother or Boyfriend that hunts, If the tip is being eyeballed your In...

When I was a kid, I used to hunt in the south end of the Hood Canal, in Washington.
Very "woodsy" and LOTS of Salial brush.
Basically, you can't help but make noise going down into that stuff, so you make your noise, you find a good vantage point, sit down and just wait.
Sometimes for hours.
The deer will eventually venture back.
I shot one of the largest blacktails ever taken in that area, because I sat on the edge of a draw for 3 hours....A huge +1, If you jump a Buck and have a buddy with you ,One of you plant it, The other moves on out... Backtail are incredibly curious and 90% of the time they will be back, I can't stress this enough, Plant it or plant somebody, It works,Very powerful tactic...

Good Info...

 

[DeanMk]

When I was a kid, I used to hunt in the south end of the Hood Canal, in Washington.
Very "woodsy" and LOTS of Salial brush.
Basically, you can't help but make noise going down into that stuff, so you make your noise, you find a good vantage point, sit down and just wait.
Sometimes for hours.
The deer will eventually venture back.
I shot one of the largest blacktails ever taken in that area, because I sat on the edge of a draw for 3 hours....

A huge +1, If you jump a Buck and have a buddy with you ,One of you plant it, The other moves on out... Backtail are incredibly curious and 90% of the time they will be back, I can't stress this enough, Plant it or plant somebody, It works,Very powerful tactic...

Good Info...

Thanks SDR.
On the subject of working in teams, I've heard of teams of hunters, who do it just how you stated, but the others that move out to another area are actually used as herders, or drivers.
If everything works according to plan, the noise they make walking through the woods will push the deer back to the part of the group that is sitting.
VERY effective in deep woods.
Once quite the common tactic. Not sure if anyone does that anymore. Haven't noticed anyone mention that in many years.


DeanMk

 

[ehunter]

If your in area that has elk the deer will not be as spooked as they are used to hearing some noise. Also deer don't have a big memory bank they will forget, what you can't do is let them smell you. Stay with the wind in your face from the direction you expect to see them. Or don't bother if the bucks smell you the game is over.

Use the wind the rain and the fog to your advantage that is what the NW offers.

Driving and pushing deer can be effective if you have enough people to get them moving, but don't go out their and beat drums like in the movies unless you can hit a animal at warp speed have the setters set down wind and have the drivers hunt with the wind at their back and sneak hunt they way though the deer will sneak out or the drivers may get a shot as well but play it safe.

2 hunters can do the hook method it is more difficult for black tails because its harder to see them sneaking out. Basicaly one guys hunts in the wind and another hunts behind his partner up wind to the idea is that the first hunter he jumps a buck will push him to his partner it can be effective like any thing some times.

The simple secrete to hunting black tails is to spend a ton of time in area until you know the deer what trails they are using. Hunt where there are deer and eventually you will find a buck. Popping into new areas every day can be lucky but the best bet is get to know your hunting area really really well.

 

[alphapygmy]

Do you smoke? Don't even bother going out. They'll smell you before you leave the house.
DeanMk

HaHa +2. I took a guy hunting for 5 years in a row to a good spot and he never saw a single animal. He gets up in the morning puts on his hunting clothes that he washes with regular scented detergent, lets his 3 big dogs rub and slobber all over him then smokes a pipe or two on the way up. I could smell him a hundred yards away, I can only guess what the deer and elk were thinking.

 

[SDR]

HaHa +2. I took a guy hunting for 5 years in a row to a good spot and he never saw a single animal. He gets up in the morning puts on his hunting clothes that he washes with regular scented detergent, lets his 3 big dogs rub and slobber all over him then smokes a pipe or two on the way up. I could smell him a hundred yards away, I can only guess what the deer and elk were thinking.

Nose,Ears and Eyes, If it is not natural they go on alert... Home to them is the woods, If a smoker stepped into your none smoking home would you know it...

 

[SDR]

I posted this on Craigslist of all places because of too much text for NWFA to host... Here is a link to it, It may get flagged though, If it does and you have interest PM me, I will forward it to you....

<broken link removed>

 

[SloBone21]

Great thread!! I enjoy reading/listening to the experts, and from what I'm beginning to discover about Blacktail, is that they aren't predictable. This is my second year, and I'm having a blast, but I haven't killed a buck yet! I can't wait.

 

[Sawdust]

Every bit of information helps. Thanks!

 

[STNOSU]

I keep seeing tracks just want to see one of these elusive animals during season. Even if its just a doe to see that they are real lol... I see them everytime I would go shooting by Mary's Peak off season but now... We did see some cougar tracks though today...

 

[STNOSU]

One question for all you guys if one of your spots where you see a lot of sign is on a clearcut that is at a Y in the road. A lil up the road is a place to park but it will be right where you would set up about 5 feet to the left of it. If a deer sees the suv will they ignore it or not go near it? Only reason I ask is there is no where close by to park its all roads. Only place I can think of is pretty far up on of the roads there is an area you can park but its on a corner in a really dark area and the suv is black and I really don't want to chance someone hitting it on that corner.

 

[SDR]

Rut Prediction 5 Days = the 28Th...
The youngsters are out, The Ball Draggers will be to follow...