Backtail Help!!!

[orygun]

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

I've taken the 28th and 29th off just for this. Plus the 1st.
Thanks

 

[alphapygmy]

So when they're in rut they're moving around alot looking for lady friends? Where do they typically travel? Do they stay in the big timber, younger growth, or just everywhere? I imitated a buck rubbing on a tree and had a spike come in on Friday. Talking coast range here.

 

[SDR]

So when they're in rut they're moving around alot looking for lady friends? Where do they typically travel? Do they stay in the big timber, younger growth, or just everywhere? I imitated a buck rubbing on a tree and had a spike come in on Friday. Talking coast range here.

They should be cruising for Doe right now... Covered paths of least resistance...
Find the Doe, You will find the Bucks... Set up and estrus call, Grunt, Rattle...
Make sure your in cover and your image is broken up by the surrounding brush... Good camo and gloves really help with that weary buck sneaking in... New for this year I bought a decoy, Early season I was busted by a dandy buck slipping in, I heard nothing on the way in, But I sure heard him leave... Bung Hole and antlers is all I saw....

 

[SDR]

10/23 & 10/24
I have been out all weekend, Saw lots of Deer... 9 doe on Saturday, A fork and three spikes, All in different area's ... Coming out in the dark on the bike A dandy five point was in the road fifty yrds away starring into my ultra bright head light... Sunday 11 doe two spikes a pair of forks and a two by three little basket rack... All Deer seen except for a couple all spotted in the clear cuts about two to three years old about 25 yrds or so out of the treeline... People think Deer hunker down in the holes during the wind and rain, Not always true...The wind and rain affect hearing and smell, The two major defenses... Bedding in the open near a treeline helps to see things coming... Elk herded up will be in the holes, I have seen them in the middle of huge flat opening also during heavy wind and rain...
Glass the clear cuts, Look under those little pines and the red fire looking bushes... I'm sure I missed a lot, But I spotted a lot also... Lots of Slash burning was going and the valleys got full of smoke, I hated it, I'm sure the deer did too...When cooled off, Those slash burning spots will be good spots to watch...
Hope this helps...

 

[ehunter]

Warning this could be hazardous to your health. I would suggest to wear orange if you going to rattle you don't want some bozo to shoot at the sound.

Decoys can be also be hazardous stay out of line of the decoy and use it a very secure area where it can't be seen from a road.:huh:

They should be cruising for Doe right now... Covered paths of least resistance...
Find the Doe, You will find the Bucks... Set up and estrus call, Grunt, Rattle...
Make sure your in cover and your image is broken up by the surrounding brush... Good camo and gloves really help with that weary buck sneaking in... New for this year I bought a decoy, Early season I was busted by a dandy buck slipping in, I heard nothing on the way in, But I sure heard him leave... Bung Hole and antlers is all I saw....

 

[coyote223]

They should be cruising for Doe right now... Covered paths of least resistance...
Find the Doe, You will find the Bucks... Set up and estrus call, Grunt, Rattle...
Make sure your in cover and your image is broken up by the surrounding brush... Good camo and gloves really help with that weary buck sneaking in... New for this year I bought a decoy, Early season I was busted by a dandy buck slipping in, I heard nothing on the way in, But I sure heard him leave... Bung Hole and antlers is all I saw....

Can you please elaborate a little more on your rattling success? Technique? I've tried it a number of times, but have yet to see any deer respond. Thanks,,,

 

[dragonsden73]

Only saw 6 doe's today. First 3 were in a huge clearcut...thank God for bino's or we would have never seen them. Hung around and eventually made a push with no results. Last 3 we saw were in someone's front yard eating out of a feeder

Been a rough year for us for some reason. Seen lots of deer, only 2 bucks. First one I passed as he was wayyyyy out there. Second one I saw was just a flash through the reprod hanging out with 2 females.....gonna hang it up for a day and try again Wednesday.

Oh...I'm not including the doe, 3 spikes and a little fork I saw in town in Salem a week or so ago...city deer don't count.

 

[PinkhamR]

DD .....

 

[Bad Droid]

We've been having luck in the coast range in the evenings and/or right after the rain stops. I got mine right after a day and a half of rain, 3 PM. We have had ZERO luck early in the morning for the last couple of seasons so we started afternoon/evening hunts, well at least we spot more now.
As a lot of these folks are telling you, know your area, know how to get in and out of it and where the trails come from/ go to. If you know your way around (even the roads, how far it is to the road etc) you will be 100 times better off.
We camp year round in our area for hunting, fishing, hiking, shooting etc, we are very familiar with it and that's the only reason we have had any luck.

 

[STNOSU]

Any one know anything about Starker land? We have been going to Tum Tum and Shotpouch tree farms. See a lot of sign at Tum Tum but no actual deer. Yesterday we saw four does by themselve at random spots at Shotpouch, but they were close to where the logging trucks were coming and going...

 

[SDR]

Any one know anything about Starker land? We have been going to Tum Tum and Shotpouch tree farms. See a lot of sign at Tum Tum but no actual deer. Yesterday we saw four does by themselve at random spots at Shotpouch, but they were close to where the logging trucks were coming and going...

I have never heard of Starker land, Tum Tum or Shotpouch tree farms... Probably too fare South for Me...

 

[STNOSU]

Its Starker Forests, Its mainly alsea and outside of Philomath.

 

[amersbee]

If you see two spikes in a area...What are the chances of those spikes staying in the same area the next year as they become fork n horns or do they move on?

 

[SDR]

If you see two spikes in a area...What are the chances of those spikes staying in the same area the next year as they become fork n horns or do they move on?

Blacktails for the most part are resident animals ... The bigger bucks will cruise for doe as the rut progress's ...

 

[orygun]

Blacktails for the most part are resident animals ... The bigger bucks will cruise for doe as the rut progress's ...

Hey SDR,
Got any hints when you think rut's going to start this year?

 

[SDR]

Hey SDR,
Got any hints when you think rut's going to start this year?

By the third week in October, many blacktail bucks are starting to think "rut." Though they may not have active rub lines or be chasing does this early, many bucks are ready; it's the fact that the does aren't in estrus that explains why the bucks haven't peaked. But their interest is there, and knowing this, hunters can rattle and call to bring deer into range. This works well in thick brush, where sneaking in tight is all but impossible. The end of October marks what I consider to be prime rattling time, as by this time, bucks are fired-up and the ladies aren't quite ready. At this time, hunters can move in and gain a buck's interest through rattling, an often overlooked tactic this time of year.

Rattling is Powerful , But it should to be done in a sequence . Estrus Doe bleats , Real powerful . Grunting properly is another very productive tool .
The Bucks are touched by rut right now , From now to Nov 4th is a great time to be out .

Good Luck , Post Pictures...

 

[eriknemily]

SDR,

Any tips on the sequence for rattling or calls?

 

[SDR]

SDR,

Any tips on the sequence for rattling or calls?

Everyone has their own opinion on this , I don't feel anyone is wrong, I think it is what works in the area . Elevation , Timber density , How much competition is in the area and how many estrus doe are available .

I start out light, Ticking the tine or tine tickling as some call it for 3-5 Minuets and listen, Maybe some grunts, Two different types of tubes to sound like two different Bucks . The second series more aggression and crashing and toss in hoof thumping and horn racking on bush's and tree's . If I see no action in 20 Min to a half hour I pull up and go 1/4 mile away and start again .
I always start out light and progress to aggressive as opposed to starting out hard and heavy . I always blow one grunt tube in one direction and the other tube in the opposing direction and bring them together as the distance closes then start the tine tingling when the sounds could have merged . I have ruined more situations than I have capitalized on just because of patience . I have gotten up and packed my stuff up to leave just to hear something crash off . I have had them come in so soft and quiet that I was startled when looking over and I see a deer face in the brush next to me .
In the peak of rut I don't think it matters too much, Estrus doe bleats and some secrete sauce to smell like a willing doe may be all it takes .
For the first time I will be hunting with a Bow hunter in November , I always play with the deer during my late Elk seasons with sounds but this year I will be actually doing the full on hunt for November bow season . Rifle hunters ought to be doing this now until November fourth .
Let Me know what worked for you.

 

[jkent26]

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?

I am by no means an expert but I moved into Columbia County 6 yrs ago and have gotten a legal buck every year. All I can say is location, location, location. I have found that the blacktails are very patterned and go to the same spots regularly. I have an area where in the woods along an old logging trail there is an big old apple tree and they frequent that spot. I start watching it as soon as the weather cools down to see which does and bucks frequent. And not to brag but me and my friend each got one there on back to back days. The one thing I have noticed is I have only seen the bucks in the late afternoon and just before sundown, I don't stay after dark. The one thing we have been real careful of is too stay as far away from that tree as possible so it doesn't smell with us. We are able to hide about 110yds away and watch them come in. First time I shot one there he was there with 3 does, they all ran at the shot, by the time we got out of our spot and made to where he dropped the does were already back to eating the apples. They are like junkies....you can watch them come in with drool dripping out before they even get the first apples. I don't have a trail cam to show although I've asked my wife for one every year.

So my advise look for a wild apple tree, stake it out, look for patterns....and hunt in the late afternoon.

 

[SDR]

+ 1 on the Apple Tree......
Deer are food driven critters . Find a area that is secluded with sun and grow your own food plot .

When I come to a new area I put a lot of seat time in my Pickup with a GPS and a map . I learn the roads and ridges , The trails that cross roads . Every trail or bit of sign I find I mark into my GPS, At the end of the day I put everything on my map . I have hunted the same area for fifteen years now, I my wife my three daughters and two sons have all harvested dandy bucks , not at first but years after learning it .

So what happened over the years was I developed a pattern, A feeding cycle as the deer would cycle in and out of a area . After a couple years I added Temp , Weather condition and moon phase . I hunted Deer,Elk,Turkey in this unit so I spent a lot of time in it and every trip I did this, Tough and a lot of work but the pay off is I can go there and know what area to hunt by using the info on my map that developed a pattern over the years with weather and Temp and moon phase . A little Pre-Season driving around to see what trails are lite up and I know exactly the area I'm going to hunt .
Until the animals are patterned I went in early and stayed late, Flash lighted my way in and out . One thing I can share that seems to be true everyplace I hunt. Heavily hunted area's the Deer move the last hour before dark and the last half hour of dark before the sunrise .

A Blacktail Buck can and will live in a ten by ten area, All he needs is Food,Bed and Water . He will pick this ten by ten area in the middle of the worst jungle and get up a nibble here and there "Blacktail are browsers, Not grazers" , Drink and bed . If danger is coming he will know it well before it is a threat and he can slip right out and watch you go by so he can go right back in until the next time . The spikes, Forks and two by threes run with the doe, The ball draggers don't move a lot until the rut or in the winter after Deer season is over.

Sometimes it is just easier to buddy up with a farmer and sit on his fields...

IMO if you can kill a mature Blacktail every year on public land during daylight hours you can go anyplace and harvest a animal .

My first Whitetail hunt I thought WTH these things are easy . My first Mule Deer, I thought wow I like this but easy . Blacktail are the smallest , They have the smallest antlers but you kill a mature buck to the people that know that is a real trophy . Blacktail eat way better than mule deer or whitetail IMO that is ...

They are out there , Go get one ...