I didn't say baiting was illegal (nor do I care to look it up as it isn't something I would do regardless), I was merely pointing out that even if something is illegal, and others break the law and it's not enforced, does it make it not illegal to do. The argument of "everybody is doing it" isn't sufficient.
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I've done blacktail in the costal range a few times for the same reason (no lottery tags) and find it equally frustating. The terrain/undergrowth sucks, the wind is a b*tch in heat and they are stealthy as all get out. On more than one occassion I've gone through a large sword fern patch, the deer just lay there under leaf cover and let you walk on by. Alll you hear is the rustle of leaves behind you as they slip way under cover after you've passed.
Tracking and stalking just won't put meat on the table. Which brings up the whole... are they even worth it when even if you take one you can pretty much sling it over your shoulder with ease and hike it back to you rig.
You really have to do your homework throughout the year to track patterns and trail use. I've never used a tree stand and never plan to. To me... that takes any kind of enjoyment out of a hunt. I have had some successes though. Catching them on the move along treeline fringes very early morning hours or pre dusk. The rest of the day.... you're better off taking a nap and reading a good book. IMHO.
Personally though, the rewards are pretty meger and there isn't much joy in the hunt. I have to be pretty hard up with an itch to bother, anymore. To each their own.
Baiting... yeah... even if it's legal that's pretty unethical hunting in my book. In a survival situation where meat is life... I get it. Partaking of the outdoors and exercising your hunting skills for potential reward... that's a completey different matter.
Tracking and stalking just won't put meat on the table. Which brings up the whole... are they even worth it when even if you take one you can pretty much sling it over your shoulder with ease and hike it back to you rig.
You really have to do your homework throughout the year to track patterns and trail use. I've never used a tree stand and never plan to. To me... that takes any kind of enjoyment out of a hunt. I have had some successes though. Catching them on the move along treeline fringes very early morning hours or pre dusk. The rest of the day.... you're better off taking a nap and reading a good book. IMHO.
Personally though, the rewards are pretty meger and there isn't much joy in the hunt. I have to be pretty hard up with an itch to bother, anymore. To each their own.
Baiting... yeah... even if it's legal that's pretty unethical hunting in my book. In a survival situation where meat is life... I get it. Partaking of the outdoors and exercising your hunting skills for potential reward... that's a completey different matter.
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Agreed!
I will say this though... seeing a salt block or apple halves strewn about while out hunting... for some strange reason always makes me have to P.
I would have thought that after licking salt you wouldn't have to p, but what do I know, I don't find myself licking salt in the woods.
Completely agree with those thoughts.
Just want to confirm or not whether baiting deer is illegal in Oregon. While I've never shot anything over bait, I definitely could be considered an accomplice.
I don't agree with those who say it is unethical. No more than I agree with those who say shooting deer/elk at long range with high powered rifles and scopes with turrets is unethical. While neither is my cup of tea, I don't look down my nose at those who partake. I learned my lesson the hard way. I used to look down my nose at bowhunters. Now, at over 60 years of age, I hunt with a bow more often than a rifle. As I grow older, I may (or may not) revert back.
Unethical may be harsh, someone else used the word. I think in this application it's not sporting.
I don't know if anyone was saying (in the other thread) that long distance shooting is unethical. Shooting beyond your ability without absolute confidence in a humane kill... is unethical. As confident and as sure as you might be, it's still may not always go your way. Throwing lead in the "hopes" of hitting hair is just wrong, no matter how a person might try and justify it... although many try to do just that.
To be clear, as far as I know, WA and OR are the only 2 western states that allow baiting deer and elk. Legal? Yes. Ethical? I still say no. I was raised better than that, and most other states in the union agree. I also believe hunting in vacinity of a guzzler is unethical. I'm entitled to my opinion.
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Outside of luck, it wont. This is why Ive been studying new tactics and learning patterns. I grew up hunting mulies with my dad where traditional tactics like still hunting worked in open timber country, then you just stalked to within rifle range isn't hard. Of course, that was when mulies were plentiful and its gone downhill over there but while thats another subject it seems to be successful over there you now have to located your bucks before the hunt and scouting out east isn't practical to get that good.
My dads only with me in spirit now...., and so while im working on some preference points to hunt mulies again but nowadays its clear the off years will be way more so I want to figure out these blacktails if I ever want deer meat in the freezer regularly. Im ok with the smaller size, the close proximity to home allows me to scout year round and I mean like stay on specific animals or spots... im close but man these blacktail are a challenge, I "think" theres a large buck in one spot but I havent found any rubs yet this year and thats discouraging. One of the tactics im going to put emphasis on this year is ambush or ground blind hunting. I have a spot where some deer are foraging and another spot looking down on it, I scouted a downwind route to the vantage point and it was a helluva bushwhack up a creek draw then up the back spine of the steep hill. Now I need to see if I can do it in the dark to get there before light to see if I can spot them. And of course... all this will also depend on if other hunters are in there too, they will just blow out all the deer.
Yeah, I think unethical is harsh too. Everyone has their own opinion and they are entitled to it ( see @Yarome above ). Among many in the bowhunting community (not including me) hunting with a rifle is not sporting. Some rifle hunters think hunting with a scope isn't sporting. Many traditional bowhunters think hunting with a compound bow isn't sporting. And so it goes. As long as it's legal, I try not to cast aspersions. Hunters are targeted enough by non-hunters and anti-hunters. The less sniping we do at each other, the better.
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I hunted blacktails in western Oregon for a long time. I can only agree that they are a challenge to hunt.
There is a book that might help a little: Hunting Black-tailed Deer, by Louis Terkla.
There is a book that might help a little: Hunting Black-tailed Deer, by Louis Terkla.
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got it. Read it. Its an incredibly helpful book. 1 of only 2 books by reputable local hunters Ive found specifically about hunting blacktails. All of my field observations have matched what Ive read there with the exception specifically to north coastal regions (Oregon) is barely any mention.
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Your tactics are solid. I'd add check trails for recent activity and spots to glass and stalk. Mist and rain seem to encourage movement or at least they seem more active it.
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that is definitely a moral booster thank you for that. Its looking to be a fairly dry fall but I took some days off towards the end of the season rather than opening weekend.... hoping for some rain.
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Rain and rutt! Good call on skipping opening weekend. I definitely prefer to have my buck in the cooler before the rut hits
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Getting ready for this year.
This was last's years harvest and my first blacktail.
I've spent days in the woods. All weather conditions. Behind gates. Hiked down landings. Up and down mountains.
This buck was hot on the trail of 2 does as we were driving out. I hopped out in pursuit with my rifle. After a short chase, a 100 yard shot from standing on a stump, and him piling up 20 yards away from where I shot him. I questioned everything i have read, learned, and been told about hunting blacktails.
Good luck to everyone this season. May the wind be at your back, your aim steady, and your bullet fly true.
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They have patterns. My observations from my area are,
If the weather is nice, the bucks are mostly nocturnal and come out in the open after dark. They seem to start moving after the sun sets, so hunt until dark then walk out. Late morning they will move sometimes. It is like there bedding spots becomes to warm or they don't like the wind direction. However, they stay near cover when moving.
Prime hunting is during cool weather or even better yet, stormy weather. They will bed during rain and wind in clear cuts or on clearing edges. Overcast cool days they seem to be out in the open feeding longer in morning. It is like weather throws their summer pattern off.
Don't ever let your guard up. Where you think they should be they are not. Where you don't think they will be, they will be standing there looking at you.
I have always had poor luck stalking black tails through brush and trees. I always see more just walking closed roads. I see 10x more right before dark then any other time of the day.
If the weather is nice, the bucks are mostly nocturnal and come out in the open after dark. They seem to start moving after the sun sets, so hunt until dark then walk out. Late morning they will move sometimes. It is like there bedding spots becomes to warm or they don't like the wind direction. However, they stay near cover when moving.
Prime hunting is during cool weather or even better yet, stormy weather. They will bed during rain and wind in clear cuts or on clearing edges. Overcast cool days they seem to be out in the open feeding longer in morning. It is like weather throws their summer pattern off.
Don't ever let your guard up. Where you think they should be they are not. Where you don't think they will be, they will be standing there looking at you.
I have always had poor luck stalking black tails through brush and trees. I always see more just walking closed roads. I see 10x more right before dark then any other time of the day.
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I hunt for the hike and to clear my mind. I keep track of where I see does. As the rut turns on you will start seeing bucks there. The dandy bucks have the best bedding spots. Ridge points with several escapes and a wide field of view. Ugly vine maple is a great spot for them to be, and you won't get to them.
If you feed does all year they will have healthy fawns. Healthy fawns grow up to be big bucks, or does. If it is food plot or a bait station or a clear cut, every deer has to eat.
If you feed does all year they will have healthy fawns. Healthy fawns grow up to be big bucks, or does. If it is food plot or a bait station or a clear cut, every deer has to eat.
In one of my past lives, I did a bit of logging....What'duhs that have to do with hunting blacktail? Imma tell you...
On the days that the wind was tooooo dangerous to fell timber...that was the time to grab a rifle and head to those beautiful clearcuts. It is best to pick a clearcut that was logged a few years past. That way, there will be some cover and feed in it for the "Future Friend in the Freezer." (You could can him too...but that would ruin all those f'words I put in a row.)
That wind should be strong enough to hear the branches rattling in the stand beyond the timber's edge. The older stands will have found their voices and be speaking with croaks and groans. Extra points if it is raining sideways and running down your forehead into your eyes. The nice thing about the conditions that I have laid out, is that this hunting can produce deer at any time of the day.
Find a nice spot, or move around, it doesn't matter. Just take your time and enjoy the wet and cold. Look for those shapes that are too uniform, those tines can almost look orange compared to the vegan'tation. Watch for the little movements that don't seem to be in sync with the wind (think that was a band in the 90's). Watch the "doorways" to the clearcut...Mr. FFF is going to peek out the door before making his entrance...pretty easy to spot that white throat in contrast against the darkness beyond the door. Okay, rest your eyes now...or everything will look like a deer. Use those other senses....and don't forget the most important sense of all....Common sense.
That common sense should tell you that If it is too noisy and dangerous to be felling trees, and Mr.FFF is too afraid to hangout in the cover of the forest, it is not really safe enough to be wandering under the dead limbs and rotten tops. So please be careful and enjoy those breakfast steaks.
If I had one wish, it would be hearing my Father say, "I am getting my coat!" as I stand looking out the window at the weather coming while poking a few cartridges in one of my MTpockets.
Edit to add: Apologies if my writing is poorly crafted, punctuated etc.
On the days that the wind was tooooo dangerous to fell timber...that was the time to grab a rifle and head to those beautiful clearcuts. It is best to pick a clearcut that was logged a few years past. That way, there will be some cover and feed in it for the "Future Friend in the Freezer." (You could can him too...but that would ruin all those f'words I put in a row.)
That wind should be strong enough to hear the branches rattling in the stand beyond the timber's edge. The older stands will have found their voices and be speaking with croaks and groans. Extra points if it is raining sideways and running down your forehead into your eyes. The nice thing about the conditions that I have laid out, is that this hunting can produce deer at any time of the day.
Find a nice spot, or move around, it doesn't matter. Just take your time and enjoy the wet and cold. Look for those shapes that are too uniform, those tines can almost look orange compared to the vegan'tation. Watch for the little movements that don't seem to be in sync with the wind (think that was a band in the 90's). Watch the "doorways" to the clearcut...Mr. FFF is going to peek out the door before making his entrance...pretty easy to spot that white throat in contrast against the darkness beyond the door. Okay, rest your eyes now...or everything will look like a deer. Use those other senses....and don't forget the most important sense of all....Common sense.
That common sense should tell you that If it is too noisy and dangerous to be felling trees, and Mr.FFF is too afraid to hangout in the cover of the forest, it is not really safe enough to be wandering under the dead limbs and rotten tops. So please be careful and enjoy those breakfast steaks.
If I had one wish, it would be hearing my Father say, "I am getting my coat!" as I stand looking out the window at the weather coming while poking a few cartridges in one of my MTpockets.
Edit to add: Apologies if my writing is poorly crafted, punctuated etc.
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