Preface: I suck at blacktail hunting, they have always been my hunting nemesis. But its been difficult finding partners to hunt controlled mule deer tags so I'm making it a project to solo hunt close to home on the off years I'm collecting points. For me this is specific to the north coast range because its close to home, Trask unit and northward and exclusively public lands only. I don't know of any hunting publication that's specific to north coast blacktail patterns but feel like the region is unique from other blacktail regions I've hunted due to the unique coastal terrain and vegetation. I don't have a high confidence I will fill my tag this year, but not for a lack of trying….
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Patterns: After scouting them all year I'm concluding a few things. North Coast Blacktail do not migrate unlike other blacktail regions. Blacktail live in very small areas more like spots, I estimate a blacktail spends its entire life inside a square mile. What this tells me is traditional "still hunting" spot and stalk techniques are less effective and blind or ambush tactics should be more effective. What still stumps me is knowing where in a spot I know has deer to stake out due to the thick brush (and changing winds). The problem is exacerbated where you have a good spot but the noise getting into it blows your cover…. Everything is "microsized" with coastal blacktail.
Food: I've tried to find what they eat but its not obvious enough. I've learned elk will devastate sword fern 'groves' but while that's another subject deer don't congregate in herds like elk do to make forage sign obvious. I don't know plant types but next time I'm out in a spot I know has deer I will try to remember to take photos. I've read that blacktail love trailing blackberries (which I do know what those look like), but forbes, salal, grasses lichens and shrooms are all dispersed randomly for me to say any deer uses a spot those grow in if I can even identify which ones they eat. In short, finding food or feeding areas still stump me.
Wind: this has been difficult to wrap my brain around… its easy to find out what the current prevailing wind is in the north coast range. Whats not easy is to learn how it swirls in all the draws you will be in. The coast range is endless small creek draws and ridges. I've read wind flows around terrain like water in a stream flows around rocks, but the endless draws and micro terrain features that makes up the north coast range makes predicting wind difficult in your exact spot with the slightest change in the prevailing wind affecting the patterns in the smaller terrain features. I think the only thing I can do is rely on windcheck powder and constantly change course to get to my hunting spots. The problem with that is the brush doesn't always allow you to go around. Getting "boxed in" off trail is a constant battle.
I'm not certain north coast hunting is popular enough to generate much discussion on this, but if anyone's out there that has experience what are any tips and strategies to add to this?
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Patterns: After scouting them all year I'm concluding a few things. North Coast Blacktail do not migrate unlike other blacktail regions. Blacktail live in very small areas more like spots, I estimate a blacktail spends its entire life inside a square mile. What this tells me is traditional "still hunting" spot and stalk techniques are less effective and blind or ambush tactics should be more effective. What still stumps me is knowing where in a spot I know has deer to stake out due to the thick brush (and changing winds). The problem is exacerbated where you have a good spot but the noise getting into it blows your cover…. Everything is "microsized" with coastal blacktail.
Food: I've tried to find what they eat but its not obvious enough. I've learned elk will devastate sword fern 'groves' but while that's another subject deer don't congregate in herds like elk do to make forage sign obvious. I don't know plant types but next time I'm out in a spot I know has deer I will try to remember to take photos. I've read that blacktail love trailing blackberries (which I do know what those look like), but forbes, salal, grasses lichens and shrooms are all dispersed randomly for me to say any deer uses a spot those grow in if I can even identify which ones they eat. In short, finding food or feeding areas still stump me.
Wind: this has been difficult to wrap my brain around… its easy to find out what the current prevailing wind is in the north coast range. Whats not easy is to learn how it swirls in all the draws you will be in. The coast range is endless small creek draws and ridges. I've read wind flows around terrain like water in a stream flows around rocks, but the endless draws and micro terrain features that makes up the north coast range makes predicting wind difficult in your exact spot with the slightest change in the prevailing wind affecting the patterns in the smaller terrain features. I think the only thing I can do is rely on windcheck powder and constantly change course to get to my hunting spots. The problem with that is the brush doesn't always allow you to go around. Getting "boxed in" off trail is a constant battle.
I'm not certain north coast hunting is popular enough to generate much discussion on this, but if anyone's out there that has experience what are any tips and strategies to add to this?