Still hunting for deer

[WilliamIV]

Alright so I've been hunting since I can remember with my father at the age of 5 or so. I've been trying to think of new ways to find and spot legal deer for this season and still hunting as seemed like a really good way to do that. So my question is what kind of terrain are people still hunting? I know the deer hang out in the real thick stuff but I can't imagine even trying to hunt it. Any tips or advice? The best way I have found for the thick stuff is to watch it from the opposite side of it if it is on a hillside or something.

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[Whitey375]

Hunt into the wind through stuff you would normally drive by. Some of the best blacktails I've killed, or seen, have been in the spots everyone races past on their way to the "hot spots". Go slow, and I mean 100 yards an hour, head on a swivel, get some bright 6x or 8x binos and use the heck out of them. The Vortex 6.5x32 (36?) comes to mind.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

[WilliamIV]

I've always considered the places that people just drivers on by. I've never understood the whole point of flying by perfectly good areas just to look at one spot.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Whitey hit it on the head when he said binoculars and slow, way slow. A deer's ears and nose are his best defence, think wind. The early rut will help. Early morning and late evening are the hours when most two legged predators are out and about and it doesn't take long for deer to figure this out. Mid day from 10 am until 2pm are excellent times to be still hunting. Deer are active more than most would believe during this time frame. When its raining, be out there. During the mid mornings when the air warms, hunt down hill if possible, or side hill. In the evenings when the draft changes, hunt up as it cools and starts to fall. Its not just the deer your looking for, it's that leg, ear, nose, eye or antler tip that will turn into what your looking for. Again, not enough can be said about using your binoculars. A good mature buck will almost invariably bed in an area where he can see down hill, escape quickly over a small ridge. Look for these to be bedded just below the edge of draws or small tops. The thing about still hunting that keeps me coming back is the challenge. Win or lose.

 

[WilliamIV]

Last season when I tried still hunting for the first time I got caught totally off guard. It was down pouring and wind was like a hurricane. I look over to my left and see two forked horns staring right at me. The only reason I didn't get a shot is because I had to tell my step brother to stop moving because they were sure locked onto him.

 

[Gunnerboy]

The nastiest little old roads tend to hold nice bucks, last year i got my buck on a old road system that is only accesible on foot 4 miles in out to a nice power line opening. Best part ive only seen 2 other guys ever hunting that because its a 4-5 mile hike in.

 

[i8asquirrel]

I have had pretty darn good luck over the years hunting steep benchy areas in the west side of the cascade range by just parking to the side of old closed gates, walking very slow and watching down over the edges into the brambles.
I carry a slingshot and if a thicket looks promising I will launch a couple stones down into the brush..and then watch for deer making thier way slowly away from the noise......has worked pretty darn well.
carry your back pack to haul it out, makes for some nice day hikes!

 

[WilliamIV]

I have had pretty darn good luck over the years hunting steep benchy areas in the west side of the cascade range by just parking to the side of old closed gates, walking very slow and watching down over the edges into the brambles.
I carry a slingshot and if a thicket looks promising I will launch a couple stones down into the brush..and then watch for deer making thier way slowly away from the noise......has worked pretty darn well.
carry your back pack to haul it out, makes for some nice day hikes!

I remember my dad said when he was a kid they would see patches of brush and throw rocks into it to get animals to come out. Never worked for them. Sounds like you have it perfected.

 

[Quackerbacker]

Afternoons when the barometer drops before a big rain the deer seem to know and all bets are off. They are out feeding during all hours.

 

[DeanMk]

Alright so I've been hunting since I can remember with my father at the age of 5 or so. I've been trying to think of new ways to find and spot legal deer for this season and still hunting as seemed like a really good way to do that. So my question is what kind of terrain are people still hunting? I know the deer hang out in the real thick stuff but I can't imagine even trying to hunt it. Any tips or advice? The best way I have found for the thick stuff is to watch it from the opposite side of it if it is on a hillside or something.

I grew up hunting like that. It can be boring as hell, but can also yield good results.
Dad and I used to climb down into a Draw out in Tahuya (near Belfair).
I found a nice perch on a ridge that allowed me to keep an eye on pretty much that whole draw and some of the surrounding area.
It was hell pullin' that deer out of there, though, because it was really steep.


Dean

 

[WilliamIV]

I grew up hunting like that. It can be boring as hell, but can also yield good results.
Dad and I used to climb down into a Draw out in Tahuya (near Belfair).
I found a nice perch on a ridge that allowed me to keep an eye on pretty much that whole draw and some of the surrounding area.
It was hell pullin' that deer out of there, though, because it was really steep.


Dean

I know exactly how you feel. The place I do that is 500 yards across and I feels like a 90 degree angle at times. It's brutal but worth it.

 

[gallogiro]

I've spooked some deer like within 10 yards of me walking through some thick reprod. I guess they hear all this noise and just hunker down till you get too close for comfort and then bolt off. Never taken a shot at those, the idea is hopefully they will jump out into the open areas where you have a friend waiting. It's worked for us (if you do this wear lots of orange and make sure your buddy is not an idiot).

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Here's what I know. I've killed lots and lots of mule deer. I've killed 2 black tail in 5 years. For me, black tail are WAY harder to get. I hunt west of Eugene toward coast. I heard down by Medford is better. But I don't care what people say, black tail are hard. BUT there are way less Mule deer these days.

 

[PopsBdog]

Out in the woods around here, blacktail are everywhere.
Mainly where forest meets meadows and clear cuts growing in.

Basically, It's just a matter of seeing them before they see you.
Easier said than done. They have a lot more incentive and training than most of us.

Of course I can get one in my hood/backyard, but that seems not sportsman like getting one off the back porch.

 

[PopsBdog]

I've spooked some deer like within 10 yards of me walking through some thick reprod. I guess they hear all this noise and just hunker down till you get too close for comfort and then bolt off. Never taken a shot at those, the idea is hopefully they will jump out into the open areas where you have a friend waiting. It's worked for us (if you do this wear lots of orange and make sure your buddy is not an idiot).

You wonder how many you pass right by a few yards away.

 

[WilliamIV]

I've spooked some deer like within 10 yards of me walking through some thick reprod. I guess they hear all this noise and just hunker down till you get too close for comfort and then bolt off. Never taken a shot at those, the idea is hopefully they will jump out into the open areas where you have a friend waiting. It's worked for us (if you do this wear lots of orange and make sure your buddy is not an idiot).

I'd be afraid to do that with some of my family members because they can't seem to hit the broad side of a barn. Or my uncle and his son seem to think every deer is a doe. Even if they clearly have horns.

 

[M67]

I love to hunt black tails in Coast Range in the really thick areas.

If you are still hunting, you can walk right by them 5 yards away and never notice they are there if your not watching very, very closely. The black tails are like grouse and only seem to flush if they think your going to walk right over them.
I have even seen the black tails crawl through the underbrush, salal and ferns to try and sneak away undetected.

My preferred method, is to find trail intersections, make a ground blind ( so the kids and I can move, eat, read a book, etc.... undetected ) and just wait. In the thick stuff I always hear them long before I see them, unless it is raining really hard.

The deer never seem to be very alert in the really thick stuff and I think it is because they can hear you coming a long way off, just like I hear them from the blind.

The best Coast Range hunter I have ever known, explained it like this. He said: Walking through the thick stuff, is like driving a tank through the thick stuff, shutting it down and then saying... Do you think they heard anything? lol

If you like to hunt with a handgun like I do, the really thick timber is the way to go and you don't have the hassle of lugging a long gun through all the brush.

 

[nwwoodsman]

Buy this book. It is a book specifically about hunting black tails in Oregon which is something you don't find very often. My wife picked this up for me a few years ago. Since I can take a hint I have read it a few times from cover to cover and will do so again before opening day.
Amazon.com: Hunting Black-Tailed Deer (9781878175199): Louis G. Terkla: Books

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Since I can take a hint I have read it a few times from cover to cover and will do so again before opening day.

 

[WhyteCheddar]

You simply must have ground that is quiet when you step on it. Warm dry late summer and early fall makes still hunting problematic in many situations. If you can find overgrown roads or we'll used game trails then your odds of being quiet improve. You must also be patient. When I'm in a good spot with good sign I slow way down. One step, count to 10 slowly, repeat. Staying slow like this will low you to spot many things you would never see if you were moving more quickly.