about to give up hunting all together

[elkboy]

30draw, it really sounds like you are doing all the right things.  Did you mention the wind direction?  Hunt into the wind, or into a cross-wind, and that will help.  Another thing you could try is to drive around and look for private land where the forest meets small farms.  That intersection can be excellent blacktail habitat.  Just don't be afraid to knock on doors and asking politely- you can wind up making good friends with some great landowners.   

I recommend Louis Terkla's "Hunting Black-Tailed Deer" and Boyd Iverson's "Blacktail Trophy Tactics" for checking all aspects of your hunting method.  John Higley's book on northern California blacktails has excellent tips on still-hunting them.  With blacktailed deer, you cannot be too careful or too detail-oriented.  They are, quite simply, very hard to hunt.

Every time I burn a tag (cook into soup), I use that experience as motivation to become a better hunter over the course of the next year; I think others on here will tell you the same thing.  It will make your eventual success all the sweeter.  Good luck! 

[ctwiggs1]

You're hunting very difficult areas.  Look at the harvest reports.  Naches is worst in the state.  Green water - 653 side? - that unit sucks.

[Stein]

I recommend Louis Terkla's "Hunting Black-Tailed Deer" and Boyd Iverson's "Blacktail Trophy Tactics" for checking all aspects of your hunting method.  John Higley's book on northern California blacktails has excellent tips on still-hunting them.  With blacktailed deer, you cannot be too careful or too detail-oriented.  They are, quite simply, very hard to hunt.

OP, I have a copy of this book I don't need, PM me if you want it.

Blacktail are not the best animal to start with, they are probably one of the hardest hunts around.  Don't give up, hunting is pretty much an all or nothing gig.  You can sit around for years and then, BAM, big bull dead before you even know what happened.

[hughjorgan]

You're hunting very difficult areas.  Look at the harvest reports.  Naches is worst in the state.  Green water - 653 side? - that unit sucks.

Just stay clear of ellensburg and yakima units. They were hit hard by louse and haven't bounced back. Head to the NE corner there are a ton of white tails over there and usually has the highest deer harvest in the state.

[Boss .300 winmag]

This guy had your thoughts last year.



Hey,

Yes, went out 3 days this year. Went out for 2 in Eastern WA with just sightings and nothing close. Had a very close encounter with 2 does and a HUGE blacktail buck on the wet side the last weekend of the season. No meat in the freezer. Going to try and get out more for the late season. Never going to give up. Have been frustrated but hunting is in my blood now. It is not about the meat you bring home but the perspective that you gain that makes hunting such an amazing sport. Hope to hunt until my last breath.

[pope]

I'm no expert, in fact my record is similar to your experience. I think that's what I like about hunting deer on the west side. It's so difficult, there's so much to learn. I enjoy the research and homework at least as much as the hunting itself. If it had turned out to be easy, I would have moved on to the next hobby by now. One thing that can help is training your eyes. Go do some glassing of big cuts when there are plenty of deer, in late spring and early summer. When I first started my friend was constantly seeing deer that I couldn't see until he pointed them out. Now I've improved at recognizing the shape, color and subtle movements at distance. If you want to do some glassing, send me a PM and I'll show you what I mean next spring. You won't generally see deer in open areas in October, but if you're hunting archery in September, they're still in their summer areas.

[csaaphill]

I know its hard to do sometimes but prescout if you haven't. allthough not 100% guarantee but still.
I know thefeelign though sometimes I hunt hard most the time and no deer or elk.
I got one a couple of years ago though however really lucky because I never scouted the area so was just there at the right time.
THis year scouted some but not like I'd like and nothing so ya.
But I never quit it's in my blood!

[Stumps]

From 2001-2004 I did not get a deer. From 2005-2013 I got either a deer or an elk every year. It takes time and can be a bit discouraging. You are after animals that have been pressured and pursued for over a month now. Take a break from "hunting", think of it as "scouting in season", just make sure you still have your rifle in case something pops up. Go out and concentrate on signs of deer. The rut is coming and the bucks will become more active in the daylight. So far this season I have only managed to get out in the woods 1 day, the only deer I saw were 4 does inside the fence at the La Grande power station outside Eatonville. These were spotted from the truck on my way home. Don't give up, just change tactics.

[RadSav]

How many days have you spent in the woods during that four years?

Don't take this the wrong way...you may want to get your vision tested.  I resisted getting glasses for too long.  When the half blind wife started seeing more animals than me I knew it was past time.  Spotting animals like I did in my 30's now.  Shooting much better too!

When I was growing up I hung out with an old carpenter who also bowhunted.  When we would hunt together he would always see more animals than me.  He finally said to me, "Quit wasting your time looking for animals where they are not.  Focus on where they should be."  He wasn't being a smart arse.  He was giving me some of the best information he could give.  He was right and I started seeing more animals as a result.  But, only time in the woods will help you understand where those areas are!

The other bit of information I might add when hunting the westside is keep moving!  Cover as much ground as possible until you start seeing animals.  No sense in sitting and waiting if there are no animals working where you are.  Takes time and miles to find a few good spots.  But when you finally find a few, especially ones that haven't been found by 100 other people the game starts changing fast.  You start to notice tends in behavior, ground cover, and ultimately you begin to understand deer.  That's when the light goes on and you wonder how you could possibly have gone so long without filling a tag.

After a while you no longer will be simply looking/hunting for deer.  You will be hunting "Those" deer or even "That" deer.  You'll get a fleeting glimpse of a clearcut and say to yourself, "He should be there." and he will be! 

The woods are a class room.  Every trip should be a learning experience.  Don't be the kid in the back of the room that never raises his hand to ask a question.  Be the annoying kid in the front row that questions everything!  Pay attention, stay positive and never quit.  Quitting is for losers   

[boneaddict]

Spend some time in the offseason to learn your prey.   It will help you spot them better or understand their movements etc.    Patience is the key to success when hunting.   It sounds like you may have a lot of it but its wavering.  There are a lot of good points in the above posts.  Goodluck.

[rtspring]

Hang in there!  I tell you what, draw a peaches tag for any bull and I will personally take you out hunting!   And you will kill a bull elk. 

Hunting is so much more than just killing an animal. Take it all in and enjoy the outdoors...


Rtspring

[Smokepole]

Learn about deer HABITAT FIRST.

Finding a good hunting spot requires either a lot of knowledge or a lot of energy & luck.  The best hunters with the broadest skills go scoreless if the deer aren't around.

Study habitat.  Learn what the deer like to eat.  Discover their travel corridors.  Find their watering holes.  Deer need food, cover, and water -- and they get into a routine.  Don't hunt areas unless is is cut up with sign.  Cover a lot of ground until you find fresh sign, and then start hunting.

It sounds like you have the fortitude for deer hunting.  Now start hunting smart.  Good luck!   

[coachcw]

so if your hunting blacktails on the west side I'd hunt south facing clear cuts along timber lines . find game trails and go slow couple steps then stop and look . I have used a ton of doe in heat sent and walked right up to bucks that way . once I work through a area I will turn around and hunt the same spot backwards. also i'd hunt a either sex area to get your feet wet . hunting blacktails is like rabbit hunting . if you can get a buddy to hunt slow through a area and one guy post up you may catch a big old guy sneaking out . hunt rub lines and push through the thickest crap in the area get that buck on his feet chances are if you jump him then wait he will circle around and come back in a bit . good luck.

[sirmissalot]

Where do you live?

[h2ofowlr]

Many of those that are successful year after year find there success by spending lots of time in the woods and learning the signs, patterning the animal, locating target rich locations, etc.  You can spend a lot of money on fuel driving around and sometime driving past great spots unbeknown in the process.  Get out and scout.  If you spend the summers doing hikes in various areas, you will start to notice and see more game.  Sometime it takes years to develop a good eye for picking out game that may blend into the background.  I hear lots of stories of guys sitting on cuts for most of a day only to look down, across etc., to see a shooter standing in a locations they watched for hours.     For some it is just dumb luck and others, it's just a matter hours to days before they know they will fill there tag.