Blacktails and gun shots

[davk]

I just moved out here ~1.5yrs ago from WI and have only hunted late archery this year.  The spot I have been hunting has plenty of sign of deer.  Trails, droppings, rubs, beds.  Had snow on the ground for 2 days the first weekend and looked like a deer highway.  Iv sat all the weekends of the season and havent seen anything while in the stand.  Kicked up 3 the first weekend.  Im hunting in the NF where people shoot a lot.  So its either bad weather, or lots of gun shots all day long (Ranging from ~300yrds to probably a mile away).  Im used to hunting whitetails in WI and they dont seem to mind gun shots as much.  Blacktails just sit tight all day with close gun shots?  Worth looking elsewhere?

[lokidog]

Don't know.  I think deer react differently at different times.  If they just got bumped by someone, I think they react much more than if they are calmly munching along and hear a shot.

If you can, stick a camera out overnight near your sign.  You might find most activity is at night, so gunshots probably wouldn't matter.

I don't know what else to tell you.

[jasnt]

Could be the hyway you found is more night travel?  Idk anything about black tail so I can't reply on them. I know that with whitetail that live near shooting areas dont pay it any mind. Even just a few hundred yards away. I've watched them mill around munching while some folks just over the hill where practicing world war III.  They never even flinched. Can't say that about my self as I was ready to crawl in a hole and hide, they eventually ran out of bullets

[davk]

Could be the hyway you found is more night travel?  Idk anything about black tail so I can't reply on them. I know that with whitetail that live near shooting areas dont pay it any mind. Even just a few hundred yards away. I've watched them mill around munching while some folks just over the hill where practicing world war III.  They never even flinched. Can't say that about my self as I was ready to crawl in a hole and hide, they eventually ran out of bullets

Yeah in WI we had 5 people hunting on 40 acres.  Some within seeing distance(in blaze orange and youd see a sliver of orange).  And someone would shoot and youd have deer by you and not even react to it.

Had to pick up a ton of gear this year and just haven't had the funds for a trail cam.  Next on the list ... maybe.

[RadSav]

Ghost of the Rain Forest!  Welcome to the wetside  

I saw a buck chasing a doe today.  Saw sign of another buck bird dogging does.  Seems late for the second estrus cycle, but there are still a few suffering from some doe crack fever.  Other than during rut blacktail bucks have become very nocturnal.  Even in areas with very little gun fire.  Won't be too long and you'll get them figured out!

[jasnt]

A trail cam is a very helpful tool, when used properly.  Can save ya a season of sitting in a night travel location during the day.  Definitely not a must have tool, but...
warning: trail cams are very addictive!

[RadSav]

Can save ya a season of sitting in a night travel location during the day. 

Good point!

[j_h_nimrod]

I'm not sure about the blacktails in this state but the ones in coastal AK (Sitka Blacktail) seemed like they could care less about shooting for the most part, similar to whitetails I have hunted around Spokane. Actually had to shoo deer off the shooting range in Sitka on two occasions. Like I said, not sure about the Columbia Blacktails though. Mulies really seem to move out when the shooting starts from what I have seen down here though.

[fishnfur]

Welcome to my world - lots of sign, no deer.

 The word on the street is that you should move a bit closer to their bedding areas to hang a stand, so that you catch them heading out to feed when they get up in the evening, or alternatively, catch them returning to bed in the in the last couple of hours in the morning.  Sounds so easy......

If you hunt the spots during the daytime where they feed in the middle of the night, you will likely never see them during hunting season. Try to intercept them closer to their beds.  When you hunt outside the prime rut times, the farther you get from civilization the less likely they are to be totally nocturnal and the better your chances of seeing a buck up travelling to/from feeding. The more hunting activity you hear (gunshots) likely means the deer are more pressured, sticking tighter to cover, and are more nocturnal.

As the season wanes in December, forage is more limited, so the deer will likely move long distances less to feed since they will expend less energy by staying closer to home.  They are tying to conserve energy and make it through the winter.  Bucks may still be monitoring does to check for any late estrous activity, so it makes sense to find does and hope to see a buck waiting patiently close by.  Check south facing slopes that will be warmer than other areas.

Hope this helps a bit......it hasn't helped me at all.        What a game!  Have fun!

[Skyvalhunter]

Sounds like you found a good area. If there is a lot of human activity in the area the deer will go nocturnal a lot of times. So the area you are in may be one of the transition areas between the feeding and bedding areas. Might try some trail cams to see when they are transitioning thru that area. If the rut was going on when you were there then the deer will act different than their normal activity. Deer are very smart to any change in their area i.e. limbs cut, scent and even cams thus they will change their activity.