How to hunt Blacktail in Alder

[fishnfur]

Well, by my count, I've got 16 days to sit and mull over the general season and twiddle my thumbs.  Might as well try to learn something while I wait......

RadSav got me thinking more and more about hunting BTs in alder.  There's got to be some tricks or tactics that I'm missing.  Mature alder stands generally have lots of deer sign and good browse to keep them coming back. God knows they love to rub those trees this time of year.  The downside is that you can't walk quietly in the alder due to all the broken limbs.  Many hunters tell me they never hunt deer in alder.  Even the conifer edges that are close enough to allow visibility into the alder tend to be noisy with broken alder limbs. 

Alder forests produces some nice bucks every year for some hunters, especially along river bottoms and benches on the sides of hills, and I see does in the small stuff in the middle of the day during the early season, but they are gone as soon as the trees drop most of their leaves.   RadSav recounted an experience when he followed a buck that was chasing/herding a couple of does over long distance to his breeding area on an alder flat.   

Bucks generally don't seem to travel through the alder unless it is dark out based on my limited experience, but I don't know if that is the case during the rut.  Seems like they must use it at times during daylight, or at least hug the conifer edges as they search for does that often seem to have no issues with being in the alder at mid-day. 

I got busted doing some scouting between seasons last year by a buck that was about 70 yards away.  All was good as I stood with my back to a large tree, completely motionless, until I slowly raised my binos to glass the area and a buck and doe exploded from their beds and made a loud and quick exit stage right.  Visibility is obviously a huge problem.

So, am I missing something obvious?  Many hunters tell me they never hunt deer in alder.  I've already committed to trying - I've got two tree stands and a blind on alder/conifer edges, each of which requires some travel through alder to get into.  That may have been a mistake.  (?) 

 Do any of you have tactics up your sleeves for getting in without being seen and hunting effectively, or is it a waste of time to go past the edges?

Many thanks for your thoughts on the matter.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

I grew up hunting alder patches and mixed conifer/alder maple patches in the Malone area. Our two best methods were drives with 3 to 5 people driving and 1 or 2 on stands or 3-5 guys doing soft pushes bouncing deer to each other. Still hunting can be effective, but you have to move verrrrrry slow. 

The Humptulips used to have some good alder patches in the 70s and early 80s but it's thick conifers up there now.

It's hard to find a good alder patch these days, for a while everything seemed to get replanted in fir. But it seems there are a few more than 10-15 years ago. Hardwood prices must be up.

[RadSav]

I rarely ever step foot in the alders unless there is a good skid road free of most debris.  Just too difficult to remain undetected.  I try to stay in the timber and glass into the alders.  If I could control the weather and I wanted to kill a blacktail buck during rut in the alders I'd have it rain like the dickens all night until about 8am.  Then completely stop raining but remain overcast until the evening.  Then I would work the edges glassing from 10am till 3pm.

If I wanted to hunt Christmas trees, which are my favorite during rifle season, I would change the weather slightly.  Instead of overcast after 8am I would lay the fog down onto the Christmas trees heavy right after the rain stopped.  I'd then burn it off with a nice warm sunshine.  I'd then be on a ridge where I could glass the small openings in the Christmas trees within 200 yards of some freak-nasty reprod and maybe a small alder flat or two.  Wouldn't change much if it was deep and dark timber edge instead of the reprod, but that wouldn't be my first choice.

Unfortunately I can't control the weather   So I think if a person commits 100% to one area or one style of hunting blacktail in such a short season he isn't doing himself any favors.  Just for you I'll share our secret...Everything is on the table!!  Even cruising roads if we need to.  We try to never ignore fresh deer sign.  Doesn't matter where that deer sign is in relation to alder flats, Christmas trees, clear cuts or big timber - if there is evidence does are living there and not just bucks passing through we give it a try.  This could be even more important this year as the late deer season may, for the first time in a long time, come after the main part of the rut is over.  20-25 days is forever in peak rut terms.  Then the game changes completely



I absolutely hate deer drives.  But they can be extremely effective unless your the lucky SOB that gets to push.  A long long time ago I participated in a lot of those in SC for whitetail.  Lots of wounded deer tracking later I swore I'd never participate in one again.  You would think with as often as they did them there guys would be better at hitting those deer.  That's what I thought...and I was wrong.

[huntingbaldguy]

Don't discount bait.  That's exactly how i got my 3x3 blackie this year.  There's a small clearing on the land i hunt, with small thorny plants all over and grass.  Then when you get to the edges of it, it's alder, maple, cedar and ferns... everywhere.  I tried to be in the woods every day right after rain stopped and sun hit for a bit.  The days i missed, i severely regretted, as i saw on my cam that bucks had been there.  The day i got mine, it was about 3 hours after a heavy rain stopped.  I got in my blind fairly silent, silent enough to where a half hour after i sat down, my buck walked in.  I didn't wear my jacket because it was a little warmer that day.  Jacket is too loud also, yet still considered quiet by hunting standards, so i try to keep it off.  It worked out that day.  Got to draw my bow and move about silently in just base layer and a t shirt.  Those deer have incredible sense of hearing though, and anything weird they will endlessly stare at until they feel comfortable.  But to add my .02 to bucks moving through alder, i did see it.  Alder, maple, cedar and ferns, they seem to love the combo.  Tough to spot them in that habitat too.  I got busted walking in more than once and never saw them til they scared the crap out of me.

That said, all i had on cams were small spikes and does for all of September and most of October in that location.  I stuck with it and bucks started seeking does end of October and got a little reckless.  You should see the same in late rifle, i did last year.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

I absolutely hate deer drives.  But they can be extremely effective unless your the lucky SOB that gets to push.  A long long time ago I participated in a lot of those in SC for whitetail.  Lots of wounded deer tracking later I swore I'd never participate in one again.  You would think with as often as they did them there guys would be better at hitting those deer.  That's what I thought...and I was wrong.

I can see that with whitetails, the way they take off and run run run. Blacktails will stop and look around or try to sneak out into the open looking for the next cover. A lot of our drives were into open fields and power lines. To be honest, I don't remember many wounded deer we had to hunt down. And we killed a lot of deer.

I never realized you could actually get deer in clearcuts until I was about 19 and started hunting with my girlfriend's step-dad. We always hunted the timber when I was growing up, other than someone on a stand getting something we pushed out of the woods.

[fishnfur]

Pretty much what I expected.  Thanks all for your thoughts.  I hunt alone, so unfortunately, drives are not a possibility at this point.

Baldguy - that deer you harvested was a toad.  Nice job!  Your Kitsap area doesn't sound remotely like the Kitsap areas I'm familiar with.  Where's all the Evergreen Huck. and 8 foot tall salal?

[RadSav]

I absolutely hate deer drives.  But they can be extremely effective unless your the lucky SOB that gets to push.  A long long time ago I participated in a lot of those in SC for whitetail.  Lots of wounded deer tracking later I swore I'd never participate in one again.  You would think with as often as they did them there guys would be better at hitting those deer.  That's what I thought...and I was wrong.

I can see that with whitetails, the way they take off and run run run. Blacktails will stop and look around or try to sneak out into the open looking for the next cover. A lot of our drives were into open fields and power lines. To be honest, I don't remember many wounded deer we had to hunt down. And we killed a lot of deer.

That is interesting.  Definitely different than SC.

[predatorG]

Pretty much what I expected.  Thanks all for your thoughts.  I hunt alone, so unfortunately, drives are not a possibility at this point.

Baldguy - that deer you harvested was a toad.  Nice job!  Your Kitsap area doesn't sound remotely like the Kitsap areas I'm familiar with.  Where's all the Evergreen Huck. and 8 foot tall salal?

I've hunted both those types of terrain here in kitsap. In my experience, tall alder with the creeper type of blackberries that just run along the ground is best. I'm still trying to get one this year so I'll tell you what its in if I connect.

[RadSav]

In my experience, tall alder with the creeper type of blackberries that just run along the ground is best.

   If your not ripped to shreds by the time you get the buck to the truck you got lucky!  There is a reason I wear bird pants to hunt rutting blacktail

I like blackberries for early season bucks too.  I had a place not far from the recreation dunes in Florence, OR.  Most of my opportunities there the bucks were knee deep in sand munching away on berries.  That was some fun hunting!  Took a few bear there as well.  We would keep a few big pieces of 3/4" plywood in the back of the truck.  We would leap frog them like Lilly pads on top of the blackberries to track and recover animals.  You really hoped they would jump into the blackberries as blood trailing on the sand dunes is a PITA

Bird pants, good gloves and some rose snippers are a good thing to have in the truck

[fishnfur]

Bird pants?  I assume the type you wear when hunting pheasant etc., that offer a bit more protection against the brush. (?)  - I think he was referring to trailing blackberries, which make a hell of a lot of noise when they get around your legs but are not nearly as lethal as Himalayan Black Berries.

I have two parcels of forest land that are primarily alder, but have mixed fir components in parts of them.  In the past, when I've planned on hunting in the alder, I've gone through in pre-season and swept the trails with my feet to remove 90% of the debris on my major trails.  At a minimum, I've created clear spots to step in the worst areas so that I can get through really quietly though rarely is it completely without a bit of noise.  I've always figured that the deer and elk make noise as they go through it, so if I just go slow and really feel with my feet, I can get into my spots without a major disturbance.  If a storm comes through, all bets are off.  There can be a lot of new twigs and branches down where it was clear prior to the blow. 

Of course, none of this has ever paid off.  I've seen plenty of does, but only just a few bucks, which is not surprising.  I don't think the bucks every really hang out in the alder during the day.  The rut seems to be the only exception to this.  I keep thinking a permanent blind made of large slash from thinnings might work really well for a high traffic area pre-rut and during late buck seasons.

[RadSav]

I keep thinking a permanent blind made of large slash from thinnings might work really well for a high traffic area pre-rut and during late buck seasons.

Sounds like a good option to me!

My problem is I hate sitting during the rut.  My mind is always thinking about the buck just over the ridge, the big 4 chasing tail around the next corner, or the monster cruising the next edge.  Makes me so excited I just can't sit still!!

Deer rut hunting is the most exciting time of year for me.  It's the sole purpose for getting Weyco passes and multi-season tags.

[fishnfur]

There you go!  I like that idea.  That's what I need to do too.

I'm not much of a sit down guy.  It sounds good in theory, but 45 minutes into the sit, I'm second guessing myself and thinking about what I should have done instead.  Off I go, (deer comes in after I left), I go hunt somewhere else then go home frustrated!

[huntingbaldguy]

Pretty much what I expected.  Thanks all for your thoughts.  I hunt alone, so unfortunately, drives are not a possibility at this point.

Baldguy - that deer you harvested was a toad.  Nice job!  Your Kitsap area doesn't sound remotely like the Kitsap areas I'm familiar with.  Where's all the Evergreen Huck. and 8 foot tall salal?

I beat a ton of brush to find that spot.  Cut a trail and all that after google earth scouting.  It's a unique spot for sure.

[RadSav]

I beat a ton of brush to find that spot.  Cut a trail and all that after google earth scouting.  It's a unique spot for sure.

Sounds like you really did some homework and prep work early for that beautiful timber buck.  That takes a lot of time!  Truly something to be proud of.  Was an interesting story too.  I've never had any luck baiting blacktails.  I might need to call you for some pointers

If I win the lotto or sell the business we will be spending most of our free time trying to find those kind of spots again.  Seems every time I find a good one Weyco mows it down to slash and dirt.  Especially this year!  I was snotty to a Weyco employee a few years ago.  I think they must have decided to get me back by destroying every spot where they see my truck on a regular basis

[huntingbaldguy]

I'll help you however i can.  I'm no pro but i have seen a lot this year.  I was baiting the land i hunted from April.  I had all the does and yearlings coming in to 2 spots the whole time, and bucks in 1 spot at night.  I moved cam spots 6-7 times from April to September and had 2 cams deployed on that property.

All the deer the wife and i watched come in and out while we were in the blind was really quite the educator.  It made it a really exciting first season for her too.  We learned a lot of lessons early on, some of which you know about.  It's a really finicky way of hunting but with time spent it seems to be rewarding.  That's the toughest part, sitting still in the blind lol.  Time will tell if it will pay off year after year but this gave me a quite the confidence booster!  Anything you want to know i'll share besides the obvious.