Best late season Blacktail tactics

[Tbob]

Okay HW masters... Let's hear your best late season Blacktail tactics.. My brother and I will be trying to seal the deal on our first Blacktails, Westside late season archery hunts. We'll be hunting the SW coast starting the Friday after thanksgiving.. We have an area we liked from last year, so we're heading back this late season. We've been 0/4 the last 4 seasons, but we sure have a good time trying! Let's hear what you guys got...

[Boss .300 winmag]

Did you see deer, fresh sign of them, others getting any deer?

[Southpole]

Tag

[Tbob]

It doesn't have the best harvest reports, but I've been told that's partly because not a lot of people hunt this area. I saw a couple does in there last year for the late season. Lots of deer/elk sign everywhere you go..

[JDHasty]

Tree stands are blacktail hunters friend.  Other than that - get up early and go to bed late and stay in the field all day.  If I had more specifics I could possibly have more suggestions. 

[PolarBear]

I'm still a big fan of cruising the timber, especially in nice weather.  A treestand can work great if you set up in the timber 30- 50 yards in next to a clear cut or reprod.  Find a well used trail inside the timber, set up on it but as far away as you can comfortably shoot and wait them out.  Other hunters will push the deer back to you.  DO NOT set up directly on top of a trail!   

[JDHasty]

I'm still a big fan of cruising the timber, especially in nice weather.  A treestand can work great if you set up in the timber 30- 50 yards in next to a clear cut or reprod.  Find a well used trail inside the timber, set up on it but as far away as you can comfortably shoot and wait them out.  Other hunters will push the deer back to you.  DO NOT set up directly on top of a trail!   

I agree.

If you can find an apple tree or even an abandoned orchard and set up on the access trails they still have hanging fruit on them around here. 

[pd]

T-Bob, I don't nearly qualify as a HW Master, so take this with 5 grains of salt.  Question to you: You said SW WA coast for the late season; this implies "any buck" areas, correct?  Or, are you in an "any deer" area?  Your strategy, given the season, will vary greatly depending on your answer.

As JDHasty said, one of the best strategies in western WA in the late season is to find apple trees.  Even if those trees only have a few apples left, even if those apples are rotten, the deer will still cruise by once in a while, because they remember the dinner plate there.  If you can find a 1- or 2-mile course, going from apple tree to apple tree, cruise that (because that is what the deer will be doing).  If you can hunt does, you might see a few during the daytime. If you are limited to bucks only, first/last light will be most productive.

We cruise during the daytime, stay away from the main trails (but close enough to watch the trails).  Stay in the dark of the timber, avoid the open as much as possible.  Good luck, to both of us 

[BABackcountryBwhntr]

if you are bowhunting and want a shot at a nice buck, I would suggest stands or blinds... I enjoy hunting over well placed baits along trails going from feeding to bedding areas. I also use trail cams to scout all year in the areas I plan on hunting. Still hunting is hard enough with a rifle, much more so with a bow...  stand hunting IMO is the best way to consistently kill mature animals, if you just want a slick head or small buck that is another deal.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Great points being made! Even pack in apples to put on the ground around the trees works. Good luck!

[JakeLand]

I would suggest pinch point trails just inside timber coming to and from 3 to 5 year cuts IMO at least up here they will be going from cuts to timber in the day when the weather is good if it is total crap out they will be out in those cuts move slug slow and hope to stick one in there bed or as they stand up usually will be a quick short distance shot

[JackOfAllTrades]

Forget the apples... Forget the trailcam... Cruise the woods. Find the does. Stay near. Get elevated. Use binoculars glued to your face. A good Blacktail will let you walk right by at 20yds if he feels he's bedded good. And he will be! Look for draws that have trails down and up the sides of ridges. BT's will bed out to the end of the ridgeline with at least three escape routes. Think of them as a criminal on the run from the law. He doesn't want to get caught. Some will have, but not all will have bread by then. They'll still be near or seeking the does.  Rattle some, or have your buddy rattle while you watch.  Think of a good BT as a pimp. Never in the same bed two nights in a row. So find beds above the draws but just over the edge. If you're near a swamp, there will be trails around it. Find the thick reap-rod and alders... He'll travel through there unnoticed. He'll pause at the edges of the alders before coming out to daylight. Be ready. Hunt DURING the rain! Hunt before the rain. Hunt after the rain.

-Steve

[BABackcountryBwhntr]

Forget the apples... Forget the trailcam... Cruise the woods. Find the does. Stay near. Get elevated. Use binoculars glued to your face. A good Blacktail will let you walk right by at 20yds if he feels he's bedded good. And he will be! Look for draws that have trails down and up the sides of ridges. BT's will bed out to the end of the ridgeline with at least three escape routes. Think of them as a criminal on the run from the law. He doesn't want to get caught. Some will have, but not all will have bread by then. They'll still be near or seeking the does.  Rattle some, or have your buddy rattle while you watch.  Think of a good BT as a pimp. Never in the same bed two nights in a row. So find beds above the draws but just over the edge. If you're near a swamp, there will be trails around it. Find the thick reap-rod and alders... He'll travel through there unnoticed. He'll pause at the edges of the alders before coming out to daylight. Be ready. Hunt DURING the rain! Hunt before the rain. Hunt after the rain.

-Steve


great advice, and it works great with a rifle, much less with a bow... I am not saying you cant kill big bucks from the ground.. you can for sure.. but the very best consistent BT hunters with archery do it from stands/blinds.... scouting is a invaluable tool.. i forgot to mention doe bleats and rattling... they will work if you have hot does which can be hit or miss during the late archery seasons as they are now.

[JackOfAllTrades]

I've taken several BT with iron sighted pistol at archery and less, ranges.  Does don't need to be near to rattle a buck in. Although I don't hunt late archery season, for me, the tactics don't change that much. There are tree-stand hunters and foot hunters. Both can be very successful. I agree, scouting is invaluable. Find some routes and set up, elevated if possible. Late season BT can be funny... Knowing what phase they're in is huge. A pistol hunter likely has the advantage for a buck that's say... come down off Mount Adams after the second or third big snow has hit. Once that buck has bread multiple times in a few days or more... He'll want to rest. Not quite the case with those of us that git some more than one month a year.  He'll bed down... And if a storm is hitting the coast, he may bed even longer. But, if he's rested, he'll be feeding day and night. So, there are times that you need to bust the brush, as in, if you're not seeing anything move, not even does, then bust the brush. The pistol hunter has the advantage of a quick shot when busting an animal that's bedded.  If you're seeing movement, stay put, set up a blind or stand on traveled routes. Out toward the coast, (I have family near LaBam and in Westport), The ridges of the Willipa hills seldom get significant snowfall. There's only one reason to bring those boys to the *censored*tonk... Girls. Find the girls.


-Steve

[Tbob]

Wow!! Some seriously great advise here! Thanks so much! So at the moment I don't have a treestand so I'm totally fine making a small make-shift blind on the ground. And yes, this unit is an "any buck unit". So for you guys with the apple tree scenarios, do you typically find old Apple orchards or trees on the private timber company lands?

[pd]

Wow!! Some seriously great advise here! Thanks so much! So at the moment I don't have a treestand so I'm totally fine making a small make-shift blind on the ground. And yes, this unit is an "any buck unit". So for you guys with the apple tree scenarios, do you typically find old Apple orchards or trees on the private timber company lands?

Even in an "any buck" unit, look for the ladies.  Follow them, or, if they are not moving, then stay there.

Apple trees are anywhere/everywhere.  It is crazy.  But they are around only if somebody planted them (they are not natives).  You won't find them in clearcuts, or any timber less than 20 or 30 years old.  Look for abandoned orchards or farms, swampy areas--but be careful not to trespass on private lands.  Never in old growth timber. 

[JDHasty]

I used to hunt Ft Lewis and abandoned apple trees are all over Ft Lewis.  They are easy to locate from the air in the spring when they are in bloom if you have a friend w/a private plane, but that doesn't help ya' right now.

Asking kids is probably the most productive way to find abandoned homesteads/apple trees.  Since you are archery hunting I am assuming that being close to civilization and gaining hunting access is not going to be a major malfunction. I have not found it difficult to gain access w/a bow.  It sounds like you live there, if it were me I would be looking at hunting in close proximity to humans. 

[fishnfur]

I wish I had something good to offer.  I know you have a spot in mind, but if it were me, I'd be as close to Longbeach on public land as I could get.  The Longbeach peninsula has almost no hunting pressure and lots and lots of deer running the neighborhoods.   Perhaps somewhere like...... 

http://www.fws.gov/refuge/willapa/visitor_activities/hunting.html

Good posts everyone.

[sRaud]

Pretend your elk hunting they'll walk out right in front you.

[billythekidrock]

Still hunt the thicker cuts or uneven terrain in the larger timber.

[steeleywhopper]

I've killed more late season blacktails around 10am than any other time of the day.

[huntingbaldguy]

We saw a lot of deer while i was hoping to be a pack mule for my buddy in modern elk opening weekend.  We pushed through a lot of timber that should have held good elk numbers, but all we saw were blacktail.  So go to the ugly places elk usually go, and you will find blacktail.  Just be aware they will probably spot you first so be ready for a quick shot.

[RadSav]

My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods.  Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early.  Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather.  And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm

[Tbob]

Thanks for all he great advise and tactics everyone! This place is awesome!! I'll be sure and let everybody know how it goes out there. I've got exactly 6 full days of hunting so hopefully between my brother and I we can get it done! Thanks again for all the advise! I'm praying that this is my year that I actually get to notch a tag and not just clean it out of my pack next year when I purchase a new one:-)

[Old Man Yager]

My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods.  Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early.  Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather.  And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm

.  they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.

[Tbob]

For sure! I'll have a pack with water and lunch in it and plan on being out from dark to dark. Makes it a little easier to be out all day when the days are short.. Interesting about times of day you guys seem to see and shoot things..

[fishnfur]

I agree with that statement.  Hard to hunt from 0600 till 2030 without taking a serious break.

[Tbob]

Early archery kills me sometimes.. Up at 3:30am.. Hiking in the dark to where ever destination.. Wait for the sun to come up and then hunt until dark, 9:30 pm ish and then a few hours of walking out in the dark.. Usually to tired to make anything "real" for dinner.. Have a beer with whatever I could muster up for dinner and then repeat! Day 3 I'm usually pretty spent. I wonder how many animals have walked right by me while I've been napping under some random stump?!?! 

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I agree with that statement.  Hard to hunt from 0600 till 2030 without taking a serious break.

Except it gets dark at 1700 during late season ...
You must really put on some miles.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Early archery kills me sometimes.. Up at 3:30am.. Hiking in the dark to where ever destination.. Wait for the sun to come up and then hunt until dark, 9:30 pm ish and then a few hours of walking out in the dark.. Usually to tired to make anything "real" for dinner.. Have a beer with whatever I could muster up for dinner and then repeat! Day 3 I'm usually pretty spent. I wonder how many animals have walked right by me while I've been napping under some random stump?!?!

But September is soo much fun!!

[fishnfur]

I was speaking of early archery.  Many miles?  Hopefully less than 5 or 6

November  -  If I don't get out early, the day disappears like a morning mist in the sun.  Poof!  Time to go home.

[JDHasty]

All I have left is an Antlerless General Tag.  Going to set up in a doghouse blind next to an apple w/my crossbow Thursday and put a buddy who has his General tag up in one of my stands with my Ithaca Deerslayer over another apple tree.  Hopefully he gets a shot at a decent buck.  So there is my advice. 

I can't hunt Friday or Saturday and Sunday is my fallback day to fill that deer tag.  Don't need the meat, but have friends who were shut out all together this year and they will appreciate it.   

[Soady]

My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods.  Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early.  Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather.  And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm

.  they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.

I agree on your point of hunting those spots right off the road or roads. This spot has so many deer bedded and feeding between the roads it is unreal. Every time I go into it the norm is three to four deer during all times of the year.

[Pete112288]

My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods.  Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early.  Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather.  And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm

.  they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.

I agree on your point of hunting those spots right off the road or roads. This spot has so many deer bedded and feeding between the roads it is unreal. Every time I go into it the norm is three to four deer during all times of the year.

I will be another to say...  and emphasize it. Last year I killed my buck in a narrow strip of 15-20 year old timber with brushy alder draws and bordered a clearcut that is so thick in alder saplings and blackberries that you cant go through it without a machete. The whole area is only 300-400 yards long and 20-200 yards wide. On 3 sides is a HEAVILY used paved road and on the fourth side is a set of powerlines that get hunted hard. Spots like these are where I find deer more often then not esp in late season after they have been pressured.

[Thehowler]

I will spend many hours just sitting and waiting, knowing what could step out in areas like that.

[RB]

I'm hoping I just get lucky and hit one with my truck 

[fishnfur]

My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods.  Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early.  Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather.  And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm

.  they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.

I agree on your point of hunting those spots right off the road or roads. This spot has so many deer bedded and feeding between the roads it is unreal. Every time I go into it the norm is three to four deer during all times of the year.

It seems to me that is a great tactic if you have the time to scout the spot in advance and actually see deer in there in the middle of the day.  It's not the road traffic that makes the deer clear out of an area but more likely, the hunters stopping, getting out of their vehicles, talking and stomping around a bit, perhaps popping off a couple of shots for fun, etc.  Recent deer sign may also suggest that the deer are coming in from outside the road confines in the middle of the night to use the area.  Hate to waste a day hunting an area only used at night.  On the other hand, sometimes you just have to think outside the box and just go for it when it seems right.

The first cut or so you come to as you head up into the hills are great candidates for finding deer in unexpected places.  Most hunters drive on by so they can get deeper in before they start hunting.  I know I'm guilty of that.

[RadSav]

I'm hoping I just get lucky and hit one with my truck 

Weld a big Trident to the front and you don't even need to stop until you get home to the beer cooler!

[RB]

I'm hoping I just get lucky and hit one with my truck 

Weld a big Trident to the front and you don't even need to stop until you get home to the beer cooler!

Hahaha yup!   

But, in all seriousness there is a lot of excellent advice in this thread looking in the spots most people drive right by is good this time of year. The local Deer here have been known to bed under the Cedar trees right next to the main paved road in front of my place no more than 40 feet from the road. Just a small amount of cover and they feel safe because there is a couple escape routes.

[JDHasty]

My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods.  Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early.  Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather.  And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm

.  they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.

I agree on your point of hunting those spots right off the road or roads. This spot has so many deer bedded and feeding between the roads it is unreal. Every time I go into it the norm is three to four deer during all times of the year.

I have turned a lot of people on to a spot just to the south and it is literally crawling w/deer in July when I camp nearby every year.   It is almost exactly like that one and I have seen really nice bucks in it.  I don't hunt deer there, but I recognized that clearcut you posted as soon as I saw it. 

[bobcat]

The best tactic I've found for blacktails is LUCK. 

[hogslayer]

My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods.  Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early.  Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather.  And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm

.  they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.

I agree on your point of hunting those spots right off the road or roads. This spot has so many deer bedded and feeding between the roads it is unreal. Every time I go into it the norm is three to four deer during all times of the year.

Looks like we hunt pretty close to each other.

[RB]

The best tactic I've found for blacktails is LUCK. 

 

[RadSav]

The best tactic I've found for blacktails is LUCK. 

What is the old saying about luck?  Something like, " "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

[2labs]

Gary Player I believe.  The more I practice the luckier I get

[RB]

The best tactic I've found for blacktails is LUCK. 

What is the old saying about luck?  Something like, " "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Yup!

[Tbob]

Okay maybe some Karma too? I helped a couple of old folks at work today.... Maybe that'll pay off?!