Black tail and scents

[fishermanjoe]

I have a question about black tale and scents. I have been hunting whitetale for 12 years, and have never hunted black tale. I have just received permission to hunt a large piece of property here in the south sound, and want to see what is out there. I have done some scouting and have seen a lot of old rubs from the previous rut and have located some good trails. I am thinking about setting up a trail camera during the next rut with some doe in heat scent in a drip bag. So the big question. Will doe in heat scents work for black tale? Or are all the scents out on the market made for whitetale?

[heavy hauler]

i used tinks 69 years ago for BT .and i grunted in 2 bucks.dont know if it was the grunts or the piss. i dont think it matters, although i have seen over here on the westside some sporting goods stores carry BT in rut urine.  on the westside i think the rain washes the sent away.welcome to the sight

[Old Dog]

There is black tail estrus urine available from Sporstman's Warehouse, but Mule deer urine works just as well.  Along the Cascade Crest the black tail and mule deer interbreed constantly.  In fact, unless things have changed our deer from Kliktat County won't make the record book because they are acknowledged as crossbreeds.  It's been reported that where their ranges overlap even white tail will occasionally interbreed with the mulies.  I guess a horney buck just isn't that particular

[fishermanjoe]

hey thanks for the help, I will look for that black tale scent. I think this site will be a huge help to my friends and i. I will be recommending it to everyone.

[Dansk]

I took a buck a few years ago that decided to follow me up a steep clear cut.  I wasnt even hunting yet- just brush busting a trail through some nasty slag on my way to one of my other spots.  I usually  squirt that nasty stuff all over my new boots to cover that new rubber smell that takes a few years to go away - i think it was blacktail doe-in-heat (flourescent green label) from Joes.  Anyway it's 11 am on 10/31 - last day of wetside early modern- sunny, warm, etc... I was halfway up the hill and decided to climb up a stump to see how far I was from the top.  I looked downhill and saw a doe on the logging road looking at me, then here comes this buck pushing through the brush nosing the ground on the trail I cut.  I'm sure it was the scent because I was making a ton of noise. 

I think the brand was moccasin joe (?).

[Dansk]

Oh yeah - IMO the best thing you can do is buy Blacktail Tactics II by Boyd Iverson.  If you are used to whities, you need to unlearn many of your proven tactics.  Blacktail are very different and in many ways behave almost the opposite of thier eastern cousins.  It's a whole new game with blacktail.

[fishermanjoe]

Thanks for the tips guys. Judging by the other posts on this site i guess i do have to unlearn all of my white tale ways. The only black tale experience i have is tagging along with my buds in enumclaw. The only tip i got from them was to walk the roads right after a good rain. But i dont have the luxury of logging roads, I only have 3ft wide trails with thick salal (sp*). I figure the only way of bagging a buck in that kind of country is to set up a tree stand and bring them to me. There is way to much under brush to walk and stock. I put out a salt lick to see if it would provide some action, but there are no tracks around it and the only ware and tare in it is from the rain. What else do you guys suggest to find the bucks. I have been using my trial cam with no results. I am just about to put a bunch of apples or something out to improve my odds of catching a pic of a buck. I know they are out there i have seen some big rubs.

[fishermanjoe]

here is a pic of one of the rubs

[NWWABOWHNTR]

apples will work as does COB.....  go to the farmers supply COB= corn, oats, barley mixed with molasses works great. 

[PolarBear]

Oh yeah - IMO the best thing you can do is buy Blacktail Tactics II by Boyd Iverson.  If you are used to whities, you need to unlearn many of your proven tactics.  Blacktail are very different and in many ways behave almost the opposite of thier eastern cousins.  It's a whole new game with blacktail.

I learned a lot from Boyd's book and it made me a better all around hunter.  I met him at the Sportsman's Show back in the old King Dome days and after chatting him up for over a half hour I had to buy the book and it was one of the best hunting purchases I have ever made.
The blacktails around my place will not touch sweet c.o.b., only apples or acorns. 

[Dansk]

Thanks for the tips guys. Judging by the other posts on this site i guess i do have to unlearn all of my white tale ways. The only black tale experience i have is tagging along with my buds in enumclaw. The only tip i got from them was to walk the roads right after a good rain. But i dont have the luxury of logging roads, I only have 3ft wide trails with thick salal (sp*). I figure the only way of bagging a buck in that kind of country is to set up a tree stand and bring them to me. There is way to much under brush to walk and stock. I put out a salt lick to see if it would provide some action, but there are no tracks around it and the only ware and tare in it is from the rain. What else do you guys suggest to find the bucks. I have been using my trial cam with no results. I am just about to put a bunch of apples or something out to improve my odds of catching a pic of a buck. I know they are out there i have seen some big rubs.

Read the book.  Read the book.  Read the book.

FYI - You don't look for blacktails.  You will rarely find them when hunting or scouting.  They will hole up and stick tight even if you are within 15-20 feet and never make eye contact.  You need to scout and look for SIGN- droppings, rubs, feeding areas, etc- get in buckies head, then get situated to intercept. They can be very random and are VERY difficult to still hunt.  Attracting is hard- most blacktail stick to a very small area thier entire lives.  Some just a few acres, because they have all the nutrients and water they need just by browsing.... ok, so I probably owe Boyd some royalties, cuz all my advise comes from his book and is confirmed by my own experience.

Boyd does use a treestand.

[edmondshunter]

FYI - You don't look for blacktails.  You will rarely find them when hunting or scouting.  They will hole up and stick tight even if you are within 15-20 feet and never make eye contact.  You need to scout and look for SIGN- droppings, rubs, feeding areas, etc- get in buckies head, then get situated to intercept. They can be very random and are VERY difficult to still hunt.  Attracting is hard- most blacktail stick to a very small area thier entire lives.  Some just a few acres, because they have all the nutrients and water they need just by browsing.... ok, so I probably owe Boyd some royalties, cuz all my advise comes from his book and is confirmed by my own experience.

Good advise.  Forget about whitetails and their ways. Blacktail are the ghosts of the forest, I hunted them for 2 years before I even saw a buck.  I got a whitetail on my first trip.

All deer are slaves to their stomachs.  Find the winter food and you will find the deer,  dont forget to look for antler sheds.  If you find sheds burn the image and shape of them into ur brain so u can I.D them if u see them in season.