Lets talk BLACKTAIL!

[BGLEMIN]

I like those circled areas too, but my gut says hunt the dark timber across the creek. Trying to think like a cagey, older buck who knows to leave the cut before daylight and head to cover. Try and intercept between feeding/breeding areas and steep,dark bedding areas.

[JakeLand]

The last couple days of October I would be on those strips of timber that's where those bucks will be guaranteed

[BGLEMIN]

The last couple days of October I would be on those strips of timber that's where those bucks will be guaranteed

You said it twice, I'll take your advice!

[BGLEMIN]

For bucks W of I-5, at an elevation of 1200 ft or less, how large of an area would they occupy throughout the year? How many square miles? If I found a buck tomorrow, do you think he'd travel farther than 5 miles in any direction from that spot to his "rut zone"?

[chester]

For bucks W of I-5, at an elevation of 1200 ft or less, how large of an area would they occupy throughout the year? How many square miles? If I found a buck tomorrow, do you think he'd travel farther than 5 miles in any direction from that spot to his "rut zone"?

<1 sq mile , if you find him now he will be close by.


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[BGLEMIN]

For bucks W of I-5, at an elevation of 1200 ft or less, how large of an area would they occupy throughout the year? How many square miles? If I found a buck tomorrow, do you think he'd travel farther than 5 miles in any direction from that spot to his "rut zone"?

<1 sq mile , if you find him now he will be close by.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow that's not far at all. I would've thought a buck would cruise further than that looking for receptive does.

[DaveMonti]

For bucks W of I-5, at an elevation of 1200 ft or less, how large of an area would they occupy throughout the year? How many square miles? If I found a buck tomorrow, do you think he'd travel farther than 5 miles in any direction from that spot to his "rut zone"?

<1 sq mile , if you find him now he will be close by.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow that's not far at all. I would've thought a buck would cruise further than that looking for receptive does.

The bucks will remain solitary in their core area (about 1 square mile) until the rut kicks in during the last week of October or so.  Up until that point, you won't see them out in the open during the day very much.  You will have to hunt them in the timber along the trails they frequently use.  Once rut kicks in, they will be on the move and may go miles searching for does.  If you're bow hunting the early season, you won't find bucks cruising for does.  That won't be a strategy you want to rely on. 

[fishnfur]

For bucks W of I-5, at an elevation of 1200 ft or less, how large of an area would they occupy throughout the year? How many square miles? If I found a buck tomorrow, do you think he'd travel farther than 5 miles in any direction from that spot to his "rut zone"?

<1 sq mile , if you find him now he will be close by.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow that's not far at all. I would've thought a buck would cruise further than that looking for receptive does.

Your question referred to their home range throughout the year, and was answered correctly - there are (probably) zero migratory deer west of I-5 below 1200 feet.  1- 2 sq. miles is generally considered to be the average home range of non-migratory BT bucks.  Every buck is different.

There are virtually no BT studies on how far they travel (during the rut) in search of does (excursions).  There are many eye witness accounts of hunters seeing BT bucks several miles (up to ten or so) from where they were found just a day before.  These reports must be viewed with a bit of skepticism because, as we all know, it is hard to tell one deer from another, even with unusual antler configurations.  Genetic flow of antler characteristics in bucks allows for, and often results in, similar unusual antler and body configurations in separate deer populations that stemmed from a common ancestor several generations removed from the current individual. 

Once you've choked that last sentence down, you can be confident in knowing that if you saw a buck several times in an area outside the period of the rut, he will likely spend the majority of his time in that same home range area during the rut. If you have your heart set on killing just that one buck, then you should hunt close to where you saw him.  If you're less discerning about which buck you harvest, then locating the groups of does in an area and then hunting those trails (Oct 26 - end of late buck season) that bucks use to cruise from one group of does to the next should, in theory, give you the best opportunity to see several different bucks as they make the rounds in search of hot does.  Figure out where the pinch points/funnels are and you're in good shape.

[JDHasty]

I was talking with a biologist who told me that 200-250 BT/square mile in the best western WA habitat.  Something like 40% antlered and 30% of those three point or better.  So that means ~ twenty or twenty-five three point or better bucks/square mile.  If a third of those are nice bucks then that means ~ six or eight nice bucks per section.  And that would put one or two real trophy bucks on each section in the very best black tail habitat. 

That lines absolutely spot on w/my observations over the years. 

[BGLEMIN]

DaveMonti and fishnfur, thanks for the info!! Looks like I will put all my effort into the last 4 days of modern. Definitely will be focusing on terrain features that could be used as travel corridors between cuts and older stands of timber.

[BGLEMIN]

I was talking with a biologist who told me that 200-250 BT/square mile in the best western WA habitat.  Something like 40% antlered and 30% of those three point or better.  So that means ~ twenty or twenty-five three point or better bucks/square mile.  If a third of those are nice bucks then that means ~ six or eight nice bucks per section.  And that would put one or two real trophy bucks on each section in the very best black tail habitat. 

That lines absolutely spot on w/my observations over the years.

Statistically those are some good numbers, a buck to doe ratio of 1:2.5 seems very healthy. Would you mind schooling me on blacktail habitat W of I-5?

[fishnfur]

Two more spots to discuss:

- Upper left saddle where deer likely cross the ridge to travel between the two drainages.  This one occurs in big timber and may have bucks moving through it at any time of the day during the rut.   This may be a killer spot to take a stand.

- Depending on the steepness, the drainage in the lower portion of the picture may hold does in the upper portion that feed in the alder during mid-day and travel their way up that in the clear cut at night.  The timbered points on that finger are promising bedding areas for bucks, allowing good vision for predators from below, easy escape from danger above, and similarly, provide relatively easy access to the great groceries up in the cut.

[fishnfur]

I was talking with a biologist who told me that 200-250 BT/square mile in the best western WA habitat.  Something like 40% antlered and 30% of those three point or better.  So that means ~ twenty or twenty-five three point or better bucks/square mile.  If a third of those are nice bucks then that means ~ six or eight nice bucks per section.  And that would put one or two real trophy bucks on each section in the very best black tail habitat. 

That lines absolutely spot on w/my observations over the years.

Statistically those are some good numbers, a buck to doe ratio of 1:2.5 seems very healthy. Would you mind schooling me on blacktail habitat W of I-5?

Google those exact words!

[BGLEMIN]

Two more spots to discuss:

- Upper left saddle where deer likely cross the ridge to travel between the two drainages.  This one occurs in big timber and may have bucks moving through it at any time of the day during the rut.   This may be a killer spot to take a stand.

- Depending on the steepness, the drainage in the lower portion of the picture may hold does in the upper portion that feed in the alder during mid-day and travel their way up that in the clear cut at night.  The timbered points on that finger are promising bedding areas for bucks, allowing good vision for predators from below, easy escape from danger above, and similarly, provide relatively easy access to the great groceries up in the cut.

Well I'm at least feeling more confident in my Google Earth scouting! I've looked at those two spots from just about every angle. The timbered ridge appears to have some nice looking areas where the terrain breaks the steepness, areas where ridgelines, saddles, and hips & valleys all converge. The area you circled in the lower portion I like but I'm concerned about it being mostly deciduous trees and every spot I've been in like that has been way too loud, even when wet. My thought would be to bivy just below that area and slip within a couple hundred yards of the cut before daylight, settle in and hope to intercept.

[JimmyHoffa]

deciduous trees, that's where I'd go.  Especially if vine maple or alder, if there's big ferns around beneath, even better.