How to call and lure blacktail?

[police women of America]

So I need some info on how to call in blacktail deer. I mainly need info on bucks since I can't hunt does in the area I'm in, but any info on calling in does will be good for the future. I tried looking it up on YouTube but everyone seemed to only have advice for white tails.
I have three calls: one for bleats, another for grunts and snort wheeze, and I have rattling antlers. I know how to use the rattling antlers, those actually came with a video, but I don't know what time of year works great for blacktails.
I bought these all last year but I didn't use them since I was afraid it could scare all the deer away.

Also any tips on using deer "scent" will help a lot. Last season we set it on a Cotten ball hanging from a branch (during the rut) but no bucks seemed interested.

Anything helps!

[fishnfur]

Rattling can be effective any time after the velvet comes off -somewhere around 01 Sept.  BTs bucks socialize by play jousting in the pre-season, say mid-Oct.  I've heard them jousting in early October just at last light.  Typically, that is the time of day that they display this behavior.  If you're rifle hunting, early morning or early evening is a good bet for hunting a specific spot.  For fun, you can just go out in 6 (or so) year old reprod and rattle for a few sessions.  If you get no takers, move 200 - 400 yards and try again.  Expect them to circle downwind and sneak in on you, so pick your spots wisely. 

Regarding scents - you have to follow what the WT literature says.  There are not many BT scent experts, and every deer is different, so a tactic that works with one buck may have no effect at all on five others.  BT and WT have many similar traits, and though they typically don't make scrapes, putting buck urine at the base of a rubbed tree makes good sense, and using a drag rag soaked with doe in estrous pee (that leads to your stand site, or circles an area where you expect bucks to be searching for does) can be very effective at times. You only have to get one buck to fall for your tricks. Keep reading and don't be afraid to experiment or make deer noises it the woods.  Try not to sound like a human stumbling through the woods. 

Here's a disjointed article I copied and pasted to one of my BT files from the web.  It was a discussion of how the best BT hunters harvested bucks in a hunting competition (I believe).  There are some good notes on rattling and general techniques.  It's pretty long too......

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Blacktail Deer Secrets ~By Bruce Ulmer

Oregon’s hidden Deer May Offer Bowhunters Excellent Opportunities!

Hunting Oregon is probably your best bet to get your name in the Pope & Young
Club record book by taking a trophy blacktail deer. As you look at the Third Edition’s
pages, you see that there are only 164 entries posted in the whole Columbian blacktail
deer section. Compared to the whitetail or mule deer typical buck entries of 3288 and 861,
respectively, the reader can assume that blacktail deer are extremely hard to hunt,
there are not many people hunting blacktail deer, there are not many blacktail deer
or there are not many record-book blacktail bucks anywhere.

?

Oregon had a 1988 estimated population of almost 500,000 blacktail
deer which live between the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists do not have to manage
the deer intensely, as they fend for themselves pretty well without man’s help.
Game biologists do, however, keep track of buck to doe ratios, number of
fawns per one hundred does and some harvest data.

?

In November of 1989, while doing deer population surveys at night using
high powered spotlights, biologists found that some western Oregon big—game
management units had as high as sixty blacktail bucks per one hundred does.
with the average buck to doe ratio of about forty. Units bordering on or in the
Willamette Valley had the highest ratios for both bucks and number of fawns per
one hundred does. What does this mean for the archer? There are lots of bucks
and each year an average of forty·nine fawns are born for each one hundred
blacktail does, creating a bunch more bucks, all totalling up to 500,000 black-tail
deer to hunt. The potential for record bucks is apparent, since the deer
census comes after the rifle hunt is completed, indicating a terrific buck carry-
over.

?

How come there aren’t more blacktail bucks taken by Oregon’s
20,000 estimated resident archers? One factor which keeps the record
book numbers low is the large number of Oregon archers who hunt for the more
visible mule deer which inhabit the dryer, less brushy area east of the Cascades.
Their archery season begins late August, lasting four weeks and few
archers have their mind on the common blacktail during this time. With mule
deer, bear, Roosevelt elk and Rocky Mountain elk to hunt, the blacktail is
often forgotten except for an occasional after—work expedition for a couple of
hours in the neighbor’s orchard, or at the nearest clear cut if you live in black-
tail country. Then after the general season is over, the thirty-day-plus rifle
season begins in most blacktail units. Archers often believe that all the good
bucks have been taken because of the rifle hunting pressure. As was noted previously,
with the high numbers of surviving bucks per one hundred does, this is a
long way from reality.

?

Biologists think that most blacktail deer live their lives within a square mile
or so of land rather than range about like their mule deer cousins. The bucks
will stray outside this boundary during the rut in search of receptive does, but
unless their habitat is significantly changed or altered, each deer will prob-
ably remain within this square mile all of its life. Since western Oregon`s
climate provides lots of moisture—laden air from the Pacific, vegetation grows
abundantly, providing food and plenty of concealing cover for the deer. This is
good for the deer, but not for the archer, unless a hunting strategy is developed.

?

Around November l0th, the late archery season begins. This season will
last three full weeks and provide the archer some of the best trophy blacktail
hunting there is. The bucks are in the rut. Their senses are dulled because of
this physical condition and the winds and rains have knocked the fall leaves to
the ground, offering better visibility. The past three years I have been collecting
data, talking to successful hunters and discovering for myself that almost any-
one — with Lady Luck’s helping hand -— can take a trophy blacktail buck that
will place in the record book.
?

My research has been conducted primarily from hunters near or around
Oregon who have hunted Oregon’s National Blacktail Hunt the past three
years and other successful local hunters. I have attended and hunted the National
Blacktail Hunt primarily to hear the speakers and to enjoy the bit of competition
the hunt provides. When you are out there hunting, thinking of that big
buck just over the next ridge that just might win you the prestigious bronze
trophy plus a lot of good eating, you try every new trick you can find. You certainly
listen to successful hunters a bit more carefully than you normally would.

?

The first year, the biggest buck was taken by Idaho writer and seminar
speaker Dwight Schuh. On Saturday following the seven—day hunt, displays
and seminars were going on, so I cornered Schuh with the purpose of having
him autograph his book. Since he was in a gracious mood, I asked him how he
had gotten his buck. He replied that he had put up a tree stand and had rattled
off and on for a couple of hours before a buck made its appearance. He had tried
rattling from the ground, but the deer kept spotting him, not permitting him a
shot. He said that he rattled from just one spot, due to bucks moving during
the rut, looking for that special doe. The tree stand gave him a slight advantage,
because of increased visibility and the deer wouldn’t spot his movements as
easily.

?

This was interesting in that tree stands are hardly used in Oregon at all.
Even though hunting with tree stands is considered an acceptable hunting method,
you can look high and low, but find only were brothers Bob and Bill Henson,
with friend Roy Roth. They have taken several fine record blacktail bucks over
the years, so I asked them to share their strategy with me. Bill Henson explained
that they would slip quietly into old growth timber which have lots of
mushrooms growing under the shady trees this time of year.

?

Does particularly like these tiny morsels and could be found hanging around these
areas. Bill felt that if there were does here, then the bucks couldn’t be far behind.
They then set up and rattled in the big timber rather than in brushy areas. He thinks
that deer feel more comfortable and secure, being able to see farther and
come in closer to find the source of combating horns. Their team took two nice
bucks that they rattled in after a few minutes of effort. Bill Henson said that most
bucks responded within the first five to seven minutes of rattling. He thought this was due mainly
to being in good areas with plenty of bucks.

?

The National Blacktail Hunt, which has become my training ground for hunting blacktail
bucks, came a third time and, using what I had learned about trophy bucks, should have
seen my turn walking up to receive the bronze trophy. But here I was again, talking to successful
hunters who were attending the seminars and displays after a hard week
of hunting. I met Joe Lilly and Rick Logston of Sharpstick Accessories, a
new company in Washington. They were testing a successful deer call. Their
partner, Ken Swan, had a commitment back in Washington and couldn’t stay
for the festivities. Their team, which competed in the Manufacturers and
Dealers division, had taken three bucks, two that were certainly Pope & Young
Club material, while the third would probably make the minimum requirement
after the drying period.

?

This had happened while hunters were experiencing unusual weather conditions which
found the deer feeding all night and sleeping all day, with few bucks chasing the does.
The team members confided that they had used whitetail doe scent on the bot-
toms of their shoes, while walking into an area to call. Then they set up with
two people, the caller being upwind from the other hidden hunter, and used a
bleat call. The caller would work his magic with the call and within a short
time, the does would come in quickly with bucks following closely behind.

?

Joe Lilly tried this calling technique and waited until he spotted his buck
coming in to the call, Then he tickled his rattling horns and the buck come
straight on in. Logston, on the other hand, set up with partner Lilly much as
you would when bugling for elk. Lilly, who had already taken his deer, did the
calling and within fifteen minutes a four-by-four came out of the brush walking
straight for Logston, who had set up about fifty yards in front of Lilly.

?

Logston shot the deer when he stopped thirty yards away, broadside. Swan’s
buck was taken by laying down a scent trail about seventy yards in front of
Lilly, who was again doing the calling, and when a nice three-point responded
to the call, it hit the scent line and followed to where Swan was waiting. All three
bucks were taken in oak groves that showed lots of deer sign.
?

Author Dwight Schuh took another fine blacktail, winning first place in the
Individual division with his record book four-by-five buck. I didn’t have a chance
to talk to him this year, but his long-time hunting partner, Larry D. Jones, confided
that Schuh again rattled in his second record book blacktail, combining
rattling with a deer call. Jones missed a fine four-by-four using this method, but
didn`t have much time for hunting himself as he helped Schuh and Jim
Dougherty find their animals. Chuck Lynde. owner of Windy Lindy`s Archery in
Clackamas, Oregon,took the biggest buck of the 1989 hunt, a record book four-by-seven
blacktail with thick webbed antlers.

?

When I talked to Lynde later on the phone, I asked him how he had located such a
big buck. Lynde said “Well I wanted a big buck. so I decided to consult with world
blacktail record holder, George Shuttleff. George told me to find an area with lots
and lots of deer tracks and heavy trails, then look fs, before it winded Toni
and spooked. This was Toni’s first experience with rattling, but she rattled in
several other bucks later in the season from a well-placed tree stand. She felt at
least three of them would have met record book minimums.

?

Lynde`s big buck came in after he had alternated rattling and blowing a grunt
call. He waited for about thirty minutes and grunted again. Lynde was sitting on
the ground and spotted the buck at just fifteen yards coming in at a fast walk. At
eight yards, Lynde hoped that his face mask and camo were good enough. The
buck looked around a while, then started walking away. At thirteen yards the
buck`s head was behind a tree. As he drew his bow, the buck stopped and turned
to look. Lynde released his arrow and took a super trophy.

?

Rattling, calling, hunting from tree stands and hunting near old-growth timber
increases the chances of taking a trophy blacktail. After the National
Blacktail Hunt was over, there were still two weeks of season for me to test
successful techniques.

?

I rattled, called and tried a variety of their hunting strategies without major
success. The “good” weather and nighttime feeding was still a problem.
Then I located an area where there were lots of rubs. I had been told by local
blacktail expert Boyd Iverson, three-time seminar speaker at Oregon’s
National Blacktail Hunt and one who’s taken many Boone and Crockett Club
blacktails, that you should look for rubs where the tree is about three to six
inches wide. You can tell if it is a big buck doing the rubbing if you can see
the brow tine marks on the tree.

?

Generally, smaller bucks rub smaller trees. I checked the rubs and found there
were several big ones that had been rubbed in this manner as well as lots of
smaller ones. There was also one set of huge blacktail tracks in the old mud skid
roads that surrounded the area. Iverson also looks for areas similar to
what Chuck Lynde had described near where he took his buck; places at least
one-half mile from a road with a bench below a steep slope on which the black-
tail bed after feeding. Iverson looks for trails to ambush bucks while they are
heading to or from their bedding or feeding areas.

Iverson has found that blacktails usually use one trail to the feeding
or bedding area and a different trail on the return trip. Iverson is one of the few
hunters I have heard of who consistently uses a tree stand and he hunts during the
rifle season. Iverson’s reputation for locating big buck areas left me no doubt
that the area I had found would meet his requirements.

?

I set up overlooking a small meadow and rattled, but I had no luck, so I
decided to still-hunt and learn the area. After rattling and looking for several
hours, a white patch showing through the timber at sixty yards low to the
ground caught my eye. I look out my 9×20 pocket binoculars and was astonished
when I saw it was the muzzle of a huge buck bedded down in fern and
small fir. I had a chance to watch this buck for more than three minutes, with
his eyes on me the whole time. I am certain that it would have scored near the
top of the record book. It was a four-by-four with long brow tines, good width
and mass and much larger than the 140-point mule deer I had taken previously.

?

The buck got up and stretched one leg, then the other and walked off
toward a steep ridge covered by big Douglas fir. I tried to circle and ambush
him, but he pushed a huge three-point and a doe off in front of him and I never
saw him again.

?

The last day found me watching the rubs in a small meadow. After about an
hour, movement caught my eye. A large four-by-four was working my way, rubbing
the smaller trees and checking for scent. It was fascinating to watch him
stand on hind legs and rub his face on the branches. I have read that whitetail
bucks have a scent gland near their eyes and I believe this buck was rubbing his
scent gland in the same manner.

?

At about forty yards, he turned to go up the hill where he would quickly be in the
brush. I came to full draw and as he looked the other way I sent an arrow
just over his broadside back. I had pulled a novice trick by neglecting to
pick a spot. I found a high bank with several deer trails crossing below it The trails
were coming from one area of small timber, crossing a skid road. then moving up into
some old growth timber. I could see for twenty-five yards one way and thirty in
another.

?

I took an old sock and tied it to my leg with heavy twine, doused it
liberally with estrous doe scent then walked up the packed mud road dragging
my scent sock behind. I walked up and back down this old road, hoping
that a buck crossing would hit the scent trail and follow it past me looking for a
doe.

?

I set up a small folding stool snuggling into the branches of a small fir for extra
camo cover and waited for some action. It came quickly in the form of a rain
shower. I was glad that my wool clothes were keeping me fairly dry as well as
warm. After two hours or so I heard a slight noise and there, following my
scent trail was a nice three-by-three with its head down. I figured it would
make the minimum ninety P&Y Club points and it was the last day. I came to
full draw and at twenty yards he slowed, offering me a quartering away shot.

As I released the arrow the buck turned away, but the shot looked good.
I waited twenty minutes, then went forward to check for blood. There
wasn`t any to be found. I was able to trail the deer for about 200 yards due to
the recent rain and soft soil, but I never did find any sign that I had hit the buck.
When I went back to where I had released, I noticed about a cup of hair
scattered along the ground and leaves.

?

?

I had looked past this spot going to where I had seen the deer, then backed up to
check where he was standing when I had shot. I fuzzily remembered the sound of
the arrow rattling off through the brush, which I had assumed had happened
after going through the deer. The arrow had obviously traveled along his side,
shaving off great quantities of hair, never penetrating the skin. I was
disappointed, but certainly glad that it was a clean shave!

?

As I went back to my folding stool, I looked down in the road and there for all
the world to see were the prints of a huge buck. He had come by during my
brief absence trailing the three-point. It had passed within fifteen yards and
broadside of my stand in the firs. A little more patience on my part and I would
have had an opportunity for a huge record book trophy blacktail. I went home sorry
that I had not connected, but was already looking forward to the next blacktail hunt.
?

January and February are good months to scout as the light colored rubs
stand out against darker backgrounds and the rains have turned many trails
muddy making tracks more visible. In my newly located trophy area I have
located several good places for tree stands, places to rattle and have found
plenty of tracks, trails and rubs which indicate a good population of bucks.

There are thousands of areas just like this on public land in Oregon. Thousands
of square miles of BLM and National Forest land are accessibile to hunt, as
well as hundreds of square miles of private timber company land, which is
generally open to hunting. Many farms and ranches also allow archers to hunt.
at no charge, if the hunter only asks.

[police women of America]

Rattling can be effective any time after the velvet comes off -somewhere around 01 Sept.  BTs bucks socialize by play jousting in the pre-season, say mid-Oct.  I've heard them jousting in early October just at last light.  Typically, that is the time of day that they display this behavior.  If you're rifle hunting, early morning or early evening is a good bet for hunting a specific spot.  For fun, you can just go out in 6 (or so) year old reprod and rattle for a few sessions.  If you get no takers, move 200 - 400 yards and try again.  Expect them to circle downwind and sneak in on you, so pick your spots wisely..........

Thanks!! Lots of awesome methods. I'm definitly going to try doing some soft early morning rattling in early season.

[fishnfur]

Keep it light and playful in the early season.  Hit 'em harder near the end of October.

[JDHasty]

Primos Can Call works on BTs and you can buy BT estrous urune and it works...

[rtspring]

Build a 4 lane freeway, hunt the shoulder of each side.

[police women of America]

Build a 4 lane freeway, hunt the shoulder of each side.

I'll keep that in mind

[police women of America]

Keep it light and playful in the early season.  Hit 'em harder near the end of October.

Thanks! Will do

[fishnfur]

Primos Can Call works on BTs and you can buy BT estrous urune and it works...

JDHasty is on target here.  For me, the urine is mostly a miss -  I've had no luck with it, but I'll spend another $40 or so on it again this season, just because my kids will all get scholarships (if all turns out well  ), so money is no object .

 The can call should be used periodically (but not overdone) as you travel through the woods to keep any four-legged listeners thinking that you are just a deer as you move.  It may just get a buck up and looking to see what doe is looking for a date too.  They will be less surprised by noise if you've got them thinking there's another deer moving close by.

BTW - the BT urine labeled product is really WT deer pee.  No one collects BT urine.  I suggest the product sold in sealed glass.

PM coming.

[police women of America]

Primos Can Call works on BTs and you can buy BT estrous urune and it works...

JDHasty is on target here.  For me, the urine is mostly a miss -  I've had no luck with it, but I'll spend another $40 or so on it again this season, just because my kids will all get scholarships (if all turns out well  ), so money is no object .

 The can call should be used periodically (but not overdone) as you travel through the woods to keep any four-legged listeners thinking that you are just a deer as you move.  It may just get a buck up and looking to see what doe is looking for a date too.  They will be less surprised by noise if you've got them thinking there's another deer moving close by.

BTW - the BT urine labeled product is really WT deer pee.  No one collects BT urine.  I suggest the product sold in sealed glass.

PM coming.

Aren't can calls illegal? Technically they're electronic calls:
 
"Using decoys and calls (WAC 232-12-257):
It is illegal to hunt turkey, deer and waterfowl with the use or aid of electronic calls and battery powered or other electronic devices as decoys."

[fishnfur]

They're mechanical - gravity powered.  I believe the law refers to using recordings made with a device like a Foxpro or similar unit.

[RatRodMike]

I've used an adjustable grunt tube and a (calf/fawn) predator call for calling in does.  Often in late October and extended buck season she'll have a buck following her.  I use both calls the same.  Set the adjustable grunt tube to fawn bleat mode.  I try to make a crying sound with the calls.  Perhaps something like what a baby goat or a pigmy goat would make.   The does will come in very loud and fighting mad.

[2MANY]

Primos Can Call works on BTs and you can buy BT estrous urune and it works...

JDHasty is on target here.  For me, the urine is mostly a miss -  I've had no luck with it, but I'll spend another $40 or so on it again this season, just because my kids will all get scholarships (if all turns out well  ), so money is no object .

 The can call should be used periodically (but not overdone) as you travel through the woods to keep any four-legged listeners thinking that you are just a deer as you move.  It may just get a buck up and looking to see what doe is looking for a date too.  They will be less surprised by noise if you've got them thinking there's another deer moving close by.

BTW - the BT urine labeled product is really WT deer pee.  No one collects BT urine.  I suggest the product sold in sealed glass.

PM coming.

I was doing this with the can one morning right at daylight.
Called in a cougar that jumped up on a blowdown.
In the spirit of the long range thread I shot at it offhand and missed.

[HunterofWA]

Any body tried this? I think I might try it this fall.

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Tinks-Hot-Shot-Blacktail-Estrous-Mist-Scent/productDetail/Scents/prod99999039710/cat100405

[krout81]

2 pieces of wood with 3 rubber bands.

Carve indent in the middle of the 2 pieces with pocket knife.

Run one rubber band around 1 piece of wood (tighter the higher pitched) and use the other 2 to hold both pieces together.
Looks kinda like this: