Methods for West side Blacktail?

[JasonG]

Hello all, I was just curious what your method is for west side blacktail deer. Do you spot-stalk, tree stand, ground blind, still hunting?  This is open to all hunting styles Archery, Modern, Muzzy. What seems to work best for you guys / girls? Thanks Jason

[Eric M]

I've used a treestand over bait before, but mostly it's spot and stalk and still hunting that has worked the best for me.

[Dirty Mike]

Spot stalk or just sit and wait

[Magnum_Willys]

Road hunt on Halloween Day....... tradition works well.  Do whatever rest of the season but roadhunt on halloween especially if it rains.   Of course glass all your favorite spots too but just cover a lot of ground.

[fishnfur]

My take on who's doing what, :

-Road hunting seems to be the most used technique on the Westside.

Of the hunters that actually get out of their vehicles and venture into the woods, many combine techniques throughout the day.  The typical day begins with sitting on a cut/reprod for a few hours glassing for deer.  Then many go into the woods and still hunt for several hours or take a stand on a trail and wait, and then return to a cut to glass till last light.  Many stay glassing the reprod all day.

I don't have a good feeling for the number of hunters using tree stands/ground blinds.  I do occasionally.  Some do exclusively.  I would guess somewhere around 10 - 15 percent of non-road hunters use tree stands, but that is a WAG for sure. 

Spot and stalk for BT makes sense in archery hunting and long range glassing situations.   You got two positive responses on this technique, which surprised me.  I would have guessed it was the least use method of hunting BT.  Maybe I'm missing something.

Year after year, the best bucks seem to be taken by hunters that are adept at hunting big timber all day long.

[kodiak 907]

I started using a climbing stand for cuts and reprod areas that are difficult to see into.

It’s amazing how many animals move all day long in areas that seem to be impenetrable.

[slowhand]

Still hunt (walk super slow) during the morning. Mostly over clear cuts or just a logging road.
Hit the thick dark timber mid day
Cover ground as quite as I can
Evening I like to sit just inside the tree line of my most confident clear cut until dark.

next year I plan to add rattling, calling, and some day a tree stand

[MADMAX]

take everything out of your truck when you park at the gates that you cant live without
my best advice
The worst thing thats happened to the westside
thieves

and whats with all the folks that have to jog and walk their dogs behind gated pope land ?

[NW SURVEYOR]

I still hunt mature timber all day during late buck.
Wander around, watch the wind and keep your eyes, open, ears open and mouth shut.
(Advice from my dad 45 years ago, still holds true).

I have shot a fair number of deer this way.

[JDHasty]

I use stands and blinds 90% of the time. 

Ladder stands - My favorite was the Big Game Next Generation Stealth Deluxe - not made any longer, but there are similar ones that will be just fine.  Make sure that what ever model you get it has full platform for standing and tip up seat bottom if you intend to archery hunt out of it. 

I prefer being in a treestand to being in a blind because I like to birdwatch and such while hunting and with the blinds I don't have panoramic of a view.   

Hub blinds and this chair: http://www.cabelas.com/product/hunting/hunting-blinds/hunting-blind-stools-chairs-seat-cushions/pc/104791680/c/104702580/sc/104607180/cabelas-comfort-max-mag-elite-blind-chair/1933468.uts?slotId=0
I also have a half dozen of the wedges cut from about a twenty-inch diameter tree when felling it that I use as a footrest.  I likes me some comfy hangouts while hunting.  I have been using Ameristep Battlefields and they are cheap when on sale. 

Doghouse blind, if I have to pack it far or need something smaller.  Not as comfy as the hub blinds, but it is OK.  Good crossbow blind. 

Ameristep Chair Blinds:  http://www.ameristep.com/blinds/tent-chair-blinds.html
Not good for archery, but great for mod firearm or muzzleloader   

[White Pass Outfitters]

When I was a Blacktail hunter I found the best way was to get in the thick stuff and move real slow, maybe walk 15 to 25 steps and then stand there for 20 minutes. I found most of the bucks that I have jumped by sound and not scent or sight will circle back to see what spook them out of there bed. My family has taken well over 25 bucks by hunting this way and most of them are shot within 25 yards.

[slowhand]

How excessive do You guys get with scent control?
I use a cover scent
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunters-Specialties-Prime-Time-Scent-Wafers/743085.uts?productVariantId=1612699&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=BingPLA&WT.z_mc_id1=40000931&rid=20&gclid=COn2kNOkhdgCFZKVxQIdOAwONQ&gclsrc=ds
I use non scented pit stick
https://jet.com/product/detail/8cfaefc12b0243a180ab03c6253ae673?jcmp=pla:bng:nj_gen_health_beauty:health_beauty_personal_care_deodorants:na:PLA_333105197_1208363408307297_kwd-4579122333115787_c:na:na:na:2PLA15&pid=kenshoo_int&c=333105197&is_retargeting=true&clickid=b3841f3e-6cd0-4e31-b56f-8f39a67b5e21
And if I am feeling really confident about the day I will use scent killer
https://jet.com/product/detail/bd960229d22e447bb4487913ddb02516?jcmp=pla:bng:nj_gen_sporting_goods:sporting_goods_hunting_scents_attractants_scent_elimination:na:PLA_333105165_1221557547381821_kwd-4579946966786657:aud-805673601_c:na:na:na:2PLA15&pid=kenshoo_int&c=333105165&is_retargeting=true&clickid=b3841f3e-6cd0-4e31-b56f-8f39a67b5e21
Other than that I just try to Hunt into the wind as much as possible.
Feedback and scent tips please?
Is scent control really needed? Waste of time?
My Dad doesn't do a darn thing for scent control and has killed more then one while out taking a #2.
This topic has always made Me wonder if I am missing something.
  Sorry 

[JDHasty]

How excessive do You guys get with scent control?
I use a cover scent
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunters-Specialties-Prime-Time-Scent-Wafers/743085.uts?productVariantId=1612699&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=BingPLA&WT.z_mc_id1=40000931&rid=20&gclid=COn2kNOkhdgCFZKVxQIdOAwONQ&gclsrc=ds
I use non scented pit stick
https://jet.com/product/detail/8cfaefc12b0243a180ab03c6253ae673?jcmp=pla:bng:nj_gen_health_beauty:health_beauty_personal_care_deodorants:na:PLA_333105197_1208363408307297_kwd-4579122333115787_c:na:na:na:2PLA15&pid=kenshoo_int&c=333105197&is_retargeting=true&clickid=b3841f3e-6cd0-4e31-b56f-8f39a67b5e21
And if I am feeling really confident about the day I will use scent killer
https://jet.com/product/detail/bd960229d22e447bb4487913ddb02516?jcmp=pla:bng:nj_gen_sporting_goods:sporting_goods_hunting_scents_attractants_scent_elimination:na:PLA_333105165_1221557547381821_kwd-4579946966786657:aud-805673601_c:na:na:na:2PLA15&pid=kenshoo_int&c=333105165&is_retargeting=true&clickid=b3841f3e-6cd0-4e31-b56f-8f39a67b5e21
Other than that I just try to Hunt into the wind as much as possible.
Feedback and scent tips please?
Is scent control really needed? Waste of time?
My Dad doesn't do a darn thing for scent control and has killed more then one while out taking a #2.
This topic has always made Me wonder if I am missing something.
  Sorry 

It is not something I really obsess over, because there are a lot of human activity where I hunt.  But I do not want a nice buck taking inventory of my whereabouts with his nose either, so it is something I try to keep to a minimum.   

[Special T]

I started using a climbing stand for cuts and reprod areas that are difficult to see into.

It’s amazing how many animals move all day long in areas that seem to be impenetrable.

What is amazing is how much more you can see only 20 ft up.  The last season I rifle hunted I used a climber on the edge of a clear cut that had 10' fir trees in it  I was on the downhill side 30' in a tree. I could see every thing/one that passed through what was pretty thick.

I use a climber, still hinting and just sitting while bow hunting. I like using my climber at the end of the day and still hunt midday.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[fishnfur]

How excessive do You guys get with scent control?
I use a cover scent
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunters-Specialties-Prime-Time-Scent-Wafers/743085.uts?productVariantId=1612699&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=BingPLA&WT.z_mc_id1=40000931&rid=20&gclid=COn2kNOkhdgCFZKVxQIdOAwONQ&gclsrc=ds
I use non scented pit stick
https://jet.com/product/detail/8cfaefc12b0243a180ab03c6253ae673?jcmp=pla:bng:nj_gen_health_beauty:health_beauty_personal_care_deodorants:na:PLA_333105197_1208363408307297_kwd-4579122333115787_c:na:na:na:2PLA15&pid=kenshoo_int&c=333105197&is_retargeting=true&clickid=b3841f3e-6cd0-4e31-b56f-8f39a67b5e21
And if I am feeling really confident about the day I will use scent killer
https://jet.com/product/detail/bd960229d22e447bb4487913ddb02516?jcmp=pla:bng:nj_gen_sporting_goods:sporting_goods_hunting_scents_attractants_scent_elimination:na:PLA_333105165_1221557547381821_kwd-4579946966786657:aud-805673601_c:na:na:na:2PLA15&pid=kenshoo_int&c=333105165&is_retargeting=true&clickid=b3841f3e-6cd0-4e31-b56f-8f39a67b5e21
Other than that I just try to Hunt into the wind as much as possible.
Feedback and scent tips please?
Is scent control really needed? Waste of time?
My Dad doesn't do a darn thing for scent control and has killed more then one while out taking a #2.
This topic has always made Me wonder if I am missing something.
  Sorry 

It is not something I really obsess over, because there are a lot of human activity where I hunt.  But I do not want a nice buck taking inventory of my whereabouts with his nose either, so it is something I try to keep to a minimum.   

Here's the recent thread on scent control.  I'd highly recommend you listen to the podcasts if they are still available. 
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,218768.0.html

White Pass Outfitter made a great point - if you jump a buck or doe from a bed, it is often a reaction to movement or noise, not necessarily that they saw a human.  If you think that you weren't seen, then expect that eventually the animal might return from a downwind side in an effort to figure out what you are.  Moving above and downwind of that spot where the animal was and having a seat for a half-hour or so is a valid option (assuming uphill thermals) if the area doesn't receive a lot of hunting pressure.

[Buzz2401]

I glass early and late hours of day then hunt timber patches through middle of day.  If it is super nice with no wind or rain sometimes I will stay out of timber unless I wanna just sit. Can be very hard to sneek on blacktails without any kind of weather cover(rain, fog, wind, snow,etc)

[andr3wxmma]

The thing that helped me the most this year was still hunting from 10ish to 1 or 2ish. Even if id only see a couple does or spikes or not get a shot at a shooter as he escaped, id learn a lot about the area and where they're bedding during that certain weather pattern.

[Axle]

One correction to your post: we don't call it the 'west side', we call it the 'wet side'.
There's a big difference. 

[smithkl42]

This is my first year hunting, so I've been figuring it out as I go. I've spent about 2/3 of my time still hunting, and about 1/3 in brush blinds of one sort or another. I've seen a total of three deer with a bow in my hand, all of which were within 10 yards, and all illegal to shoot for one reason or another, so it's tag soup for me.

I've got a couple of trail cameras in the area I hunt most often (a remote corner of public land accessed from private land), and that helps me at least know that there are deer there (and some nice bucks too, actually), but they're mostly nocturnal.

With respect to scents - this certainly isn't definitive, but I've been trying to coat my boots and lower half with calming scents (basically, it smells like deer piss, much to my wife's dismary), and my trail cameras have picked up deer frolicking along my paths just a few hours after I've passed, so there may be something to it.

Next season I'm going to acquire me a climber tree stand and try that - I like the idea of looking down into these extremely brushy clearcuts where deer are so obviously bedding, but never deign to show themselves. I'm also going to spend some time in the off season punching trails into bedding areas so that I can get through the forests and clearcluts more quietly - and also, hopefully, funnel the deer through areas I can pick 'em off.