What are the main differences hunting BT vs WT?

[wackmnstackm]

I have always hunted BT and I never do well, rarely tag out. thinking about going WT in Eastern WA this season. what are the main differences I need to know to zero in on them? Im told they are not as nocturnal and elusive?

[Dhoey07]

Blacktail will stop and look back, whitetail run to the next country.  Whitetail are by far my least favorite animal to hunt. 

[Seabass]

The habitat they live in is drastically different!

I have never hunted black tail but one of hunting partner's spent most of his life hunting them. He says black tail are much harder to hunt...I tend to believe him.

[jackelope]

I've killed a bunch of whitetails. I've killed zero blacktails. I've tried, and I know I'm not the worlds greatest hunter, but man they're tough to find. I have a lot of respect for the guys who kill big blacktails every year.

[JimmyHoffa]

Whitetails seem to really like to stick to a schedule and use a main game trail.  Blacktails might use their trail, then change up their times or use side trails, etc.  Also, seems like blacktails don't need to travel as much so they can always be in one little area mixing it up, whereas whitetails are moving up and down their trails from bedding to feeding and back. 

[Angry Perch]

Blacktail will stop and look back, whitetail run to the next country.  Whitetail are by far my least favorite animal to hunt. 

This! I think they stop because they believe they are invisible. 99% of the time that works in their favor, because you walk or drive right my them! But it's their downfall when you catch a glimpse of them moving before they freeze. I've killed 5 blacktail, and every one of them was looking directly at me, and frozen like a statue.

[trophyhunt]

I've killed a bunch of whitetails. I've killed zero blacktails. I've tried, and I know I'm not the worlds greatest hunter, but man they're tough to find. I have a lot of respect for the guys who kill big blacktails every year.

big black tails are the hardest animal to hunt in my opinion.  I’ve always been suspicious of Guys who kill big ones year after year.  I think I’m a decent hunter, have hunted black tail most my 49 years and I’ve seen maybe half dozen 120+ size bucks. And yes, I’ve worked very hard for them.

[JakeLand]

Difference = apples to cabbage
Everything is different

[Stein]

The big difference is that you see whitetails and you trip over blacktails in the rare event you encounter one.

[vandeman17]

I've killed a bunch of whitetails. I've killed zero blacktails. I've tried, and I know I'm not the worlds greatest hunter, but man they're tough to find. I have a lot of respect for the guys who kill big blacktails every year.

Totally agree!

The biggest thing for me is the terrain and the weather as far as differences go. I don't know how you guys hunt the ferns, thickets and cat hair thick soaking wet crap that blacktails live in. 

[jackmaster]

Blacktail are the hardest North American critter to hunt, they don’t pattern themselves and they tend to like thick stuff, it’s the only critter I really care to hunt !! I have never hinted whitetail but know a few who have and as long as you scout out a big ole whitetail and keep tabs on him there is a real good chance you will find him during huntn season

[wackmnstackm]

Im in olympia and would like to cross over the mtn to hunt them, where is a good suggestion thats not to far from the passes?

[jackmaster]

I think you gotta go quite always northeast to find them whiteys don’t ya 

[brew]

true blacktails are the hardest deer species to hunt period, end of story.  if you have any questions about it look at any of those outdoor TV shows...how many of them actually hunt/shoot blacktail deer ?  They don't because you can't consistantly kill the deer they need to keep up their ratings. I know i'm gonna  some people off by saying this but i'm talking about actual black tail deer.  i've seen a lot of people shooting deer in northern california/southern oregon calling them blacktails but those aren't the deer i'm talking about.  Neither are those deer that folks shoot on the upper western slopes of the cascades or "benchlegs"...IMHO those are pretty much mule deer.  Blacktail deer IMO are the ghosts that live in the grown up jungle forests.  You can't "pattern" them, they rarely use the same game trails and usually go nocturnal when SHTF which is usually September 1st.  yes i have shot a couple nice blacktail bucks by putting in enough time in areas with a lot of does and passing up smaller bucks waiting until late October when the rut starts but the first time I ever targeted whitetails my big fat a$$ was able to walk up and shoot one that was bedded in the morning just above a winter wheat field outside Davenport...real nice 4x3 and the best eating deer i ever shot.  That was the 6th day of modern season...not saying whitetail hunting is easy but that was the easiest hunt i ever had

[jackmaster]

true blacktails are the hardest deer species to hunt period, end of story.  if you have any questions about it look at any of those outdoor TV shows...how many of them actually hunt/shoot blacktail deer ?  They don't because you can't consistantly kill the deer they need to keep up their ratings. I know i'm gonna  some people off by saying this but i'm talking about actual black tail deer.  i've seen a lot of people shooting deer in northern california/southern oregon calling them blacktails but those aren't the deer i'm talking about.  Neither are those deer that folks shoot on the upper western slopes of the cascades or "benchlegs"...IMHO those are pretty much mule deer.  Blacktail deer IMO are the ghosts that live in the grown up jungle forests.  You can't "pattern" them, they rarely use the same game trails and usually go nocturnal when SHTF which is usually September 1st.  yes i have shot a couple nice blacktail bucks by putting in enough time in areas with a lot of does and passing up smaller bucks waiting until late October when the rut starts but the first time I ever targeted whitetails my big fat a$$ was able to walk up and shoot one that was bedded in the morning just above a winter wheat field outside Davenport...real nice 4x3 and the best eating deer i ever shot.  That was the 6th day of modern season...not saying whitetail hunting is easy but that was the easiest hunt i ever had

BINGO, perfect explanation brew 

[Alchase]

I grew up hunting Blacktails, I prefer to spot and stock Blacktails in the timber over trying to hunt whitetails here in Oklahoma.
They are so nocternal you rarely see movement in daylight. And I can’t stand sitting in a stand all day hoping something will walk by.

[CAMPMEAT]

If I can kill a Blacktail, anybody can. I've shot, Blacktail, Whitetail and Mule Deer.

[onmygame]

I think you gotta go quite always northeast to find them whiteys don’t ya 

There are plenty in the SE - though most units are 3 pt or better

[onmygame]

If I can kill a Blacktail, anybody can. I've shot, Blacktail, Whitetail and Mule Deer.

Gotta agree with Campmeat.

Interesting thread - where the BT is the 'hardest thing to hunt' due to unpredictability and inconsistencies -

'The BT never uses the same trail...'

'The BT is nocturnal...'

'The BT lives in the thickest of brush...'

'The BT never has to travel far...'

Unpredictable??

Inconsistent???

What more do you want in terms of behavioral patterns...combine these nuggets with the fact that bucks get flat out goofy around the rut, can be called in with either antlers rubbing brush or calls from a grunt tube, and you have a recipe for steak.

[wackmnstackm]

awesome info thanks everyone 

[3nails]

 I've killed many trophy blacktails and whitetails alike. Many times in the same year by hunting out of state. Blacktails are my first love (hunting wise) but love hunting whitetails so much I bought property in Montana just to hunt them. Hear is my  for what it's worth.
 In unpressured areas you can pattern a whitetail. A blacktail is completely random.
 A blacktail will bed in it's feeding area. Whitetails seldom do.
 Do to so many more predators hunting them a whitetail is very skittish and will flee at the slightest hint of danger. A blacktail will just keep an eye on you through a one inch hole in the brush.
 During the rut; Aggression! A whitetail buck will lose his mind chasing does, running like a bird dog, fighting any challengers, rubbing like crazy. A blacktail will just set a steady pace and walk virtually all day and night. Avoid conflict if possible.
 I don't think terrain plays that much into it. I hunt both in the dense brush and both in wide open meadows.
 To summarize my experience: Whitetails are harder to hunt outside the rut. During the rut they are far easier.

 

 

[Dan-o]

Blacktails:   Sneaky, secretive, reclusive, hiders


Whitetails:   Psycho

[nwwanderer]

Humans tend to name everything, whitetail and blacktail are different species, the mule deer being a subspecies of the blacktail.  Whitetail has been around longer, quite different habits as explained so will by so many.  While the whitetail has been about for millions of years some of the blacktail species may have separated only 10,000 or so years ago.

[CedarPants]

Blacktails:   Sneaky, secretive, reclusive, hiders


Whitetails:   Psycho

 

[Alchase]

whitetail is very skittish and will flee at the slightest hint of danger.
A blacktail will just keep an eye on you through a one inch hole in the brush.

 

I use to hut Blacktails in timber where there is a small opening to daylight  Or sit about 50 yards inside the tree line of a clearcut and glass, glass,  glass looking for a tail or ear twitch.
Blacktails more times then not, will freeze up first, thinking they are invisible.
I have walked within a few feet of Blacktails frozen in the brush or timber, and they stayed put until I was out of sight.


Whitetails will hightail it out of there (literally) if they hear you, see you, or wind you.
I have yet to see a Whitetail freeze up.
 

[jackelope]

The view at my typical whitetail grounds.



The view where I’ve hunted blacktails.


(I’m kidding. I've never hunted here)

[Dhoey07]

Well ya see now, the difference between the two is pretty black and white......


 

[Jonathan_S]

public land areas that hold good bucks are pretty similar in appearance. Jackelope’s farmland looks nice but mountain bucks live in dense brush and timber.

Mature bucks of either species are incredibly wary

[Alchase]

Actually more whitetails that are taken in general season here in Oklahoma are taken from tree farms. I hunt Honobia and Three Rivers GMUs that are weyerhaeuser land in the SE corner of the state.
It looks pretty much the same as the weyerhaeuser land in Washington.
I was surprised how similar they are. Heavy forest with tons of thick under brush, with lots of Whitetail. The NW parts are prairie as fare as the eye can see.

[fishnfur]

Humans tend to name everything, whitetail and blacktail are different species, the mule deer being a subspecies of the blacktail.  Whitetail has been around longer, quite different habits as explained so will by so many.  While the whitetail has been about for millions of years some of the blacktail species may have separated only 10,000 or so years ago.

Maybe.  I've seen more recent studies that question whether the Blacktail might be the oldest species a precursor to the Whitetail species, which eventually spread across N. America.  One study even postulated that Mule deer seemed to arise from a cross of WT and BTs.  I do believe that it is Mule deer that are the newcomers to the N. American deer family, the subspecies estimated to be possibly as young as 20,000 - 40,000 years old. Very likely a geographical separation from the other two species occurred during the period of glaciation around that time (my own conjecture). Certainly, BT and Muleys are closely related as they maintain the ability to crossbreed and produce offspring that are fertile.

Ultimately, the WT is the most adaptable of the three species.  They both occupy virtually every type of terrain and ecosystem within their ranges, but WTs tend to be much more numerous than BTs in many of those settings.  BT would be much easier to hunt, much like those in N. California and S. Oregon, if we removed 80% of the vegetation they call home.  Given the same level of vegetation, I believe WTs would be equally difficult to hunt as BTs, maybe harder, due to their tendency to run forever.  BT have no need to.  They've learned to stop at the first cover and hold, which sometimes doesn't work out all that well for a predator carrying a gun.  You've just got to find them first.

 

[1851navycolt]

Hahaha dhoey. Agreed it is a fairly black and white topic of discussin. With a few grey areas. "Wink" "wink" hahaha. Never hunted WT myself would like to get at least one in my lifetime but i do know i enjoy blacktail and muley hunting. The area im in has alot of benchleggers and i honestly enjoy hunting them alot. When i watch any of my hunting shows i definitely enjoy the mule deer hunts more due to the fact that i like being in places with more timbered land with good clear cuts rather than wide open fields.

[MonstroMuley]

WT: Late General Season "Rut" + Tink's [https://tinks.com/products/natural-lures] + Snow Flurry + Late Afternoon Post Nap Wake Up (Groggy Foggy State of Mind) = "Big WT Buck Standing In Front of You"

BT: = "Big Buck Ghosts"

[deerhunter_98520]

The view at my typical whitetail grounds.



The view where I’ve hunted blacktails.


(I’m kidding. I've never hunted here)

Where you hunting blacktail that's pretty open country   

[Huntingtony]

I agree with jimmy, ive found using cameras that the same bucks rarely use the same route to get to their food on consecutive days. Also, the younger bucks will use the trails, and the older ones will be behind, possibly following but hanging 20 or 30 feet off a trail. Ive caught that a few times. Also it seem the whitetail are more agressive, and respond to territory threats a bit more. I managed to smack a good 5 point two years that was skirting the trail. The blacktail also seem to like really, really, really *censored*ty weather