Locating blacktails

[jnordwell]

What are the key things to look for finding blacktails, I’ve always hunted open mule deer need good glass and a good vantage point. That’s basically it for those.. having trouble finding any deer. Will they be higher then normal or low this time of year. Was at about 3500-3800 today and didn’t see a animal.. kids are beginning to question dads skills..

[fishnfur]

Well, the kid's should be proud of your avatar, even if they doubt your hunting skills.    

This time of season, I'd use the same tactics you've used for Muleys, except that the wide open spaces are reprod timber, with 4 - 8 years old trees, picking apart each unit, tree by tree, stump by stump, looking for that animal half-hidden by foilage, shade, or whatever.  Once you're eyes start bleeding, take a break for a few minutes, then repeat.  Finding a high spot where you can look down into the reprod can improve your odds, but spots like this can be hard to find.  Hunting behind closed/gated areas and getting away from high traffic roads will help a lot too. Good luck!

[deerhunter_98520]

  also find the clearcuts down in canyons that have no roads going through them, places they can feel secure and comfortable with enough trees for cover if they bed down in them

[BigGoonTuna]

I seem to see the most deer in the edges of cuts, especially if theres a lit of v8ne maples or alders.  Places where they can see what's going on without giving up their cover.

[jnordwell]

How about areas without any clear cuts newer then 12-18 years old. They haven’t logged that area in that way for a long time. Plowing around the woods with 2 stick breaking rock kicking kids has its own challenges.lol looks like a long season..

[Tinmaniac]

That's the thickest reprod there is,you'll have to catch one standing in the road.Then you won't be able to shoot it because it's in the road!Hunt newer cuts with good glass and let your high power rifle do what it is built for,shooting critters at distance.

[fishnfur]

Washougal unit has a lot of good ground with plenty of newer cuts.

I could never get our kid to glass for more than about 2 minutes.  I think he was faking even then.  Finding a place where he can sit down and read, play games on a phone, etc, while you glass minimizes noise and movement.  Without a lot of preseason scouting, blacktail are pretty tough.  It might be prudent to wait for the last few days of October, when the bucks should be up and moving more before you ask him to sit for extended periods.  Short hunts after work or half-day hunts, early or late will be more tolerable to him.

Blacktail bucks are often solo or in small bachelor groups.  They are infrequent herd animals - more so in the winter than at other times.   Youtube has a lot of good vids.  Search for "blacktail hunting Washington" or Oregon, BC, etc.  Here's one example (that should have ended after about 45 seconds).  The point is that they're easy to miss if you're not looking slowly, carefully, and repeating your scans.  They can be invisible if they're bedded or standing still but partially hidden: