Question for blacktail hunters

[Old Man Yager]

Ya they do like to hide, and sneak away. If they think you haven't seen them, they might just stand there, or if they have just a little bit of cover and think they are hidden, they will hold tight. If they smell you, then obviously they go on high alert. I'm a rifle Hunter, so I can't give you any archery advice. Good luck

[JasonG]

I figured I would jump in, I have been hunting 460 this year with a multi-season tag and it is my first year with blacktails. I have seen does and zero bucks.  Im thinking about getting a tree stand that can be carried in? Don't mean to jack the thread just looking for options. Still hunting Blacktail has been very difficult, even when you are moving slow you're moving to fast.! Jason

[Tradhunter]

Sitting can be vary productive if your in the right spot but it can also be extremely brutal. You might pull your hair out when you sit for days and not see one deer even though that one deer might be the one you want. I sit in stands for whitetails but hunt on foot for mule deer and blacktail. Those big bucks are pretty sneaky though

[TheGreenHunter]

I thought about using a tree stand but decided it was too late to learn how to do that properly so I don't hurt myself.  As it is, I still have some fear since I'm in the area where that mountain lion killed the mountain biker back in May.

Good to know there is another possible estrus cycle coming along.  I'm definitely keeping an eye on the weather to see when another possible storm is going to roll in.  I'm going to continue hunting this GMU until the season closes and then I might try one of those remaining units (most likely 636) that are open till the end of the year.

I'll have to order the Boyd Iverson book.  So far, I've only read Scott Haugen's Trophy Blacktails.

[fishnfur]

Afraid of cougars?  Carry a sidearm.  The fear dissipates quickly.

Late rut/estrus - I just looked up the number.  Statistically, 93% of the does have been bred by 25 Nov, another 5% by 10 December.  The remaining two percent by the end of the year.  This year seems to be a little outside the norm, but as we get further out from November 25th, the number of doe that will have another estrus cycle is diminishing, as is the number of bucks seeking them.  Bucks will be getting back to eating as much as possible to replace fat reserves utilized during the rut.   Working inside the edges of clearcuts or alder flats with a lot of fresh sign might be a good bet.  Twenty-five yards inside the brushy edge of a cut with 2 - 8 year-old reprod should hold deer.  Find the game trail that parallels the edge of the cut and work it.  Rattling or even a fawn in distress call might bring in a winner.  It's time to pull out all the stops.  Try everything.  What's the worst that can happen?   

RE: tree stand - wonderful if you know that deer pass through near your stand on a daily basis.  Blacktail seem to rarely do anything the same on a daily basis, but this time of year might be a good time to try if you know where the deer are.  As the winter gets closer, a deer's metabolism naturally slows so that they need to intake fewer calories to stay alive.  They move less in general and travel shorter distances to feed.  IMO - knowing where they're feeding (and/or bedding) becomes hyper-critical as the season wanes.   

[dreadi]

There still out with does, find the right doe and a buck will be close ....wish I had multi season....seen a masher 3pt with a doe at noon bedded in the middle of a clear cut this weekend

WHERE? 🤣🤣🤣

[deerhunter_98520]

There still out with does, find the right doe and a buck will be close ....wish I had multi season....seen a masher 3pt with a doe at noon bedded in the middle of a clear cut this weekend

WHERE? 🤣🤣🤣

If you got the Aberdeen weyco permit pm me I won't be going after him 

[dreadi]

There still out with does, find the right doe and a buck will be close ....wish I had multi season....seen a masher 3pt with a doe at noon bedded in the middle of a clear cut this weekend

WHERE? 🤣🤣🤣

If you got the Aberdeen weyco permit pm me I won't be going after him 

No pay for play for me. I either use public land or ask for private land that doesn't require payment. Ironically, so far all the big game I've taken has only been on private land and I've hunted public land much more than private.

[TriggerMike]

As other have said, the rut is pretty much over in 460 except for a few does that have yet to be bred. There will still be some bucks out moving for the next couple weeks making sure there are no more hot does left to be bred, but it will be very minimal compared to a few weeks ago. This weekend should be pretty good timing in 460 for the second estrus for these remaining does, I've seen decent daylight buck movement the first week of December in years past. I was in 460 this afternoon with a buddy and we saw 13 does from 3 PM til dark. No bucks with any of them. That same buddy also had a 2 point in the middle of his yard at 9:30 this morning, also in 460. As for cougars, I've seen 5 in 460 this month alone. 1 juvenile and the next day 1 adult female with 3 kittens. Also have trail camera pics from last month that have 2 adults in the same picture about 8 air miles away. You're better off carrying bear spray than a sidearm if you're worried about cat defense, especially if you're new to hunting and/or you're hunting in the thick Westside jungle, IMO.