Late Season Blacktail-Getting Discouraged

[fishnfur]

It may be lush and green, but it is not growing, when plants hibernate or go dormate, they store their reserves in their trunks or roots, the lush green you see contains very lo protein, about half of what they need daily, so they bed and eat in a very small area, to avoid burning any more energy then they have to, when green up occurs, protein skyrockets, and deer become active. You must find their home they will no venture far from it

Ahh that's very interesting, thank you. Do you know what plant species deer are eating post-rut? What should I be looking for when I am out there?

That depends on the browse available in your area.  Blackberries make up to 50% of a BTs diet during much of the year.  Trailing and Himalayan blackberries are both favorites and should still be carrying some leaves.  Other winter browse includes Salal, Swordfern tips, and Evergreen Huckleberry are eaten quite a bit in some areas.  The deer also focus on dormant buds on Red Huckleberry and Vine Maple and other brush, and eat Red Cedar wherever they can reach it.  A freshly downed cedar tree in the winter is a deer magnate.  They will eat the branches clean within a week or two.

A powerline right of way likely has a lot of activity.  Hunt from the cover on the sides, which is probably where they're bedded.  Following fresh sign on game trails may put you right in 'em.

[Dysfunctional Vet]

Hunted all day yesterday, started unpacking the car and this guy walks by. 

[ljsommer]

Yeah my backyard buck has been tormenting me recently as well!

[dreadi]

Today's plan was to hunt into the think areas that have game trail(s) through them. Then end the day in the spot where I last saw deer over a week ago but this time, be ready to ambush them.  I didn't see any deer.  I did see a bear hide in one of the thick areas.

[fishnfur]

Hunted all day yesterday, started unpacking the car and this guy walks by. 

I feel for you man.  I just hate it when a monster buck walks right by me in a parking garage! 

[Duckslayer89]

Was out last night and today in areas I’ve been seeing lots of deer last week and didn’t see a single deer. Surprising for this time of year and hitting it at perfect times

[ljsommer]

Weather is god-awful today so I am going to go out this afternoon and head to a new area that I think looks promising. Wish me luck.

[ljsommer]

Weather was indeed rough - 40 degrees, sidways rain nonstop. It made quiet movement easy and I got to explore some really fantastic terrain, I felt like at any time I could've seen a deer. I ended up sitting down in a natural blind by a cut and stayed there for a couple hours.
Hands went numb by sundown. I just got a climber and I am going to practice with it this weekend at my house and then attempt to take it back to that location on Monday.

[predatorG]

This year would have been the year for a multi season. Had multiple bucks, two bruisers, that visited all of our cams meaning they travelled a lot. On cam in daylight for all of October. Nov 1 hits and right when they should be even more active and rutting they absolutely disappear. Haven’t been back since except maybe a handful of pics of nocturnal does, which we hadn’t seen all year. My only theory is that since we saw barely any does and tons of bucks on cam, the bucks went searching for does. Haven’t come back to any of our stands tho so I am at a loss for what to do. About to head out now, wish me luck!

[ljsommer]

This year would have been the year for a multi season. Had multiple bucks, two bruisers, that visited all of our cams meaning they travelled a lot. On cam in daylight for all of October. Nov 1 hits and right when they should be even more active and rutting they absolutely disappear. Haven’t been back since except maybe a handful of pics of nocturnal does, which we hadn’t seen all year. My only theory is that since we saw barely any does and tons of bucks on cam, the bucks went searching for does. Haven’t come back to any of our stands tho so I am at a loss for what to do. About to head out now, wish me luck!

Good luck! Report back!

I get the feeling that blacktail hunting is 25% skill, 25% experience and 50% luck.

[fishnfur]

This year would have been the year for a multi season. Had multiple bucks, two bruisers, that visited all of our cams meaning they travelled a lot. On cam in daylight for all of October. Nov 1 hits and right when they should be even more active and rutting they absolutely disappear. Haven’t been back since except maybe a handful of pics of nocturnal does, which we hadn’t seen all year. My only theory is that since we saw barely any does and tons of bucks on cam, the bucks went searching for does. Haven’t come back to any of our stands tho so I am at a loss for what to do. About to head out now, wish me luck!

That was the year in a nutshell.  They say there's no such thing as lockdown, since the bucks only stay with the does for maybe 48 hours, but those first twelve days of November turned many of the deer woods into a ghost towns.  You prolly gotta go find 'em now.  From the looks of the weather, looks like you picked a great day to be out there.   Get 'er done young man!

[fishnfur]

I get the feeling that blacktail hunting is 25% skill, 25% experience and 50% luck.

Something like that.  I think mathematicians consider it an inverse proportion:  Success = (skill)X(experience)/luck.  Success goes up and luck is smaller as skill and experience increase.  Where's Pope???  He knows this stuff!   

[ljsommer]

I get the feeling that blacktail hunting is 25% skill, 25% experience and 50% luck.

Something like that.  I think mathematicians consider it an inverse proportion:  Success = (skill)X(experience)/luck.  Success goes up and luck is smaller as skill and experience increase.  Where's Pope???  He knows this stuff!   

Yeah that sounds about right. Well, I had a blast the other day and that's all that really matters. It helps when you feel like you may have a chance at success.
I am going back out Monday, this time with a climber treestand. First time use, here's hoping I don't break something!

[ljsommer]

Oh hey, how high up should my treestand be? I am planning on placing the stand on the edge of a cut.

[TheDudeAbides]

I put in about 50+ hours of hunting since early December.  Mostly in GMU 454 and 460.  During that time I saw 1 deer.  My buddies who hunted with rifles earlier in the season had no problem spotting and finding their deer in this area.  We hunted the same spots and the areas are still heavily tracked up.  Do deer become more scarce in late December?  Maybe more nocturnal?  It's like they just disappeared....