Late Season Archery Blacktail

[Blacktail_Obsessed_19]

Out of Curiosity, What strategies, places(not actual places but types of cuts, timber, etc.), or just things do you for while hunting late season archery for blacktail?

Ive never gotten to late season archery for blacktail but this year i bought the multi season tag and have passed on multiple bucks, but now almost feel pressured to get it done late season rifle. With the possibility of hunting them late season archery just thought id throw this out there to hear other peoples strategies. I have a lot of my own that have seemed to work in the past, but ive never hunted late archery. so hearing new strategies may open up my eyes a little more to different things while hunting

[blackveltbowhunter]

It depends on your standards. If a branched buck, especially a decent branched buck is what your after, do everything possible to kill one during late rifle. If your not picky on deer when bow hunting and would be happy taking a lesser deer with archery equipment OR eating a tag and just grinding out every possible minute waiting for a particular or above average deer, then the bow season is going to extend that time. But every day that goes by past the 15ish of this month those odds decrease for the bulk of blacktail country.

Cold, snow, and TIME are advantages to use. Guys who use bait also have success but I don't have any personal experience with that.

Low growing blackberry are a major food source.

Otherwise it's similar to late October and November rifle hunts, without the rifle or rut

[Blacktail_Obsessed_19]

I am after a dandy. I have already got my bear, elk and idaho deer, now time to kill a dandy blacktail. I havent shot a decent blacktail since 2016 which was a 14" tall by 13" wide 4x3. thats pretty much what i am after again.

i will be hunting my ass off during late rifle but one of the main reasons of the post is i have read other places that people love to hunt that late archery season. just trying to figure out the perks to it and why they love it so much because its pretty much post rut and its cold.

[Sundance]

Normally I'd say the late archery season is good for the opportunity to hunt in the snow in certain areas. With that being said there are a lot of areas on the peninsula right now getting snow which is exposing those bigger bucks earlier then normal.

[fishnfur]

Good advice there. 

I was listening to a Tom Ryle podcast yesterday, just for grins while my kid was at the skate park and I was in my rig waiting for him to break a leg or tear off some skin off a knee or elbow so that we could then go home.  You can Google them up:  "Tom Ryle Blacktail Deer"

He's Sundance's mentor from years ago.  Sundance may be able to elucidate further since I wasn't entirely sure of his late season techniques for Archery.  I'm not sure that they hunt the same terrain (I'm pretty sure they don't) so no guarantees on that source.   What I took away from a couple of podcasts was that he considered December BT hunting to be be better than late November, which makes no sense since the doe population has all been bred except for a very, very small percentage (less than 1%).  He seems to hunt valley bottoms in rural areas which may or may not affect that success compared to other areas.   

His comments mirror other's that I've heard previously -  some big bucks are still very receptive to rattling all the way through the end of December.  That technique would be a major part of any late season archery I pursued.  (I've never had any luck previously in the late bow season, even with rattling).  Secondly, he states that he's called in a lot of bucks with a doe bleat, but when questioned further, he discussed blowing it quietly, not aggressive at all.  I scratch my head and wonder what kind of call he's using because all I have is a can call that makes a ton of noise in my  pocket when I move and is a very loud prolonged bleat that just recently, others have suggested might actually be replicating a distress call for doe (not good!).  Doe in heat apparently bleat in very short quiet vocalizations of one quarter to one half-second or so instead of the full second long loud bleat that a can emits. 

When he discussed the bleat call further, he had taken a mouth blown buck grunt call and shaved down the reed and replaced the Mylar vibrating portion with a smaller piece  so that is makes a very quiet reproduction of a doe bleat. He stated that he isn't afraid to use over and over again as he hunts, perhaps every 30 yards or so as he still hunts.  You should check out the podcasts - (try #45 first, I think that is where this info came from).  They are not a massive input of new information for a seasoned BT hunter, but there's some good tidbits in them. 

Hope that helps a bit.  Good luck!   

[Sundance]

Once the prime rut ends and the 2nd rut starts I’ve had very little success with pushing around and bumping deer. It develops more into a treestand game and scouting is crucial for success. I don’t scout nearly as hard as I used too and and despise sitting in a treestand. It’s not that I don’t consider stand hunting effective (it’s extremely effective), I just don’t have the patience to sit longer then two hours. Late archery for me is more fun to hunt the snow line and look for cruising bucks that I can either glass or walk down. Early season I carry zero optics other then a rangefinder, late season I carry a tripod with binos and a spotting scope.