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I’m an adult onset hunter who started hunting back in 2019. Last year was my first year of deer season. During the season I never saw deer in the daylight but saw several 30min-1hour after dark. I was wondering if there are any ways or tricks to find blacktail deer during legal shooting hours that you guys would be willing to share.
Are you hunting the firearm season or bow season? Big difference in expectations.During archery (in September) seeing a mature buck is like seeing Bigfoot. Except there's better photo evidence for Bigfoot. In almost 30 years of archery hunting blacktail, I've seen a big buck during shooting hours in September a handful of times at the very most. That begins to change in mid October and becomes increasingly likely through the first half of November. But if you're archery hunting in September, it's a meat hunt. Which is great fun, but just calibrate your expectations accordingly.Blacktail hate the sun and heat. Hate it. You won't see them, or rarely, during midday on nice days. This month so far has been atrociously bad for blacktail hunting. Plus it's crispy and noisy in the woods. Rain is your friend for blacktail hunting, regardless of season. The ideal day is one where heavy overcast alternates with rainfall, which seems to get em moving really well. Although I've had great hunting during storms too. If the weather is bad, the hunting is good. It's basically that simple. I've noticed that in addition to first and last light (untouchably the best times) there is often a period of activity for does and young bucks around 10-11AM too. I don't think they move much but they will get up and move a little.Strategies are pretty straightforward in my experience. Find an edge of a clearcut about 4-8 years old (trees roughly 6'-10' high depending on how dense it is), look for sign, and then still-hunt during prime time or when the weather is bad. And I mean STILL hunt. Almost all of your time should be motionless. It feels weird, because we're so used to moving, but the point of still hunting isn't to go TO the deer, it's to let the deer come to YOU. Lots of guys don't get this and basically hike through spots hoping to bump deer. Which often works but it's not as effective, at least with archery gear (which is primarily what I do). Other effective strategies are just slowly walking old logging roads, still-hunting alder/fern groves, and tree stands can be deadly if you find reliable travel routes. If it's your first deer you're after I'd definitely say shoot the firs legal animal and don't be expecting big antlers. Blacktail does have wonderful venison and are 100x easier to kill than bucks. They may as well be different species.
When I was growing up, now 70. I hunted black tail did t even know what a mule deer was. Never went to eastern wa except for elk till I was late 20 s. Back then we had a lot more clear cuts.My favorite way to hunt them was dig in and sit. If I knew they were around I would get in the timber and find the best trail I could. Than try to get a little above it and sit. I make a nest. Back against a tree. And sit and listen. Be sitting by 9 Am or sooner and wait. 10 am is a magic time in the woods.Some deer you can set your clock by.Sit get a good pad and sit. Lots of people can’t sit. 3/4 of the animals in my life were spotted and killed while sitting and listening. Good luck.
What are the foods that BTs focus on? It seems like they have water, food, and cover everywhere. But I have heard people say hunt feeding areas so I assume there are certain plants that one can finds stands of to hunt over.How does one move through big timber or even clearcuts without making a ton of noise. There are quite a few old logging roads that deer use in an area I hunt but I can’t figure out how to still hunt them without making a lot of sound.
Quote from: Grousehunter19 on September 12, 2021, 11:35:29 AMWhat are the foods that BTs focus on? It seems like they have water, food, and cover everywhere. But I have heard people say hunt feeding areas so I assume there are certain plants that one can finds stands of to hunt over.How does one move through big timber or even clearcuts without making a ton of noise. There are quite a few old logging roads that deer use in an area I hunt but I can’t figure out how to still hunt them without making a lot of sound.Blacktails are more like domestic goats then anything they will concentrate salal, blackberry leaves and a good key note is alder leaves , when you have a storm come through and the ground floor gets littered with the green alder leaves they suck them up like a vacuum! And yes day time is very good too a lot of times they will be at the bottom of pocket cuts right on the edge of timber where ferns are still growing thick and green . A blacktail buck completely changes come October , some people say those deer stay in a close home territory but most big bucks I shoot ive never seen on cam in the general area and I put lots of cams out. On sunny days look for those deep shaded pocket cuts they’ll produce Good luck !
One last nugget. If you have the flexibility, choose your days to hunt. Specifically, choose the crappiest, rainiest, windiest days you can. One, the deer will come out of the woods into the open on days like that. Two, all the natural noise and movement covers your noise and movement. The crappy days towards the end of October are when the majority of big bucks are killed for a reason.
