Jump shooting blacktails, weapon of choice for Capital Forest

[a-dawg]

Hello everyone,
Newer to the state and I live in Olympia now, I grew up hunting in N. NV and spent a decade in Central AK but this is a bit different.  What is your tool of choice for modern rifle blacktails? I planed on glassing Capital Forest as I found a few spots I liked during my limited time scouting, but I might switch to getting in deep and jump shooting deer based off of what I am reading on other forums. I was considering a 12Ga with slugs for this.

I would love to read some of your thoughts on tools and tactics for western WA blacktail.
Cheers,

[h2ofowlr]

Buck shot was always my choice when jump shooting deer from thickets.  If you had decent shooting lanes, a lever action with open sights was my second choice, usually in 30-30.

[fowl smacker]

30-30 with a red dot has treated me well.

[LDennis24]

Lever action, used a .444 Marlin one time in some vine maple to shoot a spike! Tried for the head but hit him in the throat. Couldn't see him anywhere so assumed he ran away. Went up to the logging rd he was looking down off of and he was laying up the bank about 20 feet. A little too much gun but it shot right through that brush like a dream! Lots of lever action options though.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

I grew up hunting Capital Forest. In those days I used a model 94 in a 25-35. Worked fine. Also sometimes used a 12 gauge with double aught buckshot. It also worked for up close work. With my old eyes, I use an aught six with a 2x6 scope.  Can be a pain on wet days, but it is what it is.

[Jeeper]

Remington 7600  Pump.  30-06 synth stock - 18 1/2 Barrel!

180 Grain round nose Cor lokt  1-5 Lupy scope.

I don't  understand why I dont see many pumps out their.

12 bulls and 20 blacktals in 22 years. Wicked fast and easy to haul thru the brush!

[pianoman9701]

I grew up hunting Capital Forest. In those days I used a model 94 in a 25-35. Worked fine. Also sometimes used a 12 gauge with double aught buckshot. It also worked for up close work. With my old eyes, I use an aught six with a 2x6 scope.  Can be a pain on wet days, but it is what it is.

Octagonal barrel? Nice piece.

[boneaddict]

Could you really go wrong with a 25-35, 30-30, or a 32 winny.   Short, lightweight, quick to the shoulder, get a bead, boom!

[bigmacc]

To this day I bring 2rifles to camp, have for decades. I only hunt eastern Washington muleys but depending on mood or necessity I hunt open/semi open terrain or deep and dark thick stuff. A 270 for one and a 30-30 with a 4 power scope for the other.

[metlhead]

Pack a .270 so you can kick em out of their bed and the shotgun for when they stare at you 100yds out. Not an easy task. Best gun is anything you are very familiar with and can instinct shoot.

[elksnout]

Remington 7600  Pump.  30-06 synth stock - 18 1/2 Barrel!

180 Grain round nose Cor lokt  1-5 Lupy scope.

I don't  understand why I dont see many pumps out their.

12 bulls and 20 blacktals in 22 years. Wicked fast and easy to haul thru the brush!

Amen.

elksnout

[BigGoonTuna]

Remington 7600  Pump.  30-06 synth stock - 18 1/2 Barrel!

180 Grain round nose Cor lokt  1-5 Lupy scope.

I don't  understand why I dont see many pumps out their.

12 bulls and 20 blacktals in 22 years. Wicked fast and easy to haul thru the brush!

I’ve always loved the idea of a pump rifle but I can never get used to the balance. Maybe if I ran across a carbine I’d like it better.

My preference is my savage 99 in .358 with a 1.5-5 scope for the close in stuff.

[riverrun]

Another A+ to the Remington 760/7600 rifle. Fast action and quick to point! Also the winchester model 88!

[blackveltbowhunter]

I second pump or lever guns. I have used both, 30/30 94, and 7600 3006 with variable scope, both did great. Fast pointing guns, that can track and reload smoothly at the shoulder. Not a big fan of buckshot for BT for several reasons. But I am sure others use it with great success. FWIW, regardless of weapon, make sure you practice and understand shooting moving game. Its an art and one i think is mostly lost and that includes myself. I have never shot at a "flushed" buck, but have taken a few that flushed then slowed to a pausing walk or fern slink

[jeffro]

AR-10
Trijicon

[boneaddict]

Here is an old 35 Rem slide.   

[fishngamereaper]

Variable scope on your favorite rifle
Worked for me for 40 years
Sometimes a little magnification goes a long ways. Mature bucks don't always jump...they sneak. And sometimes all's you get is that grey face looking at you from100 yds from behind a sword fern on a dark rainy day and a very small window to the vitals.
And often it's to dark in the timber for last light so bouncing out to a timber edge with possibilities of longer shots in a clear cut is the norm...
Would hate to limit myself to a gun with a reasonable range of 100-150 yds.

[James]

Variable scope on your favorite rifle
Worked for me for 40 years
Sometimes a little magnification goes a long ways. Mature bucks don't always jump...they sneak. And sometimes all's you get is that grey face looking at you from100 yds from behind a sword fern on a dark rainy day and a very small window to the vitals.
And often it's to dark in the timber for last light so bouncing out to a timber edge with possibilities of longer shots in a clear cut is the norm...
Would hate to limit myself to a gun with a reasonable range of 100-150 yds.

Yeah, variable scopes are huge.  While I am Elk hunting and being even 20 yards from the herd in the rainforest being able to zoom in and out to confirm which animal you are trying to take as they are feeding (putting their heads up and down) is very valuable. Confirming the small shooting lane you have is to the vitals of the legal animal as they are milling around is huge.  Same applies for a buck with a couple of does or a bachelor herd.

With all the fellas throwing out old fashion set ups I am going to throw out something modern.  A 1-6x or 2-10x scope on an AR15 in 6mm ARC or AR10 would be a nice set up.

[actionshooter]

 A suppressed AR10 in .308 with a 1-6 variable optic for the brush... if we run into each other up there, I'll show it to you 

[Alchase]

 

 Nothing fast about an old school open sight rifle.

Especially if you have shot your whole life with optics.
And the myth of a “brush gun” has been dispelled for decades.

The perfect example is modern day CQB, you never, I repeat never see an open sight rifle used in modern day CQB.
This would also directly relate to jumping a buck in heavy brush.

I hunted the Olympic peninsula most my life, then moved to hunting the east side for Mulies. Not once did I ever get think an open sighted 30 30, or pick your caliber, would be anymore efficient then my go to 7MM mag or 300 win mag with decent optics I used for deer and elk.

It is time to put the “brush gun” myth to rest once and for all.

Good optics have allowed me to see the ear twitch of a bedded blacktail more times than I can count.

I knew an old time hunter who could shoot his 30 30 with a peep sight lights out within 150 yards.
 But he was an outlier in real world experience.

Hunting has so much “nostalgia” intermixed with total myth, it should be our responsibility to point out the obvious.

[BigGoonTuna]

To me, "brush gun" just means something fast handling in a caliber that's going to punch a big hole and anchor an animal in a raking shot, or at least leave a large blood trail.  Those .35 and larger calibers are great for that.

I'm one of those weirdos that thinks a rifle isn't "fully dressed" unless it's got open sights.  Not an option very often any more, but given the choice between two otherwise identical guns, one with sights and one without, I'll take the one with open sights...and mount a scope on it anyway I really love a scope with a low bottom end (1-2.5x) for fast target acquisition on a moving animal in the timber.

[boneaddict]

Very rarely do I disagree with you Alchase, but my experience tells me different.  Maybe I’m just a myth. Lol

[BA Mongor]

I still use my "Brush Gun" every year. 444 Marlin with a 2 x 7 Leupold.
Deadly & Fast...I've had it for over 40-years now and it's as good as the day I got it.

[buckfvr]

  with a 1-6 variable optic for the brush... 

Ya this part, add lighted center dot.  Nothing better in dark woods than lighted dot and 1x so you can have both eyes open for rapid aquisition.

[Alchase]

Very rarely do I disagree with you Alchase, but my experience tells me different.  Maybe I’m just a myth. Lol

Well, your ability to find big bucks is "mythical" that is for sure 

There are two parts to the "Brush Gun myth"

1st part
Is that a heavier slower bullet is better at shooting through brush the a lighter faster bullet.
This has been dis-proven countless time. Both a heavier slower bullet and a lighter faster bullet are both just as affected by deflection. In fact in many situations tested, there was no recognizable difference.
So basically run what you own.

Just one of many examples
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/testing-the-brush-gun-myth/

2nd Part
Is that open sights are somehow faster then Optics.
This has also been dis-proven. Even scopes have been proven to be faster then open sights. Now add modern Red Dots and Reflex sights into the mix, and it is not even close.
With iron sights you have to find your target, visually focusing your dominant eye on the front sight, align your body, rear sight, with the front sight. This will blur your target. And pull the trigger. To do this efficiently you establish a cheek weld for repeatability.
You also have to do this with scopes, but there is only one focal point with a scope, and glass clarity and magnification give you a distinct advantage over open sights. Especially in low light conditions.

With modern Red Dots and Reflex sights, you never take your "eyes" both of them, off your target. You bring the Dot or reticle onto the target and pull the trigger. With most reflex sights you do not have to be inline with your sight or on your cheek weld. They are way more forgiving on Parallax then open sights.
I can be close to 10 degrees off center-line either way side to side, a little less up and down, and still place the dot or reticle on target and shoot with a Reflex sight.
That would be physically impossible with open sights.

Again just one of many
https://www.everydaymarksman.co/equipment/iron-sights-vs-optics/

[a-dawg]

Thanks for the advice Gentlemen,
I have an old Remington Model 14 in .30 I restored as a kid. Its a bit sticky on the reload But I might spend some time working that back into hunting shape and see about bringing it out. In the meantime I will probably bring out my Tikka 7mm-08 and my 12Ga and switch back and forth. 
Now I suppose all that is left is to actually find some deer in Capitol forest.

Cheers.

[a-dawg]

A suppressed AR10 in .308 with a 1-6 variable optic for the brush... if we run into each other up there, I'll show it to you 

Well I will be on the lookout for it then, hopefully I'll see it from the correct side.

[kball4]

Unless the regs have changed, any kind of battery operated illumination like red dots are illegal to hunt with in WA. 

[Cougartail]

Unless the regs have changed, any kind of battery operated illumination like red dots are illegal to hunt with in WA.

Lasers are but lighted reticle aren't last I heard?

[mcrawfordaf]

Hunting big game with the aid of an artificial light,
spotlight, or night vision equipment is prohibited.
Night vision equipment includes electronic light
amplification devices, thermal imaging devices,
and other comparable equipment used to enhance night vision.

Red dots are legal. https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=217904.0

[fowl smacker]

Unless the regs have changed, any kind of battery operated illumination like red dots are illegal to hunt with in WA.

Red dot sights are legal

[hunter399]

I've been lurking on this topic...
Using an AR10 this year for WT.
Mine has a traditional scope though.

[buckfvr]

Unless the regs have changed, any kind of battery operated illumination like red dots are illegal to hunt with in WA.

Red dot sights are legal

Legal during modern firearm seasons, regardless of weapon.