I am not sure why but I have always had a picture of a good 4x4 blacktail as the ultimate symbol of deer hunting

. I am not a trophy hunter but I would love to shoot and have a nice buck mounted. The whitetails are great but not what I really like (guess it is one of the perks to being raised in the west

).
My question is what are some of the better tags to put in for to get a good 4x4 blacktail or mule deer? I had hoped to take one on our property in Okanogan but in the last 10+ years of hunting it I know of 15 deer taken off our place (I have no idea how many the locals take), only 1 mule deer has been taken during the general season, a good 4x4 but kind of spindly. I see them pretty regular in Nov. and Dec. but I can not hunt then. I am not looking for a 180+ just a solid 4x4 with decent mass. I know there will be tons of thoughts and opinions, but I would like the input from folks on here.