Smartest deer?

[NWBREW]

I'll admit shooting a mature blacktail is probably the hardest (not sure about the smartest though), but put them in the wilderness and I'd be real curious to see how they do...

Michael

Holy Cow....I didn't know they weren't in the wilderness areas.  I wonder what kind of deer we killed in the Henry Jackson wilderness was.  or the OP.    just razzin ya. I love to hunt all kinds of deer, but big mature whitetails are a passion of mine.

[haus]

Whitetails are fun to hunt.....
muley's will wear you down physicially....
blacktails will make you want to jump off of a ****'in bridge   

[Axle]

blacktails will make you want to jump off of a ****'in bridge   

BT deer.........tis a fine art to hunt them indeed matee
It helps to live among them. When you have become the master, the reward will be on your grille fine fellow.

[littlebuf]

I'll admit shooting a mature blacktail is probably the hardest (not sure about the smartest though), but put them in the wilderness and I'd be real curious to see how they do...

Michael
 

congratulations, this is one if the dumbest things Ive ever read. where do you think black tails live, walmart? 
 

[MichaelJ]

I'll admit shooting a mature blacktail is probably the hardest (not sure about the smartest though), but put them in the wilderness and I'd be real curious to see how they do...

Michael
 

congratulations, this is one if the dumbest things Ive ever read. where do you think black tails live, walmart? 
 

I meant throw them in the GPW or the ALW (Where I have experience, like I said I've never hunted them before)...  I know you guys have them up high on the westside in areas but how many of you guys actually go after them?  The whole argument for blacktails being hard to hunt is they are in the thick stuff and go nocturnal.  Seems nobody here has argued about how hard they are to hunt in wilderness areas...

Michael

[actionshooter]

I'll admit shooting a mature blacktail is probably the hardest (not sure about the smartest though), but put them in the wilderness and I'd be real curious to see how they do...

Michael


 I've hunted them in the wilderness areas of Olympics and they seem like the same blacktails to me? You just have to walk farther.
 

congratulations, this is one if the dumbest things Ive ever read. where do you think black tails live, walmart? 
 

I meant throw them in the GPW or the ALW (Where I have experience, like I said I've never hunted them before)...  I know you guys have them up high on the westside in areas but how many of you guys actually go after them?  The whole argument for blacktails being hard to hunt is they are in the thick stuff and go nocturnal.  Seems nobody here has argued about how hard they are to hunt in wilderness areas...

Michael

[Pazn25]

Blacktail deer hands!!!

[littlebuf]

Blacktail deer hands!!!

they have hooves actually but i agree one with hands would be really tough to hunt

[Axle]

Quote from: Pazn25 on Today at 09:27:54 PM
Blacktail deer hands!!!


they have hooves actually but i agree one with hands would be really tough to hunt

And that is because when you hunt them, you often have to get down on your hands and knees to try to get through the garbage they live in. Oh ya, and while you are down on your hands and knees, it doesn't hurt to pray for one. A gift from the Almighty in the form of a BT deer is a good gift.

[Thefisherman83]

Whitetails are fun to hunt.....
muley's will wear you down physicially....
blacktails will make you want to jump off of a ****'in bridge   

 

[M_ray]

I'll admit shooting a mature blacktail is probably the hardest (not sure about the smartest though), but put them in the wilderness and I'd be real curious to see how they do...

Michael
 

congratulations, this is one if the dumbest things Ive ever read. where do you think black tails live, walmart?  
 

I meant throw them in the GPW or the ALW (Where I have experience, like I said I've never hunted them before)...  I know you guys have them up high on the westside in areas but how many of you guys actually go after them?  The whole argument for blacktails being hard to hunt is they are in the thick stuff and go nocturnal.  Seems nobody here has argued about how hard they are to hunt in wilderness areas...

Michael

Michael,

You are right the Blacktails of the Puget sounds region are nocturnal and hard to hunt cause of the brush but I have hunted BT's up high for many years and they don't stop and take that second look as much as their cousins the mule deer! I've also hunted the benchlegs in country that is more wide open and they act as skittish as any Whitetail and don't stop to give you a shot either  

I've been thinking about this one for awhile since most on here don't have the experience hunting all three.
 
To me Whitails are B@$+@rds to hunt because they are so wary and don't stand still for a second, but I think mostly because it's not the traditional way I started out hunting and I don't have a bait site. The three WT bucks I've been able to kill have either been stalked or called in. But having said that ... the right property and a good bait site, Tree stands and ground blind are STILL are no guarantee that you will connect. The WT is the only one I have witnessed that still has the ability to smell you 30 ft up in a tree!!!

Mule deer remind me more of Elk hunting, Covering lots of ground in steep country and long hours sitting and glassing both of which aren't particularly hard for me but for some the hiking to good Mule deer country is the only thing holding them back.  Then they are a bitch to drag out once down because of their size and occasionally have to be boned like an Elk too! But with the right homework scouting also being easier in most cases a mature muley is attainable for anyone willing to do the work.

Now the Blacktail ... yes the Puget sound BT is a B!+c to hunt in the brush and mostly nocturnal until Nov. with lots of private land that makes them hard to get at and they act like a WT gone Wild on the westside   Up high they just and up acting like a Muley WT cross!!! Another thing that makes them difficult is they are not patternable!!! They will not come into bait and even difficult to get on trail cam. Personally I only have killed two BT bucks one mature one and one young one but I have arrowed 9 does along the way for meat.
 
M_ray's take ...
A slight and I mean very slight edge goes to the Blacktail, Mostly because they don't use baits and aren't fooled by cover scents easily. They embody both of what makes a mule deer and a Whitetail so difficult, yes there are less of them but between California to Alaska there is still a large range with tons of animals and we still don't see that many pics of great mature bucks. Take the same square miles of WT & Muley habitat compared to the blacktail habitat and you will see larger harvests WT and Muley's, especially the big bucks which is what the debate is anyway right? The big ones are the smart ones  

[Axle]

They embody both of what makes a mule deer and a Whitetail so difficult, yes there are less of them but between California to Alaska there is still a large range with tons of animals and we still don't see that many pics of great mature bucks.

And this is sad because mother nature has a way of washing the nutrients out of the plants they eat. Big bucks are there but big racks are few and far between on the BT deer. I've taken many that had rather large bodies but small racks. Many of them will never see 4 points per side due to genetics and food. Having lived among them and getting to know deer individually, I can say that some will never even see 3 points per side even though they get mature.

And now for a new twist - I have taken many BT, WT, MD, and.....it seems nobody has mentioned the little Columbia WT deer. I have taken many of them too but they only exist in a couple places. SW WA and outside of Roseburg, OR where they have been vehemently hated by hunters and ranchers for decades. I know guys who would shoot them on site to get rid of them but they keep on out-breeding the BT deer down there anyway. Some of the ranchers gave up and found out that guys from back east will pay thousands to get one to fill a certain void in his life.

I repeat - they are small and so are the antlers, but in SW OR, they are surviving against the coyote which is one thing they can't do here in WA.

[NWBREW]

Axle, just curious....where did you kill the columbia whitetails at? I have seen alot down by rosberg oregon that were very nice looking deer with fairly nice racks....one being a monster rack. I think oregon just started a draw for them a few years ago but last I knew it was only a draw for special premit. And the blacktails are pretty dang nice down there. I need to go back. 

[Ray]

I don't think any deer species is significantly smarter than another. They simply have different habits and traits which make them vulnerable in different settings. Their brain is fairly small and therefore I think the matter is not much of a discussion. Other than people want to be attached to hunting the more difficult to kill or supposedly smarter species.  Most of which is mythical to me.

[M_ray]

it seems nobody has mentioned the little Columbia WT deer.

Axel for obvious reasons people arent mentioning them because they are a limited entry hunt in OR and I'm not even sure there is an opprtunity in WA so a majority do not have any experience hunting them including myself. A Columbia Whitetail is on my list of must have's for sure... in fact the last couple of years I have put in for them in Or with no luck but hey if you want one you got to get your name in the hat so I will keep trying!