New to the wet coast

[OneNightAtDeerCamp]

I'm new to WA.  Well, not new, I've been here 10 years.  A transplant from the East Coast.   For a lot of reasons, I gave up hunting when I moved here.  Now my teenage son wants to go deer hunting.  Having hunted whitetail on the east coast for years, I fear I'm not going to know what to do for blacktail on the western side.  Where do I start?  What kind of spots do I look for?  My friends have a cabin near Ashford.   A good place to go?  Sorry for asking the basics, but I don't imagine WT hunting in the east is anything like BT hunting here, and I want to teach my son well.

Afterthought:   I'd much more prefer to put him into a place where he can have success.  The big racks can come later.

New Afterthought.  I'm in Orting.

[shoot-em-dead]

Put your time in scouting- you will find where the deer are. Get out looking for sheds as they are starting to drop now.

[Huntbear]

Not knowing where you are located on the wet side, have no idea on what units to head you towards.  Lots of units, to get any buck, if you put the time in. 

[OneNightAtDeerCamp]

Sure enough.   I wouldn't ask for a spot.  I'm just asking what sort of terrain is best.   When I hunted WT, the best areas where between farmland and thick brush.  But WTs were pretty predictable, where I have read that BTs are not.   Do you hunt from tree stands?  Stalk and walk?   Just sit against a tree?   In thick woods, farm land, clear cuts?   Sorry for all the questions.   

[littlebuf]

forget everything you know about deer hunting east coast deer is the best advice i can give.  and get in the woods, thats where the deer are

[Michelle_Nelson]

forget everything you know about deer hunting east coast deer is the best advice i can give.   

 

[sisu]

forget everything you know about deer hunting east coast deer is the best advice i can give.   

 

I  have to agree. Hunting whitetails in Michigan's Yooperland is a totally different ball game from whitetails in Eastern WA

[shoot-em-dead]

Thing that bugs me about blacktails is they stand so still and then just take off 10feet from you. Scares the crap out of me everytime. Of course you can't see that far but I know they are close.

[littlebuf]

i actually had one wait until i poked my head under a branch to jump up and run, tha damn thing was right on the other side of the branch. yeah scared the hell out of me

[Huntbear]

LOL, if they think they are hidden, they will stand there forever.  Have had does and bucks both explode from under my feet in the brush.  Talk about a heart attack! 

[Kowsrule30]

BT are no joke.... I thought I had a heart attack several times!!!! An instance from last year with my wife: Did you hear that?? No she says.... A few more steps we take... Did you hear that??? No!! She said.. Don't move... Did you hear that??  You're hearing things, is what she said.... I look behind us and 5 doe, 2 faun are walking across the trail in a hurry.... About 10" away... My wife never saw them.. Still don't believe me..       There is a bunch of good if not great area around Orting for BT... Go check it out..... Some nice spots around Elbe and such too... Gotta hoof it and figure a few things out.... But, bet on you aren't the only one who has...    Some are down low are year long... Some are up high are year long if it doesn't snow much... Some are in between.... And some are in your back yard and you will never know it unless you see it yourself... They won't leave any of the places unless they have to...

[PacificNWhunter]

Get a copy of boyd iversons book 'blacktail tactics for trophies'.

[littlebuf]

OK here's some real advice. look way up high and way down low then in between. check the real dense brush and the wide open spaces and don't forget the new and old clear cuts. then pattern some deer for a while and just when you've got them pegged completely forget that pattern because they will never do it again. only go out when its raining,sunny,windy,calm,snowing or if a volcano is blowing up. make sure your ready for a real long or short shot. and only hike,road hunt,spot and stalk,still hunt,blind hunt or tree stand. oh and a full moon,half moon no moon and high tide are the best times to hunt. if its real hot,warm or cold that's good too. really its pretty simple I'm surprised you even had to ask 

[rasbo]

start shed hunting trails in the thick stuff,you will learn alot,you live in town or out of orting

[littlebuf]

there are still some passes left for the eatonville tree farm. they sell them at work sports in town and they are 175 bucks. would be a good place for you and your son to spend some time

[alecvg]

Get a copy of boyd iversons book 'blacktail tactics for trophies'.

 

[Axle]

I fear I'm not going to know what to do for blacktail on the western side.

You ain't just a whistling Dixie. Takes a mighty long time to learn about them critters.

[Sneaky]

treestand 

[Dmanmastertracker]

 When I first started hunting blacktail I spent a LOT of time in the off season in the woods, just patterning deer and learning their habits. I would head out nearly every weekend. I did this for two years before I even started seriously hunting them, when I was in High School. I feel it was time well spent, when you only have a short season to hunt them you can't really learn them. I feel that's key more than location, there are good blacktails in every Western GMU.