new member/ hunter

[viva_che1363]

hey all i finally pulled the trigger and joined the forum. i have been big into the outdoors my whole life, and really got into fishing the past few years, but this year i wanna try to get out there and harvest a blacktail. ive signed up for the hunter safety range class (  took the online class) already. im having a hard time figuring out where to hunt, ive been looking at gis maps around the skykomish area around the 448 and 450 gmu's. im just wondering what type of land i should be looking for that would hold deer. i know there was another post similar to mine but i didnt want to hijack their thread.. anyways thanks guys

[Curly]

Generally, deer will feed in the clearcuts at night and then move to bedding areas in the timber during the day.  But if you get out and scout this time of year, and into the summer, you can see deer fairly easily even into the mid morning and sometimes even more into the daytime.  So get out there and scout and you should get an idea where they're hanging out.  Once hunting season starts, it gets harder to find them, but if you're out there now finding out where they hang out it will give you an idea for when the season starts.  Good luck.

[viva_che1363]

thanks for the tips man, im planning on going out by the beckler river area this week and scouting around. mabye ill be able to find some sheds, or see some signs of deer in the area.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Dont let anyone fool you, I have seen more deer bed in clearcuts (especially during light rain) than actually "in the timber".
look for "edges" places where there is a mix of timber, reprod, and openings, then find a trail into the area, move slow and look for places where trails meet, find a good stump , or somewhere comfortable to sit, where you have decenct visibility, and just relax.
Blacktail hunting is (in my experience) a matter of finding a good area, and just ......
I honestly have killed most of my deer while Elk hunting, just luck, but when we (as a group) used to kill a bunch of them we would "push" a clearcut.
All clearcuts that I have seen have a road at the top, and firebreaks on other 3 sides, good ones have a road at bottom...
We would load everyone into one truck, drive to the end of top spur, turn the truck around and drive out, dropping off hunters at intervals.
when it was only the driver left, he would get out and honk his horn...
We would all then hunt towards the vehicle...
You would be amazed at what looked like easy walking in a hip deep clearcut would turn into a "struggle in the jungle" but usually somebody in our group would get a shot...
Hunting Winston Creek in the 90's is when we coined the term "popcorn deer" as they would "pop" up in front of you, in groups of 5 or 6, flagging like little whitetails 
Those in a place to watch this thought is was pretty funny, but we killed a lot of deer.
Now, if you want a "trophy", I cannot help you, as my largest deer was a doe, biggest "rack" is a little 3pt, but I eat deer, and hunt elk.
PS, bowhunting "any deer" 

[viva_che1363]

thanks for the tips guys im gonna try to get out in the next few days a hike around and see if i can find anything.

[coachcw]

thick nasty , swampy crap holds big blackies !

[viva_che1363]

sounds like i better save up for that better pair of boots then

[akashasdaddy]

No one truly knows where the blackies will be be. I am also new to the sport and have asked similar questions of everyone including this forum. Everyone has a tactic they like, which in their opinion is the BEST, but as you will find no one really knows. Black tail deer are some of the most difficult creatures to hunt. They will be where they want to be when they want to be and if you are lucky you might even see a few during hunting season.  Anyone can find deer out of season but they hide during the season. My advice to you, find out what everyone else is into, then figure out what works best for you. Chasing deer down by following a game trail or driving the loggin' roads hoping something jumps out both work well for some but don't work for everybody. As I said I am new to the sport as well; last season was my first but the tactic that I liked was to hike in behind a locked gate find a clear cut with timber at the bottom of the ridge( and if you can find it timber at the top) make sure the clear cut is a few years old with a lot of new growth (food) and find a spot to hunker down and wait. I liked sitting about 20 yards inside the timber line looking out at the cut. This tactic worked for me, hunting alone most of the season, I was able to harvest a deer. He wasn't huge but it was meat and that's all I care about. Just find what works for you and what you like. Good luck to you in the up coming season and welcome to one of the most challenging most addictive sports around, black tail hunting.

[viva_che1363]

thanks akashasdaddy i was actually planning on doing almost exactly what you did.  im just wondering what sort of food sources should i be looking for?

[akashasdaddy]

Again it varies from day to day and deer to deer. Where I hunted there were a lot of fern and clover on the ground. Also, I found quite a few mushrooms in the area, not a ton but my brother (who knows about mushrooms) found some the couple days he went out in the field with me about every 100-150 yards or so.

[viva_che1363]

thanks man it sounds like i just have to get out in the  woods and look around some more.