Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: Muleyhunter47 on September 23, 2013, 09:45:11 AM
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Well i was out hunting all weekend and guess what, it rained 98.47% of the time along with it being really windy at times. My question that i would like some advice on is what are these blacktails doing when the weather is poor. Ive heard that they will get out of the timber because they can not hear as well with all the surrounding trees but i would like some opinions/advice. So if you want to please share some advice to track down these elusive deer or maybe a story you have in hunting in bad weather conditions. Thank you!
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I was also out this weekend and saw 3 deer, along the road. Nothing in the timber or brush that we saw. They dont have a rhyme or reason for what they do. I am also interested in hearing about this..
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I would say that Blacktails are more active during poor weather because that is my experience with them. I would also say that you will find them on the edges of the woods and clearcuts when it is raining, because that is my experience with them. I would also advise you to keep your eyes open on the logging roads, because they will be there, because that is my experience with them.
However, in recognizing my limited experience with the Blacktail, there is ONE charasteric that ALWAYS sticks out when hunting them... They MAKE NO SENSE!!!!! Blacktails LOVE the crappy weather and it gets them moving, but I have seen them in the woods, clearcuts, logging trails etc.... I have seen them laying in the open and laying under trees. So I would LOVE to know what everyone else thinks about this as well!
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Same here, last year I was on a group of 6 deer most of the season, rain or shine they didn't change their pattern much. If they get wet they just shake like a dog and keep on moiving.
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I really prefer deer hunting in bad weather generally, and especially for blacktails. 90% of the deer hunting I've done for the past 20 years has been for blacktail on the west side, and I really believe rain makes for better hunting. My favorite conditions are thick overcast with light drizzle and intermittent wind. But I've had great hunting even in pretty stormy conditions. I'm not totally sure what they do during the rain - if they do anything consistent at all - but I think the bad weather a) may make them move a bit more, to get warm if nothing else b) REALLY cuts down on how much noise I'm making, so still hunting is a lot more effective. I do think that the deer are considerably more active during bad weather than good weather, but I don't think they necessarily do anything predictable when the weather is bad. Early season sunny days I think you may just about as well stay home as try to hunt blacktail.
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the crappier the weather, the better blacktail huntn gets, ya just gotta find what they like to hang out in in your area, a place i hunt they like this big alder patch another spot they like this steep heavy timbered hillside, which is odd because most of the time they will head to some thicker reprod type stuff, it all boils down to where you hunt and the lay of the land, wind is the biggest factor though :twocents:
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Honestly, I won't act like I know the exact reasoning behind it. But I know for a fact that blacktail hunting in the rain is the best time to do it, you just plain see more animals compared to a sunny or even overcast day. I've heard people say the rain traps your scent to the ground before it can travel down wind etc etc. I would think for obvious reasons a lot has to do with the sound it covers as well, if they cant hear you, you're going to see more deer.
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Here is another vote for blacktail hunting being at its best in the rain. In my experiences, the nastier the better unless theres lightning or falling trees. Heavy rains with less wind and I tend to find them in the timber, everything from 6-10ft tall reprod and jack firs, to the big old timber. But if the rain is lighter, check small patches of grassy or brushy openings in the timber or along the edges. The absolute best luck I have had in nasty weather is the reprod/jack firs that are just tall enough and open enough for you to walk upright through, and the prime areas like this are the ones that have just enough light penetrate through to grow some ferns and other underbrush but the main surface of the ground is normally mossy dirt and fir needles. Makes for quiet walking, esp in the rain. The rain in my experience really gets them moving, I love gloomy days. If it is too windy they will move but will be happy to slow down through some of the best brushy areas with food under the reprod and medium size timber. That takes a lot of wind though. What I tend to like to do in nasty weather is either find a spot that has good deer traffic (I dont feel comfortable doing this unless I have scouted a year or two in the area and really know its a good spot) and post up in the brush or in a tree and sit ALL DAY. Like I said, I dont feel confident about that unless I have put the work into it and know they travel there that time of year. Also, I get restless unless I stick myself in a tree (for some reason that makes me more patient). Most of the time what I do is just cover ground. I get soaked, rain gear or not, but it just boosts my morale more (guess I may qualify as a born and bread west side hunter haha). I slip through all the timber and reprod I can, I get away from the roads, find benches, or any unique lanscape features (anything that is different than the norm for the specific area) I push myself all day, eventually I just get wet enough that I will be too cold if I stop moving so it just keeps me going. Key point to this though is be quiet and dont let yourself stick out too much, kinda think like a cougar, take a step or two, pause, slink along another couple steps, pause. I have found a few areas that are awesome in nasty weather. In the big timber a few hundred yards in from a clear cut and a couple hundred yards from where the big timber goes to medium sized dark dirt floor timber. Right were the dark timber starts there is a bench a few hundred yards long and 30-40 yards wide. then there is one spot in the big timber where a couple trees fell down years ago which allows enough sun through to grow grass. So right in the middle of the big timber there is this 20 yard by 20 yard area of pristine grass, some salal, and 1 small alder sapling. The key to me though for blacktail hunting is spend A LOT of time in your area year round. For blacktail hunting I am in the coweeman unit, on wyco land where you can hunt a huge extent of land, far from any paved road (just covered in log roads) But my area is only 2 square miles tops, and it surrounds the end of the actuall paved road and a few homes along the road. In the center 1/4 square mile area, each year scouting I identify between 15 and 20 big 2 points or bigger bucks. Then hunting season I may see one or two in person, but the rubs, tracks, and trail cam say they are still in that little area. The biggest thing I can say about the habbits of blacktail is they are sneaky lil buggars. Hope my experience helps.
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Yes, blacktails are more active during horrible conditions. And yes it true they are like that becasue they can't rely on there hearing. Most of the time I have seen them out hunting usually is when the weather is at its worst or getting t?hat way. You have to ask yourself, how much rain and wind are you the hunter willing to put with in order to get a blacktail during those conditons? They really are the ideal condtions to hunt in.
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Rain & windy is great time to hunt blacktails. I like when the trees start banging in to each other with a good stady rain, you can cover a lot of groung quickly.
Many times I have headed off to work in the morning on a stormy day, turned around back home & grabbed my gear and hit the hills. Thats my favorite time to hunt.
I do get a little doodoo in my neck when the big trees are falling but if its real bad just stay around the older cuts and in the reprod. Make sure you have a chainsaw and some cable/chain with you, had to cut my way out many times.
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Well, turns out it has been raining all day and i get a phone call from a buddy with a doe down! So i guess everyone agrees that when the weather is bad get your @ss out of the truck take the soaking and it will pay off! Thanks for all the advice guys!!!! :tup:
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I was taught and and always believed that blacktails come out in the open when it is raining to stay dry. They naturally shed the water off there coat like insulated rain gear. The water beads up and rolls off, that's why you always find them in clearing, logging roads, fields ect... during or after it has been raining. They really don't like walking through the thick brush when it is wet and nasty, because the water on the brush gets up under there hair and it makes them cold and uncomfortable.
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Here is another vote for blacktail hunting being at its best in the rain. In my experiences, the nastier the better unless theres lightning or falling trees. Heavy rains with less wind and I tend to find them in the timber, everything from 6-10ft tall reprod and jack firs, to the big old timber. But if the rain is lighter, check small patches of grassy or brushy openings in the timber or along the edges. The absolute best luck I have had in nasty weather is the reprod/jack firs that are just tall enough and open enough for you to walk upright through, and the prime areas like this are the ones that have just enough light penetrate through to grow some ferns and other underbrush but the main surface of the ground is normally mossy dirt and fir needles. Makes for quiet walking, esp in the rain. The rain in my experience really gets them moving, I love gloomy days. If it is too windy they will move but will be happy to slow down through some of the best brushy areas with food under the reprod and medium size timber. That takes a lot of wind though. What I tend to like to do in nasty weather is either find a spot that has good deer traffic (I dont feel comfortable doing this unless I have scouted a year or two in the area and really know its a good spot) and post up in the brush or in a tree and sit ALL DAY. Like I said, I dont feel confident about that unless I have put the work into it and know they travel there that time of year. Also, I get restless unless I stick myself in a tree (for some reason that makes me more patient). Most of the time what I do is just cover ground. I get soaked, rain gear or not, but it just boosts my morale more (guess I may qualify as a born and bread west side hunter haha). I slip through all the timber and reprod I can, I get away from the roads, find benches, or any unique lanscape features (anything that is different than the norm for the specific area) I push myself all day, eventually I just get wet enough that I will be too cold if I stop moving so it just keeps me going. Key point to this though is be quiet and dont let yourself stick out too much, kinda think like a cougar, take a step or two, pause, slink along another couple steps, pause. I have found a few areas that are awesome in nasty weather. In the big timber a few hundred yards in from a clear cut and a couple hundred yards from where the big timber goes to medium sized dark dirt floor timber. Right were the dark timber starts there is a bench a few hundred yards long and 30-40 yards wide. then there is one spot in the big timber where a couple trees fell down years ago which allows enough sun through to grow grass. So right in the middle of the big timber there is this 20 yard by 20 yard area of pristine grass, some salal, and 1 small alder sapling. The key to me though for blacktail hunting is spend A LOT of time in your area year round. For blacktail hunting I am in the coweeman unit, on wyco land where you can hunt a huge extent of land, far from any paved road (just covered in log roads) But my area is only 2 square miles tops, and it surrounds the end of the actuall paved road and a few homes along the road. In the center 1/4 square mile area, each year scouting I identify between 15 and 20 big 2 points or bigger bucks. Then hunting season I may see one or two in person, but the rubs, tracks, and trail cam say they are still in that little area. The biggest thing I can say about the habbits of blacktail is they are sneaky lil buggars. Hope my experience helps.
:yeah: I do and agree with most of what Pete has said above.
I Think the main reason BT are out in openings, or more visible in rain, is because they can't hear as well. They get into openings wher it's not so loud, and have farther line of site :twocents:
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So are you guys using stand or blinds??? Or are you just on foot duck and cover every few feet? :dunno:
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You can bet the blacktails are out and about in the bad weather. I have taken some of my best bucks in crummy weather. When it is pouring rain I will and would be out there. Especially since that is when most hunters become the road version or just sitting in their vehicle listening to the radio. So my suggestion is bring an extra change of clothes and get out there or just think you are going to melt and stay inside.
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Wear good wool and you're basically immune to rain for day-hunting purposes, at least in my experience.
I still hunt mostly but will also go in stands for blacktail.
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I really liked reading what others had to say about blacktails in adverse weather. I agree that they are much easier to hunt when the weather is bad. I love getting out when a lot of other hunters are headed home to dry off and warm up.
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We did a little scouting today, in the middle of the day. I didn't expect to see any deer, as normally I'd be lucky to see just one or two in this area, but only early morning or late in the evening. Not only was it the wrong time of day but we weren't even looking for them.
We ended up seeing eight deer, and they were all bedded down in the open next to the road.
Of course it was rainy and windy. Not sure why they wanted to be out in the open but there's no doubt that today that was their preference.
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I have killed them in stormy conditions and blubird conditions. Although the windier it is, the more deer i have sen. Just from my experiences.
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Got a good 2hr morning hunt in today. It was nasty, and the deer were definitely out! I had to be at a soccer game by 10, but I wish I could have stayed out.
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Royboy and his buddy had to call a guide all the way from Montana to come guide them this morning in this monsoon (me) Long walks, missed shots, guns not going off etc the whole shabang really :chuckle: We did see a ton of deer though. They were just coming out of the timber at first light and by mid morning they were all out in the clear cuts. Its been a while since ive hunted in that much rain, a good time all around.
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Anybody have any luck today with their muzzleloader?
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I took my daughters out hunting yesterday and we saw 15 does 5 bucks 2 grouse and a 150 lb bear sitting in the middle of the road. We were hunting in a 2 pt min area and four of the bucks were spikes. The only two point we saw I missed at about 80 yards :bash:. The kids loved seeing the bear and we got a grouse for our efforts. One of the best days of hunting I"ve had in a long time. :tup:
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If this weather keeps up into October I think the rifle hunters are in for a treat ....May have some early rutting activity going on this year .... :tup:
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Missed at 80 yards? Interesting.
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I live by the rule for blacktail when the weathers moving... so am I. Nastier the better. I'm also wondering about an early rut. I watched 2 bucks in the backyard last night going at it for about 1/2 hour then it got dark. Went and grabbed the cam corder and the batteries were dead. They put on a pretty good show for a couple does. Charged now so we'll see, there is usually a group that come in every night.
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Missed at 80 yards? Interesting.
Why so interesting? 80 yards is a pretty long poke with open sites. Maybe not so much on an elk, but deer are pretty little at that range!
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pretty long poke, exactly what I was thinking.
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Missed at 80 yards? Interesting.
Why so interesting? 80 yards is a pretty long poke with open sites. Maybe not so much on an elk, but deer are pretty little at that range!
The common problem is the front sight can cover so much of the body that it is hard to aim small, usually results in shooting over the deer.
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The nastier the better, in my opinion. Also, there are less punkins in the woods when it gets bad!!
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:yeah: HAHAHA never heard it put that way before, I love it :chuckle:
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I went out scouting early yesterday just as light was breaking. The rain was coming down steady and the wind was blowing a bit. I only had about an hour to scout so all I did was drive an area I had never been in before and noticed several deer out in the open just standing around. I did see the largest Blacktail buck I have ever seen. He was a symmetrical four point about 16'' wide with double eye guards about 3''. :drool: We watched him for about a minute before he thought better of what he was doing and trotted off. I will be back in that area in a couple weeks, and I hope it is a nasty day!
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Lots of deer out in the stormy weather yesterday. If anything had enough horns I could have killed them without a problem, they were all near the road and just stood there, like I couldn't see them. They lose a lot of their senses in the rain and wind :tup:
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I don't think the rain affects them much it is washington, except for maybe big nasty storms, they do live here we all know how the weather gets. i believe it just gives the hunter an advantage to get closer before they take off. blackies are sneaky, if they dont want you to see them you wont. ive have seen a big 4x4, get down on its knees and crawl out of sight (no joke). personally i believe bad weather just tips the scale in our favor.
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Amen Spotter26. Thats why I say when the weather is moving so am I.
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I was out on the weekend of 28 29 Sept and saw 60+ deer in the Grays Harbor and Mason county area. Of those i killed a nice 4x3 I also believe the worse the weather the better for blacktails
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I was out on the weekend of 28 29 Sept and saw 60+ deer in the Grays Harbor and Mason county area. Of those i killed a nice 4x3 I also believe the worse the weather the better for blacktails
Have you already posted pics of your 4x3?
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I was out on the weekend of 28 29 Sept and saw 60+ deer in the Grays Harbor and Mason county area. Of those i killed a nice 4x3 I also believe the worse the weather the better for blacktails
Have you already posted pics of your 4x3?
:yeah:
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I shot my only blacktail this year during a heavy wind/rain storm and we saw a lot of them out and about. Surprised me that they didn't seem to mind the weather. Got after her immediately after the shot just because of the rain. Only went 30yds luckily.
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2013 deer thread
