Post by: Tbob on November 10, 2015, 08:44:49 AM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on November 10, 2015, 08:46:16 AM
Post by: Southpole on November 10, 2015, 08:48:21 AM
Post by: Tbob on November 10, 2015, 09:30:27 AM
Post by: JDHasty on November 10, 2015, 09:53:59 AM
Post by: PolarBear on November 10, 2015, 10:02:02 AM
Post by: JDHasty on November 10, 2015, 11:20:36 AM
I'm still a big fan of cruising the timber, especially in nice weather. A treestand can work great if you set up in the timber 30- 50 yards in next to a clear cut or reprod. Find a well used trail inside the timber, set up on it but as far away as you can comfortably shoot and wait them out. Other hunters will push the deer back to you. DO NOT set up directly on top of a trail! :twocents:
I agree.
If you can find an apple tree or even an abandoned orchard and set up on the access trails they still have hanging fruit on them around here.
Post by: pd on November 10, 2015, 11:37:24 AM
As JDHasty said, one of the best strategies in western WA in the late season is to find apple trees. Even if those trees only have a few apples left, even if those apples are rotten, the deer will still cruise by once in a while, because they remember the dinner plate there. If you can find a 1- or 2-mile course, going from apple tree to apple tree, cruise that (because that is what the deer will be doing). If you can hunt does, you might see a few during the daytime. If you are limited to bucks only, first/last light will be most productive.
We cruise during the daytime, stay away from the main trails (but close enough to watch the trails). Stay in the dark of the timber, avoid the open as much as possible. Good luck, to both of us ;)
Post by: BABackcountryBwhntr on November 10, 2015, 01:03:04 PM
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on November 10, 2015, 01:11:17 PM
Post by: JakeLand on November 10, 2015, 01:24:34 PM
Post by: JackOfAllTrades on November 10, 2015, 01:27:06 PM
-Steve
Post by: BABackcountryBwhntr on November 10, 2015, 01:38:49 PM
Forget the apples... Forget the trailcam... Cruise the woods. Find the does. Stay near. Get elevated. Use binoculars glued to your face. A good Blacktail will let you walk right by at 20yds if he feels he's bedded good. And he will be! Look for draws that have trails down and up the sides of ridges. BT's will bed out to the end of the ridgeline with at least three escape routes. Think of them as a criminal on the run from the law. He doesn't want to get caught. Some will have, but not all will have bread by then. They'll still be near or seeking the does. Rattle some, or have your buddy rattle while you watch. Think of a good BT as a pimp. Never in the same bed two nights in a row. So find beds above the draws but just over the edge. If you're near a swamp, there will be trails around it. Find the thick reap-rod and alders... He'll travel through there unnoticed. He'll pause at the edges of the alders before coming out to daylight. Be ready. Hunt DURING the rain! Hunt before the rain. Hunt after the rain.
-Steve
great advice, and it works great with a rifle, much less with a bow... I am not saying you cant kill big bucks from the ground.. you can for sure.. but the very best consistent BT hunters with archery do it from stands/blinds.... scouting is a invaluable tool.. i forgot to mention doe bleats and rattling... they will work if you have hot does which can be hit or miss during the late archery seasons as they are now.
Post by: JackOfAllTrades on November 10, 2015, 02:12:40 PM
-Steve
Post by: Tbob on November 10, 2015, 02:37:48 PM
Post by: pd on November 10, 2015, 03:03:43 PM
Wow!! Some seriously great advise here! Thanks so much! So at the moment I don't have a treestand so I'm totally fine making a small make-shift blind on the ground. And yes, this unit is an "any buck unit". So for you guys with the apple tree scenarios, do you typically find old Apple orchards or trees on the private timber company lands?
Even in an "any buck" unit, look for the ladies. Follow them, or, if they are not moving, then stay there.
Apple trees are anywhere/everywhere. It is crazy. But they are around only if somebody planted them (they are not natives). You won't find them in clearcuts, or any timber less than 20 or 30 years old. Look for abandoned orchards or farms, swampy areas--but be careful not to trespass on private lands. Never in old growth timber.
Post by: JDHasty on November 10, 2015, 03:08:52 PM
Asking kids is probably the most productive way to find abandoned homesteads/apple trees. Since you are archery hunting I am assuming that being close to civilization and gaining hunting access is not going to be a major malfunction. I have not found it difficult to gain access w/a bow. It sounds like you live there, if it were me I would be looking at hunting in close proximity to humans.
Post by: fishnfur on November 10, 2015, 04:28:08 PM
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/willapa/visitor_activities/hunting.html
Good posts everyone.
Post by: sRaud on November 10, 2015, 06:38:40 PM
Post by: billythekidrock on November 10, 2015, 06:46:05 PM
Post by: steeleywhopper on November 10, 2015, 06:55:09 PM
Post by: huntingbaldguy on November 11, 2015, 12:58:43 AM
Post by: RadSav on November 11, 2015, 02:38:35 AM
Post by: Tbob on November 11, 2015, 08:58:38 AM
Post by: Old Man Yager on November 11, 2015, 09:28:00 AM
My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods. Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early. Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather. And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm :tup:. :yeah: they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.
Post by: Tbob on November 11, 2015, 01:19:22 PM
Post by: fishnfur on November 11, 2015, 01:42:34 PM
Post by: Tbob on November 11, 2015, 01:51:20 PM
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on November 11, 2015, 01:56:36 PM
I agree with that statement. Hard to hunt from 0600 till 2030 without taking a serious break.Except it gets dark at 1700 during late season ...
You must really put on some miles.
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on November 11, 2015, 01:58:19 PM
Early archery kills me sometimes.. Up at 3:30am.. Hiking in the dark to where ever destination.. Wait for the sun to come up and then hunt until dark, 9:30 pm ish and then a few hours of walking out in the dark.. Usually to tired to make anything "real" for dinner.. Have a beer with whatever I could muster up for dinner and then repeat! Day 3 I'm usually pretty spent. I wonder how many animals have walked right by me while I've been napping under some random stump?!?!:yeah:
But September is soo much fun!!
Post by: fishnfur on November 11, 2015, 03:31:25 PM
November - If I don't get out early, the day disappears like a morning mist in the sun. Poof! Time to go home.
Post by: JDHasty on November 11, 2015, 06:58:34 PM
I can't hunt Friday or Saturday and Sunday is my fallback day to fill that deer tag. Don't need the meat, but have friends who were shut out all together this year and they will appreciate it.
Post by: Soady on November 11, 2015, 08:20:20 PM
My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods. Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early. Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather. And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm :tup:. :yeah: they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.
I agree on your point of hunting those spots right off the road or roads. This spot has so many deer bedded and feeding between the roads it is unreal. Every time I go into it the norm is three to four deer during all times of the year.
Post by: Pete112288 on November 11, 2015, 08:50:19 PM
My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods. Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early. Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather. And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm :tup:. :yeah: they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.
I agree on your point of hunting those spots right off the road or roads. This spot has so many deer bedded and feeding between the roads it is unreal. Every time I go into it the norm is three to four deer during all times of the year.
I will be another to say... :yeah: and emphasize it. Last year I killed my buck in a narrow strip of 15-20 year old timber with brushy alder draws and bordered a clearcut that is so thick in alder saplings and blackberries that you cant go through it without a machete. The whole area is only 300-400 yards long and 20-200 yards wide. On 3 sides is a HEAVILY used paved road and on the fourth side is a set of powerlines that get hunted hard. Spots like these are where I find deer more often then not esp in late season after they have been pressured.
Post by: Thehowler on November 11, 2015, 09:16:17 PM
Post by: RB on November 11, 2015, 10:10:14 PM
Post by: fishnfur on November 12, 2015, 12:15:31 AM
My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods. Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early. Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather. And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm :tup:. :yeah: they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.
I agree on your point of hunting those spots right off the road or roads. This spot has so many deer bedded and feeding between the roads it is unreal. Every time I go into it the norm is three to four deer during all times of the year.
It seems to me that is a great tactic if you have the time to scout the spot in advance and actually see deer in there in the middle of the day. It's not the road traffic that makes the deer clear out of an area but more likely, the hunters stopping, getting out of their vehicles, talking and stomping around a bit, perhaps popping off a couple of shots for fun, etc. Recent deer sign may also suggest that the deer are coming in from outside the road confines in the middle of the night to use the area. Hate to waste a day hunting an area only used at night. On the other hand, sometimes you just have to think outside the box and just go for it when it seems right.
The first cut or so you come to as you head up into the hills are great candidates for finding deer in unexpected places. Most hunters drive on by so they can get deeper in before they start hunting. I know I'm guilty of that.
Post by: RadSav on November 12, 2015, 12:31:20 AM
I'm hoping I just get lucky and hit one with my truck :chuckle:
Weld a big Trident to the front and you don't even need to stop until you get home to the beer cooler!
Post by: RB on November 12, 2015, 11:40:27 AM
I'm hoping I just get lucky and hit one with my truck :chuckle:
Weld a big Trident to the front and you don't even need to stop until you get home to the beer cooler!
Hahaha yup! :tup:
But, in all seriousness there is a lot of excellent advice in this thread looking in the spots most people drive right by is good this time of year. The local Deer here have been known to bed under the Cedar trees right next to the main paved road in front of my place no more than 40 feet from the road. Just a small amount of cover and they feel safe because there is a couple escape routes.
Post by: JDHasty on November 12, 2015, 12:48:16 PM
My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods. Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early. Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather. And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm :tup:. :yeah: they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.
I agree on your point of hunting those spots right off the road or roads. This spot has so many deer bedded and feeding between the roads it is unreal. Every time I go into it the norm is three to four deer during all times of the year.
I have turned a lot of people on to a spot just to the south and it is literally crawling w/deer in July when I camp nearby every year. It is almost exactly like that one and I have seen really nice bucks in it. I don't hunt deer there, but I recognized that clearcut you posted as soon as I saw it.
Post by: bobcat on November 12, 2015, 12:50:37 PM
Post by: hogslayer on November 12, 2015, 01:05:08 PM
My best late season blacktail tactic is simple...spend every single moment of light in the woods. Don't take the afternoon off, don't sleep in, don't leave early. Late blacktail are seen at any moment of the day regardless of weather. And double down on your diligence between 1:am and 2:pm :tup:. :yeah: they will show up when you least expect it. Like Radav said, stay in the woods as much as possible, and keep you eyes wide open. I'm starting to really watch places that others don't even bother to look at. Areas near main roads that other hunters ignore are going to hold deer. If they think they are safe and nobody spooks them, they will just lay low and let people pass right by.
I agree on your point of hunting those spots right off the road or roads. This spot has so many deer bedded and feeding between the roads it is unreal. Every time I go into it the norm is three to four deer during all times of the year.
Looks like we hunt pretty close to each other.
Post by: RB on November 12, 2015, 02:44:41 PM
The best tactic I've found for blacktails is LUCK. :chuckle:
:yeah:
Post by: RadSav on November 12, 2015, 03:04:43 PM
The best tactic I've found for blacktails is LUCK. :chuckle:
What is the old saying about luck? Something like, " "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."
Post by: 2labs on November 12, 2015, 03:12:12 PM
Post by: RB on November 12, 2015, 03:13:25 PM
The best tactic I've found for blacktails is LUCK. :chuckle:
What is the old saying about luck? Something like, " "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."
Yup! :yeah:
Post by: Tbob on November 19, 2015, 04:18:17 PM