Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Bow Hunting => Topic started by: AKBowman on October 07, 2011, 05:11:40 PM
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Anyone hunt up high during the late archery season for blacktails? Was thinking about heading up higher this year and hunting the snow line (if it isnt down to ~2,500' where I am already hunting). I've read on a couple threads that the higher you can go the later the BT's will rut.
Heading out to try to find some does up high this weekend I was thinking around 4,000' or so.
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Depends on the weather ... I always seem to find the bigger ones down low .. not saying they are not up high but blacktail have wintering grounds just like whitetail & Mule deer ... find that spot and your in .... :twocents:
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Thanks I have been looking more and more along the foothills of the Cascades trying to find a convergence zone where there might be a group of local deer at all times of the year but also be an area where the higher elevation deer migrate through or winter in.
I'm heading up Friday to look at the head of a major drainage that has about three or four nice benches that I can see on a topo. Now I need to find a natural food source that will attract the deer (no clear cuts in the area) and set up a cam to see whats in the area. I'm hopeful this type of area will be productive after the rut in December when the snow pushes the higher elevation deer down.
The area I hunt during the rut (Last week of Nov through first week of Dec) is ~1,400ft and I'm looking for a location that is about 1,000 feet higher.
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There will be bucks still hanging around at higher elevations than what you are looking for, so you should be fine. If there is some thick cover where you are going the big bucks should remain up high in the thick cover where the snow doesn't get as deep. Don't get discouraged if your not seeing big numbers of deer because you won't, but most likely the one that you do see will be a shooter.
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Thanks for the info, I am heading up to about 4,000ft on Sunday and will make at least one if not two more trips up there before late opener to see if I can locate a pocket of deer. Should be snow by opener to help track/pattern :IBCOOL: hopefully not too much to push the deer down and out.
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I have a spot that fall back on for short day trips, but I am looking for the same kind of hunt as you. Have a few spots picked out from Google Earth scouting in the same elevation range that you are targeting... I will be doing some scouting in the next few weeks, so hopefully my hunches turn up some sign.
Good luck to you in your hunt, I have a ton of fun when hunting in the snow. Now I just need to connect...
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DWP, we should keep in touch through PM's on what elevation we are finding the deer at. I am guessing the BT's that summer up in the alpine along Snoqualmie pass area I-90 corridor west side stay up high until they are forced down by weather. I have also heard from a few guys that the rut kicks in a few weeks later up around the 3-4K ft mark.
Like I posted earlier I've hunted around 1,300ft the last few years and there are a few bucks in the area I hunt but it really does seem like the rut is pretty much over by the time late archery rolls around (all the rubs are two to three weeks old) and I've only seen one buck chasing a doe in December at that elevation (which i shot :IBCOOL: ) and it was a button buck.
I am heading up on Sunday so it should be interesting to see what I find. My thoughts were to hunt my 1,300ft area if the weather is socked in a and nasty then if/when the weather clears up head up high on the clear days.
good luck to you, feel free to shoot me a PM if you want
