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<\/a><\/p>\nIt\u2019s been a long, hot summer in the Pacific Northwest and I\u2019ll go on record to say I\u2019m glad to see cooler temps and the first leaves of fall floating off the trees. October is here and I\u2019m getting fired up about hunting my favorite deer \u2013 the Columbian Blacktail.<\/p>\n
Whether you hunt with a bow, muzzleloader, or rifle, these elusive west coast deer are difficult to hunt and provide ample challenge for new and veteran hunters alike. While I\u2019d like to offer a secret playbook to guarantee success, I\u2019m afraid one doesn\u2019t exist. Instead I\u2019ll share 10 tips and tactics that have helped me solve a few blacktail riddles and enable me punch my tag more often than not.<\/p>\n
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- Hunt year-round<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
No, I\u2019m not suggesting you break the law. Instead, become a year-round observer and student of blacktail behavior and habits. Actively learn about the deer in your hunting areas all year long to gain a more detailed understanding of their habits. Your goal is to build a database of information so that when those precious days of hunting season arrive, you are ready with a solid game plan. You\u2019ve done your homework – stands are hung, access figured out, etc.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t leave it all to chance. Driving roads with the rest of the crowds might pay off now and again but we\u2019re after consistency, right? I cover this in depth in my 6-part series<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
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- Use technology for scouting<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Nothing will replace quality time walking prospective hunting grounds. However, you can optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of your scouting by utilizing tools such as onXmaps<\/a>\u00a0(now onXhunt), Google Earth<\/a>, and trail cameras, which have become very affordable in recent years. These tools allow you to identify potential feed areas, travel routes, funnels, and access strategies, thus maximizing your time and better informing where you should be putting in time on the ground.<\/p>\n
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- Seek out mixed forest habitat<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Similar to whitetail deer, blacktails are edge dwellers and thrive in mixed forests where they find an abundance of quality food sources, excellent escape cover, and plenty of bedding options. Even when hunting large timber company tracts, pay particular attention to the drainage buffers left adjacent to and within clear-cuts, abandoned logging skid roads, and areas where recent thinning operations have occurred. A stand of 50-80 year old Douglas fir bordered on one side by a 2-4 year old clear-cut and a mixed stand of primarily maple, alder and hemlock is optimal.<\/p>\n
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- Concentrate on microhabitats<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Taking the common tactic of \u2018using hunting pressure to your advantage\u2019 one step further, I often find that those drive-by spots that are too small or maybe even too obvious to hunt can be gold mines. Like the time I got a response from a bull elk at a crowded gate parking area, sometimes getting away from the crowds isn\u2019t about going in deeper; it\u2019s about staying closer to roads, traffic, and industrial areas. A blacktail buck\u2019s home range will get smaller with age and they don\u2019t need much space to thrive. \u00a0I cover more about this topic in another\u00a0post.<\/a><\/p>\n
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- Focus on doe groups<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Using a map and a notebook, keep detailed record of the does you encounter throughout the year. Mark sighting locations on your map and make notes about what are they are doing, what time of day, the weather conditions, etc. Everything you observe is valuable over time. Does don\u2019t stray much from their core areas so the more you can learn about how and where does move about, feed, and bed, the better equipped you\u2019ll be once the bucks start sniffing around to check their estrous status.<\/p>\n
Fawns begin to drop around the first week of June each year. This is a great time to get cameras out and take note of when you see the first fawns of the year. Page back about 200 calendar days and you\u2019ll be very close to the date the doe was bred. This is very important in determining the timing of peak breeding in your hunting area.<\/p>\n
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- Use a wind checker \u2013 always<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Second only to my bow, my Elmer\u2019s glue bottle filled with corn starch is the second most important piece of gear I carry in the deer (and elk) woods. Deer are curious and may stand for several minutes trying to figure out movements or sounds. Not so when it comes to human scent. You must hunt into or cross wind, and you must be cognizant of the wind direction at all times. When I\u2019m in an elevated treestand, I often float tiny goose down feathers because they hang effortlessly in the air and you can watch them for a long time to see what the wind is doing much further from your stand.<\/p>\n
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- Learn blacktail communication<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
A lot can be written here but essentially, you can benefit greatly from understanding basic body language, vocalizations, and the role of numerous scent glands. A wagging or flicking of the tail is a calm deer. A straight-out tail indicates they are on alert. Bucks will have their tails straight out and bob them repeatedly when tending a doe. Fawn bleats are higher pitched than doe bleats, and buck grunts are not as deep and guttural as the sound many commercial grunt calls make. And blacktails do snort-wheeze when they are sizing up an interloper, just like a whitetail. \u00a0These are a few tidbits, but there are many more to learn about.<\/p>\n
Be willing to try new tactics such as calling, scent usage, and even decoys where conditions call for it. I\u2019ve been experimenting with my custom painted decoy for a few years in certain spots and it\u2019s been interesting to see how deer react to it.<\/p>\n
- Learn blacktail communication<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- Use a wind checker \u2013 always<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- Focus on doe groups<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- Concentrate on microhabitats<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- Seek out mixed forest habitat<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- Use technology for scouting<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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