Hey Guys

[Blacktail_boy]

Just was wondering how many of you guys hunt blacktail's and where you live. I live in western washington and have hunted blacktails since I was twelve. I have shot a spike several small forkies and one really big 2 point. I a really looking foward to this years hunting season, I have seen quite a few large bucks already for this time of year. The largest being a 3 or 4 point not really sure because it was getting dark, but he was about 3 inches past his ears and about 17 inches tall. I am hunting the muzzle loader season for the first time hoping to escape some of the hunting pressure in my area. Well if any of you have pictures of bucks I would love to see them...I try and post some if I can get access to a scanner sometime soon.

later B_B

Also if you are an avid Blacktail Hunter check out Boyd Iverson Book "Blacktail Tactics to Trophy's II"

 

[BOHNTR]

Well, I hunt blacktails in a Northern California Wilderness. I strictly bowhunt and have been fortunate enough to shoot a few that go book, the largest scoring in the mid 120's. I really enjoy hunting them and chase them yearly depending on what out of state tags I draw. They are truly a beautiful deer with very keen senses. A definate challenge for a bowhunter. Sounds like you have a good time chasing them too. Glad to see a Blacktail Topic on this site, hope it takes off.

BOHNTR )))------->

 

[BuckSnort]

Well the deer I hunt here in the Sierra's sometimes act like blacktails.I have not gone north to hunt the true blacktails yet but I would like to give it a shot in the next few years.I would like to try a high wilderness type of hunt.

BB, I will be looking forward to seeing your pictures.

BOHNTR, Have you done any deer hunting in the alpine type terrain around timberline in CA? I would also like to see some of your pictures of your bucks as well.

 

[Bura Nut]

Well, like Blacktail, I grew up on them, and in the jungle terrain like he hunts. I am from Olympia, wa. It is very brushy, and what we did was still hunt through the thick stuff. I have shot two spikes, one two point, two four pointers,and one 4x5 in Washington, two forked horns and one 3x4 in California and last but not least, I went to Alaska last year for my first Sitak Blacktail. Black tails are my favorite deer (unless this coues bug catches hold here in AZ) I actually am addicted to deer period. Its nice to have a couple other forums to discuss different types of deer......

 

[Oregon Fishing Guide]

Hey Blacktail_Boy, I also grew up hunting Blacktail in Washington. I grew up in the big town of Toledo and hunting the Mt. St. Helens area my whole life. I have taken many, many Blacktail. I have two that I got mounted. A 4x4 and a 4x5 but have taken quite a few others that were good bucks for that area. For the terrain you have to hunt and the fact that the Blacktail becomes so nocternal I think they are the hardest trophy deer to get. We live in Oregon now and I have some private property that we hunt. No one else hunts this and there are a couple very good bucks in it. I know where they bed. I know where they feed. We know these bucks very well but they will probably die of old age because of the brushy thick mess they live in and there is no rifle season in rut for them. I know that one of them is a 130 buck at least. You are right about the Boyd Iverson book. We follow that like the bible and he is a real nice guy. I have called him up and talked to him about these bucks in this area and he was more then willing to give pointers but those bucks are still running around. We will try again this year depending what tags we draw. anyway, good luck hunting and if you want some places to look at in Washington let me know. Talk to you later, Jon

 

[BOHNTR]

Bucksnort:

I've done A LOT of wilderness hunting at or above timberline in many of California's Wilderness. As for pictures, I have posted a few on this site in the "Tophy Photos" section along with some on different threads. May take a while to locate some, but I think they're still there.

Which wilderness or alpine area you thinking of hunting?

BOHNTR )))------->

 

[Nelly]

WOW great to see this topic statred.. I lived in Or.( Willamete Valley) for over ten years and hunted blacktails for most of those years. (not very successful either), but many of my friends connected on some dandys. Like some one said earlyer those deer are very smart, you mix smarts and a dence rain forests there very diffcult.One of my bestfriends friends his faimely was very successful at hunting blacktails. There secret was they would float the rivers with canoes and push islands a couple of the brothers would set up on the end while the other brothes pushed the island towards them.It work really well they have a couple bucks that would go book but they don't care to get them taped, they just love hunting and don't have nothing to prove. And beside they basicly hunt for the meat and love of it...I have seen alot of other people hunt and this faimley was the most successful,so maybe there on to somthing floating the rivers. Does anyone else know people or them selves who also float the rivers for these deer? It seems to work pretty good..
curtis..

 

[Blacktail_boy]

I have heard of people floating the the river beds for bucks. I have tried it a couple of times just for kicks to escape the hunting pressure. I did not have much luck, saw one small forkie and a doe that looked as if they were half dead. I guess it really depends on the habitat and the area you are hunting/floating. I am open to all methods of hunting for blacktails! keep them comming!

Later B_B

 

[Bura Nut]

OFG: I cant believe you lived in Toledo. I guided/fished that water thousands of times. put in at massey bar and would fish down to the Toledo bridge, stop climb up and buy snacks at the gas station etc.... what a coincidence. I worked on the old a/c units for the school there etc..... as to float hunting, Blacktail Boy---- you have a great river in your front yard to float down and not hunt the islands, hunt the remote spots. The Wynooche I have float hunted to get to spots others might overlook. It has been since 1985 that I did this, but you might want to get a drift boat and try it out. The Satsop is also close, and OFG could tell you where off the Cowlitz he would recommend some good farm country. Lewis county is prime B&C country and I believe still has the Late buck hunt in November to catch the rut.......

 

[BLACKTAIL_BUCK]

I live in Crescent City, Ca. (approximately 20 miles South of Brookings Or.) and hunt the B-Zones for Blacktail, I also hunt in the Southwestern part of Oregon every year with my bow. I haven't been fortunate enough to take a buck in Or. but have taken a few in Ca., my best being a heavy horned 4X4 that was 19 inches wide and 16 inches tall. Im glad to see that the Blacktails have been given there own area within the hunting forums.

 

[skyriver]

Hey Guys, I too hunt the sneaky Blacktail, I live up in Sultan, Wash. And hunt these beauties religiously,I go in on horses and hunt the backside of the big tree farm.I have taken some pretty nice bucks but no real monsters. Have taken a buck 13 years running, the biggest a 5x5 with 1 inch eye guards a beautiful buck, not much for mass. 19" wide 17" tall still nets 127". I have only seen one true monster during the season and he was an absolute hawg. I'd only be guessing at his size but I would say in the high 150's is on the low end. If I had the choice of hunting anywhere for blacktails it would be Lane county oregon. That area has some nice bucks. I have bow hunted down there for the last three years, and seen some dandy,s. Damn shame I can't seem to hit anything with my Martin ,but still have a great time. Talk to ya all later, Skyriver

 

[wake1]

Blacktail Boy. I live in Olympia and hunt the Minot peak and Satsop units. I have lived here only about 7 years and have been hunting on the west side for about 4 years and have been fortunate enough to harvest a spike, a forky and a nice 3x3 that dressed at about 225lbs. Huge body but short on the rack. I have also taken a nice forky in Oregon on private property. I hunt in Oregon when I draw. Blacktails are definately my favorite. You definatley have to work for them. I mostly still hunt the old growth and seems to be paying off. I spend alot of time in the woods year round so I do my homework. One thing is for sure. You don't get many chances as you do hunting mule deer. Because you certainly don't see many buck if any. My brother has been hunting with me the whole time and has yet to conect with a buck. Hopefully this year will be his year. We grew up in Sitka Alaska so hunting blacktails is nothing new to either of us. I'm glad to see this forum on here. I also checked out that web site that was posted a few days ago.(www.blacktailcountry.com) Great site. Looking forward to sharing some info on this elusive animal.

 

[Bura Nut]

Wake1: Oly is my hometown, nice to see someone from there, here on MM. You know what its like to jump deer during the day still hunting, and not see the heads on many of them. Also, if you jump a buck, you cant sit and try and "Score him", you shoot alot of times if it has horns, you want meat, and dont have alot of opportunities at bucks in the thick stuff. Take care......

 

[wake1]

Bura: you hit it right on the head. Most of the time if you see antlers your just waiting for a body shot.There is no time to be scoring anything. If you have any areas that you used to hunt maybe you could pass on some info. I have been hunting the areas I hunt because it is pretty much all I know. I have been up to the Capital Forest along with about 50,000 other hunters not my cup of tee. I prefer closed roads. Gets rid of 90% of the lazy people. I have been around this site for about a year now and look forward to hearing what you have to say about any of the topics. You sound like you know what you are talking about. I understand you went to Alaska last year. As you probably read in my earlier post I was born and raised in Sitka Alaska (S.E). Hunted up there for about 3 years before I moved to Washington. I remember the generous bag limits. There were five of us in my family and we never ate beef until I was 12 years old. When we moved. I recall a lot of venison hanging in our shed. Hope your next trip up there will be better than the last.Take care

 

[Blacktail_boy]

Wake1--
I will be hunting up around olympia most of this year. I am going to be going to college at South Puget Sound. I am doing the fire science program and I don't know how much time I will have to hunt this fall. We are schedualed for regular fireman shifts 24 on 48 off on top of school. I am hunting with a muzzle loader this season in chances that I'll be able to get out more since the season is longer. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] if you want to know anything. My friend and I each got a bear last year up at minot peak..best of luck. B_B

 

[Bob D.]

I grew up in Olympia, and now live south of Olympia near Rochester. I haven't killed a lot of blacktails, one reason being that I spend too much time bird hunting. But I've killed 4 bucks, the biggest was a 4x2, one 2 point, and a couple of spikes. Also have killed 2 or 3 does. The last several years I got more into hunting mulies in eastern Washington, but this year I'll be trying for a blacktail with a bow. When elk is open I'll be mostly concentrating on elk, but of course if I see a good blacktail buck I'll sure try to get a shot. For deer I'll be hunting Minot Peak, Capitol Forest, Lincoln, or Satsop.

 

[Bura Nut]

Sounds like nothing has changed. Capitol forest always has had 50,000 people, driving the roads, stomping around and I hated it. I spent alot of time in little out of the way chunks of land around the Deschutes river, and down towards Centralia. We also used to go to Trapp creek, Vail etc...... It is/was not easy to hunt with all the pressure plus all the hunters.........

 

[BuckSnort]

BOHNTR,

I am going to try some pack-in hunts at or above timberline this year in the John Muir Wilderness and the Ansel Adams Wilderness.D-7 will be the zone I will be hunting. I want to get away from the crowds and have some solitude,and try and find some bucks at the higher elevations.

Have you ever hunted these areas? There is some good looking habitat/terrain in these areas up high and I don't see why the hunting would not be good.

 

[Craig]

I live in Olympia and have hunted blacktail for about five years. If I have time and my work schedule lets me I try and hunt mule deer in eastern washington for the first 4 or 5 days of the season. After that I hunt blacktail around here. I am going to spend some time and scout Capitol forest and hunt there this year. I have seen a couple nice bucks when I am just out messing around on my four wheelers having fun. It's nice to be in the hunting area in 20 min.
I have shot a few bucks that are small and one big one that is a 5X3 (without eyeguards ) or a 6X4 with eyeguards. He is about 19 inches wide angabout 13-14 inches tall. Those have been with a rifle. I have also shot a doe with a bow.
I hope this is a good year. Have theb other guys that live in washington started scouting yet. Is the evening better then the morning to scout . There are a good number of bear in the area. Would be nice to get my first bear this year.

 

[Craig]

Blacktail boy

I read your post that said you were going to be at South Puget sound going through the fire science program. I went through that program two years ago. I know all the guys that work there real good. I Now work for the City of Tacoma Fire Department. You will have a good time in the program. If you have any questions e mail me

 

[Blacktail_boy]

Craig--
I am really looking foward to starting the program. Right now I am just a volunteer at the local station. I'll drop you a line one of these days if I have questions. thanks.. B_B

 

[markbizee]

hey all, i live in the vancouver area (washington) , and hunt in the Klick , for those who dont know, wel you should find out the hard way, nuthing but bigguns, if you know where they're at, even the forkies go atleast 15 inches....i hnt rifle, and wont stop huntin until i got to use the "People's Walker", good hunting and good luck to all.....markBizee...

 

[OregonArcher]

I grew up in Roseburg,OR but have resided in Eugene,OR for the past 3 yrs. Im 27 and started hunting Bt's when i was 12. Took a break from all hunting when i was about 16 then picked it back up with a renewed passion when i was 21 and have been going strong ever since. Since my rebirth as a die hard hunter i have taken 3 bucks with rifle and a few does with bow and rifle. I only hunt with bow now. Its a great challenge. I love interacting so closely with the animals. I hunt mainly Douglas Co and some in Josephine Co.

 

[treekiller]

Howdy guys, I really have to start scrolling down the forums more often. Didn't realize a blacktail forum had been installed.

I'm 47 and live near Sandy, Oregon. Been hunting blacktails since I was 12. Can't remember how many I've taken. Most with rifle, half a dozen with bow. I went back to rifle hunting them so I could spend more time rattling and photographing them during the rut.

Good hunting! treekiller

 

[twangthunk]

Small world. I grew up in Winston, and hunted with my Dad in the Lookinglass area. We never got anything except a 3 x 3, but we sure had a lot of fun and accumulated some good memories.

Nice to know that some Roseburg area folks visit this site.

 

[OregonArcher]

i still get down there regularly. girlfriend and most of my family still live in the Roseburg area. hell we may even know some of the same people if not each other lol.

 

[twangthunk]

Hey, OregonArcher, did you ever do any squirrel hunting down there? The first animal I ever shot was one of those silver grey sqirrels that haunt those oak/fir woods (I was 15). I was so worked up it took me 30 rounds to get that doggone squirrel! Boy he sure cussed me out while he was dodging bullets!!!

 

[OregonArcher]

hunting squirrels with my granddad's single shot 22 are some of the best hunting memories i have. they used to be a dime a dozen around those parts but are pretty scarce now. i still give the local squirrel population a heads up while im out hunting.just use my bow now instead of that ol 22.

 

[twangthunk]

Speakin' of ol 22's, yesterday I shot that old Ruger 10/22 that my dad bought about 30 years ago (he gave it to me for my 38th birthday this year, bless his heart!). This is the one I used for squirrels and rabbits so long ago. I think the last time I shot it was about 16 years ago. It's still a sweet little rifle...groups real consistent, and the action is as smooth as silk.

I plan on taking it on my hunt next month, just in case I spot some grouse.

 

[twangthunk]

Hey, treekiller. That's some nice country where you live. I used to live in Beaverton, and even though it was a long drive, the Sandy/Estacada/Mt. Hood area was a place I visited as much as I could. A favorite place of mine was Trillium Lake. Good fishing, and I bet there's some good hunting opportunities there, too.

 

[miked]

I love to hunt blacktail and the only time i dont is when i take a week break to hunt elk. i have been fortunate with the blacktails haveing harvested one every year since i was old enough to hunt i even have a few big boys to show for it. i have only hunted western oregon for blacktails as that is were i live.

mike