OK, I've been a lurker on both the fishing and hunting boards for quite some time, and its time to come out of the closet. I live to hunt and fish (but unfortunately work and kid obligations interfere sometimes). Great boards with a wealth of information and some seemingly darn good people to boot. My real passion is hunting and now for my dilema, born and hunted in Montana (eastern) during my younger years...joined the Navy out of high school, submarine nuclear fleet, wound up here, met a gal, kids, divorce, yada, yada, yada. The last few years I've been chasing the elusive Western WA blacktail. I was lucky enough to score my first year with a 3x4 hunting private land, shotgun only. But it has been awfully scarce since then. Granted, with work and kid obligations I definitely do not put as much time in as I should but come on...it can't be that hard can it???? Since the private land access fell though, I've been hunting Lincoln, Capital Forest, Wynoochee and yes, I dare admit, Vail. I know the deer are out there but damn...they are sure elusive. Much more so than the big floppy-eared mule deer I hunted years ago, and stil do on occasion when lucky enough to draw an out-of-state MT tag and hunt with the Old Man. I've read the articles, have a decent knowledge of their habits (obviously lacking sufficient knowledge though) and have even managed to see a few doe's (and dead bucks (shot)) while hunting. I'm not asking for anyone's hotspot but from what may have been observed on opening weekend, does anyone have an opinion on an area that may harbor some of these mythical creatures? I usually get out 2 or 3 times during Oct. then take the 4 days of late buck off from work...not much time I know, but if I don't score, no big deal. I love the experience of the hunt. I'm just wondering if what I've experienced so far is real blacktail hunting...walk my arse off (I'm definitely not a road hunter), still hunting, lots of glassing, to only see 1 or 2 deer a day (if I'm lucky). Thanks guys (and gals).

You gotta hunt them differently than you hunt mule deer. I think I have found one buck glassing out of 14 blacktail I've taken. My other two were mule deer.

I "still-hunt" a lot. That means walking skid trails, and game trails, through the deep timber a few steps at a time and looking at everything all along the way. I usually find them near the creek bottoms. Probably half of my deer have come that way. Also check the transition areas between timber and clear cuts. This is the second most productive way for me. I have also run into a few "gift deer".

I ride my bike in to areas that are behind locked gates. This gets me past about 95% of the other hunters out there. One time, only once, have I run into other hunters in my honey hole, and they walked in the two miles I rode in. How far ahead do you think I was of them?

We did a lot of drives when I hunted with others. This involves a number of friends pushing deer to one or two blockers. A lot of times you are bumping deer, you just don't know it. If you do this, safety is rule number one, with clear zones of fire discussed before anyone steps in the woods. Mostly now I hunt alone, but with my boys coming on line, they'll be my new partners.

I also hunt muzzle loader. The season is longer during better hunting weather allowing you to hunt more of the rut. Instead of 4 days, I get to hunt 20+ days in the rut. Another benefit is a much more liberal doe harvest during the ML season. I have lots of horns, but have never eaten them. I've shot two deer that were over 100 yards, but most of them have been 35 yards or less, so the ML isn't a handicap, except on running deer. Keeping your muzzle taped and down, plus using an inverted carry, with the rifle upside down will help you keep your powder dry. Swap ends on your sling so the pad is by the butt, not the forearm. In 8 years I have never had a misfire when deer or elk hunting.

Figure out ways to separate yourself from the other hunters and you'll have more success. This is coming from a guy with 16 deer in as many consecutive years, all in Washington. Other guys will have some good ideas as well. Hope this helps.

Andy

Thank you for the reply Dogfish. The hunting pressure in WA is unbelievable compared to MT (well, not so much anymore) but I hear your message. Get away from the crowds. I've contemplated making the jump to muzzle loader, but lacking the knowledge, I'm hesitant. I helped by Dad build a .50 caliber ML before I went into the service and he's killed a few river bottom whitetail with it (freezer fillers) but for the most part, the areas back home are wide open 150-200+ rifle shots.
I've talked with my hunting buddy at length about the perfect "rifle season" firearm and I believe a 30-30 open sight is the choice for the close quarter skid road, game trail, heavy timber shots encountered out here. I'll admit though, I've yet to purchase it. I hear story upon story of the 150-200 yd buck that was killed lying in a clearcut on a blustery, rainy day. The reason I carry the scoped x06 I do, too much firepower for the deer I've encountered though. 16 for 16, you obviously are doing something right....good luck this season, if you haven't filled your tag yet.

They do exist. I killed my first at age 11 in 1979 and managed to kill one every year since 1984. But here is the rub, most of the bucks I killed were the ONLY ones I saw. Sometimes early in the rifle season, sometimes during late buck and a couple times with only minutes to go on the last day of late buck. I used to use a 30 30, but for the last 15 yrs I have used a scoped .270.

If you spend enough time, it will happen. Most clear cut hunting is over after the first hour or so. Then it is time to hit the timber or reprod depending on the weather. If the rain is sideways and the trees are threatening to fall....that is the best time to hit the thick stuff. If you are hunting Vail and the CF then you will want to hunt in the middle of the week and all day if you can. Find the edges and draws that are away from the heavily traveled areas. Don't worry about looking for water, instead look for bedding/feeding areas (they are often the same place). The second week of the season (4th week of Oct) has always been good for me. The pre rut is usually going good with bucks moving and looking for does.

I can't really add much to what Dogfish and Riverswild have said, but will add a few things anyway. First, I took Dogfish's advice and have shot 2 blacktail down in your neck of the woods over the last 3 years (probably would have been 3 for 3 if I hadn't rolled my truck while hunting 1 of those years). I hunt muzzle loader on foot or on a bike. Very few people....which is the way I like it.

Second, I think its worth checking out Ifish (Oregon based website) to tap into the knowledge of several blacktail hunters on that site. In particular there are several very good threads on hunting the rut. I am hoping to put some of that knowledge to work this upcoming season.

Try this website for Blacktail stuff.
http://s2.excoboard.com/exco/forum.php?forumid=50840&PHPSESSID=adc73728a9646d2d0b5a7d916635b716
I live in northern California and hunt both private & public land.
I see way more bucks on private land, but the feed & genetics are better where I hunt public.
Here are a few of my bucks.











My Kid...