Blacktail patterns, strategy and chat

2Tone said:
I’m not sure you will ever figure that out. I don’t think they go far there just to dam smart they will stay in there bed until you step on them.just gotta find where they bed and wait them out.so years ago my son shot a collared deer in Carlton area,Odfw came to get collar the guy said he had tracked him for 4 or 5 years and had never seen him.
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Thats what Im trying to find summer scouting. I know theres bucks close, but I need to find their beds to even have a remote chance of getting one come Oct.

I found some more very fresh beds last weekend, just no way to know if its the buck. Fresh clumps of deer fur in it, probably used that night. I think its does because there were at least 2 beds next to each other, maybe a 3rd (fawn). My guess is the bucks bed solo. I found one such solo bed last summer but no other clues....
I hunted the spot several days (not in a row...) but nothing was moving. Its like a jungle in there but there are several open vantage points. I need to go back in a few weeks and check my cams, and then find an uphill vantage point to hide from and then find a path I can get to that in the dark before the sun comes up.

But again, I dont know which beds are the bucks. Ive read it takes successful hunters here years to tag a big buck worth bragging, tracking the same buck.

https://www.facebook.com/BowtechFactoryProShop/posts/628840883921408
 
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Koda said:
Thats what Im trying to find summer scouting. I know theres bucks close, but I need to find their beds to even have a remote chance of getting one come Oct.

I found some more very fresh beds last weekend, just no way to know if its the buck. Fresh clumps of deer fur in it, probably used that night. I think its does because there were at least 2 beds next to each other, maybe a 3rd (fawn). My guess is the bucks bed solo. I found one such solo bed last summer but no other clues....
I hunted the spot several days (not in a row...) but nothing was moving. Its like a jungle in there but there are several open vantage points. I need to go back in a few weeks and check my cams, and then find an uphill vantage point to hide from and then find a path I can get to that in the dark before the sun comes up.

But again, I dont know which beds are the bucks. Ive read it takes sucessful hunters here years to tag a big buck worth bragging, tracking the same buck.
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Summer bucks will bed together for sure seen it archery hunting several times big buck too, even early buck season seen that to years ago I jumped to big bucks together opening weekend,following weekend went in same area and got one of them.
 
2Tone said:
Summer bucks will bed together for sure seen it archery hunting several times big buck too, even early buck season seen that to years ago I jumped to big bucks together opening weekend,following weekend went in same area and got one of them.
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noted, thanks for that tip.
 
Try to find they're particularly food source in the fall.
From beds to food should be trails. Try them if you can.
 
riceman said:
Try to find they're particularly food source in the fall.
From beds to food should be trails. Try them if you can.
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Im not very good at knowing plant names.
I dont know what they eat in the fall except trailing blackberries Ive read but I never see sign they forage on them. I find forage sign in spring/ summer on huckleberry brush sprouts (see post 14) where they nip the tips off (could also be elk...).
I have them foraging on a trail cam, mostly ground level and in summer. I need to go back to check whats growing there. But again, summer forage is different than fall.
 
Koda said:
yeah, I never get up early to scout. But the hardest part of hunting Blacktails is getting up hours before dawn to take advantage of that first 15 minutes of legal light.
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Today is opening day of archery season. Been up at 3a three times already to scout preseason. Just got more like 4-5hrs of sleep those nights. Not a little over 2.haha. Too long of a drive to be half asleep for.

Also I’ve taken lots of deer well after the first 15 min. More like taking one in the first 15 min is the exception than the rule. But seeing them is the first step. And I have seen them move into the brush at first light and not come back out for the entire day. At least not visible to me if they did.

These critters can get under a guys skin. Just when you think you’ve got em all figured out they vanish.

I’ve taken the opposite approach to them that most guys do as I have the open terrain to accommodate a spot and stalk style of hunting. But often as I sit back and glass, other hunters will move through the area I’m glassing and bump the deer. Midweek hunts are best to keep things to yourself on public lands.

Being in nose shot of em can be all it takes to educate so be prepared for treestand style or ground blind hunts. Something that will either take your scent away from the area or contain it. Either way an ozonics unit would be your best friend in tight quarters.
 
Koda said:
Thats what Im trying to find summer scouting. I know theres bucks close, but I need to find their beds to even have a remote chance of getting one come Oct.

I found some more very fresh beds last weekend, just no way to know if its the buck. Fresh clumps of deer fur in it, probably used that night. I think its does because there were at least 2 beds next to each other, maybe a 3rd (fawn). My guess is the bucks bed solo. I found one such solo bed last summer but no other clues....
I hunted the spot several days (not in a row...) but nothing was moving. Its like a jungle in there but there are several open vantage points. I need to go back in a few weeks and check my cams, and then find an uphill vantage point to hide from and then find a path I can get to that in the dark before the sun comes up.

But again, I dont know which beds are the bucks. Ive read it takes successful hunters here years to tag a big buck worth bragging, tracking the same buck.

https://www.facebook.com/BowtechFactoryProShop/posts/628840883921408
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This guy and his buddy did a gritty podcast years ago.
His dads the real big buck killer tho.
Do what they do. 👍🏻
 
Koda said:
noted, thanks for that tip.
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It’s a deer thing, not blacktail specifically that bachelor up after the rut ends. They only split up again when the velvet comes off or shortly thereafter. Have killed several bucks with a buddy or two standing there watching.
 
Plans to get out this evening got derailed. Tomorrow morning I will be red lining after missing opening day today.
Might start a new thread to document my season and not clutter up yours.
If you guys haven’t already read through the big game success threads those are all public land blacktails that I wrote about.
 
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MeatBuck said:
Plans to get out this evening got derailed. Tomorrow morning I will be red lining after missing opening day today.
Might start a new thread to document my season and not clutter up yours.
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Good luck shoot straight and get some shut eye
 
MeatBuck said:
Today is opening day of archery season. Been up at 3a three times already to scout preseason. Just got more like 4-5hrs of sleep those nights. Not a little over 2.haha. Too long of a drive to be half asleep for.

Also I’ve taken lots of deer well after the first 15 min. More like taking one in the first 15 min is the exception than the rule. But seeing them is the first step. And I have seen them move into the brush at first light and not come back out for the entire day. At least not visible to me if they did.

These critters can get under a guys skin. Just when you think you’ve got em all figured out they vanish.
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if your bow hunting you have the early season advantage. Come rifle season in Oct they vanish, even the does, my trailcams... just go mostly dead all thru Oct.
Last year we had an intense heat wave first 3 weeks of Oct it was horrible. Nothing was moving. I escouted shaded aspects at the peak of the high day temp and using a temp layer I found tiny pockets of cooler spots on the map... I figured thats where they will be in the day. Got up one morning before light drove out and set up hill and watched the sun rise, nothing. About noon I walked around and just below me on a game trail were two fresh tracks from that morning in the baked dry dust. They slipped by me probably as I was walking in. They just vanish.

that was a new spot so Im thinking of scouting it this summer to add to my list. I like to have at least 3 good but very different spots to hunt any trip due to hunting pressure. Though very few hunters go down off trail where I go I mostly have these places to myself.
 
Koda said:
if your bow hunting you have the early season advantage. Come rifle season in Oct they vanish, even the does, my trailcams... just go mostly dead all thru Oct.
Last year we had an intense heat wave first 3 weeks of Oct it was horrible. Nothing was moving. I escouted shaded aspects at the peak of the high day temp and using a temp layer I found tiny pockets of cooler spots on the map... I figured thats where they will be in the day. Got up one morning before light drove out and set up hill and watched the sun rise, nothing. About noon I walked around and just below me on a game trail were two fresh tracks from that morning in the baked dry dust. They slipped by me probably as I was walking in. They just vanish.

that was a new spot so Im thinking of scouting it this summer to add to my list. I like to have at least 3 good but very different spots to hunt any trip due to hunting pressure. Though very few hunters go down off trail where I go I mostly have these places to myself.
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I’ve got a second tag that goes into October. If it rains, it’s not too difficult to bag one. If it’s hot, you've got your work cut out for sure.

3a alarm was easy with 4 hrs sleep. Haha not.
But I made it out early enough. Didn’t see a single vehicle at any of the usual spots. Or anywhere else for that matter. Thought maybe I got the season dates wrong haha. Was hard to believe.
 
MeatBuck said:
I’ve got a second tag that goes into October. If it rains, it’s not too difficult to bag one. If it’s hot, you've got your work cut out for sure.

3a alarm was easy with 4 hrs sleep. Haha not.
But I made it out early enough. Didn’t see a single vehicle at any of the usual spots. Or anywhere else for that matter. Thought maybe I got the season dates wrong haha. Was hard to believe.
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Almost bagged a fuzzy dorky forky at 55 this morning going fishing might have touched his hinny a bit😲. Can’t imagine hunting deer in July! Just doesn’t seem right to me.
 
riceman said:
California
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it does seem awfully early to be deer hunting. I dont know if the bucks even have full grown antlers yet?

From what Ive read Northern California produces some of the bigger trophy blacktails. Up here a big one would be a small 4pt.
 
2Tone said:
Almost bagged a fuzzy dorky forky at 55 this morning going fishing might have touched his hinny a bit😲. Can’t imagine hunting deer in July! Just doesn’t seem right to me.
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California and Florida I believe are the two states that start in July.
 
Koda said:
it does seem awfully early to be deer hunting. I dont know if the bucks even have full grown antlers yet?

From what Ive read Northern California produces some of the bigger trophy blacktails. Up here a big one would be a small 4pt.
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Some are hard horned already.
Same as the tule elk.
 
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