2025 Blacktail Bucks

[blacktail434]

This is my favorite time of year because I get to see all these beautiful blacktail bucks. I wait impatiently all year for this! Congrats to all the successful hunters and good luck to those that are still on the search.

I have to agree! I haven't found one yet that gets me excited to pull the trigger, but love seeing the success on blacktail and always look forward to this time of year just for that!

 

[ridgefire]

My Western WA buck that I shot on Sunday. It was a downpour and I thought it was a 4x4 and it ended up being a 4x2.

 

[riversidejeep]

Go

That happens. While back, I tipped over a lil 4x4 that turned into a forky by the time I got up to him

Gotta turn that scope down!

 

[roosiebull]

That happens. While back, I tipped over a lil 4x4 that turned into a forky by the time I got up to him

Been there once

 

[roosiebull]

It always is.

Mighta been a lil quick on the trigger though..

Mine was on a nasty day, he was bedded, and he was clearly a big bodied older buck, but through the rain and fog I couldn’t see his antlers perfectly, just the bases and he had some branches behind him and I thought he was big, as I glass him, my binos are filling with rain, so it’s getting worse, and decide what I see is a bunch of antler rather than branches, so I put a bullet in his neck and walk over there excited and I was so bummed when I got over there, I literally couldn’t believe it

He ended up being a 5.5yr old but his antlers looked about half that, haha. That’s one of 2 times I experienced true ground shrinkage (the other was a bear) never again!

 

[hibernation]

That’s one of 2 times I experienced true ground shrinkage (the other was a bear) never again!

Bears are really tough, something about how that dark fur soaks up light, the way they move, and how they always seem to be in such thick cover that I never get a full look at them. At least, the couple that I've gotten so far.

 

[Rogue Bay]

My Western WA buck that I shot on Sunday. It was a downpour and I thought it was a 4x4 and it ended up being a 4x2.

I like the character! I’ve always been a fan of the unusual critters. He looks like a good mature deer and I’d happily fill my tag with a buck like that.

 

[roosiebull]

I like the character! I’ve always been a fan of the unusual critters. He looks like a good mature deer and I’d happily fill my tag with a buck like that.

Yeah, he’s certainly an older mature buck, I wouldn’t be upset about that one at all, he’s a cool pretty buck

Funny enough, my dream buck currently is a big framed heavy horned forky, I really want to kill one some day, I have killed at least 3 5+yr old forkies, but still looking for that really big framed heavy antlered fork, have seen a couple but haven’t with a tag in my pocket.

Killing a mature buck is just as hard regardless of what they have on their head, a 60” 6yr old buck is no easier to kill than a 150” 6yr old.

The only reason I care at all is because I like having a tag, I love chasing blacktail, it has nothing to do with thinking I deserve a big set of antlers. I never know what my current standard is until I’m looking at one that I like enough to give up my tag

One of my favorite tags I’ve filled was this pitiful busted up 5.5yr old fork (with a broken tine he was technically a spork) terrible genetics, but I killed him still hunting the timber in the last 90 minutes of the season in a downpour, I knew I was going to eat that tag but pulled it off in the last inning, I was so stoked, and he was a huge tracked old buck, with tiny antlers (relatively)

 

[hibernation]

I took a few pics of a bear I glassed up on a hillside a few months back. Guys on here were goin "damn thats a nice bear" next pic.."well maybe not" next pic.."fawk if know"

I've halfway given up on judging bears beyond: is it alone? Do I have a good shot? Send it!

 

[roosiebull]

Bears are really tough, something about how that dark fur soaks up light, the way they move, and how they always seem to be in such thick cover that I never get a full look at them. At least, the couple that I've gotten so far.

I set myself up, I saw a tank of a bear in there that morning (archery elk hunting) and saw some fresh elk sign so decided to come back and just observe for the evening knowing if I saw elk, I likely wouldn’t have a play that evening

Soon as I sat down and set my tripod up I glassed a bear way in the top where I had seen the big one that morning and it was feeding my way, so I decided to haul ass home (lived like 3 miles down the road) and switch my bow for a rifle and try to kill that bear

Got back and was running low on light, glass up the bear around 300yds and quickly set up my rifle to shoot (without glassing again) and as soon as I got a clear shot I took it, and it came plowing down the hill and jumped over a spur road and that was when I first thought, that didn’t look like the same bear I was right, it wasn’t. I didn’t even second guess it until then, just assumed it was the same one, since that morning was the first time I’d seen one there. Pretty funny all in all, because I’m usually very good about that with bears, but I let my guard down and paid the price of a dink, haha. Sow sized boar

 

[Blacktail_]

Anyone else feel like a ton of studs were taken last year and this year has been a down year? I could be wrong but where I am it seemed last year there were a ton of 3 or 4 points being taken and this year, many guys are happy to take a forky after seeing a lot of nothing.

 

[KGLee357]

Anyone else feel like a ton of studs were taken last year and this year has been a down year? I could be wrong but where I am it seemed last year there were a ton of 3 or 4 points being taken and this year, many guys are happy to take a forky after seeing a lot of nothing.

Actually I would say it has been the opposite in our area. Lots of big bucks taken this year.

 

[Blacktail_]

Actually I would say it has been the opposite in our area. Lots of big bucks taken this year.

Nice!

 

[coast range]

Found this old revert buck last night. 6.5 prc first animal shot with an eldm. Did the trick at 100 yards

 

[Blueman75]

Finally connected this morning. Seeing a few bucks moving around the last two days.

 

[Diced]

Anyone else feel like a ton of studs were taken last year and this year has been a down year? I could be wrong but where I am it seemed last year there were a ton of 3 or 4 points being taken and this year, many guys are happy to take a forky after seeing a lot of nothing.

I've been hunting the mid cascades here in OR and I've definitely seen way fewer bucks compared to last year. I do think last year was unusually good though.

 

[roosiebull]

Found this old revert buck last night. 6.5 prc first animal shot with an eldm. Did the trick at 100 yards

Nice buck man! I love heavy horned bucks. I was wondering if you had a buck killed yet

 

[longrangelead]

motivation? just because?

SW WA yard buck...

 

[coast range]

Nice buck man! I love heavy horned bucks. I was wondering if you had a buck killed yet

Didn’t have many days to hunt this year. Work getting in the way of my fun and heading back east to go hunt whitetail a with my old man.

 

[coast range]

Daughter had one evening to hunt the whole season. Between being a senior at U of O and work there wasn’t much time. Her hunted lasted less than 5 minutes.