2025 Blacktail Bucks

[NWBLKTAIL]

View attachment 961850 Any thoughts on his age? My buddy believes he has had him on trail cam for at least the last 4 years as a 3point+

No idea 6.5+

But he does look preggers

 

[bielenbm]

Got it done today! Awesome buck

 

[Northwest_stillwater]

some of you may remember i harvested my first blacktail last year solo. this year i got to share my 2nd blacktail with my 7 year old son. so thankful for this animal and the experience.my son has been hunting with me a ton since spring bear and we havent harvested a bear (spring or fall,missed a chance on each tag) he put in so many miles for a little kid, i could tell he was a little discouraged. this harvest changed a lot for him. from being able to put his hands on the animal,to thanking it and praying for it giving it's life to our family.

super early on Halloween we started hiking our way down an old road toward some units i wanted to glass.Around halfway downhill , i spot some bright white "stop,deer" i said to Owen. i shouldered my rifle and looked through my scope. a buck staring right at me in the dead quiet and calm early morning mist,barely a shape standing under a fir tree on the edge of this old road,a phantom of the coast."buck,buck,buck,plug your ears" i said. Owen quickly plugged his ears, and i shot the buck. he ran off and we had to track about 100yds, but we were able to quarter him out and pack him back up the mountain to the car. my son even packed some backstrap and neck meat for burgers in his pack,since he loves deer burgers. we made it home just in time to get cleaned up and go trick or treating. what a fantastic season.

a big upgrade from my 2024 blacktail! lot more meat and antler this year.

 

[Dirtscoots]

I could babble for hours I’ll try to make this short. I’m so proud of my son. First black tail was 550 yards in the wind he did great. Dropped it. With football injuries we weren’t able to make it south for his youth tag as planned. I gave up on my last day we left the house at 4, drove 5 hours. We hiked 8 miles before we jumped this buck. I did not expect a fork with the frame we both saw. But we are both very happy with the outcome.

 

[roosiebull]

some of you may remember i harvested my first blacktail last year solo. this year i got to share my 2nd blacktail with my 7 year old son. so thankful for this animal and the experience.my son has been hunting with me a ton since spring bear and we havent harvested a bear (spring or fall,missed a chance on each tag) he put in so many miles for a little kid, i could tell he was a little discouraged. this harvest changed a lot for him. from being able to put his hands on the animal,to thanking it and praying for it giving it's life to our family.

super early on Halloween we started hiking our way down an old road toward some units i wanted to glass.Around halfway downhill , i spot some bright white "stop,deer" i said to Owen. i shouldered my rifle and looked through my scope. a buck staring right at me in the dead quiet and calm early morning mist,barely a shape standing under a fir tree on the edge of this old road,a phantom of the coast."buck,buck,buck,plug your ears" i said. Owen quickly plugged his ears, and i shot the buck. he ran off and we had to track about 100yds, but we were able to quarter him out and pack him back up the mountain to the car. my son even packed some backstrap and neck meat for burgers in his pack,since he loves deer burgers. we made it home just in time to get cleaned up and go trick or treating. what a fantastic season.

a big upgrade from my 2024 blacktail! lot more meat and antler this year.
View attachment 962906

View attachment 962911
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View attachment 962915

That’s awesome! Congrats

 

[roosiebull]

I could babble for hours I’ll try to make this short. I’m so proud of my son. First black tail was 550 yards in the wind he did great. Dropped it. With football injuries we weren’t able to make it south for his youth tag as planned. I gave up on my last day we left the house at 4, drove 5 hours. We hiked 8 miles before we jumped this buck. I did not expect a fork with the frame we both saw. But we are both very happy with the outcome.

Gotta love 9th inning success!

 

[Tobias]

This is a resident buck at my wife’s work in Portland.
View attachment 961579

Wow! Do you have a pic from the front? Those eye guards are insane

 

[Smokey Bear]

Wow! Do you have a pic from the front? Those eye guards are insane

This is the only other photo she took. She took this one first, then whistled to get the other.

 

[roosiebull]

Well, my wife broke her beating me streak, thought we were going to get a last minute buck killed and made a play on one I glassed up a long way off, got inside 200 and relocated him, she was behind the gun ready, but it ended up being smaller than we thought and she elected to not kill him

Went out with my daughter this morning for the youth weekend, and like yesterday, deer weren’t moving good early, I finally glassed up a young doe, she fed down into the thick stuff below us, then a couple minutes later she came trotting out in front of us and I told her to get ready, and then here comes a spike by fork I thought for sure it was going to be a decent buck

Back at it shortly looking for her first still. We are finding plenty of bucks, but all youngsters.

Last night my wife and I got home and I was taking my stuff out of her pickup and putting it in mine and was going to run to the barn with my daughter to go grain and water our horses, and I feel a familiar pain below my shoulder, go inside and tell my wife I think I get a tick in me and lift my shirt and sure enough I know that feeling, I knew what it was as soon as I noticed the pain. I have gotten a couple in the winter, lots in the spring, but never deer hunting… a first i didn’t care to have

On the upside, my daughters favorite spot lit off with sign, and it would be really cool if we connected on the buck we saw her first deer hunting, we’ve seen him twice, we just need him to give us time.

I have had her get behind the gun a couple times on smaller bucks, which was good practice, and she’s getting more comfortable all the time, either way, it was awesome hunting with her and my wife this year, she isn’t a morning person but she has been doing it, I didn’t know she had it in her, and it’s been great family time

 

[Benjblt]

November 2. 1,400 feet elevation gain to pack him out.

 

[Oregonhuntrboi]

November 2. 1,400 feet elevation gain to pack him out.
View attachment 963375View attachment 963376

Stud buck! And I believe I see a Seekins there ?

 

[Tobias]

This is the only other photo she took. She took this one first, then whistled to get the other. View attachment 963164

Dang! He's gnarly... I can't recall seeing a blacktail with guards like that

 

[roosiebull]

November 2. 1,400 feet elevation gain to pack him out.
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That’s a sweet buck! Big, great character, awesome cape, can’t really ask for more than that

Nice work!

 

[FOS373]

Kodiak

 

[NWBLKTAIL]

KodiakView attachment 963767

That seems like a stud, but I’ve never hunted Kodiak

Awesome buck

 

[Rogue Bay]

KodiakView attachment 963767

That’s a stud! Great buck!

 

[roosiebull]

KodiakView attachment 963767

What a tank! Nice!

 

[roosiebull]

I’m a little bummed my daughter didn’t get one killed, but I’m glad she didn’t kill one of the first nice bucks we saw, because it sure was fun getting to hunt with her, I saw a side of her I didn’t know existed, and probably my favorite season for that reason

Saturday evening we glassed up another 2.5yr old buck, and she said if we see it again the next day she might shoot it

Yesterday morning we worked around to a good glassing spot, and we always peak off the back side because the wind is blowing that direction so we look at it first, and deer have been crossing over there, but the only deer we had seen on that side was a little buck chasing a doe

We looked over there for a couple minutes and just before we got ready to walk away, something catches my eye, right below us is a buck bedded right on the edge of this flat on bare dirt, and it was a nice one. I get my pack off and she gets behind the gun and he gets up and starts bounding off

He has 3 draws to cross before he’s out of range so I figured he would stop, but he just hightailed it and never stopped… crap! I don’t think I have ever seen a blacktail do that before, they always stop and look back at some point, but that buck was gone

After that we glassed up 2 does, then a single one, no other bucks

The evening we also spotted a doe and yearling and then a lone doe, no bucks. It was awesome being able to spend that much time with her this year and we get back to it Saturday for elk

All in all, she had to have passed a dozen small bucks or more , we had a lot of good action, and she got a lot of experience. Looking forward to putting a rifle together for her for next season, and hoping I can find her a bull to shoot this weekend

I already miss blacktail season

 

[JasonWi]

KodiakView attachment 963767

Fantastic Sitka! Congrats

 

[Benjblt]

Stud buck! And I believe I see a Seekins there ?

Thank you. Yes, it is a Seekins Element in 6.5 PRC. I've put it to work over the last couple of years.