2025 Blacktail Bucks

[dreadi]

It was a stormy Halloween day.

 

[Rainyday]

Well this is bitter sweet for me as my daughter has punched her last ever youth blacktail tag here in Oregon. We have had a great run with this tag and it was looked forward to every year she had it. Going into this last one the goal was public land only and an old crusty heavy chocolate horned buck, didn’t matter score or how many points. Just wanted one of those old ghosts. We were beyond blessed to find this guy. Cheers to the end of an era.

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Holy smokes, any idea what that thing weighed? Gotta be one of the biggest blacktails I’ve ever seen! Congrats to your daughter!

 

[Or.hunter]

Holy smokes, any idea what that thing weighed? Gotta be one of the biggest blacktails I’ve ever seen! Congrats to your daughter!

Thank you! Not sure of weight on him and I actually hate guessing just because I could be way off, but i have been hunting blacktails for 30+ years and he is the biggest bodied blacktail I’ve personally put my hands on. He was a tank. It was everything my daughter and I had to get him drug around for pictures. Just a true old monarch.


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[riversidejeep]

This guy was in my front yard the other morning looking for a companion, zoom in on the antlers, have never seen anything like it before.

 

[NWBLKTAIL]

This guy was in my front yard the other morning looking for a companion, zoom in on the antlers, have never seen anything like it before.

That’s really cool, I’ve seen funky configurations. But that I have never seen

 

[Rogue Bay]

This guy was in my front yard the other morning looking for a companion, zoom in on the antlers, have never seen anything like it before.

That’s pretty wild! I killed a 5.5 year old forky last year and he had wavy antlers, but not that extreme.

 

[Ishootgunssometimes]

Kodiak

 

[Smokey Bear]

Kodiak
View attachment 973478

20??

 

[Ishootgunssometimes]

20??

23, a few couldn’t fit in the pic

 

[longrangelead]

Kodiak
View attachment 973478

trolling or jigging?

 

[sbutton88]

Here is my CA buck from September. Not a bad shot but I had a hard time tracking him. Seems to be a pattern with my .308 since the switch to copper.

 

[JRay]

Here is my CA buck from September. Not a bad shot but I had a hard time tracking him. Seems to be a pattern with my .308 since the switch to copper.

Great looking buck. Which copper bullet?

 

[NWBLKTAIL]

Here is my CA buck from September. Not a bad shot but I had a hard time tracking him. Seems to be a pattern with my .308 since the switch to copper.

That’s a stud very cool

 

[sbutton88]

Great looking buck. Which copper bullet?

Factory rounds (unfortunately). Barnes VOR-TX which use a 150g TTSX BT.

Haven't had much luck with 168g either. Maybe it's in my head but the six bucks that I have taken since the switch have all caused me issues. Either requiring follow up shots or tough recoveries with little blood trail.

 

[NWBLKTAIL]

Factory rounds (unfortunately). Barnes VOR-TX which use a 150g TTSX BT.

Haven't had much luck with 168g either. Maybe it's in my head but the six bucks that I have taken since the switch have all caused me issues. Either requiring follow up shots or tough recoveries with little blood trail.

What about McGuire copper rose bullets, or DRT which uses tungsten core I believe?

I have no experience with these or any non lead offerings but seems like guys in your position where you don’t have a choice, these seem like offerings worth at least testing.

And going light to get as much velocity out of them as possible

 

[sbutton88]

What about McGuire copper rose bullets, or DRT which uses tungsten core I believe?

I have no experience with these or any non lead offerings but seems like guys in your position where you don’t have a choice, these seem like offerings worth at least testing.

And going light to get as much velocity out of them as possible

Worth a try. Honestly, I haven't done as much research as I should have for finding a great non-lead offering. I do know that with leaf, my Tikka would eat just about any factory ammo at under 1 MOA. I tested a few copper options at various weights and to my shock. Some of the groups were pushing 5-6 inches!

 

[NWBLKTAIL]

Worth a try. Honestly, I haven't done as much research as I should have for finding a great non-lead offering. I do know that with leaf, my Tikka would eat just about any factory ammo at under 1 MOA. I tested a few copper options at various weights and to my shock. Some of the groups were pushing 5-6 inches!

Yeah my tikka 308 hasn’t disappointed yet but I have not tried any non lead offerings.

Another option I missed that a lot of guys use them seem to really like is hammer bullets.

Nice buck anyway though looks to be pushing 20” spread

 

[sbutton88]

Pic is a little deceiving. He's has a big ol body. Width was 22.5"

 

[NWBLKTAIL]

Pic is a little deceiving. He's has a big ol body. Width was 22.5"

Badass, good on ya!