Oregon Coast Range Blacktail Tips and Tricks?

[alaskancrabpuffs]

Hey everybody, my name may say Alaska on it but I am from Oregon (this is just my universal online name I usually use), anyways I used to live up in Washington when I was little and I hunted Blacktails up in the Yelm area for a while with my family. Moving to the Northern Oregon Coast Range, I have hunted here like 7-8 years now (in 2019 I went to Minnesota to chase Whitetails) and I have been unsuccessful here. Unlike lots of people here I don't roadhunt, instead going out and hiking in and trying to find deer in clearcuts and timber and whatnot. The coastal towns have lots of successful hunters but of course they say little to nothing about how they are able to get nice blacktails every year. I just wish I got some chances at them in a season. I have noticed a few things like 1. There are of course way more elk down here than up in Washington and 2. The Coyotes and Cougars here seem to also be numerous. That along with the super steep terrain and the huge amount of rifle hunters makes hunting here tough. This year I went out and scouted a single clearcut sitting in and I rarely got skunked, I saw does and fawns almost every night and the nights I didn't see them I heard them. Anyways I am starting to learn where to hunt and not hunt around me. I think a key thing for me is finding ground where other people aren't but that is easier said than done. Any tips or tricks would be awesome! Thanks!

 

[JasonWi]

Honestly I would contact roosiebull here on RS as Mike is very knowledgeable about coastal BT. I would take any advice he's willing to share to heart as he's definitely got them dialed in.

Unfortunately I hunt the cascades for BT and have only shot a few on the coast range.

 

[fisherman983]

Best advice to be successful blacktail hunting is it's a year round deal. If your not hunting, your scouting. Use onx, find clear cuts that are behind locked gates that require hiking and effort to get to. In the spring and summer, you need to be looking for deer. Find good areas that hold good deer numbers and focus on those areas during season. Drive the roads you can all year long covering ground, seeing what clear cuts are huntable, what have food sources, which cuts are getting too grown up to hunt effectively. Find the new fresh cuts to keep tabs on future hunting season and then make sure you have the best binos you can afford and use them a lot.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[alaskancrabpuffs]

Best advice to be successful blacktail hunting is it's a year round deal. If your not hunting, your scouting. Use onx, find clear cuts that are behind locked gates that require hiking and effort to get to. In the spring and summer, you need to be looking for deer. Find good areas that hold good deer numbers and focus on those areas during season. Drive the roads you can all year long covering ground, seeing what clear cuts are huntable, what have food sources, which cuts are getting too grown up to hunt effectively. Find the new fresh cuts to keep tabs on future hunting season and then make sure you have the best binos you can afford and use them a lot.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

One of my issues I think that I have been having is hunting on State Forest Land where there are lots of hunters active, I have put up cameras and I have seen young bucks around but I think that it is alot for me about location. I am gonna be scouting out more places this winter and spring and this time do it behind gates.

 

[Twitch]

Lots of cameras.
Find spots several miles behind gates and inaccessible to quads.
Use more cameras.
Focus on last week of season.
Find areas with good doe #'s
Try to get in the woods as much as possible that last week of the season.
Did I mention get lots of cameras out?

 

[fisherman983]

One of my issues I think that I have been having is hunting on State Forest Land where there are lots of hunters active, I have put up cameras and I have seen young bucks around but I think that it is alot for me about location. I am gonna be scouting out more places this winter and spring and this time do it behind gates.

I don't hunt state land or big timber. It's a lot of work and more of an archery hunters type of country and not conducive to long range hunting which is my style. Glass them and shoot them.
You will definitely see lots of people out and about. Nothing wrong with that just spend the off season finding deer, and get there first every time during season. I focus primarily on private timber grounds that give public access , either free or with permits.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[landis07]

Like twitch says ! Lots of cameras on the small trails just to the side of the main trail ( highways) that’s where the bucks will walk
And the best time all year to scout for mature blacktails is the MONTH after the season closes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Oregon]

Honestly if @roosiebull responds listen to him.
I'm kinda lazy and have my own routine. I hunt does in October. Find groups of them.
Then hunt rutting bucks hunting same does in Nov.

 

[Oregon]

Like twitch says ! Lots of cameras on the small trails just to the side of the main trail ( highways) that’s where the bucks will walk
And the best time all year to scout for mature blacktails is the MONTH after the season closes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Back when I was young, spry and mad at them, I'd hunt my bucks in June. I'd go before and after work to find them. Those velvet bucks loved being in the open. I'd find so many(granted, this was late 80's early 90's when you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a forked horn)
Those bucks were visible hours after sunrise in the cuts. I had an 11 year stretch where I was successful on good bucks.
Then I quit being mad at them. My success dropped off.
Bottom line. Stay mad at them.

 

[landis07]

That’s good stuff and yes find them in the velvet out in the open before they’re hard horned and back in the thick , but I guess I’m hunting above 4,000 ft elevation and those bucks move after hard horned


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JasonWi]

I’m speaking from my experience on cascade foothill bucks (sub 2k feet elevation), but this is what I’ve done for the last 7-8 years and have shot bucks 4/5 years.

Once season is over and the trails are still muddy from rutting activity I will hike with a pack and multiple cameras and my OnX app and mark all potential trails and “hubs/benches”. Once a spot is found I’ll run multiple cameras in the same timber patch(basically saturating it) for approximately one month and then eliminate trails that aren’t as active as others…pull the additional cameras that aren’t getting the activity and relocate them to a new timber patch and repeat.

I NEVER hunt large old growth as I think they mainly travel through it and not bed in it (again speaking for my area only). I almost exclusively hunt behind locked gates that remain locked all year, and my preference is a minimum 1-1.5 miles back for stand sites.

I only treestand hunt them anymore. Zero rattling, zero calls. Find known travel areas and simply wait until a buck comes searching for does. My best locations are prime example of doing the research. Bucks are only there during the rut from November 9th ish- 25th ish and then you won’t catch another of the large bucks on camera for an entire year! They simply vanish to wherever they go? Which I’m still trying to figure out?

Hopefully this gives you some ideas, as everyone who is successful on them approaches it differently but still have success with our preferred methods

 

[MarlinMark]

Great tips in here. Thanks.

 

[duckhuntr]

I’m speaking from my experience on cascade foothill bucks (sub 2k feet elevation), but this is what I’ve done for the last 7-8 years and have shot bucks 4/5 years.

Once season is over and the trails are still muddy from rutting activity I will hike with a pack and multiple cameras and my OnX app and mark all potential trails and “hubs/benches”. Once a spot is found I’ll run multiple cameras in the same timber patch(basically saturating it) for approximately one month and then eliminate trails that aren’t as active as others…pull the additional cameras that aren’t getting the activity and relocate them to a new timber patch and repeat.

I NEVER hunt large old growth as I think they mainly travel through it and not bed in it (again speaking for my area only). I almost exclusively hunt behind locked gates that remain locked all year, and my preference is a minimum 1-1.5 miles back for stand sites.

I only treestand hunt them anymore. Zero rattling, zero calls. Find known travel areas and simply wait until a buck comes searching for does. My best locations are prime example of doing the research. Bucks are only there during the rut from November 9th ish- 25th ish and then you won’t catch another of the large bucks on camera for an entire year! They simply vanish to wherever they go? Which I’m still trying to figure out?

Hopefully this gives you some ideas, as everyone who is successful on them approaches it differently but still have success with our preferred methods

You mentioned it, you only tree stand hunt them "anymore", but are you able to spot/stalk blacktail in these clear cuts? Or better stick to a tree stand/ground blind? Forgive my ignorance just moved out west few years ago and haven't tried the blacktail yet.

 

[MCS]

I have always archery hunted blacktails. If I hunt the timber grounds I'd find them in may through the end of june glassing the cuts knowing that they will only move a small distance into cover. Then I would set up a tree stand close by in the areas they would hide in. Mostly thick or big timber. If I can't find multiple mature bucks in the area I move on. I have killed my biggest bucks in big timber. The deer really hit big timber after wind storms and when the mushrooms are there. Wind storms drop moss out of the trees.

 

[duckhuntr]

I have always archery hunted blacktails. If I hunt the timber grounds I'd find them in may through the end of june glassing the cuts knowing that they will only move a small distance into cover. Then I would set up a tree stand close by in the areas they would hide in. Mostly thick or big timber. If I can't find multiple mature bucks in the area I move on. I have killed my biggest bucks in big timber. The deer really hit big timber after wind storms and when the mushrooms are there. Wind storms drop moss out of the trees.

Good tips... and I should have clarified as well, I'm only planning to archery hunt them and living 5 hours from the coast won't be able to put in a ton of scouting time outside my summer family trips over there. My hunting time could be limited to 2 weekends a season, so why I was curious if you could make a move on them easily or that's probably a waste of time. I'm not looking for big bucks, I'll be happy just to get out and be in the mix of some deer.

 

[JasonWi]

Good tips... and I should have clarified as well, I'm only planning to archery hunt them and living 5 hours from the coast won't be able to put in a ton of scouting time outside my summer family trips over there. My hunting time could be limited to 2 weekends a season, so why I was curious if you could make a move on them easily or that's probably a waste of time. I'm not looking for big bucks, I'll be happy just to get out and be in the mix of some deer.

Personally being that far away and not having the ability to devote lots of time to scouting I would suggest spending those weekends learning your local hunting grounds instead.

Yes you could kill bucks in your timeframe, but it’s a very steep learning curve and might take multiple seasons

 

[duckhuntr]

Personally being that far away and not having the ability to devote lots of time to scouting I would suggest spending those weekends learning your local hunting grounds instead.

Yes you could kill bucks in your timeframe, but it’s a very steep learning curve and might take multiple seasons

Appreciate the concern, but that could be said for just about any hunting road trip, anywhere. I'm just looking to experience hunting over there and possibly check off a blacktail with a bow. If I don't get anything ohh well.

So I'm still curious, does anyone spot and stalk blacktail like muley/bear or am I wasting my time?

 

[repins05]

Appreciate the concern, but that could be said for just about any hunting road trip, anywhere. I'm just looking to experience hunting over there and possibly check off a blacktail with a bow. If I don't get anything ohh well.

So I'm still curious, does anyone spot and stalk blacktail like muley/bear or am I wasting my time?

Wasting your time if you are hunting the nw corner. I have hunted oregon black tail my whole life. They don’t stick around long enough to spot and stalk. Exception could be a spike or young forky. If the rut is in play might get lucky.

 

[fisherman983]

Appreciate the concern, but that could be said for just about any hunting road trip, anywhere. I'm just looking to experience hunting over there and possibly check off a blacktail with a bow. If I don't get anything ohh well.

So I'm still curious, does anyone spot and stalk blacktail like muley/bear or am I wasting my time?

If you want to check it off your bucket list, use a rifle. Being successful on blacktails us tough, tougher with a bow.

You can spot and stalk them, it's just not easy.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[repins05]

If you want to check it off your bucket list, use a rifle. Being successful on blacktails us tough, tougher with a bow.

You can spot and stalk them, it's just not easy.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

It’s been warm/hot over here on the coast during Archery for quite a few years. Deer move into timber shortly after light. Come back out just before dark. and I am talking doe‘s….bucks are nocturnal. Tree stand in the timber and cameras is a good strategy for archery.