Scouting for Blacktail

[Tleek]

Hey guys,
I will be hunting big game for the first time this season and am planning a backpacking/scouting trip up in the Marbles or Trinity Alps next week. CA B Zones.
Any advice on what I should look for, blacktail behavior, migration patterns etc? Looking at a map, and satellite imagery, how can I tell where the deer will likely be hanging out?

I will also probably pick up a bear tag, anything special I should be looking for their. Thank you..

Ive heard the deer won't be in the same area come september, but I'm hoping a couple of scouting trips will at least get me somewhat familiar the area and with what I am looking for.

Thanks!

 

[ReddingArcher]

Me personally I like to hunt the burn, if you find deer in the burns now odds are there will still be bucks in there come September during the rifle hunts. I also like to stay away from the lakes in the marbles and the Trinity’s just cause all the traffic those areas see from non hunters. For a while I’d look at areas and think that just because it looks pretty and green that there would be deer there, now I try to find the ugliest place I possibly can where no backpacker wants to spend time in and that’s where I find the majority of my deer. Right now the bucks are easy to find cause they are out in the open all day but when September rolls around and they’ve gone hard horned those bucks can be tough to find. They’ll hole up in the thick brush and won’t move a lot during the day.
Bears seem to be everywhere and it’s worth getting the tag for, just make sure you can get the meat out quick cause it seems to spoil faster than deer meat. Are you going solo or do you have a hunting partner?

 

[RosinBag]

I think scouting next week is early, but the deer will be close to where they end up for September. Just know what you see now will be greatly diminished once their antlers are hard horned and people are chasing them.

 

[Tleek]

I am not sure. I plan on doing some solo hunts, but may stick to other Nat. Forest areas for those. I am hoping I will have a friend or my wife to tag along and help me find animals and hopefully pack something out, but I may need to go alone. I don't have guaranteed a hunting partner.

I know September days can get warm. How quickly do you need to get meat out before it starts to spoil? This has been one of my biggest concerns about going solo.

 

[Tleek]

I think scouting next week is early, but the deer will be close to where they end up for September. Just know what you see now will be greatly diminished once their antlers are hard horned and people are chasing them.

Thanks, Its good to know its worth looking. My wife and I plan on doing some backpacking trips this summer so I am taking the opportunity to do a little scouting.

I really appreciate the replies guys.

 

[RosinBag]

As warm as September can be, it can also be freezing. I have seen snow opening morning in the Trinity’s. You have to be prepared for everything.

The meat I have had hang for a four or five days and haven’t lost any to weather. I have lost some to bears, but nothing else.

 

[SoCalHunter]

I think scouting next week is early, but the deer will be close to where they end up for September. Just know what you see now will be greatly diminished once their antlers are hard horned and people are chasing them.

Are the B's Blacktails typically hardened-off by archery opener? I have heard opposite answers on that subject. Perhaps it's water/food quality related year-to-year.

 

[RosinBag]

Rarely, I have seen and killed velvet bucks in September during the rifle opener. I don’t recall ever seeing a hard horned buck in August. I don’t spend a lot of time glassing the super small ones, but I could see them being without their velvet. Once they lose their velvet them become a 1000% harder to kill until the rut comes in November.

 

[amassi]

You'll see bucks in full velvet, peeling velvet and hard horns all in the same drainage. In 2013 we killed 2 rutting bucks in velvet on the last day of the season.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[SoCalHunter]

Rarely, I have seen and killed velvet bucks in September during the rifle opener. I don’t recall ever seeing a hard horned buck in August. I don’t spend a lot of time glassing the super small ones, but I could see them being without their velvet. Once they lose their velvet them become a 1000% harder to kill until the rut comes in November.

Every bowhunter hopes for tender but fully developed velvet antlers in August.

Thanks kindly

 

[RosinBag]

I also don’t think the big bucks are fully developed in August for the opener. I have killed several and none of them seem to be tipped out and getting close to rubbing.

 

[SoCalHunter]

You'll see bucks in full velvet, peeling velvet and hard horns all in the same drainage. In 2013 we killed 2 rutting bucks in velvet on the last day of the season.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

I am pretty excited. I have the sandbag and ruck training going full speed these next 7 weeks.

 

[SoCalHunter]

I also don’t think the big bucks are fully developed in August for the opener. I have killed several and none of them seem to be tipped out and getting close to rubbing.

Well, All that REALLY matters is being in the backcountry with my son for his first archery deer hunt.

 

[Tleek]

I am pretty excited. I have the sandbag and ruck training going full speed these next 7 weeks.

Nice
I need to pick the training up a bit. Lots of hiking but none with a heavy pack.

How much weight are you typically packing?

 

[SoCalHunter]

Nice
I need to pick the training up a bit. Lots of hiking but none with a heavy pack.

How much weight are you typically packing?

This week I kicked the sandbag hikes to 53# and 3.5 miles of up/down/up/down. Then I do a little heavier in the pack every other time. We will go on a 7 day hunt so my trail-head weight will be about #50 for each of us. At this point I am going 2x a week for sandbag/ruck and then 3 other days where I work upper body exclusively or do 400m and 800m sprints for 1.5 to 2 miles with rests equal to the time for the sprint. 2 rest days.

As I get closer I will reduce the sprints and kick up the sandbag and rucks to 3 days a week and 5 mile shots. Start slow with the weight and it will build fast.

I love to train.

 

[lif]

Good for you bud!! You’ll enjoy that high country more with strong legs and big lungs.

 

[ReddingArcher]

Most bucks I have found during archery season are still in velvet, the occasional hard horned buck. It seems like the middle of archery season the bucks I am seeing will start rubbing velvet. Like RosinBag said, you need to be prepared for anything. I also saw snow opening weekend of rifle season in the Marble Mountains one year, freak storm with no forecast for rain or snow. Most of the time though its hot. I'd say if you have the meat hanging in the shade you'll be ok for a couple of days without meat spoiling, I'd still try and get it out as soon as you can thought.

 

[SoCalHunter]

Most bucks I have found during archery season are still in velvet, the occasional hard horned buck. It seems like the middle of archery season the bucks I am seeing will start rubbing velvet. Like RosinBag said, you need to be prepared for anything. I also saw snow opening weekend of rifle season in the Marble Mountains one year, freak storm with no forecast for rain or snow. Most of the time though its hot. I'd say if you have the meat hanging in the shade you'll be ok for a couple of days without meat spoiling, I'd still try and get it out as soon as you can thought.

Thanks, Redding Archer. I am hoping to get into some spot and stalk with my son so that should help us glass a bit easier.

 

[Tleek]

Came back from a pretty unsuccessful trip to the Trinity’s. My fault for poor planning. My wife and I car camped one night and planned to hike up and scout from one of the trails on coffee creek road. I shouldn’t have brought my dog. It was too hot and steep for him and we eventually had to turn back.

I am going to start planning another trip, but after doing some more research I might check out the Marbles or the Russian. Seems like coffee creek area is pretty busy.

I’m going to start planning a trip that will hopefully let me get some real scouting inl. The pup is gonna have to stay behind.

 

[RosinBag]

Coffee Creek is always busy even during hunting season there are campers in the area. Russian is much smaller wilderness, but it generally has no campers as there are not really any destination lakes to go to.