Summer time blacktail info wanted.

[nphunter]

I’m curious what black tails do in the summer? Do bucks go high like mule deer where it’s cooler, will they bed in more open country with velvet on? I’ll be hunting blacktail starting Aug 1st this year and have never hunted them before but have a lot of experience with mule deer.

The area had some big burns in some wilderness areas. Not exactly above tree line but effectively the same since the highest peaks in the area are burned. High Elevations around 6K and low around 1500-2000 feet.

As of now I’m planning on going high, the area has a ton of green vegetation so I’m not super worried about water.

I’m hoping to get on peaked and glass huge expansive burned off areas a couple miles in each direction. That is similar to how I hunt mule deer. I’ll probably try a trip in July to put up some cams over mineral since their horns will still be growing.

Any advise would be appreciated.

I’ll be hunting with a bow.

 

[Hoodie]

I bowhunted high country blacktails one time before the OR season dates shifted later. Now you don’t have near as much time before they shed velvet so I’ve moved to rifle hunting them during the general season.

In my limited experience they will stay out feeding way later in the morning, and come out earlier in the evenings, when they are in velvet; but I have yet to see one bedding in the open the way high country mule deer do. This is based on probably 25 morning/evening glassing sessions. I’ve always seen them heading for the timber before 9am. That may not hold true in larger burn areas but I find most of the deer, and especially the big bucks, will still want to be in close proximity to cover.

That first year I was planning to bed them up and stalk them from above. I wasted way too many days waiting on the buck in the photo below to bed in a stalkable spot. The only other bowhunter I’ve ever seen in that area told me you pretty much have to count on stalking them when they’re up feeding.

If I was going to do it again I’d plan on ambushing them. Mature blacktail bucks don’t make too many mistakes.

Best of luck on your hunt. They’re super tough, but addicting. I’m pretty much not interested in hunting anything else at this point.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

The coastal blacktails of Northern California do not. They move from bedding area to bedding area feeding and favoring shade. Sitting known travel corridors near water is a strategy that can work depending on the area and lion pressure.