Treestand blacktails

[norcal7.3]

Anyone out there hunt blacktails out of a treestand? It's the only way I've been able to be successful the last few season. That being said I was wondering how it compared to hunting whitetails? I've been thinking about heading east soon and was hoping some of the same tactics would apply. Tell me about your experiences.

 

[rooster440]

Anyone out there hunt blacktails out of a treestand? It's the only way I've been able to be successful the last few season. That being said I was wondering how it compared to hunting whitetails? I've been thinking about heading east soon and was hoping some of the same tactics would apply. Tell me about your experiences.

I never hunted blacktail from tree stands but when I was a kid I climbed a tree and sat on a limb and shot a nice forkie. I hunt whitetail from stands and quietly walking woods here now. I hate sitting!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Scooter37]

I have some friends who hunt private property in the foothills who do good with a tree stand during bow season. I think the deer they are after have a lot less pressure than most. That being said I can never muster the patience for it on public land. At least in my head there are so many things that could disrupt their pattern s as soon as I sit down I’m ready to move. I also am horrible at sitting still bait fishing

 

[MadDawg]

I have never hunted blacktails, but I do live and breathe whitetails. I would assume they are very much the same, find a travel route, get downwind, go up. I think if you are successfully harvesting deer out of a tree stand there, you should be able to harvest a deer out of a stand here.

 

[norcal7.3]

I have never hunted blacktails, but I do live and breathe whitetails. I would assume they are very much the same, find a travel route, get downwind, go up. I think if you are successfully harvesting deer out of a tree stand there, you should be able to harvest a deer out of a stand here.

Thanks for the info. I was kind of thinking the same thing. I hate sitting all day in the stand, but I know its about the only way to consistently be successful.

 

[Sundance]

Yes, and it works well to get above the ground cover of the PNW if you have shooting lanes. In October I will use fixed stands and climbers, I usually hang scent rags over trails and set my stand there if it's a staging area or a rut zone. Once the rut gets going (November) I like to stay on the ground and be mobile. I like to use a treestand with a scent rag on a silhouette doe decoy, then I make a figure "8" scent drag, 100 yards to the left/right of the stand (the loops) and the convergence point being 20-30 yards out in front of my stand.

***EDIT***
These experiences are in coastal WA hunting in thick timber or near timber company lands. Generally these areas have been scouted for several years with cameras or are in proximity to rub lines. For example my best stand is on an alder ridge with 200+ rubs in an area the size of a football field. These rubs span a 5 year period and I've tracked bucks (on camera) in there for multiple years.

 

[willfrye027]

I would want some solid game cam intel before I could sit in a tree in California. Deer density is so low compared to back east, there’s a good chance you could sit days in a good spot but see no black tails. On the other hand if you were able to get a decent pattern on some early season deer it might be the ticket, especially in a thicker spot not conducive to glassing.

 

[Coastiehunter2]

I love hunting blacktail from tree stand but I am a master baiter Get the doe's in and the bucks follow. There not as sketched out as whitetail and rarely look up, it's a lot of fun watching them 15 yards away!

 

[ruttedup]

A hidden and well used spring has been the death of many mature blacktail early in the season from a tree stand. Just have to hunt it on the right conditions and don't pressure it too much. I wouldn't hang a camera in one, just checking it is pressure I wouldn't want. Hunting them like this early in the season when more predictable is like hunting mature whitetail.

 

[Pacificfork]

I have killed Blacktails from a tree stand. Make sure you are strapped in. Long boring days make for dozing off!

 

[Cascadewanderer]

Yes, and it works well to get above the ground cover of the PNW if you have shooting lanes. In October I will use fixed stands and climbers, I usually hang scent rags over trails and set my stand there if it's a staging area or a rut zone. Once the rut gets going (November) I like to stay on the ground and be mobile. I like to use a treestand with a scent rag on a silhouette doe decoy, then I make a figure "8" scent drag, 100 yards to the left/right of the stand (the loops) and the convergence point being 20-30 yards out in front of my stand.

***EDIT***
These experiences are in coastal WA hunting in thick timber or near timber company lands. Generally these areas have been scouted for several years with cameras or are in proximity to rub lines. For example my best stand is on an alder ridge with 200+ rubs in an area the size of a football field. These rubs span a 5 year period and I've tracked bucks (on camera) in there for multiple years.

Excellent advice. Thank you for sharing. I've been scouting timberland company land for four years and the first couple of years I think I pressured them too much. Now they seem to go nocturnal. I bought a climber and will be trying it out this year on known rub trails verified with cameras.

 

[FLAK]

Effective but boring. I cant do it all the time, every day.
Have to mix it up. And about 4-5 hrs is my max sit.
(For Whiteys)

 

[Sundance]

Take this next advice as you will. I have killed about equal amounts blacktail bucks on the ground being mobile as I have in a treestand or a brush blind. All of my B&C and most of my P&Y bucks have been killed while sitting in a blind or treestand. Only one P&Y buck I took while being mobile and spot/stalk hunting. I have found that to consistently harvest mature blacktails (with a bow) I have to be stationary in an ambush or calling/using scent. The areas I hunt are took thick IMO to effectively hunt mature bucks with spot and stalk.

 

[MeatBuck]

Take this next advice as you will. I have killed about equal amounts blacktail bucks on the ground being mobile as I have in a treestand or a brush blind. All of my B&C and most of my P&Y bucks have been killed while sitting in a blind or treestand. Only one P&Y buck I took while being mobile and spot/stalk hunting. I have found that to consistently harvest mature blacktails (with a bow) I have to be stationary in an ambush or calling/using scent. The areas I hunt are took thick IMO to effectively hunt mature bucks with spot and stalk.

What state? Public or private? How many b&c and p&y entries do you have?

 

[Sundance]

Washington State, public lands and private timber company lands (with public access). To date I have (2) B&C bucks taken with archery, (5) P&Y with archery. All have been scored but none are entered in the books, just a personal preference.

 

[MeatBuck]

Washington State, public lands and private timber company lands (with public access). To date I have (2) B&C bucks taken with archery, (5) P&Y with archery. All have been scored but none are entered in the books, just a personal preference.

Much different than here in California

 

[Sundance]

I believe it. Years ago I scouted the Cloverdale and Geyserville area (CA) when my wife had family living there. Night and day difference from what I’m used to, reminded me of mule deer country in south-central WA. I had to completely change my strategy when I started hunting Alaska, I’ve found ever time you change regions you need to come with a fresh set of eyes and be open to new strategies.

 

[Lschloss]

I shot a good blacktail buck last year from the ground but am going to try hunting from a stand this year. I hunt in Washington and have noticed lots of patterns in the deer I hunt and am planning on setting a stand at a heavily used trail intersection near where i shot my deer last season.

I used this tactic hunting whitetail in the midwest where I grew up and had a lot of success. Hopefully i will be equally successful with this tactic hunting blacktail.

 

[gerrits]

I recently located some nice blacktail for western washington on my trail cams. Might have to try out my patience in a tree stand this year. I've always still hunted blacktail and killed a buck almost every year, just never that big of one.

 

[calnorthco]

I’ve hunted CA out of a tree stand for 25 years. Recently been outta state. My experience has but either hunt out of ground blind (spider box) over bait in the south or miles of hiking in the rockys. I prefer the hike but the south puts meat in the freezer!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk