Western Oregon/N cascades

[milksteak]

What's the best technique for hunting/scouting thick timber bucks in Western Oregon/N. Cascades. I live in the Santiam unit and have been scouting/hunting mostly in the Mt Hood National Forest. Most of the books I've read about deer hunting focus on white tail and I know that the behavior of whitetail and blacktail can be very different. So far my scouting technique has been to deploy into thick brush and look for game trails and droppings, set up my cams along the route and come back in a week or 2 and check the cams for action. What I'm wondering is 1) how do you identify feeding areas and bedding areas and 2) when planning my strategy for fall is it best to set up along a route and wait for deer to move by or do I want to set up closer to a feeding area/bedding area. I can find the trail pretty easy but when I do find an opening I can't tell if its a spot where they bed or where they feed or both. And finally, since the brush is so thick and visibility is so limited is Western Oregon more of still hunting type area or should I consider just working my way down game trails with an arrow nocked and doing sort of a blind spot and stalk technique, and do the techniques change much according to if I'm hunting early season in early September when they're still in velvet or if I'm hunting later season during the rut, or should I just pick a technique and area and work it until it yields results?

 

[Hectocotylus]

I’d recommend one of two blacktail books, there is one by Scott Haugen and another by Boyd Iverson. I don’t know much but those books were great


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[milksteak]

I’d recommend one of two blacktail books, there is one by Scott Haugen and another by Boyd Iverson. I don’t know much but those books were great


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I just ordered the Scott Haugen one yesterday, I'll look into the Boyd Iverson one, thanks!

 

[tttoadman]

Go back and check out the few gritty bowmen episodes where they blacktail hunted oregon. The biggest thing I learned was about noise. If you are moving, and it is silent around you, then you are pushing deer out ahead of you. I say cover some ground this summer and them setup in some high value ambush areas this fall.

 

[541hunter]

I have only been archery black tail for 2 years now so take my advice with a grain of salt. I personally only hunt black tail during the late season. September is dedicated to elk. The rut and weather really help with being able to spot and stalk. I hunt outside of the Roseburg area so snow is not something i typically can use. I target burned areas. I'll hunt the fringe areas between a really hot burn and a dirty burn. In my experience they will feed in the hot burn and frolic/bed in the dirty stuff. When in these areas I move very slowly and use my glass every few steps to look over everything. It will amaze you how how much you will pick up even within 50 yards. I do know some people that will set up on major trail intersections and just wait or will rattle and have had success.


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[buggy]

I haven't read Scott Haugen's book but I have read Boyd Iverson's book (Trophy Blacktail Tactics 2) several times. There is some awesome info in there. I only have enough time and patience to do about half of what he does and it has paid off tremendously.

 

[Michael Pawul]

Find the thickest most difficult terrain to hunt in that offers no possibility of moving silently or making a clear shot, and there will likely be blacktail buck close!

Scott Haugen's Trophy Blacktail: The Science of the Hunt. Good materials for tactics. Blacktails definitely require different tactics than most of what is written for white tails and mule deer; especially if you are hunting in Western Oregon/Washington.

 

[milksteak]

Thanks guys, great tips, I appreciate it!

 

[Hun10-freak]

Spot and stock when possible. Trail cams are your best friend in my opinion

 

[milksteak]

Find the thickest most difficult terrain to hunt in that offers no possibility of moving silently or making a clear shot, and there will likely be blacktail buck close!

Scott Haugen's Trophy Blacktail: The Science of the Hunt. Good materials for tactics. Blacktails definitely require different tactics than most of what is written for white tails and mule deer; especially if you are hunting in Western Oregon/Washington.

Scott Haugen's book was awesome, big help already. Used a bunch of his tips on my trail cam locations and found some really nice bucks already. Is it August yet?

 

[Burnt Reynolds]

This topic is relevant to me.

I have some additional questions regarding trail cams...
1) How many trail cams do you guys typically deploy in an area; 1, 2, 10?
2) Type of trail cam?

I killed a pile of blacktail when I was a teenager and in college and have barely given a crap about them the last 10 years or so. But recently my mood has changed due in no small part to some new country I've been scouting that looks really promising. I've never taken a trophy buck and that's my new goal. I'm in the Santiam unit too.