When you stop, which should be often, do so in places where the surrounding vegetation works to mask your outline. While a few blessed big game hunters have reported being able to snag a blacktail buck in the open during the early morning period, but these bucks are usually not fully matured. One of the greatest advantages to this strategy is that you’re likely to get closer and longer looks at a species of deer that seems almost magical in its ability to escape our attention. You have come to the right place. To hunt the elusive blacktail deer buck is typically a battle of wits, with the buck often coming out the reigning champion. This helps explain why the calls are so much more effective on Sitka blacktails than Columbia blacktails. They are there, within the blink of an eye they have vanished, never to show their whereabouts again. Because blacktail deer are masters at hiding, keep in mind that you’re not just looking for deer that are 100 yards away; you’re also looking for deer that might be watching you pass by from a distance of 20 yards. Your gun also needs to be able to function correctly, even if it gets wet. Book a bow or rifle hunt with us for an exciting and rewarding experience. Jones as quoted in "One Man, One Rifle, One Land" Blacktail Deer Hunting. The most important thing is to obey the wind. The transition zone between the two varieties occurs in British Columbia, with Columbia blacktails to the south and Sitka blacktails to the north. These altitudes can be reached in a matter of hours by physically fit hunters starting out at sea-level. Don’t necessarily worry about placing your stand where you can see the maximum amount of surrounding country. In Alaska, it’s particularly effective for late-August and September hunts, when blacktail deer tend to congregate and feed in the sub-alpine and alpine zones above 2,000 feet. Blacktails crave tangles of grown-over hemlock and cedar and foggy ridges of old-growth fir. If you locate a region with primary rub and scrape lines, you’re very close to your target. Within a half mile we saw blacktails filtering away as we moved too eagerly across frosty ground. Minimum of 2 people. And their rutting starts end of October-beginning of November. Scientific Name Here are several key features you’ll want to keep an eye out for hidden in the brush and timber when hunting for a blacktail buck. Such simple features might be all that it takes to concentrate deer traffic in a predictable way. Physical Characteristics Paul, Megan and I set forth, irrepressible to experience this mysterious place. Glass beneath every tree, and into every little nook and cranny where you can see through the overhead canopy. Our website contains affiliate links, which means we may receive compensation if you purchase from websites we link to. The Silver Salmon fishing in July is outstanding. Obey the Wind Such natural funnels might include primary ridgelines that divide drainages, finger ridges that branch off from primary ridges and drop down into canyons or valleys, and even passages between rock outcroppings or along the bases of cliff faces. This vessel based hunt on the extreme southern end of the island puts you in the most productive hunting grounds in the state. Spot and stalk hunting for blacktail deer might sound like an impossible dream for hunters living in western Washington and Oregon, where thick timber, underbrush, and overgrown clearcuts rule out the possibility of seeing animals at any appreciable distance. Their gestation period is 180 to 200 days. Your best bet in such circumstances is to watch for fresh tracks and trails as you enter the alpine. Besides tracks and scat, look for narrow trails as well as rubs and beds. Hunters often refer to the deer as ghosts of the forest, and for good reason. Face — A blacktail’s face is dark and short, with smaller ears when compared with a mule deer. Blacktail Deer and Elk Hunting on Private Land of Cottrell Ranch. In other portions of the animal’s range, particularly in northern California and coastal Alaska, spot and stalk is one of the primary strategies used by successful blacktail hunters. To make this system work, you do have to stop often and sometimes for lengthy periods of time to study your surroundings. Glassing Typically, fawn bleat calls are employed by hunters using still-hunting strategies. Alaska has some outstanding blacktail opportunities, including many areas where you can legally harvest more than one buck. While it might seem like an obvious tactic to hunt for Sitka blacktail deer, looking for does works like a charm. They are also closely related to the white-tailed deer, well-known throughout the eastern and Midwestern U.S. Habitat: Blacktail deer are particularly common on the edges of forests where there is adequate shelter and ample meadowland. A cautious, alert hunter will sometimes hear a deer before the deer hears him. It is my understanding that WA state has Columbia blacktail, not Sitka blacktail. Allowed 3 Deer per Year Success rate for a decent buck is approximately 95% Sitka Blacktail Deer hunting on Kodiak Island is one of the best hunts Alaska has to offer. Trey is a lifelong hunter and avid camper. With the details you can gather from your trail camera, you’ll be able to monitor the blacktail buck’s behavioral patterns, which heightens the likelihood that you’ll be able to catch one. When faced with even the slightest hunting pressure, blacktail deer simply vanish into the thick coniferous rainforests of their coastal habitats. A black-tailed deer hunt starts with about $3,000, and may go up to $8,000 for boat-based hunt in Alaska. The first couple hours of the day and the last couple hours are the best. A majestic hunt in the islands of Southeast Alaska hosting the highest density of Sitka Black Tail Deer in the world! Hunt into the wind, or perpendicular to it. The harvest limit is 4 bucks per person, one buck per tag. It’s better to have a clear view of a well-used trail, with multiple possible shooting lanes, than a view of a bunch of areas that lie outside of your comfortable shooting range. The big, chocolate-colored boar was exactly the type of bear I’d dreamed of for years. Excellent and mild, one of the best big game species. Blacktail deer rut in November and early December. Glass hill sides and throughways is great way to spend a November afternoon. Black-tailed deer make phantoms seem positively obvious. To glimpse one of these bucks at close range as he navigates his dark world of ferns, moss, and giant timber is a privilege you will want to remember. Remember, blacktail deer tend to be homebodies. Famed hunter and explorer Daniel Boone once killed 155 black bears in a single year. A.K.A. Choices like lever rifles, open-sight pump guns, and short-barreled bolt guns are some of the most popular options among seasoned Sitka blacktail hunting enthusiasts. If the latter happens, don’t rush it. Does drop their fawns, typically one or two, in May or June. Blacktail Deer Hunting Tips & Tactics. Blacktails tend to be loyal to their trail systems; unless they’re spooked, they will generally stick to the easy traveling. In good country, you should seldom find yourself taking more than ten steps without raising your binoculars to study the surrounding areas. When passing through areas where noise is unavoidable, do so quickly and then hunker down to wait and watch before you begin moving again. Whenever you check your trail camera for shots, consider wearing latex gloves and rubber hunting boots so your scent won’t remain on the camera and alert the Sitka blacktail deer. Participation in these programs helps us keep the site up, and to continue to help you find great products. In pre-rut, the bucks are always checking their scrapes for scent, searching for potential does going into estrus. Another helpful tactic when blacktail deer hunting is to look for rubs and scrapes. But blacktail deer are not without vulnerability. Kodiak Island has 3 color phases of red fox (Red, Cross and Black, also referred to as Silver). Fawn bleats can be very effective for calling blacktail deer, particularly Sitka blacktails. Sitka Black-tail Deer hunts start the 1st of October on Kodiak Island. These under estimated deer are a enjoyable and challenging hunt. If you want to snag a mature Sitka deer, you’ll want to situate your trail camera on a game trail in high-pressure areas with plenty of rub lines and scrapes. Antlers — A Sitka blacktail has shorter antlers that are noticeably smaller and denser than those of a mule deer. The camera should be positioned to waist height on the tree so it won’t be triggered if smaller game walks by. The island has a very healthy population of deer. At greater distances from bedding areas, the trails often branch out and grow diffuse. The most productive times are those when deer are naturally on the move, as the animals will be close to their trails and they’ll be expecting to see and hear movements from other animals as well. The average October live weight of adult Sitka black-tails is about 80 lbs (36 kg) for does and 120 lbs (54.5 kg) for bucks, although 200-lb bucks have been taken. A Guide to Hunting Blacktail Deer Steven Rinella Sep 12, 2018 Blacktail deer have a presence of that only rivaled by a ghost. SITKA BLACK TAIL DEER HUNT PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND. Blacktails are best ambushed from tree stands. We have access to roughly 60,000 acres of private land in San Luis Obispo and Monterey County as well as 150,000 continuous acres near the Bay Area out of Hollister, CA. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A large part of the price of such hunts is the travel to these remote destinations; one way to save is to book a combination hunt or go with a few friends. The elusive Columbia Blacktail Deer of Southern Oregon.This area has long time been known as today's "hot spot" for hunting world class blacktail deer.Douglas County is one of the county's in the area producing the biggest bucks of all. Both are considered to be mule deer subspecies, though blacktail deer are genetically much older than mule deer. Direct your travel so that you pass through likely feeding areas such as forest openings, small meadows, and, in the north, muskegs. Once you arrive at that point, make sure that you can see the general area where the deer was hanging out, and verify that it’s within reasonable shooting distance. Having been fortunate to hunt around the world for a living, I’m convinced that consistently putting a tag on a mature black-tailed buck is one of the most challenging hunts there is. black-tailed deer habitat in the world."-Dr. Suitable for all red meat applications. In areas where glassing long distances is out of the question due to thick vegetation, still hunting for blacktail deer is often the most productive strategy. Fox Hunting . Related to mule deer, Sitka black-tailed deer are smaller and stockier than the Columbian black-tailed deer found in the Pacific Northwest. As it is with most animal calls, blacktail fawn bleats work best on deer that have not yet heard artificially produced calls. Swap out your heavy hiking boots for softer-soled trail runners or stalking slippers to increase your level of stealth. There are many reasons to consider coming to Alaska to hunt Sitka Blacktail Deer. Don’t be afraid to pause for ten, fifteen minutes when you reach an area that seems like prime feeding habitat. With time, patience, the right weapon, and a targeted strategy, you can use the vulnerable rut period to your advantage and could very well set your own personal record by snagging a trophy blacktail buck. Unlike mule deer, which are prone to long seasonal migrations, blacktail deer make only relatively minor shifts in elevation to avoid heavy accumulations of snow. 10/23/2015. Many hunters focus almost exclusively on still-hunting along gated or otherwise inactive logging roads that wind their way through networks of early succession clearcuts that provide an abundance of young browse plants that are favored by blacktails. Steve has over 20 record class black tail bucks by both bow and rifle. Edibility The habitat consists of rolling oak woodlands that surround fertile valleys. Mature bucks make rub lines by rubbing their antlers on low hanging branches and small trees. Breeding and Reproduction Sitka Black-tailed deer from the Kodiak Islands is a wonderful animal to pursue. Rather than charging directly toward a deer you’ve located, it’s smart to head to a secondary vantage point that lies downwind of the deer’s general location and within rifle range. Kodiak Island harbors some fantastic Sitka black tail deer hunting! Concentrate your glassing efforts on edge and fringe habitats, where multiple features such as feeding areas and bedding areas come together. The opportunity to collect a trophy Sitka black-tailed deer makes for a great hunting experience. Telltale Sign 11/01/2016. You’ll either see the deer and make your shot, or you won’t see the deer and you’ll hunker in for the waiting game. The Sitka Black-tailed deer is a smaller specimen next to all of its cousins. But the same principles still apply. You will stay nights aboard our luxurious 70 foot yacht, and during the day we will use multiple methods to hunt. Thank you for this article, very helpful and well written, good luck in your hunts. When rut happens, it is the hunter who has a distinct advantage over the Sitka deer. For most hunters, pursuing the blacktail deer can feel like searching for the Holy Grail. Look carefully and listen carefully. Your email address will not be published. The rack on a Sitka blacktail tends to be a dark brownish or chocolate color. A blacktail deer’s greatest defense strategy is its own home. Because blacktail deer travel relatively short distances between their bedding and feeding areas, ideal ambush sites are quite close to bedding areas – sometimes just a hundred or so yards away. By doing so, they stake their claim on certain territory letting other bucks and potential mates aware of their existence. Ideally you’ll be looking down into areas of mixed timber and alpine muskeg and also up toward surrounding peaks and slopes with brushy avalanche slides and grassy basins. Like everything else on Kodiak Island, they are much larger than most people see anywhere else. And keep your upper body movements to a minimum. They are there, within the blink of an eye they have vanished, never to show their whereabouts again. He lives outside Denver, CO with his wife Kaci and their lab mix Ziggy. Required fields are marked *. When wind conditions are unfavorable, either blowing the wrong direction or swirling unpredictably, either move your stand or go hunt in an altogether different location. The ideal time to catch a mature Sitka deer is during the final 20 minutes to half hour of daylight as the deer migrates from his bedding region to get food or water. Maximum 4 people. And if you’re skillful and lucky enough to kill him, you’ll be thankful to have a freezer full of steaks and roasts to serve as vivid reminders. If you have never seen or had a shot at a trophy blacktail deer, black bear or elk, come and learn proven techniques that you can use over and over again for a lifetime of successful hunting. Hunting for blacktail isn’t so much about covering a lot of ground as it is setting up your hunting blind at a certain place at the correct point in time. Our numerous private ranches totaling over 10,000 acres are located in the heart of this big buck country. (photo by Mike Burchett) Black Tailed Deer are beautiful creatures, lean and strong yet incredibly evasive. You need to make sure you select a gun that won’t get caught in thick brush and that you can aim and fire swiftly if you happen upon your target. Hunters will be Hunting the mountainous terrain of Kodiak Island, Hiking into bowls glassing for deer and finding points of interest over the week long hunt. Habitat Hunts are taken in November, during the peak of the rut, or December, post-rut. Bar Room Banter They frequent “edge” habitats where stands of heavy timber meet meadows, clearings, shorelines, clearcuts, and brushy slopes. In our opinion J3 is the best blacktail hunt in the state for a junior, it is not easy but it is spectacular; J4 - Shasta-Trinity Apprentice Buck Hunt. In other words, think long term instead of short term. For one thing, Columbia blacktail deer achieve larger sizes than Sitka blacktail deer; a big Columbia blacktail buck can weigh well over 150 pounds, while a Sitka blacktail buck will seldom achieve this stature. And remember, you’re not necessarily looking for a whole deer. Metatarsal Glands — The Sitka blacktail has minute glands on the inner side of both rear legs which are much smaller than a mule deer’s. Because of low hunter success rates and relatively limited hunter interest (due in large part to the thick, wet environments frequented by blacktail deer) tags are fairly easy to acquire in those states that have blacktails. There are noticeable physical differences between Columbia blacktail deer and Sitka blacktail deer. The beds are about 2’ wide and 3’ long, sometimes consisting of little more than an area of matted ferns and mosses on finger ridges or just below the crests of primary ridges. For some avid deer hunters it is an opportunity to take a different species of deer. While, in which sunlight can no longer penetrate to the forest floor, understory growth is greatly inhibited. Not only does an old growth canopy trap snow that would otherwise bury winter feed, it also lets through enough sunlight to enable the growth of a mixed and vibrant understory of edible plants. The antlers of Columbia blacktail bucks are bifurcated, meaning the tines fork rather than grow singly off a main beam. In Southeast Alaska, where the calls work especially well, there are literally hundreds of mountains—and even entire islands—that commonly go years or even decades without being visited by a hunter. Blacktail Bob's Base Camps offers cabin rentals in four remote Alaska locations and one location in Arizona. They spend as much time as possible outdoors - hunting, fishing, and camping. A fine record book class black tail successfully stillhunted. A yearling black tail fawn in thick brush. So, the likelihood that you will find one or two bucks in pursuit of does in the pre-rut phase is pretty high. Rather, you’re more likely to see just a portion of a deer, an ear, an antler, a patch of hair, a leg. There’s almost certainly a correlation between malnourishment and predation, as starving animals are easier for predators to catch. If you intend to hunt pre-rut, you must look for a region with a high populace of does. ... Best black-tail deer hunting ranch. Blacktail deer are considered a subspecies of mule deer, which are common throughout much of the West. Hunting Opportunities When you’ve identified the whereabouts of a blacktail buck, hunting for him should be a quiet, touch-and-go pursuit; the word “delicate” does not overemphasize the point. That is correct Chaz. Sitka Black-tailed bucks come into rut and begin chasing doe’s late October, with the peak rut being mid-late November. However, due to their keen ability to elude even the most skilled hunters, be prepared for long days and every type of weather condition if you are serious about catching one of these pacific ghosts. The joy of deer hunting in Kodiak Island comes knowing that big buck is looking at you. Our editorial process is in no way impacted by partnerships. Sitka blacktails have a strong physical resemblance to whitetail deer, while Columbia blacktails have an appearance that seems more aligned with mule deer. Basically, a hunter will make a few calls from a likely position and then wait for a response. If things aren’t perfect, back out and try again another time. Rather than agricultural fields that are so familiar to hunters who target whitetail deer from tree stands in the East, blacktail hunters along the West Coast typically hunt near well-used deer trails in terrain that is often brushy or heavily timbered. Thanks to the reddish color of the deer’s hair at this time of year, the animals can be ridiculously easy to locate when feeding out in the open against a backdrop of knee-high, vibrant green vegetation. Located in beautiful Southwestern Oregon, we hunt areas located in the Cascade, Siskiyou and coastal mountains as well as the foothills surrounding the beautiful Rogue Valley. Columbia blacktail deer are my favorite big game animal to hunt in North America. It’s even better during periods of drizzle and heavy cloud cover, or in the wake of a heavy rain. When an animal is located, take the necessary time to identify a potential shooting positions where you can sneak into range without crowding the deer and alerting it. Spot and stalk situations in California are a bit different, as you’re not always hunting alpine zones. 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