Black Tail Deer Hunting in Western Oregon

When pursuing what some have called the Pacific Ghost, there are strategies that run the gamut. Some take days of preparation and planning before execution. Others are as simple as "just drive out and see what's there." To help determine the best strategy, define your goal and how much time you want to spend.

You can find advice telling you to spend days (or weeks) researching your hunt, glassing hillsides and placing trail cameras. Fine, if you've got the time. And the inclination. Since I don't have either, I approach hunting as successful just by going hunting. Make the enjoyment of the hunt the first goal, a buck the second. Interestingly, enough, I have much better than average success at bagging a Blacktail deer.

Hunting success for Blacktail in the Pacific Northwest isn't high. Depending on where the hunt is and where the information is coming from, rates run lower than a person hunting Whitetails in Texas might be used to, for example. Still, while I haven't been successful every year, I am running around seventy percent in years that I have hunted. And I'm not a person able to invest much time in scouting or learning patterns for particular areas.

So how can a hunter who doesn't have days and days to spend, before and during the season, have a successful Blacktail hunt? Patience, timing, and a little luck. And knowing who to put yourself in a position to be lucky.

If you can, spend at least one day scouting the area you want to hunt, even if you are familiar with it. Blacktail habitat usually has three main components. Food, water, and security. Bucks like varied terrain. And don't make the mistake of going too high. Many hunters think they have to travel up to the high country for the big bucks. In my experience, the best Blacktail hunting is mid-elevation in varied cover.

Prior to my moving near Portland, I hunted the Cascade foothills of Southern Oregon. This year I went into the Trask unit of the Northern Coast Range. While the terrain was more brushy and steep, the same tactics proved successful, as I bagged a nice buck on my first day out. He was a big animal, with lots of good meat. A three point with eye-guards.

I had walked a spur road to the end, spent some time down in the 8-10 foot reprod fir below me, checked for sign, and was heading back out on the road. I heard an ever-so-slight "pop," like a small twig breaking. I picked up a rock and threw it down into the alder-filled creek bed below me. I did it again-nothing. On my third toss my rock hit a down log and made a loud noise. I saw a buck break for a ridge, about 150 yards away. He moved probably another 40 yards before I found another opening in the brush and got a shot, just before he cleared the ridge.

And that's my favorite method of hunting, the still-stalk. Walk slowly and quietly, stopping to look around, always searching for an ear-twitch, listening for anything. Blacktail will let you walk right by them, as this buck did me. So if you are hunting an area, hunt in - and hunt out. Don't walk a spur, say "nothing here," then head to your vehicle.

If you don't mind getting wet, do it in the rain. Bucks are more likely to move. I like a light mist with some fog, although a nice warm fall day can be so beautiful it can outweigh the benefit of rain merely on atmosphere. The forest in the fall (and winter) is a wonderful place to be just on it's own merits. Western Oregon boasts some spectacular scenery.

As you walk, remember - slow is better. Take a couple of steps - stop, look, and listen. Change your pace. Every once in awhile, when you think you might be in an area where it might be advantageous, kick a rock, or break a twig. Remember, though, it's a double-edged sword. The same move that might bring a buck near you to give up his cover might alert one too far away or in too deep of brush for you to see.

Of course you will find hunters who have had success road hunting, setting up stands, staking out trails and bedding areas or clear-cuts, or other methods. Myself, I recommend getting out on unused spur roads and areas you see around them that are interesting and still hunting. If nothing else, you will have a great walk in the woods. Blacktail hunting in Western Oregon is a treat, no matter the end result.