Columbia blacktail deer are my favorite big game animal to hunt in North America. 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.
I grew up hunting blacktails, and have hunted them in WA, OR and CA, from the coast to the Cascades summit. I’ve learned a lot, and still have a lot to learn, which is one reason I love hunting these deer so much. Following are a series of videos and podcast links, sharing information I rely on when it comes to trying to outwit wily blacktails in the Pacific Northwest.
Please keep checking back, as I’ll add more videos and links. By the time it’s over, which it may never be, you’ll have a good feel for what my year-round quest is like when it comes to pursuing elusive Columbia blacktails. I’m out looking for blacktails every month of the year, and I’ll share what I’m doing, when, and why.
Here’s a video on a general rattling approach I like using in the pre- and post-rut timeframes, when just looking to rattle in any sized blacktail buck.
The next video shares how I go about targeting mature, dominant blacktail bucks during the peak of the rut. I’ve had my best results with this aggressive rattling approach from about Oct.30-November 10, when dominant black-tailed deer bucks are on the move, looking to breed does. This approach can be too aggressive during the pre- and post-rut periods when targeting just any blacktail buck, as they know they don’t want to engage in a fight with the big boys. Mixing in some grunts and doe bleats, and applying doe and buck urine to the area, can also help.
Here’s one of my favorite podcasts of all time, where we talk about nothing but hunting the elusive Columbia blacktails of the Pacific Northwest:
Here’s another podcast, this one with The Hunting Masters, focusing on late season blacktail deer hunting. We talk about peak and post-rut blacktail buck behavior and touch on many other factors that will hopefully help blacktail deer hunters fill their tag late in the season.