TECHNIQUE |
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The author will spend more time glassing heavy cover during periods when bucks are more likely to be bedded . |
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is also crucial to the blacktail deer . Prime habitat has many different ages of cuts in close proximity , providing valuable sources of food and cover . I like areas with trees between 2 and 8 feet tall . The younger trees still provide cover while allowing enough light into the area for the understory to continue to grow . Often this is found on private timber ground as they tend to log at a more productive , yet sustainable rate compared to state or federal ground . Most private timber companies allow permitted access or walk-in hunting . If you are going to make the effort to walk or bike in , make sure that you are going into an area with a decent amount of cuts and habitat .
To properly hunt these areas , you will need a heavy dose of patience , and a good pair of binoculars . Considering you ’ ll be glassing chunks of ground up to 100 acres , quality optics are a must . At times staring into your binoculars is tedious so be sure to buy the best pair that you can afford . As I approach an area I want to glass , I keep a low profile and slip up to the edge quietly and sit down . I sit motionless scanning very quickly with just the naked eye trying to pick up anything close or something on the move that possibly saw me first . Once satisfied with my initial scan I begin to grid off the clear-cut with my binoculars .
Depending on the age of the cut determines how long I will stay . Fairly new ones don ’ t require a lot of time ; cuts with trees 6 feet and taller take time to effectively glass . An area like this is my preference ; it ’ s open enough to provide an excellent food source while providing enough cover to allow deer to be comfortable throughout the day . I spend a lot of time glassing
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these cuts because as deer feed they will go in and out of sight or even bed down . Even when deer are bedded I always feel like I have a chance at spotting one . How long you spend in area like this is up to you . I suspect I ’ m like a lot of hunters because I struggle with this . I ’ m constantly asking myself if I saw everything or am I wasting time looking over unproductive ground ?
My first instinct is to cover as much ground as possible . At the same time , I let the deer determine the amount of time I spend in any one spot . If I ’ m seeing a lot of deer early , or deer are up and moving , then most likely I am seeing what is there . In this situation , I want to see as much ground as possible before they bed down or head to cover .
If I ’ m glassing an area at first light and not seeing deer , it tells me that they fed all night and are either bedded down or are already in the timber . If it ’ s the latter there isn ’ t much you can
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do about that . That ’ s when I ’ ll down-shift and spend a lot of time glassing older clear-cuts trying to find that deer that bedded with some part of its body showing . If deer are bedded down early , I have found that they usually get back up to feed around 9 or 10 o ’ clock in the morning . That ’ s not a hard and fast rule , but it is a good rule of thumb .
Still-Hunting Still-hunting for me is glassing in slow motion without binoculars . If you think you ’ re hunting or moving too slow then you probably need to slow down some more . Remind yourself that you ’ re in a buck ’ s element . Remember that a blacktail has a very small home range so wherever you ’ re stepping , he has been there . Catching a big mature blacktail off guard in his own living room is going to be tough but it happens all the time . For me still-hunting is not my go to method because
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it ’ s hard for me to have the patience to be successful . However , if the weather is lousy and visibility is poor I ’ ll spend a lot of time still-hunting . Going home is never an option .
Cover Ground Personally , I like to glass and cover as much ground as possible . Most Oregon land does not have the deer densities to give me the confidence that I am going stumble into the type of buck I want . The more ground I can see the better chance I have of finding deer ; then depending on my effective range I can stalk or still-hunt the area when I find a good buck . Deer are definitely more on the move when the weather is less than favorable . In the Pacific Northwest , for example , the weather in late October and early November can be downright miserable . If you are going to be a blacktail hunter get used to it because it ’ s what you want anyway .
pat hoglund photo
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WESTERN HUNTING JOURNAL
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