A few PICS from this year...

[steepNdeep]

Don't get much time to hunt these days, but I had fun trying to make the most of it this year...

Had a blast chasin' coastal blacktails in September. I had a couple days to learn some new country & try to fill the freezer. An old friend pointed me to this spot & I got into deer the first night as I still hunted along the edge of a nice flat cut. The wind was still & the deer were just starting to creep out of the thick timber. I saw glimpses of 5 of them, but they were so small they disappeared quickly in the fireweed... The next morning I watched a few does in the cut. No bucks... That afternoon I climbed a tree in the same spot thinking it was a gimme, but the wind swirled & I didn't see a single deer. I forgot how wiley these little jungle dwellers can be, since bow hunting them when I first started hunting..



Decided to find some new country the next morning & drove ~40km to a spot I google-scouted. I met a retired C.O. from AB camping, we bs'd hunting & he confirmed that the area looked good. I road hunted some cuts learning the area & saw quite a few does, but no bucks. Late in the morning, last chance of the trip, I decided to go for a little hike up a steep open draw & found a nice secluded little bowl. I sat & glassed. As the sun was just hitting the spot, a nice buck finally stepped out of the thick brush where I'd been hearing movement. I tried to line him up at 80m, but the sun filled my scope. He had me pegged, disappeared & started climbing. I tried to cover the sun with one hand & missed a shot as he topped out over the hill...

Just as I was getting mad, out popped his little buddy, who had no idea what happened. Same problem & he disappeared as I tried to find him in the glowing scope. I got a couple glimpses of him as he followed his buddy's trail through the bush. He stopped to rub a big bush & I could see the top of it moving in my scope. If he kept going, there was a good opening for a shot... I got the sun sorted & after ~5 min. he stepped out & I dropped him. Stoked to get one down! He's my first blacktail, cool little buck, prob. 4 or 5 yrs. old (based on his teeth & antler mass). His buddy looked a couple years older & bigger (same 2pt frame). Next year... )

[LuckyIfYouGetOne]

Nice write up and buck

[dougan]

Great buck he defiantly has mass !

[steepNdeep]

Thanks boys! Fun quick hunt. I was surprised how old that buck was, considering he only weighed ~120 lbs (about the size of my bro's dog). I don't know much about blacktails, but from what I've seen, it seems that the coastal & island deer have genetics similar to alaska's sitka blacktails. Whereas, the 200+ lb blacktail around Pemberton are basically muleys with a black tail.

Where do the 'lines' for sitkas end & muleys start?

[MB_Boy]

Hey Buddy...the descriptor for Columbia Blacktail boundaries is at the link below. Nice buck!


https://www.boone-crockett.org/bgRec...area=bgRecords

[kennyj]

Nice solid looking buck! Just genetically small I guess. Good going.
kenny

[steepNdeep]

Thanks kenny. The twitchy little buggers are fun to hunt - like whitetails in prickly bush. Anyone know what's the ~average weight of deer on Vancouver Island?

Good info MB_Boy. Get out for chromers much this year?
.
I'm lovin' the surf N turf in the back yard & eat a lot more seafood these days. Had some crab for lunch today...

4 salmon rivers close to home. Fished a couple of them this fall...

[IronNoggin]

... I don't know much about blacktails, but from what I've seen, it seems that the coastal & island deer have genetics similar to alaska's sitka blacktails. Whereas, the 200+ lb blacktail around Pemberton are basically muleys with a black tail.

You think along the same lines as I do.
I've taken a good handful of Island Bucks, and a lot of Mulies over the years.
There is truly NO comparison between these on The Rock, and those in Pemberton.
They are vastly different animals, and should likely be classed as such IMO.

As for your question regarding "average size" of Island Blacktails, most fully mature bucks will only run around 150 or so on the hoof. There are exceptions - I did take an older regress buck that went over 225, but they are exceedingly rare.

Nice Deuce!
Welcome to the Addiction!!

Cheers,
Nog

[Squamch]

Great pics, and a very respectable island deer!

I would agree with Nog, over 200lb is a thumper of a deer. I've shot one, and seen two...within 200 yards of each other. Average "good" deer on the island is in the 150lb range. My two biggest were 148lb hanging, skinned, legs off, head on, and 121lb in the same state.

[steepNdeep]

Average "good" deer on the island is in the 150lb range.

most fully mature bucks will only run around 150 or so on the hoof.

Nice Deuce! Welcome to the Addiction!!

Thx - I figured ~150. Yep, yummy too! I'll be back... )


Closer to home, I enjoyed a few hikes in the mountains & got into a few goats.



Didn't buy a tag this year & found 'em lower than we did last year. 8 hours of nasty bushwhacking to break into the alpine. But it was worth the hike to get into some amazing country, waterfalls everywhere, glaciers, hanging lakes...



Sleeping in bear burritos makes for interesting dreams in grizz country! lol




Filled the freezer with chanterelle mushrooms. Awesome with BBQ'd backstraps!