Book Class Blacktail Huntin 2010

[N-W-Redneck]

First of all, thank you very much PG66 for sharing all your hard earned knowledge with the rest of us. Love your YT vids also.

I would like to get your (and other experienced BT hunters) opinions on how to go about hunting an area. I've driven some of the roads through a couple of the slashes and seen a couple of tracks crossing the road here and there but nothing major. I have yet to get out and start hiking the area and I thought I would get some tips here first. Here's the area in question:



Any thoughts?

[proguide66]

Well , if you read from the beginning of the thread there 'should be' helpfull hints to use ' where ever you go'.

I think what keeps re peating the most in the thread is LEARNING YOUR SPOT...I cant stress enough to 'keep going keep going ..on and on..
2nd is tracks...tracks for a BIG buck are key for me...I'm 'usually' aware of a big bugger before the snow flies...I look for big tracks non stop..for me all it takes is a single one time foot print ..then I KNOW he's at it and I start RELIGIOUSLY chasing does and hanging with them..

3rd , find the does...learn where they feed and bed....

4th...learn wich direction the wind goes through your spot and what time the wind changes with temp....unless its windy/stormy , the wind changes direction EVERY day..and usually at the same time...

anyway , for me er anyone else to look at a huge ariel view of land and give tips is pretty tough...thats a big chunk of realestate..
I would imagine theres some old aged deer in there somewhere !!

[todbartell]

gotta love the GPS coordinates on the bottom LOL

[Prowler]

I guess when your stuck in Powel River you gotta make the best of what you got....

[brian]

Not that I have a ton of experience RedNeck I will say you gotta get out and hike to learn the area. Assuming their is good sign in the cuts, I would head to the bit that is the easiest to travel in and look for signs of passage. This will lead to trails in and out of the cuts. I've often found deer trails on the tops of clearcuts away from the dead fall and going into the morning thermal. Following these will lead you to the more major travel through fares, which will lead you to other interesting stuff. Look for the thick areas that you don't want to go in to and you'll probably find where they are bedding. From what I have found, nothing much interesting happens on the road unless you luck into it. I'm sure proguide can give you tons better advice, but what is in the first 11 pages of this thread is invaluble..

[proguide66]

Well , whats a 'book class blacktail' thread without a live ' book class blacktail'....this is a repeat but there's some shit to see for guys for knowledge.
NOW while I am hunting , I am concentrating on BASES...I have made a rule for myself that if it DOESNT have big bases its 'walking'...Bases is a VERRY solid clue to a buck being mature or even past ...I have shot a handfull of bucks that have 120 to 128 inches of bone on em but they werent REAL MATURE yet...kinda kick myself after...( just like the one in the video earlier in this thread,the one I'm talkin ect). If you have a good secret hole and want it to keep producing monsters ( and it has them) you cant shoot a true MONSTER if you shoot a 'big one'. All the TRUE BIG old bucks I have killed or been on have had nasty ass'd bases.....like the bugger below in the video...note the roman nose , deeep thick from brige to under chin..broad forhead ( cant say for sure but I am convinced a deers skull grows with age)...clues you are looking at grandpaw..
Wen you watch this one..make it full screen , pause it right away and check out the base..also , this bugger was measured 3 times the height of his ears...I 'used' to think twice the height was awesome..


Then on this one , check out the depth from his bridge to under his chin....verry deep= OLD BUCK= SHOOTER...
Notice as well...he just stands , stares , listens....thats what they do...stand stare and listen...whoever sees movement first wins!!!

look at the juicey mature timber in the background where I wacked him a year later...never been logged , and it was very high above my rut ole...I was there for first light with headlamp , he made it up and out of the rut hole before then..but not much before I cut his track wich was 5 minutes into seeing light...but took me 1hr to get there in the drk...


anyway , bases are the point bein made here and depth of beak...when Bartels buck was looking at us from 22 yrds all I saw was bases on a verry wide forhead wich was instant command ' shoot that deer right now'

[proguide66]

Bases and beak depth!!!..........




Kicked myself in the ass for a while for shooting this BIG youngster...note the slendor muzzle , thin bases , narrow forhead..holy shit he'da bin a gooder!!!



This about as good example an old buck 'bean' as yer gonna get



He's got it all...wide forhead , broad muzzle...bases and grey/white old timer face...and NO teeth......

anyway , lets face it , how many times you see a face looking at you , ya know its a buck but not sure , he bolts , gone...look at the old timer clues and remember them!!!

actually , keep sliding this pic up and down to comapare grandpaw and junior...note the space between the bases..note the width difference of the muzzle...the 'look' of the bases...these are good things to get familair with before pullin the trigger !!

[Gilmore]

This about as good example an old buck 'bean' as yer gonna get

Do you always shoot your mature blacktails in the front knee Mr. Pro-Guide? And if I try to shoot mine in the front knee if they are really big should I shoot both kneecaps?

[proguide66]

Well , after watching you shoot that bear through the back fur I guess I keep shooting low and over compensate..haha

fortunately this buck was shot once in the chest with the all mighty 243......( the one Gate keeps bugging me to sell him)

[N-W-Redneck]

Wow PG! Your 'young-un' would make me cream my jeans!

Thanks for the replies so far. I should have given a little more detail in my OP. I keep reading on here about guys being able to "look at a map or GE image and know where to start hunting". I look at them and just scratch my head. Although I have been hunting for several years and have shot several deer, my success has been very sporadic and with mostly young bucks and does. My 'technique' has basicly been to just cover ground until I find sign and then just keep re-visiting those spots and ocasionally getting a deer. I'm not really sure what I should be looking for or doing differently.

The pic I posted above is just an area I thought might hold deer. Yes bartell, I know I left the GPS #'s in the pic. Firstly I have no idea if deer would be 'living' in that area, or just passing through or feeding in the slashes at night. These are just a few of many more roads/slashes in the same general area. Secondly, I'm not too worried about hunters from all over BC swarming to Powell River to 'jump my claim'.

I am more interested in using this as an exercise in 'learning to learn' how to read an area and how to go about approaching a new spot besides just blindly tramping around and possibly blowing it for myself. How would deer use an area like this? How/when would they be traveling? Where would they go to bed down? A couple 100yds from the edge of a slash, or a couple of KM's? These are the kind of questions I can't seem to figure out. There's not a lot of old growth in this area like in PG's pics and not much change in elevation (maybe a few 100') so I'm not sure if I can apply the advice he's already given in previous posts.

What I am really looking for is the knowledge to be able to better understand BT behavior and understand the signs I see and apply them to different areas. Sorry for rambling on so long! Once again, thanks to everyone willing to share their knowlege and experience with the rest of us. It is very much appreciated.