TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

What do you think the best way to track black tails is. And what time.

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

Follow the sign. 8:30 am

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

is there an easy way to tell how old the track is?

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

Blacktail?
excuse my ignorance

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

I've never been to california....How are you tracking?
post shot, or general patter, during rut?

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

??? Not really sure what you're asking. Are you talking about stalking Columbia blacktail in heavy wooded cover or are you talking about tracking a wounded Sitka blacktail after you've shot it? We need a bit more info.

ILBOW,
Columbia blacktailed deer inhabit the west coast from central California to British Columbia. Sitka blacktail inhabit SE Alaska, Prince William Sound and Kodiak.

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

sorry not to educated in foreign game, intersted though! Good to know thanks,

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

Columbia Blacktails arethe only deerhere is Western WA. Stalking blacktail by tracking them,really isn't viable. It is extremely difficult to track them over long distances and very unlikely you would get close enough to see them before they bust. Determining the age of tracks can be useful in identifying travel patterns, but aging tracks is extremely difficult because of the wide variance in ground (clay vs. rock vs. gravel), underbrush, weather and other factors that influence how long the tracks remain visible.

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

now my curiosity is running wild,
what terrain do they inhabit? are they traveling in family groups,or heards=more than 18 deer? how far are their daily cycles? Is their vision monochromatical, or bichromal? so many questions.....

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

Terrain is Mountainous, with heavy Evergeen Timber that is logged in large sections at a time.So any given area is logged, replanted,grows to maturity and logged again about every 50 years. This means large sections are logged each year, so choosing where to hunt must change based on the age of the forest in that particular year.

Heavy underbrush comprised of a variety of bushes from low growing (ankle high) brush to some brush that grows over 8 - 10 ft tall so thick you can't push your way through it. This includes Devil's Club. Look it up. It is NASTY. Looks like small saplings that are covered with very small thorns that break off when you grab them. Every year I spend hours digging Devils club thorns out of my hands several weeks after hunting season is over.

Most hunting occurs in the timber that is 15+ years old, or in the freshly cut areas less than 10 years old. Most rifle hunters seem to focus onthe clearcuts. The best archery hunting is in the timbered areas.

Vision is similar to Whitetails. They sometimes run in small groups not more than 6 - 8, but more typically no more than 2 - 3. Usually a doe anda yearling together. Bucks usually are alone or in groups of no more than 2 - 3, and those groups seldom contain a mature buck.

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

what area are you hunting blacktails? CA or OR or WA??? will make a huge differnce in tracking them, but on a general note you cannot track them. Our season in CA 90% of our hunting areas don't have snow to affectively track and the terrian does not allow one to track...you don't see a nice trail leading to a feeding are or bedding area like you see in the whitetail hunting shows...blacktails are not ones you are able to pattern as well especially latter in the season (anything past the first few weeks of archer season) .. some say they are harder to hunt than whitetails others say whitetails are harder??? if you have any specific questions fell free to ask

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

I wish it were that easy. Have you noticed you only see hunting shows that take place around the rut,and in nice weather,or they are in "bad conditions to still prevail. usually those shows are so embelished. I spent over 200hrs of free time in the woods thisseason, still no records. Anyways...blacktail sound pretty similar to whitetail! I can't say where the challenge envelope is pushed until i hunt some, but thanks for the gained knowledge.

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

The blacktails that i am hunting are in Oregon, in pretty thick brush, there are hardly any clearings. They seem to be active around noon, i dont know why. There is a spring that they go to, so do you think i should set a ground blind or a treestand next to it. Thanks

RE: TRACKING BLACKTAILS
 

active around noon? that is very odd...what time of year? august, sep., nov.? .. if during the hunting season you seem them reguarly visit a spring that is great!! i would 100% put up a tree stand, in the thick cover it is good to be above ground to catch them moving in the brush as they will focus on the ground very hard to see what is around...just make sure you have a good enter and exit route to and from the stand and place it in a good spot based on usual wind patterns in that area.....don't put up trail cams directly there but maybe on a trail leading to that spring so as not to spook the mature deer that go to the spring directly..