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The Blacktail
If there were a candidate for a "Rodney Dangerfield" of the deer species, it would surly be the blacktail. Often overlooked, most hunters drive through prime blacktail country to get to elk and deer hunts in other states. These deer are usually referred to as "You know, that small deer"; or "those coastal deer" and sometimes, the "little brush bucks". Truly, "No Respect".
In most sporting periodicals the bucks sport a thirty plus inch, 4x4 rack, is associated with sagebrush, wide-open spaces and one last look from a distant ridge. If that's all that comes to mind when you think "blacktail", you're missing one of the most rewarding hunting opportunities available today.
OK, then, just what is a "Blacktail"? From a taxonomic perspective you would be talking about Odocoileus hemionus columbianus or Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis. Around the house or at the range it would be the Columbia or the Sitka Blacktail, the two recognized sub-species of blacktail. These are the smaller blacktail deer that inhabit the coast range from Mid California to Alaska.
When I think of blacktail, a number of images come to mind: Rigorous terrain, frustrating cover, a challenging hunt, maddening encounters, heat, freezing cold, bone dry "corn flake" stillhunting, constant rain, iffy cross canyon shots or muzzleloader shots well within archery range.
On the positive side, a short drive will often put you in excellent blacktail country.  Most states offer long seasons and available permits that aren't expensive. Seasons start in mid August and run through year-end. Most states offer multiple deer limits and offer millions of square miles of public land.
Wherever you find them, all blacktail share one trait in common; heavy cover and/or brush. These deer are very comfortable in cover that is difficult to navigate through. Low visibility is the norm. The only time they vacate their hideouts is when it the dinner bell rings and/or when it rains.
Bucks love to travel the ridge tops, knobs, logging skid trails, and clear-cut edges, usually at night. They are territorial, will have a home range that may be 30 to 1,200 acres, and can be patterned until a doe leads them into the next drainage or beyond. Bucks will respond to horn rattling, grunting and a fawn bleat. If pre-season scouting is an option, tree-stands can be utilized.
So where does the "do-it yourselfer" start if they decide to try for a trophy blacktail? A check of the record books will point to northern California or southwest Oregon as a good place to start. Mendocino, Siskiyoy, Trinity, Jackson, Marion and Josephine Counties feature national forests, BLM lands, state forests and timber company property that are prime habitats for trophy deer. Year after year, Oregon's Applegate unit produces big bucks.
Kodiak Island and the islands of southeast Alaska, offer Sitka hunting. Though Kodiak has produced most of the record book entries to date, deer hunting opportunities will be reduced there due to a severe winter/spring die off in "98-99". The depressed populations usually recover quickly; but it will probably take 4-7 years to regain its prominence.
Regulations and listings of local guides and outfitters are usually available from the regional field offices of the Department of Fish and Game. Locality and time of season will usually dictate your hunting methods. The local biologist can be very helpful with information on rutting dates, any territorial migrations and mortality statistics.
Throughout the range of the Blacktail, trophy-hunting opportunities abound. Quality hunting is available here and now, you don't have to travel hundreds of miles, spend a fortune on permits or wait for a sweepstakes drawing in order to participate.  Do your homework, buy your permit over the counter and go hunting. Every day hunting for Blaktails provides you with the opportunity to collect the trophy of a lifetime. This "little brush buck" of "NO Respect" offers some of the finest quality hunting in North America, "NO Exceptions".
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