Shadow Blacktail Buck

A little buck has shown up, he likes the apples.  I have both a food block and a salt block.  They really don't pay any attention to the salt block.  The salt block weighs around 50lbs.  The deer around the Puget Sound already have a rich supply of salt from the ocean.   The food block weighs around 35-45 lbs. making them easier to manage.  

I may be mistaken but I believe you can bait deer during the hunt.  Bears you can bait but 10 days prior to hunting you have to remove all bait.  Double check but these regulations may have changed in Washington last year.  In my experience during the rut the last thing on the bucks mind is food.  This holds true especially with the big bucks.  But after the rut it may be a good time to try baiting since the bucks are recuperating from breeding and avoiding hunters. 

Blacktail Deer Food Plot

I completed the food plot I planted grasses, clovers, oats, lettuce, peas, beans, apple trees, roses, and raspberries.  I eventually will plant alphalpha and an outfitter mix sold by Cabelas made by biologic.  Everything seems to be growing the clover is growing very slow and the slugs love to eat it.  If anyone attempts to do this keep a close eye on the clover it doesn't grow well and the slugs will destroy it. 

The deer in the picture is suffering from hair loss.  After doing some research I discovered that a type of lice eats the hair follicles and leaves the deer vulnerable to exposure which can lead to death.   Apparently the fawn population is taking a big hit.  Causes are still unknown but it sounds like the abundance of deer living in close proximity to each other may cause and spread the lice quickly.      

Scouting Trip

Scouting Trip across the Hood Canal revealed a big buck rub.  Hopefully he made it through the hunting season.  I will be back in the summer time to see if I can find the brute.  As you can see this is a large rub my hat is roughly 5” wide and this tree is around that size.  I found it along an edge of a clearcut and swampy area.  I found a similar rub on the other side of this forested area on the edge of another clear cut.  So this could be a possible breeding area in the middle.  I don’t think I found the core area of this buck but just a rub along his food travel route.  The best rubs to find are rubs that have been used for many years and this area has several rubs from previous years.  It will be interesting to check on this spot in the future.

When looking for a blacktail buck during the rut or hunting season we must first locate the core areas.  This core area I am referring to is where he will spend the majority of his time during the rut.  Looking for large concentrations of rubs is the key.  The bucks favorite trees to rub are ash, alder, willow, and occasionally evergreen trees.   

Proof is in the Puddin

Before I could make the decision to create a food plot, I first had to find out if there were any deer in the area. I didn't want to waste time and money making a plot if there were no deer in the area.  After only a few days I had proof.  I purchased food blocks with the expectation they would last at least a couple weeks.  Not a chance with all the rain and not to mention the squirrels they dissolved or were eaten up within a week.  For any of you thinking about using them I would recommend their use after April possibly June and July.  

In these photos at first glance you see a two-point and what appears to be a doe.  But on closer inspection the buck lost his antlers.  If you look at the time stamp on the photos you can get a general idea of when they lose the bone.  I can't say I have found blacktail sheds but I have found plenty of muley sheds.  The overwhelming forest and brush in the area would make finding antlers darn near impossible.  But areas with higher buck density might be an option.  Another interesting thing to note is the size of the body and neck.  After the rut the neck resembles that of a doe as well as the buck itself.  Maybe they find safety in numbers during the winter and can hang out with the does after losing the antlers and won’t be shunned as they are during the rut.   

When Slugs Attack!!

After a week the slugs have invaded and eaten most of the vegetables that I planted.  I began killing as many as I could, using Corry's slug and snail death.  Works great but some of the monster slugs can push through it without dying.  They can't survive being stabbed by sticks though.  Having been a wet and mild winter has really built up the population and I imagine I will be fighting them for months to come.

Creating a food plot for Blacktail deer

Hiking to location

Removing brush and planting trees

Started clearing brush and preparing the ground to plant a crop to attract blacktail deer.  My plan is to plant as many vegetables as possible to figure out the deer's favorite food.  I know the deer are browsers and I plan on focusing are leafy, bushy plants.  My end goal is to have the deer frequent the plot as much as possible and keep them coming back for more.  Started earlier in the year preparing this plot, lots of work to remove all the existing none edible brush.  Blactail deer love to eat blackberry, salmon berry, some ferns and clovers.