BC Vancouver Island Blacktail

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Leblanc

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im just starting to hunt this year, getting my CORE done in June. I live in Victoria BC and hear that Blacktail deer are pretty challenging to hunt. Im heading out with another buddy of mine and both of us are pretty new to hunting. wondering if anyone has any advice or tips for someone new to deer hunting. just picked up a Savage FCXP 111 in .270. scopes sighted in for 100yrds and hitting very nice, i think its ready for a deer.

ive been reading up on the blacktail and trying to learn everything i can about the animal. but any advice or even just stories would be great.
 
Advice:

Blackies love dim overcast days with rain.
Walk slowly. Now walk even slower. You still are going too fast.
Hike up to the snow is falling and you are in a few inches. Follow that elevation along. (see above)
Adjust your work schedule to hunt Tues-Thurs and avoid the zoo of guys from Victoria on weekends.
Focus on rock ledges with south exposures.

Keep practicing with your rifle, when its time to shoot an animal your heart will be pounding! :D When that act becomes 'meh' for me I will have lost a major reason why I hunt.
Good luck!
 
Leblanc said:
im just starting to hunt this year, getting my CORE done in June. I live in Victoria BC and hear that Blacktail deer are pretty challenging to hunt. Im heading out with another buddy of mine and both of us are pretty new to hunting. wondering if anyone has any advice or tips for someone new to deer hunting. just picked up a Savage FCXP 111 in .270. scopes sighted in for 100yrds and hitting very nice, i think its ready for a deer.

ive been reading up on the blacktail and trying to learn everything i can about the animal. but any advice or even just stories would be great.
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deer call in Nov. work grate just work the call when you see a doe ther will be a buck nearby
I use a home made deer call but if you get a doggie sweeky toy take out the part that makes the noise it will work
 
yes, Does are BAIT for the bucks. If you find some does, stay hidden and slowly dog them, keeping an eye on the wind. Mr. Buck will show up....IN November!
 
w0nder. said:
Excellet advice from jay,

- x9999!!!

I just ordered a savage 111 in 30-06 myself, how you liking it?
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works pretty good right out of the box. had to tighten the scope up as it was pretty loose. after a bit of playing with it, it's working really nice, great little rifle for the price.
 
Walk slow... stop a lot,,, glass,,, look hard into the shadows,, and look up!

Dont look for a whole deer... Look for a head, an ear, antler(s)
Your quarry will be looking at you from behind a tree, or over top of a bluff, or from some dark shadows.

Around Halloween or just after ...... the rut will be on ....... just get out there.... bucks will be running around silly.... and yes, use your call.

Lucky
 
Heavy overcast days, near freezing rain and/or wet snow, slopes are soaking wet and very, very slippery. Dress to survive because hypothermia can kill. I have hunted alone many times but I don't recommend it. Think about if you slip & twist an ankle or knee.......or worst.
I love getting out in the bush and I want to get back there........damn knees.

Edit: If you are interested, lots of big blacks bears on the island.
 
I used to hunt the Island. Like mentioned before, you won't see a whole deer, just a small bit like an ear or rump. Beware that *thump thump thump* in the thick stuff. That's a blacktail that has smelled/heard you and is po-going/taking off. Try to hear the Snort/Blow that indicates "beware but don't know what it is".
It's hard land to hunt, the south Island. Acess is difficult. We got a couple of meat bucks around Renfrew in the rain. If you want to see big bucks, check out Sooke. Gorgeous deer where you can't shoot. Frustrating but nice to see what they look like once in awhile.
Is Shawnigan Div still open? Lotta land out there.
 
Ardent said:
I'm not much of a deer hunter, swore up and down 2010's whitetail was the end of deer hunting for me. But I'd be very interested in trying to find that ultra rare trophy coastal blacktail... :) Probably one of Canada's rarest trophies.
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love hunting haida gwaii deer/dogs and man thay are good eating!
you guys are aloud 10 of them ther small but fun to hunt
 
Kudos to what's been said.
If you spot does, watch where they look.
Sometimes they give up the buck.
Train your eyes to see what is not suppose to be there.
Fur verses bush.
Watch for movement, even the slightest bit.
I told my daughter to think what she's looking at.
Sometimes there is a blurr that you pass up.
Most of the times the blurr is what you just happen to
glimps of an animal moving in the bush.
Good luck with your hunt.
 
I'm surprised to hear all this talk of how hard hunting island deer are. Fifteen to twenty years ago, I spent a lot of time on the island and in the gulf islands (Saltspring in particular, we had a place there) and I remember a Saltspring shotgun deer season. Was very easy for the hunters to bag bucks, many were from the island and hunted there too with equal success. Small bucks, but easy hunting was what people talked about on the island and Saltspring. We've run into deer like mad all over Vancouver Island and through the Gulf Islands as well, has the deer situation really deteriorated this far?? I've stumbled across more of those miniature island bucks at 10 yards than I can count!
 
Living and hunting in Naniamo my dad and i would go down 2 lakes road a ways in and find a good area we would just run the bush one on the watch the other going around and flushing the bush out to the one on the watch we used 12ga and 16ga shot guns the bush was so thick a rifle wasn't much good unless you were on the watch in a open area.
The deer are very small there as big a a large dog i think some areas you are aloud 2 as your bag limit.Good eating though and yes hard to get they will run you around and sometimes let you walk right by you won't even know there right there but we figured it out and started running the bush there was some years we didn't get anything until we figured out what they were doing to us it was alot of fun just the same.:)
Good luck this season.





Leblanc said:
im just starting to hunt this year, getting my CORE done in June. I live in Victoria BC and hear that Blacktail deer are pretty challenging to hunt. Im heading out with another buddy of mine and both of us are pretty new to hunting. wondering if anyone has any advice or tips for someone new to deer hunting. just picked up a Savage FCXP 111 in .270. scopes sighted in for 100yrds and hitting very nice, i think its ready for a deer.

ive been reading up on the blacktail and trying to learn everything i can about the animal. but any advice or even just stories would be great.
Click to expand...
 
Ardent said:
I'm surprised to hear all this talk of how hard hunting island deer are. Fifteen to twenty years ago, I spent a lot of time on the island and in the gulf islands (Saltspring in particular, we had a place there) and I remember a Saltspring shotgun deer season. Was very easy for the hunters to bag bucks, many were from the island and hunted there too with equal success. Small bucks, but easy hunting was what people talked about on the island and Saltspring. We've run into deer like mad all over Vancouver Island and through the Gulf Islands as well, has the deer situation really deteriorated this far?? I've stumbled across more of those miniature island bucks at 10 yards than I can count!
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Big changes from 15 to 20 years ago... BIG

On Vancouver Island over that past 15 years wolves have taken a huge toll on the blacktails. They are coming back slowly, but if one wants to see numbers of deer.... Check the city, like Oak Bay & Gordon Head, also Nanaimo.... Hunting there however is discouraged :):HR:

Gulf Islands....... Ohh boy.. not the same at all.... :( The best bet there is to try and get permission from a landowner, because nearly everywhere one goes is private land and signs everywhere "No Tresspassing" Big changes...
And also no rifles permitted, only shotguns (and don't forget the special Gulf Islands permit)

Lucky
 
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