Black-Tailed Bucks From A Treestand

I was talking to an aquaitance of mine the other day, and I asked him if he had killed a buck yet this year. He informed me that he has a coveted muzzleloader tag this year, so his hunt hasn't yet started.

He said his wife killed a three-point on opening day of the general rifle season over near the Oregon coast.

Seems like she gets a three-point every year. (That's a six-point for our friends from the Eastern United States.) This is quite an accomplishment, considering the elusiveness of the local black-tailed buck population.

The muzzleloader hunt is right at the peak of the rut, and a hunter has a good chance of scoring on a bruiser blacktail buck.

I know my friend hunts from a treestand, and I mentioned to him that I still need to get one (a treestand). Then he started naming all the reasons they are so great for hunting deer in Western Oregon.

First off, the terrain is so brushy and thick that 99% of the time you will jump the deer and never see them if you are hunting on foot. You'll just hear them jump up and run away.

He prefers to hunt reprod that is about 5 - 6 ft tall. The deer feel safe in there and there is plenty of forage to get up and feed on during the day, all from the comfort of their little hideout.

So, how do you hunt this from a treestand? He puts his climbing treestand about 30 ft up a tall douglas fir on the edge of a reprod unit.

From this vantage point, one can see down in between the small evergreens and look at any deer that have bedded down. And the deer have no idea you are even there.

He says he killed his biggest buck ever with this method, when the buck got up and started feeding in the middle of the day.

This guy has killed some big blacktails, so I listen closely when he is giving hunting tips.

Do you stay in your stand all day? He said it just depends. During rifle season he will stay in the stand until about 10:00 am or so. For the afternoon hunt he is sure to be settled in by 4:00 pm, and stays until after shooting light has gone. For the upcoming muzzleloader hunt he plans to stay in the stand all day, because the days will be much shorter.

During the evenings, the bucks will feed out of the timbers and into the reprod, right at the last minutes of legal shooting light. I have often seen this happen, but I have always been too far away to see if they were bucks in the fading light. I'm sure if they were right below my stand I would be able to see their horns much better!

What kind off treestand does he use? Here is a good example: Summit Treestands Titan SD Climbing Treestand.The Summit Climing Tree Stands are very comfortable to sit in for long periods of time, and only cost between $200 to $400, depending on the accessories.

I think by next season, there is a good chance I will invest in one of these for myself.

Has anybody else had any luck hunting for blacktails from a treestand? Post a comment to let us know.