Columbia Blacktails Are the Toughest Deer to Hunt
The author shot his first Columbia blacktail 49 years ago and he ranks them among North America’s most challenging big game animals.
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Darkness consumed the Douglas fir forest in Oregon’s Cascade Range. The author recalls:
Unloading the rifle, I headed for the truck. It was pouring rain and windy. Perfect blacktail deer hunting conditions, but the season had come to an end.
He had hunted 31 of the 35-day season, but didn’t end up killing the buck he wanted. After the season ended, he scouted the mountains multiple times, seeing the buck two more times.
Once, the buck was
chasing does in the middle of a late muzzleloader season. I could have hit it with a rock.The other time was in late December, where
The colossal buck was the only deer I saw that day. That’s common with big blacktails.
Author’s summary: Columbia blacktails are extremely challenging to hunt.