welcome goharley! I am still fairly new to big game hunting, as i grew up hunting small game and fishing, like you it sounds like. second year for me also, and no luck with anything legal yet. lotsa does, man i'm a doe magnet!

reguarding your questions, i have been reading ALOT, and have found some common themes that i will share with you.

still hunt walking is slow and calculated. scan the area with your eyes/binoc's untill your sure you don't see even a piece of a deer. more times than not, thats what your gonna see first, a piece. then look down and plan out your next five or so steps. then walk them while scanning the area at the same time. your movement make cause the game to look your way, or make an ear flick, or they may just stand up and look at you. so move slowly.

game trails are a good find, means game in the area. follow parellel to the game trail, on the downwind side, so not to taint the trail. about ten or so yards away. while doing this, look around. if you lose the trail, go back to where last saw it, and go from there. trails are the highways to and from bedding, feeding, wintering, hiding, you get the picture. if you find a junction near bedding or feeding areas, this is a good place to stand hunt (ground or tree) find a place that offers good line of sight in multipul directions, downwind, and get there before sun up, and/or stay to sun down. these are times they will be moving to and from bedding/feeding areas.

fresh rubs, scrapes, prints are all good signs that the area supports game, so it may just be a matter of patience. like i said, the does love me, and the bucks love them, so i'll keep being patient.

most all of this is being vomited from my brain, as i have read about almost a dozen books, and any magazine i can get my hands on. i suggest hitting the library, as it has answered alot of general questions i've had.

good luck, lemme know how it goes.

q

Welcome Goharley I don't know much about the blacktails, but there are some guys around here who can help.
Good Luck

Blacktail Trophy Tactics 1 and 2, by Boyd Iverson.

The guy is out of Oregon and shot more big bucks then you will probably ever see. It is a perfect fit for Western WA.

Thanks for the help.

Here's another question: Where do you usually find find bucks bedded down during the day? Tall grass? Deep forest?

Go Harley,
Exactly what billy said. The Boyd Iverson books are excellent material. Regarding hunt areas I don't know if you have thought about muzzleloader hunts, but there are some open areas area Olympia/Shelton that have either sex deer hunts. Every time I've been down that way...seen several animals.
Good Luck,
LF

Another Newbie Welcome to you to Little Fish

Thanks Redrider. Glad to be here. I've been lurking for awhile, but hoping to make a contribution so signed on.

I usually find them in older cuts. The places that most people drive past are the best.

Welcome aboard Little Fish. Where you from?