Species: Blacktail

Blacktail Deer

On Your Own hunters have access to hunt two different subscepies of blacktail deer - Columbia Blacktail and Sitka Blacktail.  Techinically, some would classify the mule deer as part of the Blacktail deer family, but for our purposes, we will treat mule deer as a different species.

Columbia Blacktails are found in California, Oregon, and Washington.  Trophy specimens are found in all states.  Numbers are great, and tags are easily obtained by non-residents.  Fortunately for the On Your Own hunter, many of these opportunities exist on public lands, or forest company lands open to public hunting.  Of all deer hunting available to the On Your Own hunters, the Columbia Blacktail may be the most under-utilized hunting opportunity.  And, it is also one of the most challenging and intriguing.

Sitka Blacktail hunting opportunity for On Your Own hunters occurs only in Alaska.  These deer are found on most coastal lands and islands from Southeast Alaska, stretching up the the coastal areas of Southcentral Alaska.  The thick habitat these deer occupy make them very difficult to hunt.  Many hunters go early in the season when the deer are found in the alpine areas above treeline, or as some would say, above the the devil’s club jungles.  Others wat until later in the season, when the deer are found more accessible near the coastlines.

Most hunting for both Columbia and Sitka Blacktails is allowed via over-the-counter tags.  For the non-resident hunter, this provides a great planning opportunity, as the hunts can be planned without waiting for draw results.

If you have pictures of Columbia or Sitka Blacktails that we could post here, please email them to office@onyourownadventures.com