Scott’s Blog

Washington’s San Juan Archipelago, a place I’ve always wanted to hunt for Columbia blacktail deer.  I’ve been fortunate to pursue blacktails throughout much of their range, but this was my first time on the islands. The open grasslands of San Juan reminded me of Kodiak Island, while the brush-choked portions reminded me of SE Alaska.  At times it felt more like I was hunting Sitka blacktails rather than Columbians. To get a full taste of what San Juan Island was about, the family joined me on this trip.  Three days prior to the start of deer season we arrived.  This gave us time to clam, search the beaches for oysters, grab mussels and go crabbing.  It also gave me time to hookup with good friend, Ron Howard, a 6th generation resident of San Juan Island. Ron had been scouting deer all summer long, just as he’s done for 40 years.  He’d been seeing a couple good bucks, but about the day we arrived, they started shedding their velvet. Over the next few days we caught some good bucks on trail camera, but all were nocturnal.  Often times within a day or two of shedding their velvet, big blacktail bucks travel under [...]

The day before California’s Aug. 18 archery opener for Columbia blacktail deer, we pulled in to Redding, where the temperature read 109º.  The voice on the radio said how nice it was to finally be cooling off! That afternoon I met up with Parrey Cremeans  (www.justforhunting.com), and we headed out to check trail cameras and look at blind setups.  Given the hot, dry conditions and the movement of the buck’s Parrey had been patterning, we agreed it would be best to hunt from a ground blind, hoping to catch deer as they moved between bedding and feeding areas. I’ve been with Parrey in the past, taking turkeys, hogs and a 152” monster blacktail on a rifle hunt.  I love how hard this man works.  We were hunting the B-Zone, with and over-the-counter tag. On opening day we were in the blind by 5:00 a.m., awaiting shooting light.  Temperatures climbed to 106º outside the blind...it felt like 130º inside.  We saw a couple does and a small buck right before dark, moving down the hill to feed.  That was it for the day. Parrey had been regularly catching a pair of mature bucks on trail camera at this spot, but we were [...]

Though the 4th of July marks our country’s celebration of independence, it’s also one of the best times for deer hunters to head afield on pre-season scouting missions.  For brush country blacktails, July and August offer what I believe are the best times to actually lay eyes on these elusive bucks. By the 4th of July, antler development is to the point you’ll be able to predict what quality of antlers a buck will have.  If you’ll be hunting home-body, non-migratory blacktails this fall, where the deer are now–in July and August–is likely where you’ll find them come hunting season. Velvet covered antlers are some of the fastest growing tissues on the planet.  Because of this, bucks avoid the brush for two reasons:  They don’t want to damage their headgear and it’s painful when they scrape or hit their blood-engorged, sensitive antlers on brush. Antlers serve as a status symbol for bucks, as well as a source of protection from predators and a tool to fight-off other bucks during the rut.  For these reasons a buck will take great measures to keep from damaging their headgear. Why scout now?  Because bucks spend their time in open areas, so as not to [...]

Our spring filming schedule was a busy one.  We’d planned for three weeks in the field, ended up spending seven.  This meant I had one day–the last day of the season–to bowhunt Oregon turkey. Ever since I took my first turkey, nearly 30 years ago, I’ve been enamored with these magnificent birds.  With one day to hunt, I could have blown it off, but I’d have never forgiven myself. I returned to a place I’d seen a high concentration of toms earlier in the season.  My thinking was most hens were now nesting and the toms were split up, searching for stray hens. Given the high tom to hen ratio in the area, I chose a Cabela’s Full Strut decoy with a prepared tail fan from a tom I’d taken a few seasons prior.  Daylight came quicker than anticipated and I couldn’t reach the grassy flat I wanted to.  So, I pitched the ground blind at the bottom of a ridge. Decoy in place, I’d already heard a tom gobbling above me, and when I let out a yelp on my Mother Load box call, he answered right back.  Minutes later he flew from his roost...the opposite way. I continued calling, [...]

    Bears have always intrigued me, especially big bears.  With the season winding down, I headed back to the Oregon Coast where I hunted with long-time friend and guide, Jody Smith (www.jodysmithguideservice.com). There are two schools of thought when spot-and-stalk hunting spring bears: Cover as much ground as you can, spot-checking places for feeding bears, or stake-out a place and wait for bears to feed out.  After four days of covering hundreds of miles and not finding a big bear, Jody and I decided to sit on a unit where we’d seen bears working.  With the rut approaching, we knew boars would soon be on the move. The unit was big, 1,200 yards across, 2,000 yards top to bottom, and steep.  With three days left in the season, I wasn’t going to be picky.  We’d seen a 250 lb. boar in this unit, but he fed his way into a brushy creek bottom before I could get a shot.  At daylight the next day we were back in there, hoping any bear would show up. Not long after hearing some growling, woofing and fighting in the timber, a small bear appeared, followed by a bigger one.  It was mid-day, temperatures [...]