Best black tail rifle?
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Vern Humphrey
Member
Just about any decent centerfire "deer rifle" would do it. A .243 Winchester would be about ideal.
CoalCrackerAl
Member
What is a black tail?
Ks5shooter
Contributing Member
7mm-08
Another name for mule deer. Also the name for a deer living in Costal Alaska, Sitka Black Tail Deer...
CoalCrackerAl
Member
Cool thanks. Learned something new. 
md7
Member
243 Win, 270 Win, 7mm-08, 308 Win, 30-06 just to name a few.
If you don’t reload, and want off the shelf availability then I’d say 270, 308, or ‘06 with slight more availability to the 308. Or at least it feels that way around my parts
They’ll all work
If you don’t reload, and want off the shelf availability then I’d say 270, 308, or ‘06 with slight more availability to the 308. Or at least it feels that way around my parts
They’ll all work
Chuck R.
Member
Blacktails are actually their own subspecies, smaller than mulies in body, slightly smaller ears, all black tails, and in OR/WA they act more like whitetails, than classic western mulies. I hunted them in WA & OR along the cost and off of St. Helens. The ones I shot were actually smaller than whitetails in body size.
I used a .270Win with 130 partitions, ranges were usually close wooded, but I caught a couple on the edges of clear cuts. A .243 would be good, the guys I hunted with used iron sighted 30-30s and .35Rems, but it was mostly still hunting in the thick stuff.
I used a .270Win with 130 partitions, ranges were usually close wooded, but I caught a couple on the edges of clear cuts. A .243 would be good, the guys I hunted with used iron sighted 30-30s and .35Rems, but it was mostly still hunting in the thick stuff.
adcoch1
Member
I've knocked over blacktail deer with a 44 magnum, SKS, slug gun, 8mm Mauser, and a few others in revolvers and rifles. I really like the 7.62x39 with a hunting bullet. I've yet to use my 6.5 Grendel, but that should be perfect too, or a 243, etc. Actually the 7mm-08 might be the perfect cartridge for all blacktail habitat.
silicosys4
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PNW Blacktail hunter here.
Anything shooting a 125-180 gr. bullet at 2600-3000 fps. Range could be as short as 5 foot in doghair underbrush, or 1000+ yards over a large clearcut.
Now, thats a general guide for a PNW blacktail rifle. You mention a berry farm, so you might not need the kind of rifle people consider ideal around here. Many people tend to the .270, .300winmag, and .30-06 side of things simply for the ability to take the elk or black bear here if need be. People tend to avoid the smaller, more marginal calibers because they are not known for reliably anchoring game in less than optimal circumstances. The brush here is such that harvest opportunities can be limited, blood trails can be very hard to trail, and downed game can be very hard to find so a bit of overkill in cartridge selection and the ability to confidently take sub-optimal shots could easily be the difference in taking a deer home or not.
I used a .308 last year but I think a 6.5cm would be an ideal dedicated blacktail rifle.
P.S. The best venison I've ever had was from a chronically trespassing deer I shot off of a blueberry farm at the owners request. She let me keep some of it and yes. I could taste the blueberry in the meat. It was amazing.
Anything shooting a 125-180 gr. bullet at 2600-3000 fps. Range could be as short as 5 foot in doghair underbrush, or 1000+ yards over a large clearcut.
Now, thats a general guide for a PNW blacktail rifle. You mention a berry farm, so you might not need the kind of rifle people consider ideal around here. Many people tend to the .270, .300winmag, and .30-06 side of things simply for the ability to take the elk or black bear here if need be. People tend to avoid the smaller, more marginal calibers because they are not known for reliably anchoring game in less than optimal circumstances. The brush here is such that harvest opportunities can be limited, blood trails can be very hard to trail, and downed game can be very hard to find so a bit of overkill in cartridge selection and the ability to confidently take sub-optimal shots could easily be the difference in taking a deer home or not.
I used a .308 last year but I think a 6.5cm would be an ideal dedicated blacktail rifle.
P.S. The best venison I've ever had was from a chronically trespassing deer I shot off of a blueberry farm at the owners request. She let me keep some of it and yes. I could taste the blueberry in the meat. It was amazing.
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Should’ve just said deer rifle, black tail deer
Yes they are smaller than white tails, around our area in Willamette valley we have no white tail that I’ve seen. I’d love to buy my brothers old Winchester 94 that he sold to his friend it’d been perfect. I’ll have to look into a 6.5 or .243 might just be the ticket.
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The black tail is a sub species of the mule deer. They are a costal deer and are smaller than mule deer. They are recognized as a separate category from mule deer by both Boone & Crocket and Pope & Young for trophy purposes,
Blacktail deer tend to be on the smaller side. Literally almost any centerfire cartridge will work. If you don't ever plan to hunt anything bigger than deer there is no reason to go bigger than a 243. I rarely recommend a 223, but on deer this small, and under 200 yards it'll work if you choose ammo carefully.
I would be looking the 6.5 Creedmoor though. It is a little more powerful than 243. You don't NEED the extra power, but 6.5 CM is a big seller at this time and you can find rifles and ammo everywhere. Presently 243 isn't nearly as popular and you may have more trouble finding ammo for it. The difference in recoil is negligible. Both are pretty soft on the shoulder.
If you just happen to have access to something you could certainly go to a bigger, more powerful rifle. There is nothing at all wrong with traditional cartridges like 270, 30-06, 308, 25-06, etc.
I would be looking the 6.5 Creedmoor though. It is a little more powerful than 243. You don't NEED the extra power, but 6.5 CM is a big seller at this time and you can find rifles and ammo everywhere. Presently 243 isn't nearly as popular and you may have more trouble finding ammo for it. The difference in recoil is negligible. Both are pretty soft on the shoulder.
If you just happen to have access to something you could certainly go to a bigger, more powerful rifle. There is nothing at all wrong with traditional cartridges like 270, 30-06, 308, 25-06, etc.
Chuck R.
Member
IF you upped it to 6.5- .308 it's also work well for elk...
I've got a picture of myself carrying a 6pt BT dressed on a backpack freighter frame that I was hiking out with. Doesn't happen with the whitetails around here
He probably went 85lbs dressed. You guys do have whitetails around the Columbia, I actually saw them a couple times while goose hunting:
https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/odocoileus-virginianus-leucurus
A lot of number 8 bird shot
it’s hard, propane cannons work for about two days. We have woods and creek surrounding our farm which exacerbate the problem because they perch on them but also gives us area to shoot them. obviously can’t shoot in the field, bbs in fruit is a lawsuit or at very least fruit rejection.Can a .223 manage a humane kill? I know with a head shot probably but I just don’t like shooting one and then chasing it between rows.
silicosys4
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Not hardly. A decent buck here will run 150-175lbs and a big one will top 200.
The .223 isn't even legal for deer hunting in Washington state. Too small.
adcoch1
Member
What I was going to say. Buddy shot a pending state record at 275 lbs. I've had two at over 200lbs live weight. And I don't believe 223 is a legal deer cartridge anywhere within the lower 48 blacktail habitat. It would definitely work, but it isn't legal.
Good to know! We used to use slugs but out of a smooth barreled 870 the range isn’t great. I will say when we hit them with a 430 grain slug they’d drop where they were. There is no shortage of 6.5 ammo out here. There’s a lot of .308, 7mm is sparse .270 isn’t great. Is the 6.5 a good round to shoot or is it a shoulder bruiser. The slugs to me were no fun after 4-5 rounds. Specially out of a hr single shot with 20” barrel
silicosys4
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6.5 cm is much lighter recoiling than a 12 gauge single shot with slugs.
adcoch1
Member
My little 20 ga single with slugs kicks harder than all my rifles, even the 45-70... A 6.5, Grendel or creedmoor, would kick less.
