Features: Columbian black-tailed deer are smaller and darker than mule deer. As the name suggests, black-tailed deer have a wide, triangular tail with a dark brown or black top and a white underside.

Habitat: Blacktails are a subspecies of mule deer found in western Oregon from the Coast Range east to the Cascade Mountains. They are edge-adapted species using the region’s dense forest cover to hide during the day and more open early successional forest to feed at dawn and dusk. Places with a mix of forest age classes offer the best habitat for black-tailed deer.

Techniques: Scouting (for scat, rubs, scrapes) and knowing their habits are key for harvesting a secretive blacktail in its dense habitat. Scent control is important for hunting. Spot and stalk, hunting blinds, still hunting, and rattling antlers are other techniques used for blacktails.