Let’s rethink what success looks like in blacktail hunting. When schedules tighten, budgets pinch, and weather goes sideways, clear cuts offer a practical, ethical path forward that keeps us learning and in the game. We explore why open ground—rich with food, sunlight, and visibility—can help you introduce non-hunters, hunt with kids without frustration, and stay flexible when sets get blown by logging, flooding, or predators.

We walk through the tradeoffs: how longer shot distances change scent control needs, why playing the wind still matters, and when it’s smarter to pivot than to force a pressured set. If you’re holding a doe or any-deer tag and your trophy is meat in the freezer, clear cuts can deliver consistent movement and clean, ethical shots. For hunters dealing with cougars and bears shifting patterns, we share real stories of sets going cold and how having a clear cut backup kept the season alive.

This conversation also honors the social side of hunting—glass cuts with friends, revisit the methods you learned from a grandparent, and build memories that outlast the harvest. We dig into budget-friendly choices, road scouting for future sets, and staying safe when windstorms and rain make tree sits risky. Along the way, we highlight learning paths through classes and gatherings, and we center what matters most: ethics, enjoyment, and steady growth. If your plan is evolving, or you just need options that fit real life, this deep dive will give you confidence to pivot without guilt.

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A season that humbled us also sharpened us. We went all in on named target bucks and ran into a wall of warm temps, atmospheric rivers, and shifting deer behavior that pushed daylight activity into a crawl. Cameras that fired pre-season went quiet. Windstorms changed cover overnight. Predators and pressure added chaos. And yet, we found what matters most when a tag stays unpunched: a clearer system, better timing, and the resolve to hunt smarter next year.

We compare notes across sets and states, from Washington to Oregon, and unpack how habitat and forestry practices affect blacktail behavior. You’ll hear how cougars likely displaced mature bucks that dominated last year’s pattern, how blowdowns turned dark timber into bright openings, and why barometric pressure windows still mattered when a few frosty mornings finally nudged deer back on their feet. We talk honestly about “tag soup” as a strategy, passing legal bucks to stay true to a target, and when it makes sense to pivot late if conditions and intel change.

We also dig into the nuts and bolts that move the needle: separating research cams from hunt sets, using hinge cuts, drags, and entry routes to shape a broadside opportunity, and the nuanced reality of rattling and calling for blacktail. We set new goals with fresh target bucks—Anakin, Hank, Mr. Jones, and Macho Man—and share exactly why age class, character, and multi-year tracking fuel patience. If you’re balancing high standards with hard seasons, this is your blueprint for resilience, smarter scouting, and a better shot at daylight photos that turn into meat and memory.

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If “more deer, more tags” hasn’t moved the needle in California, what will? We make the case for a better message—forest health and balanced wildlife management—and back it up with a rigorous camera trap study designed to deliver real numbers, not anecdotes. With blacktail deer as an umbrella species, we walk through how the right habitat mosaics lift the entire ecosystem, from neotropical songbirds to lions, and why timing burns and managing succession can make or break recovery.

We break down the science in plain language: how spatial and motion-triggered images capture both habitat condition and large-mammal activity, how AI speeds clean data, and how cameras fit alongside fecal DNA and historical surveys. Early results hint at lower densities than many expected across big landscapes, which is exactly why unbiased sampling matters. From oak woodland savannas to montane timber, we map what deer actually eat, how acorn-rich years change behavior, and why catastrophic fires can flip plant communities away from preferred browse if burns hit at the wrong time.

The conversation also celebrates the craft of hunting in Northern California—patiently aging bucks, respecting tight home ranges, and sticking with tough recoveries. Stories of non-typical giants and river mishaps meet a clear ethic: follow the science, tell the truth, and fix the habitat. Agenda 23 is our campaign to rally hunters, non-hunters, landowners, and agencies around shared outcomes: healthier forests, smarter regulations, and a revived outdoor heritage that welcomes new voices.

Want to dig into the data or get involved? Visit mcbadeer.com, check Wildlife Insights for our project dots, and reach us at mendodeer@yahoo.com. If this mission resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so others can find it.

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