Trips with Gary »

For a lot of Northwest hunters, good blacktails are close to home. The best way to consistently have big bucks on your hunting area is to keep them there 365 days a year. They need water, feed, shelter cover and escape cover. And females. Look at the strip of the continent where the Pacific laps at the shore and go inland a hundred miles or thereabouts to the crest of the Cascades. This is the domain of the Columbia blacktail. A record book buck could come from anywhere in this region, but some of the best habitat for these secretive animals can be found in the I-5 corridor between the Coast Range and the Cascades. The granddaddy of all blacktails was taken in Washington's Lewis County in 1953, a 5x5 with 24-inch main beams that scored 182-2/8 inches Boone & Crockett. In fact, the Boone & Crockett Club shows recent entries from Lewis, Pierce, King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties. Washington might have the world record, but Oregon 's recent record book contributions are just as impressive, spread from the Willamette, south through the Umpqua and Rogue valleys. Columbia, Washington, Multnomah, Clackamas, Yamhill, Polk, Linn, Lane, Douglas and Jackson counties all turned out B&C bucks in the last ten years. The good news is with these animals' small home territories, the next entry into the B&C could come out of any of these counties within a short drive of the Northwest's biggest population centers. To keep deer coming back, plant the Frontier Unlimited Seed Mix. 5 pound bag will seed approximately 1 to 1-1/2 acres Components: White Clover (White Dutch, Ladino), Forage Brassica Seed, Rygrass Seed. *Plant with grain drill 1/4 inch or less into prepared seed bed. Broadcast 6-8 pounds per acre. *Germination will occur between 14 to 21 days *Fast growing and long lasting. You wildlife will enjoy this from springtime through fall and for seasons to come. *Price: $44.95 per bag (5 pound bag) *Custom sizes and mixes available upon special request. Welcome to the New Frontier! Wildlife are in the bag!