Parrey Cremeans Hunts Elusive Blacktail Deer

Parrey Cremeans guides for elk, mule deer, blacktail deer, and other species in California, Mexico, and other areas with Just For Hunting, a full-service outfitter (visit www.justforhunting.com, or call 650-888-0808). If you plan to hunt in the far West, make your reservations now to hunt with this Mossy Oak Pro. If you can’t get in for this year’s hunting season, go ahead, and book for next year.

Have you ever seen a blacktail deer? I’m not talking about a deer with a black tail, I mean a Western deer that most Easterners never have heard about or seen. Blacktails are different from Coues deer, mule deer, and whitetail deer and are extremely difficult to hunt. A blacktail deer’s antlers are more like a mule deer’s than whitetails.

Legend has it that blacktails came from a cross between a mule deer and a whitetail, but the blacktail is quite a bit smaller than the whitetail. A big blacktail deer weighs about 160 pounds, and a trophy-class blacktail is 135 inches on Boone & Crockett (B&C). Blacktails are bigger than Coues deer but not as big as whitetail or mule deer. In the areas where we hunt in California, we take blacktails scoring 150 to 160 B&C regularly.

I think one of the biggest differences in blacktails and whitetails is the amount of area they cover. You may be able to take a whitetail on 150 to 200 acres, but in the West, that blacktail buck may be roaming over 2,000 acres. They’re very susceptible to hunter pressure, so you have to be cautious. You’re not just hunting to take the blacktail, you’re also trying not to spook him. I hunted one blacktail buck for 22 days last season that was holding on 1,250 acres. I saw him twice during daylight hours. Even after all that effort, I wasn’t able to harvest that blacktail. He would have scored 140 to 143 inches on B&C.

We have numbers of people from the East who come to the West to hunt blacktails. I believe one reason is that blacktails are one of North America’s 29 biggame animals. They’re also very elusive. The blacktail usually holds in high Alpine areas or low-oak savannas. They also won’t get up from being bedded-down, until you’re almost stepping on them. My favorite camouflage for hunting blacktails is Mossy Oak Brush, since we have a lot of yellow grass out here. With Mossy Oak Brush, you can disappear. I’ve been sitting on a hillside and have had blacktails walk within 10 yards of me without seeing me. I’ve also been videoing and have had deer come in so close that I’ve had to zoom all the way back.

In our next article, Cremeans stays in California to take on Rio Grande Turkeys.

John E. Phillips

John, the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.

Phillips has been a contributor to many national magazines, has been affiliated with 27 radio stations across Alabama serving as their outdoor editor and wrote for a weekly syndicated column, "Alabama Outdoors," for 38-Alabama newspapers for more than 13 years. Phillips was Outdoor Editor for the "Birmingham Post-Herald" for 24 years. Phillips was also the executive editor for "Great Days Outdoors" magazine for 3 years.

The author of almost 30 books on the outdoors, Phillips is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). Phillips also is the owner of Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm, and president of Creative Concepts, an outdoor consulting group.

Phillips conducts seminars across the nation at colleges in freelance writing, photography and outdoor education besides teaching courses in how to sell what you write to writers' groups. Phillips received his photography training as a still-lab photo specialist for six years in the Air Force. He was the chief photographer for Mannequins, Inc., a Birmingham modeling agency, for 11 years.

While serving as 2nd Vice President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Phillips was in charge of all press releases for the organization as well as serving as Chairman of Alabama's Big Buck Contest, which he founded more than 30 years ago. He also was president of the Alabama Sportsman's Association for three years.

Phillips is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Alabama and the Department of Conservation for his work in the outdoor field. Phillips is vitally interested in the outdoors and travels the nation collecting personalities, stories and how-to information for his articles and features.

EDUCATION: B.S. degree from the University of West Alabama with a physical education major and a history minor.

EXPERIENCE: 10 years parttime and fulltime physical director for YMCAs and 34 years as a freelance writer, photographer, editor, book author, lecturer and daily-content provider for websites. Currently, Phillips is a field editor for Game and Fish Publications; serves on the editorial board of Grandview Media; is a regular contributor to 12 internet magazines and a daily content provider for 8 websites.

WRITING AWARDS: Runnerup - Best Outdoor Magazine Feature - 1981 - SEOPA; Certificate of Merit - Awarded by Alabama's Governor for writings on conservation; Most Outstanding Sports Writer in Southeast - 1983 & 1984; Best Outdoor Feature in Alabama, 1987 - Alabama Sportswriters' Association 3rd Place; Best Book of the Year - 1989 - SEOPA; 2007 - inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator; 2008 - received award naming him 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the Year from the Crossbow Manufacturers' Association; 2009 - GAMMA Honorable Mention for Consumer/Paid Best Essay for July/August 2008 in "Southern Sporting Journal."