The area I hunt is Lake Shasta. The terrain is very steep and and diverse. There are areas of fur trees, black oak, Mazanita like you wouldn't believe and the southern slop is covered by brush oak (not huntable).
Every blacktail I've ever seen runs down when spooked. They also head straight to cover. Once in they don't run, they sneak! They may circle you! They will only leave the brush for a short time then right back in. That said hunt the edges. I've never seen a buck far from the edges during the day and when I did he was heading for the brush and or was with does. Early in the season they are still in bachelor pods but that will change quickly. These deer (according to a DFG biologist) don't need much water and if the source is in the open will only water at night. If pressured Blacktail move into the thickest brush possible. They are brousers not grazers. Blacktail prefer small shoots but will eat acorns and leaves. According to the biologist there's more nutrition in the shoot at the bottom of a plant than there is in the entire bush. Look for green shoots.
I hunt the lake bottom at last light to find a buck following the doe to the green shoots.
For the present I still hunt to a place where I'll set in an improvised ground blind. I prefer to enter the woods no later than 5:00 am then nap till shooting time. I prefer to hunt brush piles above the top of a ravine or saddle. Blacktail are not animals of habit so you have a 1-in-4 chance of seeing the same buck on the same trail.
Because theY live in steep country they can change their climate easily. I hunt the early and mid morning near the top of the ridge that has a northern and southern exposure. They will often spend their morning on the warmer southern side then cross over to the north as the day warms up. From what I've seen they like saddles where the brush on the northern slope is close to the top. Everything they do is for comfort, security and energy conservation.
All that said a tree stand in a ravine below a saddle where the brush is above or below you and both on sides would be great. If there are green shoots in your watering holes use them but stay in the tree line and for God's sake don't move these are spooky little critters.
I often see bucks trailing does, not as a member of the herd but using the does as a warning system. You'll rarely see a blacktail alone, they're always in groups either a doe with fawns or other does while the buck is hiding somewhere watching them.
When they bed down they will do so strategically, many times near the top of a ridge. They also face different directions so they can survey the entire area.
When looking for blacktail don't look for a deer, only a part of one. The twitch of an ear or bob of the head. Any little movement.
Because of the weather we hunt in the woods are very noisy. If you think your moving too slow, slow down even more. Many times I hear the deer coming to me before I see them. That said they'll hear you. One trick I've learned is to carry a squirrel call. Those little @$$^*(($ can make all the noise they want, let me make one bad step and everything in the woods is looking at me. That silly little call has saved my bacon many a time.
I also pratice scent control. Because I'm on the ground the the action can get personal. I use scent free products. I also use natural cover scents. Where I hunt there are Bay Trees. I make a Bay Tea and spray it on myself all day. Using this technique I have deer walk within feet of me. Even had a bear ten feet away and he didn't spook.
There is a good book written by Boyd Iverson, HUNTIUNG TROPHY BLACKTAILS. Though he hunts the rain forest of Washington State there's a lot to learn from his book.
Hope this helps.
