And just as Blackburn saw the benefit of a long-range rifle, I started learning to use binoculars successfully. I spent a lot of time analyzing Blackburn's method and developing a systematic approach to locating deer.

HERE TO FIND DEER
• How old are reforested clearcuts? It takes fir and hemlock about five years of growth to provide enough cover for deer to feel safe. Trees should be as high as a deer's back for adequate cover. Prime growth-range for hunting is from about six to nine years, depending on the fertility of the soil.

Typically, growth of 10 years or older will be too tall for effectively spotting deer. Ideal hunting habitat is where there is a mix of heavy new growth and open "scabs." In these small open areas, deer like to browse on small plants, or to just be out in the open for brief periods of time.

Some of the most productive areas are where there is a mixture of new trees, nine to 10 years old, and smaller trees that were not cut, such as yews, chinquapins, patches of alder and open scab areas.

• Size of clearcuts. Small clearcuts with timber on at least two sides are your best bet. Blacktails need timber for bedding areas and a place to escape when spooked. Heavy timber also provides warm cover from the cold and protection from the heat of the sun on warm days.

THEN AND WHERE
• Early morning. Start glassing along the timberline. Learn where the deer will likely head to seek cover or bed down. Glass their mostly likely escape routes first, and then work your way back across the clearcut.

That big 3-point I shot made his escape, the first time, by heading into the timber shortly after daybreak.

• Trails and skid roads. Like other hoofed animals, deer prefer the easiest route to their destination. Old skid roads or logging trails become their favored traveling lanes. Learn to find these trails and glass them carefully, starting at the timber's edge first.

Binoculars make it possible for a hunter to trace these travel routes across the clearcut. Fire trails dug along clearcut boundaries are good places to see deer. With quality binoculars and careful study, you can locate well-used trails through weeds and other small growth.

• Benches and ridges. In steep country, deer prefer benches for bedding. Locate these flat areas on the side of mountains, and you have found a prime area for bedding.

Deer like to bed on the lip or edge of a bench where they have a view downhill. Trails will usually lead to and from these benches.

Ridges also are natural travel routes for deer. They prefer to follow contours requiring the least amount of effort. But deer trails rarely follow ridge tops very far. They usually quarter along the side of a ridge, crossing at the lowest point or saddle.

Hunters must learn to glass these trails slowly. Deer feed near the trails, or may bed down just above them.

• Midday hunting. Under normal conditions, deer usually bed down during the middle of the day. Boyd Iverson is the author of Blacktail Trophy Tactics and one of the leading authorities on blacktail bucks.

"Between 10 a.m. and 12 noon," he said, "bedded blacktail deer will stand up, stretch and maybe turn around a time or so, before lying back down."

* * *

It's early November. My son and I have hiked into a clearcut in the Cascades that is ideal habitat. We've seen good sign here before, and located several deer beds across a steep canyon. The access road has been blocked by blowdowns. These deer are not disturbed by vehicle traffic.