Guns, Bows, Shooting Sports, and Hunting California deer hunters?

[JKreiss]

With the deadline for the draw coming up, just curious as to what other guys are doing. I'm putting in for X8 and an archery hunt. Anybody have any success with a premium draw hunt last year? I usually hunt D5 and just started hunting the B zones last year with fairly good success.

 

[tmh1955]

I hunt A zone almost exclusively, close to home. No luck on premium draws yet.

 

[WStrmiska]

I hunt D6 and X12 when I'm lucky enought to draw x12.

 

[JKreiss]

Interesting. Tim do you hunt the north or south A zone? Wild Bill, how long does it take you to draw x12, 2-3yrs? I'm thinking that's what it'll take for me to get x8.

 

[WStrmiska]

JKreiss, it took me 4 years to draw x12. This year I will have 3 points. If I don't draw x12 I'll go to D6.

 

[SRath]

How come Californy deer are sooooo smart they know what 'zone' they live in? :-laf

 

[JKreiss]

So about 4 years or so seems to be the consensus. I only started applying for the draw a year ago. I kick myself for all the years i just got the tag and didn't apply for at least the points. I've been very successful in D5 but only when it's been on private property. I'm looking to branch out a bit, that's why i'm looking forward to a new place to hunt. I figured it would be a few years though. Oh well, more time to plan i suppose. I'm wondering how the weather we've had out here is going to effect the deer this year. I have some property in by Tahoe and we were seeing lots of deer by this time last year, but i haven't seen any yet.

 

[JKreiss]

SRath don't even get me started, they know! The big boys stay high and tight in the "zones" that take you 5-7 years to get drawn for. I've got some family property that has some bruisers on it but i won't legally be able to hunt it for a minimum 4 years. It's pretty sad, but at this point i'm surprised this commie state still allows hunting.

 

[WStrmiska]

Leavitt Lake snow pack is at 137" and 60. 9 water equivalent plus it's suppose to rain next week so we'll proably get a little snow. Sonora Pass will proably not open until late June or early July. The big boys proably won't go high until late summer as the grasses will be alittle late this year due to snow pack.

 

[JKreiss]

Yeah that's what i was figuring. I'm starting to see them at the lower elevations, i'll be working a ranch in B zone next weekend that holds a lot of deer and i'm hoping to see a few there. We had a good snow in Tahoe last weekend and it looks like it'll snow again this weekend. Every year there seems to be a variable, we just have to adapt and overcome. I think it helps make for a better hunt and a better hunter.

 

[tpuig]

Anybody want to take a newbie deer hunter or at least give some advice?



I've hunted CA for almost 30 years, but never for deer. Mostly pheasants, pigs and ducks, in that order. This year I decided to put get started on the pref points. So I got two deer tags. The first/premium I just put down the for point. Hopefully I'll get a good deer zone before I die of old age.

Now what to do with the second tag app?



I live in Mountain View, in the SF Bay area. Can I just put a generic zone like "A" or "B" instead of "D-5" or an individual zone? I'd really like to be able to hunt with someone, because if a deer goes down (a big IF) I'd like a bit of guidance on the field care and dressing. I'll do the work, I just need the guidance.



And I think CA is a lot different than the midwest where you sit in a stand... .



Also, I'm going to apply for the antelope, elk and sheep. What areas do most folks apply? I suspect that if I win the lotto and got picked, I'd have to hire a guide for these.



Any of you up for some pheasant this fall, drop me a line. I hunt Suisun.

If anyone has some pointers, it would be much appreciated. Thanks

TP

 

[JKreiss]

Well since you have two tags, the first one you can use for pref. points as well as your zone pick. For your first choice your could just put "PD" for points only. However, some of the draw is purely random so it wouldn't hurt to just pick something. Your second and third choice should be a zone close to home or an area you're familiar with. The elk, and antelope stuff i'm not familiar with as i've never hunted them here. I've seen and heard them, but never hunted. If you do get drawn it may be just as good as winning the lotto. My buddy was drawn 3yrs ago and auctioned his tag for $43,000.



As far as the zones go, i've never hunted A zone but i know for D, and B, the one tag allows you to hunt all parts of that respective zone. For example, i hunt mainly in D-5 but i can take a buck in D-3, or 4 as well with the same tag. It's kind of confusing for me as well. I've hunted deer in California all my life but just recently started attempting to draw for premium hunts. DFG's should have this years hunting digest out and it's an excellent resource that you can download and read, or copy for a ready reference.



If you're looking for some guidance on field dressing, YouTube is a great resource. Everybody has their own way they do it but there are a lot of videos out there now to get you started.



For Pheasant I hunt Suisun marsh, as well as Commanche Hills when i get the invite from friends and family with memberships. For ducks i've always been a refuge hunter. Never hunted pigs but always wanted to. I'm shifting my focus to almost %80 Archery so i've really been looking into some new hunting. Hence the whole draw entry.



The last time i saw a Plymouth VIP it had a tree growing out of it and i drove all the way up to lake county from Pioneer. I found it in the paper and i was in High School. There was no picture but it said it ran and it was $600. I went up there and was heartbroke:{. I've loved Mopars forever and had a couple Darts. Dad had a Dart and Challenger. Now we collect Cummins Diesels:-laf

 

[tpuig]

Great info, thanks. I'm probably going to grab and A zone tag. Maybe I'll see a deer when I go out pig hunting later this year. From almost everyone I've spoken with, getting a premium tag is a rare event. But you never know.

 

[JKreiss]

Yeah they don't call it a "premium draw" for nothing. All the big deer that my family have taken have been in areas that are now "zones". We as hunters just have to continue to adapt.

 

[Steve Robinson]

tpuig, I was drawn for Tule elk on Fort Hunter Liggett a 2 years ago. All of the guys who were drawn for earlier elk hunts there had their hunts postponed due to Military training conflicts. As luck would have it, all of these guys had their hunts rescheduled for the same time as the hunt I was drawn for. I've hunted the fort since 1969 and I know it as well as most I think, but there were so darn many elk hunters out during that period and so little open area to hunt, it was terribly disappointing after applying for so many years beforehand and paying the fees to DFG and also the military. I have been applying for the Owens Valley hunts now since that poor experience at Fort Hunter Liggett and I would not recommend applying for that hunt to anybody. Good luck.

 

[tpuig]

LOL, that's like my last experience at FHL. It was winter and a buddy and I were hunting pigs. We arrived pretty late at night and drove up the hill and it just kept getting brighter. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground, and ended up with ice on the outside of our sleeping bags inside the tent. But we tromped around pretty well the next day until we kept hearing a bunch of trucks just driving around.



Turns out it was a military exercise, sort of. A couple Vietnam vets from Laos were hunting, and just driving around looking for pigs. I don't think stealth was a huge priority, and suspect they had some "anti-freeze" to keep them warm. (I should be clear and state these were native Laotians that came here after vietnam) Nice guys, but we had different styles.



We only saw a couple tracks, but no pigs. It was a good time, but FHL can be a hit and miss. Then again, this was close to 30 years ago. ;-)



I figure for the antelope, elk and sheep I'll just go for the points until I'm actually ready to do a hunt. For my deer tag, A zone should be fine. I hope to do some pig hunting during deer season, and everyone I know that has land is in the A zone. Maybe I'll get lucky.

 

[JKreiss]

Well it's that time of year again! Archery opens Saturday, anybody going? Anybody successful in the draw? My brother-in-law drew the same x-zone I put in for and had 1 less point, must've been luck. I'm going to be hunting public land this year, trying some new spots with low expectations but just happy to get out of the city for a bit. Anybody got any plans for archery or general season this year?