Hunting Buddy Wanted D7 rifle again this year-day trips mainly (somebody local preferred) fishing too!

[OVHunter916]

I'll be hitting D7 again this year. Due to my schedule and interest level this year I'll be doing mainly day trips during rifle season (possibly some camping later in the season). I'll be going up for the opener but may have a pre-existing invite for one mid-late season hunt with a friend. My main game plan will probably involve leaving Fresno area at zero dark thirty and hitting the trailhead well before first light for a day of ridge running, still hunting adventure. Tentatively I have Saturdays available along with random weekdays that I can take off work. It'd probably work best for local folks as I tend to be a little spontaneous in planning hunts...
I'll be doing some scouting trips combined with fishing this summer. Although I typically focus strictly on deer during rifle season, I've had a whole heck of a lot more success chasing trout than deer! I know most of the local spots and plan on doing some serious stream and float tube fishing this summer. Although I'm no stranger to drifting a dry fly, I'm more usually more passionate about chucking micro spinners and mini jigs with an ultralight spinning outfit. Just shoot me a PM if you want to hook up for some fishing or chat about rifle season this year...

 

[jackrabbit]

Wish you luck hunting and fishing OV. I cover the same area but now too old with physical issues to climb or hunt side hills where the deer highways tend to be. I will go Preference point first choice and D7 2nd choice. I can drive to my spots in one hour, but I am mostly a day sleeper now and never know when I will be ready to hit the road, I sleep when I am sleepy and get up when I am not sleepy. I am retired. It is crazy that D7 has sold out before, but I think that is because folks buy 2nd tags when those open up in August. I like to catch trout too, but I don't need to get up early for that. Last year with the weather, the migration started before end of season, which is rare. I still love tracking the deer trails -- a harvest is just a bonus.

One thing I like is opening morning when I can hear the shots and zero in on where the most deer are located -- but before 10 AM when folks start target shooting! Talk with other hunters about couger sign, those predators ruined my favorite spot where I used to backpack uphill and set up a couple days before the opener.

Post up if you find some takers, and definitely post up your adventures for our pleasure.

 

[cjack]

I'm like jackrabbit, preference point, D7 and AO. I also have slowed a bit but I'm still able to get to some interesting spots by day hike. I will be splitting my time between D7 and D11. In both zones I can be hunting within 15 min. of leaving the house. I like D7 because on those warm fall days I can hunt mornings and evenings with a little fishing mid day. I will be headed up the week after Memorial Day just to do a little exploring and maybe putting out some trail cameras, oh and of course fishing.

I also will be there for the gun opener OV, send me a PM if you want to get together mid day to discuss the mornings events, swap stories and strategies.

 

[jackrabbit]

Hey cjack, I lived in Long Beach and worked in Norwalk for 20 years starting back at the time when there was no such thing as the "Inland Empire" and no residential street or house lights were visible when cruising up to Cajon Pass and hunting cottontails and quail to the east near the railroad tracks. In deer season I hunted west of Wrightwood. I got a dandy 3x3 October 1990, and that is the only deer I ever had mounted. The guy at the fire station in Wrightwood who validated my tag said he had seen a few better but not many. D11 was starting to get crowded already and I figured this LA County deer was special and had him mounted. I moved back here to my home town in 1997. I have max points for elk and 1 point shy of max for deer -- just got to find the right time to use them since there have been dramatic changes in quotas now. I also pack my fishing gear (spin fishing) whenever I head out. When I got my driver license in the early 60's, I hunted and fished for everything legal locally here, and there was no pavement east of Dinkey Creek.

Good luck to everybody this coming season.

 

[cjack]

Hey cjack, I lived in Long Beach and worked in Norwalk for 20 years starting back at the time when there was no such thing as the "Inland Empire" and no residential street or house lights were visible when cruising up to Cajon Pass and hunting cottontails and quail to the east near the railroad tracks. In deer season I hunted west of Wrightwood. I got a dandy 3x3 October 1990, and that is the only deer I ever had mounted. The guy at the fire station in Wrightwood who validated my tag said he had seen a few better but not many. D11 was starting to get crowded already and I figured this LA County deer was special and had him mounted. I moved back here to my home town in 1997. I have max points for elk and 1 point shy of max for deer -- just got to find the right time to use them since there have been dramatic changes in quotas now. I also pack my fishing gear (spin fishing) whenever I head out. When I got my driver license in the early 60's, I hunted and fished for everything legal locally here, and there was no pavement east of Dinkey Creek.

Good luck to everybody this coming season.

I think I have 9 for elk, antelope and sheep but only a couple for deer so I'll be hitting D7 for the next few years. I mostly do archery in D11 because I would rather spend rifle season up in the cooler Sierras rather than the hot west end of D11.

The road to Courtwright has been paved for the 30+ years that I've been going up there, you go way back!

Enjoy the summer jackrabbit!

 

[OVHunter916]

So last week I tried to reply back to jackrabbits post with this lengthy story about accidently walking up on a massive D7 buck midday not too far from the road and then proceeding to miss him with a poorly executed offhand shot... But my computer gliched out on me so I suppose, like all good big ones that get away, it just wasn't meant to be. I also applied for a preference point only with D7 as a second choice. Deer hunting plays third fiddle to turkey hunting and fishing for me. Cjack, I'll definitely try to meetup if our schedules align. Despite the reduced dfg plants, I think this year will offer some decent fishing. I've tried to attach a pic of a View attachment 91096

 

[jackrabbit]

Those fat trout make my mouth water OV! Not too many years ago, when hounds could still tree bears and such, and still spooked the cougars, I took a buddy to one of my favorite deer spots (we scouted before the opener). We headed up at O'Dark Thirty, and being younger that me he got to my favorite spot to sit and I had to back off a couple hundred yards. I heard a shot but did not see the action. He said a 5x5 with Pepsi can size antler bases crossed the trail behind him, moving to his left. Unfortunately,he is left handed and was right next to a young conifer to his left and could not swing his rifle left much. I am right handed and would have had no problem. Win some, lose some.

I will be doing some day trip fishing up that way this summer, but camping is tough because of my bone problems and frequent muscle cramps at night. But I do have a one-person backpacking tent for my daily naps -- like I said, I sleep when I am sleepy and get up when I am not sleepy. So no time commitments for me.

Way back when the road to Wishon was not paved, I would see dozens of deer browsing on the sides of the road on the way back to Shaver Lake while driving back to Fresno in the dark.

I will probably fish Huntington Lake, on weekdays, mostly because I can get there in 45 minutes. Hope you have a good fishing season, and a good deer season. Good luck. Keep posting you guys, I like to see what is going on.