First Mule Deer Hunting Experience

[Big_C]

Looks like my first season hunting California mule deer is over. Having now gone out and put the theory I learned here into practice, I’ve got more questions and comments.

First let me relate what we did so maybe someone can offer some constructive criticism for the future: Uscrpick & I drew X9b and scouted the Coyote Flats area a couple of months before the season started & found some nice bucks up on Coyote Ridge. We weren’t able to hunt opening weekend, but went up the following two three-day weekends (9/24-26 & 10/1-3). The first weekend we heeded the advice “Hunt High, Hunt Hard & Get Away From The Road” and hiked all over Coyote Ridge & the Hunchback (12,300+ feet at the top), glassing every shadow, rock, tree, & brush looking for an antler or face, a horizontal line indicating a back, a tail – anything that could be a piece of a deer. We wore ourselves out! Didn’t see a single deer. That was Friday & Saturday. Sunday we were getting pretty discouraged so we checked out another nearby area at lower elevation (don’t know the name but it was probably around 10,000’) and finally spotted two does before it was time to head home. The whole time we didn’t see another hunter, didn’t hear any shots, and didn’t see any gut piles. Thought that was mighty strange for an X-zone.

Hoping to learn from experience, we changed tactics and hunted the following weekend exclusively in lower elevation areas of Coyote Flats (that we had not previously scouted). We finally started seeing deer (a few dozen does, fawns & spikes) but again not a single legal buck! Ironically, it was while we were driving from one area to another that we saw most of the deer, thus inadvertently becoming dreaded “road hunters”. This time we did see a few other hunters (only one on foot – everyone else was cruising) but again heard no shots. We were camping right in the area and were up and out pretty much from 6am-7pm so you’d think we would have heard if anyone got a shot off.

Questions: Where the heck were the bucks?? We hunted high, we got away from the roads as best as we could (there are a surprising number of unmarked roads up there! You think you are hiking away from one and just stumble across another), we glassed, we tried to keep the wind in our face and the sun at our back – where did we go wrong?

How do you get away from roads when they are all over the place? Many times at lower elevations we would drive and stop a distance away from an area that looked promising, hike on over to it, take our time hunting through the area, only to find a road on the other side of the trees or over the ridge (for example).

Comment: The first weekend of hiking & climbing all over the place was a more satisfying experience. The second weekend we didn’t strain ourselves half as hard but saw 10x the deer. That sure makes me re-think the whole idea of “road hunting”. It doesn’t really feel like hunting (more like Lion Country Safari!) but so far that’s how I’ve seen 90% of my deer. Granted that they weren’t shooters, but it still makes me think that maybe the easy way isn’t so stupid after all.

Thanks for your input!

 

[ImThere]

YOU SAID IT ABOUT ROAD HUNTING ITS EASY, COVER MORE GROUND, ROADS ARE EVERY WHERE BUT YOU DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING LEGAL FROM THE ROAD I THINK THE ONLY TIME YOU DO IS WHEN SOME HUNTER HIKING SCARES THEM OUT I STILL BELIVE THAT YOU HAVE TO HUNT AWAY FROM THE ROADS THERE ARE AREAS A PERSON CANT DRIVE TO THAT IS WHERE YOU NEED TO BE JUST MY

 

[Cda55]

I hear you Big_C. I was up there opening weekend and only ran across a few does. I only saw one(the one on JHO on the back of a quad). We hunted low and high with no legal bucks to be found.

 

[deerhuntr44]

I hunted x-9b about 7 years ago and we were in the same place you hunted, but on opening weekend and we found out that once the first shots were fired up on coyote flats the deer bugged outta there. I'll bet you saw some when you scouted it, that's why you went there. Unfortunatly you picked the wrong x zone (although x-12 has not been that good either so far this year). Let me tell you about x-9b on the other side of the crest is kings canyon and sequia national parks and that's where they go till the snow pushes them out. ( that's why they have the Goodale hunt in dec.) You will see the ocassional buck here and there but on the most part the main herd is in the National Park. And they won't come down to where they winter (owen's valley) until long after the season is over.

 

[Big_C]

Ok, that makes some sense. I guess that would explain why hardly anyone here (JHO) seems interested in X9b but many are hunting x9a next door.

Live & learn. Aside from picking the wrong zone does it sound like we were on the right track?

C

 

[deerhuntr44]

sounds like you did all you can do, except being there opening morning. Although if it was anything like x-12 on the opener you were probably better off not going. I imagine the wind up at coyote flats was howling that weekend. Remember that storm on the opener?
Yes x-9a and x-12 are the most desirable zones down that way, just because of their summer ranges

 

[gc4279]

Big C, welcome to California deer hunting

 

[karstic]

Big C

Sounds like we were in the same boat. Personally I think the Coyote Ridge/Flats area saw a huge amount of pressure by the number of hunting parties I saw in the area. If I ever get drawn for X9B again, I'll definately scout out some other areas other than CF/CR.

 

[Nate_Smith2]

My advice...and for what it is worth, I aint chargin you anything more for it.

SLOW DOWN and BREATH DEEP!

When you had no chance of harvesting you saw bucks. Funny, huh? Now that the season is open and the pressure is on you probably are looking too hard.

It's good to get away from roads and into the high country. But stop and enjoy the country for a minute. Try to smell the deer. Walk a lot, but sit and glass longer. Watch the samne area for ten minutes without moving the binocs...you'll be amazed at what pops out of the bushes you were sure held nothing.

Shadows. Where would you be if you were a deer in the middle of the day? The moon was full that last wekeend. Deer tend to get up earlier and eat and drink then bed down earlier. They are looking for shade. They are in the shadows most of the time...where they are harder to see. In a couple weeks the moon will be new again and you will see more deer again.

But don't stop hunting till then. Just slow down and take everything in. Leave the gun at camp and take a camera. More deer will appear. Take a good shot with the camera and enjoy it. Then go back the next day with a gun and shoot the SOB!

Did I say RELAX?

Nate

 

[BirdDawg]

well thats why they call it hunting and not shooting......luck has alot to do with getting a buck.....but I still personally believe that getting off the roads and away from hunters is the ticket for a successful hunt....it's a bummer when you find an area you want to hunt and take off walking just to find a road across the ridge......been there......I don't know that area but I'm willing to bet there a smart old buck hiding out there somewhere.....

 

[Nate_Smith2]

Originally posted by BirdDawg@Oct 5 2004, 02:02 PM
well thats why they call it hunting and not shooting......[snip]I don't know that area but I'm willing to bet there a smart old buck hiding out there somewhere.....

I bet he walked by at least one of them.

I've done that. I walked back to pick up something I left laying on a rock once and jumped a big buck right next to the trail I had walked 15 minutes earlier. They are good hiders when they get big...or is it vice versa?

Nate

 

[BirdDawg]

I've watched on several ocasions over the years deer lay down in the open and hunters walk right on by.....an no doubt I've done it also......this year has been the worse year I've had on seeing deer........then hunting one day in the same canyon I see 3 bucks in one day..........just have to keep trying.....I've never shot a buck sitting home......YET.

 

[Big_C]

That's one of the things that bugs me - we didn't even jump a deer. Never saw a tail slipping away, motion out of the corner of my eye, etc. No signs of life. If we had spooked some then at least I'd know it was something that I was doing wrong and I'd be a lot less discouraged than just not seeing anything

C

 

[Nate_Smith2]

Big C...I don't think you're hearing me right. What I am saying is...the bucks were there...you just could not see them.

Saturday morning I watched a herd of 25 or so deer walk up the side of a mountain from camp. We used a high power telescope to watch the herd from about 6 miles away. We headed up there after they bedded down. No sign of deer anywhere on that mountain. No where! Did they disappear? Did Scotty beam them up?

They were there. We missed them. Fortunately we did not give up and I found a buck on the next mountain. But even he, I walked right by before my buddy motioned me to come down in elevation a bit and walk the same ridge...just 60 or 70 feet lower...there he was.

Had I not gone back and re walked the ridge I'd have walked right past him and sworn there were no bucks up there...cept for my experience telling me I was wrong.

Nate

 

[Luckyshot]

Originally posted by Big_C@Oct 5 2004, 11:37 AM
“Hunt High, Hunt Hard & Get Away From The Road” and hiked all over Coyote Ridge & the Hunchback (12,300+ feet at the top

Hunt high doesn't necesarilly mean extreme elevations. High is a relative term depending on where your hunting. Like in X-9A if you went as high as you could go you would find yourself surrounded by nothing but volcanic rock and pummice with no vegetation. In other zones high means dead old growth pine forest. I believe the majority of the deer have a comfort zone that they don't exceed because of available food sources. So if you want to see alot of deer you need to be in that zone probably a little lower than you might think. I also believe that the largest bucks are solitary or in bachelor groups during the hunting season and these deer may very well be at extreme elevations you just wont see a lot of deer up there. So it's a matter of what you're after. Keep after it and you will eventually be rewarded.

 

[wello]

Big-C :

Don't feel bad about not getting your deer, we all go buckless sometimes. Your no less a hunter then most. The hunter success rates for these x-zones for the mulies show that it is not a guarantee at all to get a deer. I think we all need to accept that and the fact that the herds are down lately. If you take the numbers and do the math with the amount of opening day deer taken and then a few here and there over the season you have your hunter success pretty much figured out. You have to beat the percentage by hunting longer and more often and sometimes much harder due to the fact most of the dumb easy herd deer are taken already.
I can atest to the area your talking about as being barin of deer after an opener. When I went I got up there Mid day or so I think on the opener years ago there was already 2 nice deer hanging in the main first deer camp area and no more the rest of the weekend. ....Mulies are a bit different then blacktail in that they pack up most the time the more open it gets, then you have the task of wading through numerous mountains and ridges to find em before they bed. If your lucky to know where a pack beds everyday like some of the local successful hunters then your in business. Roads can be a huge plus in a place such as this as you can have more angles at which to spot them if they are there. And I mean to stress ,. if they are there.. Optics and time are your best friends in the open or semi open areas. I use an 80mm scope and but again if there not there they just might not be there. Sometimes you can see a pack of a half dozen deer browsing or trotting away from ya with a scope in a area holding deer but absolutely nothing with your naked eye. I'll sometimes be panning in an area with a lack of deer and all of a sudden spot a coyote running directly towads me or a bird flapping its wing or such out at 1000 yards that I would not see without, but nope, no deer.. Another important thing on the scope thing is that without you can not really tell how high the sage is and therefore what you would be looking for with your unaided eye. In the mornings in quiet areas look into ravines with green areas which signify watering areas. In busy areas look for them way up above the roads going over the top mid morning. Midday and after don't go for lunch as this is primetime for spotting deer moving into bedding areas after going over that top I just mentioned. They like outcroppings or a single bush or tree right in the open most likey overlooking an area. Call it crazy but one of my greatest realizations with deer that mainly applies to black tail but that might apply to mulies somewhat also is my own theory of 3/4. It goes something like this.. Put yourself 3/4 the way into a major mountain range (don't go all the way as others do), then 3/4 the way up a mountain or ridge via dirt road or whatever (this is where the feed, or bed, or water is). In the morning the deer might not be there but when your really awake and the sun is right for seeing deer around 3/4 through the morning the deer will be there right in your 3/4 the way transitional area between the water and the top of the mountain. They then bed at the 3/4 the way up in the clearing or whatever. In blacktail area you can count on the deer crossing at some sort of a transitional area probly 3/4 the way of something and then the darn things will look back down at ya guess where.. Yup, you guessed it.. 3/4 the way up the rest of the mountain between you and the top.. I say don't do anything half way or half assed and don't do it all the way either... Yea, I know what yer thinkin, "What the hell is he talkin about?"......

 

[sportyg]

Big C,

Listen to these guys they know what they are talking about !! Besides what has already been added the only thing I can recommend is for you guys to SLOW DOWN !!! Based on your post it seem you where hunying at too fast a pace. For example if you cover say a 1/2 mile in an hour your moving to fast.. If you where hunting a certin spot always hunt your way in and out never just hike in to where you think your going to hunt as you never know when you'll see that buck of a life time. When you do most of the time he is not where you think he's going to be..

 

[deerhuntr44]

Big C don't listen to that crap about them being there and just not seing them, they don't know coyote flats. If you got a good spoting scope and bino's you will see them if they are there. Why and how do I know this? Because I've been there and everyone else that's saying this and that has not.

Deer can not hide when there is no trees any where right, so if you don't spot any in the morning or evening moving about and you don't see any dropping's, then what does that tell you? It tells me there are no DEER.

I wondered when you would bring up that 3/4 the way crap ola

Don't feel bad everyone I had to listen to it all weekend one year

JK bro

 

[deerhuntr44]

Big C,

I don't know if you can go this last weekend or not?

But something you might want to look into is do some quick research on where the hot spots are for that Goodale hunt (it's in x-9b) and hunt there maybe just maybe something might be coming off the mountain early.

I think the hot spots for that hunt are somewhere either in the middle or the southern part of the zone. And as you know Coyote Flats is way up on the border of 9a.

Just a thought

 

[Big_C]

Deerhuntr44 - No, my season is unfortunately over. My hunting buddy didn't have the foresight 15 years ago to not get married during deer season & it's his anniversary this weekend so he can't go. If I went at it alone Murphy and his bag of laws would probably ride shotgun and anything that could go wrong would.

Thanks for the advice, though!

C