After being fortunate enough to punch my 1st tag on opening day of Archery, read story here D-19 Opener Success, I like many of you guys was bummed to see the forest close down. I had worked my butt off early in scouting to find the deer and had a pretty good idea where I wanted to try to fill my 2nd tag but there were no more bucks in the area once everything opened back up.
After losing all of Archery season in D-19 and my original plan went to crap I was left looking for an answer during rifle season carrying around a bow, not ideal but I enjoy a good challenge. I went back to my notes from my scouting and looking for areas I thought the deer might go once the pressure kicked up. I broadened my range and started putting in work. Within a my second trip I was into a new group of deer but still no bucks just 2 twin spikes that were hanging around and I would see from time to time.
It being my 1st year and not experiencing rut in my area I had hopes that the bucks would roam through before it was all said and done, didn't really happen. I kept an eye on the doe's that I had and would check in with them every now and then, still no bucks and none with them on my game cam just the same group of Doe's and 2 spikes. during this time I found a really cool place to sit and had some awesome interactions with the doe's so if a buck showed up in that area I would feel confident that I could get it done. More on this later...
As the area that I was hunting expanded I started to get a pretty good idea of where the deer were living but was having a hard time accessing them in any way that I would actually be able to make it happen with a gun let alone within 40 yards with a bow.
Again, I enjoy a challenge...
Unfortunately as I was working a new area on the 25th I bumped a nice buck out of a bed as it's almost impossible to be quiet in so cal forests. I was bummed but was excited to have another piece to the puzzle and gave me confidence that I could get close enough I would just have to slow down and glass ahead more. At this point I only had a week to get it done which meant 4 more hunting days for the schedule I had worked out with my wife. After working the area I bumped the buck for the next few trips trying to find a better way into the area I checked my camera that I had near the area I had been seeing the Doe's, FINALLY a nice forky pushing them around on the 30th. If he was there hopefully he might even bring in others since it was FINALLY time I just had to wait 2 days until my next hunting day.
With my last day of hunting I decided to try and head into the area really early get set up and just sit all day. Went in with a friend early he split off to his area with his gun and I headed to mine with my bow. As the forest starts to come alive I am getting more and more excited. Could I actually get it done and go 2-2 1st year of hunting ever and do it with a bow? 1st hour of daylight came by still pretty excited since it seemed they wouldn't come into that area until it was light anyway. Another hour goes by and I start to wonder if somehow I didn't come into the area right and my scent is messing things up. My phone vibrates a bit after that so I check it out, my friend sent me a picture of the freshest Lion track I have seen up there and says "A bit above you but headed your way either late last night or early this morning." Crap now all kinds of thoughts start going through my head. With a cat in the area should I stay or should I go? Do I really think I could stab a Cat to death with my folding knife like I had told myself every time coming down the mountain in dark during the season? Will the Raiders win today? and so on...
Needless to say I wasn't as confident as I was before and doubt started to creep in. So I pulled an audible and decided to check out the area I thought the deer might go if they were pressured by a CAT instead of hunters... So I started looking at ONX and Google Earth looking for THAT area. I felt good about an area that was about a half a mile away but looked like it had what I was looking for so off I went.
As I catch my breath and calm down from the hike over I tell myself "You can do this" and I started creeping through. As I get to the steepest area I had to go through which all but meant I was more worried about not falling than I was about being quiet and only about 50 yards to where I want to stop and sit for a while I bump some deer and my heart sinks as I watch 4-5 deer bounce through the thickest and steepest terrain I had been in like they floated on clouds and I knew my day was probably done. Taking the positive from the fact that my instincts were right but my skill level wasn't good enough I start to look forward to closure on the season. I decided I wanted to see how well my conditioning for the season and during the season had paid off so I decided to learn more about where I had been hunting and check out even more area. 7 miles and 8-900 feet of elevation gain and decent later I already have a plan as to how I am going to get it done next year.
On my walk back home I stop by my camera to switch out the cards and see if anything had come through last day of season. Get home put my card into my computer and BOOM not a single deer on camera the last day of the season, I didn't do all of that walking for nothing.
Good luck to everyone else with the remainder of their seasons I am hooked and already looking forward to next year.
After losing all of Archery season in D-19 and my original plan went to crap I was left looking for an answer during rifle season carrying around a bow, not ideal but I enjoy a good challenge. I went back to my notes from my scouting and looking for areas I thought the deer might go once the pressure kicked up. I broadened my range and started putting in work. Within a my second trip I was into a new group of deer but still no bucks just 2 twin spikes that were hanging around and I would see from time to time.
It being my 1st year and not experiencing rut in my area I had hopes that the bucks would roam through before it was all said and done, didn't really happen. I kept an eye on the doe's that I had and would check in with them every now and then, still no bucks and none with them on my game cam just the same group of Doe's and 2 spikes. during this time I found a really cool place to sit and had some awesome interactions with the doe's so if a buck showed up in that area I would feel confident that I could get it done. More on this later...
As the area that I was hunting expanded I started to get a pretty good idea of where the deer were living but was having a hard time accessing them in any way that I would actually be able to make it happen with a gun let alone within 40 yards with a bow.
Again, I enjoy a challenge... Unfortunately as I was working a new area on the 25th I bumped a nice buck out of a bed as it's almost impossible to be quiet in so cal forests. I was bummed but was excited to have another piece to the puzzle and gave me confidence that I could get close enough I would just have to slow down and glass ahead more. At this point I only had a week to get it done which meant 4 more hunting days for the schedule I had worked out with my wife.
After working the area I bumped the buck for the next few trips trying to find a better way into the area I checked my camera that I had near the area I had been seeing the Doe's, FINALLY a nice forky pushing them around on the 30th. If he was there hopefully he might even bring in others since it was FINALLY time I just had to wait 2 days until my next hunting day. With my last day of hunting I decided to try and head into the area really early get set up and just sit all day. Went in with a friend early he split off to his area with his gun and I headed to mine with my bow. As the forest starts to come alive I am getting more and more excited. Could I actually get it done and go 2-2 1st year of hunting ever and do it with a bow? 1st hour of daylight came by still pretty excited since it seemed they wouldn't come into that area until it was light anyway. Another hour goes by and I start to wonder if somehow I didn't come into the area right and my scent is messing things up. My phone vibrates a bit after that so I check it out, my friend sent me a picture of the freshest Lion track I have seen up there and says "A bit above you but headed your way either late last night or early this morning." Crap now all kinds of thoughts start going through my head. With a cat in the area should I stay or should I go? Do I really think I could stab a Cat to death with my folding knife like I had told myself every time coming down the mountain in dark during the season? Will the Raiders win today? and so on...
Needless to say I wasn't as confident as I was before and doubt started to creep in. So I pulled an audible and decided to check out the area I thought the deer might go if they were pressured by a CAT instead of hunters... So I started looking at ONX and Google Earth looking for THAT area. I felt good about an area that was about a half a mile away but looked like it had what I was looking for so off I went.
As I catch my breath and calm down from the hike over I tell myself "You can do this" and I started creeping through. As I get to the steepest area I had to go through which all but meant I was more worried about not falling than I was about being quiet and only about 50 yards to where I want to stop and sit for a while I bump some deer and my heart sinks as I watch 4-5 deer bounce through the thickest and steepest terrain I had been in like they floated on clouds and I knew my day was probably done. Taking the positive from the fact that my instincts were right but my skill level wasn't good enough I start to look forward to closure on the season. I decided I wanted to see how well my conditioning for the season and during the season had paid off so I decided to learn more about where I had been hunting and check out even more area. 7 miles and 8-900 feet of elevation gain and decent later I already have a plan as to how I am going to get it done next year.
On my walk back home I stop by my camera to switch out the cards and see if anything had come through last day of season. Get home put my card into my computer and BOOM not a single deer on camera the last day of the season, I didn't do all of that walking for nothing.
Good luck to everyone else with the remainder of their seasons I am hooked and already looking forward to next year.
