A22 advice??

[SoCal71s]

So as a san diego native I decided to stay close to home to hunt so I got my A22 tag. I started my "digital scouting" found my spots I wanted go put boots on the ground and glass on the eyes, hopped in the jeep and off i went. Only to figure out that the vast majority of the spots I wanted to physically scout are damn near impossible to get to through the insane amount and thickness of the scrub brush. I know I'm missing something, but not sure what. I've put boots on the ground in the vast majority of the "hot spots" in East County, and in the past 2 months have come away with absolutely nothing to show for my effort other than cuts and bruises from the scrub brush, 1 broken pair of binoculars, 1 twisted up ankle and a couple of pissed off rattlesnakes that wanted to fight ( thank God for snake boots) so my questions for all the A22 guys,, WTF am I missing and where am I going wrong here?? Im not out for a trophy or to set any records, im strictly looking to fill the freezer. So does anyone have any tips, advice or anything else that may help?? I'm not asking for anyone to give up their spots, I'm just trying to figure out how to actually get to the spots I think should be holding deer without having to pack a chainsaw or a John deer in my backpack..

 

[bubblehide]

Sometimes, you need to make your own trails.

 

[ilovesprig]

It's almost impossible to not to give up spots without giving up spots here in the "16" (A-22)....And, that's because we're relatively small in land mass and the chaparral makes it even smaller....E scouting is the way to go....You're just not looking in the right spots yet and you will.

Most the guys I know that are successful hunt private....MCC is private too, but you can at least join and hunt, if within your budget.

Good luck, Steve

ps....If you'll PM me....I will help you get started on lands that are at least more open and have deer....

 

[aeverett152]

PM me. I have never harvested a deer in D16 zone, BUT I can point you in the direction of where historically I have seen deer on cams. A lot of popular areas in D16 typically are tree stand/blind areas. I cant sit for hours in a stand. I need to put boots on the ground personally. If you have the patience to sit in a stand or a blind I have some potential spots for you.

 

[aeverett152]

Just read Steves @ilovesprig post. My spots will most likely come secondary to his knowledge due to his experience in the unit. Listen to what this man says!

 

[SoCal71s]

It's almost impossible to not to give up spots without giving up spots here in the "16" (A-22)....And, that's because we're relatively small in land mass and the chaparral makes it even smaller....E scouting is the way to go....You're just not looking in the right spots yet and you will.

Most the guys I know that are successful hunt private....MCC is private too, but you can at least join and hunt, if within your budget.

Good luck, Steve

ps....If you'll PM me....I will help you get started on lands that are at least more open and have deer....

Thank you, I greatly appreciate all the help I can get.

 

[180ls1]

I made that mistake when starting out. If it's truly that thick, it's probably too thick to hunt and for the deer as well. Look elsewhere unless you're pushing through brush into a more open area.

Remember it was like 3% success last year, that is probably an inflated number and it includes private. So, you're looking at 1% success on public. It's just a tough hunt.

 

[TrapLine]

Let your binos bushwack through it for you. I have gotten away with garden snips to weave my way through it when needed.

 

[ilovesprig]

I made that mistake when starting out. If it's truly that thick, it's probably too thick to hunt and for the deer as well. Look elsewhere unless you're pushing through brush into a more open area.

Remember it was like 3% success last year, that is probably an inflated number and it includes private. So, you're looking at 1% success on public. It's just a tough hunt.

Here are the stats from last season....Sixty 3 points were taken in D-16....That means MCC killed about a 1/3 of all 3 pointers....Wow!

ps....This guy got a pass...