CA Big Game Book out

Mischief209

Lil-Rokslider
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Sep 29, 2015
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Central,Ca
The book came out Monday but did not show the number of proposed deer hunts per zone. Thats because they didn't have the final vote for deer numbers intill Wednesday. Ass backwards. Big tag cuts this year in most X-Zones. Looked like they cut most of them by half or more. D-6 back to premium. They will have to do something with that zone in the near future. I see a trend the last couple years and that is 1 years its OTC, next premium, last yr OTC and this year back to premium. No ones wasting points on d6 so its going to keep flip flopping every other year intill somethings done. Kill rate was down to 7.7 i believe last yr. Cut the tags to 6k and keep it premium or make it 15k and OTC. Other news looks like more elk tags were added. Seems to be a trend of 30 to 50 tags each year are added. Lets keep that up. Some good share hunt opportunity's this year. They also cut some antelope tags, i see 10 less in Lassen gen1 and 2. so a total of 20 less. There was 1 more sheep tag added in marble mountains i believe and thats about it.

Big Game Booklet 2017 https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=142671&inline

Here are the Final Proposed Deer Numbers.

General https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=122279&inline
Archery https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=122278&inline
Additinal Hunts G,M,J https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=122277&inline
 
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May 22, 2014
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I see B zone going to a draw in the next couple of years. Im at a point with my points that theres nothing really great available to me and I dont really want to burn them on a mediocre zone. With the tag cuts it may be another 4-6 years until I have a shot at a better unit. Maybe just dump them now on a middle of the road hunt and then stop hunting this state altogether. I'll have to get the book today and go through it.
 
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Thanks for the info , they slashed tags in the xzones pretty good


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I'm already hunting hunting a couple of the toughest zones. This will certainly make a difference in the zones people apply for. I see some adjustments in zone choices in my future, along with the arduous tasks of learning some new areas, or perhaps deer hunting some of the places I pig hunt. Everything changes, and I try to have a good outlook when change comes my way. But, geez, just when I was comfortable.

I see more changes in the future, considering many will change the zones they're applying for. At least I suspect that will be the case, considering many of those X zones will require more points in the future.
 
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Mischief209

Mischief209

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 29, 2015
Messages
246
Location
Central,Ca
I think its almost time to do away with preference points and just go to a straight random draw. Similar to idaho. Maybe a mix of wyoming and go with a special tag option where you pay a little more to have better odds. With the big cuts to x zones where it took average 4 years to draw, now they will go up to 7 or 8 points. Whos going to wait that long. Just go full random and will have a better shot. Maybe. But as it stands not a fan of the preference point system we have now. Ive got 5 points for everything except deer and i will probably never draw any of these in the next 40yrs. Huge waist.
 
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20-30 years ago, I simply gave up on our draw system, because I had previously gone 20 years without drawing the zone I wanted. I switched to a premium tag that was pretty much a guaranteed first choice draw. And my second tag is an over the counter. So as it was, I knew where I'd be hunting, from one year to the next. With these tag cuts, I expect there to be a big shake-up in the zones people are putting in for. As such, I think it's going to take a few years for tag choices to settle to any kind of pattern. As long as the drought we've been in (one year of good rain/snow fall doesn't replenish the ground water supply, and end the drought) continues, I don't see much herd growth (significant growth) taking place, so that tag number are again increased. Hopefully, we continue to get average or above average wet winters, but I'm not holding my breath.

I imagine that with some hunters, this may chase them away from hunting Ca. But most people just want to hunt reasonably close to home. But if you can't hunt reasonably close to home, you may as well spend your hard earned money hunting a state that provides decent opportunity. And this states success rates aren't difficult to beat considering all the other western states.
 
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Humboldt county
I see B zone going to a draw in the next couple of years. Im at a point with my points that theres nothing really great available to me and I dont really want to burn them on a mediocre zone. With the tag cuts it may be another 4-6 years until I have a shot at a better unit. Maybe just dump them now on a middle of the road hunt and then stop hunting this state altogether. I'll have to get the book today and go through it.

I do not think that will happen, F&G would lose an enormous amount of revenue and all the B units combined are at 18% success. I would love to see a 3point on one side antler restriction in certain B zones though. In my experience you see yearlings, then old mashers up in the mountains. not a ton of middle aged deer, at least where i hunt.

As far as the points go, I dont know how many you have but ill have 5 after this year. I was hoping to just dump them on an archery Xzone tag in a few years, but looks like that is going to be tuff as well.
 
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Chico, California
I see B zone going to a draw in the next couple of years. Im at a point with my points that theres nothing really great available to me and I dont really want to burn them on a mediocre zone. With the tag cuts it may be another 4-6 years until I have a shot at a better unit. Maybe just dump them now on a middle of the road hunt and then stop hunting this state altogether. I'll have to get the book today and go through it.

that is where i am at. I have a cabin in C4 so I can hunt it every year pretty much or i can apply for an X zone and get stuck with whatever is left for my second choice. I think i have decided i will hunt c4 every year, never get to hunt my beloved X5a again and I will learn more about Nevada, Idaho and Oregon. Think I am done trying for the X zone hunts in Cali. At least when I hunt C4 I can go back to my cabin and sleep in a bed and take a hot shower and be pissed at seeing nothing in comfort....
 
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... I would love to see a 3point on one side antler restriction in certain B zones though. I...

This state did away with 3 point restrictions decades ago due to to many forked horns being shot and left to rot; I saw many of them. I seriously doubt DFW will reintroduce a 3 point or better restriction again. The idea is sound, but it practice, it just didn't work.
 
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This state did away with 3 point restrictions decades ago due to to many forked horns being shot and left to rot; I saw many of them. I seriously doubt DFW will reintroduce a 3 point or better restriction again. The idea is sound, but it practice, it just didn't work.

3 pt or better policy has pretty much proven time and time again not to be a valuable management tool.
 
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