California Mule Deer: How do you guys choose areas to scout/hunt?

[kevin11mee]

The region of D11 I described... It's closed to ALL usage. Because of the Bobcat fire.

You mentioned shooting in D11. If you're not talking about at the range in Burro Canyon or Lyttle Creek... then don't talk about it on a forum. You are not supposed to be using a firearm in Natl Forrest lands for anything other than lawful hunting purposes and defense. That's it. Though I know some places it's obvious that people do drag into there all manner of trashy stuff and shoot at it. But doing so is definitely NOT legal. Hasn't been for a LONG time.

EDIT: Also there are Archery-Only areas in there too. And... for dumb reasons... Mt Wilson...even though it's smack dab in the middle of gun-allowed zone... they have signs all along Mt Wilson Rd that explicitly say "Use of Firearms Prohibited" or something to that affect. I'm sure it's in consideration of their multi-million dollar antenna arrays... but still... in short order upon following one of several trail there... you're rapidly down enough on the mountain-side where there's a showballs chance in Hell of you accidentally hitting any of that equipment on top.

I will say this though... I have great respect for the workers up there... not long after I barely started hunting in 2014... I went deep down the mountain and ran out of water with a looooong way to go back up. A nice couple who lived in the on-site housing up on top, I heard their toddler child and yelled out for help.. graciously they answered my cry for help and offered me water and kindly gave my severely dehydrated self a lift the remaining like 800yds to my truck. Might as well have been miles as out of it as I was. Tongue bone-dry as far back as you can reach... sopping wet under my clothing from sweat... heart racing with palpitations from my body taking moisture from my bloodstream. I had to do a lot of micro-rests on the way up. Go slow, take my time. Was really concerned about giving myself a heart attack with those palpitations. The Rim Trail is endless goat-trail switch-backs on the way back up.

Yea, I was shooting at Burro Canyon. Thanks for the info on D11. Maybe I'll check it out a bit, but it sounds like a difficult zone to access and hunt.

 

[huntnful]

There seems to be deer sparsely scattered everywhere. I wouldn’t focus on water (in the mountains) as much as food and cover. Pick an area that you can see a lot of country. Scout it during July by moving your camp a mile or so daily. You’ll know in a hurry if there’s bucks in there. I seem to find one buck per sq. mile about and the rare bachelor group sometimes.

 

[TheGDog]

And when it comes to glassing... when you've got the high-high and you've completed gridding out the whole FOV. Unless it's very Open Country... DON'T accept just a once-over. It would shock you how later on a damn deer seems to appear, seemingly as if the earth itself opened-up and spit them out... because you KNOW.. you KNOW you've looked over that area multiple times and didn't see anything. I don't know how they do it.. but they do. The thicker it is, the more multiple passes over the area are called for.

 

[huntnful]

And when it comes to glassing... when you've got the high-high and you've completed gridding out the whole FOV. Unless it's very Open Country... DON'T accept just a once-over. It would shock you how later on a damn deer seems to appear, seemingly as if the earth itself opened-up and spit them out... because you KNOW.. you KNOW you've looked over that area multiple times and didn't see anything. I don't know how they do it.. but they do. The thicker it is, the more multiple passes over the area are called for.

100%. I like to get to a new spot a few hours before sunset. Spend the evening glassing all the same areas. So you're talking like 10X over the same terrain. Then I'll do the same thing starting from first visible light until about 10:00 am. Looking over the SAME areas as the evening before. I'll then move camp/find water in the middle of the day and do the same thing in another area that evening. It's been a great scouting method. Think I turned up 25 bucks or so last year between scouting and hunting season.

 

[bulldoza]

Mule deer in California? X tags. Have to draw one and then start all of this. Blue ot yellow tail deer are crosses that I find act more like blacktail. I think you need a tag in hand to get started. Good luck!

 

[huntnful]

Mule deer in California? X tags. Have to draw one and then start all of this. Blue ot yellow tail deer are crosses that I find act more like blacktail. I think you need a tag in hand to get started. Good luck!

Yeah they're some kind of cross. Definitely some Muley, but they have little tiny bodies compared to my out-of-state bucks.

 

[TheGDog]

Yeah they're some kind of cross. Definitely some Muley, but they have little tiny bodies compared to my out-of-state bucks.
View attachment 282014

OH right on... didn't know you could process them in such a way where you can keep on some of the pieces of velvet which haven't rubbed off yet!

There was just a little bit on the tip of the topmost tine on one of mine, so I just pulled it off when doing the Euro mount. Interestingly, the antler is bright white underneath where that velvet was.

 

[Cahunter805]

OH right on... didn't know you could process them in such a way where you can keep on some of the pieces of velvet which haven't rubbed off yet!

There was just a little bit on the tip of the topmost tine on one of mine, so I just pulled it off when doing the Euro mount. Interestingly, the antler is bright white underneath where that velvet was.

The antler is bright white because the velvet wasn’t rubbed off. The coloration of the antlers comes from the brush/trees/dirt they rub their antlers on when getting the velvet off and then polishing them. I have seen some bucks in A zone that are just shedded out and with bleached white antlers.

 

[huntnful]

OH right on... didn't know you could process them in such a way where you can keep on some of the pieces of velvet which haven't rubbed off yet!

There was just a little bit on the tip of the topmost tine on one of mine, so I just pulled it off when doing the Euro mount. Interestingly, the antler is bright white underneath where that velvet was.

Oh yeah, once it's dried or hardly attached, It'll just stay on and not deteriorate or even need to be preserved.

But if you actually kill one during early archery season, you'll need to take special steps to preserve the velvet.

Like sated above, the color comes from them rubbing trees and brush to remove the velvet. Their antlers are white.

 

[JJJ]

On satellite views... if a draw/ravine looks like it has a good amount of larger trees/shrubs running thru it. You ain't gettin' trees unless it occasionally has a decent amount of water/condensation comes thru there. So good chance they at least know about that place and sometimes go thru there for water, or the forage.

One thing is to kinda think about... if you were them... what would you need? and where would you feel safe?

Such as, when you're out scouting and it's cold and windy... which little pockets get you down outta the winds and warmed up again? Conversely when it's hot... which areas do you walk thru where you round the corner and you're like "Ahh... that breeze is nice!" There gonna want all that same kinda stuff just like us. Only difference is they have to think about it a little more tactically (Depending on how easy it is for humans to get there). They want someplace where they will see you, or hear you, or smell you coming way ahead of time. And... that it not be so crazy thick that they can't evade faster than the predator. And for them... lotta times that's them using their athleticism in going uphill or side-hilling.

And if there is some kinda flat spot in the shade upon a slope? And not too crazy thick to get into and out of it, but thick enough you'll for sure hear someone coming? Oh yeah.

Shady spots they can fit into on slopes... but where there might be enough of a flat surface to it that they can actually relax and maybe even snooze without requiring muscles to hold em up at that spot.

And then like.. if on a topo map... you can see two widened-up flattened-out areas... that have a draw/ravine/canyon that can connect them together and that draw/ravine/canyon has large enough brush/trees at the bottom that would let em sneak thru. And also provide something to eat on the way thru?
Those might be good places to check out. Especially if there is no human trail thru there.

Bordering private property that has horses/livestock (i.e. WATER!), and low fences or a spot where the fence is held down by a tree that's long since fallen over. Or the layout makes that one spot easiest to jump over. Especially if not easy to get to that public land bordering it.

When looking at satellite views... look for edges. Where more open flatter areas cut thru areas of thick. Especially if there is some trees/canopy within that opened up flatter area.

Great post, thanks.
Midwest whitetail Hunter here who is new to California public land mule deer.
whole different ballgame.
Thanks

 

[PlumbHunter]

Just keep in your mind... is there a REASON they'd be in there? Would going into a certain area do nothing other than burn calories and get them farther away from food and water? If so, they ain't gonna do it. With no observable reward for their efforts? Sometimes the reward might be a safe place to sleep. But yeah, it can't be like reDONKulously strenuous to get in there with no perceivable reward.

And also sometimes you'll find these little pathways they make following along longstanding drain lines / washes that gradually meander along... but... this little wash it makes... which is usually dotted with trees... passes thru some places where it's crazy thick and ain't no way anything with antlers is gonna mess around with trying to bust thru there. So even though perhaps other times of the year it might be possible they do go thru there to try to find acorns that have fallen and are easy pickin's, they certainly aren't going to be able to do it once antlers have come in.

Also in terms of water... you gotta remember that they are gonna be willing and needing to get it from ANYWHERE!! The safer the better! I say this because in a place I frequent a lot... I go past this seep. The trail line is along this very steep hillside... and at a certain point... this seep crosses the trail. Where it crosses the trail here... it creates a bunch of reed grasses and some standing muddy water that you could imagine them mushing their faces into those grasses to try to suck up water in that muddiness that does have a lil bit of standing water on top of it. (Not to mention eating those reed grasses would also xfer water into them) It also continues on down the scary steep hillside and way down there... meets up with the main creek line that escorts the water back on down outta there. So in that instance... you can see a reason they'd bother with coming by occasionally. And the sign bears this out. And that steepness provides them with an escape route that other critters ain't gonna be able to pull off with their kinda speed and agility.

Another type of thing I've seen is the occasional weird depressions or holes that form cups found on large stones... and what happens is condensation that collects on the stones surface over-night drips on down into these holes/divets and makes a nice little cup of water they can walk right up and drink out of, if they are lucky and know where it's at. Which, ya know, they can smell it, so there ya go. That one was at the top of a mountain so I'm sure it had a high probability of often having condensation on it in the PM. Also because of the large stones getting the condensation... it slides off them and dribbles into the ground nearby them, and you'll see there are more nice flowering plants in this area than most others. So I'm sure they know to hit it up sometimes. Nibbling on flower petals has got to be a nice treat for them in terms of getting water out of their food. Also places like that, with good flowering, you'll often hear the bees farting around in such places before you actually can see and realize there are good flowers there.

Thanks for sharing all this, as a late term new hunter its invaluable. This is all stuff that highly interesting me and wish someone was local with your knowledge. A lot of guys I talk to that have been hunting for awhile just don't pay that much attention to the "nature" part of it. To me if you can figure out all of the things you mention finding deer will come naturally. My first year without knowing anything or talking to anyone I was looking in all the wrong places, my expectations of what deer should like where way off, now that I've been at it a few years its completely opposite of what I pictured deer to like and found out a lot of what you mention is deer habitat, not those areas where bambi lived in green pastures. Some of the good local bucks damn near live in inhospitable areas but a closer look they have what they need as you mentioned.

 

[TheGDog]

Thanks for sharing all this, as a late term new hunter its invaluable.

Same here.... just started in 2014.

 

[Bubblehide]

Same here.... just started in 2014.

Yes, but you're a sponge, an exceptional sponge. And look at you go, sharing such valuable info.

 

[TheGDog]

Yes, but you're a sponge, an exceptional sponge. And look at you go, sharing such valuable info.

Well I always figured that's part of the duty, right? Get more people into the shooting sports, and hunting. Always gotta be an ambassador for the 2A. (Something that you Bubble, thankfully have always done as well, so thank you there.)

And this stuff is fresh in my head for me. I can tell you WHY this or that was not a good choice for me. Or what the field taught me about trying to use setup A or B.

I think a lot of times the long-standing veteran hunters forget what it's like having absolutely no knowledge base to start off with.

-=-=-=-

And then sometimes there's this weird-ass good ol' boy clique mentality on these damn forums (not on this one, but others) that kicks in where if *YOU* chime in to a fellow beginner, your observations are dissed and dismissed by these dudes who routinely post up a bunch of hunts and successes, and in-general have all the other members swangin' off their nuts like fanboi's.

Another weird good-ol'-boy-clique thing I've seen is they'll be yanking the n00b dudes chain... and I'll get pissy with 'em because it's like, they think it's funny, meanwhile this person seeking help is getting this stupid-ass tongue-in-cheek "advise" given to them... and ha-ha-ha, the veteran dudes just assume these guys are going to know their messin' with 'em! And I'm over here callin' em out on it! And they get pissy with me. You try to explain to them that this mofo over here ain't gonna know you're bullsh*tn, so that's not cool man! Not cool at all! Instead they make like YOU'RE the problem-child all because you called'em out on their asinine behavior. Oh... and this same type? Heaven forbid you ever "speak" in anything more than 2-sentence grunts or they get all bent outta shape. I guess things like a vocabulary scare'em or something? I dunno. It's just weird. Thankfully this forum seems to be much better about that. Doesn't seem to have this "Big Fish in a Small Pond" syndrome going on, which is good.

 

[PlumbHunter]

Well I always figured that's part of the duty, right? Get more people into the shooting sports, and hunting. Always gotta be an ambassador for the 2A. (Something that you Bubble, thankfully have always done as well, so thank you there.)

And this stuff is fresh in my head for me. I can tell you WHY this or that was not a good choice for me. Or what the field taught me about trying to use setup A or B.

I think a lot of times the long-standing veteran hunters forget what it's like having absolutely no knowledge base to start off with.

-=-=-=-

And then sometimes there's this weird-ass good ol' boy clique mentality on these damn forums (not on this one, but others) that kicks in where if *YOU* chime in to a fellow beginner, your observations are dissed and dismissed by these dudes who routinely post up a bunch of hunts and successes, and in-general have all the other members swangin' off their nuts like fanboi's.

Another weird good-ol'-boy-clique thing I've seen is they'll be yanking the n00b dudes chain... and I'll get pissy with 'em because it's like, they think it's funny, meanwhile this person seeking help is getting this stupid-ass tongue-in-cheek "advise" given to them... and ha-ha-ha, the veteran dudes just assume these guys are going to know their messin' with 'em! And I'm over here callin' em out on it! And they get pissy with me. You try to explain to them that this mofo over here ain't gonna know you're bullsh*tn, so that's not cool man! Not cool at all! Instead they make like YOU'RE the problem-child all because you called'em out on their asinine behavior. Oh... and this same type? Heaven forbid you ever "speak" in anything more than 2-sentence grunts or they get all bent outta shape. I guess things like a vocabulary scare'em or something? I dunno. It's just weird. Thankfully this forum seems to be much better about that. Doesn't seem to have this "Big Fish in a Small Pond" syndrome going on, which is good.

My first season (3 years ago) I would talk to anyone I could, yet no one would really share any knowledge or offer to help. Trust me I asked. So even though I am far far far from being an expert I make sure I can help out a newb wherever I can, even offer to take them out. Not to my spot but somewhere and just give them the basic run down on hunting. It was extremely discouraging that I couldn't get any help or a mentor, esp in socal where its hard enough hunting. And I get it no one wants to blow up spots or secrets but there are other ways to pay it forward. I bought every mule deer book I could find and just soaked up as much knowledge as I could, which helped me get a deer my second year. My goal is to help a brand new hunter seal the deal on a first deer. Like all hobbies I wish those with the experience and knowledge would put ego aside and help someone. So for the OP keep looking, find a buddy to learn with you and work as hard as you can learning from books, this forum and anywhere else. The deer are out there you just gotta have the knowledge and time to find them. Oh yeah buy good glass and learn to sit all day glassing, that has excelled me getting on deer.

 

[Bubblehide]

Well I always figured that's part of the duty, right? Get more people into the shooting sports, and hunting. Always gotta be an ambassador for the 2A. (Something that you Bubble, thankfully have always done as well, so thank you there.)

And this stuff is fresh in my head for me. I can tell you WHY this or that was not a good choice for me. Or what the field taught me about trying to use setup A or B.

I think a lot of times the long-standing veteran hunters forget what it's like having absolutely no knowledge base to start off with.

-=-=-=-

And then sometimes there's this weird-ass good ol' boy clique mentality on these damn forums (not on this one, but others) that kicks in where if *YOU* chime in to a fellow beginner, your observations are dissed and dismissed by these dudes who routinely post up a bunch of hunts and successes, and in-general have all the other members swangin' off their nuts like fanboi's.

Another weird good-ol'-boy-clique thing ...

The story we seem to always get here in Ca is that hunter numbers are declining. That is a clear misstatement. The truth is that hunter numbers are declining per-capita, or a different way of saying it is that per the total population in Ca a lower percentage of people are hunting. However, the number of hunters in Ca has and is growing. In short, there are more hunters in Ca than 10 years ago, just a lower percentage of the total population of people in Ca are hunting. In short, despite having more hunters in Ca than 10 years ago, we hunters are becoming a lesser and lesser minority per capita. With the continuing growth and effectiveness of the anti hunting majority it has become essential that we hunters project a stewardship and responsible, respectful, sustainable approach to hunting (I am not saying we have not, but we are not perceived as such). So Gary, as you are well aware of, passing on the hunting tradition is an essential component if hunting is to continue to be enjoyed by regular folk like us.

Yeah, I can tell it is fresh for you, just from the advice you give. What I mean, is that for me, someone that has been hunting since childhood, much of my decision making is pretty much automated and almost an unconscious though process taking place as I take in the environment, the conditions... For example, the ranch I have been hunting pigs on; the neighbor installed new fencing. In doing that they dozed areas for the fencing. This opened up new access for animals. I simply understood that by doing this, it would change how the animals utilized and traveled through the area and neighboring properties. So I simply changed my hunt location(s) to take advantage of the changes. Now, there were those that thought I was nuts for attempting to hunt the area I hunted, as not a single pig had been taken from that section for several years. But hey, it paid off, very well. You on the other hand, are still new enough that you are much more conscious of the thought process. So in some respects, your advice is full of details I will often leave out.
But I will say, that positioning is a very important aspect for me. I mean, I do not want to be to close to a travel path that I get stuck there when animals do show. I mean if I am hunting deer, and nothing but does show, and I want to move positions, I want to be in a position that covers the travel path, but one I can sneak out of too.

Gary, for most of Ca, the gold hunting veterans are (this may not go over well with some) simply not very good hunters. I mean, they have their areas they have hunted for years. So they know those areas well and have a big advantage in those places because of the years they have hunted them. So when others come into "their" area, it throws their game off. In short, they know the area and how the animals react to them and what they have seen. But bring in new people that do things differently, and suddenly the animals are doing different things and no longer predictable. Or put them in an area new to them, and they seriously struggle. Keep in mind, I am talking Ca here, not other states. I say this because of the low numbers of deer we have combined with our environment; mostly meaning the vast swaths of un and under utilized land that deer seldom or do not use.

Every hunter wants to be successful. Obviously with our hunter success odds, that is not going to happen. And if a person is not an exceptional hunter here in Ca, they are not always going to fill their tags. Throw in things like other hunters, the drought we are in... and many of those that are not exceptional, may not be filling their tags when in years past they have. But buddy, add age into that mix, something that is starting to affect me, and even exceptional hunters start to struggle with filling their tags.

Ah, the weird "good ol' boy club". That is a very Ca thing. Been there done that. But hey, one can provide excellent information without openly identifying specific areas. Granted, knowing at least the zone greatly helps in providing information on how to hunt it, without ever mentioning where to hunt. None of us wants an area over hunted, so I get the idea of not talking identifying specific places, at least on the net. But the clique thing goes well beyond the above. And you, know very well, if you are not a part of the clique, you're an outcast as far as they are concerned. As for me, I will never be a part of the clique. I enjoy having good friends, but cliques are just not my thing.

As for new hunters asking question, as you know, many new hunters do not even know what questions to ask. You also know (from that other forum), that most of the time, I new answered the question asked, I simply went to the question(s) they should have asked; something I now see you doing, kudos to you!

To the OP, you mentioned 4 zones you are interested in. All 4 zones you mention are very difficult to succeed in, let alone with consistency. They will take lots of scouting and effort. The deer utilize small pockets with vast areas devoid of deer, and environmental conditions often change the locations utilized in the northern D zones you mention. If you can figure out migration routes in those northern D zones and concentrate on general migration routes to locate areas bucks utilize, you will be in the game.

Wyomings Mule deer Migration Imperiled Video

Just watched this video on Wyoming's mule deer migration by the Eastmans. Its full of great information and understanding of how the mule deer operate and what type of habitat they spend their time in depending on what time of year it is defiantly worth the watch.

www.rokslide.com

Check out the above and look at the migration map they show at about 39.51 and relate that to what I am saying about deer utilization, then think about those northern D zones. However, there is a large number of deer living primarily on private lands in those northern D zones too.

 

[TheGDog]

Man... so true... the thing about the newer person not really even knowing what were the right questions to ask.

Only damn reason I was able to turn around and then ask you guys pointed and specific questions is because I committed heavily to getting out into the field when I started. I was doing 2 weekends a month minimum, all year long, and often did 4 weekends a month that first year. Just because I f**king HATE failing at anything, and I wanted this...nay.. NEEDED this... soo damn bad!

So... to any n00bs reading this. I want you to remember this, and say this to yourself. At the very least, I'm getting out in nature and away from those 4 walls!... and I'm working towards getting my goal of taking a deer. I will do this.. it's not a matter of IF...but WHEN! You gotta "go hard in the paint!" if you want this!

Understand... that you will see a whole bunch of does before you EVER get to see a buck, live and in-person! Matter of fact... I've only ever saw 4 so far, since 2014, and took 3 of those bastards home with me! (Well... except for when out with the boys scout troop and there was this 3x3 tending his doe and her fawn... right there.... like 10ft from the road... to a popular hiking spot, I couldn't believe it! Was in an area you couldn't hunt. Sigh...) No wait... I take that back.. there were also 2 at different times that bounding across the road I was travelling in on at something like 4am.

My point is, understand that it is going to really test you. Seem totally daunting. and you WILL question yourself and you WILL want to give-up.... but you CAN'T!!! You must NOT give in to those feelings!!! You must cling to the belief that you WILL make it happen! And that you WILL NOT STOP until it does!

It will be an immense effort on your part. What with hiking in regularly and putting up cams... going back in and checking cams. Oh yeah... and those cams? THEY will do MUCH to re-animate you in your fervor to stay dedicated to your mission! That first moment you yank an SD card and you see bucks?... you're like "YES!!!! I'm NOT a freaking idiot mindlessly wandering about for nothing!!! There ARE bucks here!!! YES!!!" For me anyway... THAT was a key pivotal moment that renewed the fire for me.

Again... understand... there will be moments where you elect to sit on a spot.. a spot where cams have even proven to you that bucks sometimes go thru... and you'll sit their quite literally sun-up to sun-down... and it does happen that you sometimes have whole entire days go by in which you don't see a damn thing. You must understand that sometimes...sometimes that IS gonna happen. But when it does, you can't be daunted by that. That is when you dive into "Hrmm... well... Ok... so where are they electing to hang-out and pass-thru now?" So you just begin attacking THAT problem now.

And I gaurantee you... no matter what... if you're taking care to sit in silence, motionless, overlooking areas where the sign, and maybe even cams have shown you the critters come thru there... you WILL eventually see some cool stuff if you keep at it and get on those sits nice and early before the sun comes up and stay 'til end of legal shooting time.

May not always be a deer, but you will see something cool if you wait long enough! Just gotta be ready to capitalize on it when those other moments present themselves too. Such as taking a shot at a coyote. But you need to ask yourself if now is the time to take that shot. Cause if you're there during the season... it may not be worth it to shoot and scare everything out of that area just to lay the smack-down on that fawn-killer just yet.

 

[Ens Entium]

Man... so true... the thing about the newer person not really even knowing what were the right questions to ask.

Only damn reason I was able to turn around and then ask you guys pointed and specific questions is because I committed heavily to getting out into the field when I started. I was doing 2 weekends a month minimum, all year long, and often did 4 weekends a month that first year. Just because I f**king HATE failing at anything, and I wanted this...nay.. NEEDED this... soo damn bad!

So... to any n00bs reading this. I want you to remember this, and say this to yourself. At the very least, I'm getting out in nature and away from those 4 walls!... and I'm working towards getting my goal of taking a deer. I will do this.. it's not a matter of IF...but WHEN! You gotta "go hard in the paint!" if you want this!

Understand... that you will see a whole bunch of does before you EVER get to see a buck, live and in-person! Matter of fact... I've only ever saw 4 so far, since 2014, and took 3 of those bastards home with me! (Well... except for when out with the boys scout troop and there was this 3x3 tending his doe and her fawn... right there.... like 10ft from the road... to a popular hiking spot, I couldn't believe it! Was in an area you couldn't hunt. Sigh...) No wait... I take that back.. there were also 2 at different times that bounding across the road I was travelling in on at something like 4am.

My point is, understand that it is going to really test you. Seem totally daunting. and you WILL question yourself and you WILL want to give-up.... but you CAN'T!!! You must NOT give in to those feelings!!! You must cling to the believe that you WILL make it happen! And that you WILL NOT STOP until it does!

It will be an immense effort on your part. What with hiking in regularly and putting up cams..going back in and checking cams. Oh yeah... and those cams? THEY will do MUCH to re-animate you in your fervor to stay dedicate to your mission! That first moment you yank an SD card and you see bucks?... you're like "YES!!!! I'm NOT a freaking idiot mindlessly wandering about for nothing!!! There ARE bucks here!!! YES!!!" For me anyway... THAT was a key pivotal moment that renewed the fire for me.

Again... understand... there will be moments where you elect to sit on a spot.. a spot where cams have even proven to you that bucks sometimes go thru... and you'll sit their quite literally sun-up to sun-down... and it does happen that you sometimes have whole entire days go by in which you don't see a damn thing. You must understand that sometimes...sometimes that IS gonna happen. But when it does, you can't be daunted by that. That is when you dive into "Hrmm... well... Ok... so where are they electing to hang-out and pass-thru now?" So you just begin attacking THAT problem now.

And I gaurantee you... no matter what... if you're taking care to sit in silence, motionless, overlooking areas where the sign, and maybe even cams have shown you the critters come thru there... you WILL eventually see some cool stuff if you keep at it and get on those sits nice and early before the sun comes up and stay 'til end of legal shooting time.

May not always be a deer, but you will see something cool if you wait long enough! Just gotta be ready to capitalize on it when those other moments present themselves too. Such as taking a shot at a coyote. But you need to ask yourself if now is the time to take that shot. Cause if you're there during the season... it may not be worth it to shoot and scare everything out of that area just to lay the smack-down on that fawn-killer just yet.

Similarly starting in 2014 in CA as a hunter I share much of your sentiment and appreciate you sharing your experience.

I have had a chance a 2 bucks within 50 yards in recent years. The first I surprised and was completely unprepared fumbling with scope caps as I saw him and 6 does run off. I am now ready with rifle in hand in areas I know they frequent.

The second he was walking at a fast pace through an escape route after being spooked by another hunter. All I was able to manage off-hand was a butt shot I did not feel comfortable taking. I have since had significant practice off-hand and feel much more comfortable if a similar opportunity were to present itself.

Having experience in D11 and D14 with the large amount of hunters and low populations can be daunting and frustrating. That being said every year I improve my knowledge and feel more and more opportunities present themselves every year based off that experience (whether an opportunity at a buck or watching does for hours learning behavior and travel corridors).

 

[TheGDog]

Aw man... nothing worse than that cursing, screaming-out in silence, at a missed opportunity! I had that one time with 2 subsequent missed bow shots, followed by a mexican standoff at 7yds with that same buck as he, while leaving the area, decided to turn in and look once more... and me trying to remain frozen until he possibly could look away and I'd have opportunity to move and grab for another arrow. Didn't happen. And as you know... those events HAUNT you! BUT... you DO learn from them!

 

[Wags]

A lot of great info in here, regardless of the state you hunt.

I've hunted CA for almost 30 years and man has it changed. If it werent for my son hitting hunting age I'd never apply here again.