nmhs, have you hunted 34 much? I've been deer hunting 34 for 8 years now. I posted a picture of a buck I shot up there Nov 12 in the second rifle hunt under the title "As He Lay." Nothing huge, but I was happy with him.
I was just up there for the late cow elk hunt (Dec 4-8). The rut seems to be on early this year, which might make your bow hunt more difficult. In Agua Chiquita Canyon, just outside of Sacramento, I saw a big bodied buck tending a group of about 12 does. He had a good sized rack (probably 23 inches wide), with heavy beams, but he was only a 2 x 2. I couldn't believe it - I looked and looked for any third points, but he did not have any. I might have spotted one small brow tine, but it was hard to tell at that distance.
There was quite a bit of snow up high, where we usually elk hunt (around 9300-9400 feet). We tried hunting up there some, but the snow was just too deep - probably 3 feet in places. It kept snowing while we were there, so I'm sure it's even deeper now. If you were planning on hunting up high, you might reconsider - I think most of the deer have moved out of the high country. I did not cut a single deer track in those higher elevations.
We hunted mostly around the 8000-8500 foot elevations. There was some snow accumulation there, but most of it has melted off by now. There was still a lot of fresh deer sign in those elevations.
Good luck with your scouting and hunting. Let us know how it goes.
