X8 thoughts?

Howdy everyone,

I'm relatively new to California and have been hunting D3-5 the past couple years. Grew up hunting whitetails back east. Lots of hunting experience, not much western hunting experience.

This year I drew x8. Now I know x8 is less than a stellar tag, however, it is fairly local and I'm hopeful that I can spend a fair bit of time scouting and hunting. I would liked to have applied for a better tag, but driving distance would likely have limited my scouting/hunting time. Wife, daughter, and fixer upper house limit my time, but i figured scouting a local unit (x8) would be better than not scouting a better unit and not getting to hunt it much.

I did a quick search on x8 here and didn't pull up much related to x8....LOADS of stuff came up in the search but not much pertaining to x8?

Can anyone recommend good starting places in x8? Not looking for your favorite spot, just somewhere to get started. I'm familiar with monitor pass, but have heard it gets hunted hard. I'd love to find somewhere with a bit of a hike to get away from the road hunters. I'm gathering maps and such as we speak. Any recommendations or thoughts would be GREATLY appreciated!

A little inspiration: my formerly vegetarian wife recently caved in and is eating meat and loving it (it took me alot of hard work over the years to slowly convince her, many thoughtful conversations were had). I'd love nothing more than to put a "free range/grass fed/nonGMO/hippy approved" muley in the freezer. She has always been supportive of me hunting, but this year she is actually saying that she hopes i get a deer.....

Cheers!
T

Congrats on your draw. Don't poo-poo your tag just yet. Big ones live in X-8 too. Check DFW's zone info, more than a few strating spots for you. Congrats again, hope to read about your successful hunt thread later this year.

Check google earth and pool over topos. Look for migration routes leading down to Minden or Carson City as that's where the herd winters.
Weather is huge, but if none happens, hunt as high as possible.
The Eastern edge of Red Lake Mtn is a good choice as its 10,000' and will weed out most if not all other hunters.
Camp at the eastern edge of Red Lake and hike in for a day or 3, it's worked for us often enough for me to call it a sleeper.
One of the biggest bucks I've ever seen was on the eastern edge of x8, just outside CC. He was a 36" muley that had a toad of a body.
They're in there.
As opposed to popular belief, x8 holds its fair share of blacktail said, which typically hang on the western edge.
Red lake has cutts and brookies, which eat very well.
Have fun

Thanks for the tips and encouragement, guys.

I'm currently digging through topos and google earth. Lots of places to check out. I'm hoping to get out for some preliminary scouting over the next couple of weeks.

Thanks again, i'll be checking out some of your suggestions, Bossbrott....

Cheers!
T

Hike into Horsethief Canyon, prescout in late Aug, 1st week of Sept. Not guarenteed but few if any hunters

I grew up in Amador County(Pioneer), but have lived just outside Boise for 11 years now.

First, get some optics and good backpacking gear because the density of animals in that beautiful country is abismal. If you do get into Muley bucks, there is no reason to scout them starting as early as possible. No reason to wait. They won't move far from where they are right now because there is no snow holding them from the tops of the mtns.

Don't push any bucks you find, but find all you can early. I wouldn't be too picky, clearly any 4x4 would be worthy of that tag.

If you don't kill one, spend $1000.00 on gas, food, and an OTC tag in Idaho the last week of Oct on a Muley, or go to No Idaho that week of thanksgiving and load up on some good grass or sage fed venison.

Wonder if there will be anything left to hunt. Heck of a fire going up there right now. I drove through today wow.

Yeah, i have been keeping a close eye on that particular wildfire. It has crossed one of the areas i was hoping to scout off the list. I'm familiar with some of the drainages out that way...they are PACKED with dead/down timber so thick you can barely walk....i'm sure it is raging in those areas.

Guess the areas that burn will be a good spot to hunt in a year or two when all the new growth comes in......unfortunately doesn't help me much THIS year.

Cheers!
T

been wondering if theres any bucks in that country rock. any luck on your hunt?

Had two bucks cross the highway in front of me right at dusk about two weeks ago. One was a straight up TOAD

How did your hunt go?

ROCKCLIMBER... YES..........HOW DID YOUR HUNT TURN OUT..............THANKS........YD.