C Zone

This year was and has been the toughest season in many years up in the C-Zone our party has seen in quite a few years. Our scouting of the area told us there were deer in the area but for some strange reason they just weren't very active. We had a couple of trail cams set up in the areas we usually see many deer and the cams showed us lots of promise with multiple large bucks. Our physical scouting told us another story. The deer were not moving like they normally do. Then the opener came and suddenly there were literally NO deer to be found. Be it the storm 3 days before the opener or the odd moon cycle the deer had disappeared. I spent the first 3 days of the season searching high and low, all the spots that have historically held deer simply had no deer. I left that first Monday and returned to work wondering where the deer had gone and hoping maybe the herd just needed time from the pressure to show up. All week the reports were bleak. A couple guys got lucky but overall the deer were just not showing up. Many started to move to other areas and some of the less determined turned to fishing and wishing the deer would magically appear. Finally on Wednesday we had some folks go low, way down out of the area we normally are and they didn't turn up bucks but they did find a few more deer. Friday I returned and gave the higher elevation a shot. Nothing. Saturday morning again nothing. So we loaded up and went low. On arrival we spread out through an area that didn't get alot of pressure but had a chance to hold deer and within an hour our group started seeing deer. Still nothing for us but we pressed on. Clear cut after clearcut we glassed and glassed and still couldn't turn up a deer. Then about 6 o'clock I told my partner we must be cursed but I do have a strange feeling one of us is going to see something. Well, 15 minutes later another clear cut and our luck began to change. First a doe and fawn, then another doe, and another fawn. We are on the right track now I said. Being satisfied with what we had seen we got back in the truck and pressed towards the next clear cut. I took a few backwards glances at the second doe hoping somehow some way she would sprout some horns. Instead what sprouted was another deer. This deer came seemingly out of the ground and was immediately running down the hill. Not only that it was a BUCK! Buck! I quickly threw the truck in park and sprung from my seat. It was a blur but as i got him in my scope I could see he was spreading the distance very quickly and only offering me a shot at his butt. I held off thinking at some point hes going to stop or offer a better shot. He never stopped but at 150 yards he hit a skid trail and turned broadside paralleling the road we had been driving. This was my chance. I settled the scope and squeezed. Immediately I realized that my first shot had found its mark but was far back and had slowed his run but was not the shot I thought it was. Again I settled the scope on him and squeezed another round off. Immediately the .270 found its mark and put him down for good. The search for the invisible deer for me was over. While the lower elevation worked out for me it wasn't the mother-lode of deer but it was just enough to put smiles back around the campfire and spark the dying fire for the remaining hunters that maybe, just maybe the last weekend can still hold some promise and maybe they too can fill their tags. Another C zone in the books, now it's on to D zone for the next three weeks then its off to Wyoming to chase elk for a week. Happy hunting to everyone and may you all enjoy your seasons and may your freezers be full.

as he lay


Success!!

Congrats I heard of a toad getting shot some where in the c zone . not sure where but it was a big one . I imagine it will be all over the internet soon enough .

LAST EDITED ON Sep-29-15 AT 09:11AM (MST)[p]SnS80, Thanks for the nice hunt report and pic's!

Seems to me that this years report and pic's are more what a normal year for a normal couple guys hunting up here might expect. Though you guys have had some great years and may have again, you have put in the time to gain knowledge enough to put yourselves in the best possible position for success in a zone that just is not that great anymore... and that's what it takes.

Congrats guys, way to adjust to conditions and get it done.

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

Sage,

I agree it is the work that we have put in that has put us slightly ahead of the curve in this area that is better than it was, but never will be what it once was long ago.. I have heard some similar stories of success (similar to our past few years) this year from an area that historically is more of an archery area. Hopefully the guys in camp can make one last hurrah this weekend and fill a couple more tags. It's called hunting for a reason, if it were easy everyone would do it.
The warden did tell us this weekend they have a "problem" in the area with the cats and bears. Seems the cats are killing deer and burying them and the bears are digging them up causing the cats to kill even more deer. If this is the case that entire herd is in some grave danger as we all know the cats and bears are way over populated across CA. Need some serious predator control up there. Coyotes were everywhere too. Never have heard so many active yotes during daylight hours as this year.

Here is one of the bucks that came out of the group on the opener.

I have a G1 tag never hunted it before so hopefully there will be some good bucks. I have pics of the toad Brad is talking about wish I had permission to post its a toad, like he said im sure it will eventually be on here

SnS80, that buck looks to be about as good as they get from here, Dandy!!

I finally talked to my buddy that was hunting the monster that i talked about earlier. He had him patterned until opening of archery then never saw him again. Supposed to be a 175-180 class 5x5, about 28", very tall. Just don't see bucks like that around here much these or past days gone by.

Does anybody know how many C tags were still available after the first round picks were over? One guy i was talking to said that there were no tags left, all went to first round picks...

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

That one is a good one but the toad the other guys talking about is a Cali dream buck it's got a fair amount of junk

Such is the life of chasing the "big boys", they are big for a reason and it's likely not a coincidence he vanished after opening day. Would have been a stud to take though it sounds like.

I have a hard time believing that all of the tags went 1st choice. Last year was the highest year awarded to first choice and only 63% of the tags went to first choice. We won't know til they release the results.

That's Greg holding it, a buddy of mine, he is about 6'1 and 260,..doesn't do that buck justice, it's a 14x14,..said to be running with a 28" 4x4. A true buck of a couple of lifetimes.
Mike

Yeah thas the one I was talking about

It taped out at 38" wide,..it's said to be the widest buck ever killed in ca...unless any of you guy's know of one bigger. Live body weight was guessed at about 200#.
Mike

Here is a better and clearer picture of a great trophy for sure.



Brian
http://i44.tinypic.com/es7x8z.jpg[/IMG]

Gotta love that buck! Red fir, high country--no place that I am familiar with. Congrats to the hunters.

> It taped out at 38"
>wide,..it's said to be the
>widest buck ever killed in
>ca...unless any of you guy's
>know of one bigger. Live
>body weight was guessed at
>about 200#.
> Mike
I saw a picture of a buck that was shot a long time ago near Devils Garden and was stolen that buck was close to 50" and some trash, the relative of the hunter is now trying to locate those horns.