8 years since I moved from No Cal.

[BPKHunter]

Reading all your posts justs reminds me of the heat and struggle to find forkies for 25 years.

If you are young and have not experienced hunting other Western States, you should. It will take a trip or two to get oriented, but you can't learn if you dont' go.

Sorry, I don't mean to disrespect you guys that work so hard at it. I did the grind in unit D3-5 for 20 years and even killed some bucks.

I just spent too long before I jumped in and regret the lost 25 years of my big game hunting life and don't want others to do the same.

If your curious, PM me. I have nothing to sell and will not share hard earned honey holes, but can point you to places you can see 100 deer a day and you can pass on little bucks.

Respectfully,

Brian

 

[Hardway]

You were doing it wrong.

 

[NickW]

I've hunted D3-5 most all of my hunting life. Killed my first buck at 12 in 1960 and several dozen since. The population ain't what it used to be, but there are still some good bucks there. The poaching hasn't helped either.
I was just in to my hunting camp yesterday and saw lots of game sign and no sign of anyone having been in our camp since we left it last year.
It's all about how you hunt!

 

[bpnclark]

A few years ago I realized it cost more to keep running back-and-forth to D5, than it did to do a week long hunt in WY or CO. Now I try to do at least 2 out-of-state hunts a year. A lot more opportunities on animals out-of-state, but CA is still home....

 

[Buckhunter1]

Thats funny I started with the grind 30 yrs ago here in Kali and had a blast but soon started huntin out of state[5 states a year at times} and now the older Ive gotten I seem to enjoy the old Kali grind more than ever! BH1

 

[Califelkslayer]

I grew up hunting D5 and didn't know anything else for years. By the time I was 18 I took a buck every year. Not bad for a 10%-12% success rate unit. BUT I hunted every weekend of archery and rifle. So my days in the field per buck average wasn't great. But it was hunting.

But I agree that Nevada, Colorado and Wyoming have tons more to offer.

 

[eelgrass]

BPKHunter, you make a good point. For many many years going out of state for me was financially not possible. I really enjoyed hunting public land B zone bucks so it wasn't that big a deal. When I finally discovered out of state hunting (mostly for antelope) it was a real eye opener.

It's getting real tough in the B zones now. I know a lot of hunters who go hard all season and don't see a legal buck, myself included. That gets to be pretty discouraging.

I do love our little blacktails though. Not too big but there is no better eating in my opinion.

It's real nice of you to make an offer like that.

Eel

 

[BPKHunter]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-24-12 AT 10:58AM (MST)[p]Glad to see I didn't get more people pissed at my comments.

No....I didn't do it wrong. I could have killed a buck every year, but found that the duck opener was good enough to pull me away for a few weeks of scouting/waiting in the sweat line at Gray Lodge when I didn't draw. Plus my wife and small kids likesd to see me on occasion.

I do miss my camps there and the guys. We did drives some too and that was an experience. Old school. Just wasn't as productive and I like to see critters.

I was camping this weekend and had a wolf howling at the edge of the meadow we camped at north of McCall, ID. Mostly wife's friends and their husbands, originally from NY, Conn, and Minneapolis. This seemed so amazing to them, but it's so common for me now. So much variety here. This weekend alone I glassed Elk, WT and Mule deer, Moose, Black Bear, and heard the wolf and saw tracks of wolf and cats as well. Just so much game and variety, by comparison.

Maybe some day I will go back down my Bear River Res above my folks home in Pioneer and do a hunt with my boys for old times sake. It' certainly beautiful there and the fishing can be great.