highsierra
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LAST EDITED ON Dec-18-19 AT 06:33PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Dec-18-19 AT 11:43?AM (MST)
This came up in the other Goodale (G3) post and I thought it might warrant a separate thread..
My thoughts...
First of all, I'm not denying that trophy quality of bucks taken in this zone has diminished over the years. This may be a function of several things...habitat, loss of superior genetics from selective removal of largest bucks by hunters, Mt. Lions targeting older age class animals, etc. Theorize all you want...I'm sure that all the aforementioned play a role, to some degree, in what the current situation is.
What many fail to understand about this particular hunt is that the demographic of the hunters drawing this "coveted" tag may also be effecting the "perception" regarding trophy quality available nowadays.
Here's something to consider...
Most (90%) of the hunters drawing this zone have MAX points (18). So, if you were a pre-teen 12 year old, with wisdom beyond your years and tremendous patience (highly unlikely), you would now be 30 years old if you drew this year. Obviously, the chances of this scenario playing out are next to impossible. So, in essence, the hunters drawing this tag are probably those that were plugged into the "hunting scene" at the time CA went to a pref. pt. system (as there was little social media then) and understood that it may take many years to eventually draw. I'll go out on a limb and say most 20 year old CA hunters, and maybe even most 30 year old CA hunters, probably wouldn't fall into this category 18 years ago.
So what does this mean? Those that are drawing the tag now were probably at least in their 30's eighteen years ago...putting them now in their late 40's. Mind you, this would be the YOUNGEST of hunters drawing G3 today. As evidenced from many posts/photos online, as well as from personal experience in the zone, I can say with great confidence that the majority of hunters drawing G3 now are well into their 50's...many much older.
You can probably guess where I'm going with this now. Older hunters are not always in the best physical condition. To take a truly magnificent buck in this zone you need to understand that you will be walking in steep, potentially high altitude, terrain in (hopefully) winter-like conditions (low temps/ snow,wind, etc.) The buck I helped a friend take last year required a 3 hr 2500'+ climb in the dark just to get close enough to evaluate. Not for the faint of heart. Could you find a good, maybe even great (180" +) buck close to a road...maybe, but unlikely. Big bucks need age to reach their potential. Bucks possessing descent antler growth (that of a typical 4-5 yr old) that also acclimate over the years to spending time near roads never reach their full potential because these are the bucks a high percentage of the G3 hunters target. Throw in the overwhelming massiveness and daunting terrain of the Eastern Sierra, the pressure of just shooting a buck so that that long awaited tag doesn't go to waste, and you have a recipe for tag holders smoking "lesser" bucks more often than not.
I for one, am not willing to write off this zone as a potential producer of a "Governor's Tag" worthy buck. It will just take the right person that possesses the right attitude, the necessary physical ability, the required skill set, and a little bit of luck (weather) to notch a tag on such a giant. With the aging demographic drawing this tag...the chances of this happening may be lessening each year.
your thought?
-HS
This came up in the other Goodale (G3) post and I thought it might warrant a separate thread..
My thoughts...
First of all, I'm not denying that trophy quality of bucks taken in this zone has diminished over the years. This may be a function of several things...habitat, loss of superior genetics from selective removal of largest bucks by hunters, Mt. Lions targeting older age class animals, etc. Theorize all you want...I'm sure that all the aforementioned play a role, to some degree, in what the current situation is.
What many fail to understand about this particular hunt is that the demographic of the hunters drawing this "coveted" tag may also be effecting the "perception" regarding trophy quality available nowadays.
Here's something to consider...
Most (90%) of the hunters drawing this zone have MAX points (18). So, if you were a pre-teen 12 year old, with wisdom beyond your years and tremendous patience (highly unlikely), you would now be 30 years old if you drew this year. Obviously, the chances of this scenario playing out are next to impossible. So, in essence, the hunters drawing this tag are probably those that were plugged into the "hunting scene" at the time CA went to a pref. pt. system (as there was little social media then) and understood that it may take many years to eventually draw. I'll go out on a limb and say most 20 year old CA hunters, and maybe even most 30 year old CA hunters, probably wouldn't fall into this category 18 years ago.
So what does this mean? Those that are drawing the tag now were probably at least in their 30's eighteen years ago...putting them now in their late 40's. Mind you, this would be the YOUNGEST of hunters drawing G3 today. As evidenced from many posts/photos online, as well as from personal experience in the zone, I can say with great confidence that the majority of hunters drawing G3 now are well into their 50's...many much older.
You can probably guess where I'm going with this now. Older hunters are not always in the best physical condition. To take a truly magnificent buck in this zone you need to understand that you will be walking in steep, potentially high altitude, terrain in (hopefully) winter-like conditions (low temps/ snow,wind, etc.) The buck I helped a friend take last year required a 3 hr 2500'+ climb in the dark just to get close enough to evaluate. Not for the faint of heart. Could you find a good, maybe even great (180" +) buck close to a road...maybe, but unlikely. Big bucks need age to reach their potential. Bucks possessing descent antler growth (that of a typical 4-5 yr old) that also acclimate over the years to spending time near roads never reach their full potential because these are the bucks a high percentage of the G3 hunters target. Throw in the overwhelming massiveness and daunting terrain of the Eastern Sierra, the pressure of just shooting a buck so that that long awaited tag doesn't go to waste, and you have a recipe for tag holders smoking "lesser" bucks more often than not.
I for one, am not willing to write off this zone as a potential producer of a "Governor's Tag" worthy buck. It will just take the right person that possesses the right attitude, the necessary physical ability, the required skill set, and a little bit of luck (weather) to notch a tag on such a giant. With the aging demographic drawing this tag...the chances of this happening may be lessening each year.
your thought?
-HS