Calif_Mike
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We went for our annual opening week of the California D-6 zone rifle opener. We left town on Friday, Sept 19 with a full crew, my wife, my dad, my father inlaw and a buddy of his. Usually its just my dad and I.
Friday was about getting camp setup and making a hike into our hunting spot to drop off seat cushions, water, etc. so we wouldn't have to pack it in opening morning. The hike in is 1 mile and gains 1,000 feet in elevation, its a butt kicker. Friday evening the wind started to blow, by bed time it was howling. About midnite we lost our pop up canopy as it blew away and went crashing through the forest.
We got up at 4:30 AM and the wind was still howling but we started our hike into our spot. Dad and I have found a couple of good spots to sit on the side of a ridge where I can watch up the hill to the top and he watches down, we can cover about 600 yards. I had my wife sitting with me and I was worried about her being cold but she did great.
We sat until 11 but never saw an animal. Not too uncommon on this spot as we have shot most of our deer on Sunday or Monday. We headed back to camp for breakfast. Evening hunt we only spotted a doe.
Sunday morning found us hiking back up the hill in the dark under much calmer condiitons. We started seeing deer right away and had a couple of does walk right in on us which was pretty exciting or my wife. Every half hour or so we woulud have another group of deer come through but they were all does. HEaded down at about 11. Dad said he saw bunch of does and one deer by itself that he never got a good look at.
Sunday evening my wife decided she was going to stay in camp and visit with her dad so just my dad and I went out. Dad was going to head up the hill from camp a little ways and I was going to head up farther on the ridge to a little wet meadow. It took me about an hour to work my way into the meadow and I sat down under a big tree. As soon as I sat down I spotted a deer in the bottom of the meadow just over 200 yards below me. I put the scope on it and realized it was a small fork horn buck and he would nicely fill in the empty spaces in my freezer. Problem was he was standing behind a small group of pines where the meadow made a dog leg. I cold see bits and pieces of the deer but not enough for a shot. He had no idea I was there and was feeding so I had to wait. I called my dad on the radio since I knew he was below the meadown and told him to hold up, I didn't want him wadering into the meadown and bump the buck. And I waited some more. The buck would feed out and just about offer me a shot then feed back into the trees. If we fed downhill I would never get a shot and there would be no way to catch up to him. Here is a pic I took of the meadow the following day from my vantage point. The buck was standing to the far right of the willows in the middle of the pic.
After about 15 minutes he finaly came out from behind the trees and I took the shot, dropping him on the spot. I called dad and told him I had to work my way down but for him to start up toward me. My wife heard the shot from camp and came up on the radio and asked if that was me and if I got one. I told her it was and she was a bit bummed since she had stayed in camp. Dad and I qucikly dressed him and I decided to carry him down the hill to camp rather than going back to the truck for the sled. He was pretty small. Here I am coming into camp with dad right behind me carrying our packs and rifles.
Here is a pic of dad and I with my little Calif jackrabbit buck.
My wife quickly got into the action and got out her knife and demanded that I teach her how to skin a deer. This was her first deer hunt. She did very well at skinning.
We got the deer skinned, bagged and hung then had a late nite aroudn the fire. We decided to pass on the Monday morning hunt and sleep a little. Monday afternoon we went back to the wet meadow but didn't see anything. Tuesday morning we went back to our upper hill spot and my wife spotted a nice much about 10:30 AM but it came through on a trot at 200 yards and never offered her a shot. We hunted that nite and Wensday but never saw anymore deer. We headed home Thursday.
We saw fewer deer this year than past years but still managed one small buck. That is 8 deer for dad and I off that mountain in 8 years in a zone that averages about 6% hunter success so we're doing ok. It was a great trip to share with my dad and wife and we had a good time. My wife is already looking forward to next year.
Calif_Mike
Friday was about getting camp setup and making a hike into our hunting spot to drop off seat cushions, water, etc. so we wouldn't have to pack it in opening morning. The hike in is 1 mile and gains 1,000 feet in elevation, its a butt kicker. Friday evening the wind started to blow, by bed time it was howling. About midnite we lost our pop up canopy as it blew away and went crashing through the forest.
We got up at 4:30 AM and the wind was still howling but we started our hike into our spot. Dad and I have found a couple of good spots to sit on the side of a ridge where I can watch up the hill to the top and he watches down, we can cover about 600 yards. I had my wife sitting with me and I was worried about her being cold but she did great.
We sat until 11 but never saw an animal. Not too uncommon on this spot as we have shot most of our deer on Sunday or Monday. We headed back to camp for breakfast. Evening hunt we only spotted a doe.
Sunday morning found us hiking back up the hill in the dark under much calmer condiitons. We started seeing deer right away and had a couple of does walk right in on us which was pretty exciting or my wife. Every half hour or so we woulud have another group of deer come through but they were all does. HEaded down at about 11. Dad said he saw bunch of does and one deer by itself that he never got a good look at.
Sunday evening my wife decided she was going to stay in camp and visit with her dad so just my dad and I went out. Dad was going to head up the hill from camp a little ways and I was going to head up farther on the ridge to a little wet meadow. It took me about an hour to work my way into the meadow and I sat down under a big tree. As soon as I sat down I spotted a deer in the bottom of the meadow just over 200 yards below me. I put the scope on it and realized it was a small fork horn buck and he would nicely fill in the empty spaces in my freezer. Problem was he was standing behind a small group of pines where the meadow made a dog leg. I cold see bits and pieces of the deer but not enough for a shot. He had no idea I was there and was feeding so I had to wait. I called my dad on the radio since I knew he was below the meadown and told him to hold up, I didn't want him wadering into the meadown and bump the buck. And I waited some more. The buck would feed out and just about offer me a shot then feed back into the trees. If we fed downhill I would never get a shot and there would be no way to catch up to him. Here is a pic I took of the meadow the following day from my vantage point. The buck was standing to the far right of the willows in the middle of the pic.
After about 15 minutes he finaly came out from behind the trees and I took the shot, dropping him on the spot. I called dad and told him I had to work my way down but for him to start up toward me. My wife heard the shot from camp and came up on the radio and asked if that was me and if I got one. I told her it was and she was a bit bummed since she had stayed in camp. Dad and I qucikly dressed him and I decided to carry him down the hill to camp rather than going back to the truck for the sled. He was pretty small. Here I am coming into camp with dad right behind me carrying our packs and rifles.
Here is a pic of dad and I with my little Calif jackrabbit buck.
My wife quickly got into the action and got out her knife and demanded that I teach her how to skin a deer. This was her first deer hunt. She did very well at skinning.
We got the deer skinned, bagged and hung then had a late nite aroudn the fire. We decided to pass on the Monday morning hunt and sleep a little. Monday afternoon we went back to the wet meadow but didn't see anything. Tuesday morning we went back to our upper hill spot and my wife spotted a nice much about 10:30 AM but it came through on a trot at 200 yards and never offered her a shot. We hunted that nite and Wensday but never saw anymore deer. We headed home Thursday.
We saw fewer deer this year than past years but still managed one small buck. That is 8 deer for dad and I off that mountain in 8 years in a zone that averages about 6% hunter success so we're doing ok. It was a great trip to share with my dad and wife and we had a good time. My wife is already looking forward to next year.
Calif_Mike
