X5b

grizz19

Member
Messages
36
I'm curious if anyone has hunted this unit or knows much about it. I'm looking ahead to next year already and have to the points to hopefully get it drawn and am curious what kind of a hunt it is? Is it a lot of road hunting or do you have to get after it and hike hard to find bucks? I enjoy hunting hard so either works for me. I know some dandy bucks have been getting pulled out of there. And curious if anyone has any pictures of bucks taken out of there this year? I'd love to see.
 
It takes 13 points to have a 38% chance of drawing and 14 points to for sure draw the tag. I know there can be some good bucks in that area but I'm not sure it's a zone worth using so many points on. Not a lot of tags allocated to that unit. If you have that many points maybe look into a late season G unit hunt?
 
Yeah that's what I'm trying to decide. Would really like to burn my points here in the state next season because there are some local areas around me that I spend a lot of time in that hold some dandy bucks that's are basically a 0-1 point draw. I'm sitting on 15 points and they are starting to burn a hole in my pocket haha
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-07-18 AT 02:38PM (MST)[p]

Shouldn't wait till the year you want to hunt to start scouting you should have spent the last 5 years or so making trips up there scouting then you would be well prepared to invest 15 points.Ive seen a ton of 26-31" typical and nontypical killed since the big fire so the units doing well I've never spent a second on the unit myself so I don't know anything other then what I've seen killed.
 
A few lucky people will take good bucks off the road, but the stats show that most folks settle on a forked horn--after fifteen years of waiting! Incredible. You will have to hunt hard to have a good chance of killing a 24+ inch buck, and even then you will need to know your way around. It's great country and you will have a good hunt no matter what you kill. You'll do a lot of glassing in rough country.
 
Yeah the way we hunt is a lot of glassin and we like to get after it in country like that so country wise it sounds good. I could probably for sure draw the G6 hunt which is pretty close to my house and I've spend some time in there. Just trying to decide which area will give me a shot at a better buck. I'm confident we could turn up a decent buck in that X5b zone too though so I don't know
 
I've seen a pic of a buck that survived the season that's probably 190" easy with the junk.
 
i will say this i burned 13 points last year to hunt the x2 rifle hunt my gut told me i should have applied for x5b but i was persuaded to do x2 n it was a mistake.

i have scouted x5b a few times n its a much easier hunt then x2, there are quality bucks in both if you know where to look, but if it was me rifle x5b hands down or a muzz hunt in m9 ...good luck
 
5B hands down has some great bucks that move in from Nev.
SNOW will help get them move. So you roll the dice and pick a year to draw hoping the weather gods send you some snow.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 
YBO they do, But the cold and moon tell them the rut is time to come to Cal and do some breeding.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 
I have never hunted deer in X5B.

But I spend 10-30 days in that country every fall/winter chasing chukar and calling coyotes.

There are really top end bucks in that country but I see most of them in late November and December.

I have a few ideas and would love that tag.

This year my son and I were moving from yote set to yote set and saw a 27+? buck 75 yards off of a road. Coulda killed him for 5 minutes. Same day, we jumped a bigger buck about 1/2 mile into Nevada that was way bigger, heal heavy, a toad. Can?t guess his score sincewas going away but at 40-50 yards, coming outta his bed, he was a monster. This was during the X5B season.

All that said, it isn't a road hunt, or an easy hunt.

Snow was mentioned. Once in 20-25 years. The Nevada, 015 crowd prays for deep snow in December so those Kali bucks move into Nevada. Snow in October is very rare.

That time of year the bucks are bedded by 1/2 after sunup. It's a real early/ late hunt unless you can pick em out sitting in shade during the day.

Does it have monster potential, yes. Is it easy, no.

Willing to hit the worst roads, highest peaks, before daylight , you have a chance for success.

If your goal is 25?, your chances increase.
 
Turned 70 yrs old this year and decided to 'cash in' my Points.
Drew a X5B tag.
Never hunted that area before. I have hunted north & south of the zone before the "zones" were started but never drew a tag since.

Any info on the area would be appreciated. Not asking for your "honey hole".
Camping spots, RV or tents, with water?
Road conditions, ATV? Jeep? horse? when wet?
terrain, elevation, weather,
Where not to go?

Any info/thoughts/advice appreciated.

hope to cash in my Colorado & Arizona points soon.

Happy new year and may 2019 be full of health, prosperity and limited entry tags!
 
There is a small Campground called ramhorn Campground. You can tent camp there and take in smaller rv's. The roads can be brutally slow because of the lava rock. I have hunted there many times. My method of hunting was to find an area and stay in that area. Your best bet to find the Bucks is to scout in August. The bucks are much more visible during that time because they're in velvet. basically, you will be hunting resident bucks unless you get an early snowstorm. Take extra spare tires. Get off the roads. Then hunt the bucks like it is august.like was said above, 1st and last light is king. Dont sleep in. Good luck! BtW.. I've seen some monsters here. Its not easy.
 
>There is a small Campground called
>ramhorn Campground. You can tent
>camp there and take in
>smaller rv's. The roads can
>be brutally slow because of
>the lava rock. I have
>hunted there many times. My
>method of hunting was to
>find an area and stay
>in that area. Your best
>bet to find the Bucks
>is to scout in August.
>The bucks are much more
>visible during that time because
>they're in velvet. basically, you
>will be hunting resident bucks
>unless you get an early
>snowstorm. Take extra spare tires.
>Get off the roads. Then
>hunt the bucks like it
>is august.like was said above,
>1st and last light is
>king. Dont sleep in. Good
>luck! BtW.. I've seen some
>monsters here. Its not easy.
>

Good advice above. The two tracks in the unit are absolutely horrible even on an ATV/UTV. A jeep would probably be the best choice for that time of year if you have one. Some bucks I saw last year in August during my antelope hunt. Nothing huge but it's a start...


16573210d4e5b416a4015846bd1c4249b33d5.jpeg


862761fd51fd9603442e6a0bf9fc0ef7d3e9e.jpeg


Another deer hunter I saw on the hunt;

687127dd23c2a27174059989460aa79a31d69.jpeg



Good luck on your hunt and be safe!

Horniac
 
Was just up there last Thursday and saw a group of bucks just past the Ramhorn Springs Campground. Early in the season to really know, but there were two dandies in the group. Lots of water (still patches of snow on the tops) and everything is green and lush. Horn growth will be awesome this year. Great year to draw! Good luck!
 
I would go there this year during the season and look around as if you had a tag, you may see what you are looking for or change your mind on drawing it all together. Either way you will learn something for sure.
 
Should have the best horn growth in years.

I have followed this thread twice; last year when it was originated and again now.

All of the advice EXCEPT anything about snow is accurate.

Snow that time of year is a joke. And if you get it, it won't matter other than the deer will be active.

If you have time to scout it, the best time to scout is August.

Huge potential. I have seen 180-190 bucks in there but usually in mid-November thru December, during the rut.

But those same bucks are there during the season, they don't move in.

If I only had one piece of advice to give, Hunt as close to Nevada as possible, in the hardest places to get to.
 
Thanks everyone for your input.
Really loved the photos!
Getting excited about the hunt!

Thank you!!







Happy new year and may 2019 be full of health, prosperity and limited entry tags!
 
I've spent quite a bit of time in X5B and 015 over the years and will simply say that for a serious hunter who hunts hard AND smart, it has potential to produce a very nice buck. But, deer densities are low and good bucks are hard to find.

I did measure a legitimate 200” buck a friend shot in X5B, IIRC it grossed 201”, was 32” wide and super heavy mass. Antlers weighed 11 lbs, IIRC. I have an acquaintance who killed a 38” buck in 015 that grossed a bit over 220”, but that was killed on December 26 in one of those rare deep snow years. He shot that buck in the Buffalo Hills, but they’d seen it earlier in the season out near the state line. Biggest buck I’ve ever personally seen in that country was a heavy buck of 33-34”, who was bedded with two other bucks I judged to also be over 30” wide. They were out along the state line in some very rough country. If you’re serious about hunting X5B for a big buck, be prepared to come home with your tag in pocket. But, you might come home with a very big buck if you hunt hard, smart and get lucky.

Biggest problem X5B and 015 have these days is a very robust lion population. If lion hunting is ever legalized in CA, I’ll be making a beeline right up there, as that’d be about as good as lion hunting gets.

The best advice I’ll share is to read Kalielkslayer’s posts. Then, read them again. What he said is spot on.
 
True about the cougars. I've picked up plenty of deadhead lion kills the last few years. Between the devastating Rush Fire and the increase in predator population, the deer numbers are struggling.
 
I work with 2 guys both have 1 point less than max and they look at this hunt just because as far as points go they finally figured out they’ll never hunt g3 or g37. So the next best bang for their points is this. I’m sure they aren’t the only ones in that boat. Sucks for point creep, but supply and demand. Pretty soon this will become a max point hunt because max point holders will get sick of sitting and waiting.
 
Thanks for the heads up guys. I had always been a waterfowl hunter and was lucky enough my dad started putting us in for points a year after it started. The planning aspect of this makes it so much more fun.

Got bit by the big game bug 3-4 years back and am trying to come up with a plan. The terrain wont be an issue for me but for my dad may be a little bit of an issue due to a knee and back issue.
 
I’ve lived in Lassen County and Washoe County most of my life.
I’ve hunted 015 a lot and some in X5b.
Those hunts in the past were great for big bucks but now not so much.
Horses fires and lions have pretty much wiped out the deer.
The country is very rough. You don’t need to be in good shape necessarily for walking. You need to have good stomach and rib cage muscles because the little roads are so rough and crappy they will beat you to death trying to get anywhere.If it gets wet the mud will stick to your tires and build up and you will not drive anywhere off the main gravel roads. If this sounds like the kind of hunt for you go for it there may be a good buck or two out in that country somewhere.
I killed a 197 typical in 015 back in December 2005. That was the last good buck I’ve seen in that country since then. Good luck to you I wish you the best whatever you decide to do.
 
Just curious Tyler, did you see any 190+ plus bucks in the burn this past hunting season? Thanks
 
Lots of bucks but nothing over 175 that I saw. Hunted all 16 days and never saw anything worth while. Did see some predators.
 
Dont know anyone on rifle for the last 2 years but do know a couple who the year before saw a couple in there.

We camp there every year on memorial weekend. And some years in July. We didnt used to see much on x2 early only saw them the years we went over that we got drawn towards the end of the season as they migrate in.

Never hunted the burn because the recent burn was after we had the last tag.

The last 5 years we have seen some BIG bucks early so resident bucks. But not on the burn.

I think people go to the burn and see tons of middle to nice deer and only hunt it. The years I have had the tag I have found bucks all around the unit. Just not very many. There has been some really big bucks killed in that burn. But they can be found on any part of the unit.

They need to kill a few thousand horses in there though.

Bill
 
I think people go to the burn and see tons of middle to nice deer and only hunt it. The years I have had the tag I have found bucks all around the unit. Just not very many. There has been some really big bucks killed in that burn. But they can be found on any part of the unit.


They need to kill a few thousand horses in there though



i would agree in regards to x -2 not to hijack the thread ,,, very few deer throughout the unit,,,, the overwhelming numbers of deer are around the "burn" leading up to our hunt all i heard was hunt the burn ,,, heard it over and over ,,, we have hunted the unit in years past although a long time ago,,,, there is no comparison to what it used to be, in scouting this last summer i didn't want to believe what my eyes were telling me,,,, a few scattered deer all over the unit,,, a few being a very few ,, as far as the hunt went we got our asses handed to us for 6 days,,, then we finally went to the burn and shot two middle type deer,,, there is no way that this should take eight points or more to hunt jmo
 
Thanks again for all the info guys. Def helps getting info from you guys that have been there. Makes it rough sitting on one off max points because you don't want to throw them away and I am not about to sit around and wait to be in the G3 pool.

Really just looking for a god hunt with my dad while he can still do it and spend the points worthwhile.
 
Just to be clear Skykarp I wasnt suggesting that x2 is worth max points..... x2 came up in the discussion and I wanted to share a bit of knowledge of the unit as I've spent a ton of time there. Most of it out of deer season.

That said i dont really know if any unit is worth max points.

This may have been suggested but I would consider taking a friend or family member and split points to hunt a unit that requires less points.

Point creep sucks...

Bill
 

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