California Deer Hunters

[Colorado Cowboy]

I'll tell you a story that probably will never be repeated. In 1957 we had a group of 22 that were hunting in the Bridgeport/Sonora Pass area. It was the last weekend of the late (inland) season and was the end of October. Pretty late when you think about the seasons today. Season was almost 2 months long. We were hunting up the river at Pickle Meadows near where the Marine Base is today. We hunted Friday, Sat & Su and got 21 bucks! Yep 21, with some real bruisers. The deer were migrating and my Dad & I estimated we saw around 400 in one herd moving thru the sage brush 4 to 500 yards away. They looked like ants with 6 or 8 bucks that looked as big as bull elk. My Dad & I each shot a 4 x 4 that were really great deer. The only reason we didn't 22 bucks was one of the group couldn't hit his butt. He missed 4 or 5 bucks. It was pretty awsome, especially for a 16 year old kid who played hooky from school.

I used to backpack into the East Fork of the San Gabriel River above the falls and used to see lots of sheep up there. My Grandfather use to hike in and hunt deer & fish the East Fork back in the 1920's. Things have changed a lot...and not for the better.

Incidentially, my Dad is 94 and still hunts. We are hoping he gets to go to Wyoming for goats with us this year. He lives in Yucaipa and hunts ducks at the Salton Sea regularly.

Those were really the good old days!

 

[HuntWYODon]

Hey DR !
I'll try to figure out how to do it.

 

[HuntWYODon]

Hey Colorado Cowboy !
That was an awesome story/hunt ! I think I would of had a heart attack ! I lived in Redlands right next door to Yuciapa for 21 yrs. From 1970 to 1991. My Dad, brother, aunt and uncle still live there. That's where I grew up hunting the San Bernardino Nat. Forest. I worked in Yuciapa for a few yrs. also. My son and I burned our points on antelope last year in Wy..We both got our bucks and buck deer too. I got a decent loper and deer. Both were his first. My 14th loper buck in Wy. ! Probably over 20 loper does. Filled a loper doe tag and buck deer tag this yr.. Buck was puney. Didn't see many this yr.. Lots of speed goats though ! The place where I shot my Ca.bighorn was South Fork of Whitewater River . San Bernardino Nat. Forest. South of Mt. San Gorgonio. Used to see bighorns in there all the time when hunting deer, long before the ever had a bighorn hunt there. They didn't fear people much back then. I remember getting 33 steps from 4 nice rams once. Two were very large. I know there have been sheep in the San Gabriel Mtns. for a long time. Awhile back disease knocked heck out of them, along with mtn. lions. Suppose that's what the haven't had a hunt there for them yet ???
Nice talking to you guys !

 

[HuntWYODon]

 

[Drhorsepower]

Wow what bruisers. It looks like the buck on the left in the background is the brother to the one you took a picture of!

 

[HuntWYODon]

I just down loaded 3 different pics and was typing in it and whamo ! It dissapeared ! Logged out an back in. Nothing. This site does weired things....The one in the back ground is a big 3x3 (actually 3x4) but from Book Cliffs , Ut.

 

[HuntWYODon]

Couldn't get the clear pic of the loper to down load
These were 2010 Wy.

 

[Drhorsepower]

That's a great antelope. Nice and heavy. You have some trophies here! Good job.

 

[HuntWYODon]

Thanks ! They are average. I have a house full of elk,deer and antelopre mounts. I've been divorced for last 16 yrs. ! LOL !

 

[Kevin Root]

I'll tell you a story that probably will never be repeated. In 1957 we had a group of 22 that were hunting in the Bridgeport/Sonora Pass area. It was the last weekend of the late (inland) season and was the end of October. Pretty late when you think about the seasons today. Season was almost 2 months long. We were hunting up the river at Pickle Meadows near where the Marine Base is today. We hunted Friday, Sat & Su and got 21 bucks! Yep 21, with some real bruisers. The deer were migrating and my Dad & I estimated we saw around 400 in one herd moving thru the sage brush 4 to 500 yards away. They looked like ants with 6 or 8 bucks that looked as big as bull elk. My Dad & I each shot a 4 x 4 that were really great deer. The only reason we didn't 22 bucks was one of the group couldn't hit his butt. He missed 4 or 5 bucks. It was pretty awsome, especially for a 16 year old kid who played hooky from school.

That was a cool story Colorado Cowboy and that surly was a hunt to remember for you. I've often wondered what it was like to be able to hunt there in those days. I have a friend who was stationed for several years at the Marine base you mention in the 80's. He has told me stories of those big deer herds in the hundreds in the migration as well east of the mountains foothills/flats in the sage. My friend and I both put in for the X12 zone still today. I have fond memories hunting them in the high mountain wilderness in X12 but it is getting harder to pull the zone in the draw. It seems to take 3 years now to draw there when years earlier before the preference point system it was not uncommon to get drawn most every year.

On a side note, I hope you get your wish and get drawn for your Colorado Desert Sheep tag in this coming season in 2012.

 

[HuntWYODon]

Hey Keven ,
3 yrs. to draw X12 ? Man you are lucky if you draw it every 3 yrs. ! I drew X9A in 2006. I was a little dissapointed at what I saw but !didn't have many days to hunt. Took off from there to Az. and arrowed an elk. Came back to X9A 2nd time and ended up shooting a fork horn. Was kind of funny though. I was staying at a cabin at Convict Lake with girlfriend and my son. My friend and his wife were in another cabin. He had shot a little dinky buck on the first trip. I told him that night I was getting up real early and going hunting in the morning. He said don't wake me up , I'll be hung over. Said no problem. Didn't have my quad on that trip so I drove the truck up the canyon to the south of the lake and hunted up in there for awhile. Just saw some does. Was driving out to go back to the cabin and some deer ran across the dirt road. I glassed them and there was a fork horn in with the does. I said what the heck, it's bigger than his. So I got out and dropped him. Gut him and threw it in back of truck and drove back to the cabin. He comes over and saw blood on my hands and saw the deer and saw way to go ! I said yeah, thanks for all you help ! LOL ! Anyway, I have only two pts. this yr. going in (I think) so most likely not possible to draw X!2. Hope you do !

 

[Kevin Root]

HuntWYODon, I'm 2 points as well. So like you, I'd be suprised to get drawn. I wish it was an easier draw. I guess I've been lucky to get drawn as many times as I have. It sure was easier to draw for me before they started the preference point system. Best wishes to you on your draws and hunts in 2012!

 

[HuntWYODon]

Kevin,
Yeah the point system sure made it harder to draw. I have max pts. (9?) for elk and antelope. Sure would like to draw a Tule elk tag some day ! Funny, I mentioned in here before. I drew my bighorn tag in 2002, the year the went to the points system and 3 times as many people put in ! I've drawn a few good out of state tags since then but nothing good in Ca. except for the X9A tag in 2006 which wasn't so good . Good luck to you on your draws also ! Getting out of work here and goin home !
Take care
Don

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Tule Elk reminds me of my Dad and his Tule. Dad used to own a Sporting Goods store in Bellflower. He sold guns, camping and hunting & fishing stuff. When the state decided to have the 1st hunt (back in the 50's), my Dad drew the #1 bull tag! I went with him )I was a teenager). they had a mandatory orientation and Dad had to hunt with a biologist. After finding a small group of bulls, the F & G biologist told Pop which one to shoot. He wanted him to shoot a pretty old, skinny bull with a broken tine or 2. Dad picked the biggest one and put it down. I thought the biologist was going to have a stroke.He started yelling "You shot the wrong bull!" My Dad was very cool and told him he thought was the one he was supposed to shoot. Needless to say the F&G guy was not real happy, but Dad tagged it, gutted it and we took it home.My Dad gave the mount to the city of Downey for their Wilderness Park display and somebody stole it....at least that was the story. That was the first legal hunt in Owens Valley.

I just got a new printer/scanner and am having some sort of problem scanning. When I get the bugs out, I'll scan some old photos and post them.

 

[HuntWYODon]

Man Colorado,
You have some old history stored there ! Love those old stories !
1st Tule elk shot in Ca.. Can't beat that one !

 

[Shaun]

Hey guys new to the eastmans forums. Was browsing through here and reading what everybody had to say. I hunt D-7 and A-16 (archery X-9A) I have seen good bucks come out of D-7 but also very small bucks (that were questionable) I on the other hand have been skunked till this day in that zone. A-16 on the other hand we have taken some bruisers out of there. CA does have alot of deer but nothing like it used to be. I strongly feel alot of it is because of the cats I remember reading somewere the mountain lion has decereasd CA's deer population by 51% since the early 90's I think that is high but i know they have a huge effect on them but it will take an act of god to get them off the protected list. thats my .02$

 

[HuntWYODon]

Hey Shaun,
I'd of rather hunted X9A achery season than when I did during rifle season. Lesson learned. I agree about the lions . From what I've heard they will kill a deer a week ??? You also have to figure in all the other predators. I saw a Lynx/bobcat kill an antelope doe yrs. ago in Wy. Stalked it while it was lying down. In Ca. I've seen coyotes go after deer 3 times. Twice they were bucks ! I got one of them though after my friend shot the buck. I've seen coyotes goe after fawns while bowhunting Kiabab in Az. before too. So I think the deer get it from everybody including cars and winter kill ! Welcome to the Forum !

 

[Drhorsepower]

Has anyone ever hunted x8?

 

[Kevin Root]

Has anyone ever hunted x8?

Years ago I pulled a X12 in the late 90's. I hunted X12 right on the X8 border in the Carson-Iceberg wilderness. We saw a lot of bucks and deer where I was on the border but that was a while ago. One of my friends son Joe owns a couple of pack stations, Little Antelope Pack station and both of his pack stations service a lot of the X8 zone. It's not that hard to find remote places to hunt there thats for sure.

http://littleantelopepackstation.com/

 

[HuntWYODon]

I did years ago. Saw a couple little bucks. The next year they had a bad winter kill. It snowed early and for a long time. The deer got trapped up high in deep snow and couldn't make it down I was I read and heard. Don't remember what year. Late 90's. Kevin, you are right. A lot of remote wilderness ! X8 still wouldn't be one of my first choies though.