Saw 1 live buck
- Thread starter JMSZ
- Start date
bigshot
Very Active Member
Sawfish
Very Active Member
Congratulations! That beats my 2012 X-10 experience. I saw two does below Troy Meadows, but that was the day before season opened. Would it be accurate to say the deer population is increasing in X-10? 
Deerhunter72
New Member
always been curious about x10... looks like great deer country bt it doesnt have great reviews.. bought me a map, drove by on fishing trips,, would like to hunt it one yr
Musket Man
Veteran member
Sawfish
Very Active Member
Generally speaking X-10 is above Ridgecrest, CA on the cut through road towards Lake Isabella. Once you top the mountain, you will be in zone D-8. Zone X-10 starts about Kennedy Meadows, and goes almost to Monache Mountain, and back towards 395. Much of it is in wilderness areas. The later the better for this area. The late season tag is designated G-38.
How about the X9a or c? Just drove through traveling to LA. Country looked awesome for deer. Especially between Lone Pine and Big Pine.
9a is a good tag with good success. Not necessarily weather dependent, as the resident herd is quite large. It has produced many nice bucks. I killed a nice one in there a few years back. He had a great horn, just one, but he had a fat body in good health. As for the horn part, it was if I recall, day 7 of a 10 day hunt.
Sawfish
Very Active Member
X9a is a big area. There are some deer that hang out all year, but there is a definite migration from the mountain country west of 395 to the White Mountains in NV, east of Highway 6, depending on the snowfall. I have had some of the old timers tell me they have seen herds of hundreds of deer crossing Highway 6 in the Winter. Unfortunately, this does not generally occur until well after the seasons are closed. It is not too difficult to draw X9a, but you will not draw it on second choice.The eastern side of the zone is tough hunting because of the vast desert areas. If you are hunting around round valley, you will have to look out for hikers, mountain bikers, bird watchers, etc.. I was sitting on the side of a mountain one year, and kept hearing a strange noise coming from the direction of the road, which was far below. It was skateboarders!