Zone D14 Deer

Sawfish

Very Active Member
Jun 9, 2011
767
126
Peoples Republik of Kalifornia
Update. Went up again on November 2, 2017. Had to make a quick stop by West End Gun Club to check out some repairs to my .35 Whelen Improved Encore pistol. Works great. Took Hwy. 18 from the 210. The mountain was socked in with heavy fog through Arrorwbear. Visibility was near zero through Crestline. Fog did not lift until 11:15. Even though temps were in the twenties before daylight, the rain promised by the weather guessers did not materialize. Conditions very dry. Lots of tracks, but who know when they were made. Saw a small bear at 525 yds. before the evening fog moved in. Same fog conditions going home. Will try to make it up one more time before it closes on the 12th.
 

Sawfish

Very Active Member
Jun 9, 2011
767
126
Peoples Republik of Kalifornia
Never got back up there before the season closed. Never saw a live or a dead deer when I was there. I think they were lower than I was hunting. Will try to get back up the hill a couple of times for bear. Supposedly, there was one prowling the streets in our subdivision last month, but I did not see him. I will put three turkeys and a venison hind quarter on the smoker Wednesday night. Hope I do not get arrested for "baiting". Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
 

hhough853

New Member
Jun 16, 2014
11
0
Palm Springs, CA
Another year of tag soup for me. I was only able to get up there for the closing weekends of archery and rifle. Shots were fired in the distance, but no other action than that.
 

bigshot

Very Active Member
Apr 14, 2011
538
1
Crestline, CA.
I had a decent year in D14. I didn't fill my tag but I saw two huge bucks. I missed one and my buddy missed the other. LOL thats how it goes sometimes. Just seeing those big mature bucks made my whole season though!! No regrets, had a great time.
 

bigshot

Very Active Member
Apr 14, 2011
538
1
Crestline, CA.
I went out scouting a new area and placed some trail cameras out. I was able to obtain some pictures of a decent buck that survived the season, I can't for the 2018 season!

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bigshot

Very Active Member
Apr 14, 2011
538
1
Crestline, CA.
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Here are some more pictures of some "Zone D-14 trophies" yea I know they are small compared to Rocky Mountain Mulies, but hey what do you expect from Southern California... were lucky they still sell us deer tags. lol
 

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
8,075
4,301
82
Dolores, Colorado
Deer hunting used to be pretty good in southern California. My family settled in Orange County in the 1880's and were all hunters. I have taken deer in the Angeles & Cleveland NF's and the Malibu Mts. Unfortunately access in a lot of the areas that still hold lots of deer in nonexistent because of private property. The USFS also closes a lot of the area because of fire hazard. There also used to be a good herd of bighorn sheep in the Angeles NF.

Here is a picture of a really nice 5x5 buck taken by my Dad in Malibu.

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bigshot

Very Active Member
Apr 14, 2011
538
1
Crestline, CA.
Very nice buck!! I have hunted the Malibu Beach area before approximately 20 years ago with a bow and seen some dandy bucks. I hunted the area behind Pepperdine University. It's all posted now and owned by a movie director.....bummer. We have taken some giants in the San Bernardino Mtns just nothing compared to the Colorado bucks I have taken in the past is what I was referring too. The bucks in the San Bernardino Mtns are the same size and shape of our coastal blacktail deer. I know because I do Taxidermy and the blacktail forms is what fits our local bucks best. Here are some of the bigger trophies taken by myself and my family in D14 within the last decade.

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Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
8,075
4,301
82
Dolores, Colorado
My Dad was Superintendent of the P-51 Mustang assembly line at North American during WWII (kept him out of the war, was to valuable in his job). He bought 10 acres in Malibu near Paradise Cove. I remember spending weekends there. Tons of deer back then. Dad drilled 3 wells, but no water. He sold it in 1950. He told me a women owned a big ranch towards Santa Monica. She was from Utah and brought in some mule deer from there and turned them loose on her place. This buck really does not look anything like the typical coastal deer. Urban legend...who knows!