A Zone California deer hunting (Cache Creek Wilderness)

[HuntFishFight]

I did 3 separate "backcountry" trips there this year for y first time ever deer hunting (outside of a guided Maui morning Axis hunt earlier this year)...

The good news is that you can definitely get away from other hunters if you put the miles in. I scouted a couple days before opening weekend, found a couple deer, then realized the night before the season that there were a dozen other trucks rolling in to the same trail head I was camping at. So for the reminder of the season I went 5-ish miles in each trip and lived off the backpack a few days. Only saw one other hunter during any of those trips. That 5-ish miles is pretty steep/lots of up & down. I've had much easier 10 mile hikes.

The bad/hard part is that it's very difficult to find deer, for all the reasons already listed (heat dry/noisy terrain, etc.). I thought I'd have an easy time once I realized no one else was around. Saw about a dozen does, just no bucks. Hopefully there will be more water there next season (lookin' decent as it storms heavily while I write this). One of the hardest parts for me was that the lack of water this season meant I had very limited options for where to camp; I had to be close to water, and that eliminated 99% of the land. I'm sure I drank over a dozen gallons of water from the creek. This is the first I've heard of the water contamination issue, but I didn't specifically research it, and we do have a lot of mercury in CA overall. I guess I'm ok after doing it though!

 

[JNDEER]

See some good advice given already.

Is there a reason you want to hunt July archery in A zone for an out of state hunt?

When thinking of “wilderness areas” I would not rank cache as one of them. Lots of human traffic all year, lot of predators and lots of hunters.

If you are dead set on a zone archery opener for a week- I would have a plan B and C for other wildlife/wilderness and national forest lands you can hunt if cache is not what you expect when you get in there.

 

[JNDEER]

More than a few of these around.

Not saying it’s not possible to get an archery buck in cache- but there are other places IMO that you would have more success.

 

[OregonHunter13]

Yeah I understand it might not be a typical wilderness experience but I thought it would be fun to start my season in July which is a Month and a half before any other.

 

[willfrye027]

Yeah I understand it might not be a typical wilderness experience but I thought it would be fun to start my season in July which is a Month and a half before any other.

I would consider an A zone area that is right off the ocean/coast. Not so hot. But I do have a special place in my heart for the grind of a zone 100 degree deer hunting!

 

[riversidejeep]

The good thing about the archery A zone hunts in wilderness areas is that if you do score on a buck you don't need to pack them out, just gut them and put out in the sun a few hours and they will be medium rare and ready for consumption. Just bring salt & pepper.

 

[JNDEER]

Yeah I understand it might not be a typical wilderness experience but I thought it would be fun to start my season in July which is a Month and a half before any other.

Yes- it is awesome to start your season early.

To answer your original question the area is very glassable. Don’t think you can get away from crowds- as people go everywhere in there and if you are able to get away from crowds it is probably because there is no water anywhere around.

Hunt during the week and you won’t need to go far to get away from people. Day hunters are usually out by 12:00.

And I would still have a plan b and c for areas not in cache you could go and hunt

 

[OregonHunter13]

Thanks everyone for the information I am happy to trade information for my Southern Oregon Blacktail Information. This is this years buck.

 

[HuntFishFight]

Thanks everyone for the information I am happy to trade information for my Southern Oregon Blacktail Information. This is this years buck.

Sweet!

 

[Western_hunter87]

we ran into 10 people turkey hunting and we backpacked in 6 miles... but i did see pigs and we got turkeys

 

[timeinthefield]

I was just there yesterday. Started at the Judge Davis trailhead and did a 10 mile loop hike looking for turkeys. Spent a good 4-5 hours walking to every spot where water may be looking for them. I saw nothing huntable, not even a squirrel. The only thing I did see, which was amazing, was a herd of roughly 7-8 bull elk on a trail I was on. They were about 100 ft from me. I just sat and watched them for about 5 min before I gust of wind busted me and they took off immediately. I’ve spent a ton of time over the years out there and I really never see anything. Yet I keep going year after year.

 

[timeinthefield]

we ran into 10 people turkey hunting and we backpacked in 6 miles... but i did see pigs and we got turkeys

If you don’t mind sharing, which trailhead did you start from? I’m always looking for new points to start from out there. Thanks in advance!

 

[HuntFishFight]

I was just there yesterday. Started at the Judge Davis trailhead and did a 10 mile loop hike looking for turkeys. Spent a good 4-5 hours walking to every spot where water may be looking for them. I saw nothing huntable, not even a squirrel. The only thing I did see, which was amazing, was a herd of roughly 7-8 bull elk on a trail I was on. They were about 100 ft from me. I just sat and watched them for about 5 min before I gust of wind busted me and they took off immediately. I’ve spent a ton of time over the years out there and I really never see anything. Yet I keep going year after year. View attachment 404313

Yeah man. I've seen some great elk action there. If only we could draw a tag, right? But tsg or not, it's so cool watching them in the wild.

 

[sheepdog8404]

Lots of good advice given already. Make sure you bring a pig tag too

 

[timeinthefield]

I wasn’t really looking for advice. I’ve spent hundreds of hours out all over that property over the last 10 years. I was more just curious what trailhead he started from wondering if I could imagine the exact landscape he may have seen pigs at. Even with the ever shifting conditions within the habitat pigs are still extremely illusive out there. I chatted at length with both the BLM Ukiah office and biologists as well as the warden responsible for the area. All say they never see them in that area but they hear about sightings from time to time. I was more excited that he saw them and was wondering where it might have been.

I hope this didn’t come off as defensive. It’s more excitement at the possibility they are there.