A Zone Chatter 2020

[Azone]

Buy a ranch they said, it will be fun they said. Haha.
[/QUOTE]
Famous last words, you know you would be bored without it.

 

[Jusgunn3]

I hunt D6 but I thinking about a A tag since I live by the coast.

 

[MeatBuck]

I hunt D6 but I thinking about a A tag since I live by the coast.

Plenty of em

 

[Azone]

I hunt D6 but I thinking about a A tag since I live by the coast.

It beats sitting on the couch. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Jusgunn3]

Plenty of em

Yes sir, checked today

It beats sitting on the couch. Welcome to the forum.

Thanks Azone!

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

Challenging heat for sure, but stoked to glass up these beauties last week. Third set of sheds found in our prime spot so know they're there, but I've not seen anything with antlers actually walking so far.

 

[Bubblehide]

^^^^^^ you are most likely picking up winter range sheds^^^^^

 

[MeatBuck]

^^^^^^ you are most likely picking up winter range sheds^^^^^

Winter range... a zone... care to explain?

Never mind, I’ll explain. In A zone, “winter range” is just any old open south facing slope within 1/8 mile of their “home range”. Or pretty much anywhere else they can get some sun where there’s not 10ft tall shitbrush.
Oats and oaks are A zones “winter range” if there is such a thing, basically because the deer can dry out after a rain and not be walking around in soaking wet brush.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

^^^^^^ you are most likely picking up winter range sheds^^^^^

Not very likely depending on where in A zone he hunts.

 

[Azone]

Sweet sheds.
Just got done helping a friend get his buck cleaned up he got on some BLM below his place. Medium sized forky that was running with a big boy that gave him the slip. I wasn’t there for the kill, just helped out with skinning and a celebratory cocktail . I also saw a video today of two bucks in a pretty good sparring match. Heat or no heat, it’s shaping up to be a good year so far.

 

[Bubblehide]

Even parts of A zone have winter range. If he is finding she's, but unable to find bucks, there has to be an answer . If you want to dismiss the possibility of winter range, I am good with that

 

[MeatBuck]

Even parts of A zone have winter range. If he is finding she's, but unable to find bucks, there has to be an answer . If you want to dismiss the possibility of winter range, I am good with that

Show me the migratory path or just area of these a zone migratory deer. Drop a pin on a map please. Love to learn something new.

The answer is time of year. They’re around but likely nocturnal.

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

To clarify, my hunting buddy did see a nice 3x3 in the next drainage over from those sheds from the glassing spot where I shot a small antlered but nice bodied forky last year.

Without seeing the bucks after a number of days scouting, I did wonder if they'd gone mostly nocturnal or if being a drier year than last year if they had to shift drainages closer to water. However, a nearby landowner said he's seen some decent bucks so thinking mostly nocturnal or I simply need to glass my ass off more.

Anyone know how much their square mile or so of living range varies in dry years? Or think they generally choose to live in that mile or so where there is often water access in a range of different rain years?

Cheers

 

[Bubblehide]

Show me the migratory path or just area of these a zone migratory deer. Drop a pin on a map please. Love to learn something new.

The answer is time of year. They’re around but likely nocturnal.

I never implied they are migatory. Obviously they are not migatory. That does not mean they don't have winter range.

 

[Loco4dux]

Worked all day yesterday to save our structures in the Canyon zone fire and luckily they made it but the entire ranch burned.

Cal fire no where to be seen, called - told us to basically f yourself & good luck!

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Even parts of A zone have winter range. If he is finding she's, but unable to find bucks, there has to be an answer . If you want to dismiss the possibility of winter range, I am good with that

The answer is they just are not seeing them in my experience. Whether they are coming out after dark or they’ve moved to a new area (lack of water/feed) but even then they don’t normally go very far at all. I’ve hunted northern A zone for 20 years and have never seen any deer pattern into some sort of “winter range”. Maybe it happens down south where I’m unfamiliar? Would love to learn more about this a zone winter range though. Sounds interesting and always down to learn new blacktail patterns.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

To clarify, my hunting buddy did see a nice 3x3 in the next drainage over from those sheds from the glassing spot where I shot a small antlered but nice bodied forky last year.

Without seeing the bucks after a number of days scouting, I did wonder if they'd gone mostly nocturnal or if being a drier year than last year if they had to shift drainages closer to water. However, a nearby landowner said he's seen some decent bucks so thinking mostly nocturnal or I simply need to glass my ass off more.

Anyone know how much their square mile or so of living range varies in dry years? Or think they generally choose to live in that mile or so where there is often water access in a range of different rain years?

Cheers

Not very far in my experience depends how dry though. They will move to the next closest water or somewhere between their home and the new water source. Looks for them feeding out of their home area towards water and vice versa.

A lot of bucks, especially bachelor groups who take more risks in the herd protection mentality will rotate their bedding areas. Meaning they will feed in from one direction at dawn and bed down on that “side” and then reverse it for evening, bedding back down to where they were the night before. I’ve found that solo bucks tend to stick closer in general to their main bedding area and won’t go very far at all.

Don’t get so hung up on “glassing your ass off”. Get in there where you know there is good fresh sign (heavily used trails, poop, beds, rubs, big tracks). Get into a solid area that’s glassable but don’t try to take on so much landscape when you simply don’t have to. Be where the bucks are going to be. Much easier and smarter hunting if you actually want to kill bucks instead of just watching them.

 

[MeatBuck]

I never implied they are migatory. Obviously they are not migatory. That does not mean they don't have winter range.

How would you expect they move between these ranges? They would have to migrate to their winter range.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Worked all day yesterday to save our structures in the Canyon zone fire and luckily they made it but the entire ranch burned.

Cal fire no where to be seen, called - told us to basically f yourself & good luck!

Worked all day yesterday to save our structures in the Canyon zone fire and luckily they made it but the entire ranch burned.

Cal fire no where to be seen, called - told us to basically f yourself & good luck!

My sister has 400 acres on Mines road just before the junction and one of my best friends has 40 acres on Del Puerto Canyon right on the county line. They were both evacuated. My buddy got out just in time the hay in the bed of his truck was on fire when he pulled out. His crazy neighbor just up the hill stayed to watch everyone’s houses. As of this morning the lands are burned but houses are okay right now. Cal fire said they were going to take a stand at it at their facility at the junction. Not sure if they did since it exploded to 10,000 acres burned last night.

 

[Bubblehide]

How would you expect they move between these ranges? They would have to migrate to their winter range.

The definition of migrate in relation to deer requires the deer move a certain number of miles (off the top of my head I dont recall that number). Anything under that specific number is not considered migatory. For example, one area I hunt the deer have a winter range in which the deer travel up to 10 - 12 miles. Of course some deer are in the winter range all the time, and - or move in and out of it. The zone has numerous areas like this (within Los Padres NF)