California Dreamin'

[CaliWoodsman]

Prelude

My brother, Peter, and I had our 2022 hunt plans all laid out perfectly. He would draw a limited-entry elk tag in Utah, and I would come along with him with plans to draw it myself the following year. However, the dreaded “Unsuccessful” email arrived from Utah, forcing us to scramble to Plan B.

Plan B for us was cashing in our maximum preference points in California for a mule deer hunt. Now, California is not known for its deer hunting, and rightly so. The deer herds throughout the state are in very poor shape, and most of the general units have success rates in the single digits. That didn’t deter us from drawing a late-season rifle hunt. Living about 90 minutes from the unit, we had spent plenty of time on the winter range over the years, knew the unit well, and felt good about our chances of taking two good bucks.

This particular hunt is a migration hunt that is almost completely weather dependent. Given California’s ongoing drought, betting on precipitation is a recipe for disappointment. If it’s hot and dry, as has been the case in many recent years, the deer won’t be migrating yet and you’re left hunting a very sparse resident herd. If there’s adequate snowfall before or during the hunt, you’ll be hunting a rutting, migrating deer herd with the chance at a very special buck.

California mule deer are a sub-species of mule deer that reside of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada’s. They’re smaller in body size and antler size than their Rocky Mountain brethren, almost closer to a blacktail in many respects. They’re also extremely reclusive, sticking to the dark timber and thick brush almost exclusively. It’s always a shock to the system to hunt mule deer out of state and see the difference in their size and behavior.

We spent the summer preparing for the hunt and dreaming about the bucks we might see. I probably checked Accuweather.com enough times in the months leading up to the hunt that they thought I was trying to crash their site. A big snowstorm hit a couple of weeks before the hunt. It was the type of storm that would get the deer migrating, but we questioned if the storm was too early and if there was any more snow on the way.

Sure enough, we arrived to set up camp and found very little snow on the ground. We talked with the local game warden, who told us that most of the snow had melted off and the deer had followed the snowline back up into higher country outside the unit. That was a little disappointing to be sure, but another big snowstorm was forecasted to hit on Day 6 of this nine-day hunt. We just had to be patient.

 

[CaliWoodsman]

Day 1 – Slim Pickins

With little snow on the ground, we headed for the highest parts of the unit. Peter and Dad would hunt together while I would be on my own. It was a pretty slow day. Hiking along an old fire break, I crossed paths with a little spike buck and a couple of does. Other than that, I saw a few does here and there, but not much. The few patches of snow that remained had only very old tracks. I met back up with Peter and Dad in the afternoon and they decided they would go check out some lower country before dark.

I spent the rest of the day in the higher parts of the unit with little to show for it. By the time the sun went down, I had seen a grand total of six deer. I drove back to camp, mentally preparing myself for a tough six days of hunting before the storm.

Arriving back at camp, Peter and Dad shared that they had seen a definite shooter – a typical 4x4 that they guessed would score 170”. Unfortunately, it was so close to the edge of a piece of private land, they just couldn’t tell if it was on public or private and decided to play it safe. Still, it provided plenty of fuel for discussion and dreams that night.

 

[CaliWoodsman]

Day 2 - Finally We Get Into Some Deer!

Peter set off solo on the second day to hunt some public land bordering the private land where he had seen the big buck the night before, in hopes that he could relocate the buck. Dad and I took off to hunt some lower country as well after not seeing much in the higher country yesterday. Sure enough, we saw deer right from first light, and lots of them. Right away, a really nice 3x4 presented me with what would have been a chip shot. Still, on Day 2 this just wasn’t the type of buck I was looking for.

We covered a lot of ground and saw lots of deer. It was clear that a significant portion of the herd had held up within the unit, waiting for more snow to push them lower. That was encouraging, as was the rut activity we were seeing. Not all the bucks were rutting, but some of them were certainly pushing does around and sparring. All in all, a great day. Even if we weren’t seeing the size of bucks we were after, it’s always fun seeing lots of deer. Peter never did relocate the buck from the night before.

That night we drove down into town to have dinner at the local diner. On our way back up the mountain to camp, we saw an absolute toad of a buck right off the side of the highway. We marked the location in OnX with plans to try to find him the next morning.

 

[CaliWoodsman]

Day 3 - Temptation

With a good idea of where the big buck from the night before was, we split up to try to relocate him. Peter and Dad went below where he was and I went above. We covered a lot of ground between our boots and our binos, but just couldn’t turn him up. That’s the challenge of a migration hunt – these deer can cover a ton of ground and you might not get a second chance.

I was seeing a lot of the same deer from the day before – namely a big, wide 3x3. He wasn’t tempting as a shooter, but I had fun watching him run his does all over the mountainside. I planned to go hike a closed-off old logging road, but as I got close in the truck, I saw what looked like a buck bedded in a clearing. I got my binos on him and sure enough, it was actually a pretty nice 4x4. I got closer and he couldn’t have cared less that I was there. He was a typical 4 point on one side, with an inline 4th on the other side. A really cool-looking buck, but still not quite what I was looking for. I questioned my sanity a bit for passing on him, but moved on.

The rest of the day was more of the same – lots of forked horns and 3x3’s pushing does around, but no big bucks to speak of. Our Uncle Ken arrived at camp that night, which was a welcome addition. He’s one of our absolute favorite people to hunt with and we were glad he was able to make it.

 

[CaliWoodsman]

Day 4 - Satisfaction

The forecast still showed snow coming on Day 6, so it seemed we had a couple days to kill before the hunting got good. We had been seeing the same deer in the same places the last couple of days, so I was wanting to mix things up. We had already covered the high and mid-elevation parts of the unit. I decided I wanted to head down lower and check out the winter range. Perhaps some of the deer had started migrating with the last storm and never stopped.

Uncle Ken was game for an adventure, so he and I started heading into the low country. Peter and Dad would keep hunting the same area as the past couple of days in hopes that something new would show up. As Uncle Ken and I moved lower and lower, we saw exactly zero deer. A little disappointed, but with my curiosity satisfied, we decided we would head back up to higher country for the afternoon and evening.

We hadn’t gained too much elevation before we finally laid eyes on a deer. A doe fed out from behind some oak brush on the hillside above us. The brush on the hillside was incredibly thick, but as we picked it apart with our binos, we could see more deer moving behind her. Finally, I could see movement nearing the edge of the brush as another deer was about to step out. Its antlers came out from behind the brush before anything else, and my heart rate picked up a few beats. It was a big, typical 4x4, just a beautiful buck. I’ll admit I hesitated for a few minutes. Less than halfway into the season, and with a snowstorm just a couple of days away that would bring new deer into the unit, was I ready to end my hunt now? A few more minutes of watching the buck navigate his antlers through the brush, I knew the answer to that question was “Yes.”

I got set up for the shot, but it wasn’t going to be easy. The brush was so thick, it was hard to even see the buck at times, even though he was only a little over 100 yards away at this point. Every time I thought there would be a shooting window in the brush, he would step into it only to reveal a branch I hadn’t seen. Every time he stepped into a small opening, he had a doe either right in front or right behind him.

I don’t know how long I waited for an opportunity, but it felt like an hour. Probably more like 20 minutes. Finally, the buck bedded down as his does fed around him. Uncle Ken and I chatted, trying to come up with a plan. The does were feeding, and our concern was that if they fed uphill and away from us, the buck would follow them. The brush was so thick that we would never get another glimpse of them if they went uphill. To the left of the deer was a large clearing that would give plenty of space for a shot. We decided that Uncle Ken would hike off to our right in search of a vantage point that might give me a shot at the bedded buck. If they winded him, it would hopefully push them into the clearing where I would get a shot.

Uncle Ken took off and it didn’t take long for the deer to get wind of him. I hoped it would just make them uncomfortable and get them to slowly walk or feed away from him towards the clearing. That wasn’t the case. The does took off at full speed through the brush and passed through the clearing without breaking stride. I watched through my scope as doe after doe flashed through the clearing. Finally, the buck followed. He was going absolutely full tilt with no signs of slowing down. I tracked him the scope but wasn’t going to take a running shot, especially not in such thick brush. Knowing that I wouldn’t get another opportunity, I let out my best doe bleat impression. Astonishingly, the buck slowed to a trot and as he hit the edge of the clearing, stopped to look back.

That was all the opportunity I needed. The .280 Remington barked and the buck hunched up and crashed down into the brush below him. I lost sight of him, but the shot felt good and I didn’t see him come out the bottom side of the brush patch. Uncle Ken made his way back over to me and watched from my shooting position while I made my way over to where the buck had stood when I shot. As I stood where the buck had stood just minutes before, a bright red trail of blood led down the hill to the dead buck laying 20 yards away.

He was just a perfect, beautiful buck. A big 4x4 with good front forks and good mass, he was everything I had hoped to find on this hunt. My initial reaction was that he was “great for a California buck,” but I’ve been on plenty of out-of-state mule deer hunts where I would have been thrilled to bring this guy home. He ended up gross scoring 167 4/8”, which makes him my second-best mule deer buck to date. On top of that, sharing the experience with my uncle was the icing on the cake.

We made quick work of field dressing him and getting him back to the truck, then back to camp. It's always fun rolling back into camp with a big buck in the back of the truck. Peter and Dad arrived after dark, and we exchanged stories, hugs, and high-fives. I went to bed with that strange mix of relief, gratitude, and a tinge of disappointment at my hunt being over. But Peter’s hunt wasn’t over, and I was excited to help him find a buck.

 

[CaliWoodsman]

Day 5 - Honestly, I Don't Really Remember What Happened This Day

We covered a lot of ground on Day 5, seeing many of the same bucks we had seen the previous days. Back at camp that night, we looked at the weather forecast. The forecast was snow – lots of snow. Enough snow that by Day 8 we would be totally snowed in. We made the tough decision that, barring a change in the forecast, we would have to pull camp on Day 7 and head home or risk not being able to get out at all.

 

[CaliWoodsman]

Day 6 - Peter's Turn

Dad and Uncle Ken stayed at camp to batten down the hatches and get a few things ready to pull camp the next day. It was raining steadily, with the promise of that rain turning to snow later in the day. Peter and I headed to a part of the unit where we felt confident the deer would move through if they were up and migrating.

On our way there, we saw plenty of deer, including one incredibly tall 3x2 whose antlers went almost straight up. Not a shooter by any means, but a fun buck to see. Arriving where we planned to hunt that morning, we quickly laid eyes on a really nice 4x4. He was probably 25” wide with good front forks. He might not have been the buck that Peter hoped for at the start of the hunt, but with the prospect of pulling camp the next day, he seemed like a gift. Peter passed on him.







I have to take a quick time-out in the story and give a little background on my brother. I love hunting with him. We have similar views on life and a similar sense of humor, and have an absolute blast spending time together. He’s been with me on all of my most memorable deer hunts. But he’s gotten the short end of the stick on a lot of hunts, too. He’s helped me haul deer that I killed out of nasty canyons. He helped me successfully track a wounded buck in Utah for hours. On two separate Colorado deer hunts, seemingly by chance, I was in the right place at the right time and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. On one of those hunts he went home empty-handed, the other he took a very nice, but smaller buck. All that to say, it was his turn. He was due, and I wanted nothing more than to be there with him when he finally put his tag on the buck of a lifetime.

Back to the story, as we moved on, I told Peter that if we indeed had to head home tomorrow, I would make the drive back up with him on the final two days of the season to help him find a buck. Thinking back to the buck he had just passed on, I asked him, “So if you’re not gonna shoot that buck, what exactly are you looking for?” He replied, “Either something really big and beautiful, or something crazy looking.”

He had barely gotten those words out when we picked up movement on the hillside above us. Two deer were weaving through the trees, moving quickly. I got my binos on the first deer and it was a small buck. I panned over to the second deer and immediately knew it fit the “something crazy looking” that Peter was looking for. “Peter, you gotta shoot this buck!” I looked over to him and he was already behind his rifle, prepping for the shot. One perfectly placed bullet through both lungs brought the buck down quickly.

Everything happened so fast, I wasn’t really sure how big the buck was. I had seen that he had mass, and had extra points, but that was it. The rain was now coming down pretty heavily as we made our way uphill towards the buck. I won’t forget laying eyes on that buck for the first time. A big, tall 6x7 with great mass. Peter finally got the buck he deserved, and I couldn’t have been more excited for him. We hugged and high-fived, and took pictures in the pouring rain. We got a text out to Dad and Uncle Ken, and they met up with us on the side of the mountain to marvel at the buck and celebrate with us.







We got back to camp and set Peter’s buck on the tailgate next to mine. I could have stared at that sight for hours. These two bucks were everything we had been looking for on this hunt, and more. Add to that the memories we made, and this was truly the hunt of a lifetime.

With the work done and the rain pouring down, we got inside the tent and changed into dry clothes. As the rain turned to snow outside, we spent the afternoon thankful to be warm and dry in the tent. We ate biscuits with elk sausage gravy, followed by some fresh deer heart with sauteed onions. As the snow piled up outside, we celebrated our success with an adult beverage and some dice. We just about wore out the tent floor walking over to the door to peek out of the tent and look at those two bucks resting on the tailgate. It was the picture-perfect ending to one of the best experiences of my life.

 

[CaliWoodsman]

Conclusion

Anyone who’s tried to put a hunting trip into words and photos knows that nothing can truly capture these memories. They’re forever etched in our minds and yet so difficult to fully describe. Hope you all enjoyed following along on our little adventure.

 

[CaliWoodsman]

A few gear-related notes:

• I thought I was done growing in my mid-thirties, but my feet had other plans and grew about a full size a month before the hunt. Apparently, this is fairly common. I scrambled to find a new pair of boots and had such a tough time finding anything that felt comfortable. I settled on the Meindl Comfort Fit Hunter 400. I was so impressed with how comfortable these boots were! I had limited opportunity to break them in prior to the hunt, but never once had a hot spot. The only downside was that my big toe on my right foot went numb, and took at least a month to regain feeling in it. A search on Rokslide revealed that this is a common issue, but it was certainly new to me.
• Blade-wise, I used both a Havalon Piranta and a Benchmade Steep Country. The downsides of the Piranta are well documented at this point, but in the right application that knife is just awesome. Super helpful in skinning and caping out my buck. I really liked the Benchmade Steep Country, and it held an edge incredibly well. However, the blade was a little deeper than I would have preferred. Would be 100% fine if doing the gutless method. However, I did the traditional field dressing with my buck and would have preferred a thinner blade. It’ll probably come down to either switching knives or committing to doing the gutless method.
• I can’t say enough about the importance of a good layering system. This hunt had temps down into the teens and probably up into the 50’s or 60’s, sun, rain, snow, and wind. I’ve got a pretty good system figured out with a mix of BlackOvis and Kuiu gear, and it’s so effortless to stay dry and comfortable.
• I’ve used the Kuiu Icon Pro 3200 for years now and I just love that pack as a day pack. It’s bigger than you really need for a day pack, but cinches down nicely so you don’t notice the extra space. Nice to have it if you need it. On hunts where you’re packing some bulkier clothing items, it’s nice to have plenty of room. Also does great hauling quarters. I admittedly haven’t pushed its (or my) limits with super heavy loads, but it’s perfect for how I use it.

 

[Tdonat]

Absolutely beautiful buck! Excited for the rest of the story.

 

[Rob5589]

Awesome stuff dudes! I haven't seen that many good bucks in CA in a long time. Congrats!

 

[Tdonat]

Spoke too soon, there’s the rest. Those bucks are both very cool, I love the color on the antlers the bucks have there. Also, great photos.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I know where you hunted from the photos and this is awesome work! Guys hunt CA their whole lives in those units and don’t turn up bucks like those. Congrats to you and family for excellent success! Love those bucks!

 

[BowHiking]

Congrats on your success, those are some damn nice CA bucks!

 

[Mturney]

Nice write up. Good job.

 

[Cahunter805]

Congrats on the success and 2 nice bucks. That hunt can be amazing or a real challenge. I saw a picture of your brothers buck a while back. Very cool buck.

 

[Bubblehide]

Sweet hunt,, congratulations on 2 nice bucks!

 

[Fatcamp]

Great story!

Might be time to research California.

 

[willidru]

Great write up. Really enjoyed the story

 

[SouthPaw]

Thank you for sharing your story. What a great experience. That's a pile of really nice bucks for CA that you encountered.