California "premium" zones

[PVHunter]

It’s an accident and happens every year. The good news is they should be able to return the tab and have points reinstated, at least that’s the case for premium tags.

I know. Perhaps I should've reframed my snark as a public service announcement: if you'd like to hunt in some of these zones, do not put them as your first choice because you will needlessly burn your preference points. You can see a few of the "whoopsies" in the chart that they published with this year's big game guide (C, D6, etc.)

It's good to know that recourse exists to reclaim the points. I wasn't aware. Thanks for sharing.

 

[JNDEER]

I agree 1000%! Tons of legal big bucks in the OTC units and very few deer in the X zones- especially the Northern California X zones. Have not seen any big bucks scouting those in years- those huge fires last few years destroying lots of X zone land and combine that with logging companies already closing off land for hunting due to “fire danger” .. forget it!! Pick a good OTC unit and hunt it every year and learn it and you can kill way bigger bucks than any X zone that takes you 5-10 years to draw.

 

[Jimmy]

Yes, everyone please stop applying for the x-zones.... No big bucks there

 

[amassi]

I see the logic, let them grow to be bigger and better breeders.

Money woes with fuel, travel and time off do not even enter considerations for me. The cost to hunt and travel is out of control for DFG and not their concern.

But if you have hunted CA long enough, you would remember when the X Zones were all 3 point or better. The problem was forks were getting killed anyway. People would shoot first and then leave it dead it wasn't legal. Pretty common to see dead forked horn bucks back then.

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So much has changed since then, fewer iron sights and better glass for one, everyone seems to carry binoculars and road hunting is less in vogue than when this was tried(80s?) 3 pt restrictions are common management tools that hunters are capable of abiding by


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[Wags]

I know. Perhaps I should've reframed my snark as a public service announcement: if you'd like to hunt in some of these zones, do not put them as your first choice because you will needlessly burn your preference points. You can see a few of the "whoopsies" in the chart that they published with this year's big game guide (C, D6, etc.)

It's good to know that recourse exists to reclaim the points. I wasn't aware. Thanks for sharing.


View attachment 414719

Looks like I'll not get my X5B tag before leaving this state.......

 

[Marble]

So much has changed since then, fewer iron sights and better glass for one, everyone seems to carry binoculars and road hunting is less in vogue than when this was tried(80s?) 3 pt restrictions are common management tools that hunters are capable of abiding by


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What is interesting is the bears in Modoc County. It's an area where you can't hunt them. Maybe it has changed in the last 4 years, not sure.

I have hunted it 3, maybe 4, times in the last 10 years and have seen multiple black bears each time. The warden and the Fed Ranger both were surprised they couldn't be hunted and that regs hadnt changed.

The 3 point restriction ended in probably 1991?

So besides bears/lions, drought (which doesn't seem to impact where I hunt), cattle and sheep, the deer have a lot to deal with. And if CA wants to help the deer herd, they certainly aren't advertising.

What also has happened is entire mountain sides have even decimated by bark Beatles.

I've lived here all my life and have watched how it has changed. It's rather sad.

I do have a proposal and some ideas, but they wouldn't be popar among the sportsman in CA.

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[WKR]

I do have a proposal and some ideas, but they wouldn't be popar among the sportsman in CA.

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Well let's hear them

 

[WKR]

I forgot to mention, some good news from that scouting trip is the elk herd looks to be expanding and doing well. There are elk in X6b now. One can only hope that eventually means more hunting opportunity. Probably not for mid point holders like me but who knows?

 

[Pacific_Fork]

I forgot to mention, some good news from that scouting trip is the elk herd looks to be expanding and doing well. There are elk in X6b now. One can only hope that eventually means more hunting opportunity. Probably not for mid point holders like me but who knows?

Hardly! I'm no biologist or expert but I'm sure others will agree/understand the elk situation in CA. We will all have to wait 20+ years to draw a tag in our lifetimes. We don't have enough habitat for them to roam and private ranches to allow them on. Those that do charge 20K + for a land owner tag. I'd love to be wrong here!

Worst part of more Elk in CA is they displace our already diminishing deer herd. So even less opportunity will likely come if you're seeing elk in 6B. How's 6A right now? Hunted there in 2016 didn't see any elk.

I got an uncle with rights to a large ranch that once had a robust deer population that is now almost nothing. 15k acre ranch and the club didn't see a single buck this past season. There is around 200-250 Tule elk thriving there now. Coupled with lion predation the deer have no chance, unfortunately.

 

[Bubblehide]

AND, we have wolves, likely more wolves on their way.

 

[Rob5589]

I do have a proposal and some ideas, but they wouldn't be popar among the sportsman in CA.

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Let's here it. Or better yet, make a proposal to the commission. I can say that after watching several meetings now, they aren't as anti-hunting as I once believed. But, they have a ton of anti hunting groups constantly bombarding them with proposals. We as hunters have to submit our own proposals to counter. Just recently the commission shot down the hsus proposal to shut down bear hunting. And they did so unanimously and with conviction. It can be done if hunters come together.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Let's here it. Or better yet, make a proposal to the commission. I can say that after watching several meetings now, they aren't as anti-hunting as I once believed. But, they have a ton of anti hunting groups constantly bombarding them with proposals. We as hunters have to submit our own proposals to counter. Just recently the commission shot down the hsus proposal to shut down bear hunting. And they did so unanimously and with conviction. It can be done if hunters come together.

Yeah the commission surprised me too, was a great win for sure! That was just one battle tho and we got a long hard war in front of us for a long time with the HSUS and the likes. COBD is worse than HSUS and they are next. The wolves are coming in hot and will be praised as a god like creature to these groups.

 

[Calbuck]

What has not been mentioned is logging and the Marijuana trade.

When the logging industry was able to clear land and manage for better natural habitat, deer were doing well. Very well. Nearly 900 deer in California in the early, mid 90s.

With Marijuana moving to every rural area, lots of people just shoot them year round, they take the water directly from deep ground wells, put poison around existing plants and poison other animals.

There was a very large paper I read about how helpful the logging industry was to assist deer populations. I have read one on Marijuana, it's just direct knowledge that I have seen.

I understand MJ is not grown state wide like in CA, it is only a small part of the overall problem.

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California "premium" zones
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...p?posts/2605340/&share_type=t&link_source=app. MJ was mentioned.

 

[Calbuck]

What has not been mentioned is logging and the Marijuana trade.

When the logging industry was able to clear land and manage for better natural habitat, deer were doing well. Very well. Nearly 900 deer in California in the early, mid 90s.

With Marijuana moving to every rural area, lots of people just shoot them year round, they take the water directly from deep ground wells, put poison around existing plants and poison other animals.

There was a very large paper I read about how helpful the logging industry was to assist deer populations. I have read one on Marijuana, it's just direct knowledge that I have seen.

I understand MJ is not grown state wide like in CA, it is only a small part of the overall problem.

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I specifically mentioned this.

 

[Calbuck]

Don't forget marijuana in the forest. They rape the land and leave shit all over their grow sites, and poach the game in the area. I live in an x zone and yes, its not like it used to be. But, there are still some good bucks out there.

Here it is.

 

[Ducks&Bulls]

It is a bit more involved than that. For example, in the Serrias, there are deer on summer range year round. But the vast majority of the deer in a zone are migratory. So finding where they summer , does not mean they will be there during the season.

An oct 1 season start... not sure how much snow we get on that date that will push mature buck to lower elevation.

 

[Calbuck]

You guys how many of you get into the x zones
On a regular basis? I live and work (travel) in multiple x zones..I
See the bucks and deer numbers regularly. The deer have learned to move into residential areas during season. They are still around , but I believe due to predators and hunting they have evolved to prefer private residential to forest service ground. And they stick closer to the Highway. At least some anyway.

 

[Ducks&Bulls]

"Just wish some people in X zone would quit killing 2 & 3 year old deer"

Never going to happen, and why should it? Look at the price at your local gas station for example; a guy waits ~5 years on a tag, drops thousands for hunt (not including any scouting), and he's not supposed to pop a 3 year old buck that's going to be lion food anyway? Not sure I follow the logic.

There are plenty of mature deer that aren't eaten by "lions". As premium zones, there should be some effort in quality. You're telling me if you draw your once in a lifetime Utah deer tag in paunsaugunt, San Juan, or Henry and if you don't see a mature buck you'll shoot a 2 or 3 year old buck?

 

[Marble]

Here it is.

I didn't read every reply in here prior to posting. I mention it when appropriate because it doesn't seem to get the attention I think it needs.

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[Marble]

Let's here it. Or better yet, make a proposal to the commission. I can say that after watching several meetings now, they aren't as anti-hunting as I once believed. But, they have a ton of anti hunting groups constantly bombarding them with proposals. We as hunters have to submit our own proposals to counter. Just recently the commission shot down the hsus proposal to shut down bear hunting. And they did so unanimously and with conviction. It can be done if hunters come together.

Everyone can still buy two buck tags, but they can only kill one deer. There are a couple reasons for this. First, CA would still get their money. Seems like they wouldn't agree to something if money became a deciding factor. Second, everyone could still hunt where they always have. I like to be able to archery hunt and rifle hunt, if I was only able to choose one tag, then I would be forced to choose between the two.

Who this would effect the most are the guys that kill two bucks each year. I do not have stats, but I was told that the guys who kill two bucks each year, are the same successful hunters that kill two bucks each year. And it isn't a large amount of guys that do it.

I am not opposed to reducing overall tags either. But I want to be able to hunt, and hunt a lot. I also would like some quality thrown in there too. If tag numbers needed to be drastically reduced in some areas for a few years, I might support that. If it possibly provides better numbers and better deer herd numbers, it should be considered.

Also, the bear objective hadn't been met in how many years? Why can't we buy another if we are successful?

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