Snow mountain wilderness, Mendocino county blacktail

[Eroc76]

Hey guy, looking into hunting snow mountain wilderness area in Mendocino county area this up coming season for blacktail. Never been in there, wondering if i could get some PM's with some some help or some knowledge on the area. Heard a lot of mixed rumors about over populated and hunted out. Thanks

 

[Bubblehide]

I read a research article that included much of the Mendocino NF and wilderness. Conclusions, as I recall, came to an over abundance of predation; to the point that it affect a pyridium shift in that the predation is to the point of threatening the deer population. The study also noted that they were unable to calculate individual deer survival rates by years. The VAST majority of deer were young, as the survival rate was significantly low.

The study did not address the affect of pigs competing with the deer. But considering that the pigs will eat pretty much every acorn, the fall food supply for deer doesn't seem to include anything that allows the deer to put on fat, gain weight... thus affecting not only survival rates, but reproductive rates of the deer. In short, I wouldn't say the Mendo is hunted out, I'd say there is a significant predation problem. So if you do go, purchase a bear tag, and considering taking predators when hunting and scouting.

Best of luck!

 

[eLightfoot]

It aint " hunted out", nor is any wilderness in Nor Cal. You have to be willing to go where others don't and find pockets of Deer. Main problem out there is the " Tribes " of hunters. Large groups that swarm entire canyons and spook or kill every buck in the area. Snow Mountain gets hit pretty hard by those guys from all angles because it is a relatively small and easy to access Wilderness, and there are enough Big bucks in there to keep em coming back. If you end up with a "tribe" in your area they will completely **** that spot up.

 

[choovhntr]

While areas may not be”hunted out” predation is in my opinion a HUGE issue statewide. I hunt further south by about 60 mi. So take it as you will, but there has been a break over point on the balance beam of management here in the last three years. Deer numbers are way down and predator sightings way up. Lions all over the place and coyotes everywhere. Never seen it so bad in my entire life of living here. That being said, there are always going to be a few good bucks here and there so if you want to hunt, forget about the numbers and naysayers and just go get after it. It’ll probably be a tough hunt as far as buck sightings go but will always be a great adventure.

 

[tipsntails7]

Get a map, pick a trail head every weekend from now until the opener and go wear your boots out. In my experience deer will change what they do and where they are by how much rainfall we will get, so tuff to really tell you anything.

Id also second what bubble hide and others have said, the area has been hit pretty good by the predator bug.

 

[TalusHunterCA]

I'd say that you'd have better success in the Yuki Wilderness or in a larger Wilderness like the Trinity. Snow Mountain has lots of hunters and more pigs, bears, mountain lions and coyotes than deer. Last time I went in there was to hunt pigs down near the creek bottom and there was little deer sign and lots of hunters shooting at everything that moved along the forest trail roads. I'd not hunt there again without wearing full Hunter Orange safety clothing.

 

[RyanH]

Scouting is the most critical piece of hunting in California just because it's so different. One variable can change behavior entirely in one part of a zone, and this can happen on a yearly basis. As tipsntails said, just hit the ground and do your homework, big bucks are present all over the state, I've seen them, just never shot one

 

[Atropos]

Agreed. Last time I went to Snow Mountain I ran into a "tribe" of 6 or 7 poachers. They were kind and shared their food with me, I didn't realize they were poaching until later on in our conversation, and I wasnt going to make a stink because I was out there alone and we were all armed. I ran into several hunters the next day, and there was a shocking abundance of obnoxiously loud backpackers. I will go to scout again for fun, but I'm not sure if I will spend precious vacation time hunting there unless I find something significant to go after.

 

[JNDEER]

Check the MNF website as i believe all of that area and anywhere the fire burned last year will be closed for a few seasons.

 

[RosinBag]

I have hunted there several times 25 years ago. It was over hunted then and has only been declining. The area is to small to get away from others and the “tribe” mentality of hunting is insane. They kill any and every legal buck the see, and some that are not legal. This would be last on my list of wilderness areas to hunt in California. This state has excellent wilderness areas where you get the chance to hunt B&C blacktail deer and Snow Mountain isn’t one of them.

 

[3pointer]

I’ve hunted snow mtn most of my life , definitely have watched the decline from predators as well as the “tribes”, but still manage to scrape up a couple nice bucks every year, atleast spot them, killing them is a different story,I believe JNdeer is right , it’ll be closed for a couple seasons, probably be the best thing for that herd. I honest hope they reduce vehicle access in that whole burn , try and stop the tribes from setting up camp , or should I say small cities ! Don’t be fooled , I’ve seen giants on that mtn , just harder to come by now

 

[MeatBuck]

They aren't "tribes"... Those are what they call "teams". And by "they" I mean Hmongs. They have matching t-shirts and hats that they all wear when they hit the field in their soccer cleats. They literally look like a softball team when they gather around camp for YouTube videos and still shots. Check em out @ willow hunters, team lojleeb916, hmong team long range team sniper, team hMONGOL, thojlelon209, Sacramento hmong hunters, etc on YouTube. I bet you'll recognize the country in the videos as places you've personally hunted or have buddies who have. They piliage and exploit any resource possible from crawdads to abalone, carp to sturgeon and from squirrel to black bear. Even if they aren't poaching the sheer numbers of them hammering limit's for every member of the large and extended family puts a huge dent in the populations of whatever quarry they are after. In my opinion it's a problem that need be addressed.

 

[MeatBuck]

On another note that area will be closed until July 2020 from what I've heard. Minus the cleanup crews and dedicated poachers, it's gonna get a well deserved year of rest.

 

[MeatBuck]

Anybody hear anything new about the closures or possible access for this season?