X9a hunting

[Edbrese]

Going to be hunting X9a this year looking for any tips

 

[Bubblehide]

Spend as much time as you can scouting: start now.

 

[tydennison194]

great zone, get up high

 

[amassi]

Whatever drove you to apply for it should help guide your decision come scouting and season. Be sure to come back in November and let us all know how it went.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[Bcoonce117]

Go now. Glass different areas. Narrow it down to what areas you see the most or best deer. Apply that knowledge in season

 

[bojangles808]

I seen deer by Cerro coso college

 

[Chris>>--->]

The best bucks I’ve seen have been some really high, steep stuff. That was in the archery season though.

 

[MJB]

Really big boys are way up high and in deep 3-5miles.
Lots of forks in the flats with a shooter here and there, but you'll be road hunting.
Shots can be long practice out to 500yds.
Put 15's on your neck 10's are to small.
Lots of bears but don't shoot one until you get your buck. Look into a local packer just in case you're in deeper than you planned.....it happens once you find the big boys.
Glass them in the morning put them to bed and try to get closer. If solo you'll need to be in a good spot for the next morning near where you saw them the morning before.
They love to hang in the loose shale with lots of green patches to feed and bed. They will move out of the sun mid-day so you can get a shot just have to be patient.
If you have a partner put the deer to bed then have your partner guide you in via radio and/or hand signals. You'll glass deer a few miles away and when you start to get closer nothing looks like it did a mile back. A dedicated gps to ping the deer location helps to guide you in.

E scouting look for steep shale with good green patches on the really steep slope. Easy to see once you look for colors and slopes.
Good luck!

 

[Edbrese]

Thank you for your information

 

[Billinsd]

There are a few really big bucks down low out east of the 395 in the sage brush north of Bishop to the north end of the unit in the Owen's Valley, if you have good optics and like to glass. Also, close to the no shooting zone around Mammoth and other areas. I saw a group of 4 really nice 4x4s in Velvet south of Sherwin creek campground right off the dirt road going to the 395. San Joaquin Ridge is a good area between Mammoth and June Lake. The vast majority will road hunt the dirt roads near the base of the steep mountains on the west side of the 395 from Crowley Lake to June Lake, up the 4x4 road to Laurel Lakes, while a few will glass west up those steep sides for a very few bucks, because the archery hunters pushed them off, a few others will road hunt the Owen's valley. There could be horse camps and backpack hunters way in there near the unit boundary up high chasing the remaining good bucks out of the boundary that the earlier bowhunters didn't. Most seem to road hunt, the hard core go in deep and the other areas that don't look like pristine alpine mule deer country will have much less pressure. Look at places where a buck can hide in plain sight while hunters zoom past within a couple hundred yards in a race up the mountains to be first. I've done it all. The most disappointing is going in deep to find big camps where I wanted to go. The bucks can be anywhere in the rifle season. Good luck and make sure to glass with powerful and high quality glass. Cheers Bill

 

[Edbrese]

Thank you for the information the areas you are talking about is where I have hunted ten years ago but with your information I should be a lot more successful

 

[Glendon Mullins]

Really big boys are way up high and in deep 3-5miles.
Lots of forks in the flats with a shooter here and there, but you'll be road hunting.
Shots can be long practice out to 500yds.
Put 15's on your neck 10's are to small.
Lots of bears but don't shoot one until you get your buck. Look into a local packer just in case you're in deeper than you planned.....it happens once you find the big boys.
Glass them in the morning put them to bed and try to get closer. If solo you'll need to be in a good spot for the next morning near where you saw them the morning before.
They love to hang in the loose shale with lots of green patches to feed and bed. They will move out of the sun mid-day so you can get a shot just have to be patient.
If you have a partner put the deer to bed then have your partner guide you in via radio and/or hand signals. You'll glass deer a few miles away and when you start to get closer nothing looks like it did a mile back. A dedicated gps to ping the deer location helps to guide you in.

E scouting look for steep shale with good green patches on the really steep slope. Easy to see once you look for colors and slopes.
Good luck!

I think this is great feedback, without giving away specifics in a unit etc. that most frown upon. great post IMO

 

[huntsd]

how many points did it take you to draw. No luck with 6 for me

 

[Edbrese]

9

 

[SDHNTR]

Really? Blasting out specific spots on the internet. SMH!

 

[MJB]

Got to love the internet

In the beginning of the internet, I remember great chats on a certain forum on SD deer.........boy did we all learn a lesson quickly

I hope OP's hunt isn't crowded with this info out there.

Good luck

 

[willfrye027]

Got to love the internet

In the beginning of the internet, I remember great chats on a certain forum on SD deer.........boy did we all learn a lesson quickly

I hope OP's hunt isn't crowded with this info out there.

Good luck

Thankfully this tag takes 8+ points to draw and is experiencing worse point creep than Wyoming G or H. It’s no hidden gem. Tag numbers are super low relative to the size of the hunt area. You can expect to shoot a bigger deer in most OTC/zero point zones in any of the other western states.

Between GoHUNT labeling this unit as a great option for those driving from Southern California…with “180 potential” (MAYBE the top end buck on a good year for the round valley late season hunt) and the massive tag cuts a handful of years ago—this unit is now a tough draw.

What is nice about X9a is the beautiful country and relative lack of hunting pressure. I may or may not have hunted it a few years ago, had a fun hunt and saw exactly zero other hunters. It is not “worth” the points but options are limited in CA.

My best advice would be to pick the type of terrain you enjoy hunting, scout that type of country, and enjoy the Relatively uncrowded hunt. I spent about one week scouting in the backcountry before the hunt looking over different basins and building off a buddies knowledge of the unit which set up for a memorable hunt. I wanted the backpacking experience so I went for that. Could have had a nice wall tent, truck camp experience and been successful as well. Good deer can be found from the Sierra crest at 12k feet down to the sagebrush winter grounds. There are not very many deer relative to the amount of habitat which is why scouting is your best bet for a good hunt.

Enjoy it because by the time you have enough points to draw again it’ll take 15+ points for realistically a 3x3 buck hunt.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

How’d the hunt go?