birdman27
Well-known member
TLDR: I went hunting in the Eastern Sierras this year. It was beautiful and I shot a small buck. One of my favorite hunting trips ever. Lots of pictures
This year, after 10 years of accumulating points, I was able to draw an Easter Sierras Mule Deer tag here in California. While hunting in this state can be a challenge, there are opportunities and I was very glad for this one. I grew up in Reno and regularly travelled down 395 to SoCal to see my sister. The Eastern Sierras from about Bridgeport down through Lone Pine might just be my favorite place (ok, at least top 3; I have been some pretty cool places). Life has gotten in the way of getting over there in over a decade, so I wanted to take this opportunity to revisit this beautiful place.
A buddy and I drew X9A with an average of 9 points; this unit runs from just north of Mono Lake down to Bishop, from the Sierra crest to the NV state line (it's a big unit) and only has 270 tags. Once we confirmed our draw we started planning. We decided to take a scouting trip over Labor Day weekend, me with my family and him with his older son. I was excited to introduce my 3.5 year old boy to this environment. I was able to secure what looked to be the last campsite along the Sierras for that weekend and we were ready to go.
Scouting was amazing. We got there in the dark after a detour to get my check engine light read and had no idea what the place looked like. Turns out, one of the best campsites I have been to! We spent 2 days checking out various access points and seeing no deer (it was quite hot). I learned the weird thing about the unit is you have pretty good cell coverage due to the proximity to 395 and a number of towns. That being said, it was still easy to get away from people. On the drive home, we decided to detour through Yosemite, since we had never been as a family. On the drive up to Tioga Pass I saw a ridge series I thought looked pretty good. After getting home and looking at a map, I decided I would start my hunt there.
Fall is a terrible time for me work-wise, so I knew I would only have about 5 days to hunt, but that is usually about my threshold anyways. My buddy and I chose the first week of October based on our mutual schedules. He arrived Sunday Sep 28th and I drove out at night on the 30th. My dad also flew into Reno and drove down on the 30th. Weather was lovely, with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. At least until Thursday night, when a storm system rolled in. My 3 hunting days all looked about the same, hiking in to my pre-determined glassing knob (good to know I am not hopeless at e-scouting, because it was almost perfect), watching that bowl for an hour or so, then heading to the next drainage for another hour or so. Every day I saw deer in both.
Day One I pushed up higher into some beautiful stuff, didn’t see a single deer and then headed down the other side, running into a big ole bear at 70. He (I think) was chocolate colored and also collared. He couldn’t smell me, so he hung out for a few minutes, then took off down the hill. Continuing on, I saw he was on a carcass, but it was almost done with. I am glad I didn’t have a bear tag, because I would have been distracted from deer hunting for too long! Just down the ridge I almost stepped on a grouse (ruffed, I think) and nearly sat my ass down out of fright. I didn’t even know we had grouse in CA.
(the buck my buddy ended up shooting!)
Day Two, my buddy joined me on my ridge. As I got into position just at shooting light I saw a group of (what I thought was) 4 bucks. None too big, but good enough for me to end my hunt. I got settled, picked out one in the clear, and pulled the trigger. Actually, I think I jerked the trigger, because I clean missed. I came off the gun and saw 5 bucks running away, none with signs of injury. 3 came closer and I could have easily shot one, but not knowing for sure I missed, I let them walk away. I went and gridded that hillside and saw nothing but a lot of tracks. No blood, no hair, no sign of damage. So, I moved on up to the next spot. My buddy was a little down the ridge and ended up seeing some deer across the way. He confirmed there was a legal buck and sent a bullet on the way. He did not miss! It turned out to be a small 3x2 that I had passed on the day before (and have pictures of). Lucky for us, my dad could drive to the bottom and pick us up, making for a relatively easy pack out. My buddy headed home that night and my dad would have to leave the next morning.
Parker Bench, not where I hunted, but great colors.
Day Three, even though I had traipsed all through that hillside, I figured with the storm rolling through deer would be back out in the sun getting warm and fat. I showed up and didn’t see a damn thing. Stayed an hour glassing all up and down and finally saw some does way down the hill, looking real skittish. Kept glassing and finally saw a coyote on their tail. As I was about to pack up, I looked to the edge of the aspen and saw a group of does materialize out of nowhere, including a collared doe I had seen earlier. The saw me and took off. I was about to pack up again when I saw 3 bucks on the ridge line. They weren’t running, but they were moving steadily. I moved closer and got on my pack, but it never felt right and I held my shot. I moved up to my next glassing spot and there was a herd of deer in it that I jumped by not being patient enough, including a big forky I would have happily shot if he ever stopped. Feeling dejected, I watched them work their way out of the drainage, then looked downhill, one ridge from where my buddy was and saw a group of deer. I confirmed a legal buck and high tailed it over there. The closest I could get was about 350 yards, so I got my pack down, got real steady, dry fired a bunch of times (the deer didn’t know I was there and were lounging around), then sent a bullet on the way. The buck never left his bed. I had nearly an identical pack out as the prior day, only solo this time. I got to the bottom, dropped my pack and got the truck. This zone has had CWD positive tests in the past, so I found someone to take a sample, then headed home.
I shot from the yellow circle and the deer were at the red circle.
I have to say, this felt like a truly world class hunt. Just great country and a good number of deer. I didn’t see anything huge, but given the time and constraints I had, I am not surprised. I like eating venison. I am happy with my experience and the outcome. I am so blessed my dad made the trip out, even if he can no longer do all the hiking with me. The fall colors and smell of sage renewed my soul. I wish I could get this tag more than once a decade.
This year, after 10 years of accumulating points, I was able to draw an Easter Sierras Mule Deer tag here in California. While hunting in this state can be a challenge, there are opportunities and I was very glad for this one. I grew up in Reno and regularly travelled down 395 to SoCal to see my sister. The Eastern Sierras from about Bridgeport down through Lone Pine might just be my favorite place (ok, at least top 3; I have been some pretty cool places). Life has gotten in the way of getting over there in over a decade, so I wanted to take this opportunity to revisit this beautiful place.
A buddy and I drew X9A with an average of 9 points; this unit runs from just north of Mono Lake down to Bishop, from the Sierra crest to the NV state line (it's a big unit) and only has 270 tags. Once we confirmed our draw we started planning. We decided to take a scouting trip over Labor Day weekend, me with my family and him with his older son. I was excited to introduce my 3.5 year old boy to this environment. I was able to secure what looked to be the last campsite along the Sierras for that weekend and we were ready to go.
Scouting was amazing. We got there in the dark after a detour to get my check engine light read and had no idea what the place looked like. Turns out, one of the best campsites I have been to! We spent 2 days checking out various access points and seeing no deer (it was quite hot). I learned the weird thing about the unit is you have pretty good cell coverage due to the proximity to 395 and a number of towns. That being said, it was still easy to get away from people. On the drive home, we decided to detour through Yosemite, since we had never been as a family. On the drive up to Tioga Pass I saw a ridge series I thought looked pretty good. After getting home and looking at a map, I decided I would start my hunt there.
Fall is a terrible time for me work-wise, so I knew I would only have about 5 days to hunt, but that is usually about my threshold anyways. My buddy and I chose the first week of October based on our mutual schedules. He arrived Sunday Sep 28th and I drove out at night on the 30th. My dad also flew into Reno and drove down on the 30th. Weather was lovely, with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. At least until Thursday night, when a storm system rolled in. My 3 hunting days all looked about the same, hiking in to my pre-determined glassing knob (good to know I am not hopeless at e-scouting, because it was almost perfect), watching that bowl for an hour or so, then heading to the next drainage for another hour or so. Every day I saw deer in both.
Day One I pushed up higher into some beautiful stuff, didn’t see a single deer and then headed down the other side, running into a big ole bear at 70. He (I think) was chocolate colored and also collared. He couldn’t smell me, so he hung out for a few minutes, then took off down the hill. Continuing on, I saw he was on a carcass, but it was almost done with. I am glad I didn’t have a bear tag, because I would have been distracted from deer hunting for too long! Just down the ridge I almost stepped on a grouse (ruffed, I think) and nearly sat my ass down out of fright. I didn’t even know we had grouse in CA.
(the buck my buddy ended up shooting!)Day Two, my buddy joined me on my ridge. As I got into position just at shooting light I saw a group of (what I thought was) 4 bucks. None too big, but good enough for me to end my hunt. I got settled, picked out one in the clear, and pulled the trigger. Actually, I think I jerked the trigger, because I clean missed. I came off the gun and saw 5 bucks running away, none with signs of injury. 3 came closer and I could have easily shot one, but not knowing for sure I missed, I let them walk away. I went and gridded that hillside and saw nothing but a lot of tracks. No blood, no hair, no sign of damage. So, I moved on up to the next spot. My buddy was a little down the ridge and ended up seeing some deer across the way. He confirmed there was a legal buck and sent a bullet on the way. He did not miss! It turned out to be a small 3x2 that I had passed on the day before (and have pictures of). Lucky for us, my dad could drive to the bottom and pick us up, making for a relatively easy pack out. My buddy headed home that night and my dad would have to leave the next morning.
Parker Bench, not where I hunted, but great colors.
Day Three, even though I had traipsed all through that hillside, I figured with the storm rolling through deer would be back out in the sun getting warm and fat. I showed up and didn’t see a damn thing. Stayed an hour glassing all up and down and finally saw some does way down the hill, looking real skittish. Kept glassing and finally saw a coyote on their tail. As I was about to pack up, I looked to the edge of the aspen and saw a group of does materialize out of nowhere, including a collared doe I had seen earlier. The saw me and took off. I was about to pack up again when I saw 3 bucks on the ridge line. They weren’t running, but they were moving steadily. I moved closer and got on my pack, but it never felt right and I held my shot. I moved up to my next glassing spot and there was a herd of deer in it that I jumped by not being patient enough, including a big forky I would have happily shot if he ever stopped. Feeling dejected, I watched them work their way out of the drainage, then looked downhill, one ridge from where my buddy was and saw a group of deer. I confirmed a legal buck and high tailed it over there. The closest I could get was about 350 yards, so I got my pack down, got real steady, dry fired a bunch of times (the deer didn’t know I was there and were lounging around), then sent a bullet on the way. The buck never left his bed. I had nearly an identical pack out as the prior day, only solo this time. I got to the bottom, dropped my pack and got the truck. This zone has had CWD positive tests in the past, so I found someone to take a sample, then headed home.
I shot from the yellow circle and the deer were at the red circle.
I have to say, this felt like a truly world class hunt. Just great country and a good number of deer. I didn’t see anything huge, but given the time and constraints I had, I am not surprised. I like eating venison. I am happy with my experience and the outcome. I am so blessed my dad made the trip out, even if he can no longer do all the hiking with me. The fall colors and smell of sage renewed my soul. I wish I could get this tag more than once a decade.
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