Cali deer season wrap

[grgrmouse]

It's been a great year for the kids. For me, I didn't harvest a Ca deer but loved being with them and carrying it on. Here's some shots.

Daughter finally drew a tag in a great area, took her first.



































Great times watching these two tough it out. Her hunt was at almost 7000" and she packed 50% of meat, rifle and gear herself back to truck. His hunt was over 8000'. Was a little over 4mi back to the quads then a couple more to camp. I spent a week in NOLA drinking and eating like a sailor on leave (no offense Steve!) and paid the price with massive leg cramps while we ridged over and over to get back to quads. On top of that, I tool a 3/8 stick into the hamstring while rock scrambling with a full pack. With all that, I wouldn't missed it for the world.

[brando]

Awesome pictures! Taking the stick in the leg reminds of a story TC shared with me regarding a hunt with his brother Stuart. Thats totally different than hunting PA whitetails. This on public land?

[Sailor]

awesome pictures. Can't believe your season has ended and gun season hasn't even started here. I LOVE that open style of big game hunting. Sooooo different then waiting in a stand in the woods where visibility is maybe a 100 yards at best.

If all you got from Nola was leg cramps the next week, you did good!!! [][][8D][]

[grgrmouse]

Brando, yes public land. Although it's the Land of Fruits and nuts, it has some amazing public properties. This hunt was 30miles of dirt road to get to base camp. Then we crawled on the quads up rockbound creeks and old fire roads another 3mi. You're standing 95% of the time due to the physicality of the route. My son killed his another 4mi from where we parked the quads.

My daughters hunt was tough too but not near as bad. For this being her first big game tag, she knocked it out of the park. She is ten times cooler under pressure than the boy! She didn't start shaking until after she made the hit. 157 yds with her 6.5 Creedmoor. Boom, Flop.

Sailor, yes leg cramps were a killer but I'm sure my liver was the size of a sea turtle...My first time hunting Whitetail was at my wife's family's land in Missipi. I was sure there were no deer because it was so thick I couldn't see chit. Then her cousin did a push around the edges and the damn woods came alive with deer moving. I'll never forget it.

[brando]

The 6.5 is amazing. I almost bought that caliber in the Ruger precision platform but went for a 308 instead. Amazingly accurate

I want to take my son on a mule or elk hunt his senior year. That will be in two years. The cost of a full out guided hunt is out of my price range. Unguided Hunt is what I prefer but I need to start doing my homework on when, where, and how

[ob1jeeper]

Nicely done Greg... Kudos to your kids as well...

[grgrmouse]

quote:

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Originally posted by brando


The 6.5 is amazing. I almost bought that caliber in the Ruger precision platform but went for a 308 instead. Amazingly accurate

I want to take my son on a mule or elk hunt his senior year. That will be in two years. The cost of a full out guided hunt is out of my price range. Unguided Hunt is what I prefer but I need to start doing my homework on when, where, and how

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I recommend Nevada. Put in for tags in 2019, get 1 point. Put in 2020 for a guide tag, your chances are extremely good. That gives you 2 years to save up for guide. They go for $3500-$5000 for a good unit and guide. For more info, shoot me an email if you'd like. I can point you in the direction of reasonable guys and units that I would try for. I got drawn the second time I put in and it was a guided tag. Guides get 50% of non-resident tag quota. It may seem unfair but these guys work their butts off and teach you how to hunt this terrain. You would not need to use a guide again unless you had no time to scout or spend looking for a shooter.

It would be a great Senior trip. Depending on the unit, there are many small lakes and reservoirs to camp at too. Some guys bring the wife and sibs along to play at the lake while dads out hunting.

[Sailor]

Would you recommend Nevada over Colorado?

[grgrmouse]

quote:

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Originally posted by grgrmouse

quote:

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Originally posted by Sailor


Would you recommend Nevada over Colorado?

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Yes but for me only because the different terrain and amount of public land. Colorado has some great genetics, but Nevada has more public land. You could draw a decent tag in CO but public land gets pretty crowded unless you're ready to put the miles on the boots to avoid the crowds.

Spot and stalk hunting in Nevada is not for the faint of heart either but its nearly 80% public where Colorado is around 35% I think.

The terrain in Nevada is easier to spot and get there with relative high chance of seeing him again, than Colorado. Spotting in CO you may see a toad but the time and difficulty to get there, chances are lower to see him again. If you're a dry camper and have no problem sitting on them, great. But most are not willing or able to rack out of a sage bush for the night hoping to spot him again in the same area...

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