by Mike Wash
My 2008 California deer season started out like every other year. I always purchase 2 deer tags; one to apply for one of the many premium tags California has to offer and the other for an archery only tag, my personal favorite. The archery only (AO) tag allows me to hunt with my bow for four months of the year, starting in July in with the massive A Zone and continuing thru the D Zones in August all the way till the closing of the rifle seasons in …
by Richard Drehsen
It all started in June of 2009, when I checked the Department of Fish and Game website, and learned that my dad had drawn a coveted X2 tag. To say we were excited would be an understatement, as we both knew this zone possessed serious trophy potential. I knew that this hunt was going to pose certain challenges for us. My dad is 68 years old and although he is in great shape for his age, he is not as young as he used to be. We also …
by Brent Miller
Every hunter has one: a go-to place that they and their hunting buddies know can produce a buck or two, year in and year out. My stompin’ground has been hunted by our family for decades and has been very kind to me over the years. It is an area in California’s B zones where I cut my teeth hunting blacktail deer with my rifle. It is a steep, rocky, brushy, and unforgiving place. Not too many hunters venture into this area for this very reason. Some blacktail deer …
by Jerry Maytum
California is known for its beaches, wild fires, and earthquakes, not monster mule deer. The majority of the prime deer habitat is owned by the national parks or locked behind private property. Another obstacle the California hunter faces is the limited number of tags available for premium areas. Most people spend their whole life applying for a preferred tag and never realize their dream. After fifteen years of competing with thousands of applicants for the most premium deer zone, I finally collected a G-3 permit. Only 35 people …
by Kirk Edgerton
Even twenty years after my first deer hunt, I still have the same passion and desire I did as a young teenager chasing whitetails in the deep south. The scenery has changed, but the butterflies in my stomach were all too familiar as my truck slowly crept its way up the canyon floor to the trail head.
It was the day before the archery opener in Northern California and as I shouldered my pack, I knew the next four plus hours weren’t going to be pleasant. It’s …
by Sharon Sterud
California’s rifle deer season is one my husband Barry and I have grown to love. We choose to pack deep into the mountains of California’s Sierra Nevadas with our stock. This in an over the counter tag so we can plan on doing this trip every year. The challenge of a back-country, do-it-yourself type hunt is one that we have grown to crave. Getting away from the roads and the crowds has paid off well for us in the past. We know our area well and have been …
by Chris Callahan
Mule Deer photo by Tony Bynum
Spring of 2007 was hectic and I almost didn’t get my tags in on time. As usual everyone else in our party was ready but me. A few days prior to the deadline I scrambled to get them ready for mailing, I didn’t want to take any chances and become buck camp enemy number one by being the reason we didn’t make the draw, so I had them overnight expressed to Sacramento.
For years we have been putting in for an X zone tag …
