Our team is made up of a group of people who have established a vast amount of knowledge about California hunting over the years and use it to successfully fill their tags or limits each year. These hunters are very committed to the preparation, scouting, and down-right relentlessness it takes to hunt this state each year.

Even though most of our pro staffer’s specializes in one specific California species, many of them take advantage of all the hunting California has to offer just like many California hunters. Please take some time to get to know them a little better by reading their bio’s and seeing some of their successful hunting pictures. And if you see them out in the field, be sure to say hello and have them give you a tip or two!

Select a Pro Staff member below.

All premium deer hunt tags and elk, antelope and bighorn sheep tags are distributed through the DFG Big Game Drawing.

Under a Modified Preference Point System drawing, tag quotas for each hunt are split into two portions: one portion awarded by preference point drawings; the other portion awarded in Draw-By-Choice drawings. Quota splits vary, depending on the species, total number of available tags, or other special criteria (such as those for Apprentice Hunts).

The maximum number of preference points for any species a hunter can have is eight.

Instructions for completing elk, antelope and bighorn sheep applications can be found on pages 34, 40 and 42, respectively, and deer tag application instructions begin on page 16.

All big game tag applications for the annual Big Game Drawing must be received at the DFG’s License and Revenue Branch, in Sacramento, by 5:00 p.m. on June 2

• The DFG will run the draw within 10 business days of the application deadline.
• After the application deadline, when all applicant information has been entered, the computer assigns each person (or party) a unique random number. Hunters who apply as a party receive the same random number as the party leader.
• Party applications are not split to meet the tag quota if the number of party members exceeds the number of available tags (Section 708, Title 14 of the CCR). Therefore, when there are fewer tags available than the number of members in a party, the computer bypasses the party and draws the applicant with the next lowest random number to fill the tag quota.
• The preference point value for party applications entered in the Big Game Drawing is determined by averaging all party members’ deer preference points (total preference points of the party divided by the number of party members). Preference point averages are not rounded up or down (Section 708, Title 14 of the CCR).
• Just prior to the drawing, the computer sorts all applications according to first tag choice, preference point totals, and random number.
• The computer begins awarding first tag choices to applicants with the most preference points, in random number order (starting with the lowest random number to the highest random number).
• After the preference point round is completed, unsuccessful applications are resorted by hunt choice and random number order (starting with the lowest random number to the highest random number), and the computer begins awarding tags based on applicant’s first-choice without consideration of accumulated points, until all draw-by-choice tag quotas fill or until all applications have been processed.
• All remaining unsuccessful applications are then sorted by second tag choice, in random number order (starting with the lowest random number to the highest random number) and the computer conducts a second round of drawings for any zones and hunts with tags remaining without consideration of accumulated points.
• If tags remain after second tag choices have been processed, applications are sorted once again by third tag choice, in random number order (starting with the lowest random number to the highest random number), and any remaining tags are awarded without consideration of accumulated points.
• For applications not drawn in the third round hunters will be notified of available tags so they may reapply.

Deer tags and unsuccessful drawing notices will be mailed to drawing participants as soon as possible after the drawing. Beginning June 23, 2010, draw results will be available by phone during regular business hours from DFG license sales offices. On that date applicants may also look up draw results on the DFG’s Web site at:

https://biggame.dfg.ca.gov/biggame

Successful applicants should receive their tags by July 2, 2010. If you do not receive your tag by this date please contact your nearest DFG license sales office.

After the drawing, notices will be mailed to unsuccessful drawing applicants. These applicants should receive a notice by July 2, 2010 that lists zones and available hunts as of the notice date. Applicants must wait for their drawing notices to reapply for available tags.

Do not discard your drawing notice as it takes the place of your original deer tag application and must be used to reapply for available tags (either individually or as a party).Unsuccessful applicants who do not receive their drawing notice by July 2, 2010 should contact any DFG license sales

Leave your comments below!

As California’s waterfowl season nears its end, honker hunting tends to heat up. Canadian geese are hearty and they are one of the last birds to migrate south. While California has healthy populations of local geese, the northern birds provide great late season hunting when they arrive!

These birds are not the most naive creatures by the time they get here. They have been battle tested and seen many a decoy spread on their journey south. During the cold winter months they are seeking food and if you can find the food, you will have some excellent hunting. Just finding honkers does not equal success though. These late season birds can be difficult to coax within range to fill your limit. Here are six tips on hunting late season honkers that you can use to sway the odds in your favor this season.

1. Scouting: This is the most important thing to do when you’re hunting honkers. Just because you see them in the morning doesn’t mean that they will be there in the evening. Time and time again they move from the morning feeding grounds to somewhere different in the evening. They remember the last place they ate, not the first place. If you find a spot where you have scouted honkers the previous day in the morning and again in the evening, you’ve got a great chance of catching them there again for your hunt the next day.

2. Calling: A common mistake is blowing your call too much. A couple of greeting calls are all that’s needed to get their attention. As soon as their wings are locked up, give them some excited clucks. Remember that they have been called at all hunting season so give them something different. I like to listen to the birds on the ground while I’m scouting to see how little or how much they call at incoming flocks. I will then try to replicate that calling on my hunt.

3. Hiding: This is critical to your success. You can do everything else right and get the birds coming to your perfectly placed spread, but if they see you or your partners, they will flare out of range. Try and match the terrain that is around you. They are very wary birds and are always watching for things that don’t look right. I love to use my Power Hunter layout blinds whenever possible. Picking grain stubble, natural cover, or using artificial products to cover the blinds is a must to match your surroundings. When it snows, wear white clothing to blend in. So get down, cover up, and stay still.

4. Flagging: I started using a flag about 12 years ago and it has put far more birds on my strap than anything else. I have pulled in flocks from a half mile away that had no intention of coming in to my spread. From a distance the flag looks like a bird landing or flapping its wings on the ground. If you spend any time watching honkers you’ll see that geese stretch their wings all the time. They love movement and a flag is a great way to give it to them. As soon as you see honkers, start flagging. You have to get their attention so that they can see your decoys. Keep flagging until they are committed to your spread. I generally stop flagging when the geese get within 200 yards because I do not want them to pinpoint my location.

5. Decoys: The later it gets during the season, the more you need to cut back on your decoys. Geese really start keying in on pairs and small family groups. I use no more than two dozen decoys late in the year and sometimes only a few pair. At the end of the season honkers are paired up and have broken away from their big flocks. I love the Bigfoot full body decoys with the flocked heads. They are very tough, durable, and as realistic as a decoy can get!

6. Motion: Since geese have seen every trick in the book by this time it helps to have some real motion in the spread. I like to use moving goose heads. It seems to bring that over-the-top realism to the spread. They are more focused on the movement than anything else, so put a pair where you want them to land. They usually suck right to the motion pair and that’s right in the hole! I also put my feeders on motion stakes where the slightest breeze gives them realistic movement as if they were really moving around feeding.

Late season Canadian goose hunting can be a blast. Next time you head out, try some of these tips to sway the odds in your favor. Remember, on wary old paired up birds all six of these suggestions are usually necessary to bag your limit. Hunt hard, hunt safe, but most of all, be relentless!

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 the B and D Zones. Not only does an AO tag afford me hunting for one third of the year, it also allows me to hunt varied terrains as well as the different species of deer California has to offer, black tail and mule deer. Together the A, B, and D zones cover more than 75% of the state.

My season started in the A zone with the temps in the high 90’s, perfectly normal deer hunting weather for the mid-July opener. However, it was not until late October that my season reached its conclusion. With cooler temps not really showing up in the Sierras, I started thinking about the B zones. Checking the regulations and seeing that the upcoming weekend was the close of season, I called my hunting partner, Mark, and we decided to charge up there Saturday as soon as Mark got off work.

Since it was a 4-½ hour drive from my house, we would only be able to hunt on Sunday, the last day of the season. It was a long drive for a short hunt, but what a hunt it turned out to be. I knew it was going to be a special day when a huge 4×4 buck chased a doe right in front of us about 30 minutes before we made it to camp Saturday night. I had to slam on the brakes to avoid them. The doe did a 180 degree turn and back across the road they went. Mark and I looked at each other and smiled, hoping that we were going to see more of the same in the morning.

Once in camp the only thing Mark and I could talk about was the big buck and his behavior. Could the rut be on or was it just the one doe coming in heat a little early? I could not wait for the morning so we could confirm our suspicions. Thoughts of the big 4×4 filled my head as I went to bed. Just thinking of the possibilities was better than any bedtime story.

The next morning I wished Mark good luck and we both headed off in the early morning light. I was headed up a ridge when I caught movement to my left. What I saw brought a smile to my face. A nice 3×2 was trailing a doe and she was the only thing he was thinking about. I knew right then that we had gotten lucky and the rut was on. I continued on up the hill until I was just below the ridgeline, I took off my backpack, sat down and started glassing the oaks below. I started seeing deer immediately and lots of them. It was an incredible show. It seemed like no matter where I looked there were bucks chasing does.

Of course, after I calmed myself down, I realized I had a serious problem. The deer were really moving and in no particular pattern or direction. I watched a doe move from my right to left, turn and go straight away from me. She would stop turn and come straight at me, then turn around again and run down hill and disappear in the brush, all the while being pursued by three different bucks. Crazy! But crazy good! I spotted a really nice 2×2 and decided I wanted to take a closer look so I grabbed my backpack and started working the side of the hill staying just below the ridgeline.

I went about 100 yards when I heard something coming towards me. I looked in that direction and a doe came charging right at me and on her trail was a truly awesome 4×4 buck. I knocked an arrow as they went by at a mere five yards. I came to full draw, but the buck was now 45 yards below me and moving to my right. I let down and started running parallel to the buck. After about 50 yards I was ahead of the buck and came to full draw again, but as the buck followed the doe they angled away from me at 60 yards and never came to a stop. I let down again and watched with my Swarvorski’s as this great buck trailed that doe down the mountain until they disappeared in some brush. What a sight he was.

As I glassed from my new vantage point I spotted a tremendous 3×3 buck bedded about 250 yards away. This buck had long tine length, great width and awesome mass including nice eye guards. He looked like he was napping with his chin nearly on the ground. I could feel my heart beat speed up as I planned my stalk. I love bow hunting because of the highs and lows of the sport. One minute my heart is pounding out of my chest at the sight of this buck and the next minute I’m sitting there bummed because I don’t see any cover to use to get within 60 yards of this buck. What to do?

Mark owns Bonales Archery in Ceres, Calif. and I spend a lot of time shooting my 80 lb. Bowtech Tribute at his indoor range, as well as outside. I am comfortable taking a 60-yard shot, but as I planned my stalk I just didn’t see how I was going to sneak 30 yards across a wide-open area to get within shooting distance of this deer. What little wind there was prevented me from coming up behind him. I thought maybe I would get as close as possible with cover and then wait him out. This was the best option I had so I started working my way down the mountain toward the massive 3×3.

After about 40 minutes I was kneeling behind the last bush between me and the buck, 92 yards away. From my new viewpoint I could tell the buck was definitely napping and after some arguing with myself, decided to try to sneak within range and get a shot. Now understand that I’m a big man, 6 plus feet and not on Jenny Craig, if you know what I mean. Me sneaking up on anything is like a Mack truck coming at you, but I have had my share of success so I took off my boots and away I went. I closed 15 yards pretty quickly. Too quick, I told myself and slowed it down. If only I could do the same with my heartbeat.

Inching my way forward I eventually got to 59 yards. I was in range, but with the way the buck was bedded, I didn’t feel comfortable with the shot. A root from the tree was blocking the sweet spot. I took another few steps and you guessed it, busted. The big boy turned and looked right at me. I drew, anticipating him standing up (hopefully) or bursting out of his bed. Instead the buck just looked at me and then turned his head away like he didn’t see me. Are you kidding me? Now my heart was really pounding and I just knew that the buck was going to bolt any second. Still not feeling the shot, I took another step closer and another, another, another. Finally I could see the pocket behind his shoulder. I settled my pin, squeezed the release and sent the PSE Dominator arrow with a 75 gr. Vortex Mini-Max broadhead on its flight. I knew I had made a great shot. The buck jumped up as the arrow passed thru him. He went about 10 yards fast, then slowed and walk about 25 yards, stopped and went down. So did I.

I sat down and stared at the buck with my bino’s, checking for any sign of life. Once satisfied I quickly went over and took a real good look at him. You see, I had never looked at his antlers after glassing them from 250 yards away. I knew he was a brute so once I started my stalk I didn’t allow myself to look at them. Crazy, but it works for me. When I put my hands on him I knew he was a special animal. My buck has great mass and some unique palmation off the main beam. He scored 135 1/8 P&Y placing him in the top 50 all time. He also qualifies as the number five typical black tail deer of all time in California Bowhunters Association record book. I want to thank my Uncle Ed for sharing his love of the outdoors with me and for putting that first bow in my hand so many years ago. I would like to thank my buddy, Mark, for always being ready to go and my friend, Anthony Maxwell of Wildlife Art, for insuring that my trophy will always be on my wall to remind me that some bedtime stories do come true.

Don’t miss out on another issue, subscribe today. And we know every California hunter has a story to tell, so be sure to send us your story along with your amazing photography. We’d love to feature you in California’s true, hunting only magazine. As always; train hard, shoot straight and be relentless!

by Doug Rosin

It was an early wake up; 3:00 am as I loaded my truck, topped off with gas and started my drive north. I had about a two and half hour drive to meet up with my friend, Josh Heitman of Maverick Outfitters. Josh and I had planned on meeting at a local grocery store about 20 minutes away from his hunting property.

I met up with Josh at about 5:30 am and we made the quick drive over to his property. At the time, it was lightly raining and about 50 degrees. Once there we got our equipment in order and started out in the morning rain. The rain was predicted to be off and on all day with less as the day went on. Not ideal by any means to chase hogs that will primarily be found in the nastiest brush around except when heading to water or during the night.

At this time of the year, the property had water everywhere, so the hogs didn’t have to go far to get it. It seemed that just about every drainage had water running in it and all the reservoirs were topped off.

As dawn was arriving, we were serenaded by coyotes out on the property. It seemed they were howling from all directions early in the morning. We started off on a high point glassing many of the small drainages hoping to catch some hogs up high.

With no sightings we started moving around trying to locate them. It didn’t take long and we jumped a black-banded boar. We let him go over a ridge and then started our pursuit. As I came in from a different side of the ridge, I expected to see the boar settling down, but he was nowhere to be found. As I continued to look for him, Josh spotted another boar strolling down below us about 200 yards.

We made a quick plan to go after this hog. I made my way down to an area in front of where the hog was heading, but I never located him. As I was making my way to where we spotted him I met up with Josh. He had seen the first black banded hog and pointed out where he had seen him dump into the creek bed. I slowly made my way down into this area. It was wet, dark and had the odor of pigs. I was no more than about ten feet into the area, when a small pig bolted out of its bed about 20 feet from me. With the dense creek bottom, I had no chance of pursuing them.

We made our way back to the top and were off to another location again. We saw plenty of fresh rooting and pig sign all over the property. We continually jumped pigs, but with them knowing our presence and on alert, there was no chance on many of them with my bow in hand.

It was getting around 11 am and we had come across about 20 hogs so far. Several of them being good boars with pearly white teeth showing. We stopped and were glassing an area where Josh had seen hogs in the past. Since we had seen several hogs in the morning sporting white and tan markings on them, Josh noticed a big tan spot out of place. After further inspection, it was three hogs, sleeping in some thick brush.

Checking the wind, I made a plan. Even with a perfect a stalk, I still may not be able to see the hogs through the brush. I started out and was about two minutes into my stalk and I heard some hogs out in front of me. I started looking through the brush and there were about 10 more hogs down in the creek bottom. As I started making my way to them, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. It was a boar, about 65 yards to my right and across the creek. I took note of the trail and figured where he would come out. A quick range showed 42 yards. As the hog started down the trail, I drew back. The hog sensed some thing, took a quick left turn onto another trail. It was still OK, as he had to cross the bottom to get to his friends. I continued to hold and figured about 10 more yards further to his crossing and I would have him. As the hog continued on, he never stopped, went right through the opening, but never had a good shot at him. This hog met up with the other feeding hogs and were off over the ridge. I later learned that there had been about 20 plus hogs in that group.

So, now it was back to the bedded hogs. My route was originally planned to come at them side hill due to the thick brush. As I was making my way over to them, I quickly changed plans as the wind was not right. I made my way above the hogs. As I continued on, I finally spotted them at about ten yards. I could see the tan hog and several piglets, along with the two other hogs. They had me pinned down and then took off up the creek bed never to be seen by me again.

We had a few more encounters that day, and overall it was exciting. We saw about 40 hogs and 15 coyotes running the hills. I had four decent opportunities to close the deal and just didn’t get it done.

The next morning came and it was a little colder, but no rain in sight. As dawn broke, the property looked totally different with the sunrise on the grassy hillsides. Truly an amazing piece of land here in Northern California.

We started out the same way, glassing for hogs up high and down low. Again we had no luck spotting hogs. Since yesterday, most of the hogs were down in the thick creek bottoms, Josh brought out his two dogs, Buddy and Bandit.

Every now and then we would let the two dogs go into some thick creek bottoms and they would run around trying to stir up some pigs. On one of the occasions you could certainly tell they were on hogs, but they had run them off of the property and out of our reach. So we collected the dogs and moved on. As the day wore on, the hogs were doing a better job hiding from us than we were of finding them. We were still seeing plenty of coyotes, but no pigs were located.

At about noon, we sent the two dogs down drainage to try and stir some hogs up. As Josh and I were standing there, I motioned to him to check out that trail leading down into the creek. It was a freshly torn up pig trail. As the dogs ran around, they eventually noticed the trail and started up into the drainage. It didn’t take long and we could tell they were stirring up the bedded pigs.

We made our way down to the trail, thinking the hogs were heading our way. As hunting sometimes goes, they were not. It sounded like they were heading farther away from us, so we started running their direction slipping and sliding in the mud all the way. As we were slowing, we saw a nice boar running back in our direction. We figured this boar must have slipped away from the dogs as they were stilling chasing other pigs. We ran around some trees and then back the way we came trying to get a shot at the boar.

The boar tried going up a very steep side of the creek bottom out in the open. I ranged him at 36 yards. I pulled back and the boar started further up. He stopped to catch his wind about ten yards further. I held for about 45 yards and released. The boar was quartering away from me and the shot looked good, entering just in front of the ham on my side and exiting just in front of the off side shoulder at the crease of the front leg. If anything it may have been a touch low, but I thought dead pig for sure. The pig slowly made its way up to the ridge about ten yards farther and crested the ridge. I thought we would find him dead just on the other side.

Josh rounded up his two dogs and we made our way to where I shot the pig. I found the front half of my arrow with my broad head, but very little blood. I know hogs are tough, but they still have to bleed. The blood was gone in about 20 yards. Just as we lost the blood trail, we could hear the hog below us. Then shortly there after, we could see the hog laboring to get up the other side of the drainage. I went after the hog and Josh went in another direction to try and cut it off.

I followed the hog and crested another ridge. Thinking I could catch up to him and put another arrow in him to put him down. As I got on top, I couldn’t see the hog anymore. I started my way down into the drainage and could hear the hog hit the water below me. Still about a 100 yards ahead. Once in the bottom, it was choked with brush again.

As Josh met up with me, we decided to cut his dogs loose on the track to try and slow the boar down so I could finish him off. Within minutes, they had his trail. We followed up and over one more drainage and I could see the boar laboring to walk away from us. We quickly ran down and in front of him. I could see the two dogs through the brush, but not the boar. I crawled down in there and could see the hog about 10 yards from me. I slipped another arrow into him and that got the job done. This finished the chase and my first archery taken hog was down.

I knew hogs were tough from the couple that I had previously shot with a rifle, but this hog was impressively tough. We spent the next couple of hours getting the hog back to our trucks, cleaning, skinning and taking care of him.

Overall, what a great weekend hunting. I saw over 40 hogs and dozens of coyotes in the day and half I was out there. Josh is great to hunt with and I have to say thanks to Buddy and Bandit, as without them my hog would have probably gotten away.

If your interested in a quality hog hunt with Josh Heitman of Maverick Outfitters you can contact him through their website at www.maverickoutfitter.com.

I also want to say thanks to Mike and the crew at Wilderness Archery in Rocklin, California for supporting a local bowhunter.

As we rolled onto the ranch nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada’s the sun’s light was beginning to turn black into grey. We could just make out the cold crooked fingers of the oaks, scratching at the sky. Our mood was light and expectant as this ranch has produced many hogs over the past few years. My brother-in-law, Vic Smith, had been the lucky bidder on an access pig hunt donated to the Napa Valley Chapter of Safari Club International. It just so happened that the donors were none other than two of my best friends, Allen and Anthony Maxwell. I was invited to come along and tote my own rifle. May as well make a day of it and kill two hogs.

Vic and I sat in the back of the truck and listened while Allen and Anthony talked about where we should go first. The decision was made in short order and Allen turned the truck up a dirt track leading to a likely spot. As we got out of the truck and prepared for the short hike I couldn’t help but look around and revel at the rolling hills surrounding us, covered in a blanket of fresh green grass that had recently pushed its way through last year’s thatch…and while I was reveling, everyone else was walking. I looked up to see that I was well behind as they had already rounded the hillside and were out of sight. Not to worry, I would catch up soon enough.

In the meantime, Allen, Anthony and Vic had already spotted a group of hogs and had taken off at a run to get into position. As I rounded the bend I realized what had happened and had to run to catch up. Vic was already in a shooting position, sitting with his rifle across a log while Anthony and Allen were peering through their binoculars. There were about five or six pigs milling about down at the bottom of the ravine before us. Before I could get into a position to shoot, I heard some whispers then the crack of Vic’s .270. The pigs scattered down in the ravine made a hasty retreat, heading directly away from us and out of sight.

Anthony was still looking through his binoculars at another hog that was also quickly disappearing over the next hill. It was a big boar, off on his own doing what big boars do. Vic had misheard Anthony, thinking he had told him to shoot when in fact he had said don’t shoot. There was no denying it. It was amateur hour for the two guys carrying the rifles. We made our way down to where the pigs had been when Vic shot, but we all knew we would not find any blood. It was a clean miss. Our conversation quickly turned to the large boar that had made his way over the hill and whether or not he was worth pursuing. It was determined that going after him on foot was not realistic and that we would be better served looking elsewhere. Back to the truck we went and on to another area of the ranch.

Our next stop yielded no results, nor did the following location. By now the cold morning had transformed itself into a beautiful day with a bright blue sky and a few wispy clouds making their way east. We hiked up a ridge to where we could glass a steep draw and the opposite hillside. It was peaceful sitting in the sun, peering through our binoculars, but our morning was slipping away from us and we had failed to turn up any more pigs. There was plenty of sign of where they had been. Spots on hillsides looked like they had been recently tilled and the ground under many oak trees had been turned to mud by hogs looking for acorns. However, the culprits of this activity had now made themselves scarce. Realization was dawning on us that our slam dunk, easy as you please pig hunt was not going to be so easy. We decided to turn our attention to hogs of another kind.

We made our way back to the truck and drove down to one of the many ponds that are on the property. Fishing tackle was quickly distributed and it was not long before one of us had a nice bass on the line. The next hour was spent making our way around the pond, catching and releasing bass. Hunting in California can certainly provide many other benefits due to the diversity of the wildlife found within its borders and we certainly know how to take advantage of this.

With our pond about fished out we decided to take the long way back and out of the ranch. Our morning was pretty much finished and we all knew that our chances of catching a hog out in the open were now pretty slim. Successful hunting is not solely based upon punching a tag. There was no dejection within the ranks of our group and it had been a wonderful morning.

As I sat in the backseat of the pickup, looking out the side window reflecting on the morning’s hunt I was astonished to see a large angry boar come bursting out of a shallow gully and begin to charge straight at the truck. I yelled “There’s a pig right there!” and Allen hit the brakes, bringing the truck quickly to a halt. Somewhere between the time I first spotted the boar and of me extracting myself from the confines of the back seat, the mud covered tusker decided that perhaps charging a truck full of armed hunters was not in his best interest. He quickly veered off and was running full tilt, quartering away from us. Victor was quicker than I, coming around the back of the vehicle and kneeling down to take a shot. Once again I heard the crack of the .270 but this time there was the unmistakable “WHOP” of bullet striking flesh. The big boar was rocked hard with the shot, but managed to stay on his feet and was covering ground fast. I threw my own rifle to my shoulder, mentally calculated the necessary lead and swung ahead of the boar. I squeezed the trigger and never even felt the recoil punch me in the shoulder. The 140 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip from the .280 Ackley caught the boar right on the shoulder bringing him to a skidding, twitching halt. It was a spectacular, adrenaline packed finale complete with backslapping and high fives.

A post mortem later confirmed that the first shot, fired by Vic, was a little far back, but had made its way up and into the lungs. My shot, while right on the shoulder, actually missed the lungs and instead had angled forward and destroyed the vertebrae in the neck, stopping him immediately.

A better day is hard to imagine than one spent with family and friends, pursuing game outdoors and taking in the beauty of this land that we have so little time to share. Get out and hunt!

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 live in Southern California, so scouting for this dream hunt would require a nine hour drive each way. We put these factors into consideration and decided it would be money well spent to hire an outfitter. After doing some extensive research, I found an outfitter by the name of Brent Dolby, who owns and operates Modoc Waterfowl Outfitters out of Alturas, California. I called Brent and explained to him that my 68-year-old dad had drawn an X2 tag, and had never shot a California mule deer before. Brent told me about his operation. He has exclusive access to over 20,000 acres of big California mule deer habitat. He also told me that he hunts these huge deer out of elevated box blinds over alfalfa fields, which was perfect for Dad!

Talking to Brent got me really excited, and before hanging up the phone with him, I booked Dad for opening day of the 2009 X2 deer season. Waiting for opening day was especially difficult. We spent the summer hunting A-zone bucks and chasing a few hogs, but all we could think about was hunting big mule deer in our home state of California.

On October 1, 2009, the day had finally come. In making the trip, Dad and I spent one night in Reno, before heading up to Alturas the next day. Upon arriving in Alturas, we checked into the motel, unpacked and made plans to meet up with Brent to go over the plans for the next day’s hunt. As we met up with Brent, Dad had a huge smile on his face! Brent showed us a video of bucks he had seen that morning while out scouting. After watching the video, Dad and I were speechless. These deer looked like they were from Colorado or Wyoming, not California. We made plans for Brent to pick us up at our motel the next morning.

Opening day was here! At 4:30 AM, we were waiting outside the motel. Brent was right on time and we were all excited to see what the day had in store for us. On the way to the ranch, Brent briefed us on the morning hunt plan. We parked the truck deep into the ranch and set out on foot in the dark. The plan was to get to an alfalfa field that the deer had been feeding in overnight. We wanted to be there right at first light to try and catch one of the big bucks Brent had seen the morning before. We got to there right on schedule. Ten minutes into glassing, Brent spotted a young three point, on his way out of the alfalfa field. We watched the young buck as he worked his way back to cover. If we had been hunting anywhere else in California, that buck would have been a serious shooter, but this was a different kind of hunt. Next we spotted a group of about twelve does, along with a few small bucks. They were making their way to the brush to bed for the day. As the morning went on, we did not see any of the big bucks Brent had seen the morning before. We left to get breakfast and take a nap before the evening’s hunt.

At 4:00 PM, Dad, Brent and I were in an elevated box blind overlooking a big alfalfa field backed up to some prime bedding country. It didn’t take long for deer to start feeding into the field. First a group of does appeared on the fence line and made their way into the field. A little while later, three nice bucks followed and fed within eighty yards of the blind. As it started to get dark we could feel the weather changing. We watched five more bucks come into the field, but nothing that fit the criteria of this special hunt. After the evening hunt, we grabbed some dinner and got to bed early, as we knew with the storm front moving in, we were going to be doing some serious hunting the following morning.

When the alarm went off the next morning, I looked out the window and smiled. Our prayers had been answered. It was snowing. We got ready and Brent picked us up at 4:30 am. It was slow going on the ride to the ranch due to the extreme weather conditions. When we finally there it was just getting light. We set out on foot and hiked to a good glassing point. As soon as I put my binoculars to my eyes, I immediately started seeing deer! I counted 27 does and eight bucks on their way out of the massive alfalfa fields. Two of the bucks were real nice 4×4’s, but Brent said we could do better. With that, we were on our way back to the truck to head to another area of the ranch.

Around 8:00 AM, we arrived to an area of the ranch known for producing huge mule deer. As we were driving on the ranch road, Brent stopped the truck and began glassing this ridge line. Brent announced, “There is a shooter!”

It was snowing so hard at this point, that neither my Dad nor I could see the buck Brent was looking at. Brent explained to us where the buck was bedded. He was on the very top of the ridge, 500 yards straight up, bedded under a pine tree. My dad and I found the buck in our binoculars around the same time. We both said, “WOW, that’s a buck!” We couldn’t tell exactly what he was due to the snow, but we could tell he was a massive bodied mule deer with a rack to match. He looked like the king of the mountain, on top of that ridge looking down.

Brent said that he could get us on that buck, but that it wasn’t going to be easy. We didn’t need to think twice about it. Dad told Brent, “Let’s go get him!” We drove about a mile up the road and got out of the truck. I looked at the ridge we were going to be ascending and told Dad, “Please don’t slip. Mom will kill me.” Brent said that we would take our time getting to the top. The buck was bedded and not going anywhere. We started our ascent up the mountain. Climbing along rock ledges and slipping over all the wet rocks was no easy task. Dad looked like he was twenty again! This was his buck and nothing was going to get in the way of him making it to the top of this mountain. We finally made it and began to slowly work our way towards where the buck was last seen, bedded under a pine tree.

We had been working the rim of the canyon for about thirty minutes when Brent signaled us to stop. I looked to my right and saw the tip of the big buck’s antlers. He was still bedded under the same pine tree where we had originally seen him about an hour and a half earlier. We were only about eighty yards from the buck, but the angle did not present a good shot. Brent guided my dad about ten yards closer to the buck, who had no idea we were there. Upon getting into position to take the shot, the snow began to fall heavily, making it difficult to see the buck. Brent set Dad up on the shooting sticks and Dad placed the crosshairs of his 300 Winchester Magnum on the buck’s shoulder. He took a deep breath, and squeezed. CLICK! I look at Brent and we both had the same look on our faces. My dad cycled the bolt and to our horror there was a live round in the chamber. Dad put a fresh round in and squeezed again, Click! It was at this time we realized that due to the extreme weather conditions, the firing pin was not striking the round properly.

The big buck turned his head and couldn’t quite make out what we were, but was aware something was up. Quickly opening the bolt of my dad’s rifle, Brent began blowing hot air into the action of the rifle for about thirty seconds. Brent told Dad, who was visibly shaken at this point, to try it one more time. Dad cycled another round into the chamber, settled the crosshairs on the buck for the third time, and squeezed. Boom! He made a perfect shot, anchoring the buck in his bed. You could probably hear us hooting and hollering for miles as our dream had just come true.

We gave the buck several minutes, and then proceeded over to check him out. All I could say was, “Wow!” His body was massive and he had a set of horns to match. He is a very tall and heavy 3×4, exactly 23 inches wide and 23 inches tall. After taking pictures, Brent started the hike back to the truck, so we could drag the buck straight down the mountain, with the truck waiting below. While Brent was gone, my dad and I sat in the snow admiring the old buck. I couldn’t help but get a little emotional as a dream I had since I was a child, had come true. My dad had taken a trophy California mule deer, and we had the opportunity to share the experience together.

by Varmint Al

MY CALLING…. Since I started calling for coyotes near Antioch, CA on three large cattle ranches, not a single cow or calf has been lost to the type of predation and damage coyotes can administer. My favorite call was the Woods Wise Vari-pitched howler, but the mouthpiece broke. Not sure they are still selling them but last I looked some of the major suppliers still have them in stock. You can’t make a decent coyote howl with it, but you can make the most varied hurt jackrabbit to cottontail calls with it. By biting down on the two halves of the mouthpiece you can vary the pitch. [Note. The Wood Wise call finally broke and I can’t find another one. I have switched to the Johnny Stewart PC-1 Variable call and it works just as well if not better.] Opening and closing your hand around the end of the call is almost as important as the air pressure on the mouth end. If you do it correctly, you can almost feel the bobcat’s teeth as he is biting down on the back of the cottontail. It can be loud or soft and with the most emotion of any call I have used. A real winner, although it does have one problem. After about 30 minutes of use, the reed travels down the mouthpiece toward the exit of the call. Then it gets difficult to make the soft whimpering sounds and takes about twice the air to use. Just take the mouthpiece out and pry open from the exit end and slide the reed to the front. I use the back of a pocketknife blade (while it is closed) between the front of the two plastic pieces that you bite on. This leverages it so you can move the reed forward. It is hard to explain with words, but once you have the call in your hand and see that the reed has moved, you will figure out a way to move it forward.

Like everyone, I have my favorite call but it is important to be versatile and carry a multitude of calls. You never know which one is going to spark the interest of a wary old coyote. Check out the end of the article for my choices of calls I carry and gear I shoot!

RABBIT SCREAMS…. are probably the most popular type of calling and are really effective. Next to the howler my second favorite pair of calls are the Circe jackrabbit and Circe Cottontail calls. The jackrabbit call is loud! It can be raspy and have lots of emotion. The cottontail call is not quite so loud, but I have brought in coyotes from a mile away with it. Be sure to use your hand around the end of the call, causing backpressure and then releasing the pressure. Opening and closing your hand around the end of the call is almost as important as the air pressure on the mouth end.The Johnny Stewart’s PC-1 vari-pitched call is very good for rabbit screams as well. It has a rubber button that you can bite down on and a tiny teat of rubber that clamps the metal reed. You can make all of the jackrabbit and cottontail pleading sounds with it. It is very good there, but you can make it sound like a hurt coyote pup, which is also a good way to bring in a mature coyote. That is where it shines. You can duplicate the ki-yi high-pitched sounds of a pup being trounced by a big invading male coyote. This call is great in the springtime or early summer when the pups are still young and haven’t left the home range.

COYOTE HOWL…. The Dan Thompson coyote howler call is the best howler I have used. I can talk a pretty good “hurt rabbit”, but when I talk “coyote”, I am not sure I am always using the correct message. I am improving with howling, and on several occasions, it has worked very well. A regular greeting howl sometimes works. Repeat it three times, then wait a few minutes and then repeat the series. They will seldom answer. When they come in, it will usually be a slow and quiet approach. They fear you might be a much bigger coyote than they are! They often come in with caution, but not always. I once saw four coyotes running across a flat area about a mile away. I tried the Circe Jackrabbit call on them and there was absolutely no effect. I gave three greeting howls and they turned on a dime and started trotting my way. I made no more calls and they continued toward me. There were some bushes in front of me (bad situation). Well, they never did stop. When the scope was full of fur, I missed one and never got another shot. It happens that way sometimes! There were four of them, and maybe that is why they came in so fast.

MAKING THE COYOTE HOWL…. It is difficult to explain in words how to make a greeting howl, but I will give it a try. The greeting howl is 2 or 3 barks followed by a 2 to 3 second high pitched howl. It takes a lot of practice to get it right. To make the two or three barks at the start you put about 80% of the Dan Thompson Red Desert mouthpiece in your mouth (with the reed up) and do a sharp fast “huff” into the call and at the same time you pull the mouthpiece out of your mouth about a quarter of an inch. The long howl at the end starts like a bark, but you pull the mouthpiece out of your mouth about half way and squeeze on the reed to make the pitch go higher. The challenge bark has the 2 or 3 barks followed by a high-pitched howl for about 1 second. During the short howl, the pressure is varied to make the variable pitch during the howl. It will take a lot of practice. Varmintcaller.com has some good calling sequences and custom calls.

HOW YOUR HOWL SOUNDS TO THE COYOTE…. One thing to remember is that the howl that you are making is going to be heard way out there, maybe 400 yards or more. It does not sound to the coyote like it does to you as you make the howl. It might sound raspy or not perfect to you, but at that distance the coyote merely hears a “howl”. All of the detail that you can hear as you are blowing the howl is lost as the sound travels 400 yards or more. The higher frequency sound details are attenuated more traveling through the air than lower frequencies. If the coyote was sitting right next to you he would know that the howl is fake, but at a distance he can’t tell the difference. Coyote howling works, trust me! Get a howler and give it a try. It is easy to talk to the coyote with practice.

SIMULATING A FIGHT…. I sounded two greeting calls with the Dan Thompson Red Desert Howler. I heard an answer from a couple of coyotes more than a mile away. I answered with a couple more greeting calls. I waited about a minute and then sounded about six challenge barks with the Dan Thompson Red Desert Howler. Then I answered these with a series of challenge barks from the Songdog howler. I waited about 3 minutes and then started a series of three hurt pup calls with the Songdog howler. That was it. I quit calling. During this entire calling sequence, there were no answers from the distant coyotes. About 10 minutes later a large male coyote came trotting up the hill and made a fatal stop at about 100 yards in clear view.
 During the complete series of calls, no rabbit screams were used at all. I was trying to create a series of calls that would simulate a fight between two young coyotes. The idea was that the coyotes in the area would then want to run both of them out of their territory. Well, it worked!

Things to look for in a calling set-up

WATCH THE TRAILS…. Where is the coyote going to come from? Coyotes like a quiet approach. Using the trails is easiest and makes the least noise.

INDICATORS…. Watch and listen for indicators that a coyote is approaching. Out here in the west, one of the best indicators is the ground squirrel.When they first see a coyote, they will give a warning burst of chirps and then continue with single chirps about every 2 seconds. If you can see the squirrel that is chirping, the way he is standing will be an indication of the direction of the coyote. The squirrel will be positioned so either the right or left profile will be facing the coyote. Remember, “eyes to the sides” is prey and “eyes facing forward” is predator. Squirrels eyes are designed for 360° viewing.

DEER AS AN INDICATOR…. Another good indicator is deer. I was once calling when a spike buck stepped out in the open about 250 yards up wind. He watched me call for about 5 minutes, then turned his head to the side for a few seconds and then quickly bolted out of sight. From behind the direction he ran, two coyotes appeared. I got one, and almost got the second. Listen for birds too. Birds in the treetops will often harass a moving coyote. If you see a bunch of birds fly off all of a sudden, that is an indicator. Often crows will circle you while you are calling. Watch to see if they circle another area. There could be a coyote there.

GETTING CLOSER…. You are calling and you see a coyote coming in, what do you do? This is a tough one. If I am actually blowing on the call and I see a coyote on a fast approach, I have a tendency to stop calling in mid scream and drop the call in the dirt and move the rifle toward him. Most of those times that reaction didn’t work very well. The coyote saw me, too! On my cooler moments, I whimper off the calling (rather quickly), then sit still while the coyote is still coming in. Remember that, while he is getting closer, your chances are getting better.

THE STAND…. Walk into the wind to set up your stand if possible. Sit in front of some object to break up your outline and sit in the shade if possible. I have had coyotes come very close, even when I am out in the open with no camo or backdrop. Coyotes see things, but they are not sure what they are looking at. But when coyotes smell you, they know instantly and exactly that you are danger and vacate fast! Pick a location where you can see out 100 yards or more in front of you and to the sides, if possible. If you call where there is no clear view of the coyote’s approach, they will come in behind cover and you won’t see a thing. You will only have made another wise coyote! That coyote will probably never come to your call again. Next time, his refusal to come to the call will also alert any other coyote with him to avoid your call. If there is some cover or bush right in front of you, any coyote that comes in will use that cover and stay behind it where it can’t be seen. Sit in front of the bush to avoid this, if possible.

HAVE THE RIFLE READY…. I have the rifle ready for action before I start calling. I set up my Bi-Fur-Pod sticks and put the rifle on them with the buttstock to my shoulder in the shooting position. I check to make sure the scope is on low power (4X on the Tasco) and set the objective to 200 yards. The parallax will not be a problem for close shots and I won’t have to make an adjustment for a longer shot. If a coyote hangs up at 250-300 yards I will have time to increase the scope power, but when a coyote appears close, I will not be able to move or have time to adjust the scope. It gets exciting looking at a coyote at 10-20 yards!

TAKE ADVANTAGE.… Hunting coyotes is a great way to reduce predation, sharpen your hunting skills, and also extend your season. California is loaded with coyotes and opportunities abound for the California hunter who wishes to get out and do a little predator hunting. Log onto www.varmintal.com for more tips, tactics, and any of the calling sounds you heard about in this article.