CA Zone D3-D5 Deer Hunting 2019

Next month will be two years for me living in CA and my first year with a CA deer tag. I grew up hunting whitetails everywhere between UP Michigan down to Missouri. Hunting D4 and D5 will be quite different, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.

I've been spending my last few weekends off of the 88 and 50 trying to learn the land and probably spending a few too many hours at work on google maps. Over the next few months I plan on doing the same (mainly the former).

I don't know any fellow hunters, so this is a callout to you local folks to join me or let me join you. If you're an old-timer that isn't interested in putting on miles in the backcountry, let's grab a beer and I'll let you tell me all of your secrets. I'm here to learn!

 

@Don5352 would probably be your best bet

 

Just got my notice from CDFW saying sorry, you didn’t get drawn for X7. D zone it is.

 

It just gets better every year doesn't it. This state sucks for big game hunting.

 

I have been hunting D zone for several years. Opening weekend is probably the best for small local bucks. Almost every camp site is filled with campers so get there early. Otherwise you have to wait till some snowfall before the big boys come down.

 

How tough is it to get drawn for the restricted zones, points wise? I'm currently just building points while I gain experience hunting out here and before I meet other hunters.

 

Wish you would have gotten a D6 tag. I could be more help. I'm already scouting roads in additional areas in D6 and will start scouting (hiking etc) and putting out game cams in about a month.

Tossing it out there, you may still be able to get D6 as your 2nd tag. Or you could do a hunt (or more) on a bear tag in D6.

 

Depends on what Zone. X4 can be had with 3 or 4 points... X5A you need like 14 or 15 to get drawn (unless you get lucky on the random draw)

 

It took me 7 years to get drawn for x6b the last time I was drawn... it only took me 2 years before that. Both times I came up empty handed in a spot I scouted heavily. In d3 I know guys that pull big bucks every year but they put in the leg work back packing in 8 or 9 miles into wilderness areas. I've only pulled one small buck out of d3 in the 5 years I've hunted it. But those 5 years were only 3 weekends a year in very popular locations. I got lucky this year and one of my dad's buddies purchased a couple hundred acres in b1 and the neighbors are cool with us hunting their properties as well.

 

So do you usually hunt lower elevation public land? I'm still trying to understand where these deer hang out early season before snowfall. All I hear is "high land"...are we talking 7000ft+?

 

I shot my buck at about 6500 ft on eureka peak outside portola after the first light snow fall. FWIW

 

We just road scouted to 7000ft today. Couldn't actually get through to where I was trying to go do to snow drifts and ice (believe it or not) That's the new area I'm looking at. I'm regularly between 5000 and 6500 ft.

There's not much chance snow is going to push them anywhere during the season. We normally don't get more than a couple dustings of snow before the season closes in D zones.

 

D3-5 isn't a terrible tag yes it's no X tag but if your willing to put in the work my old man and I usually pull at least a buck or two from it every year. This buck was d3 two years ago

 

Nice buck!

A lot of taxidermists will tell you the do some big bucks out of D3-5 and D6.

 

And last year

 

As far as D zones go... I try to go where the people aren't. I try to find roads as far out on the back 40 as I can find. Then I hike farther.

OnX Hunt has a layer called roadless areas. I like to use that to come up with ideas on new places to scout.

 

Some very nice bucks! Sure seems like I see and hear about guys harvesting big bucks like yours from D3 more than D4/5. Maybe I need to consider D3...

 

That's my current plan. Scouted an area yesterday a bit high at 7000ft when I was also stopped by snow and then hiked a few miles.

I'll have to look into D6. I see its premium this year...I wonder if it's sold out. I've also thought about getting a bear tag just to have, but haven't read up on the season, rules & regs, etc for bear.

Oh, and is OnX the best map out there? Have heard a lot about it but was waiting to pull the trigger on their membership/subscription.

 

Back in the early '80's a person could draw an X zone every year. My father and I would hunt X12, X10, or X9a annually. Things changed and we could only draw every other year. I understand that now a resident can only draw X9a every third year, and X12 every five years. Very disappointing.

 

I hunted D3-5 Last year, for the first time since I was a kid. Didnt have time to scout so I decided to use the season to get out and check stuff out hoping to come up on a buck. No success. But I covered close to 50 miles over 4 weekends. Have some better Ideas about this year. All the deer I saw were in the thick.