Comments on: Last Hurrah for My California Deer Hunting Season

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 23:00:54 +0000

Just for the record last year 8 of us went hunting and we all have quads. Of course we dont ride around all day hunting on them, but we do ride them. 5 of the 7 bucks we spotted and killed last year were from our quads. They were killed actually driving down a road, spotting them, hopping off the quad and shooting them. 2 of the bucks were huge, one being a record blacktail weighing just over 200 pounds with the horns being 22 inches wide by 20 inches tall. I just wanted to add this little tid bit of info, if you know where and when to go…you will see the deer. And yes this was all on Public Land. Thanks

By: Phillip Loughlin

Phillip Loughlin — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:27:59 +0000

Josh, it’s hard to do sometimes, but it’s important to be fair-minded about the ATVs. Yes, they are annoying as heck, but to hate them all because of the actions of a few… well, doesn’t that sound like something another group of folks deals with in the public eye? Not every hunter shoots road signs, hunts with a beer in one hand and a rifle in the other, or dumps garbage at every trailhead. Likewise, not every quad rider gives in to that temptation to break the rules and leave tracks all over the landscape.

The quads I watched and heard this weekend, with one possible exception, followed the rules and stayed on the roads and jeep trails. Of course this is on one of the Golden Ram properties, so anyone caught breaking the rules gets kicked off, and may well lose their membership. The odds of getting caught AND PUNISHED are much higher in this situation than getting caught by DFG or the Forest Service… and these guys know it.

I’ve seen the bad and the ugly when it comes to ORV users, and it sure gives me a nasty taste in my mouth every time I witness it. But I’ve also utilized these machines to get into some remote areas, and I’ve hunted with some really responsible quad riders who recognize these things for what they are… useful tools for backcountry transportation.

But I’ll say this much in honest candor too… I’m much more likely to be polite and forthcoming with info if I meet a fellow hunter on foot or horseback than if I meet someone who is riding around on a quad. The former will likely get a friendly greeting and I may even share a little intel about what I’ve seen so far. The latter… more than likely will get a nod of my head as I pass him by.

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:04:09 +0000

You are far, far nicer than I am about ATV’s on the forest lands. I’ve seen too many guys try to mimic the commercials and go “off the beaten path.” If they would stay on designated roads, and if they followed the law and didn’t drive around with loaded guns (I’ve got in-law outlaws), I’d feel better about it, in part because its nicer for the habitat if they are poking around on them than in Suburbans. But the temptation is too great for too many to just kick it into low gear and drive up to the ridgeline.

I felt the way you did about packing out after walking out to a favorite spot last weekend, myself. Being in my thirties, I don’t know what that makes me!

By: NorCal Cazadora

NorCal Cazadora — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:01:21 +0000

Agreed on the ATVs and on the sunset shooting doubts. But I do like duck hunting the sunset – a few little ducks aren’t so hard to clean…

Tick tick tick tick tick… Duck season starts in about 96 hours!!!!!

By: Arthur

Arthur — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:49:36 +0000

They do make one heck of a racket. With all the silencers on the market for ATV’s I will never understand why any hunter uses a loud one. I feel your pain Phillip.

And to be honest–I have hunted many a night hoping that I didn’t kill anything. I was just enjoying the scenery and the peacefulness.

By: Phillip Loughlin

Phillip Loughlin — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:05:42 +0000

Dang, Rex… I’m wounded. Nice jab!

And Tom, you’re absolutely right… despite that feeling,and literally moments after the thought gelled in my mind, a doe walked out under the oaks I was watching. The rifle came up and my finger went to the safety. If she’d had antlers, she’d(he’d)have been in deep trouble… and I’d have had a load of work on my hands.

By: Tom Sorenson

Tom Sorenson — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:44:39 +0000

I had to smile – I’ve wondered about the ATVers myself…but you make a good point. I’d hate to be critical of their happiness…at the same time, though – they doa mighty fine job of pushing my tolerance to the limit and darn near destroying my own happiness! Personal problem, I know.

As to having the thought – I can’t say I’ve ever thought that unless I’ve been in the bottom of a canyon that happens to be five or six miles from camp. Then the thought is definitely in my mind. Sometimes I just wonder if it’d be worth it…I mean an animal dropped in a deep canyon that far from camp can only mean a lot of work – and not a ton of meat on a deer. Makes a body think twice…until the animal comes in view. Then instinct takes over and adrenaline and all that…and after you pull the trigger, the original thought that was nagging at the back of your mind comes back to the forefront. Ain’t it wonderful?!

By: Kristine Shreve

Kristine Shreve — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:52:56 +0000

ATVs are annoying. They are fun to ride, but they are loud. I can’t imagine anyone on an ATV would see a deer anywhere near them.

By: Rex

Rex — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:06:10 +0000

it happens to my dad all the time,
of course he is 82.