The California general Zone A deer season opens Saturday and hunters will face some of the driest conditions in more than a decade. As expected the opener will see daytime temperatures nearing the century mark.
Much of Lake County is located in the A zone and, according to Department of Fish and Game (DFG) sources, the deer herd continues in a slow decline. It”s the old story of loss of habitat and a lack of feed. Hunters bagged only 266 bucks all of last year in the Zone A portion of the county. That”s compared to 30 years ago when that many deer were taken on the opening weekend alone.
Whereas the county”s deer population may be down, the good news is that the county has thousands of acres of public land open for hunting. The vast Mendocino National Forest is one of the more popular locations, with the best areas being from Upper Lake in Lake County to Lake Pillsbury. Areas such as Horse Mountain, Pine Mountain, Deer Valley, French Ridge and Goat Mountain all hold some good bucks.
The western side of Horse Mountain has some springs that should remain wet even this year. At Pine Mountain, hunters should check out Bucknell Creek. Deer Valley draws a lot of hunters, especially on the opening weekend, but also holds some excellent bucks. Several good bucks are taken off French Ridge every year.
On the eastern edge of the national forest is Indian Valley Reservoir. A wildlife recently burned more than 15,000 acres on Walker Ridge just east of the reservoir. Hunters should concentrate along the edges of the burn.
The shoreline around the lake also holds some good bucks. In fact, a few hunters opt to hunt exclusively from a boat. They cruise the shoreline at daylight or just before dark and glass the hills and canyons. When they spot a buck, they begin stalking the deer.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land consists of thousands of acres of good deer habitat. A good choice is the Cache Creek Wildlife Area in eastern Lake County on Highway 20. Butting up to the Cache Creek Wildlife Area on the east side is the Payne Ranch, also BLM land, which is known as “big buck” country. It consists of 16,000 acres of prime deer acreage. This is all hike-in country, so be prepared to pack your buck out. The better bucks are concentrated along Cache Creek.
For trophy blacktails, it”s had to beat the Big Blue Ridge country, located in Yolo County just off Highway 16 west of the town of Rumsey. However, it is also one of the roughest sections in the northern A zone. The area is made up of steep hills and thick brush and very few roads. The daytime temperatures early in the season are often above 100 degrees, so carry plenty of water. This is a great spot for a late season hunt.
To reach Big Blue Ridge, take Highway 16 and turn right at the Cache Creek Regional Park on Rayhouse Road and cross the low water bridge. The road forks approximately 5 miles from the bridge. Take the left fork to the end of the road. There is a trail that takes you to the top of Big Blue Ridge. Head south and hunt the pockets, rock ledges and small openings.
The Knoxville Wildlife Area (Department of Fish and Game property), located on Knoxville Road out of Lower Lake, has more than 16,000 acres open for hunting. This is also a hike-in area, but there are a number of old roads that make walking a little easier. The best hunting is on the eastern border near Big Blue Ridge.
The Cow Mountain Recreation Area, located near Lakeport, has 50,000 acres of public land but the deer numbers are way down from a few years ago. The northern section doesn”t permit off-road vehicles although there is a road that goes through the area. Hunt from the water tank to the end of the road. Another good area is below the Mayacmas Campground
The southern section of Cow Mountain is laced with ATV trails and there is quite a bit of off-road traffic on weekends, but it still holds some huge bucks. Some of the better areas are the canyons west of Red Mountain. Another good area is Eight Mile Valley. The ridges below the TV translator station are also worth a try.
Hunters are reminded that game wardens will be out in force for the opening weekend and will be checking for current hunting licenses and deer tags as well as loaded guns in vehicles. And hunters shouldn”t forget that the wardens will be out on Friday night with their deer decoy looking for spotlighters. More than one poacher has been fooled by the decoy every year the program has been in place.
