I started the scouting season in California questioning if I would be wasting my time if another wildfire started and closed access to the units I wanted to hunt. The previous year, the Dixie fire was active for over 100 days and burned over 960,000 acres through five different counties. I remained optimistic and proceeded to take eight different scouting trips over the summer. I spent the early months checking areas on private timberlands. Unfortunately, these lands closed long before the start of deer season due to “fire danger.” I invested the remaining time I had scouting public lands.
Fast forward to August 28th, scouting trip day six. I was taking a new hunter with me to look for public land bucks in some rugged, steep, brushy country. I prefer to hunt alone, respectfully, as most people do not want to go to these places, nor can they physically or mentally. I was not sure if this new hunter would enjoy the trip, but I knew he always had a good attitude. For the next few days, the new hunter, Matt Siameng, and I surfed through brush patches and deadfall in the hot sun, only to get lit up by wasps and see very few deer. Finally, late one morning, I glassed a nice buck out feeding. I used this time to walk Matt with his binoculars to the deer. He was amazed and excited! We had found a quality buck.
I went back to work the next day knowing that buck could disappear into another brushy canyon, never to be seen again. The following weekends, I scouted other areas but did not find much. However, I did find a forkie within a reasonable distance for Matt come opening weekend in a different part of the unit. As the rifle opener approached, I made one last scouting trip to an area where I had seen the nice buck. I found him within about one-half mile from where I had seen him last. I elected to hunt this buck on opening weekend knowing there would be a lot of hunting pressure in this area.
Opening morning rolled around, and I had Matt with me. I figured if we found any legal bucks or bears within his effective shooting range, he would have first crack. That way, I could teach him how to process game in the field and pack it out. We settled into a rock outcropping long before sunrise and got ready. The shadows receded as the sun rose over the mountain. I had been glassing for about half an hour, and to my surprise, I found the nice buck I had scouted already bedded. Matt watched the buck through the spotter as I got within shooting range. I found some rocks to lean against to brace myself for the shot. Once the deer got up from his bed, I took the shot and harvested the animal.
I spent the next two hours crawling through brush to get the deer. Once I was within 20 or 30 yards, I managed to get reception and had Matt walk me into the buck. We recovered the buck, and I waited for Matt to get to where I was so I could walk him through processing a deer in the field. We decided to pack the deer out that day due to a storm rolling in.
The next day, we hiked into a new area, looking for a buck for Matt. I had scouted this area over the summer and was optimistic we would find a legal buck. Unfortunately, we were a day late. Another group of hunters had already harvested the buck I had scouted over the summer in this area.
A week later, Matt was able to harvest his first buck with the help of another friend and me. His positive attitude and work ethic are a good reminder of what to look for in a hunting buddy and friend. Cheers to the next hunting adventure!
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