Central High Sierras -- Top 10 list.

[YosemiteSam]

Just got in last night from 4 days in the High Sierras.  Nothing legal to fling an arrow at.  Saw 7 deer (well, 5 deer but two were repeat visits) and just as many on the road at night heading home.  Here's a Top 10 list of the fun stuff I learned while out this year:

1. Odd year with all the rain & snowpack we had.  The deer were a dull grey last year at this time but are still in that summer chestnut brown.  Meadows are brimming with skeeters -- more like June than August.

2.  Our mulies don't pattern well.  I knew this but I laid some "track traps" to see what kind of recent traffic was coming through my main stand location.  There were fresh tracks (though not much) when I first arrived.  I checked daily.  Nothing hit it again for 4 days. One doe with a fawn.

3. Still or steady wind makes all the difference in the world.  Once it starts swirling (competing thermals), deer are only for viewing from a distance.  But still or steady in one direction and I can almost get close enough to touch them.

4. Birds make great still hunting speedometers.  I'm glad I've been learning about "bird language."  Using their agitation calls as indicative of moving too fast or needing to wait a minute let me spot a lot more deer -- more from this one hunt than all of last year.

5. Forget about staking out a semi-permanent stand.  Stay mobile.  I tried bringing some stuff for a more permanent stand (not the first time).  The spot was very active last year.  Not as much activity this year and even less during the time I was there.  But a quarter mile away, I saw a lot of deer and at all hours.  Shifting thermals can render a spot useless in just a few minutes.  Stay adaptable & mobile.

6. A lot of deer are nocturnal.  Nothing I can do about that.

7. I should just forget about scent control.  With all the skeeters buzzing in my face during the prime hours, I had to bust out the repellent many times a day.  There's no sense in worrying about my scent when I'm just going to reek of repellent all day.  It's all about the wind direction.

8.  Deer are pretty forgiving about noise.  There's plenty of noise everywhere.  Movement & scent are critical but even at 30 yards, the crunching of pine needles barely elicited an ear twitch.  Movement makes them freeze.  Scent will send them bolting away.  Noise? Meh.

9.  Spikes are silly -- young & dumb.  Had one walk up to my camp.  Saw him later & walked up within 10 yards of him.  The next day, I saw him again hanging out with a doe & her fawn.  Everything was hunky dory until the wind shifted, she caught my scent and they all tore out of there fast.  He's got a lot to learn between now & when he gets a branch on those antlers.  Sure gave me some entertainment, though.

10. Shooting is fun.  Getting close is better.  I've taken deer with a rifle.  It was a little disappointing with how easy it is.  Walking up to stickbow range of deer or having them pass withing feet of me is way more fun.  With a rifle, I posted in different places -- more out of the way.  With a traditional bow, I'm in the thick of it.  I like it much better.

Since you took the time to read my top 10 list, feel free to comment on what your top lessons are -- especially those that are unique to your geography.

[Roadkill]

Good observations

[Mike Mecredy]

Where about were you?  I was just out visiting my Brother, he's in the Buck Meadows area.

[YosemiteSam]

Originally posted by Mike Mecredy:
Where about were you?  I was just out visiting my Brother, he's in the Buck Meadows area.

Not too far away from there, as a matter of fact.  I like how I rarely see other hunters where I am so I won't post any specifics on a public forum.  But that's not very far from where I've hunted the last 3 years.  Were you out for the Archery opener?

[Mike Mecredy]

No, I was out to visit my Bother,  He still lives on Smith Station Rd Near HWY 120.  That's where I was raised, I know the area well enough, I just don't have the funds for a non res tag and such.  But I did catch some trout, did some kayaking at PML, and some dirt bike riding.

[YosemiteSam]

Hmm...  If he's near the 120, that's a different Buck Meadows than I was thinking.  Still not all that far but not as close.  

Sounds like a nice trip with family.  I still daydream sometimes of driving further up the 120 to Tuolumne Meadows and spending a lazy week in Lyell Canyon with a fly rod & a good book.  One of these days...

[Mike Mecredy]

Alright, Buck meadows is about 3-4 miles away from the turn off on Smith Station Rd driving toward Yosemite.

 The Lyell fork of the Toulemne has some pretty good trout numbers.  Lot's of Browns and brookies,  The Dana fork has more rainbows.  I was just driving over Tioga pass two days ago.

[Danny Rowan]

John,

Get a Thermacell, then they will not smell you cause you will not smell like repellant and it will keep the skeeters at bay. Trust me, I hunt in the jungle on Guam and we have them here, I always use the Thermacell and they do not bother me.