Anything Good come out of D3

Buck300 · Jun 13, 2021

Anyone seen any good size bucks ever come out of D3?

oljc · Jun 14, 2021

There are some dandy's in there for sure most of it is very dense with timber, if you can get away from all the tree huggers and get out into the more open Granite country there are some toads.

Bossbrott · Jun 15, 2021

A few.
Gets really quiet on the forum when anyone speaks of d3-5 and success. Open up with info and you'll spot burn a 5mi radius.
Lots of good bucks on pp in the lower elevations and the NF above is as overgrown as they get with pines. Nothing eats pines, so there is that.
Find a recent burn and hope for the best.
Shoot every predator possible given the chance as well.

Buck300 · Jun 15, 2021

Bossbrott said:
A few.
Gets really quiet on the forum when anyone speaks of d3-5 and success. Open up with info and you'll spot burn a 5mi radius.
Lots of good bucks on pp in the lower elevations and the NF above is as overgrown as they get with pines. Nothing eats pines, so there is that.
Find a recent burn and hope for the best.
Shoot every predator possible given the chance as well.

Yeah I suspected I wouldn’t get much feedback. I was just curious if people ever get decent bucks out of there. I’ve already been doing a bit of scouting for the season. There is definitely deer in there. Lots of dense forest makes it a challenge but does create good cover on the same note.

DeerHunter53 · Jun 16, 2021

I saw three of the biggest bucks I have seen in D-3 two years ago when I was fishing a stream in the summer. All three were toads in the 170-190 range amazed me as I thought that there were no big bucks in that area...

Bossbrott · Jun 16, 2021

Buck300 said:
Yeah I suspected I wouldn’t get much feedback. I was just curious if people ever get decent bucks out of there. I’ve already been doing a bit of scouting for the season. There is definitely deer in there. Lots of dense forest makes it a challenge but does create good cover on the same note.

To answer your question, yes, some big bucks do get pulled out.
Over the past few years we've killed a couple 4x's, some 3's and many forks.
On the scale most end up between 110-120# dressed weight.
As previously stated, buy a bear tag and kill every predator you cross paths with.

bullskin · Jun 16, 2021

I have killed two deer over 200 pounds in D-3. Antlers went only 22+/- inches, but they had great mass.

Bossbrott · Jun 16, 2021

bullskin said:
I have killed two deer over 200 pounds in D-3. Antlers went only 22+/- inches, but they had great mass.

May I ask what elevation?

oljc · Jun 16, 2021

PM Me

bullskin · Jun 17, 2021

Bossbrott said:
May I ask what elevation?

Near 3500 feet. Both lived in an oak-filled basin and grew fat eating acorns, I suppose. I have killed four or five bucks in that canyon over the past thirty years. The area does not have many deer, but there are even fewer people willing to get off the roads to find them. Sometimes I get lucky.

X7ahunter · Jun 17, 2021

Uncle of mine killed a D3 buck, 4x4 around 22-24 inch. It was so heavy it bent the 2 inch steel pipe we used for our skinning pole.

I know of a couple bucks that were in the 30 inch range killed out of D3.

Banded_spooney · Jul 8, 2021

X7ahunter said:
Uncle of mine killed a D3 buck, 4x4 around 22-24 inch. It was so heavy it bent the 2 inch steel pipe we used for our skinning pole.

I know of a couple bucks that were in the 30 inch range killed out of D3.

GPS coordinates or it didn't happen

HuntinEngineer530 · Jul 8, 2021

I think a lot of northeast D-3 is going to be different following the fire. Sure there are some green pockets but large areas burned so hot nothing has started to grow. Areas being clearcut with no ground vegetation will take some time and good winters to recover as well. I live just west of Lake Oroville and saw some real big bucks in the weeks/months following the fire.

Banded_spooney · Jul 9, 2021

HuntinEngineer530 said:
I think a lot of northeast D-3 is going to be different following the fire. Sure there are some green pockets but large areas burned so hot nothing has started to grow. Areas being clearcut with no ground vegetation will take some time and good winters to recover as well. I live just west of Lake Oroville and saw some real big bucks in the weeks/months following the fire.

The bucks on the Bidwell side of the canyon during the rut after loafer creek burned were true giants anywhere. Just wish I knew where they went after the spring migration.

HuntinEngineer530 · Jul 11, 2021

msuplita said:
The bucks on the Bidwell side of the canyon during the rut after loafer creek burned were true giants anywhere. Just wish I knew where they went after the spring migration.

You mean like these guys?

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Banded_spooney · Jul 11, 2021

First buck disappeared when he went hard horned. The buck on the right showed up when loafer burned down. Shitty picture but he was for sure over 30”

absolute giant and the buck he is with is very big

Banded_spooney · Jul 11, 2021

HuntinEngineer530 said:
You mean like these guys?

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Lots of big deer you have there sir

heywouldya · Jul 11, 2021

Great bucks! Why am I spending my time in B zone?

bullskin · Jul 11, 2021

Nice bucks. They look as if they are used to people. I doubt they lived up on USFS or SP lands where they would have been hunted.

Banded_spooney · Jul 11, 2021

heywouldya said:
Great bucks! Why am I spending my time in B zone?

Because ppl get a little pissy when you shoot bucks in their driveway.

Banded_spooney · Jul 11, 2021

Looks like this is same buck the Engineer took a picture of

Buck300 · Jul 13, 2021

HuntinEngineer530 said:
I think a lot of northeast D-3 is going to be different following the fire. Sure there are some green pockets but large areas burned so hot nothing has started to grow. Areas being clearcut with no ground vegetation will take some time and good winters to recover as well. I live just west of Lake Oroville and saw some real big bucks in the weeks/months following the fire.

Which fire are you speaking of?

Banded_spooney · Jul 14, 2021

Buck300 said:
Which fire are you speaking of?

Don’t remember the name but the one that burned from Lake Oroville to Bucks lake in September.

X7ahunter · Jul 14, 2021

msuplita said:
Don’t remember the name but the one that burned from Lake Oroville to Bucks lake in September.

North Complex

HuntinEngineer530 · Jul 14, 2021

Google Earth has updated imagery showing the burn. You might have to zoom in a bit to see it but it shows the level of devastation.

Buck300 · Jul 26, 2021

Been out scouting lately. The amount of people(non hunters) in the forest right now is off the charts. Tree huggers everywhere. The only people I encounter worth talking with are the PCT thru hikers. They at least have interesting stuff to talk about from the trail.

HuntinEngineer530 · Jul 26, 2021

Hardest part in my neck of the woods is finding forest that's open not to mention areas not burned. 3 good places that survived the fire last year are burning right now.

That and going in the torched forest is depressing when these guys are hanging out in my neighborhood.