As I prepared for this hunt, I knew I would be writing about it afterwards. What I didn’t anticipate was that I would also be writing a review for a Bed and Breakfast. I knew the B&B was part of the trip (not inclusive to the SHARE hunt, but an option I took advantage of), but to leave it out of this story wouldn’t do justice to the experience or to the Goller’s (and Jane!) for all their hard work.
As we made the long drive from the Sacramento area down to Cuyama, CA, my Wife and I nervously looked around at the seemingly lifeless, dry, terrain. I looked at the mountains in the distance which appeared to have some green on them. I told my Wife that I assumed our hunt would have to be near there. Sure enough, as we turned down Cottonwood Canyon Road the view started to drastically improve.
When we arrived at the “Little Red House” we found some shade under the big oak tree out front and chatted with David Goller about the property. David took my Wife and I on a tour of the ranch in the UTV and pointed out known hot spots for Deer and other animals.
We rallied back at the front porch which would end up being where we would spend most of our time when we were at the house. We settled into our room and toured the house. If I had to describe the house in one word “fascinating” is what comes to mind. The house was like a cross between a western themed cabin and a museum full of Native American artifacts (Many from the ranch property). Bonnie Goller, the Primary Host for the B&B is a retired Archeologist. Unfortunately, she was not in town for our hunt, but her good friend Jane (our host) along with David filled us in on the interesting history and stories of the surrounding area.
California’s archery season is notoriously hot and the ranch was no exception. Triple digits every day. A dry creek that cuts through the property offers the coolest bedding areas, hidden water pockets, and plenty of cover. My first trip out was to the edge of the property, working my way up the creek towards the house. I found some deer tracks and some bedding areas, but by the time I made it back to the house I was a little discouraged. I knew going into the hunt the drought had taken a toll on the wildlife, but I assumed with the creek offering such prime relief from the heat it would be a hotbed of activity and so far, it wasn’t. I was left scrambling for ideas on how to approach the next morning’s hunt.
The next morning, I decided to check out the other side of the property. David showed us an area with a new water trough the evening before which was away from the house and people. We didn’t spend much time up there the previous evening so I thought this would be a good time to look for signs of activity. My Wife and I headed out under the cover of relative darkness and surveyed the area. A few Doe and Fawn tracks near the water and that was about it. It’s possible the Bucks in the area are not aware of the trough yet or they are just using another water source. We walked the fire break to the top of the highest peak arriving just in time for the Sun to rise. We glassed the areas below looking for any movement or bedded bucks. After a few hours of trekking my Wife and I headed back to the house for breakfast.
I almost felt like we were cheating using a B&B as a “base camp.” I’ve stayed in some pretty rough places before while hunting, it’s just part of being in the outdoors. I cannot begin to tell you how nice it was to have a cool, comfortable, place to go back to after hours of walking rough terrain in the heat.
We ate a great breakfast and traded stories with our hosts. David and I sat and strategized for a bit. I decided we would head back to the creek only this time we would go from the house, North. Up until this point we had not really scouted this area. We walked the dirt road to the creek bed. Things were looking really good; we were seeing a lot of tracks. Not only Deer tracks, but Coyote tracks/scat, Bobcat, Bear scat, tons of Quail (which I haven’t mentioned, but the property is covered in coveys). We walked to the large pond area which unfortunately dried up a couple weeks prior to our arrival. We then followed the road to the property boundary and retraced our path back to the house, encouraged by what we saw.
I really appreciated David’s willingness to help us in our pursuit of Deer. I could tell he really wanted our hunt to be a success. David took out his map of the property and studied his notes. He pointed me to a ridge a few canyons over where he shot a Deer a few years ago. It was quite the hike, but at this point it was making the most sense. Deer are normally a few miles away from the nearest road and Blacktail will sometimes walk quite a distance from their bedding areas to the water. With the heat of mid-day upon us and no telling how much time I would spend in the mountains I opted to use this as an option for the following morning.
It was during this time that the ranch seemed to come alive with activity. First we saw one Doe with two Fawns and then another Doe with a single Fawn. I felt good seeing this, knowing there had to be Bucks in the area. It was also a nice added sign that the wildlife were bouncing back from the drought.
After a few hours of relaxing it was time to get ready to head back out. As I was putting my boots on I hear my Wife’s voice as she tried to yell to me without being too loud. “Honey! A Buck!” There was a nice sized Buck making its way from the water trough about 70 yards in front of the house back to the brush from where it had emerged. I grabbed my bow and my GoPro (unfortunately the GoPro footage wasn’t that great and you can’t see the Deer) and headed down the gated road as fast and quietly as I could. As I was walking I could see the two Fawns had come back for a drink and were now at the trough. As soon as I crossed the gate, the thrashing of leaves and bushes caused me to draw my bow as I turned to the noise. A Doe, probably the Doe with the two Fawns. I continued to take a step or two while pausing to listen. As I made my way down the road with the creek bed below me to my left I hear more noise. I turn to get a glimpse of what I think was a deer running below in the opposite direction. I walk another 20 yards or so and stand there motionless for a few minutes. Out of nowhere, four Deer scatter in different directions. I draw my bow hoping to see the Buck. As soon as the group of deer scatter, another Deer immediately to my left takes off down the creek. All of this in a split second drawing my attention is so many directions, I never did get a good look at any of them to know if one of them was the Buck or not.
At this point, not knowing which one was the Buck and feeling like I would only push them further away, I retreated back to the house. It was an exciting rush of adrenaline to see so many Deer in such a short timeframe. It was also a great sign the Deer are on the property. I watched the creek area for a while but it was clear, the deer were long gone.
As dusk set in we made our way back to the other side of the property. Looking up the canyon a lone Doe stood there watching our every move. We decided to sit on a hillside and glass for a while as we waited for it to get a little darker. We made our way down from the hill and into the fields where David said he sometimes sees the Deer feeding under the Oaks in the evenings. We glassed the fields for a while, but without seeing any deer it was time to head back to the house for the night.
That would be the last hunt for us. While we were welcome to hunt as much as we wanted on Sunday, my feet and back were telling me we were done. This coupled with the lingering thought of the long drive back, I decided to try to get a good night’s rest instead.
I was surprised to learn from David that not a lot of people put in for the SHARE hunts. David estimated approximately 500 people a year apply. Considering there were over 238,000 hunting licenses issued last year the SHARE program is probably the most under-utilized program available to California hunters. The neighboring ranch, the Jones Ranch, also participates in the SHARE program. If you have the opportunity to put in for a SHARE hunt at either of these properties I would highly recommend it.
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