G3 is a coveted tag here in CA. It is in the Eastern Sierras during the rut. Deer migrate in from the national parks on the west side to winter. The biggest deer in CA are located here but it takes weather to get them down from the inaccessible high country. I have hunted here before and took a spectacular 30" 4X3. Here is my 2007 G3 story. I hunted with my 68 year old dad.
Got up to Independence on Sunday afternoon in time to check out above Mt. Whitney fish hatchery and try to determine the extent of the burn. That area was all burned so we checked into the motel and got a good nights sleep.
Next morning we were up in Onion Valley as it started to get light. Saw one little 4 pointer on the road but continued up to the top. I left my dad in the truck and started hiking up the canyon. Immediately spotted another 4 pointer just a little bigger than before. This guy got scoped from about 40 yrds but he also walked. Hiked up to the top of the treeline without seeing anything. Then I cut across a ridge with a flat top and saw a bunch of deer beds. Started jumping does and little bucks. Finally got back into the sage and saw a big forky that might have been a 3X2 but had broke one tine. He was wide and tall but he walked too. Drove down through the burn and saw a 3 pointer and another 4 pointer in the burn area but too small.
Drove over to Division Creek. Passed a bunch of guys glassing a ridge to the south and saw 3 trucks heading up the switchbacks. We saw some does down low so we stopped the truck and just started glassing all around us in the sage. Deer where everywhere. Spotted a little 4 pointer and a one horn forkie and glassed around them real good. They kept looking around like they were nervous. I finally spotted a big antler from a bedded buck and decided he might be worth a stalk. Basically I walked right up to them. Got within 5 yards of a doe and finally the bigger buck got up. He wasn't what I was looking for so after hanging with him for awhile and watching him gather up his does we headed back to the motel.
Left the motel around 2:30 and headed to Shepard Creek. Found 6 or 7 cars so we left. We went 2 canyons down and found no cars. Got out and started glassing the slope in front of the truck. Spotted 3-4 does, then a forkie, then a few more does. My dad left and went walking up the slope to check out the next canyon (found another hunter!). I kept glassing. Went back to check out the forkie and saw a shooter buck enter the field of the scope. The scope was 45X and I could tell he was a 4X4 and went a good bit outside his ears. They were about 600 yards off straight up a steep canyon.
I decided to make the stalk so I humped to the next ridge over, south of the deer and started up. After about 300 yards I belly crawled up to the top and looked across the canyon. Yup, the does were still there. Couldn't see MY buck but I ranged a rock near them at about 350 yards. Too far for me! Crawled back below the ridge and continued up. Another 100 yards, another peek. Still there, ranged now at about 250 yds. Back down and more climbing. Finally got to were I thought I'd have a shot and belly crawled again up to the top. Shoot, busted! There was one of the does and the forkie eyeing me from 225 yds. They weren't moving though so I settled in and looked for the big guy. There he was. Across the canyon, broadside, staring up at me! My heart rate was down by this time so I ranged him...225 yrds. Got him in the scope, cranked it up to 14X and couldn't keep it on him! Pulled off my fanny pack and rested the gun on top. Snugged it up tight to my shoulder and laid that crosshair right on his shoulder. Safety off.........think squeeze, don't jerk, took a breath, closed my eye, opened it back up, took up the slack, and squeeeezed. Boom, through the scope I see the hind end go down, head flies back, he falls and slides down the slope about 5 feet and lays still. Eject the round and go back to him in the scope. Not a twitch, oh take a breath.
I sat up and watched him for about 30 seconds; after confirming his demise, I hoofed it back down the slope to get my dad. I should have got over to him and tagged him but I made the call, we had to get back to him and find him while it was still light.
So, finally we got him down the hill and gutted and then skinned him at a friends house. Pulled the trigger at 3:50. Got him down the hill and gutted by 5:00. He was skinned by 6:30 and we were eating Subway by 7:00.
I took the shot with a custom Remington in 25.06 shooting 100 grain Barnes TSX at 3300 fps. Scope was a Leupold 4.5-14 with B&C reticle. At 225 yards I aimed dead on and hit high in the right shoulder, shredded the lungs, and exited low in the left shoulder. He is a 25" 4X4 with no brow tines. Weighed in at the butcher shop at 98 lbs. That's minus all the throw away parts so he probably weighed about 150 on the ground.
Anyway that's my story. He's not as big as my first G3 buck but he beats any of my other CA deer and having my dad help me drag him down the hill and "supervise" while I did the gutting made my trip. He wanted to hear every detail and we went over and over the entire stalk and shot. This was a trip of dreams. Hope you enjoyed the story. It was too dark for photos but here is a picture of the rack and rifle.
http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=47437NoCAL
