Overcoming the odds on California public land elk hunt

November 7, 2023

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RACK ATTACK– Getting the tag was a miracle in itself, but once he had it Geoff Diaz worked his tail off for this impressive public land elk.

BY CHUCK WOLF

SISKIYOU – Hunting public lands for elk is not a weekend game. Tag opportunities are rare, pressure high and the odds of taking an animal low. In California, if you do all the math, include each season, each method of harvest, factor preference points, and divide the total number of applicants (45,000) by animals harvested (207). you get the picture.

The season for bulls was late this year. It followed several preceding hunting seasons, the rut was over and most bulls had settled into a herd.

So when Geoff Diaz of Redding set out to hunt public lands in the Butte Valley Grasslands, solo, on foot with an aching achilles, the odds were not in his favor.