BY JIM NEIMEIC
PASO ROBLES – A pretty good carry over of mature bucks, plenty of available food and water, combined with unusually mild early summer weather, should offer up decent deer hunting for the coastal sections of the south and north Zone A hunt units.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with wildlife biologists, seem to agree that there is a healthy population of coastal mule and blacktail bucks available, as for a number of years the total number of available buck tags has numbered 65,000. According to recent studies by DFW personal, the current estimated deer population across the state numbers between 450,000 to 530,000 deer.
Western Outdoor News checked in with master guide Clayton Grant, of Bitterwater Outfitters 805-610-4521, to get his thoughts on what deer hunters should expect when the deer season opens for archery on July 11 and the general rifle season opens on August 8.
“My guides have been seeing lots of nice bucks while out on wild pig hunts. The population of hogs appears to be very good, with a mix of boars, fat sows and plenty of young meat pigs out there on the many private ranches we hunt. Pigs are fat after feeding on lots of wild oats and some early season alfalfa, and now seem to be pretty much concentrating on acorns and looking for tubers, as they tear the fertile soil up rutting around under the shade of ancient oak trees,” said Grant.
Grant went on to add, “I have seen a few “dandy” blacktail bucks and there appears to a good number of 2×3 coastal bucks out there. Some of the bucks are already hard horned, but there is an equal number still in velvet. This has been the mildest start to the summer season that I have witnessed in a number of years, which means, that the deer should be in great shape during the long summer season. This might be a good summer to book a combo deer and wild hog hunt with all the game that appear to be out there.”
This WON senior hunting writer, has been hunting the southern part of Zone A for over 50 years and has enjoyed a number of rewarding deer hunts, along with two very successful combo hunts. The first ever deer hunt took place on public land in the coastal mountains to the east of Morro Bay. We had set up camp overlooking the Pacific Ocean and did a little scouting. On opening morning, I set up under a pine tree that overlooked a well-traveled deer trail. It was just after sunrise when a young buck moved across a hillside across from my stand. It only took one shot form my old Springfield 30-06 (Army issued, but customized) to fold that buck in its tracks. That deer was only a 2×2 buck still in velvet, but it ate great!
The southern section of Zone A (Unit 110) produced a total of 2,390 bucks harvested during the 2025 season, while the northern section of Zone A (Unit 160) had 2,482 reported kills.
Hunters can purchase a Zone A tag over the counter for $41.30.
According to wildlife biologists, there are at least three subspecies of mule deer found within Zone A hunt units. To the north, basically above the Monterey County line, blacktail bucks are the deer of hunter’s choice and support a dark, thick and multiple tine rack. To the south, the Coastal Mountain terrain can hold either a mule deer or a coastal mule deer (bucks traditionally are wide 2×2’s or 2×3’s. For those who might want to deer hunt in Baja Norte, Baja Hunting, bajahunting.com, offers fully guided deer hunts in the rugged mountain country of the Sierra de San Pedro Marter range. According to outfitter Arturo Malo, the bucks hunted are Baja area blacktails.
For those choosing to deer hunt on forest land, it would be a good idea to check with local ranger station to find out about road conditions and any fire restrictions in place.
When hunting during the hot summer, whether it be for a deer or wild hog, lots of planning needs to be done to make sure that any game harvested does not spoil, either by exposure to hot sun or ruined when “blown” by black flies. A harvested buck should be skinned quickly, bagged up in a deer sack, and either hung in the shade of an oak tree or, better yet, taken to a local butcher for processing. (Fortunately, in hunting country, there are a number of local butcher shops that offer wild game processing) Make sure you have plenty of ice available if you are spending more time on the mountain. New ice chests from Igloo, Yeti and Coleman are designed to keep ice from melting, and are excellent choices when heading up to deer camp in national forests country.
