I was out that way hunting with a buddy that knows the area. We hunted other unit over there as well and early archery we saw a few people. I thought it was nice to not be crowded, but he was concerned as it was the most he had seen in years.
Its brutally tough hunting. If your not too picky there are deer there...its just tougher then heck to get close enough to get a shot. Towards the end of the late season the does seem to herd up with eyes pointing all directions. Sneaking up on a bedded doe is near impossible. Amazing sense of hearing is all I can figure. Before Thursdays rain the desert was crunchy, each step in a stalk, no matter how carefully placed, was met with a crunch. Even after the rain and with the wind blowing in my face and out of sight, I was amazed at the ability of the does to sense my presence.
And yes, there are more guys out there hunting then a few years ago. I actually on Sunday tried to use this to my advantage by showing up way before sunrise, hiking to a spot where I thought other later arriving hunters would push the deer toward me. It didnt work as nobody else showed up in the place I thought they would (and I later found out there werent any deer to be pushed my way in that area cepting a coyote).
