A-31 Archery Help

[Burdman52]

I drew an A-31 archery tag for the Angeles National Forest and am hunting it for the first time. This is also my first experience hunting blacktail deer. I'm striking out to say the least. A large portion is closed due to the Station fire so I've been focusing on the north section in the Boquet Canyon, Lake Castaic areas. So far sign is scarce, and animals are nowhere to be found. Any advice would be greatly appreciated since the season ends Dec. 31. I'd be happy to share X9A sweet spots for next year. Mike B

[pwdhntr]

a31 and d11 has had a rough season, Its a hard area to hunt just with the type of terrain, but even in the area that was supposedly open away from the station fire had its own closures due to old burns and powerline work being done in the area and a overabundance of hunters that would have normally been in the angeles crest hunting. Guys that i know tag bucks on a regular basis said it has been one of the worst seasons they have seen in a while. Hunt the tops where the open areas are, meadows and the like, pay attention to the trails in the open areas, the thick stuff is a waist of time.

[Forest Crawler]

It was a very tough year with the fires. The Station Fire crushed many hunters opportunities and drove more hunters into smaller areas. My suggestion is to glass as much as you can. The more you glass the better off you'll be. That area is hard to hunt no matter which way you look at it. Good luck!