First backcountry bow hunt – Cache Creek Wilderness Area, CA
Saturday July 21st, 2007
Even when during my childhood and teenage years, I would spend many vacation days in Chiapas, Mexico, exploring, hunting and playing in the wild rural areas of my native land, I never had the opportunity and blessing to be formally introduced to the wonders of hunting, fishing, trapping or even camping! Therefore, all my adventures where improvised, based on instincts and thus riskier in nature. Now, looking back at those early days, I realize how immensely blessed I’ve been my entire life…thank you mother for all you prayers.
During my childhood, I would spend countless nights and days dreaming about Safaris and exotic hunts full of adventure, exploration and challenges. I would not romanticize about the killing, but about the hunt, the imminent dangers, the unknown, and the actual journey that symbolize such and undertake...Little I knew then, how much more than only desire, it takes to accomplish and embark on such and immense quest...Never the less, that childhood dream and crave for adventure stills burning deep in my core…
Not until after several years of adult real life responsibilities and a decline in physical condition due to a sedentary lifestyle, shackle to a desk chair and a computer, that I decided that it was time to liberate this primal desire for the hunt, for the adventure and breathe life into those old days of dreams and simpler times.
After several months of preparation, gathering all pertinent licenses and permits, and educating myself in the arts of big game hunting, I was finally ready to go out and kill, with bow and arrows, a fine buck that would feed my family for months to come, of course, I also have with me a tag for hunting wild pigs, you know, just in case...
The area I chose is called Cache Creek Wilderness Area. I chose this area to hunt for the first time for several reasons: For the relative short distance from home, I would have to drive only about two and a half hours to arrive there. Because of the apparent abundance of water. For the variety of land features that promised plenty of cover and bedding for the local fauna, and stalking opportunities for the hunter. For the relative safety of its location, since I would be only a few miles close to roads and rivers, but specially because not many hunters seems to favor that area.
After much anticipation and excitement, and hard work convincing my wife that I will be ok by myself in the wilderness. This will be my very first backcountry solo bowhunt.
I woke up at 2:15am got ready and load all the previous prepared gear into the car, and my wife, very kindly, prepared me some food for the trip…after few hours of driving and a pit stop, I arrived to the area where I knew it was the trailhead; however, the road was being reconstructed and there were not signs to be found. I drove farther for about 4 miles until I knew for sure that I must have passed the exit. It was still dark and I was unfamiliar with the road, but since I previously loaded my hunting route into my GPS devise, I was able to quickly plan a route that would take me to the trailhead. I surely like my GPS very much!
Once at the trailhead, I quickly began to change my clothes for hunting clothes, spray my gear and myself with scent block spray, etc…I went trough what I consider a ritual previous to the hunt that helps me opening my mind and my whole being to the power of the mountains and its creator…
Here I am ready for departure at the trailhead and with 50Lbs of gear, ready for everything!
The route I planned to follow would take me over ridges and advantage points for 17 miles were I could use my binoculars to find game that I could then stalk. But just after few hundred yards, I was very disappointed to notice how much noise my backpack was making, this was a lesson to be learned over a scouting trip, not on the actual hunt…at this point I realized this would me more of a learning process than I have expected.
About a mile into the hunt, I bumped into a nice doe, this renew my spirits. At least I knew there were deer in the area!
Soon the sun was high in the sky and the temperature began to climb as well. To prevent dehydration, I previously mark in my topographic map and GPS water sources that I could easily find when needed, so I was not overly concern with the high temperatures.
After going up and down ridges and began to run low on water, I decided to visit one of the ponds to refill my water supply and to check for more deer signs. It was very hot already and I was not able to locate any deer so far, except for the doe. I thought I need to change my hunting strategy and wait for deer to come to drink at the pond…to my surprise the pond was completely dry!
Well, I began to worry a bit, because my water supply was low and by now I was several miles into the country, so my focus moved from finding deer to finding water.
I began my hike downhill towards another pond and to my horror this pond was also dry.
Eventually, I make it to another farther pond. This one had some wet mud but no water…I quickly went to another pond and all I found was mud and what seemed to be contaminated water. I decided to not take the risk… this pond was full of algae and smelled funky.
I located a creek on the map and hiked towards it, but this was also dry…it was just a sandy and rocky river bottom. I would have to hike father into the country to get to another larger pond, but I did not want to take that risk. It was extremely hot and arid, by this time, I have run out of water, my calf muscles and shoulders began to cramp badly, so I decided to follow the creek bed and search for water, I knew the risk of flash flooding was minimum since I knew where this creek originated. So, I followed the creek and did find some murky water that seemed not very trusty, never the less I marked the spot in my GPS just in case I had to come back to get this water. The creek splitted and I decided to follow the one that seemed to hold more trees close to it and after few hundred yards I found cleaner water under some vegetation. Marked the spot in my GPS, I thanked the Lord and proceed to use my brand new water filter to refill my water bladders. The simplicity of use and advantage of being able to pump water into a container from a small, dubious, and shallow water source is priceless!
After the water concern was resolved, I decided to take a break under a large oak tree and eat something.
I realized that I would not be able to butcher and carry out the meat given the opportunity of a kill, I also realized that in this heat and without water, the animals were either nocturnal or moved to another area, there was plenty of sign of deer and elk, but could be very old…so I began to plan my retreat.
But I did not come empty handed! I found a shed! My first shed ever! It may not be much…but it has great personal significance.
I tried to climb to a ridge that will take me back to the trailhead, but I later learned that the whole hillside was cover with manzanita tree and other bushes that after several attempts and only advancing few yards at the time, I will describe them as impassable!
So, after my fail attempt to cross trough manzanita trees, I was forced to follow an old trail at the bottom of a canyon that according to the map would tame to a road few miles from where I parked my car…Just before sunset, I arrived to the road and find a ride to my car…

I must said that even though this hunt turned out to be a big lesson in preparation and hunting technique, I was happy to be able to be out there, on my own, learning, and experiencing life. I am sure that next time I will do better…