In the early days, being an energetic, scatter-yourself-around type of hunter, I was ecstatic with any legal buck that happened to cross my path.

Today I’m a far better -- if less energetic -- hunter, and much more aware of what it takes to be a trophy hunter in virtually any zone in the state.

Over the years, I’ve learned that first, you’ve got to dedicate enough time to the project. Quickie weekend outings rarely pay off. Spend a few days in the area and work toward the goal. Pass up any buck that doesn’t meet your criteria.

This is much easier to do, by the way, if you are drawn for a late-season additional hunt where you can realistically expect to get more than one opportunity.

In many places, weather during the regular or special late seasons plays a big part in the take of outstanding bucks. Rain will quiet down forested areas, allowing largely undetected movement and promoting still-hunting as a viable technique.

Foul weather will move deer down into the areas where they migrate from summer to winter ranges -- something you hope for every year but can’t count on, at least not while seasons are still open.

At least two of the biggest mule deer bucks I ever got in California were a direct result of stormy weather that moved the deer from the high country.

Today, I live in the northern part of the state and watch weather conditions carefully because blacktail deer in the C and B zones migrate extensively, and I definitely want to be there when conditions are right.

MAKING A TROPHY
But what does it take to create a trophy buck? Good genetics are part of the equation, as are the mineral content and abundance of food. Of course, none of the above matters unless you also factor in longevity.

Bucks in their prime are generally in the 5- to 7-year-old class, meaning that they’ve survived that many hunting seasons.

Such survival is common among resident herds on private land where hunting is closely regulated. Several ranches in California’s Private Lands Management program produce tremendous bucks simply because the deer live long enough to produce outstanding antlers.

Game & Fish Magazine reader Greg Galli of Sacramento would agree. He tells of a really nice mule buck deer taken on a PLM ranch in Zone X3b during the last week of the season in 2006. Galli remembers it was cold hunting but nevertheless, deer were scarce at first. It even snowed a bit on Saturday night, which didn’t seem to improve things on Sunday. On Monday, however, it was a different story.

Galli decided to hunt the lower reaches of the 18,000-acre property and immediately saw a small herd of deer, including a pair of small bucks, about 300 yards out.

“I sat down to glass the animals and spotted a mature buck in some scattered juniper trees,” Galli said. “One look at the antlers, and there was no doubt in my mind -- it was the buck I wanted.”

Using the bipod installed on his rifle for a rest, he took aim and fired with the desired effect.

The buck wore a tall 4x4 rack that was 24 inches wide, with triple eye guards on each side.

What’s more, Galli’s companion Gabe Martin got an even bigger buck, a more-than-26-inch 5x4, the following day.

Deer hunting in California is commonly a warm-weather affair, which is advantageous to the deer because they simply don’t move around much during daylight hours. It’s common knowledge that extended periods of warm weather will affect the total harvest some years, while cool, wet weather other years will increase the take accordingly. What’s more, after a couple of hot-weather seasons, there will be more carryover bucks in the mix. And so, the first favorable season, weather-wise, will see a higher take of trophy bucks.

Last month, in the first part of this two-part series, we noted that both 2005 and 2006 were quite warm throughout most of the deer seasons. That meant a lower-than-usual harvest and more carryover, which -- depending on the weather -- may be reflected in the harvest for 2007.

I well remember the year 2000, when a series of honest-to-goodness storms came during the deer seasons virtually statewide. That year, everyone who worked at it seemed to tag a buck, and photos of many of them were hung in prominent places. More than a few were real dandies.