First Light, No Shot: Opening Weekend in South Monterey County

There’s something about the first weekend of deer season. It’s not just the anticipation,it’s that nervous energy you feel pulling into camp, the weight of months of preparation settling into your bones, and the simple hope that this time, it’ll all come together.

South Monterey County greeted me like it always does: wide open and wild. The mornings came slow and golden, that coastal fog crawling up from the valleys like breath from the earth. The sunsets? Absolute fire. The kind that makes you forget you haven’t loosed an arrow.

I saw bucks, actually. A few solid shooters mixed in with younger ones. There was movement all weekend, especially early and late. But getting into bow range? Different story. The thermals shifted when they weren’t supposed to, a few gusts swirled at the wrong time, and just when I thought it might happen. He’d disappear into the thick or hang up out of range. Close, but not quite.

I even laid eyes on a few elk, surprisingly. Big bodies, slow moving. Always majestic, even from a distance. A reminder that this land still holds some magic.

No filled tags, no photos gripping antlers this time. But that’s not the only measure of a good weekend. There were long hikes in quiet canyons. New trails I hadn’t walked before. And hours spent glassing ridgelines as the sun painted the world in colors you can’t replicate anywhere else.

Deer season started strong, and it’s far from over. The bucks are out there. One misstep, one perfect wind, and it can all change in seconds. That’s the beauty of it, and why we keep coming back.

Carry Grit, Chuck