Opening Day’s Coming! Scouting, Trail Cams, and the Return of the Season

There’s something about second weekend in July that gets burned into your internal clock when you’re a deer hunter in California. It’s not just another date on the calendar—it’s the start of everything.

Deer season opens, and all the planning, glassing, and boot-leather-on-the-ground prep finally kicks into gear.

Last weekend, I got out for a quick scouting trip—first light, fog rolling through the ridges, and that unmistakable buzz in your chest that only hits this time of year. I dropped another trail cam on a saddle that’s been productive before, just off a game trail pinched between two drainages. You know the kind—steep enough to keep the crowds out, quiet enough to make you feel like you’ve got the mountain to yourself.

Didn’t bump any bucks, but I found fresh tracks, a couple rubs from last season, and plenty of sign. Felt like shaking hands with an old friend. Same terrain, same rhythm, just another year deeper into it.

There’s a peaceful kind of anticipation that comes with this part of the season. You’re not pulling the trigger yet. You’re reading the land. Paying attention. Working for it.

I’ve got high hopes this year. The cam’s running. The gear’s dialed. The freezer’s still got room. Here’s to the start of the season, and to every early morning, long hike, and quiet moment that comes with it.

– Chuck

Grit Knives