Zone X9c, California

A large geographic area with topography ranging from flat lower-elevation valleys to extremely steep and rocky higher mountain ranges. Elevations span from desert scrub at about 4,500 ft (near Coso Junction) up to alpine terrain at 14,246 ft (White Mountain Peak). Per HuntScore, roughly 80% of the area has a slope of 27 degrees or less. The White Mountain portion is extremely remote, rugged, and subject to severe weather; cold, snowy conditions occur at higher elevations. Major access is via U.S. Highway 395 (north-south along the Sierra escarpment from Olancha to Bishop), plus Highways 6, 168 (Westgard Pass Road), 178, 190, and 266. Four-wheel-drive is advised on unimproved roads.

Zone X9c is approximately 91% public land managed by the Inyo National Forest (White Mountain Ranger District) and the BLM Bishop and Ridgecrest field offices, with additional lands owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (no overnight camping permitted on DWP lands) and private parties. U.S. Highway 395 is the spine of the zone, running north-south through the Owens Valley from Olancha to Bishop; Highway 168 (Westgard Pass Road) branches east from Big Pine on US-395 and is the primary paved route into the White Mountains, reaching the Schulman Grove Visitor Center and transitioning to a graded dirt road continuing to Patriarch Grove. Highway 6 north of Bishop provides access to Silver Canyon Road (departing from near Laws, approximately 3.5 miles north of Bishop on Hwy 6), a seasonal high-clearance 4WD route that climbs from about 4,200 ft to 10,400 ft and connects to White Mountain Road near Schulman Grove — this road crosses Silver Creek multiple times and is closed in winter. White Mountain Road also links to Wyman Canyon Road and Crooked Creek Road, both of which require 4WD and high clearance and are closed in winter; Wyman Canyon Road is reached from either Highway 168 in Deep Springs Valley (east side) or from White Mountain Road, and follows an old mining road with numerous creek crossings. Grandview Campground (Inyo NF, ~8,000 ft, no water) on White Mountain Road is a primary staging area for hunters accessing the upper White Mountains. For the Inyo Mountains Wilderness, Mazourka Canyon Road (accessed from Independence on US-395) provides access to the northern reaches including Papoose Flat and Squaw Flat; the southern Inyo Mountains are reached via San Lucas Canyon Road (approximately 5 miles east of Lone Pine) or Cerro Gordo Road, and the eastern side via Saline Valley Road — all require 4WD and high clearance. The three federally designated wilderness areas within the zone — Inyo Mountains, Piper Mountains, and Sylvania Mountains — are non-motorized; Piper Mountains Wilderness is reached via Highway 168 or Big Pine-Death Valley Road east of Big Pine, with non-wilderness 4WD roads (including along Horse Thief Canyon) providing staging. No access permit is required for most public land in the zone; hunters should contact the White Mountain Public Lands Information Center in Bishop (760-873-2500) for current road conditions and seasonal closure dates.

Ecologically diverse, with plant communities by elevation: desert scrub (about 4,500-6,500 ft) with shadscale, big sagebrush, black sage, Mormon tea, rabbitbrush, winterfat, indigo bush, and buckwheat; pinyon woodland (about 6,500-9,500 ft) dominated by pinyon pine with Utah juniper a co-dominant, big sagebrush, desert and antelope bitterbrush, mountain mahogany, and grasses (June grass, Indian ricegrass, squirreltail), with treeless sagebrush at its upper edge; subalpine forest (9,500-11,500 ft) of bristlecone and limber pine with sagebrush, mountain mahogany, fernbush, and creambush; and alpine tundra (11,500-14,246 ft) with sparse low perennial shrubs and annuals.

Deer are migratory, summering at higher elevations (7,500-12,000 ft) in the Inyo and White Mountains and wintering at lower elevations (4,500-7,500 ft); the Owens River provides year-round habitat for a small number of deer. Migration occurs twice yearly (spring and fall), generally following traditional routes along drainages or mountain-range bases. Fall migration to winter range generally begins in late October, patterned by snowstorms and freezing temperatures, and during heavy storms deer may move down in just a few days. Deer concentrate on winter range for the breeding season, which begins in mid-November. No single major migration corridor is delineated; numerous routes are each used by small numbers of animals. Herd status: the population is considered to be slightly declining, consistent with the long-term western mule deer decline since the 1960s-1970s.