Anyone hunting California Public Land?

[danshao]

Anyone who is hunting or have hunted California public land here? I plan on going for the first time this year comes archery season.

Still trying to work out more details and logistics and such. I've got the license and tags sorted out and have taken bow hunting clinic and will go to the land navigation and wilderness survival clinics in the following weeks so as to hunt safe.

Any advise or share of experience would be appreciated. Also I know it's prob. a bit desperate but if anyone can be my hunting partner that will be awesome!

[Roadkill]

California is a very ecologically diverse state.  Where are you planning to hunt? North is waaay diffferent from south, and costal is waaay different from the Sierras. I have hunted several places, but perhaps getting qualified from one of the military bases might be an option

[danshao]

Originally posted by Roadkill:
California is a very ecologically diverse state.  Where are you planning to hunt? North is waaay diffferent from south, and costal is waaay different from the Sierras. I have hunted several places, but perhaps getting qualified from one of the military bases might be an option

I'll probably go somewhere north or at least central. Living in the Bay Area northern and central zones are a bit closer. I have my eyes on cache creek and will probably browse a few more in zone b and d.

Do military bases provide any advantage to other areas? Other than being open for hunting (last time I checked their website) for a lot more than just regular season.

Being a first timer and also a bit height nervous, I plan on doing some ground sit to have more mobility and more chances to kind of explore the land. Am I heading the right direction or simply somewhere really far from any chance of success?

[Roadkill]

Were I you, those hogs would get my attention.  Lots of them and people want them gone-for$, of course. Believe Hunter Ligget allows both deer and hog hunting.  You have to qualify, take their Hunter safety exam. And other things.  Public land is always crowded in Ca and not always hunter friendly-farther from San Fran that gets better fast.  Then there are zones for various drawing.  So if youmanaged to get drawn to get a tag then you can narrow your focus to those areas. Your outdoor skills will  increase regardless if you take a deer, do not be discouraged-it gets better every time you go out

[M60gunner]

I have a friend that lives in Redding, Ca. Him and his son hunt the North East corner of the state. Not sure where exactly but they usually come home with deer.

[jvs9932]

What land navigation and wilderness survival courses are you taking? I'd be interested in checking those out too.

[danshao]

Thanks for the good info and encouragement folks!

Is me not using tree stand against black tail or mule deer ill advised? I thought treestands are most effective for whitetail but blacktails or mulies not so anyway? I have a climber but it's kinda heavy and I've never used it besides all the horror stories of people injuring themselves falling off trees.

Jvs- the California dfg has advanced hunting clinics (field courses) on various topics. seats are very limited so you have to plan ahead for next years registration.

[Roadkill]

If you have a spot where deer come daily,the stand might work.  Mule deer are drifty but you may find  "the" spot for a stand. Harness, harness harness---again use a harness.
Attend all manner of outdoor classes-it will give you confidence and may keep you novice mistakes down

[Thumper Dunker]

Your going to have walk your legs off. Most deer in this state are never in the same spot daily. Finding a water hole in dry areas are good places. In the Sierras there's food and water all over the place . Might be on one mountain one day and on another the next day. Hunt for game trails. That one deer might not come buy again but his buddy might. If you get board take a rabbit or fawn call. There's more coyotes than people in this state. It's hot so be carful.
In the lower elevations they are a bit more home body. This is coming from a not so good deer hunter.

[YosemiteSam]

I'm in CA but have had limited success (none with a bow).  So I wouldn't presume to have much to offer by way of location or hunting advice.  Against my better judgment, I've been going with the AO tags since they let me hunt almost anywhere.  Plus our deer numbers have been on a decades-long decline, mostly due to habitat loss from development.  So I figure I'm going to do far less damage to the limited population than what I could with a rifle.  So far, it wouldn't have mattered much either way (rifle shots were close, too).  

The only advice I can offer is to pick an area & hunt it as thoroughly as possible every year instead of switching from spot to spot.  Again, that idea hasn't given me much success by way of kills but it definitely lets me know my areas more intimately & otherwise enjoy my time out. Since our public land success rates for non-drawing zones are around 10% or less, it's less about the kills and more about enjoying the time out. If you want to kill something in CA, you have to pay up or wait to get drawn.  Hunting is easy & cheap.  Taking home meat is the hard (or expensive) part.

I put in a lot of miles last year but ended up finding a more hopeful location only about a mile from a trailhead.  So that's getting my focus this year during the regular season.  I'm hiking with my wife up that way this weekend so we'll check it out to see if the deer have returned to that same area this year.  Could be good & could be bad.  We'll see.

I got drawn for a late season coastal hunt again this year (2nd tag) and am tempted to go back to the same, remote place I hiked to last year for no other reason than because I know it better.  I found deer at another spot this spring during turkey season but having only spent half a day there, I just don't feel as confident that I can adapt if things aren't exactly as I found them in the spring (which is pretty likely).  Besides, it's fun to see how things change year-to-year -- especially if the hunting is slow (and it usually is).

I think a stand could be really helpful.  I just don't want to carry it as far as I know I'd have to.  A little bit of burlap or camo netting for a ground blind is just way easier to pack in for a 3-4 day hunt.  Sitting with my back to a tree or boulder is by far the easiest.  If I was packing on horseback, I'd find a way to set one up in June or July & take it with me on the way out at the end of the season.  But you have to know where to put it and that's a challenge with these roaming mulies.  It might take you a few seasons to even have decent guess where they might be.

As to the idea that folks want hogs gone, PLEASE let us know who this is.  It seems that everybody is in on that action.  Pig hunting is good business out here & runs $500 on up for a weekend hunt.  There are plenty of urban commandos who will pay many times that for a guide to put them on a trophy hog.  Pigs are worth a fair chunk alive but nothing if eliminated so I'll challenge the idea that anybody out here actually wants them gone.  Oddly, I can hunt deer halfway across the country (plane ticket, license & tag) for about the same cost as a weekend hunt on private land within an hour of my house.  And my odds of taking meat home are still better out of state.  Private land has decent success (50% for archery is typical).  But public land pigs are rare indeed.  I know they're out there.  But good luck finding them.  And most private land pigs are a luxury good in this state.  

I know a couple people in foothill subdivisions that would let me hunt them for free but they only come by at night and I'd be violating a host of legal, regulatory and safety rules on an oddball chance they would actually show up that night for me.  Alas...

[Roadkill]

Well said, Sam.  I live about 4 air miles from CA and watch some tuskers migrate thru this area in November. Mostly see does all other times.  Military bases are an option.  I hunted Pendleton for years and have friends who hunt Hunter-Liggett.

[danshao]

Thanks so much Sam for the long input. Really appreciate it. I heard the same thing with that low success rate. I met someone last weekend who's been hunting deer for 20 years still didn't catch anything. He could just be exaggerating but that does help set a reasonable expectation.

I just returned from the navigation clinic and boy what a blast! And after talking with the hunters there I actually found a fine gentleman who's willing to walk with me to the hunt, who's also a first time hunter. Really excited!

I think I've nailed down the details so far as walking in 3 miles at 3am. Before sunrise either spot and stalk or just setup next to a tree with some blind material. Then hunt until 10-11 and relax before 7 pm and do the same thing towards sunset which is 8:30 pm. I could also just hike out and back in for the break but it's kind of waste of time.

The only moving piece I see right with my plan is how the heck I'm going to manage hiking in and out for 2 hrs in the dark and not wet my pants if I encounter mountain lion/coyotes/bear and such. I don't think I can take a predator with my recurve in the darkness when they are moving. How does everyone else cope with the hikes?

[Roadkill]

You could bevy camp to keep fro constantly hiking.  Spend the night in a light shelter.  I walked all over the Sierras and never had a problem with predators-lucky maybe, but I think most will avoid you.

I have a cow tag in Sept here inNV. I GOOGLE MAP MY INTENDED AREA THEN HIT SATTELITE.  LOOKING FOR GReen .Sorry bout caps. Areas to indicate water.  I also look for marked steams and ponds/lakes.  It is 100 degrees here for past two weeks, and between fires and heat, our game will seek water.  I will set up to overlook these areas and maybe slide in along the edges to seek sign-if I find some, I will back out.  If none on the edges, I will carefully work in deeper.  As soon as I strike sign, I will back out or carefully look for pinch points for ambush opportunities.  Recall winds shift often out here in the west, so play the wind even when scouting.

[danshao]

Thanks roadkill.

Is there some reliable online source to check wind direction or do you simply go with wind powder and mark them out on your map?

[YosemiteSam]

I hike in the dark all the time by headlamp.  Seeing those glowing eyes from unknown creatures definitely gets your heart rate up but it's rarely an actual problem.  I packed out a deer in the dark and just yelled "Hey bear!" every so often.  I shot & gutted that deer not much more than 200 yards from where I've seen A LOT of bear sign.  Maybe I just got lucky.  Our black bears are pretty shy outside of the national parks.  And if you're walking with purpose (not still hunting but transporting yourself from place-to-place with a stiff *clomp, clomp, clomp, clomp), anything that's awake will know you're there & move off.

But I don't recommend that you hike too far off trail in the dark, even with a headlamp.  Probably should max it at nothing more than a couple hundred yards at most.  It has less to do with predators and more to do with keeping your bearings and keeping quiet.  I've done enough night hiking on trails to be fairly comfortable with it.  In some cases, I may prefer it to daytime hiking.  But off trail is more difficult since you have no landmarks other than what's 10' in front of you.  It's all the more difficult under a canopy of trees or a new moon.  

On that note, I visited my hopeful hunting spot yesterday & saw a little bit of sign -- nothing too exciting, though.  But I still can't figure out how to get to it quietly in the dark.  I can do it in the daylight but dark is much harder.  Might have to be an evening-only spot.

As to your question about wind direction, I've found all information from whitetail hunting areas pretty useless out here.  Rocky Mountain elk hunters have much more to offer since the terrain is more similar.  Thermals rule.  Most of the time, it moves downhill(ish) from late at night until about 9 or 10 a.m.  Then it lulls a bit before heading uphill for the rest of the day.  But topography & weather can shift that all sorts of ways -- especially during harsh weather.  It's frustrating as hell sometimes but it's just how things roll.  That's part of why I refuse to spend much time setting up an elaborate stand.  The wind can turn on a dime, blowing at your face one minute and then at your back just a few seconds later.  I've never seen much point in locking myself into one or even 2 positions when the wind can shift so quickly & foil my best-laid plans.

[Roadkill]

I use one of those wind dusterthings,and a silk thread on the upper limb. I also toss dirt in the air,if the dust hits me in the face-I am good.  You can work on your skills,by trying to get close to ducks or geese, or rock chucks or ground squirrels-not from smell but from their eyes. Use cover and move when they face away or hide their eyes.  Fun and you may get the rhythm down. You will learn foot placement while watching their eyes. Also scanning for rattlers while focus stays on your quarry
I hunted hogs last month at a pay ranch as part of my friends giving me a retirement hunt.  I broke out my recurve, put my face mask around my neck and strapped on my knee pads. The ranch manager knew he was in for stalks as those foam knee pads indicate how serious  I was in closing the distance
Your face shines like a diamond ina goats butt, cover it before you stalk. Plenty of things moving in the forest, but your face alone will get their attention and feet moving

[Roadkill]

I use one of those wind dusterthings,and a silk thread on the upper limb. I also toss dirt in the air,if the dust hits me in the face-I am good.  You can work on your skills,by trying to get close to ducks or geese, or rock chucks or ground squirrels-not from smell but from their eyes. Use cover and move when they face away or hide their eyes.  Fun and you may get the rhythm down. You will learn foot placement while watching their eyes. Also scanning for rattlers while focus stays on your quarry
I hunted hogs last month at a pay ranch as part of my friends giving me a retirement hunt.  I broke out my recurve, put my face mask around my neck and strapped on my knee pads. The ranch manager knew he was in for stalks as those foam knee pads indicate how serious  I was in closing the distance
Your face shines like a diamond ina goats butt, cover it before you stalk. Plenty of things moving in the forest, but your face alone will get their attention and feet moving

[danshao]

Thanks guys for all the great and valuable info in the thread!! Highly appreciated  

[PrestonTaylor]

Hi Danshao. I live and hunt in Cali. All of my hunting in this state has been along the coast, but one day I will head to the Sierras to try for Mule deer. Since it's your first year hunting, and you're using traditional tackle, don't set your expectations too high. It took my 4 years to kill my first deer with a longbow, and 2 years with my rifle. One of the great things of our state is that you can hunt either season (bow or general) with one tag. Also you can buy an Archery Only tag and hunt both seasons in several zones. So the season is relatively long, and the state is big. Don't worry about running into predators at night, it happens all the time to me (mostly bears, but once a puma). Carry bear spray if it gives you some confidence. Hunting over water is not very productive unless you are in the extreme dry areas of the state, but most all of the coastal ranges north from Santa barbara to Oregon and the high Sierras have plenty of free water. Try a variety of techniques and see what works: sitting in ambush, spot n stalk, still hunting, tracking. If you're goal is to have fun, learn about wildlife, become a better hunter, and spend some time in beautiful country, then you will succeed. In the words of Marv Clyncke, "killing an animal is just icing on the cake".

[danshao]

Hi Preston, thanks for the reply. It really addresses my fears. What happened when you run into predators such as bears? Do they just run away from you or did you have to scare them away?