N. California Archery History/Hunting

[4dogs]

We are planning a trip to Northern Cal. end of Aug. Does anyone have any recommendations for hunting/ archery history..places to see, shoot etc. Really interested in Ishi sites and or displays that would be open to the public. Any help would be very much appreciated.

[YosemiteSam]

I left the Sacramento area in the mid 90's & haven't been back much.  I hope you find some worthwhile places.

You may have to be ready to do a little bit of driving.  Ishi came out of hiding around Oroville, about an hour north of Sacramento.  So that was his home turf.  There has to be some recognition in the area but I don't travel much that way so Google is a better reference than me.  Afterward, he lived at a museum in San Francisco, probably 2+ hours west & south from Oroville.  A quick Google search said that the museum is now part of the UCSF campus.  He made a lot of glass arrowheads while there & I think that's where Kroeber & he spent most of their time.  So they may have quite a bit.  Sacramento has a standing exhibit at the California Museum for CA Indians but I'm not sure how much prominence Ishi gets.  Artifacts may have been transported there but I don't recall much about Sacramento in the book I read about him (Kroeber, T).

Oddly, many years ago, I was working on my MA in CA History with a focus on CA Indians.  Not one person even mentioned Ishi.  I learned about him from somebody I met working for a non-profit land trust about the same time.  I didn't even read anything about him until just about a year ago & wouldn't have done that had I not been reminded of him from my revisiting of archery.  I wonder if there has been some embarrassment from how Ishi & his legacy has been used & abused over the years by academics & journalists -- especially since CA tribes have grown in wealth and influence from gaming.  That's speculation, though.  But I am admittedly confused as to why Ishi & the Yahi don't get more attention by CA academics.  He has a great story.  

As for shooting places, there used to be a 3D broadhead league in Roseville (30-45 min north of Sac) during the summer.  Our archery season is already open on the coast and will open mid-late August in much of the Sierras.  So the league was good practice.  But I don't know if that's still going on.  Calling a local shop would be your best bet there.

Discovery Park in Sacramento used to have an archery range that we'd practice long shots out to 80 yards or so.  Again, that was many years ago so double check that.  CA is a big state anyway so if you're going to be closer to Redding/Chico, you may not want to be driving all the way down to Sac just to fling some arrows.  When you say you'll be in Nor Cal, it might help to be a bit more specific so you can find help regarding exactly where in Nor Cal you'll be.

[4dogs]

Thank you John. Well our plan is to fly into San Francisco, rent a car then do the typical tourist stuff, the bridge, Alcatraz etc then head North. Nothing specific to do up there except visit the redwoods along the way. Not apposed to driving where ever to see interesting stuff or find a unique place to fling a few arrows.  I couldn't find much as far as displays etc about Ishi so I thought maybe some locals would know.

[PrestonTaylor]

Hey 4dogs, The end of August all our seasons are open for archery here in the redwoods. The Humboldt Archers has our last 3D trail shoot August 12-13 in Fieldbrook, CA for the summer. The Ishi Wilderness is quite a bit of a drive away from the coast, between 3-5 hours depending where you are up here, it's over in the northern Sierras. Lake Sonoma has a permanent 3D trail shoot you can access. And there is a traditional 3D shoot sometime in September n Petaluma, might have to google that one for details.

Have fun while you're here. The redwoods are spectacular.

[Roadkill]

If you are into knapping glass buttes is up Ishiguro way

[Roadkill]

Ishi's way. Lots of obsidian in glass butte areas

Sorry my fingers are fat and hit too many unintended keys

[4dogs]

Thank you guys, I really appreciate it. We will definitely check some of these things out.