What to hunt in Southern California?

[CortoPasta]

I know that deer and pig technically exist out here, but as a new hunter it sounds like my chances at those two are slim to none without paying for a reserve hunt. What types of animals can I hunt without having to pay for a guided reserve hunt?

[kielbasavw]

Quail rabbit turkey squirrel dove pheasant chukkar coyote ect..

[CortoPasta]

Quail rabbit turkey squirrel dove pheasant chukkar coyote ect..

Are any of those abundant, or are they more elusive like deer and pig? I don't mind a tough hunt later on, but I would like to get a little experience first. For what it's worth, I'm in the Temecula/Murrieta area

[kielbasavw]

There is plenty, turkey probably being the least likely to come home with, supposedly they like private land

[Manolito]

I can say dove early season is probably the most plentiful. I think your goals are a little off center. Hunting is a learning road that you travel your entire life. Looking at a hunt and saying I didn't see a deer is short sited. List what did you see record the temp wind and location. types of food you found and what animals eat that food.

Finding elusive prey is why they call it hunting and not shooting. In the desert life relies on water, food, shelter. I spent two years in your area looking and learning about lava flows and lava tubes and how they provided water for the Native Americans as well as the game. Once you learn these things a open lava flow may be a good place to hunt early in the morning or late at night. Chucker are plentiful in your area or were eight years ago if you travel off the mountain and down into the floor of the desert.

Good Luck

[CortoPasta]

I can say dove early season is probably the most plentiful. I think your goals are a little off center. Hunting is a learning road that you travel your entire life. Looking at a hunt and saying I didn't see a deer is short sited. List what did you see record the temp wind and location. types of food you found and what animals eat that food.

Finding elusive prey is why they call it hunting and not shooting. In the desert life relies on water, food, shelter. I spent two years in your area looking and learning about lava flows and lava tubes and how they provided water for the Native Americans as well as the game. Once you learn these things a open lava flow may be a good place to hunt early in the morning or late at night. Chucker are plentiful in your area or were eight years ago if you travel off the mountain and down into the floor of the desert.

Good Luck

Definitely not looking to just shoot animals for the sake of it. I guess the point I'm just trying to make is that I really want to do the things you described (tracking, scouting), but if I start off looking for a Polar Bear I won't learn anything. I'm trying to figure out where to start that has more opportunities to learn. Hope that makes sense

[Friar5119]

Start off with cottontails and quail. Observe the tracks around the areas you hunt and see if deer or turkey are present.

Bobcat tracks are also one I pay attention too and coyote seem to be just about everywhere.

I don't hunt deer but I have an idea of where they are or aren't in the areas I hunt in case I am ever motivated to hunt them.

You'll find that game animals have various overlapping habitats and neither are isolated from the other. It is not out of this world to come upon a bedded deer as you push for quail or bunnies.

Also know the seasons in case you come across dove or other animals while you are focusing on say cottontails. You may come home with something you did not set out to harvest.

[Tanner68]

Small game has been dismal that last few years, because of low rainfall. And next season is going to be terrible too. Hardly any quail and bunnies out there. The hills are brown right now, and they should be green and lush. Keep that in mind.

[sarabellum]

[180ls1]

javelina? No there isnt a huntable population here in Cali.

[stonefly-2]

look, there's one now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSBjjtOnG1M

[CortoPasta]

look, there's one now.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSBjjtOnG1M

[bigboarstopper]

I'd say find an area close to you and scout it out. See what's there, look for sign, follow tracks. It's more about what you can find and when. Some places will be hunted out some won't. Some places are better in winter some are not. There's stuff to be learned with guided hunts but knowing an area and what the animals are doing there better than other hunters will enable you to bring more game home.

There is a crappy piece of public land that I used to hunt a lot when I was younger. It was the only place I really knew. But I knew it like the back of my hand. There was very little if any game there but when the game showed up or I discovered a honey hole I knew the spot and I knew it before anyone else.

[Warrior King]

While you are doing the small game stuff pick an x zone deer hunt and join the lottery. Focus on an x zone that has the best odds and scout that area so you know at least some of it.

Some of the X zones have 50 percents odds of getting a tag so you could be hunting x zone every other year or so if you apply every year.

From Game and Fish

"The next rung includes zones such as X-12, X-9A, X-4 and the X-6 Zones at odds of 18-23 percent and X-3B, X-8, X-1 and X-9B at 31-41 percent. These zones boast harvest success rates ranging from 24-72 percent, and all offer a legitimate chance to kill a huge muley.

“Hunters can draw a tag in those zones every third year,” Stowers said of the second tier of X Zones. “They offer some great hunting and it’s still really a high-quality experience due to generally low hunter numbers.”

Finally, folks that want to hunt in big sagebrush or alpine country on a more regular basis should consider X-9C or X-10. The chance of drawing an X-9C tag is 60 percent and the success rate last year was a very respectable 36 percent. X-10 is essentially a general zone with more tags available than it receives first-choice applications.



Read more: http://www.gameandfishmag.com/2013/1...#ixzz2s1YOqUPF

[Hunt]

Joe,
You are near some great deer hunting spots in D16 and D19. The thing about hunting deer in Southern CA is, it is tough, you aren't going to take a 200 yard stroll from your car and sit under a shade tree and bag a huge buck. Once you figure out these deer you will stand a much better chance of bagging a buck. The exciting thing about hunting in So CA is all the hard work it takes, it's all about getting the maps, finding the water, burning the boot leather and sitting until dark with your binoculars. Just go do it, you will love it. Get some BLM maps, good optics, a backpack and spend a few days deep in the backcountry, there are many places within a 2 hour drive of Temecula some within 1 hour.