Hunting in SoCal

[tb42008]

Hi all. I just moved to LA from Pennsylvania, where I grew up hunting whitetail. I'm a competent hunter but by no means a trophy hunter, and I'm looking to teach myself how to hunt mule deer. I'm mostly wondering where some decent spots are within a couple hours drive of LA. From what I've read online the hunting in SoCal isn't the best, and after mostly hunting in high pressured areas in PA I'm mostly just looking for spots that would allow me to get more remote and just see some deer, shooters or not. Any tips and advice on hunting mule deer in this region are also welcome. Thanks for the help.

 

[seansheds]

PM me. I’m also in LA and originally from northeast PA.

 

[wildwilderness]

Honestly it would be worth the drive to hunt AZ or UT.... I grew up in SoCal. However there used to be a deer hunt on Camp Pendleton, haven’t looked into it in years. Some other options up north if you are military?

 

[willfrye027]

California in general is very tough. For the most part you hunt hard to get one maybe two opportunities at a legal buck all year. If you are serious about deer hunting you go out of state. On the plus side there is a lot of public land, you can get two tags, plenty of bears, pigs (on private), upland, waterfowl, and great fishing. I would recommend enjoying the variety of options and blasting the first forked horn buck you see. That was my experience living there.

 

[Tonymang89]

Socal guy here. Hunting is tough but seems like the backcountry guys get it done each year. find a local zone and spend time hiking into no mans land. build up points for the premium zones up north

 

[Ens Entium]

While the population density of deer is low and some areas can get pretty crowded (especially D11 due to proximity to LA), you can find deer out there. Every year there are large deer harvested in each of the zones. I would suggest D14 as a good starting point as the feed and water are much more plentiful compared to D11 and D13. With that, also a better chance of harvest. Good luck!

 

[bohntr]

Do you bowhunt?

 

[tb42008]

Do you bowhunt?

That's another consideration. Right now I have neither a bow or a rifle out here with me, so I'm debating which one I want to have shipped out. I think I'd prefer the bow since it would give me a longer season, but I wonder if the rifle is a better place to start this first season.

 

[Sportsman]

Depending on traffic and the day, you are five hours from Over the Counter archery deer in AZ. Plenty public land. Once you buy the license, start building points for elk and deer draws. OTC tags are Aug/Sep or Dec/Jan. Which month depends on the unit.

 

[bohntr]

The LA County archery hunt is probably your best option, IMO. It’s a large area of the foothills above the LA basin that has been closed to rifle hunting for 50 years. While lot a lot of deer, there are some.....and you get to hunt them from September through December.....and in the rut.

 

[tb42008]

The LA County archery hunt is probably your best option, IMO. It’s a large area of the foothills above the LA basin that has been closed to rifle hunting for 50 years. While lot a lot of deer, there are some.....and you get to hunt them from September through December.....and in the rut.

Yea, I've been wondering if the two national forests are worth a look. Could be a convenient spot to get out a bunch and cut my teeth this first year.

 

[seansheds]

Yea, I've been wondering if the two national forests are worth a look. Could be a convenient spot to get out a bunch and cut my teeth this first year.

Coming from PA I’ll tell you be ready for a major change! Aside from a fraction of the number of deer, the terrain takes a lot of getting used to. I hunted the past 3 years around LA, and about 5-8 days in the field. I think I’ve seen about 15-20 deer in 3 years.

Get an AO tag, and an A31 for Angeles National Forest. AO can be used in many units, and A31 is close to home.

The farther north you go the more deer you will see. You have to put in the time and miles. It’s nothing for me to put in 20-30 miles in 3 days of hunting. It’s tough Bro! I’m concentrating my time more north this year, above Yosemite. I went for bear up north and saw more deer in 2 days of hunting than I saw in 3 years down south.

 

[87TT]

They are there. D14

 

[87TT]

I used to live in Big Bear. Both those deer were 1/2 hr or less from town. The one with me in the picture was 20 minutes from my door. That should give you a rough idea.

 

[mighteywhitehunter]

I agree with what some of the others have said in regards to CA being tough but... that being said i have had opportunities on good bucks and have filled both buck tags 8 out of the last 10 years. It takes hard work, dedication, good glass and lots of scouting. The mountains around here are a little different from PA so physical fitness should be a top priority. Have both rifle and bow shipped out, there is opportunity for both.

For the people that say go out of state, i agree with that too! If you have an A-Zone Tag, and a A-31 Tag and OTC archery Tag in AZ you can be hunting from the middle of July To the End of January. So pick your poison, make your own luck, and enjoy the outdoors.

 

[Bubblehide]

Tb, learning to hunt southern Ca with any regular success can be a monumental undertaking. As previously stated, we have some pretty dismal herd numbers along with very low buck to doe ratios. So as was said, finding deer can be problematic for a variety of reasons, let alone trying to find a buck, and a legal one on top of that. You are going to find a stark difference between hunting most other places, as So Ca is generally a dry habitat. Meaning it is also noisy, crunchy, loud... and fly, mosquito, nat, bee and overall, bug infested; of course that can also be an advantage if you know how to use it.

We have been in an extreme drought that has spanned several decades, with a spattering of average and average+ years thrown in there. But certainly not enough to actually get us out of the drought., For most states that would mean that the mule deer are expanding their range and building their population. Unfortunately that is not the case here in So Ca. Mainly, because we have a water availability issue. What I mean is that we have very large swaths of land with feed that will sustain the deer, but there is no water in reasonable distance or abundance. In short, we have large areas of land that are under or unutilized. What that means is that you can easily go without see deer (while doing all the right things) because you are simply in the wrong places.

Back in the day, I almost exclusively bow hunted the deer here in So Ca. And I can tell you from first hand experience, they can be exceptionally tough to hunt with consistent success, with a rifle or a bow. I was, and still am an exception. My bow hunting success came from scouting almost every day of the week. My strategy was to find the bedding areas of several bucks (multiple bedding areas per buck), and then literally cut a trail to withing a good shooting distance. I would do this while the bed was unoccupied only. Then just prior to the season, I would rake each trail, again while they were unoccupied. I took into account the predominant wind direction during the season.... I would also wait for the heat of the day to set in, because they do not want to expend energy unnecessarily. Meaning when it is hot, they tend to hold until the last minute. I would then move in, in slow motion, and almost always, the bucks would hold and allow me to get within shooting distance, and I'd release an arrow. I always filled my tags.

But, considering your situation here, my advice is that you start with rifle hunting. Grab yourself a general season tag. If you can afford to get both the gun and bow here, that general season tag for most local zones is also good for the archery season. You have a very steep learning curve ahead of you. Sure you will find much less pressure during bow season, but you first need to figure out where the right places to be are, which can take years here in So Ca.

Best of luck, and please, post your experiences, they will be highly valuable to many here in So Ca.

 

[Ryguy]

Just know you better get your hike on. These deer are 7 miles from the road.

 

[Magnum61]

I’ve been in LA for a few years and this is the first I’ve even heard about hunting here. I originally gave up on the idea. This is interesting, for sure.

Being that that I’ve had heat stroke twice from hiking here and had to pack 10liters of water... those deer are safe from me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ryguy]

I’ve been in LA for a few years and this is the first I’ve even heard about hunting here. I originally gave up on the idea. This is interesting, for sure.

Being that that I’ve had heat stroke twice from hiking here and had to pack 10liters of water... those deer are safe from me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My wife got her deer middle of October and it didn’t get above 55. That night was under 30. Find water so you do t need to pack in tons of water. I only hike with 1 liter

 

[bohntr]

I bowhunted the Angeles National Forest for over 40 years before I retired and moved to Arizona.......arrowed A LOT of deer during that time, many of them good enough for the state archery record book (CBH). They classify them as Pacific Hybrid Deer which are in the LA Archery Either Sex hunt (A31)/D-11). There's not as many as there used to be, but a guy can still get into some......especially during the rut. My last hunting season there (October 17), I arrowed a mature buck that made the minimum for the state book. Great way to end my stay in the Land of Fruits and Nuts.

Get out and explore.....its the best time of year to do so.