Moved to SoCal from MT and looking for insight on deer hunting

[Watt21]

Hi all,
I move down here from a great hunting state and I'm trying to uncover some hidden gems to hunt deer down here with rifle or bow.

I'm a grad student.

I'm trying to parse through where to apply and which zone would be my best bet for hunting OTC. I appreciate any insight. Anything from areas you hunt or places you haven't been in years. I want to have a productive summer of scouting.

My preferred style is multi day backpack hunts to get away from people and into game.

I'm a competent hunter but not as good as many guys on here.

Let me know what you guys know. Pm or comment. Also if any of you live here, I'm always looking for new hunting pals to talk with.

 

[huntinrod]

Put in for an X zone. Start building points. Or pick up a bow and head out to an X zone. Me? Im headed to montana!

 

[Bubblehide]

Watt21, Southern California is a huge area, you might want to be a bit specific as to where you are located. You likely already know, but I'll say it anyway. The hunting here in So Cal down right sucks. The success rates here in the southern portion of the state usually run about 10% at best. I am not saying a person can't consistently harvest deer here, but it tends to be, as the saying goes, the same few people taking 90% of the deer. With Graduate School, your not likely to have much time to dedicate to hunt, so I would strongly suggest you try to hook up with someone experienced here in So Cal. We also have a few archery seasons late in the year, when you will have some time off; you might want to check into them. The deer application deadline here is June 2nd; it will be here before you know it. The DFW handbook is now available online here: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.a...umentID=121565. I suggest you give the book a look, and take note of the zones and seasons near you. You can get 2 tags here, 1 premium zone tag, and a non-preium zone tag; in short you have a lot to learn in a short amount of time. Much of the southern portion of the state is also non-lead, as in no lead bullets permitted for hunting, with the entire state being phased in by 2019 or earlier.

 

[ReddingArcher]

I would also start putting in for the x zones this year. If you can swing it, come up to northern california and hunt blacktails in the b zones. Its tough hunting too, but you always see bucks during archery season up here. Where abouts in southern california are you in?

 

[Bar]

When I lived in So Cal I drove to Colorado every year to hunt.

 

[Timberninja]

Exactly where in socal will you be located? I cut my teeth hunting deer there and having moved east since (Utah), I'd definitely say it is a tough area to hunt... Some of the SoCal areas have single digit success rates, despite relatively long rifle seasons. In my experience, packing in was a big benefit, I'd say in general, a lot of people stick to the roads or close to them. I didn't have any pointers when I got started and burned a ton of boot leather my first years. Most of the areas I hunted wasn't spot and stalk, rather still hunting more or less thick stuff which was tough as the areas didn't have a ton of deer but on the flipside, I never saw another hunter and the deer I came across were "relatively" big. I would also say that you won't see a ton of people scouting, but come opening day, many roads will be packed. You can use this to your advantage too (if u have an idea where deer might go). Also get a bear tag if you can get it at a resident rate. It's the longest season and if they haven't changed it, runs almost all the way from aug (archery) to the end of the year. Different than deer, it's one tag for the state (see handbook for specifics). This allows you to hunt/learn some other areas, besides from where u have your deer tag. Check handbook for specific dates/regulations. Feel free to pm me and I can give you some general pointers pending where you'll be located/hunting. And as others have mentioned, don't forget to apply in the draw!

 

[Watt21]

Hey Guys I will be studying at UCLA. I'm willing to travel a few hours if I can find better hunting areas. I've been looking at the D zones and X zones to the north of here.

I approach school like a 8-5 job so that I am free on weekends to hunt. I will have a few three day weekends as well. My plan is to pack in thursday or friday evenings and then hunt until Sunday afternoon when I will pack out. I'm just looking for any info on good roadless areas to make this a reality.

Thanks to those who have commented already. Sure is appreciated by this California greenhorn.

 

[Ozzymodel70]

Watt21 welcome to CA if backpacking is your style then I feel you will have no problem finding game in ca's (OTC) dzones. I hunt D6 every year its a big zone with a lot of wilderness area to roam in. Get a couple mi. back even in rifle season and you will find nobody. (very few people in CA backpack hunt!) D7 is closer to you then d6 and rely the only otc unit i would recommend to you some what close to socal. d3-5 is also a good option for backpacking. dont pay to close attention to success rates like i said only a small percent of people holding those OTC tags put them self's in good deer country most just drive the roads hoping something jumps out in front of them. while trophy Mule deer bucks are hard to come buy trophy country is not. even a Montana boy could appreciate the high country of the western lope of the Sierra's which is almost all OTC. The eastern slope is where you'll find MUCH better trophy quality even though they are not OTC you can draw every 0-3 years with archery equipment. pm me and i can give some better info. Let men know if you ever make it up here to NorCal! good luck!

 

[badkneesbro]

D8 is even closer than d7. I live close to the d8, d9, & x10. I would stay away from the x10 it sucks worse than the otc d8.

 

[sbcff15]

If you bow hunt, I would recommend an AO (Archery Only) tag as a second deer tag. It allows you to hunt in A,B and D zones during the archery and general hunt as long as you are using archery equipment.

 

[raekit]

Watt21 - It is pretty tough down here, but they are here. It just takes time. If you bow hunt get an AO tag. Check out A32 or A31...late season, either sex...and pretty close to home.

 

[Rizzy]

I would look into D17. The brush isn't so thick, so you can hike around and glass. D12 provides a rare opportunity on the desert subspecies of mule deer also, but it's a tough hunt as far as harvest.
The desert side of the angeles mountain range (D11) is a little better and easily accessible from campus via hwy 2. This is probably your best bet for a weekend hunt.

 

[Maverick940]

You might want to check-out D13, as well. I've killed some great Pacific Coast mule deer bucks while on backpack hunts in that unit. It's not that long of drive up on I-5 or going the other way around through Ventura, if you're doing weekends.