New Deer Hunter Looking for Help

[AlloutofLuck]

Hi All,

This is the first forum I have ever joined but thought I could use any/all the help I could get. I am a 32-year-old brand new hunter and am looking for any/all advice. I am the first person in my family to take up hunting so I do not have any experience or past generations to go and ask questions.

I live in southern California and while I know most of the responses I will get is "hunt out of state", I am hoping to find some hunting grounds in CA ( obviously not asking for anyone's honey hole or anything like that). I know the Eastern Sierras pretty well as I have been fishing there all my life but know that those are some premium zones and not easily drawn (I have started putting in for points up there). I have an AO tag and am thinking of zone D14 but not really sure. I also have an A22 either sex tag for later this year.

Thank you in advance for any help!
Jason

 

[jspradley]

Welcome to your new obsession.

Do you have Onx Maps or a similar landowner info GPS system? It's well worth it and is super helpful for me when I'm looking for public land to hunt on in an area I have tags for.

 

[AlloutofLuck]

Thank you!

Yes, I have OnX Maps. I have been staring at those for the last few weeks now looking for what I think deer might like but I think that is the big problem.....I have no clue what deer like.

 

[WAHunter]

Thank you!

Yes, I have OnX Maps. I have been staring at those for the last few weeks now looking for what I think deer might like but I think that is the big problem.....I have no clue what deer like.

Check out this series, it's elk specific but there are some gems hidden in there for sure.

 

[PlumbHunter]

I’m pretty much in the same boat as you. From socal 2nd year hunter. Never even knew a hunter so I have no one for guidance etc. I did a lot of talking to people at 3D shoots and read a lot of books. I’ve gotten 1 opportunity on local deer out of many days afield. Socal hunting isn’t the best but it will for sure teach you perseverance. Do you live in A22?

 

[Newtosavage]

I admire both of you guys for getting started without a lot of help and at a later age. I don't have any specific advice other than to enjoy the challenge.

When I started bowhunting, there were very few deer in E Texas (1979) and just seeing a deer was considered a successful day. On top of that, we were trying to shoot one with a bow, which was still pretty unheard of in those days. So it took my brother 5 years and myself 7 years of hard hunting before we were finally successful. But that first deer with a bow is one I'll never forget and I treasure that tiny set of fork-horn antlers as much or more than anything else I'll ever shoot, because of what it took to get it.

Just keep at it. You either kill something or you learn and both are good outcomes.

 

[Dustin the wind]

Do you personally know anyone at all that hunts? If you do and have the chance to tag along with them it will be the biggest boost you can give yourself when starting out. If not no worries, there is a wealth of info here and all over online. I used to be in the same situation, but having 2 friends who hunted all their lives that wanted to hunt with me years ago is how I really gained traction.

 

[AlloutofLuck]

I’m pretty much in the same boat as you. From socal 2nd year hunter. Never even knew a hunter so I have no one for guidance etc. I did a lot of talking to people at 3D shoots and read a lot of books. I’ve gotten 1 opportunity on local deer out of many days afield. Socal hunting isn’t the best but it will for sure teach you perseverance. Do you live in A22?

That is what I am learning for sure. Patience and perseverance are the two traits I am having to grow/learn in heeps. I will say this though, even though it is a tough task to hunt, it is still really nice and rewarding experience to get out in the woods even if the deer are a step(most likely a few steps) ahead of me. No, I live north of A22 in the OC.

 

[07yzryder]

Never hunted big game when i lived in cali but worked with a few who did often and if tags werent drawn they scouted the year anyway and took out some of the yotes to help the population.

They always put in for the mojave national preserve towards vegas on the 15. in the years i worked with him they went out twice and tagged out twice. Nothing to write home about but venison is venison and the back strap he brought in was delicious!

 

[DarylG619]

D14 has some decent bucks in it, google D14 bucks and you will see pictures of what the zone can produce. You will have to work for them though. You're a bit late as the general season starts on the 12th and Archery only closed on the 29th of last month. I've been hunting SoCal for a number of years but I dont archery hunt so dont have any tips for that but I can offer a couple tips that work for both rifle and archery. Opening weekends tend to be the most popular and busiest. Weekdays you will most likely not see anyone. The further you get from roads and easy trails the less people you will see (a lot of lazy hunters dont hike far or get up high). Glass, glass, glass! Find a good spot to glass from and utilize it. I'll watch a buck until it beds and then try to make a move to get into position for a shot. Hope that helps you out some.

 

[CamoPirate]

I cut my teeth in D15. It's brutal. You have to pack in your water, so expect your pack to be 16-24lbs heavier than you've planned.

I'd go D9/D8, basically along Lone Pine and the Desert zones south to Pearsonville. The country is far better.

There are toads that get pulled out of the desert. Be prepared to invest 5+ years to learn how to hunt it.

 

[Block]

Spend as much time in the hills as possible. Hunt Upland, hunt predators, and shed hunt. All of it will teach you a lot about animals and where they live.

I was in the same boat as you 3 years ago,,. Iv killed 6 bucks in my 3 seasons of hunting Cali. (1/2 archery 1/2 rifle) You almost have to become obsessed with it to really be successful out here, but it can def be done!

 

[Bubblehide]

Post up the general location you live and you might get someone willing to meet with you and shorten that learning curve.

 

[iSaveLives]

@AlloutofLuck

I too am a new hunter here in Southern Nevada and plan on applying for this next season for elk, pronghorn, and muleys (Nevada allows 5 choices).

The best place i've found for hunting information, species information, tips, tricks, etc. is this forum of course and on goHunt.com.

Check them out. You have until the end of this month to also sign up for free Insider access to look up draw odds for your state and areas you're interested in.