Thoughts on northern cali? Perks vs it being commiefornia

[Hooverfb]

I've been considering where I could work versus hunting benefits and all, and Cali public land is appealing. Don't really want to live in city but are the natural perks offset entirely by their governance?

 

[Soj51hopeful]

Depends on where you are coming from. Do you have a job lined up that pays well? Lots of public land in California but the wildlife isn’t as abundant as other western states. Decent mule deer tags take 5-15 years to draw. Every year you have otc opportunity tags that can be good if you know the areas well. The only reason to move here is for a good paying job, not so much the public land.

 

[Hunt_Jefferson]

Where are you moving from and what are you hunting? If you are moving somewhere specifically for the big game opportunities CA would be at the bottom of the list IMO.

Waterfowl is pretty good, lots of places you could get with a productive duck blind nearby.

 

[kentuckybowman]

taxes are horrendous and are guaranteed to rise dramatically in the next decade as people and the tax base flee the state. California would have to be in the bottom 5th percentile of hunting of all the states.

 

[bsnedeker]

Dude, don't listen to the naysayers!

California is, unquestionably, the greatest state, not just in America today, but in the entire history of the world!

I encourage everyone to move to CA immediately!

 

[WKR]

If you're going to move to California, plan on hunting big game out of state. Waterfowl and upland birds is good here. Pigs are pretty much only on private land. Bear are everywhere but its only spot and stalk no dogs or bait. Deer herds are declining every year. You probably will never draw elk, antelope, or bighorn sheep unless you get extremely lucky.

 

[sf jakey]

Big game here is tough, unless you have private land access. Bird hunting is excellent, fly fishing is excellent, ocean fishing is excellent.

 

[Huntindog45]

aside from big game there is a ton of stuff to hunt and fish in northern california. The duck hunting and our extremely long duck seasons make it a really cool waterfowl meca. we have a ton of salmon, steelhead, stripers, and extremely good trout and bass fishing. and our ocean fishing is outstanding. And in spite of what you think of California most of the north state is pretty conservative. I have been around the world, hunted and fished all over the US and california has ton to offer. sure the politics from the cities are a little tough to swallow but it is damn beautiful here.

 

[DavePwns]

If you enjoy fishing, it's a fantastic state. The amount of public land is fantastic, but the big game densities are horrible unless you draw a 6+ point unit or like bear hunting in the fall

 

[Throwin Darts]

I rather walk on Legos than live in Cali

 

[Hoghead]

Depends on what you want to hunt. I hunt every week I have put in the time and effort to have good dogs and a good name. It's not easy to gain access to private land but if you do it is a grate state for hog hunting. Deer not so much unless you hunt private land or draw a premium tag. Fishing is good I don't bird hunt so I wont coment on that.
The politics suck the weather is awesome.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[WCB]

Zero reason to move to California. But good news...you would probably get sick of it and move to MT, ID, TX or FL eventually.

 

[CApighunter]

It’s not worth it.

 

[Bubblehide]

Much of Ca is extremely expensive to live. If you get in the right location, you can have good hunting opportunities for year round hunting, between big and small game. Pig hunting is year round, but public land pigs can be very difficult. As had been said, deer numbers are low (actually at historical levels prior to past land management creating a temporary boom in deer herd numbers). But to harvest deer (bucks) regularly, is the exception, not the rule. It generally takes a significant investment in time and boot leather.

With that said, I have enjoyed extensive hunting opportunities here in Ca. But, if I was not invested in a career with a state retirement, I would have left long ago. Unfortunately I have to many years in to walk away, but also to many years left before retirement. Yet, if you have the right job that pays very well, Ca may not be the worst place to live.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

You know a state sucks when the best thing anybody can tell you about it is how good the pig hunting is….

“Great pig hunting”….well let me just pack my bags and move to California right now lol.

 

[Hooverfb]

Zero reason to move to California. But good news...you would probably get sick of it and move to MT, ID, TX or FL eventually.

TBH, I'm in Houston TX now and aside from house prices, it's a mini california with less hunting opportunity. The sam houston is there and I dont mind hog hunting it, but 99% of the time there it's taking the bow/rifle for a walk. Almost all hunting is private/day hunts. Came here from Ohio, where I could get home from work in 20 mins, and be in the woods in 20 mins. Right now even working from home it's about 2 hrs to the woods. Fishing is okay but between grass carp in lakes and polluted saltwater (alot of people fishing in places known to be toxic with consumption bans on them) I've got to drive dang near 8 hours for the best public land hunting I've found here, or go out of state. So far I like going out of state which is how I started thinking about where I'd go if I wanted more public land hunting but still do software development. I do like bear hunting, most of my only posts on this site are for that. Was gonna go last year and got some good tips, but whole state was on fire. 30 hr drive from here or a flight which is just a hassle to me.

The pig hunting comment is funny... that's about the most likely thing to stumble on in public land here.

 

[307]

TBH, I'm in Houston TX now and aside from house prices, it's a mini california with less hunting opportunity. The sam houston is there and I dont mind hog hunting it, but 99% of the time there it's taking the bow/rifle for a walk. Almost all hunting is private/day hunts. Came here from Ohio, where I could get home from work in 20 mins, and be in the woods in 20 mins. Right now even working from home it's about 2 hrs to the woods. Fishing is okay but between grass carp in lakes and polluted saltwater (alot of people fishing in places known to be toxic with consumption bans on them) I've got to drive dang near 8 hours for the best public land hunting I've found here, or go out of state. So far I like going out of state which is how I started thinking about where I'd go if I wanted more public land hunting but still do software development. I do like bear hunting, most of my only posts on this site are for that. Was gonna go last year and got some good tips, but whole state was on fire. 30 hr drive from here or a flight which is just a hassle to me.

The pig hunting comment is funny... that's about the most likely thing to stumble on in public land here.

If you work from home, why would you choose California if hunting is a priority?

 

[MattB]

I think people who actually know CA have it covered above. While we may have the best mix of outdoor opportunity in the US, the big game hunting is hit or miss. Birds and fish are good, and the big game can be if you can access the right private land or spend time to learn the public. In terms of black bears, it is a sleeper both for quantity and quality.

Taxes are high and the state level politics are bad, but those who complain the loudest about it are mostly from somewhere other than CA which should tell you something. Most of true NorCal (the bay area is really central CA) is pretty conservative.

 

[ODB]

Dude, don't listen to the naysayers!

California is, unquestionably, the greatest state, not just in America today, but in the entire history of the world!

I encourage everyone to move to CA immediately!

We concur.

- The Current Residents of Idaho.

;-)

 

[Ridley]

I’ve lived in NM, WI, CO and now in CA. Short of meeting my wife, moving here was a massive mistake. People everywhere, cost of living is mind boggling, the political climate is a joke, and hunting is hands down the worst. Speaking of hunting, resident prices for license and tags are stupid. In 2021, $52.66 for a license, and $34.56 for your first deer tag. If you want to hunt ducks or upland game the state will charge you an extra $23.25 for your state duck stamp, and $10.54 for your upland stamp. Let’s add a fishing license to the mix, $52.66. Just for those basics, as a resident I’m in the hole $173.67. Can’t wait till my kid graduates then we are out of here.