What keeps you from hunting OTC California?

[cjdewese]

It's closest and easiest access for me. Unfortunately the zones I hunt have an 8-10% success rate each year. So far in 3 years I have punched my tag twice which in my 1st three years of hunting seems pretty good.

I figure if I can figure out the hunting part for as cheap as I can as a resident then I will feel a lot better spending more $ in other states when I get the chance.

 

[ReddingArcher]

California is a tough place to hunt, no doubt. It’s hot, it’s typically super dry and there isn’t a ton of deer. That said there are good opportunities if you want them. In the last 7 years I’ve killed 6 bucks, 4 of them very solid 4x3 blacktails. If I didn’t live here there’s no way in hell I’d hunt it though. And if I do get the chance to leave I’ll never hunt it again most likely.

 

[cmahoney]

California is a tough place to hunt, no doubt. It’s hot, it’s typically super dry and there isn’t a ton of deer. That said there are good opportunities if you want them. In the last 7 years I’ve killed 6 bucks, 4 of them very solid 4x3 blacktails. If I didn’t live here there’s no way in hell I’d hunt it though. And if I do get the chance to leave I’ll never hunt it again most likely.

Very accurate, glad your not taking the CA negativity personal. Sounds like you do better than most too. I grew up hunting A and B public and forked horns were probably the most common buck taken.


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[JFK]

I live and hunt in Ca. Biggest thing out here is the difference in public vs private. Public is very tough for deer. My buddy has a ranch and it’s pretty typical to see 10-20 deer in an evening there while we are bbq’ing on the back deck. There is a huge difference in public versus private ground out here. I’ve hunted out of state and the first thing that struck me was the number of animals you see on public. If I didn’t live here, I would not hunt here.

People saying they’d never come here because of the politics…I get it. But just realize that most of the state is full of pretty normal people. SF, LA, big cities, dictate our politics there are many, many people who strongly oppose the bs this state has become.

 

[Huntindog45]

yep sucks here. Dont bother.
Things I dont do every year in Ca:
1. Kill two pretty decent public land bucks
2. Kill a couple hundred ducks and geese
3. fill my freezer with tuna and yellowtail
4. catch A LOT of steelhead
5. shoot a butt ton of upland birds, especially a bunch of mountain quail
6. catch more wild trout then I could possibly count.

Yep stay away. It sucks

 

[Huntindog45]

I live and hunt in Ca. Biggest thing out here is the difference in public vs private. Public is very tough for deer. My buddy has a ranch and it’s pretty typical to see 10-20 deer in an evening there while we are bbq’ing on the back deck. There is a huge difference in public versus private ground out here. I’ve hunted out of state and the first thing that struck me was the number of animals you see on public. If I didn’t live here, I would not hunt here.

People saying they’d never come here because of the politics…I get it. But just realize that most of the state is full of pretty normal people. SF, LA, big cities, dictate our politics there are many, many people who strongly oppose the bs this state has become.

i do love hearing all the opinions of california from people who have hardly left the county they were born in in some eastern state. Yah our politics kind of suck...and if you spend any time in LA or SF you see more of that.. but most of the state is rural, farm or forest land with great people. but really I am fine with people staying away. its all good.

 

[RockAndSage]

This map may be worth keeping in mind - California is a vast state, geographically and politically. This is a precinct-by-precinct map of CA and NV election results. The blue is almost entirely large cities, coastal cities, or random hippie enclaves. The red parts are similar to rural areas and rural states elsewhere, in terms of values and ways of life. High percentage of gun ownership, hunting, etc.

 

[Cfriend]

Just did a quick internet search. California had the most Trump voters of any state in 2020 (more than Texas and more than Florida). He had about 6 million votes which is more than the combination of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Kansas, N. And S. Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Iowa.

There are a lot of conservatives in the state - they are just overshadowed by the big city populations.

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[GMann]

i do love hearing all the opinions of california from people who have hardly left the county they were born in in some eastern state. Yah our politics kind of suck...and if you spend any time in LA or SF you see more of that.. but most of the state is rural, farm or forest land with great people. but really I am fine with people staying away. its all good.

No kidding, a lot of chicken little talk. Every state has its strengths and weaknesses and while it might not be the best in the west, I've enjoyed the hunting opportunities provided in CA. While it's anecdotal, I live in the burbs of one of our bigger cities and I really haven't encountered the disdain for hunting people assume would be there. When people learn that I hunt they're usually curious, ask questions and didn't realize there were opportunities so close.

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[11boo]

i do love hearing all the opinions of california from people who have hardly left the county they were born in in some eastern state. Yah our politics kind of suck...and if you spend any time in LA or SF you see more of that.. but most of the state is rural, farm or forest land with great people. but really I am fine with people staying away. its all good.

I wish y’all would hate on Colorado some.

 

[Wags]

This map may be worth keeping in mind - California is a vast state, geographically and politically. This is a precinct-by-precinct map of CA and NV election results. The blue is almost entirely large cities, coastal cities, or random hippie enclaves. The red parts are similar to rural areas and rural states elsewhere, in terms of values and ways of life. High percentage of gun ownership, hunting, etc.View attachment 570497

Watching the most current voting poling the red grew and the blue decreased. We'll never be a Red state again. But there is absolutely a misinterpretation attached to CA residents and the state itself based off of Media coverages and Politics. Similar can be said of Colorado.

 

[diamond10x]

If there was a Dec or Jan hunt for blacktails I would probably travel there to give a try.

 

[xsn10s]

i do love hearing all the opinions of california from people who have hardly left the county they were born in in some eastern state. Yah our politics kind of suck...and if you spend any time in LA or SF you see more of that.. but most of the state is rural, farm or forest land with great people. but really I am fine with people staying away. its all good.

I agree that many parts of CA are pretty awesome. If you could omit the southern part up to right above Sacramento and SF people would never leave. It's the state politics and much of the leftist mentality that's the issue.

 

[xsn10s]

Watching the most current voting poling the red grew and the blue decreased. We'll never be a Red state again. But there is absolutely a misinterpretation attached to CA residents and the state itself based off of Media coverages and Politics. Similar can be said of Colorado.

It used to be a pretty decent "purple" state. Maybe it will be again one day.

 

[diamond10x]

It's also the closest hog hunting for me... might have to research more into it. If the chance to take home a 100lbs of pork on public land in a week is fairly high I might just do that one of these days.

 

[Mish-pop]

Better states that are way closer to drive to with better quality hunting.

 

[seacow]

If they brought back hound hunting for bears then I would be interested

 

[Sierra Hunter]

It's also the closest hog hunting for me... might have to research more into it. If the chance to take home a 100lbs of pork on public land in a week is fairly high I might just do that one of these days.

Hardest animal to hunt in the state on public land

 

[diamond10x]

Hardest animal to hunt in the state on public land

Assuming because of ag on private land?

 

[Trapline]

Public