Para1911A1
New member
Thanks for all the info and encouragement. I used to work in San Jose at a place on Lenfest.Welcome.
My input is that if you are going to teach yourself to hunt, then I suggest to start with small, upland game. Probably rabbit.
If you have someone who is willing to take you out hunting and help you out, then hunt whatever that person wants to hunt.
Hunt what you have access to, and hunt what you actually want to eat.
In CA, the number one challenge is access. There is great habitat here, but very little public land.
If you know someone with a ranch, then that is the best, but if you are going for public land, then Fort Hunter Liggett is the most popular location simply because it is huge. Its technically not public... its "military" and now when you punch a big game tag, they added Military instead just Public and Private as a location option.
To hunt there you must create an account, then do a background check and register your weapons..... its a pain. On top of that, its only open on weekends and holidays, and you never know what sections will be open. That said, people go through all that because its a large area (over 200k acres) mostly raw CA habitat. Liggett is less than an hour drive for you, but I have met folks that have driven all the way from Orange County, ~6hrs to hunt there.
In addition to FHL, there is BLM land east of you, and also national forest in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties.
There are a couple spots of state land as well, though they are small.
Here is a land viewer which I find helpful. Its from BLM but also shows state and military properties.
ArcGIS Web Application
blm-egis.maps.arcgis.com
As for species, I usually tell folks to start with cottontail rabbit. You can find rabbit just about anywhere, so access is not too hard. They are easy to kill (shotgun or .22). Easy to clean, and they cook up like chicken.
Note that CCI makes a solid copper .22 which would be CA legal. They group terrible in my gun, but at least they are legal. For shotgun you would need steel shot. I suggest #6
Rabbits also have a rather long season.
Jackrabbits (or as I like to say, JackHares) are legal year around. Hares are a darker meat than rabbits, and a bit stronger flavor, but I have found they can be good with some cooking technique.
Hunting areas are crowded during A zone deer season, so I like to hunt animals that have seasons which allow me to avoid hunting at those times.
Other good options are Quail and dove. Both are excellent table fare.
Pigs and deer are a great hunt, and you have lots of both of them in your area. That said, when hunting big game, you need to have a plan on how to pack out the animal and get it processed. This may also require more equipment (game cart, meat pack, Gambrel....).
There are "pay-to-play" places where you can pay to hunt on a private land hunt. I shot my first pig that way when I was just learning how. Its a way to learn a bit, though I would not call that "hunting".
For small game you just need a vest that has a pouch in the back. Drop in the game and keep on hiking.
The central valley hosts the pacific flyway for waterfowl for ducks and geese. There are plenty of public refuges that you can sign up for on lottery with the DFW. That said, its more involved in that you will likely need to camp in the parking lot of the refuge. You may also end up investing in a game cart for decoys and a beat up bicycle to ride out there.... so its a bit more work.
Note that those same public refuges (some are state and some are federal) often also have Pheasant and Dove hunts.
Walking is probably the best thing you can be doing to prepare yourself.
As for gear, good boots and binoculars are probably my most heavily used hunting equipment. It is worth spending some money on those items. Unfortunately, my gun is used quite a bit less.
