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New to HT forum, new to hunting, based in CA

batten

New member
Joined
Sep 4, 2017
Messages
3
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Hi all,

I found this site though Randy's show and podcast. I did a bit of dove and pheasant hunting with my godfather in the UK when I was a lad but recently made the plunge into actually trying to get myself into deer and other larger game. I like the outdoors. I love the meat. I wanted to know where my food came from specifically. Of course, having grown up in LA and London I did not have a community of hunters to ask for advice or guidance. So I did the Hunters Ed course here in CA. Then started trying to figure out the tag system... because it is that simple. Right?!? Get hunting license. Get tag. Get deer. Have deer dinner!

I didn't even know what I didn't know. Well, that is what brought me to one of Randy's videos on prepping hunts and I realized I was going to need WAY more help. Luckily for me, my wife has a cousin who lives in southern Utah, hunts and has a livestock and wild game processing company so we begged him to take me along which he kindly did last month.

Thankfully, I discovered that I was right. It did not matter that I drove 6 hours one day to hunt the next day and drive 6 hours back the third day. I loved the entire experience from the early morning wake up to get to the hunt site (public land) to the glassing and hiking up and down the hills in search to the eventual processing of the doe we got just before sundown. I already knew that I loved venison and elk. I was fortunate enough to work on a ranch in western MT as a teenager where all the meat was elk and venison from the previous years hunt. Turns out that procuring it yourself does taste better.

So now I am working towards finding some hunters in my area who either are willing to take a roaming muppet of negligible experience like me under their wing or fellow neophytes willing to likely make mistakes together in the name of learning. I grew up always wanting to spend as much time as I could outside and finding a way to combine being outdoors, animals and the chance for way better steaks than I get at the market is win win.

So, that is my introduction. I look forward to the knowledge and advice on this forum and hope that there is some way I can actually contribute at some point. I apologize in advance for any asinine questions I pose. I promise I will not ask the same one twice. I am working my way though the podcasts (I am at 13 I think), tv shows and reading everything I can find so hopefully I can get my feet under me in not too many years.

Thank you!
 
Welcome. Hopefully you can find someone in your area to help you out. But if not, just study up and go on your own. It will be an adventure.
 
We just relocated to San Diego and I'm looking forward to doing some western hunting, finally. Unfortunately, I agreed to take this season off as we are still getting the kids settled in and have a newborn. Next year I'll be able to get out so maybe we can trade some notes. I was a still hunter growing up and back east so hopefully it'll be an easier transition for me to this open hunting than it would be for me if I were a treestand hunter. If you are still interested in birds, I've read and heard from people there is good dove hunting down south here and over in AZ.

If I had any advice to give for this year it would be pre-scout via maps and online, then just get out and walk. Good luck!




Thank you so much for the advice and offer, Yogi! I am absolutely up for comparing notes in the future.

I just starting looking into birds again and I may see if I can get into that a little this year. I plan on spending most of this season figuring out the zoning etc and using it as an excuse to get out and wander some areas to see what I might want to put in for next year. I also want to spend some time behind a gun at the range to make sure I know exactly what is and is not a viable shot for me. I have not regularly been to the range for a while.

I did go to a local archery range recently to try a bow for the first time. I had a lot of fun but admit I have not been back. I would like to add bow hunting to the options in the future though.

Congrats on the move and on the newborn!
 
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