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TOTALLY NEW GUY in Paso Robles, CA

Para1911A1

Para1911A1

New member
Joined
Jun 14, 2020
Messages
10
Location
Paso Robles, CA.
Hello All,
I'm a long time sport shooter. Currently shooting SASS. Born and raised near San Francisco Bay Area. Moved to Modesto in 1989, then Paso Robles in 2013. Interested in giving hunting a try, just hope I'm not too old. Hiking almost every day, trying to get back in shape. Not sure where to start? I know there are lots of pigs around here. Should I start with Birds? Small game? I passed my Safety course last year. Have the guns needed. 12 ga, 10/22, 270 Win. Reloading for 20+ years. Open to any experienced advise.
 
Paso Robles is a cool place. Welcome. I spent some of my after high school youth in Santa Maria. Fond memories. mtmuley
 
Welcome. Lots of pigs in your area that are very good eating. Finding access is difficult without paying for a guided hunt. A guide might be a good start as they can show you the ropes, how to field dress, etc.
 
You're in the middle of the central coast and there are lots of pigs around there, plus some great dove and quail hunting. We used to venture up that way once in a while to hunt ducks, quail, and pigs at Hunter Liggett. Watch some field-dressing videos and get after it! If you know anybody with private land, start there...and the smaller pigs taste better than the big ones...
 
Welcome!

My brother is in Atascadero, my wife has family in Paso, SLO, and Jolon. Sadly, none of them hunt any more.
There are good public land hunting opportunities around Pozo, and on Ft Hunter Liggett. The first time you get on Hunter Liggett can be a little stressful, but once you know the drill it's simple.
Passes are issues first, come, first served at the Jolon gate. They then tell you where you can go on the base that particular day. There are Tule Elk on the base, so if you are deer hunting, you need know the difference and pass on the elk.

See if there is a chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, or some other hunting friendly conservation groups near you. Reach out to a chapter leader and they will likely help you out.
 
44hunter45 said:
Welcome!

My brother is in Atascadero, my wife has family in Paso, SLO, and Jolon. Sadly, none of them hunt any more.
There are good public land hunting opportunities around Pozo, and on Ft Hunter Liggett. The first time you get on Hunter Liggett can be a little stressful, but once you know the drill it's simple.
Passes are issues first, come, first served at the Jolon gate. They then tell you where you can go on the base that particular day. There are Tule Elk on the base, so if you are deer hunting, you need know the difference and pass on the elk.

See if there is a chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, or some other hunting friendly conservation groups near you. Reach out to a chapter leader and they will likely help you out.
Click to expand...
Liggett has changed a lot in 2019/2020. Now you create an on line account and then log into different areas with your smart phone. The check in station by the camp site has been abandoned for some years now.
 
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 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 for small rabbits, up to #3 for hares.
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.
Rabbits have rather long seasons and 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.

Other good options are Quail and dove. Both are excellent table fare.

For small game you just need a vest that has a pouch in the back. Drop in the game and keep on hiking but for big game, you may need more equipment (game cart, meat pack, Gambrel....).

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.
There are "pay-to-play" places where you can pay for a guided hunt on a private land. 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".

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.
 
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Lots of good pig hunting down there. You have to pay to hunt them on private but it's fun. You can drive over to D9 to Hunt deer on public instead of playing the private game which is the norm down there. I do 99% of my hunting out of CA but Pigs is a good start. If you can become friends with a landowner you'll be golden. Especially if they have Tule Elk. Get out there and Hunt!
 
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