New to California hunting, Ex East Coast Hunter

[Shoot_Re_Malaka]

Hello fellow hunters, I moved to CA 4 years ago from the NY and looking to get back into hunting.
I currently live in Orange County where I work as well. The reason for the move to CA was to be closer to my brother and his family who live in San Diego which is the only family I have left. I was married in NY but caught my ex wife cheating with a friend of mine so that was the final decision to leave NY and be close with the only family I have left that's here in CA.

Ok enough with my sappy sad story, the reason why I'm writing to you is to introduce myself and hopefully build some friendships with this hunting community and hopefully find some hunting buddies. I'm not looking for any access to land, I've found public land through CA dept of fish and game site and the national forest sites. All my hunting buddies are back in NY and all the people that I've met here in CA are not hunters. Unfortunately my brother doesn't hunt either and hunting clubs are quite expensive.

Although going out on a hunt alone isn't terrible, I feel it's best to go out into the wilderness with a friend. God forbid something happens and your out there alone right. Besides, heading out with hunting buddies is a great experience and builds some great memories. I miss my buddies back in NY and all the great hunting experiences that we had every year.

I'm hoping this thread will open up conversation with the SoCal hunting community that can possibly lead to some great hunting experiences.

Thank you in advance for reading and I look forward to chatting with you guys.

John

 

[Gspman]

Welcome John. Sorry to hear about your "stuff" but glad your here. Lots of great guys here. What do you like to hunt? A shot gun is needed in so cal as birds are big here.

Welcome again and happy hunting. .

 

[xjon]

Well, hello neighbor. 4 years...you already know how Cali works, more so "the Orange Curtain". I was just at a xmas party and was convincing a coworker that I was more of a conservationist than anyone else.

Glad you found this forum. Great bunch of guys here. See you on the trails.

 

[longbowhunter2]

Welcome. Great bunch of people here. Ask lots of questions!.

 

[Shoot_Re_Malaka]

Welcome John. Sorry to hear about your "stuff" but glad your here. Lots of great guys here. What do you like to hunt? A shot gun is needed in so cal as birds are big here.

Welcome again and happy hunting. .

Thank you for the warm welcome, yeah that's what I've heard. Lots of great people here with great advise and lots of expertise.
I've hunted deer (rifle & bow), turkey, pheasants, grouse, doves, rabbits, and coyotes.
I've never hunted boar so that's something that I think I'd like to try.
I sold my guns when I was in NY since I needed the money to move out here but now that I'm settled with my career, I just purchased a Sig Sauer M400 Swat AR because I know they'll disappear after January.
My next buy will be a shotgun in about a month or so.

 

[Shoot_Re_Malaka]

Well, hello neighbor. 4 years...you already know how Cali works, more so "the Orange Curtain". I was just at a xmas party and was convincing a coworker that I was more of a conservationist than anyone else.

Glad you found this forum. Great bunch of guys here. See you on the trails.

Hey Neighbor, yeah it's tough to convince people how hunting is conservation. Some people don't want to hear it but it's ok, I kind of put things into perspective from my point of view and let the rest be as it may. I know there's some great people in the hunting communities hence reaching out to you guys. Hope to see you on the trails.

 

[Shoot_Re_Malaka]

Welcome. Great bunch of people here. Ask lots of questions!.

Thank you, I look forward to getting to know fellow hunters and hopefully building some friendships.
I'll definitely be asking lots of questions, it's like starting to hunt all over again.
California has so much to offer, I look forward to the journey.

 

[ilovesprig]

S-R-M,

Welcome to SCH.....Lots of opps in Cali despite the anti sentiment here.....Maybe I missed it, but what kind of hunting you looking to do?

 

[Shoot_Re_Malaka]

S-R-M,

Welcome to SCH.....Lots of opps in Cali despite the anti sentiment here.....Maybe I missed it, but what kind of hunting you looking to do?

Thanks, I enjoy hunting deer, turkey, rabbits, doves, pheasants and coyotes. I haven't hunted pig yet but that's definitely something I was researching.
Now that deer season is over, I was going to get out there for some coyotes. There's tons of scouting to do throughout the year, I'm looking forward to getting out there.
Coyotes seem to be a problem here in Southern California so I think I'm going to try my luck with them on some of the public lands.

 

[Bonejour]

Thanks, I enjoy hunting deer, turkey, rabbits, doves, pheasants and coyotes. I haven't hunted pig yet but that's definitely something I was researching.
Now that deer season is over, I was going to get out there for some coyotes. There's tons of scouting to do throughout the year, I'm looking forward to getting out there.
Coyotes seem to be a problem here in Southern California so I think I'm going to try my luck with them on some of the public lands.

Welcome to western hunting John. There's a learning curve, but it's great fun. Coyotes are a great way to start: always in season, well suited to your firearm, and given the danger they pose to suburban pets, one of the few mammals you can hunt that MAY not cause an argument with your neighbors when they find out... if you care what they think. But honestly, you have to try pigs. I think they are the perfect game animal: tough, smart, always in season, tags are (kind of) reasonably priced, they can be dangerous (hunted with a bow), they are mighty tasty, are non-native, and no one thinks they're cuddly so your neighbors won't care... especially if you have them over for BBQ butt.


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[Shoot_Re_Malaka]

Welcome to western hunting John. There's a learning curve, but it's great fun. Coyotes are a great way to start: always in season, well suited to your firearm, and given the danger they pose to suburban pets, one of the few mammals you can hunt that MAY not cause an argument with your neighbors when they find out... if you care what they think. But honestly, you have to try pigs. I think they are the perfect game animal: tough, smart, always in season, tags are (kind of) reasonably priced, they can be dangerous (hunted with a bow), they are mighty tasty, are non-native, and no one thinks they're cuddly so your neighbors won't care... especially if you have them over for BBQ butt.


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Thank you...yeah there's definitely a learning curve but I'm definitely up for the challenge. There's new lands to explore, doing the research and putting the time in is exciting as well. California has some amazing lands with awesome views so I figure getting out there for coyotes is a great way to explore the lands while glassing and searching for sign as well as not disturbing anyone since deer season is over.

Pig is definitely on the radar and I get mixed reviews about their taste. I've never tried it but some say it's great and some say they don't like it.
Some say their filled with parasites or worms, is that true?
Hunting pig is definitely going to take some time to research for the reason of them being tough and smart. I'm an avid deer hunter but as far as pig is concerned, I'm definitely a newbie.
I'm sure there are plenty of recipes once I get one in the Fridge.

 

[Bonejour]

Pigs and bears both can transmit trichinosis. You have to cook the meat well or, if you're going to smoke or cure it, follow strict guidelines in order to kill the parasite.


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[xjon]

[QUOTE="Shoot_Re_Malaka, post: 88440, member: 29777"Pig is definitely on the radar and I get mixed reviews about their taste. I've never tried it but some say it's great and some say they don't like it.
Some say their filled with parasites or worms, is that true?[/QUOTE]

Who doesn't like the taste of pigs? Have you had pig...BBQ pig, ribs, ham, BACON, crispy pata etc? It can be made all kinds of flavor- spicy, sweet, bland, SALTY (best), sour,etc. It could be made tender, crispy, chewy, shredded..what ever texture you like. I can't believe you don't know the taste of pig.

I understand if your religion restricts your diet of pigs. In that case you can call me and I will take care of it for you. Muslims are not even supposed to touch the carcass. I have a coworker who is muslim (named Mohammed) who will eat pizza with pepperoni until you tell him its pork. Next time theres pizza with pepperoni, he will eat it again. I won't tell him anymore unless its the last slice. "Blissfully ignorant". My point is, muslims will risk pissing off Allah for the taste.

Hope you like it, if not call me.
P.S. Everything has parasites. If animal looks healthy, I will eat it. If it looks sickly, then I just put it out of its misery and will let nature feast on it. Secondary indicator for health is the liver.

 

[Shoot_Re_Malaka]

[QUOTE="Shoot_Re_Malaka, post: 88440, member: 29777"Pig is definitely on the radar and I get mixed reviews about their taste. I've never tried it but some say it's great and some say they don't like it.
Some say their filled with parasites or worms, is that true?

Who doesn't like the taste of pigs? Have you had pig...BBQ pig, ribs, ham, BACON, crispy pata etc? It can be made all kinds of flavor- spicy, sweet, bland, SALTY (best), sour,etc. It could be made tender, crispy, chewy, shredded..what ever texture you like. I can't believe you don't know the taste of pig.

I understand if your religion restricts your diet of pigs. In that case you can call me and I will take care of it for you. Muslims are not even supposed to touch the carcass. I have a coworker who is muslim (named Mohammed) who will eat pizza with pepperoni until you tell him its pork. Next time theres pizza with pepperoni, he will eat it again. I won't tell him anymore unless its the last slice. "Blissfully ignorant". My point is, muslims will risk pissing off Allah for the taste.

Hope you like it, if not call me.
P.S. Everything has parasites. If animal looks healthy, I will eat it. If it looks sickly, then I just put it out of its misery and will let nature feast on it. Secondary indicator for health is the liver.[/QUOTE]

Oh don't get me wrong, I love pork and have eaten lots of STORE bought pork. I will try just about anything.
I should have been a bit more clear, I meant to say that I've never tried Wild Boar, some say it has much more of a gamier taste that they don't like.
I've never hunted pig to compare the store bought pig with wild pig.
I definitely want to make that comparison now that I'm here in CA, they didn't exist in the Mountains of NY.

 

[Nicholas909]

I use to work on my great uncles pig farm as a kid. you couldn't beat the taste of his fresh pork, But the last 2 wild boars I got were a step above. They were the best tasting pork I've ever had.
They are just like any other wild animals. They will taste like what they're eating. If you get one near farm lands where they are growing good fruits, grains, nuts, corn, etc. then that pig will taste great. If you get one in the middle of nowhere and all there eating is roots and plants and bark, then that pig will be gamier.

People that say meat is to gamy either don't know how to cook it, or have bad taste.

 

[Shoot_Re_Malaka]

That's what my assumption is. I'd love to get one to compare for myself which will happen in time.
Since I live in an apartment complex and it's very difficult to butcher a pig or deer in my apartment, do you guys know of any good butchers that would process the meat?

 

[ilovesprig]

If you live in San Diego North County.......Specialty Meats (Escondido) is who we all use.

 

[Shoot_Re_Malaka]

If you live in San Diego North County.......Specialty Meats (Escondido) is who we all use.

This helps, thanks for the info....that's about an hour drive from where I live but chances are I'm going to do most of my hunting in the San Diego region.