That "New Guy" Needing tips

T

TChotshot3

New Member
Hey everyone,

I'm new to hunting world and I have a few questions to start.

I'm looking at getting a rifle, I've heard mixed things about certain calibers. What's the best caliber to go with, for deer and elk?

I currently live in the Ventura County area, does anyone know any hunting sites around the Thousand Oaks, Camarillo and Ventura Area? I want to hunt quail in a couple weeks and was wandering if there any spots near by. Does anyone know if its legal to hunt with led shells still in my area? Or do I need Steel for upland game?
 
TC,

Welcome to SCH......Here's some short answers and just my opinion....Buy a .270 or 30.06....Readily available ammo, almost all guns come in these calibers, and they're tried and true for most big game species (I own both).

Near your area you have the Los Padres NF (I shot a lot of quail & band-tails near Frazier Park).....This area will be your best bet for local upland. Not that far away is Kern Co. and the Lake Isabella area. Historically one of the best quail spots.

You can use lead for quail and dove through 2017 as of now and anywhere in the state.....To use your rifles in the Los Padres, you'll need copper.

Hope this helps a little and good luck.
 
Welcome to the site. As sprig mentioned, the popular choices for deer rifles are .270 and .30-06. The former is the thinking man's deer rifle and the latter is a brute force instrument. I shoot a .270, but I have often pondered a .243. For our SoCal deer I think it's plenty of gun, and will give you 10-25% less felt recoil, depending on your choice of round.

As for non-lead...(Steve correct me if I'm wrong but) upland is lead free on CDFW properties this year. So you will need to make sure you're not hunting with lead in the penalty zone.
 
I hunted los padres exclusively for years until it got to dry It usually holds good deer lots of quail and even some hog but for them you have to get up north not ventura county. I use an ar10 in 243 for all California big game and has always worked especially with the new copper bullets with near perfect weight retention
 
First off welcome to the site. I think what was already mentioned are all great choices. I use a 30-06 and every deer I shot went straight down no movement. If you are looking for 1 rifle to hunt both deer and Elk you might want to larger caliber, but.....I am no where near an expert when it comes to Elk hunting and best calibers for that animal. Good Luck
 
Matt,

You're absolutely right about no lead shotshells on federal refuges, state wildlife areas, & state preserves. I was thinking more where he was going to shoot quail.....Still legal in national forests.
 
Re: That "New Guy" Needing tips


TChotshot3 said:
I'm looking at getting a rifle, I've heard mixed things about certain calibers. What's the best caliber to go with, for deer and elk?
Click to expand...
Welcome to SCH. There are mixed things about every caliber, so you just choose your poison. .30-06 is a great caliber for any North American game excluding brown bear, and ammo is cheap and available. It's not a "long range" round, but with a little practice shooting from a rest with a decent scope you can kill deer or elk out beyond 300 yards, which is to say your skill will likely be the limiting factor, not the rifle.
 
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