Newb looking for hunting partner in SD

Littlmama

Active Member
Jan 14, 2020
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Hi all, new to hunting. I live in San Diego & I'm looking for a hunting buddy, possibly another female hunter to practice shooting, hunting (looks like rabbits still open), scouting, or just becoming familiar with gear and area. (I have Monday-Thursdays free right now /work weekends).
If anyone has any experience in the San Diego D16/19 area solo hunting/backpacking...I'm wondering, is it safe to solo as a women in SD? Ladies, have you done it? (I'm talking mostly 2 legged critter safety). I'm itching to get out and start conditioning/practicing!

Thanks in advance, happy to be here
 
Welcome to the site!

The best way I have found to get hunting partners is plan out a hunt and set a hard date on the calendar for it and make the commitment to go weather you have a partner or not.

Then you want to post up in the hunter/finder/hookup thread again the date you are going, what you want to target, the general area, and your experience level. don't give up your spot but just some info for Other hunters to get an idea of the traveling distance they are signing up for. You will be amazed at the response. You will get some that wont commit but want to know where the spot is, you will get some last minute call outs, but in the end there is usually one still standing that your bouncing ideas and info off of leading up to the hunt usually through pm on this site or text. They are usually the one that says “yes, im in” from the get go. I have even met up with some a few days prior to the hunt to get a beer.

Now if you aren't able to pull a partner, go anyway, and then post up how it went and take lots of pics to post also and then next time around your response rate will really increase after people see the adventure they missed out on.

Hope that helps, and makes sense, good luck out there!
 
Welcome to the site!

The best way I have found to get hunting partners is plan out a hunt and set a hard date on the calendar for it and make the commitment to go weather you have a partner or not.

Then you want to post up in the hunter/finder/hookup thread again the date you are going, what you want to target, the general area, and your experience level. don't give up your spot but just some info for Other hunters to get an idea of the traveling distance they are signing up for. You will be amazed at the response. You will get some that wont commit but want to know where the spot is, you will get some last minute call outs, but in the end there is usually one still standing that your bouncing ideas and info off of leading up to the hunt usually through pm on this site or text. They are usually the one that says “yes, im in” from the get go. I have even met up with some a few days prior to the hunt to get a beer.

Now if you aren't able to pull a partner, go anyway, and then post up how it went and take lots of pics to post also and then next time around your response rate will really increase after people see the adventure they missed out on.

Hope that helps, and makes sense, good luck out there!


Thank you so much! I appreciate the help.
 
Welcome to SCH,

Look up Steve aka ilovesprig here on the forum, he helps out a BUNCH of people get on the right track. Steve has a daughter that hunts and kills mammals just about every year and a few other guys have daughter that hunt. Lots of events/meetings that might help find a hunting partner also. Nothing wrong with hunting with a guy also, keep posting away get to know the SCH crew ... SCH has it all.
 
Welcome to SCH,

Look up Steve aka ilovesprig here on the forum, he helps out a BUNCH of people get on the right track. Steve has a daughter that hunts and kills mammals just about every year and a few other guys have daughter that hunt. Lots of events/meetings that might help find a hunting partner also. Nothing wrong with hunting with a guy also, keep posting away get to know the SCH crew ... SCH has it all.
Thank you ivhunter! I will look him up :)
Not opposed to hunting with guys at all!
I've been reading a ton, especially on this forum, sounds like a great group of people. Looking forward to meeting some of ya some day.
 
As long as you're prepared like you should be for going out into the Wild, and you know you've get all the equipment, have enough water and food. Go out solo anyway. Don't let not having a partner hold you back.

Just make sure you create and send an email to a family member or loved one where you include like a screenshot of a satellite view of the area you intend to go checkout... if you can, annotate it showing where you plan to park and where you plan to hike in to. And then, just don't deviate all that much from that plan, knowing that this is your safety net, this other person knowing where you're supposed to be, so they can instruct rescue people.

Give that other person a rough idea of about when in the PM you plan to send them a TXT saying "I'm back outta the mountains now", then that last one of "home n safe" once you finally get all the way back to your home.

Also, you can get yourself a Personal Locator Beacon. Somebody donated me my first one, an older model that I didn't think functioned all that great, so I then opted to get the Garmin InReach Mini. Go check it out on Youtube. It's a very cool little device!

Always take at least one trekking pole with you. And use it while hiking! Especially for crossing creeks or any kind of sketchy areas.

And if you can, at your next doctor visit ask them to give you an Rx for a pain med like maybe Tylenol #3's. Those aren't all that powerful, it's just Codeine, so they'll likely agree to do it if you explain to them that you want it to have in your pack for these adventures. They'll give ya like only 15 or so at a time especially now with the changed regulations, since it's an opiate. Bad shit can sometimes happen, and it sucks a little bit less dragging yourself outta there with something to knock the pain down a lil bit sometimes. I had a slip-and-fall stepping off from the last rock before reaching the other side of a creek one morning day after Christmas... so the temp was 32 F, probably a thin sheet of ice was on the stone? In the fall I shattered my wrist just because that one arm happened to slam into the top point of a stone embedded into the other bank of the creek. I only had Advils that time. But that experience taught me and made me think of how screwed a person *could* be sometimes if they didn't have pain management to help 'em limp back outta there some day.

And then like for an extra safe strategy, you can opt to hike-in to a place the very first time you go there during just daylight ours, so you can become familiar with the trails and all the trickier parts to traverse. So that way, when you come back there in full hunt mode, hiking in during AM dark, and hiking out during PM dark, you'll be a bit more comfortable with it since you'll kinda have the lay of the land in your memory somewhat.
 
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As long as you're prepared like you should be for going out into the Wild, and you know you've get all the equipment, have enough water and food. Go out solo anyway. Don't let not having a partner hold you back.

Just make sure you create and send an email to a family member or loved one where you include like a screenshot of a satellite view of the area you intend to go checkout... if you can, annotate it showing where you plan to park and where you plan to hike in to. And then, just don't deviate all that much from that plan, knowing that this is your safety net, this other person knowing where you're supposed to be, so they can instruct rescue people.

Give that other person a rough idea of about when in the PM you plan to send them a TXT saying "I'm back outta the mountains now", then that last one of "home n safe" once you finally get all the way back to your home.

Also, you can get yourself a Personal Locator Beacon. Somebody donated me my first one, an older model that I didn't think functioned all that great, so I then opted to get the Garmin InReach Mini. Go check it out on Youtube. It's a very cool little device!

Always take at least one trekking pole with you. And use it while hiking! Especially for crossing creeks or any kind of sketchy areas.

And if you can, at your next doctor visit ask them to give you an Rx for a pain med like maybe Tylenol #3's. Those aren't all that powerful, it's just Codeine, so they'll likely agree to do it if you explain to them that you want it to have in your pack for these adventures. They'll give ya like only 15 or so at a time especially now with the changed regulations, since it's an opiate. Bad shit can sometimes happen, and it sucks a little bit less dragging yourself outta there with something to knock the pain down a lil bit sometimes. I had a slip-and-fall stepping off from the last rock before reaching the other side of a creek one morning day after Christmas... so the temp was 32 F, probably a thin sheet of ice was on the stone? In the fall I shattered my wrist just because that one arm happened to slam into the top point of a stone embedded into the other bank of the creek. I only had Advils that time. But that experience taught me and made me think of how screwed a person *could* be sometimes if they didn't have pain management to help 'em limp back outta there some day.

And then like for an extra safe strategy, you can opt to hike-in to a place the very first time you go there during just daylight ours, so you can become familiar with the trails and all the trickier parts to traverse. So that way, when you come back there in full hunt mode, hiking in during AM dark, and hiking out during PM dark, you'll be a bit more comfortable with it since you'll kinda have the lay of the land in your memory somewhat.
This is such great info, the personal locator beacon will be next on my list of must haves. What a great idea. I will add pain meds to my 1st aid kit & start looking at trekking poles. Man you guys have been so helpful, can't thank you enough. Larry, was that fall this past December? Hope its healing and it didnt keep you from too many hunts.
 
That fall was 2015. I've got 13 screws and a plate in there now. Thankfully it got healed and I was able to take my 2nd deer in 2016!

One of these days I need to break down and have them go back in there and yank that all back out.
WP_20160105_001.jpg
It bugs during certain radial movements, or when my kid grabs that area just right (wrong!) and causes tissue to be pressed up against the edge of that metal. But...ya know.. home ownership has this way of making your money already be spoken for, so I keep putting it off.

BTW: RE: Trekking poles: Get the kind that break-down into 3-sections. They can stuff into your pack better without sticking out and having the end of it catch on shit like when you have to crouch down to crawl under a fallen tree across the trail.

Do a search there was another thread not that long ago where this was talked about and somebody mentioned a particular brand. For me that thread was of importance because I knew that other person was about my size and weight so I knew if they gave a vote of confidence to that particular pole it should work well for me also. And... the day you score your first deer and have to pack it out, you'll appreciate that pole being there.
 
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That fall was 2015. I've got 13 screws and a plate in there now. Thankfully it got healed and I was able to take my 2nd deer in 2016!

One of these days I need to break down and have them go back in there and yank that all back out.
View attachment 42681
It bugs during certain radial movements, or when my kid grabs that area just right (wrong!) and causes tissue to be pressed up against the edge of that metal. But...ya know.. home ownership has this way of making your money already be spoken for, so I keep putting it off.

BTW: RE: Trekking poles: Get the kind that break-down into 3-sections. They can stuff into your pack better without sticking out and having the end of it catch on shit like when you have to crouch down to crawl under a fallen tree across the trail.

Do a search there was another thread not that long ago where this was talked about and somebody mentioned a particular brand. For me that thread was of importance because I knew that other person was about my size and weight so I knew if they gave a vote of confidence to that particular pole it should work well for me also. And... the day you score your first deer and have to pack it out, you'll appreciate that pole being there.
Geez, more metal than man. I look forward to needing to pack out my first deer :)
 
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Lm,

Welcome to SCH...Yes, I have a daughter that loves to hunt deer and turkeys...She didn't really start till she was around 24...Now, it's just part of her life and mine each spring and fall.

NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation) has monthly meetings the 4th Tuesday at 6:00 pm in Poway at Kaminsky's Bar & Grill (Jan 28th)...It's a great place to meet like minded folks.

Coming up on February 22nd is the NWTF Spring Turkey Tune-Up...The location is Lake Sutherland...We raffle off hunts on the San Diego city property...There's also instruction on how to call and hunt turkeys...Turkey hunting is also a great way to scout D-16...Last year we had close to 400 folks at the event...Super fun day.

Steve

ps...If you get drawn, I will help you as much as I can on that hunt.

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Wow that is cool, that's encouraging to see the ladies are getting out there. I'm getting a much later start (I'm 40) better late than never! My son is 16 and I'm hoping he'll hunt with me. (He has his license). We'll try for rabbits this Monday. Thanks again you guys, what a cool community of people!
 
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Oh right on! That was me too. I was 45 when the thought came back around in my head of trying hunting (after my boy grew a bit more and didn't require as much of my time), and I figured "Ya ain't gettin any younger so ya better get on it now!". Been an interesting 5 years.
 
Oh
Oh right on! That was me too. I was 45 when the thought came back around in my head of trying hunting (after my boy grew a bit more and didn't require as much of my time), and I figured "Ya ain't gettin any younger so ya better get on it now!". Been an interesting 5 years.
Oh good, I'm not the only late bloomer
I love being out doors, so alot of kayaking and freediving/ spearfishing some hiking etc. Always wanted to learn to backcountry camp/hike and possibly bringing home some food makes me that much more motivated.
 
Of course, you are going to find a hunting partner or get an invitation you are a GIRL..:). The good old boys will probably bend their own rules..

I don't think there is much of a concern about going out on your own unless it is for bow hunting where you are not allowed to carry. There are no bears, the coyotes want nothing to do with you and the cats are way too shy to be near unless you are traveling at night.
As it relates to other people being a danger to you..I would say, dress like a dude in the field and carry a handgun that can be seen and that will take care of that. Not to mention if you are encountering some people in your outings, you are either close to the border, or in the wrong place to hunt deer.

Good luck.
 
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I will say though... be prepared for the haterade... when you first finally manage to pull off getting a deer and you, filled with the pride of your accomplishment, can't wait to post up a pic showing you there with the fruit of all your labor and effort achieving your goal onto your social media... you will experience a significant bit of blacklash and very hypocritical hate and shunning from a surprising number of folks. Especially among the ladies that have led a very sheltered/pampered life.

And get this... all these same people that lose their shit when you post up that pic of you posed with a deer? When another person on your freinds list posts up a pic of their take on a sport-fishing trip? Deck of the boat all bloody. Easily 5x times more weight in total take? Nothing but verbal high-fives from everybody. And comments like "Nice! So when am I coming over for Sushi?" and shit like that. NONE of that same hate. Zero.

There's just something about the creature being covered with fur that makes people lose their damn minds. It's weird.
 
Of course, you are going to find a hunting partner or get an invitation you are a GIRL..:). The good old boys will probably bend their own rules..

I don't think there is much of a concern about going out on your own unless it is for bow hunting where you are not allowed to carry. There are no bears, the coyotes want nothing to do with you and the cats are way too shy to be near unless you are traveling at night.
As it relates to other people being a danger to you..I would say, dress like a dude in the field and carry a handgun that can be seen and that will take care of that. Not to mention if you are encountering some people in your outings, you are either close to the border, or in the wrong place to hunt deer.

Good luck.
Thank you for responding to that concern, it's a big concern for me because yes, close to the border. Ty :)
 
I will say though... be prepared for the haterade... when you first finally manage to pull off getting a deer and you, filled with the pride of your accomplishment, can't wait to post up a pic showing you there with the fruit of all your labor and effort achieving your goal onto your social media... you will experience a significant bit of blacklash and very hypocritical hate and shunning from a surprising number of folks. Especially among the ladies that have led a very sheltered/pampered life.

And get this... all these same people that lose their shit when you post up that pic of you posed with a deer? When another person on your freinds list posts up a pic of their take on a sport-fishing trip? Deck of the boat all bloody. Easily 5x times more weight in total take? Nothing but verbal high-fives from everybody. And comments like "Nice! So when am I coming over for Sushi?" and shit like that. NONE of that same hate. Zero.

There's just something about the creature being covered with fur that makes people lose their damn minds. It's weird.
I am very familiar with this sentiment as I've grown up in San Diego, (geez just getting a gun made me feel like an out law, cant imagine running into hikers on a trail, holding a rifle or pistol, let alone a deer or cute rabbit! deff hide that from the neighbors and instruct my son to do same.) Smh. Even when spearfishing. .. there is judgement. I mitigate this by having private social media accounts and learned from a Hawaiian spearo, 'shoot for the fam, not the cam'. My pics are all for family/friends & fellow hunters/fisherman. It also helps when I share lobster, fish and hopefully eventually game meat with cool neighbors, or just post/share the meal I made...everybody loves food! (Mostly)
 
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Should be fine backpacking/hunting solo as a girl, particularly hunting. Main concern when doing things solo is to just not injure yourself as getting help may not be available. Basically this just means being a bit more careful when out alone. I'll opt not to do certain climbs etc when alone where when I have a buddy with me I'll take a bit more risks.
 

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