Looking for a duck hunting spot.

[Berger94]

I just moved out to California because of the Navy. I am from flooded timbers and cornfields of So Illinois.I don't want to give up my love for shooting ducks or geese but i havent got the slightest clue on where to hunt in So Cal. I am willing to drive to arizono if i have to. I am willing to hunt public land also i come from a place where sometime you just have to follow the ducks to public lands. I am wondering what all of this reservation stuff and fees is all about.

 

[outdoordave]

Welcome aboard and thank you for your service to this country. Having recently gotten into waterfowl it's not as bad as it sounds. A little more than a normal thread post would be though. In short, our season runs from Oct thru Jan, give our take on the weeks. Most of our ducks are taken off managed areas that have a lottery type drawing or what is called sweatlines. The biggest ones you want to look at is Salton Sea, San Jacinto, or Kern. There are more farther north but at that point AZ would be closer. For those lands an additional day use fee applies ("to help manage and develop the area"). Regular NF/BLM land no additional fee applies. However, since this is the desert spots are few and far between. Yes they are out there though.
Good Luck