New hunter in Brea - Deer, Coyote, Rabbits

[azsundevil]

Howdy guys. 27 years old here, born and raised in OC. I went to school at ASU (hence the username), but I got sucked back to Socal after I graduated.

I've been shooting since I was a kid. I've always been interested in hunting, but never took the plunge until this year when I went out chasing jackrabbits with a buddy. I shot one on my first time out, butchered it (with lots of help) and became thoroughly disgusted by how nasty the meat tasted. I decided I need to get into big game hunting, and here I am.

I have deer tags for D14 and D15 and I'm looking forward to doing a ton of research and preparation this summer. I've also gotten into predator hunting and I've tried calling in coyote with the friend who took me jackrabbit hunting. No success. I know we're all very protective of our deer intel, but is anyone up for some coyote hunting together?

 

[ilovesprig]

AZ,

Welcome to SCH.....Two pretty tough zones for deer, but if you start now, you should be able to hone in on some spots....OnX Maps, Google Earth, and some good maps are all pluses before you actually start hiking.

ps....Wild game regardless of what it is should NOT be over cooked.....Very little fat, and can have pretty bad tastes.

 

[WaterDawg]

Welcome fellow OC inhabitant. First off, for me cottontails are much better eating than jackrabbits so don’t give up on everything that hops. Cottontail season opens this Sunday. I haven’t had much success calling in the coyotes in our local forest but will keep trying if you want to go sometime.

 

[SurfNHuntSD]

Welcome to SCH. Deer hunting here can be frustrating in the early going but, once you start figuring it out and you tag your first buck, it'll become an addiction. Good luck.

 

[Moves]

Welcome to the site, AZ,

I'm right next to you as my kids go to school in Brea and we live in Anaheim. I've never deer/coyote hunted but I do love to shoot my rifles and shotguns at the range! If you want to connect send me a PM.

 

[azsundevil]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone. Funny you mention the cottontails; I'm going out this weekend to camp and hopefully bag some rabbits Sunday morning. Once I'm a little more established around here I'll reach out to you OC guys and see if we can put together some day hunts. And maybe I'll give jackrabbits a second chance if I can't find any cottontail...