Getting started Bowhunting in northern CA

[scottf2]

Hi all,
I'm brand new to hunting, and I'm looking for some advice on how to get started and what to expect. I've been reading the forums and picked up some books to try to get some more info, but I've got a few (well, maybe more than a few...) questions I'm hoping someone can answer.

I live in Sacramento so I'm thinking the D5 zone will be the place to go - from what I've read, it's not easy finding deer there on public land, but I'm willing to head off road and do some hiking (I've spent a good amount of time up HWY 4 around Bear Valley mountain biking and climbing - used to live up there in the summers teaching rock climbing).

Any suggestions for good places to start scouting that are within a couple of hours of Sacramento? I've heard some things about Ice House and Wright's Lake- those are both about an hour away. And as I said, I'm pretty familiar with the Bear Valley/Alpine Lake area - what's the hunting like in those places?

I'm mostly just wondering what my chances are of even seeing any huntable deer as a beginning hunter (let alone successfully shooting them with a bow, I know that's a whole other story!)

Also wondering how I can learn more about hunting and tracking deer - I've read stuff online and picked up a few books - but that's no substitute for experience. I don't really have any friends or family who hunt, so I'm kind of at a loss here.

Anyway, just looking for some general "getting started" advice - anything would be helpful at this point!

Thanks a lot,
Scott

 

[easymoney]

welcome aboard... "Getting started bow hunting" on public land, where to begin. Pick a place with game, good habitat and access, then scout. Learn your weapon, practice, practice, and practice some more. D5 is a good choice, but again scout to find the game and be sure they will be around when you get there. If you are willing to drive, the Bs are a great choice for blacktails.

 

[Rob P.]

The biggest hurdle is getting out there scouting. You need to get out often and find game. Put up a camera and check it with an eye toward finding where the game are, where and when they move, and if they are migrating from one area to another. Don't be afraid to relocate the camera to where the deer are based on your camera results and additional scouting. Look around the area and find a good place for a blind or stand. Then, on "the day" you need to be there early early early and sit and wait for your dinner to come to you.

Of course practice is a good thing regardless of whether you're using a bow or rifle.

 

[voidecho]

I'm in the same boat as you...or at least I will be next season. Just getting into hunting, no one I know around here hunts, etc. I'm currently researching which zones seem to interest me the most (D3-D5 is a possibility) and plan to figure out what I want to go for next year. Then next summer I plan to make some scouting trips.

In the meantime, I'm planning to do a guided pig hunt up in Sonoma County, either this fall or in the spring. Hopefully soak up as much information from the guide as I can. It'll be a couple hundred bucks, but I figure it'll be worth it to gain the knowledge, let alone get access to hunt on private property.

Good luck.