New Hunter

[Mike422]

Hi everyone,
I have been doing my research for sometime now and am finally getting the wheels in motion to start hunting. I finish up my hunter safety course on 11/7. I live in San Diego and am interested in hunting hogs, deer, and turkey and I don't have any problems traveling around the state to find them. Just wondering what tips anybody has for me regarding where to start hunting, what to buy for my first gun, and anything else I need to know. I am about as green as they come so I'll take whatever advice I can get.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[ltdann]

Alot of your questions will be answered at your hunter safety course. Welcome to the addiction!!

 

[timhalberg]

funny enough, my hunter's safety course really didn't adress hunting much at all - mostly just how to not shoot your friends.... not that being reminded not to shoot your friend is a bad thing, but there wasn't much about hunting in there. the laws were taught, but I think you'd do well to look for a mentor to take you under their wings.

 

[slanttop357]

Welcome u guys, happy hunting.

 

[pozerzsuk]

welcome to the addiction...

 

[map]

If you like being sociable this is the right State to hunt in. Good Luck


Sent from my iPhone/Tapatalk

 

[DFG_Bear]

If basic hunter ed didn't do much for you, then check out our (DFG's) advanced hunter education courses. I help teach the pig and bear hunting clinics, and most folks leave these seminars with some advanced knowledge of how to hunt, where to hunt, what to look for and what to not look for, how to process your animal after you've killed it, etc. Check out our website for dates and information, then book a class with Lt. Lehman. I think next year's schedule will be out around February or so, depending on how many ducks the Lt.'s shooting at his club.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/advanced/index.aspx

-Marc

 

[Mike422]

Thanks Marc. I do my online hunter safety follow up next Monday and I've heard nothing but good things about my instructor. But, taking the advanced hunter course seems like a good idea regardless. I can't wait to get out there. Any advice on guns from anyone? I'm looking at a shotgun for upland game, hopefully turkeys and a bolt or lever action .270 or .30-06 for bigger game. Thanks.

Michael

 

[Chinogoose]

Mike :welcome sign: to JHO if you go to dfg.ca.gov/hunting and go under Publications

you should find some info on some of the game your after. As far as gun's your going to need to fit the gun to your self and to the $$$ you want to spend on them with that being said you cant go wrong with a .270 or a 30-06.
Also dont rule out a bow there lot's of fun and you can get after deer before gun season is open and hunting turkey with a bow is a blast. Good luck:toast-yellow:

 

[solus]

remember a bow gives you more opportunities to hunt due to restrictions and hunting seasons. If a bow isnt your style then remember a couple key elements in choosing a gun. Think of versatility and in case you ever break something on your gun. how easy it is to get your parts I bought a rifle once and broke the ejector pin on a jammed shell and havent been able to find the parts due to the fact that they discontinued the rifle. With that being said the Rem 700 is a common rifle sold and has been sold for over a decade as far as I know and it runs you roughly $600-$900 depending on the bore and various other options good luck

 

[WoodGrain]

Welcome aboard, this is a great place to hang out and learn some new stuff.

A great place to look for info on best gun to use, is past survey posts. With a little bit of time in research you can limit out choices in these post. If you ever come out to the desert area, I'd be glad to show you the ropes.

Good luck,

WoodGrain

 

[Bubblehide]

Mike, there a lots of good rifles and calibers out there. So you might want to go at it for a couple different angles, such as:
1). if you plan on flying, you might want to get a rifle in a very common caliber, as you can not transport ammo on flights. With that said, I would consider a 30 caliber such as a 308 or 30-06, both are more than capable of taking any animal on the North American continent.
2). if your going to be hiking in to hunt, or simply hiking around as you hunt, you may want to consider a rifles weight. There are plenty of choices with today's modern rifles, but I will say that I hunt with a Tika T-3 light in stainless steel, but again, there are plenty of good choices you could make.
3). you may want to consider if you'll be hunting in in-climate weather, as a steel rifle with a blued finish simply doesn't hold-up well in wet conditions; which happens to be why I now use a stainless steel rifle.