I was a member of Wilderness Unlimited for several years before moving to the Big Island of Hawaii. I lived in San Diego and, as a teacher, could take off often and go hunting. Here's my take on WU:
It cost me about $1800 to join. The sales pitch was like a used car pitch but I got the heads-up in advance and expected it and shut it down immediately. I looked at the overall picture and paid my dues. The first 5 years it was great and the annual dues were $1200. That was for 2 pigs, 2 deer, bear [I thought the brochure said "beer" so that's why I really joined], waterfowl, upland game, and fishing. I went up to Ashurst Ranch, my favorite, and took 5 hogs. Deer everywhere and no problem getting a reservation. I also went to Palm and took a few hogs and no problem with reservations. Twin Peaks and Cummings were good for pigs and deer, and a ranch in San Diego, Will Valley, was GREAT for deer and had some good fishing. I had to fight LA traffic but it was either that or nothing, so I did it. In Northern CA I hunted a ranch just out of Annapolis [can't remember the name---Longview Tract?] and did well.
During the next few years, WU lost several leases, including Ashurst and Will Valley and Longview Tract. Will Valley crashed and burned because one of our hot-headed members and a neighboring crazy guy got into what amounts to a gun battle. The crazy guy's dad feaked out and had a heart attack an hour later and died. The ranch owner is a friend of the crazy guy's dad and that was that. Reservations in general became harder to get and the hunting at Palm, Cummings, and Los Gatos went downhill fast. Just too many hunters and too little game. The last 10 hunting trips I took [an estimate] amounted to zero game and perhaps one or two hogs spotted. I also checked with the caretakers and what they told me about the game harvest and what the WU website game harvest update page told me did not match. I also hunted waterfowl in the Imperial Valley and did very well, but during the last few years the duck population took a nosedive and 1 or 2 duck weekends were all too common.
We moved here so I discontinued my membership.
If you live in the central or northern parts of CA, WU is a good deal, if you have time off and can hunt during the week. In fact, if you can, and if you hunt archery, you'll have a ball and get your money's worth several times over. The ranches are secure and you'll often see nary a soul in a two or three-day hunt. If you hunt waterfowl as well, you'll get your money's worth a couple times over. But...if you live in the southern part of the state [Temecula, for example] and you only get a dozen days to hunt, you'll soon drop out. If you figure the total cost of membership, dues plus initiation fee, is about $1500 per year for the first three years, you can go to Chopper's and then to a Pig-O-Rama and then maybe even to Colorado with a couple of buddies for a cow elk hunt for about the same price and you'll come back with a freezer full of meat.
WU sells the sizzle, not the steak. Guys like me [and most of you who are reading this] who were born a couple centuries too late, dream of living off the land and hunting for our dinners. That's in our blood and in our souls [and we have a hell of a time explaining that to non-hunters]. WU exploits that and sells that and it sounds good---until reality sinks in and after joining you realize that the wife and the kids and the boss have demands and you can only get away to go hunting for a few days a few times each year and that costs $500 a crack and you usually go home disappointed and empy-handed. That makes no financial sense at all and after a couple of years it will make you crazy.
So, if you can get away on a regular basis and you can get away during the week and you live north of LA, WU is probably a good deal. If you don't fall into any of these categories, cool off, look at the package objectively, and be honest with yourself before you spend the bucks. Then go to the Colorado Fish and Wildlife website and look under Cow Elk and then go to Chopper's website and then to Pig-O-Rama and then check out Arizona's huge population of quail and then...well, you get the picture. $1500 bucks a year can buy a lot of quality hunting.
Bottom line: If I were north of San Luis Obispo and if I had 25 days or more per year to hunt [mid-week is the best] and if I archery hunted, I'd join WU in a heartbeat. If not, I'd look very carefully at alternatives.
Aloha for now.
It cost me about $1800 to join. The sales pitch was like a used car pitch but I got the heads-up in advance and expected it and shut it down immediately. I looked at the overall picture and paid my dues. The first 5 years it was great and the annual dues were $1200. That was for 2 pigs, 2 deer, bear [I thought the brochure said "beer" so that's why I really joined], waterfowl, upland game, and fishing. I went up to Ashurst Ranch, my favorite, and took 5 hogs. Deer everywhere and no problem getting a reservation. I also went to Palm and took a few hogs and no problem with reservations. Twin Peaks and Cummings were good for pigs and deer, and a ranch in San Diego, Will Valley, was GREAT for deer and had some good fishing. I had to fight LA traffic but it was either that or nothing, so I did it. In Northern CA I hunted a ranch just out of Annapolis [can't remember the name---Longview Tract?] and did well.
During the next few years, WU lost several leases, including Ashurst and Will Valley and Longview Tract. Will Valley crashed and burned because one of our hot-headed members and a neighboring crazy guy got into what amounts to a gun battle. The crazy guy's dad feaked out and had a heart attack an hour later and died. The ranch owner is a friend of the crazy guy's dad and that was that. Reservations in general became harder to get and the hunting at Palm, Cummings, and Los Gatos went downhill fast. Just too many hunters and too little game. The last 10 hunting trips I took [an estimate] amounted to zero game and perhaps one or two hogs spotted. I also checked with the caretakers and what they told me about the game harvest and what the WU website game harvest update page told me did not match. I also hunted waterfowl in the Imperial Valley and did very well, but during the last few years the duck population took a nosedive and 1 or 2 duck weekends were all too common.
We moved here so I discontinued my membership.
If you live in the central or northern parts of CA, WU is a good deal, if you have time off and can hunt during the week. In fact, if you can, and if you hunt archery, you'll have a ball and get your money's worth several times over. The ranches are secure and you'll often see nary a soul in a two or three-day hunt. If you hunt waterfowl as well, you'll get your money's worth a couple times over. But...if you live in the southern part of the state [Temecula, for example] and you only get a dozen days to hunt, you'll soon drop out. If you figure the total cost of membership, dues plus initiation fee, is about $1500 per year for the first three years, you can go to Chopper's and then to a Pig-O-Rama and then maybe even to Colorado with a couple of buddies for a cow elk hunt for about the same price and you'll come back with a freezer full of meat.
WU sells the sizzle, not the steak. Guys like me [and most of you who are reading this] who were born a couple centuries too late, dream of living off the land and hunting for our dinners. That's in our blood and in our souls [and we have a hell of a time explaining that to non-hunters]. WU exploits that and sells that and it sounds good---until reality sinks in and after joining you realize that the wife and the kids and the boss have demands and you can only get away to go hunting for a few days a few times each year and that costs $500 a crack and you usually go home disappointed and empy-handed. That makes no financial sense at all and after a couple of years it will make you crazy.
So, if you can get away on a regular basis and you can get away during the week and you live north of LA, WU is probably a good deal. If you don't fall into any of these categories, cool off, look at the package objectively, and be honest with yourself before you spend the bucks. Then go to the Colorado Fish and Wildlife website and look under Cow Elk and then go to Chopper's website and then to Pig-O-Rama and then check out Arizona's huge population of quail and then...well, you get the picture. $1500 bucks a year can buy a lot of quality hunting.
Bottom line: If I were north of San Luis Obispo and if I had 25 days or more per year to hunt [mid-week is the best] and if I archery hunted, I'd join WU in a heartbeat. If not, I'd look very carefully at alternatives.
Aloha for now.
