Hunting & Fishing california blacktail questions

[loboman7x57]

my son is in the coast guard and is stationed in sacrmento. i would like to plan a trip out there to hunt blacktails with him. my question is what kind of hunting are we looking at. what i mean is type of terrain, elevation, how much hiking, etc. what kind of range is shooting usually done at? ive hunted some open areas here in michigan and have elk hunted in colorado. i am confident in my shooting to 500 yards with a couple of my rifles but dont know which to take. my favorite and most accutate is my 6.5wsm but its heavy and not a joy to lug around if im covering a lot of area. i have a 300 win mag that has taken elk at 325 yards and is a lot lighter. any advice and info would ve apppreciated.

 

[DirtyDave]

Re: california blacktail questions

CA is one of the toughest places to deer hunt on public land. You have pretty much missed out for this year. Lighter is better. Mountain terrain in the National Forrest, lots of hiking, weather can be hot or cold depending on time of year. If hunting public land in the NF, the farther from the roads you can get, the better.
CA deer tags and zones can be confusing to a first timer. You have plenty of time to prepare for next year. Know the definition of a legal buck. Have a plan for what to do after the deer is down. You will have to get the tag countersigned by a Warden/LEO/Firefighter ASAP. Get a bear tag too, but that is another can of worms.

 

[loboman7x57]

Re: california blacktail questions

the zones and tags do look a bit confusing and it is for next year that im preparing for. the b zones look like a good area and arent to far from sacramento. i think a new lightwieght rifle is in my future for this hunt. im thinking something like 257 or 270 weatherby although my 300 might be a better choice if i get the bear tag too.

 

[5spd]

Re: california blacktail questions

I hunted most of N CA for eons when I lived out there.
The terrain can be low rolling foothills to just darn nasty up higher.
IMO STAY AWAY from the roads as they are packed with road hunters all season long pretty much in the easy to get to zones close to the big cities.
Most of A/B zone is pretty busy but most do not get more then 1/2 mile off the roads.
The smart deer are going to be deep in the valleys or back farther off the NF roads.

 

[DirtyDave]

Re: california blacktail questions

If Bear is on the card then I would say a 308 or bigger. The Magnums you mentioned will be good. If you are only hunting Deer, I would use something like a .243, 6mm, 257 Roberts, 260 Rem, 7x57, 7-08 etc, I like the smaller stuff. I use a 6mm Remington for Deer and it kills the shit out of 'em

 

[popndrop]

Re: california blacktail questions

Very tough place to hunt on Public lands. There are plenty of places to go, but expect much hiking, over fairly tough terrain. Lots of hills, bring good glass to sit with, then stalk what you see. There is not a lot of sitting in blinds here.
If you get a deer here, you'll earn it almost every time. The A & B Zones are usually over the counter tags and readily available. The Zones with the highest likelihood of success are going to be Draw only. Bears are here as well as Pigs. Good luck.

 

[Modoc]

Re: california blacktail questions

There is a variety of terrain to hunt here, but like the others have said, you need to get away from the roads. The 300 WM will do what you want, but the 308 based cartridges are fine without the weight. The deer can vary in size quite a bit depending on where you are in the state.

Below is a link to the current regs and info

http://dfg.ca.gov/Hunting/

I'll follow this thread and help if I can.

 

[hlee]

Re: california blacktail questions

I hunted northern CA for two years and not only is CA a very tough place to hunt, but blacktails are about the most elusive deer you can find in North America. They are almost completely nocturnal during the deer seasons and as they are migratory, many areas will not have deer until after the season. Additionally, the beginning of the fall rains seem to start their movement. It is said that you are wasting your time before the first rains of fall (which might not come until after season), but if it is raining you better be hunting. While there is plenty of open terrain to hunt, I never saw a blacktail outside of the "dark timber." Shots, when available, were "brush gun" close and I would not feel under-gunned with a 30-30. Even big blacktails are not big deer and you do not need a magnum caliber to shoot them, even at extended range.

One other thing. Do not look up blacktail magazine on a work computer...

 

[White Mamba]

Re: california blacktail questions

I live and hunt Norcal all year, you wont need anything fancy. I would say 95% of my hunting is with a 16" 6.8 ar15. Its light , compact, and can sit on my front seat.
Bring whatever you feel comfortable shooting is your best bet. Sacramento is central to alot of hunting! You need to figure out if your going to hunt the the High sierras, the timerline area , B zone mountains and oak hills or the scrub and oaks of A zone.
I would try looking at Jesse's hunting forum, its a CA hunting forum and alot of folks can give you some ideas

 

[DirtyDave]

Re: california blacktail questions

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: White Mamba</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I live and hunt Norcal all year, you wont need anything fancy. I would say 95% of my hunting is with a 16" 6.8 ar15. Its light , compact, and can sit on my front seat.
Bring whatever you feel comfortable shooting is your best bet. Sacramento is central to alot of hunting! You need to figure out if your going to hunt the the High sierras, the timerline area , B zone mountains and oak hills or the scrub and oaks of A zone.
I would try looking at www.theoutdoorsforum.com, its a CA hunting forum and alot of folks can give you some ideas</div></div>

Fixed it for ya...

 

[dk-1]

Re: california blacktail questions

All good advise so far, but I would add; check out the zones which border Yosemite NP (D7 & D6) and Kings Canyon NP (D8). Scout for activity during bow season or the week before general season opens. Your best bets are to concentrate on areas within a couple of miles from the NP borders on the opening weekend, then anytime inclimate weather rolls in. Good luck!!! The success rate in most non draw zones is around 5-7%.