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Fish and Game magazine? I didn’t know you hunted.
You must be new around here. Where are you from?
Texas. Can you tell me about the best hunting zones in California?
It depends on the species. For example, the best place for feral pig hunting is in Northern
California. Hog hunting is popular because there is no possession limit, and pigs are
in season year round.
Where’s the best place to hunt white-tail deer in California?
There are black-tail deer in California, but no white-tail deer. The best place to do this
is in Sikiyou County, though you can hunt near the Knoxville State Wildlife Area if
you’re willing to go on foot.
What are California’s limits on deer hunting?
When you get a permit to go deer hunting, they assign you a zone in which you can hunt.
And don’t forget to go online to report your kills, if you don’t want to fill out
the paperwork.
Where can you go if you like duck hunting?
Gray Lodge is actually nationally known for duck hunting. You can bag geese there, too.
Let’s say that goose is cooked. I’ve already tried hunting geese up near Sacramento National
Wildlife Refuge.
California has plenty of hunting opportunities, especially if you’re willing to bow hunt
instead of hike with a rifle in your arms.
What if you don’t want to hunt deer, pigs or duck?
And a partridge in a pear tree … Sorry. Lake Shasta may be known for all the nuts
that haunt the foothills around that mountain, well known for the angel wing formations that
form above the summit, but it’s actually a great place for turkey hunting.
That would be perfect right before Thanksgiving.
Have you thought of bear hunting?
I have given it barely a thought. Pardon the pun.
Bear hunting is legal in California. Lake Shasta, the Trinity Alps and Yolla Bolly Wilderness
are great places for bear hunting.
Is there anything else I need to know?
California has hunting on military land by Fort Hunter Liggett, if you get a permit.
Most national parks and state parks allow hunting of some type, but you have to be careful
in the North because there is a mix of public and private land.
What is the problem with that?
In California, you need a permit to hunt – and you need permission of the private land owner
in addition to the permit to be on their property.
What is the penalty?
You won’t be shot on sight, but trespassing with a gun on someone’s land could land
you in jail. That’ll ruin a hunting trip in a hurry.