Blacktail Deer hunters in Northern California

[Redmt]

Thats easy and you don't even have to advertise. Charge a "trespass" fee and have people sign the liability release forms. I know 5 guys right now that would pay $250, maybe up to $400, for an unguided hunt. A few usually go on one a year thats guided for $800 plus tip, but they get camping and some meals with that. Guaranteed opportunity is what people expect. You should be able to make at minimum a few thousand a year getting rid of what are otherwise pests.

The problem with pig hunting here is that you never know when or how many will be around. I wouldn't feel very good having guys stomping around collecting ticks and not seeing anything and having to pay for it.

 

[Moserkr]

The problem with pig hunting here is that you never know when or how many will be around. I wouldn't feel very good having guys stomping around collecting ticks and not seeing anything and having to pay for it.

Yea you almost need an "on-call" group thats close enough to make it worth it when they are around. Im assuming the places that consistently charge and kill have resident pigs on large acreage.

 

[AntelopeEater]

Thats easy and you don't even have to advertise. Charge a "trespass" fee and have people sign the liability release forms. I know 5 guys right now that would pay $250, maybe up to $400, for an unguided hunt. A few usually go on one a year thats guided for $800 plus tip, but they get camping and some meals with that. Guaranteed opportunity is what people expect. You should be able to make at minimum a few thousand a year getting rid of what are otherwise pests.

Holy crap just looked at Lockwood's prices!!! Now thats some upscale hunting. My friends are too cheap for that kind of stuff for a pig hahaha. Bear deer pig combo must be over $10k!

It was $8,500 for the deer/bear combo due to getting a discount by picking it up when someone else had a last minute cancellation. $1,000 extra for the pig, so $9,500 total price before tip.

Included a fully guided one on one multi-day hunt with guaranteed shot opportunities, staying in a nice camp trailer with all the bells and whistles, all food, skinning, dressing the game, etc.

Not cheap, and not something I could afford to do every year, but it was an awesome experience and I feel I got a great deal overall.

The year earlier I wasted over a thousand dollars and several days of precious vacation time buying a non-resident OTC deer and bear tag and hunting public land in D9 in California and spent numerous days hiking all over the public land and saw exactly zero deer or bear the whole time.

 

[HunterC]

The problem with pig hunting here is that you never know when or how many will be around. I wouldn't feel very good having guys stomping around collecting ticks and not seeing anything and having to pay for it.

You can never guarantee a wild animal on a guided hunt. You can tell them you see pigs all the time or a lot. I guided pigs for over 35 years with and without dogs.

 

[AntelopeEater]

You can never guarantee a wild animal on a guided hunt. You can tell them you see pigs all the time or a lot. I guided pigs for over 35 years with and without dogs.

What I've seen some guides offer is a deal where they guarantee a shot opportunity, and if you do not get a shot opportunity doing your guided hunt, you can come back for a second guided hunt in the future at no additional charge.

Obviously it is a bad deal for a guide unless they can be pretty confident most hunters will get a shot opportunity during the first hunt.

 

[Moserkr]

It was $8,500 for the deer/bear combo due to getting a discount by picking it up when someone else had a last minute cancellation. $1,000 extra for the pig, so $9,500 total price before tip.

Included a fully guided one on one multi-day hunt with guaranteed shot opportunities, staying in a nice camp trailer with all the bells and whistles, all food, skinning, dressing the game, etc.

Not cheap, and not something I could afford to do every year, but it was an awesome experience and I feel I got a great deal overall.

The year earlier I wasted over a thousand dollars and several days of precious vacation time buying a non-resident OTC deer and bear tag and hunting public land in D9 in California and spent numerous days hiking all over the public land and saw exactly zero deer or bear the whole time.

Oh I understand, thats a nice hunt, and not a bad price for what you got out of it. I stopped doing public land pig hunts for that very reason. The cost of DIY and zero opportunity outweighed the cost of a guide. My proximity to the hunting grounds is not cost efficient to learn the areas.

As for deer and bear, I could have said the same thing when I first started hunting d3-5. Now I can consistently find bucks in the hardest unit of the hardest state to hunt, in my opinion. It only took a decade, wrecked my feet, and took enough time n money to pay for at least one of the hunts you went on haha.

Unfortunately for CA our deer numbers are way down and will probably never recover to the height of their success again. A DIY deer hunt is tough out here but possible. A DIY bear hunt is tough too but everyone should attempt this one as our bear numbers are way too high, and in certain areas seeing bear is almost guaranteed (tahoe area, north coast).

 

[44hunter45]

Y'all giving me this itch to go back for deer and pig hunt. I know A-south best.

The public/private divide is huge in Cali. When we lived in Santa Cruz County I had 100"+ bucks eating my garden that I could not touch. My neighbors would have had me in irons. We had a friend with 80 acres bordering Big Basin State Park. He had absolute toads on his place but it was all look but don't touch. I drove 3 hours to public for any buck I could find.

 

[bowhunterjae]

Got my first blacktail last August with the help of a guide in northern A zone.

Nice, Congratulations.

 

[Oldskool67]

Mendocino County. Sadly I moved to Texas a few years ago but still go back once a year to hunt there

 

[LosPadre]

Oh I understand, thats a nice hunt, and not a bad price for what you got out of it. I stopped doing public land pig hunts for that very reason. The cost of DIY and zero opportunity outweighed the cost of a guide. My proximity to the hunting grounds is not cost efficient to learn the areas.

As for deer and bear, I could have said the same thing when I first started hunting d3-5. Now I can consistently find bucks in the hardest unit of the hardest state to hunt, in my opinion. It only took a decade, wrecked my feet, and took enough time n money to pay for at least one of the hunts you went on haha.

Unfortunately for CA our deer numbers are way down and will probably never recover to the height of their success again. A DIY deer hunt is tough out here but possible. A DIY bear hunt is tough too but everyone should attempt this one as our bear numbers are way too high, and in certain areas seeing bear is almost guaranteed (tahoe area, north coast).

CA Zone A deer numbers are down because CA Zone A mountain loins are unmanaged. It's a free-for-all venison gorge fest for every lion family 24/7/365. No limitations. No restrictions. No boundaries. Cali Commie will put you in prison if you shoot a lion, or at least fine you so hard your grandchildren won't be able to afford a lollipop. It's a total leadership failure brought to you by Commie Supermajority. Until lions are hunted, deer will be rare. (It's so bad that I even ran in to a CHP officer who told me he and his CHP officer hunting buddy were out hunting deer and saw lions chasing deer a few years back. He said they themselves opened lion season, each killed one, then they closed lion season. Even law enforcement knows the whole thing is a farce.)

 

[Redmt]

Part of what you blabber is true. What I take strong exception to is your commie reference. If that's how you feel fine. If you live out here , get out . If you don't live out here shut your f'ing mouth .

 

[Lou (Louis)]

Part of what you blabber is true. What I take strong exception to is your commie reference. If that's how you feel fine. If you live out here , get out . If you don't live out here shut your f'ing mouth .

I live out here. It’s a political s—-hole.
I can’t leave. Business. And the state is beautiful. The government, not so much.

 

[jryoung]

Tell me about this Commie super majority that's to blame for something that was started by Ronald Reagan and codified by voters with a 52%/48% split with a 36% registered voter turnout.

 

[Sytes]

Instead of flipping this to a political bonfire, not like seasoned veterans here have not paint-brushed "Trumpers" with more vulgar/colorful comments here - though people love to bite on "New Members" versus actually stand up against those known seasoned people here... Go figure.

Moving from politics:

I am out here now along the bay waters... I am late this year to enter for the special muzzleloader season though next year I'll be in the game. Hoping to learn some about these black tails...
Are they subject to testing for CWD? I understand a strong focus is on the heat and searching for coolies, ravines and definite water springs, etc.

I am meeting with a CDFW biologist next week and looking forward to learning a bit more though if we can keep this thread out of the political gutter, I would enjoy learning more about these deer.

Also, a .54 ball going to destroy these critters? I understand minimal ball size is .50 for the muzzy old school which is nice to see California actually holds a select traditional season. Montana could learn something from Ca.... Never thought I would say that!

 

[Redmt]

Instead of flipping this to a political bonfire, not like seasoned veterans here have not paint-brushed "Trumpers" with more vulgar/colorful comments here - though people love to bite on "New Members" versus actually stand up against those known seasoned people here... Go figure.

Moving from politics:

I am out here now along the bay waters... I am late this year to enter for the special muzzleloader season though next year I'll be in the game. Hoping to learn some about these black tails...
Are they subject to testing for CWD? I understand a strong focus is on the heat and searching for coolies, ravines and definite water springs, etc.

I am meeting with a CDFW biologist next week and looking forward to learning a bit more though if we can keep this thread out of the political gutter, I would enjoy learning more about these deer.

Also, a .54 ball going to destroy these critters? I understand minimal ball size is .50 for the muzzy old school which is nice to see California actually holds a select traditional season. Montana could learn something from Ca.... Never thought I would say that!

I try to ignore the political crap. I do agree that SOME of the politicians are the best that money can buy. I know others personally that are hard working, honest people that try their best to keep the state livable. When some 5 post clown jumps in and starts throwing the childish commie term around in a blanket statement it is plain old offensive.

 

[Sytes]

I try to ignore the political crap

Haha! I hear ya! I am trying to ignore it as well.

I understand blacktails are along the muley line for size and rack or ? How many pounds of meat does a full sized blacktail produce? How do they settle for flavor? I loved muleys for my breakfast sausage and burger. Blacktails food seem to match whitetails - however the Mendocino deer apparently find almost 1/2 their diet on acorns! How does that affect flavor?

I am looking at Black bear in B3. Apparently it overlaps with deer. The Black bears have surged to the point the commision voted two tags per hunter. I suppose best to have ice ready at the truck due to the heat...

Peppering several Q's.

 

[Redmt]

Haha! I hear ya! I am trying to ignore it as well.

I understand blacktails are along the muley line for size and rack or ? How many pounds of meat does a full sized blacktail produce? How do they settle for flavor? I loved muleys for my breakfast sausage and burger. Blacktails food seem to match whitetails - however the Mendocino deer apparently find almost 1/2 their diet on acorns! How does that affect flavor?

I am looking at Black bear in B3. Apparently it overlaps with deer. The Black bears have surged to the point the commision voted two tags per hunter. I suppose best to have ice ready at the truck due to the heat...

Peppering several Q's.are

Black tails run from little forkyset on a guess of 125# the largest I have gotten are 175-190#. Our acorns are dropping early this year. At the end of the season the meat gets a little too strong, I'm guessing it's the acorns. We hang everything for at least two weeks. I try to get it in the box within a couple hours. The steaks are usually very tender. Backstrap is fantastic. Roasts are better slow cooked in a smoker. Burger gets about %20 beef fat. If I could have a %100 diet of venison it would be fine.

 

[2rocky]

Black tails run from little forkyset on a guess of 125# the largest I have gotten are 175-190#. Our acorns are dropping early this year. At the end of the season the meat gets a little too strong, I'm guessing it's the acorns. We hang everything for at least two weeks. I try to get it in the box within a couple hours. The steaks are usually very tender. Backstrap is fantastic. Roasts are better slow cooked in a smoker. Burger gets about %20 beef fat. If I could have a %100 diet of venison it would be fine.

my daughter's buck this year weighed 155# gutted but he was getting his groceries from an apple orchard and an organic dairy next door. He had an inch and a half of fat on his back. Probably the biggest buck I've seen locally in Sonoma County.

More typical range is probably 80-120# field dressed. Definitely a one trip backpack job.

 

[Redmt]

my daughter's buck this year weighed 155# gutted but he was getting his groceries from an apple orchard and an organic dairy next door. He had an inch and a half of fat on hie s back. Probably the biggest buck I've seen locally in Sonoma County.

More typical range is probably 80-120# field dressed. Definitely a one trip backpack job.

I haven't weighed them field dressed. I hunt either at our place or a property nextdoor. It's much easier for me to bring them home for dressing and hanging. I got a super fat buck a couple years ago and got the brilliant idea to use the fat for snack sticks and for the burger. Bad mistake! The fat doesn't break down and ends up leaving a heavy fat layer on the roof of your mouth.

 

[2rocky]

Bad mistake! The fat doesn't break down and ends up leaving a heavy fat layer on the roof of your mouth.

yep it is like lamb that way. My local butcher is happy to sell me beef fat.