Joice Island Drawing Closes Soon.

The Joice Island Lottery pig hunt is a great place to go hunting, with relatively high success rates in good terrain. I killed my first pig here as an apprentice hunter in 2007. The drawing closes in less than two weeks.

I would highly recommend that all apply because it is a great place to hunt. It is located in the delta and you do hunt a wetland area. There are lots of pigs here. The best way to hunt them is to push through the reeds and flush the pigs out. Or at least this is how I did it in the past and it worked well for me.

There are 7 weekend hunts available, with the first being for junior hunters and the last 6 for regular hunters. It is shotgun/archery only. With a limit of three hunters per weekend.

Link to DFW Website for more info HERE

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area 9/19-9/21 2014

I went deer hunting at Gray Lodge wildlife area last weekend (first time ever going there). I was repeatedly pleasantly surprised by how nice the whole place was. There were flush toilets, the roads were very well maintained, and in the main parking lot there was even a microwave you could use.

This place is very well managed. I have never seen so much wildlife in one place. Species I saw included, grouse, pheasant, quail, turkey, deer, red tailed hawks, an owl, a turtle, frogs, bass, egrets, blue herons, crayfish, a kingsnake (see video here) and many other brids

If I were to go deer hunting there again, I would go in a group of at least two, 3-4 would likely be best. This way when flushing out the deer in the reeds you would be more likely to get one. This is really the only good way to deer hunt there. Several hunters did bring tree stands for the few trees which can support one, however they were not used much. Bikes are allowed there so I would recommend bringing one, this way you can cover much more ground.

I saw 11 deer, 10 of which were legal but could not get a good shot at one.
I also did some bass fishing - to see the youtube video click here

Do Not Forget Mosquito Spray/Repellent

IF you have any questions please ask in the comment section, I will answer any questions you have.



Gray Lodge Wildlife Area - Butte County (DFG LINK)

Panoche Hills/ Tumey Hills BLM Land - Target Shooting/ Hunting 6/28/2014

Today I went with my brother and friend to go do some target shooting on BLM land. We wanted to practice >100 yard shots, which our local range is unable to provide for us. First off, there are no trees here, so make sure if you decide to go target shooting to bring a canopy or tarp to provide shade, especially this time of year, today it was 104 out there. As far as hunting, I am sure there are pigs there, when there is actually water. I saw a lot of varmint signs, but only saw one rabbit. We were going to go the northern half of Panoche hills, but the road leading into that part was locked because The Panoche and Tumey Hills are now under Fire Season Vehicle Restrictions. No motorized access is allowed from April 15 to the beginning of upland game bird season. So on highway 5 there is actually a road that goes right off into the park which is where we ended up going. There were several other groups there shooting as well. For BLM land this is actually some of the cleanest, so please remember to pick up your casings and targets. There are no bathrooms and no water so make sure to bring water and toilet paper if you head up there. It is also a great area to go fossil hunting so it could be a great trip for the family, especially during the wetter months. BLM Panoche Hills Webpage BLM target Shooting

Hunting Indian Valley Wildlife Area

Ive been way to busy recently to update this, but in october I went to Indian Valley Wildlife Area to go deer/pig hunting. Getting there is a bit tricky especially if you drive up there in the dark. There is a nice little campground near the lake with a bathroom, but you must bring your own drinking water. There is a campgrouind/RV park closer to the reseviour where you must pay to overnight there. if you want to do any fishing there you must also pay a day use fee, but on the other side you can go fishing without having to pay. There are plenty of does around (it a buck only zone). There is a firestation nearby so you can have your deer tag validated there which is nice. In terms of wildlife there, I saw deer, quail, turkey, and I did find a pig carcass. On the back side there are bears as well. I will upload pictures soon as I am short on time at the moment. To all of those who read these posts. I would highly encourage you to comment on your expiriences at any of these places if you have or do go visit them. DFG website link - http://dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/region2/indianvalley.html