2013 Public Land Seminar Slate Final
Our 2013 seminar schedule is nearly complete. We will have sessions in two categories: 1) information for beginning bird hunters and 2) public land dove, quail and chukar hunting sessions valuable for any hunter. They are being held at locations throughout Southern California and the times, dates, and locations are posted below. The goal of all our seminars is to educate hunters on how and where to hunt on public lands in this region. All of our seminars include a trial two-issue subscription to our Western Birds newsletter included in the class fee, and existing Western Birds subscribers can attend any seminar for $10.
Cost: All our fee sessions cost $50 per person (wives and kids in same household are free). Pre-registration is required. You can also call 909-887-3444 for more information.
Brief details about the $50 classes: Jim Matthews, editor and publisher of Western Birds, The Wingshooter’s Newsletter, gives these two-hour seminars on public land hunting opportunities. The sessions cover how to locate public land hunting spots, map resources and mapping software use, use of GPS units and coordinates, guzzler locations, and hunting tactics. The class fee covers a special package of handouts and a trial two-issue subscription to the Western Birds newsletter, which essentially makes each seminar free.
Our seminars are held at Bass Pro Shops in Rancho Cucamonga, Turner's Outdoorsman stores in Fountain Valley, San Diego, San Marcos, Reseda, and Ventura, and Mike Raahauge Shooting Enterprises in Corona.
Beginner’s Where-To-Go Dove and Upland Bird Hunting
10 a.m.-Noon, Sunday, June 9, Bass Pro, GET FLYER-REGISTRATION FORM HERE
10 a.m.-Noon, Saturday, June 15, Kearny Mesa Turner’s, GET FLYER-REGISTRATION FORM HERE
3-5 p.m. Saturday, June 15, San Marcos Turner’s, GET FLYER-REGISTRATION FORM HERE
7-9 p.m. Thursday, July 11, Reseda Turner’s
10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, July 13, Fountain Valley Turner’s
7-9 p.m. Thursday, July 18, Bass Pro
10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, July 20, Ventura Turner’s
Where-To-Go Dove, Quail, and Chukar Hunting
10 a.m.-Noon, Saturday, July 27, Raahauge’s
7-9 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 15, Ventura Turner’s
10 a.m.-Noon, Saturday, Aug. 17, San Marcos Turner’s
3-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, San Diego Turner’s
7-9 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 22 (or 29, still TBD), Bass Pro
10 a.m.-Noon, Saturday, Aug. 24, Fountain Valley Turner’s
10 a.m.-Noon, Sunday, Aug. 25 (option of second class 2 to 4 p.m.), Bass Pro
Complete flyer and registration form is here.
INFORMATION: 909-887-3444
Jim Matthews on Southern California bird hunting
The number one question I field at outdoor shows, seminars, and over the telephone is a simple one: “Where can I go hunting for…?” You fill in the blank. There are variations on the question, but the theme is the same. Hunters want to find places where they have a chance of finding doves or quail or chukar on public land where they know it’s legal. The questions come from beginning hunters who are just starting out and don’t have a clue where to find game birds. And it comes from veteran hunters who have lost their spots to urban sprawl or just want a few new places to try.
The most-often spouted lament I hear – often from veteran hunters who should know better – is that there’s no place left to hunt in Southern California anymore or that the hunting isn’t as good as it was 10, 20, or 50 years ago. That is simply laughable. I like to say there are far more good places to hunt upland birds in Southern California than there are bird hunters today. When we have good hatches, like this past fall, our hunting can be as good as any place in the United States – and far better than most places.
For example, I helped out a couple of bird hunting guides from Wisconsin the fall of 2011, which was one of our best bird years in some time. These guides hunt hard in Wisconsin for ruffed grouse and woodcock, and then move to Kansas for bobwhite quail and pheasants, and then finish the season in Arizona hunting for Mearn’s quail, scaled quail, and Gambel’s. They wanted to shoot their first mountain quail. What they did was set a personal daily record for number of birds moved, seeing literally hundreds of birds – valley quail, mountain quail and chukar in canyons draining the east side of the southern Sierra Nevada. They said it was arguably the best hunting they had ever had – and these are veteran hunters with well-trained bird dogs who hunt some of the best bird country in the United States. California was better, and it’s all right here in our backyard. But that’s our little secret.
Our seminars are designed to open up this bird hunting mecca to you. We give you the tools to find literally hundreds of public land spots in this region. We teach you what maps to use so you know you are hunting legally. We give you information on how to find desert water sources – from springs to stock tanks, to gamebird guzzlers. We direct you to specific locations where we have found good bird numbers. And we share a lifetime of hunting knowledge and tactics gathered in this region. All of this information can optimize your hunting and scouting time and make you a more successful bird hunter.
We have three special sessions this year designed just for new or beginning bird hunters, but all of our dove seminars and quail and chukar seminars provide valuable resources and information that both new and veteran hunters will find valuable.