newbie :)

YellowHorse · Post by **YellowHorse** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:28 pm

Hi all,

I'm a stay at home mom currently residing in So Cal. I asked a fellow member on a horse forum I'm on about the gun forums he's a member of and, well, here I am

I have not hunted since I was a teen/young adult and wanting to get back into hunting.
I remember going with my uncle on a couple hunts (he had a large private property up in Oregon), though I never did get a deer, he did infect me with a love of hunting

When I went hunting, my uncle supplied me with a rifle and he mainly focused on teaching me hunting safety, safely handling the rifle, target shooting/sighting that specific rifle before we went on the hunt, etc.

Before I invest in a hunting rifle or two, I would like to learn about the different rifles and calibers. I will be taking a hunter safety course in the near future, but until I can get back into hunting, I need to start learning all I can.

And maybe, in the near future, I'll be finally bringing home that deer that eluded me in my younger years and be able to fill my freezer with venosin I harvested myself

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:32 pm

YellowHorse,

Welcome to the forum.

We have several very good forum members living in SoCal, so they can and will help you any way possible.

Joe

RKrodle · Post by **RKrodle** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:33 pm

Welcome to the campfire Yellowhorse, this is a good place to get all the info you need and then some. Lots a good people here that are willing to share their knowledge.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:48 pm

Welcome to the fire YellowHorse.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:49 pm

Welcome to The Forum. The answers to your questions are so varied and wide-ranging, I'd feel unqualified to recommend a particular answer. Many of your answers will be dependent on factors such as: where you plan to hunt, distances you'll feel comfortable taking game; amount of recoil you'll accept... almost ad nauseum... but, they will narrow down the field to where a particular gun and round will jump out and scream, "BUY ME!"

I will say, tho, (possibly because of my own particular prejudices and desires), you kanna go wrong with a Winchester 94 in the venerable .30-30. (A Marlin 336 in the same caliber would do in a pinch)!

Yep, I'm a Winchester 94 fan! Tho' I also readily admit that such a choice will also make demands on your hunting prowess that some are unwilling to undertake. This is a point at which simply time in the woods (not necessarily in pursuit of game), at the range and study of deer habits and proclivities will stand you in better stead than any particular choice of firearm and cartridge. Locating a mentor is one of the best ways to learn and develope woodcraft, it will reduce the number of errors almost all hunters make, plus it will serve for an almost dis-interested party to observe and guide you as you develop both shooting and woodcraft skills.

I'm sure some will jump in with their favored deer slayer also! My apologies for being long winded.

rjohns94 · Post by **rjohns94** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:55 pm

Welcome YellowHorse,

I wish you much luck in your pursuit of that first deer. As you relate more info on where you are going to shoot, experience, how much time you have to shoot and such, I'm sure this forum will be able to hunt. There are many SoCal members here that would be glad to help you at the range and even shooting various options. A good starting point would be the Winchester '94 in 30-30 as Griff has mentioned. Keep asking questions and you will be sure to find that perfect rifle.

blessings

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:03 pm

Welcome!

Dont try to soak it all in in a short time. Many of us took a bunch of years to form our opinions and likes but most are willing to share.

JReed · Post by **JReed** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:08 pm

Welcome

You came to the right place to learn. The level of info here is top notch from every thing to single shots to those nasty auto loaders

.

Where in SoCal are you? There are quite a few of us here from all over the state.

Nate Kiowa Jones · Post by **Nate Kiowa Jones** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:26 pm

Howdy from Texas Ms Yellowhorse. It's always refreshing to get the feminine view and thoughts on these guns we love.
As a gunsmith that caters to the Cowboy action shooter I have learned a few things about fitting guns to the lady shooters. For starters, fitting a butstock, the Length Of Pull (LOP) method of crook of the elbow to the trigger doesn't work well for most lady shooters. Females generally don't have the upper body strength that men do and they sometimes have these protrusions there on their chest that can get in the way as well. For those reasons it is generally better to make the stock anywhere from 1 1/2" to 2 1/2" less than the LOP method of crook of the elbow to the trigger. A general rule is your thumb should be about and 1â€

Jarhead · Post by **Jarhead** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:26 pm

Welcome,

For Deer huntin'

As Mike and Griff related, it's hard to beat a 30-30 for an entry level rifle.
A Browning BLR in .243 would also be a good one to consider....it's flatter shooting and reaches out a lttle better than a 30-30 for longer shots at game. I killed my first deer with a 30-30

Best wishes on your first succesful deer hunt...and Welcome.

Jeeps · Post by **Jeeps** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:33 pm

Welcome and enjoy. Lots of good people and info.

Post by **Hobie** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:37 pm

Glad we finally got you posting! Welcome to the fire!!

bsaride · Post by **bsaride** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:23 pm

Welcome Yellowhorse,

I am in a similar situation, single parent with two twenty something girls
still at home. I am in SoCal (Orange County) as well. I have been working
up to going hunting this year for the first time in over ten years. Never did
shoot my first deer either as my last hunting partner was the bull seen in
the China Shop. Just yesterday I picked up $50 in maps and now trying to
decide where to hunt. I will be calling DFG soon and narrowing things down.
If it's in the budget I would recommend getting a 22LR rifle and shoot
it alot to get in the practice. I have a 1908 Marlin 30-30 and a
1927 Marlin 22 that I have decided to use in my "first" year back hunting.

I will be heading out to the range again in a couple weeks to shoot the 22's
(I need to get them sighted properly) and I found that the silhouette course
is a fun way to do a fair amount of shooting (will be doing more of that
as well). I always enjoyed rabbit hunting and will look for rabbit areas
when I call DFG as well.

BTW if you shoot 22 or handgun ammo then you can shoot at most indoor
ranges as well (some have certain ammo restrictions).

If you are close to OC then you would be welcome to head out to the range, etc. with me.

If you want any additional help let me know (send a PM).

Jay

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:30 pm

Welcome Miss Yellowhorse,

I guess now that we have a lady in the house we'll have to behave a little better. Some of us ain't exactly house broke yet. We'll try to do better.

C. Cash · Post by **C. Cash** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:41 pm

Welcome Yellowhorse! Great to have you here, and what Rusty said!

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:43 pm

Howdy!

I had a yellow horse once.

A Winchester 94 fit real nice on him.

TedH · Post by **TedH** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:44 pm

Welcome!

Duff L Bagg · Post by **Duff L Bagg** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:27 pm

Welcome to the fire, pull up a stump and make yourself at home. You will find that there is a fine bunch of people here with a wealth of knowledge. All you have to do is ask most are more than willing to help.

71fan · Post by **71fan** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:49 pm

Welcome to the fire...

I don't suppose you come from an esteemed line of talented Navajo silversmiths?? I have several DY knives and love them.

Good luck in your endeavors. Like others have said, you will find all the information you need right here, and we have members scattered all over SoCal from San Diego to OC, LA, and Lancaster.

If you are planning on hunting right here in your backyard, be prepared for a lot of time investment and hard hunting. These are tough mountains and wily little deer. If you are going out of state, you'll be much better off (although poorer).

Without knowing anything about your plans, size, recoil sensitivity, etc., it's hard to make recommendation. But the .243, .260, .308, 30-30 and 35 Rem would all be perfectly adequate for our little SoCal deer, all with low to moderate recoil.

BenT · Post by **BenT** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:53 pm

Welcome, the caliber you use for hunting will be dictated by what the terrain is. 99% of hunting is walking in the woods. So start by exploring where you want to hunt . Once you settled on a place where you see game and think would be good for hunting. Choose a gun and caliber for that area, based on wood density and how far you'll be shooting. But until then get yourself a 22 and start plinking and take those kids out exploring.

Good Luck!

GANJIRO · Post by **GANJIRO** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:53 pm

Welcome Miss Horsey, have a seat by the fire and we can all talk guns.

kimwcook · Post by **kimwcook** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:13 pm

Welcome to the forum. Sit back and soak up information for a while. There's a lot of extremely knowledgeable people here. They'll help with anything.

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:33 pm

Welcome aboard!

Lots of very knowledgable folks here - and a few opinionated ones like me! Glad to see more ladies joining the discussion - and shooting in general!

I am not much of a hunter, so I will let others much more knowledgable than I chime in - especially from the southern CA area. However, I do know more deer have been taken in this country with the venerable .30-30 WCF leveraction than probably all other guns combined. You just can't go wrong with one.

Good luck! Keep us informed on your choice!

jazman · Post by **jazman** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:46 pm

Welcome aboard, lots of knowledge to be gained here. Jim

mescalero1 · Post by **mescalero1** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:00 am

Well now, please be seated.

YellowHorse · Post by **YellowHorse** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:57 am

Wow! I didn't expect such a response from so many people in such a short time

Thank you for all the great info everyone
and thanks for getting my account up and running hobie!

Nice lookin yeller hoss ya got there 20cows

I'll see if I can post a pic of Yellow Horse (yes, that is his name), my adopted wild mustang. This is his first time being ridden...

71fan, No Navajo, but I am Cree mixed with French on my mother's side. Thanks for the info on hunting deer here in Cali and suitible calibers. Looks llike I'm going to have to work fer my deer

I'm on the outskirts of Lancaster, so I'm pretty close to some of you here on this forum.

When I was hunting with my uncle, I was sighting in hunting ammo with his 30-06. I could take the recoil of that rifle, no problem. I was pretty strong "fer a girl" and probably quite a bit stronger now.
My first job was as an apprentice framer, and I currently train and work with wild horses. I butcher my own goats that we raise, I can buck a ton of hay, no problem, and I can hike hilly terrain all day from dawn till dusk.
No, I'm not a "girly girl," but I've been told I "clean up real good"

Post by **Old Savage** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:18 am

Nice horse - I'm in town.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:33 am

Bsaride; might I suggest you look at X-10 if they're still using the same designations they in the 1980s. I had my most success in that zone. As almost ALL of CA is by draw, it's by the luck of the draw, but... that is a great zone. In 7 years of hunting that zone, I was successful 5 times.

Yellowhorse; as said by others, that exploring, time in the woods, and all is immeasurable in leading toward success. Was your prior hunting/shooting done with a scope? Most of the areas nearest you that I'm familiar with have some long shots available. If so, and given your prior experience with the .30-06, I'd be remiss if I didn't suggest a BLR in .308. Range is not a problem, nor is scope mounting, it remains a relatively light and handy rifle, and you should find recoil to be less than a .30-06. The BLR also has the added advantage that you can use pointed bullets that allow for better range. (Remember, you ARE on Leverguns, so most of us are a little pre-disposed to this action type.)

YellowHorse · Post by **YellowHorse** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:11 am

Hi Old Savage, nice to see someone out here in the same area.
Maybe I'll be seeing you around

Hi Griff,
I do have a membership to several private properties throughout Calif for hunting and fishing, so I do have access to being able to walk the property, often with just a days notice if no one else is already out there.
Right now I just have a fishing membership, but that will be easy to fix once I'm finally ready to go on my first hunt

Yeah, I kinda figured there would be a preference for them lever actions

The 30-06 I was using was a bolt action (if there's no such thing as a lever action 30-06, I wouldn't know

), but I did always like the levers, seemed more handy than the bolt

edit: Oh, I forgot to reply that no I never used a scope, but I guess I should learn.

Now let's see, which hunting properties am I interested in.......

71fan · Post by **71fan** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:34 pm

Here's the Navajo silversmith reference, FYI. These are fantastic knives: http://www.yellowhorseltd.com/david%20yellowhorse.htm

YellowHorse wrote:I do have a membership to several private properties throughout Calif for hunting and fishing, so I do have access to being able to walk the property, often with just a days notice if no one else is already out there.
Right now I just have a fishing membership, but that will be easy to fix once I'm finally ready to go on my first hunt

Now let's see, which hunting properties am I interested in.......

Are you in Wilderness Unlimited? I've contemplated that a few times, but have never talked to anyone in it, except the salesman that came to my house a few years ago. He was a bit biased I suppose. I'd like to hear more about it but I don't want to hijack this thread. Do you mind if I PM you about it?

Idahoser · Post by **Idahoser** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:40 pm

It's a sortof rare treat that we get to welcome a lady. We tend to gush a little I guess.

Welcome back to the joy of shooting. No matter what else you get, you are going to want a .22LR rifle. They're just too much fun and too cheap to shoot for anybody not to have one or a few.

We here, of course, are fond of the leveraction but any is better than none.

What to hunt with will have a lot of questions to answer, but the .22 is a given, so that's where I'd start.

homefront · Post by **homefront** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:51 pm

Welcome, Yellowhorse!

You have found the right place...

Glad to see you can post pictures - we're going to want to see your rifle (when you find it) and the results on paper.
Who knows, maybe we'll get you into reloading, too.

See you 'round campus!

gon2shoot · Post by **gon2shoot** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:04 pm

Comin in a little late, but welcome.
You are in a unique posistion of being an out spoken member of the fair sex of Levergunners (there are a few, but not enough).

My idea would be to find a mdl you like, then find a caliber that fits your needs. There are so many options available nowdays, almost anything is possible.
My wife loves the 357, can handle the 45, 44, &45-70 but didn't like the 30-30

.

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 5:55 am

Nice lookin yeller hoss ya got there 20cows

Unfortunately he looked a lot better yhan he behaved!

I traded him in for this half Arab (makes life "interesting").

I call him "Jihad Red".

YellowHorse · Post by **YellowHorse** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:34 pm

71fan wrote:Are you in Wilderness Unlimited? I've contemplated that a few times, but have never talked to anyone in it, except the salesman that came to my house a few years ago. He was a bit biased I suppose. I'd like to hear more about it but I don't want to hijack this thread. Do you mind if I PM you about it?

Yes, I have a membership in WU and No, I don't mind if you PM me, I'll gladly answer any Q's you have about it.
And I had never heard of those knives. Nice looking series

Bsaride, Sorry I didn't see you post earlier, there's such large a reply that I must of skipped it (especially since my kids are always distracting me from the PC, LOL).
I think you would be a bit too far away

Though we are making a trip down to the gun show in Costa Mesa tomorrow (Sat). Don't know if you might be there...

Idahoser, I'll be looking around for one of those 22LRs,

Yes, homefront, I'll definately be posting a pic of my rifle when I get one

gon2shoot, I know the feeling all to well, I'll often be with a group of guys doing some work that you rarely see us girls do, construction, opperating a tractor or forklift, hunting, etc. I have a few funny stories to tell

20cows, I know about them pretty horses being better lookin than behaved. But I found this fella of mine and he's got a temperament as golden as his coat. He's a rare one, never met a palomino I liked until I got him.
Nice half Arab, I used to have an Arab, but she hated me so I gave her to my hubby whom she loved, she was a one man mare, LOL.

Nath · Post by **Nath** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:03 pm

Welcome Yellowhorse and greatings from England.
Tell us all about the interesting things you do and ask many many questions.
Fantastic pic, you the hoss and them hills

Nath.

newbie :)

newbie :)

Re: newbie :)