Shape shifters, ghosts. (24 hours in Los Padres).

Nice report. I have gotten into hunting this fall. I’ve been using a single shot 20 gauge so I can legally hunt upland birds. The single shots are much lighter than pumps. My rossi single shot 20g is 5 pounds which is pretty light considering its a full length shotgun. It would be nice to have something shorter and lighter but it might have poor range (without a choke) trying to shoot squirrels out of big tall trees.

The closest place for me to hunt is 1hr 20 mins away (cache creek) and it got burned down last summer, not a lot of wildlife, so not much luck. But I did bring my shotgun to the trinity alps last month, carried it 4,000 feet over a pass and shot as squirrel a quarter of a mile from my car on the way back.

Hunting really makes you explore and enjoy places in a way that you don’t when just hiking. You take your time, sit down and observe, and walk up little canyons that you would normally ignore. I like it.

What rifle were you carrying?

Eisner,

Thank you for sharing your very well written trip report with.  I share your passion for exploration/small game hunting. A Benelli Ultralight 20 is my tool of choice.

Yes, hunting definitely changes things.  I’ve always wondered if you could fake it…why do you have to be hunting to slow down and sit and look at things in the same way?  Believe me, I sit quietly in the wilderness a lot. But no, something is definitely different and I haven’t found anything quite like it, especially when out alone.

I was using a Ruger 10/22, with the new CCI copper .22lr (no lead allowed anywhere I hunt, soon in all of CA.  It’s great for rabbit hunting the mojave but on this trip the brush was just too thick to be able to catch any of them standing.

Funny, I’ve never really thought about a 20ga, I’ll have to consider one. I have an old workhorse of a 12ga, my great grandfather’s Winchester model 12, in great condition.  It’s been through a few men in my family and now it’s mine.  It was primarily my great grandfather’s duck gun (30″ barrel and full, fixed choke), but I’ve actually made it work on upland game, great for pheasant.  I know 30″ and full choke sounds crazy for upland/small game, and it’s HEAVY, but with light loads, small shot, and letting them get out a bit, it’s fine.  My grandpa took a lot of quail and dove with it even though it’s not a conventional upland setup.  It likely gives me a little more time to shoot.  Non-lead ammo restrictions have made it hard to use though, it can’t take steel.  So I’ve been shooting expensive ~$2 per round Rio bismuth ammo.  Which is fine; the experience of getting to use this gun that’s been in my family so long is worth it.  It’s sort of my of of getting to hunt with them.  I’ll be looking into a modern shotgun this spring.  Likely an 870 express or some similar cheap workhorse, but I’ll have a gunsmith shorten it to 26″.

Justin, we should get out together sometime, hunting or not, could probably meet up in Los Padres somewhere pretty easily.

For squirrels I used a Beretta 410. Sometime I would get 2 with one shot. Patience is a must ;-)

Looks like a nice trip.  Not too much snow.  I really like not seeing other people.  Winters are the best if I can dodge the weather.

I’m not into hunting, but maybe with a camera would achieve the same thing…

Lyrical, spiritual, mystical, words like that always come to mind when I read one of your TRs, Craig. But in this case I would add primal or atavistic, because it is clear you have made the transition from wandering in the wilderness to hunting. It brings a focus like no other I have ever experienced. Thanks once again for sharing the experience and bringing it to life so clearly.

i’ve never shot at a living thing and don’t have any plans to and this was a great read all the same :)

A consideration with using shotguns in the backcountry is that shotgun pellets are held in a “wad” which is flies out the barrel when firing. So you are leaving trash if you can’t track it down. These wads can either be plastic, paper, or some kind of fiber. Steel shot needs to be in plastic. I found it unacceptable to leave plastic lying around, so I bought some photodegradable plastic wad shells: http://kentgamebore.com/target-loads/velocity-steel-target.html comes in 12g and 20g. Unlikely someone would see it before it degrades if you are hunting off trail.

If you live in California, order it online soon because starting next year online ammo sales must ship to an FFL and who knows what they would charge for a background fee. Also new 10 day waits for ammo.

Craig, I would be down to meet up some time. Maybe this spring.

Thanks for an enjoyable read and the reminder of the recharge I feel after a quick overnighter. Although I’m not a hunter I can relate to the thrill of exploring new areas solo, and to getting caught more than a few times checking out maps.