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Photo courtesy USDA Forest Service
The NWTF helps you find turkeys in California's forests WANT MORE? > Over-the-counter turkey permits are available from March 26 until May 1 for firearms and until May 15 for archery. Two youth hunts are on the schedule for May and March. Visit www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations for more information.
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California dreamin'…
for Rios, Easterns, Merriam's and hybrids
California's national forests are a turkey hunter's dream, full of Rios, Merriam's and Eastern/Rio hybrids on mountainous, flat and coastal terrains. Match that buffet of hunting opportunity with the work the NWTF and its partners are doing in the Golden State and go ahead and call it a turkey hunter's paradise.
Since 1985, the California State Chapter of the NWTF has spent nearly $2 million to conserve the wild turkey and preserve our hunting heritage by enhancing hunting areas and adding to an eclectic turkey population.
Karen L. Hayden, with Feather River Ranger District in Plumas National Forest, said 16 of the 18 national forests in California offer hunting. At least 40 percent of the 20 million forested acres are suitable turkey habitat for hunting. Here are some of Hayden's hot spots. But enter with caution. Because of checkerboard land management systems in place at some forests, confirm that you're on public land instead of private when mapping out your hunt.
Mendocino National Forest/East Side
According to Hayden, Mendocino is the only California national forest that is not crossed by a paved road or highway. And it has turkeys.
Comprised of nearly a million acres, the forest straddles the eastern spur of the Coastal Mountain Range. Hayden says that in spring you'll typically find the turkeys at the 5,000-feet level or lower, on the western slopes.
Hunters can stay in Willows or resorts in Lake County for easy access to hunting areas.
Eldorado National Forest
The Eldorado National Forest celebrated its centennial year in 2010. About 90 minutes northwest from Sacramento, this 800,000-plus acreage holds steep canyons, rivers and mountains. It was once gold mining country but is less visited now because of its remoteness, which makes it a great destination for the adventurous turkey hunter. Stay in nearby Placerville, or camp out in the forest.
Tahoe National Forest
Head northeast of Sacramento to the more than 800,000-acre Tahoe National Forest, where the foothills-to-crests terrain make it a challenge for avid turkey hunters. Tahoe is one of the forests with a checkerboard management ownership pattern, so it is important to know where legal hunting grounds are located.
Stay in historic gold rush site Nevada City, reputed to be one of the best-preserved towns of the West and filled with sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Bordering the forest, it offers a variety of places to park your boots after turkey hunting all day, from cabins to bed and breakfasts and old hotels. Take your pick and make a your dream hunt a vacation. — Barbara Baird