Welcome to the world of CA hunting! As said, let it slide of your back if people start in on wanting us all to slide off into the water and die...we are not all fruits and nuts.
That said, there is some good hunting to be had if you are willing to work hard at it. D14 has some of the biggest bucks in CA. Real tough hunt from what I hear, but that pretty much goes for anything in the southern part of the state. D14 is a great zone for black bear too.
You can still use lead in D14. The no-lead zones start a little north of there and basically take up the central valley and some of the western mountains. Keep in mind, however, that by 2016 ALL of CA will be lead free. It is a total B.S. move to pander to the PETA crowd, but that's what you get around here.
Your biggest move to improve the odds of your hunt is to put in some effort and walk. I would say the vast majority of people who buy OTC tags like D14 hunt a couple days and drive around road hunting, or sit around a drink beer. If you get in a mile, you'll have it to yourself, or pretty close to it.
One plus is that despite the low odds, our local rifle seasons are usually 4 or 5 weeks, which is nice, and they are a good way to get in some solid hunting time close to home. Out typical rifle hunts down here are 8-10% success hunts. I average about 80% success - and I'm nothing special. I just put in more time, so anybody can do it.
Most of us do some out of state hunts each year so we can take some nice animals and get some more time in the field too. There are also some Fantastic late season (end of December or so) ML only hunts that you can pull every couple years or so. They are worth the wait.
This is not a place that is conducive to an outdoor lifestyle, but if you are like me and have to stick around to put family first, then you just have to make the best of it. One of these days all the rules and B.S. will get to onerous and I'll finally be able to leave. Until then, I just work hard, fight the good fight, and keep on keepin' on.
P.S. I am going on a combo bear / deer hunt in D14 in early October. This is my first hunt in that unit. I am using a private land tag and will be hunting prior to the general season. I would be more than happy to share my experiences with you when I return if it would help you in the field.
All the best,
Jim
