2019 California Duck Hunting, Mendota Refuge, report, Duck Hunting Clubs, Blind leases, how to hunt

Duck hunting California Mendota Refuge

– Hunting report and how to hunt Mendota refuge

– Mendota Refuge Maps and information on Best Areas

– Local duck hunting clubs and blind leases

-Access to 80 Hunting Ranches and Hunting Clubs  for one monthly fee!!!

MENDOTA — Pintail! Many waterfowl  hunters agree, are the most prized duck in  the Pacific Flyway. This 12,000-acre wildlife area is  offering some of the best pintail hunting in the state!  But there  are good numbers of mallards, shovelers and green-winged teal using the area too. Most of these birds  are residents, and they’re wising up pretty fast. In fact, yearlings and two-year old ducks have been the  main targets traditionally the first few weeks of the season not  only at Mendota, but at public and private shooting  areas throughout the entire state. The older, more  mature birds have been around the block a few  times. They’re more wary of decoy set. Stay tuned to our Refuge hunting report  and use of Hunting Map for reference.

Hunting at Mendota is best when the  birds are well into their Pacific Flyway  migration. Mendota is the only major  resting area between the refuges on the  Los Banos Complex 50 miles north and  Kern National Wildlife Refuge 120   miles south, so it‘s a popular resting  spot for mallard, teal, spoonies, gadwall, widgeon, and of course, pintail.  Sprig are attracted to this large water from Fresno Slough.

Even in drought-like  years like this one, Mendota always  seems to have enough water to flood its  fields.  Refuge managers flood most of the hunting units with  water that’s about ankle~deep, ideal for  pintail and mallards who like to stand in  water while their feeding. Fresno  Slough is a big piece of wide open water  that attracts big flocks of pintail.  See our Refuge Hunting Map for reference. Mendota has about 40 shallow ponds  and an abundance of prime duck feed  and cover such as timothy, watergrass,  spikerush, smartweed and bullrush.  There are numerous marsh areas on the  east side and they consist of dense cattails and tules which attract mallards and greenwinged teal. See our Refuge Hunting Map for reference.

The Department of Fish Game  manages the state wildlife area, and  Mendota’s diversified habitat  attracts all the major duck species, and  the local hunters know it! Waterfowlers  from Fresno, Madera, Los Banos and  Visalia flock to Mendota Wildlife Area  like ducks to the rice fields, and during  the peak of the migration, you can  expect to see lots of hunters from the  Bay Area and even Los Angeles!  Mendota has about 40  shallow ponds and an  abundance of prime  duck feed and cover  such as timothy, water-  grass, spikerush, smart-weed and bullrush.

If you’ve never hunted Mendota,  don’t let the crowds scare you off. The  shooting area is extremely large, so big  in fact, that Mendota can handle 600  hunters at one time! lf you‘ve never  been to the area, then l suggest you  spend at least one weekend learning the  area and getting the routine down pat.  See our Refuge Hunting Map for reference. That way, come the end of November  and December — the prime hunting  months at Mendota -you’ll know your  way around. Weekend crowds lately  have only been about 300 to 400 so you  shouldn’t have any problem getting on  in the upcoming weeks  There is a sweat line, so hunters have  a reasonably good chance of showing  up and getting on. Stay tuned to our Refuge hunting report22

During the peak season, however, reservations are a must.  There’s nothing worse than sitting in a  sweat line at 7 a. m. in the rain and wind,  watching ducks fly overhead and seeing  some other hunter shooting them!  Make those Type A reservations today!  Once you get your reservation, you  can reach the wildlife area by driving  west on Highway 180 from Fresno.

California hunting clubs, hunting ranches, public and even private fishing

Boar hunting private lands in California has several advantages over the public areas. Chief among these are much less hunting pressure, better forage and water supplies and easier vehicle access. It’s a fact of life, and if you’ve never got your boar, hunting on private ranches is almost a sure thing.
We use a hunting map site that has over 200 private ranches, with or without guides www.ranchhuntfish.com

It’s free, and get you access to our free map site too. Here is a copy of the home page:

October 18, 2016