One large private land deal offers upland game hunting and deer hunting on some good property. It's known as My Country Club; log on to www.mycountryclubinc.com, or call (760) 782-3503.

For those fortunate enough to find a piece of private property to hunt on, the results can be pretty good.

Fletcher Deal does a lot of coyote calling and shooting, and that's led him to some interesting opportunities for hunting deer in the country.

"I've hunted San Diego County all my life," said Deal, who hunts on a private ranch. "I hunt all over, mostly coyote work. I got started hunting there by taking coyotes off their property because they were causing problems."

Deal said there are also deer there. They eat the young avocado trees. About every other year, he draws a doe tag.

"The deer hunting is improving," he said. "The last two years have been quite good. The deer are bigger, and the horns are bigger and heavier."

He predicts the nutrients in the new browse are doing the job. Last year, Deal saw some of the healthiest-looking deer.

The doe he took weighed 122 pounds. "I got there at 4:40, and at 4:50, I got the doe," he said.

Is there better hunting in the hard-to-get-to X Zones, or in other states? The answer is yes. But if you live in Southern California, San Diego County has some of the most varied terrain, and downright interesting deer hunting around.

With long seasons for archery and a good number of tags for the rifle hunter, it should not be overlooked.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
By all accounts, San Diego's D16 Zone and its associated hunts were very much improved in 2006.

The increase was almost wholly the result of the devastating wildfires that swept the county in 2004. While these were deadly and dangerous and destroyed many homes, the result for wildlife was much different.

Nature did what man had not: Fire swept clean a lot of dense brush that held much of the county to a much lower potential for deer growth. That single event should mean several years of good deer hunting in San Diego County's future.

The county's regular archery season begins on Sept. 1 and continues until Sept. 23. The general rifle season in Zone D16 gets underway on Oct. 27 and runs for 30 consecutive days until Nov 25.

These regular season hunts have 3,000 tags available -- a fairly generous amount by D-Zone standards. The limit is one buck, forkhorn or better, per tag.

The split-season A22 either-sex hunt also begins on Sept. 1 and runs until Oct. 14. The A22 hunt's second segment begins again on Nov. 17 and ends Dec. 31. This very long hunt allows San Diego-area bowhunters the option of hunting bucks both early and late and then, if they don't take a buck, putting a doe in the freezer.

The A22 hunt had 1,000 tags available in 2007.

Firearms hunters are favored with two special hunts. G13, an antlerless hunt covering most of the county, opens Oct. 27 and ends Nov. 18. Quota for this hunt is one antlerless deer per tag. The hunt has 300 tags available.

For the muzzleloader crowd, M6 offers a very limited 80-tag hunt for forkhorn or better bucks in that portion of San Diego County lying within D16. Dates for the M6 hunt are Dec. 15 through 31.

Good maps are vital. The Cleveland National Forest's map is a good one, available from the Forest Service, 10845 Rancho Bernardo Road, No. 200, San Diego, CA 92127-2107.

You can also order maps for the Cleveland National Forest and the Pine Creek/Hauser Wilderness areas at www.fs.fed.us/r5/cleveland/maps.

BLM maps, especially of McCain Valley, are very handy. Try the BLM at their Desert District Office, 6621 Box Springs, Boulevard, Riverside, CA 92507; or call (909) 697-5200.

Another good reference is the Southern California Atlas and Gazetteer by DeLorme's Co., available at www.delorme.com.

For more information on hunts and other general information, contact the Department of Fish and Game, Region 5 Office at 4949 View Ridge Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123; or call (858) 467-4201.

Find more about California fishing and hunting at CaliforniaGameandFish.com