>be me>25, newly commissioned officer, just got two-year orders to 29 Palms>Never left New England before>Grew up hunting whitetail and camping in thick woods>Bow hunted coyotes before, but never hunted a godforsaken desert>MFW moving to the actual surface of MarsAlright /out/, what the hell do I need to know about surviving and hunting in the Mojave? I want to try coyote hunting, but my only experience is with ones that don’t look like they have a fentanyl addiction. Do I just sit in the sand and cry until they show up? Also, I’m used to forests where the trees provide cover and the ground isn’t made of broken glass. Do I need snake armor? Am I going to get heatstroke and die the second I step outside?What’s the essential gear for desert hunting/camping? Anything weird I wouldn’t think of coming from New England? What’s the deal with overnighting—do I need to worry about waking up with a scorpion in my boot and a pack of tweakers dismantling my car by the road for scrap metal?>no trees, no shade, no hope>water is a conspiracy theory>yotes probably wear cartel patches and have rabies>everything either stabs, bites, or injects venom into you>if the wildlife doesn’t get me, the strippers willRedpills, advice, and coping strategies appreciated. Going to be a long two years. This will be the biggest change of my life and i'm hoping I can find some solace while /out/
>>2811474Born and raised in the Mojave desert here. Just going to flood you with common tips, I'll check back later if you have questions:Wear a hat that provides shadeBring more water than you think you will needDrink all your water. Ration your sweating, not your water.If you're sweating, that's good. When you STOP sweating, you're in danger.If you haven't peed in a long time, drink all of your water. Don't carry a giant water jug. Drink it all. Ration your sweat, not water.The desert is not interested in hunting you, our animals are evolved for defense. If you see a rattlesnake or a scorpion, just turn around. They have no interest in a fight.Everything is trying to stab you, be ever cognizant of cactus. It only takes 1 to ruin your day.Overnights are amazing. If you're shielded from the wind, or there is no wind, you can cowboy camp (no tent). Junkies and tweaker can't stray far from civilization without vehicles. Do not go near any strange vans in fields, but likewise, if there are no strange vans, there are also no junkies.Everything does want to stab you, but nothing wants to hunt you. In ecological terms, if you mind your own business, you're totally fine. Get ready to enjoy the prettiest sunsets in the world, and the most enjoyable nighttime weather in the world.
>>2811474Sonoran desert fag here. If there's no surface water and no cattle tanks, you have to bring all your water, which means there's no point bringing dehydrated camp food, which means you don't need a cook kit at all. Just eat chili mac straight out of the can or whatever.Like the other anon said, everything is pointy. Sleep on closed cell foam, not inflatable. If you use a camelbak, also bring a nalgene in case your main bladder is punctured. Dunno exactly what grows in the Mojave, but in the Sonoran you should always have pic rel in your pocket to rip cholla knuckles out of your flesh.
>>2811483>>2811492Not OP or a desert anon, but these guys were very friendly and informative. Nice
>>2811495>>2811492>>2811483I am OP, thanks guys for taking the time!
>>2811474Don't forget you aren't that far from very tall mountains that are forested at least by western standards. There are also varying ranges of low to high desert and up for climate and biome. If it's too hot just go up. 29 palms may be below 2000ft but there's plenty of public land with hunting thousands of feet higher
>>2811474have fun dealing with crackheads, because thats 99% of what the desert isother than that, just bring water, a sombrero, and a chamanto, and you're goodits also going to be more humid than you expect too, so watch out for that
>>281147429 Palms is a dry oven, I'll never forget stepping out of the car and being blasted like I just opened the oven. Very different from stepping off the plane in GITMO, which was like being gripped by heat due to heat plus humidity. Your body will adapt in about 2 weeks, if you're in shape, considering you just commissioned you should be pretty close to your peak physical condition unless you were a tri-sport collegiate athlete. Give your body time to acclimitize before you start going ham.You should already have some rudimentary fieldcraft skills at least, so be sure to apply it when you're out. Follow basic outdoor procedure, i.e. take buddy, have a comms plan, bring way more than you need. 29 Palms, and the desert in general, may seem flat, but it isn't. There are tons of elevation changes, dead space, cliff faces and drop offs, rock piles may shift and collapse. You still aren't quite in the middle of nowhere anywhere near 29 Palms, so the light pollution at night is probably better than what you're used to, but still isn't great. If there's one thing I wish I would have invested in, its night vision. Its not necessary, but its still handy, because navigating during low illiumination nights sucks pretty hard when the moon isn't half full or more. Its California, so I doubt they allow hunting with NODs or thermals, but as an 0-1 or 0-2 its probably not a wise investment anyway, but I would have done it if I had the chance again.Make a few trips out to Joshua Tree, and start exploring further from there. Don't waste much, if any, time in Vegas. You're still a good ways away from anything else in California, but you'll have plenty of 72's and 96's to explore, I would recommend Carlsbad Caverns, maybe the Chinese Theater if its still open and you're into movies. I wouldn't go back to California, but if you're there you might as well see some of the stuff. 1/2
>>2811522I never ventured up to Northern California, but there's plenty up there to see. While I won't go back to California for the foreeable future (or ever), if I did go that way, I'd do a tour of the Schramsberg Winery and Vineyard, they're probably the best vineyard in the states and produce some of the best sparkling wine. Take a ladyfriend if you have one, they love that shit.San Diego has the zoo and aquarium, and I highly regret not going, so don't make my mistake, its like a 4 hour drive or so, so wait until a 72 or 96 and get a hotel. Don't make it a day trip or you'll hate life. You'll need a car, I recommend buying locally, in state, anyway. You aren't a clueless PFC so I don't expect you to fall for those traps. Used cars in California are generally in good shape because there's no road salt and they aren't prone to rusting nearly as bad as the northern latitudes. There's also a shit ton of vehicles there in quanitites that you might not be accustomed to, and prices on those are generally better, for trim levels or engine/transmission packages that are harder to come by elsewhere.I didn't hunt, and I didn't know anybody that did hunt in California, so not much help there. I'm sure that I'm forgetting a ton of stuff, but that's about all I have right now. 2/2
>>2811474Not to worry, you'll be in Yemen or Iran before the year is out
I live in the desert east of you. My advise is to find their water source, setup a blind and call them in. Easy peasy.As for snakes, you got the green mojave rattlesnakes, same as I got. I killed 7 of them last summer in a 6 week period. The best advise I can give is to tread deliberately, be mindful of where shade is and pay attention to see if anything is hiding under there and NEVER stick your hand somewhere you dont have full visibility. Like if you turn over a piece of wood or something you better use your fucking foot.If you do get bit, you need to take a photo of the snake so you can get the right antivenom. Those mojave rattlesnakes are the deadliest type of rattler because they have two types of venom and a reputation for being aggressive. If you get bit, take a photo, hunker down, do not get your heart rate up and just call 911. A helicopter will be there shortly.Have fun anon! The desert is a harsh but beautiful place that weeds out the majority of people. We call it the desert filter
