EDIT: Thanks for all the feedback. So heads up this list was originally part of this AR-15 build guide spreadsheet, hence the frequent mentioning of that gun/platform and some arbitrary shout outs to specific AR-15 makers. (Ironically I'm primarily a shotgun guy at the moment.) So PLEASE look elsewhere if you are looking for recs devoid of any political consideration. The original intention was this as a disclaimer / FYI oriented list of companies with good, iffy, or straight-up bad Ppolitical affiliations/etc. as well as US made and/or unionized companies. It's been muddled with quality mostly apolitical budget-oriented recs as well. I am likely not listing many (like dozens if not hundreds) and I don't want to open a can of worms and end up listing general gun suggestions / lists. I might even par it down for that reason.
So that said I'll leave additional recs to the comments. Will edit and add any companies to overtly avoid for shitty politics/ownership and likewise will add any that are inclusive and/or liberal or left leaning. Thanks!
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The information below is aimed at informing gun enthusiasts with moral, ethical, and ideological reservations about certain supporting manufacturers. It lists reputable apolitical and professional manufacturers to consider, is then followed by disclaimers about other reputable manufacturers, then concluded with manufacturers to consider avoiding.
Full disclaimer: this effort stems from frequent and incessant debates and discussions I've seen among gun owners from center to far-left and from my own concerns personally as a leftist. That said if you are neither left-wing nor liberal but nonetheless want to support honest and sincere gun manufacturers this information is worth reviewing. This is not aimed at calling out any company with remotely right-wing political affiliation or leadership, that would be not just flippant and needless but absurdly futile. In fact the only ones I recommend to avoid have overtly engaged the following: pandered to destructive and vitriolic identity politics, bootlicked and idolized authoritarian entities and leaders, or in a few cases literally touted fascism and right-wing extremism. I would argue these are not mere red flags to myself or others on the left but more broadly sentiments that sincere conservatives and libertarians should also wholeheartedly condemn. It is my sincere belief that gun ownership rights are a not only universal right and a necessity for the working-class but also potentially a unifying ideological issue that will hopefully transcend contemporary politics. Fundamental respect for gun safety and handling and willingness to include all who want to be involved in legal and responsible gun ownership is common ground for anyone who believes in basic equality and freedom. Lastly, if you are still rolling your eyes, ready to list a litany of dismissive rants as one of those "better dead than red" edgelord dolts, than by all means F.O.A.D.
Manufacturers To Consider:
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Solid Companies in every regard: Much of this intel gathered from this helpful post on reddit from u/tanksuit who help spurred on this effort and also from this extensive Something Awful Thread. Further info gleaned from a private FB group I will not name. If anyone from there sees this, many thanks.
Windham Weaponry - Mostly lateral organizing, employees treated as collective owners (to clarify no indication they are literally collectively owned). Broke off from Bushmaster after Freedom Group buyout. Wide arrange of models. Fair pricing, great customer service and high quality (Kudos to tip-off via FB Group)
Rocket Armory - Arguably the only overtly liberal AR part manufacturer. Not quite leftist (I'd skip the LGO logo lower - elements of LGO have been adverse to leftists) but nonetheless an outspokenly progressive maker is a worth supporting IMO. Lowers and fixed mags only. Current stock shipping in mid-December 2020.
CMMG - Apolitical, high quality, and unionized. Good selection of various caliber platforms both complete, uppelower reciever packages, or stripped parts. Known for their 22LR conversion kits that provide affordable training option for AR platforms.
JP - Expensive but high quality, anecdotal stories of apolitical / non-CHUD atmosphere from employee that appears to be reflected in their PR.
Whiskin Tango Foxtrot (WTF Guns) - Gun building/customization business in Fort Worth, TX in process of acquiring machinery. Veteran owned and liberal friendly.
Liberal Gun Club Member Business - A list of firearm accessory businesses and not manufactures but nonetheless worth looking at to support liberal gun enthusiasts
Smith & Wesson - Mostly apolitical, huge company but American made and makes solid entry-level AR-15s
Cz-USA - US distro/importer of the venerable Czech manufacturer.
Atlantic Firearms - apolitical and reliable merchant and they are helpful with compliance guns for ban states
Ace High Armory - Small CLP maker, affliated/supporter of LGO (see above)
Off Color Decals / Dorner Tactical / Red Stone Creative / John Brown Armory / Space Dog Laika / Outcast Society / Flank Left / Sleep of Reason / PraxStudio / Cultivated Laser / JohnBrownFunClub / Left Queer & Sticky / LeftFist / LGO Store / fildiDesign / Slay Shop / Liberal Gun Club - Stickers, patches, etc. Lot to find on Redbubble as well.
John Brown Prints - Shirts and stickers, though specifically these proceeds go to BLM and bail funds
Others...There are far more smaller American AR-15 manufacturers of varying quality and pricing, consider smaller and local options as politics aside they are employing enthusiasts making firearms for fellow enthusiasts. Regarding quality: research forums and comment sections before you buy!
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Unionized:
Colt (UAW) - The original maker of AR-15s after they bought ArmaLite in 1964 and patent holder on design until 1977. Big law enforcement / military supplier. Good but arguably a redundant consideration now with so many AR-15 options.
Savage (IAM) - Mostly non-AR-15 style rifles like bolt action, hunting semi autos, competition, etc. Good and often affordable consideration for those platforms.
Unionized Non-AR makers>>> Browning - IAM, Douglas - IAM, Winchester - IAM, Remington - UMW (Bankruptcy impending and Navajo purchase fell through, post-Freedom Group quality dip after 2007)
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Solid but with disclaimers/caveats:
Aero Precision / Ballistic Advantage Barrels - Huge selection, affordable, well-touted and potentially the benchmark of non-gucci lower receivers. Not innocent, the tone deaf AF blurb for Rhodesia camo comes to mind, but otherwise less CHUD-y. Excellent "default" manufacturer to use for builds that are budget and mid-tier / entry level oriented.
Mid State Firearms - Great PSA alternative, far less knee-jerk and pandering. Offers discounted bundles and kits of cancelled orders, blemished but good parts, and "oddball" assortments. Read multiple testimonies of good customer service in response to any issues. Like Aero they aren't perfectly apolitical as they sell 3%er dust covers. Thanks for the tip datcatburd
KE Arms - Mostly solid and somewhat under the radar, competition quality oriented - collaborators in the WWSD 2020 rifle with InRangeTV's "What Would Stoner Do?" gun projects and InRangeTV is notably inclusive. Allegedly friendly staff but Russell Phagan, aka longtime SomethingAwful poster SinistralRifleman, was banned after relentlessly defending the Kenosha shooter. More FYI than anything, to be seen if it affects the WWSD collab with InRangeTV as he was a core part of that development.
Brownells - Well-regarded and has budget part options, owns a lot of AR-15 related ventures including AR15.com and family has major NRA ties and lobbying industry. Distro for InRangeTV + KE Arms What Would Stoner Do? WWSD 2020 AR-15. Again not perfect, they had a cringe-y fellowkids level nod to boogaloo shirts in a recent vid
Midway USA - Comparable to Brownells, lot of options, reliable vendor, etc. Some NRA connections but nothing crazy. More info here thanks to u/rocketboy2319
SGAmmo - not the only ammo supply company by any means but a solid bulk option with no BS apolitical tone.
Primary Arms - Another distro to consider, mostly because it's been keeping a lot of AR-15 parts in stock despite panic buying
Bravo Company USA [BCM] - Bit pricier but another solid and popular choice for upper tier ARs, had confederate battle flag engraving option. As u/mp8815 pointed out they are a great option for more serious milspec than Aero, PSA, etc.
Little Creek Trading - Distro/online store - lot of expensive / high end stuff but also good deals on lower recievers, parts, accessories, and built ARs. Pleasant website layout so worth browsing for ideas if nothing else. Sell affordable slings.
Sig Sauer- 75% +/- US made, reactionary "US anthem" anti-kneel BS commemorative models but fairly tame jingoism in context
Ruger - Excellent guns including the classic 10/22 and various other models, some have US components and assembly, well-regarded starter AR-15, major NRA donor (interestingly and ironically the late Rugar was outspoken about magazine limitations)
Glock - Universally know and solid handgun maker, USA distro / service is well regarded. Gaston Glock allegedly a right-wing donor in Austria but from his coffer. Note: Polymer80 guns are an option for anyone wanting to build their own Glock style handgun.
LaRue Tactical - Expensive but well-regarded and established, their triggers (MBT-2S esp.) are well touted and affordable ($80) upgrades over milspec; FYI they send gimmicky overt right-wing bumper stickers with orders and the owner is cozy with right-wing and GOP leaders.
Geissele makes well regarded triggers and parts but owner is allegedly tyrannical, work environment is rough and has high turnover.
BCG options: Toolcraft and Cryptic Coatings offer affordable options and appear fairly apolitical.
Primary Arms - Affordable scope options, some stereotypical law enforcement pandering but that's the case with most peers.
Daniel Defense - Update: previously reputable and touted brand but according to this previous indication of good worker environment are unfortunately obsolete. QC is allegedly slipping and ownership attitude has become negative and toxic. On the flipside recent buyers report satisfactory quality and originally I had read the work environment was unusually inclusive. Maybe opt for different high end brand? Jury's out TBH. Still likely a solid choice quality wise but keep an eye out for them.
Springfield Armory / Rock River Arms- Decent ~~but FYI some shady legislative lobbying efforts heads via this post~~ disregard, they've since left IFMA
Sons of Liberty Gun Works - Tip off here about one of it's owners, Mike Mihalski, being unhinged in the past - assaulting his mother and numerous threats against cops actually doing their job that were then brushed off by law enforcement superiors he was friendly with, DUIs and public intoxication at a hotel while armed (albeit he cooperated) Update: Mike has apparently been sober and straight for awhile, more a disclaimer to be aware of. It's otherwise a solid manufacturer akin to other mil-spec AR makers.
Trijicon - continues practice of subtle but cringe-y bible verses inscribed on products that spurred a military contract controversy, actually well-regarded optics though arguably getting too expensive compared to alternative options
Del-Ton - PSA alternative and alternative to cheap "iffy brands" with more notorious QC issues - def more entry-level and milspec but generally good reviews - consider if budget is a major factor
Radical (see more below) - Allegedly better but QC issues in the past...(see details below)
Ammo Supply Warehouse - good selection, pricing and service but FYI their logo on their main page has fucking SS totenkopfs on it. That said the also obliged a customer request to sing the Soviet anthem while packing their order, so perhaps they use the iconography naively and flippantly and not as a dogwhistle.
Palmetto State Armory (see more below) - *Only listed because of historically affordable parts, products, and supplies, though this is arguable. Hit or miss customer service, including customer info leaks and inadvertent doxxing customers. Most notably one of the worst offenders in cranking out right-wing and jingoist bullshit ~ MAGA drooling, ID politics crap, etc. More on this under "Reconsider" List
Others...Many, many others out there but like anything else you can easily drop a lot of money seeking out "the best," >>> mediocre rifle in the hands of a qualified shooter is a better than a high-end rifle in the hands of a inexperienced shooter.
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American Made not yet mentioned:
Mossberg - Factories in Connecticut and Texas. Not sure 100% if MMR is US made. At least one model is Turkish made (SA20), and the Maverick 88 has Mexican made parts that are assembled in Eagle Pass, TX. IMHO the best pump action shotgun catalog to choose from, the Maverick 88 along with the H&R Pardner or Savage 320 are solid budget pump actions.
American made brands (non-AR-15)>>> Thompson/Center, Henry (some expensive MAGA nonsense FYI), Marlin, Ithaca, Kimber, Beretta (some models)
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Reconsider / Possibly Avoid: To re-emphasize no shame if you own or bought the below and the "line in the sand" is very arguable, but these, especially if pricing is not as much of an issues, these can be easily opted out of in your AR-15 procurement and builds.
Palmetto State Armory - Mentioned again because easily the most debated manufacturer. Numerous examples of racist and fascist etched lowers aside I agree with the sentiment that their motivation is capitalism above all else and not so much right-wing worship although those pair well together. Case in point - they cancelled their planned Kekistan lower due to backlash, i.e. didn't double-down nor apologize but reaffirmed business first. They also sell some self-deprecating, humorous and more apolitical lower engraved options. Beyond this crap they have also had customer service hiccups including personal info leaks. Your call. Last ditch option for me personally but I wouldn't completely rule them out either especially as parts and new guns are increasingly expensive and hard to acquire. To sum up I rather a comrade have half a dozen of these than some sole spiffy new gucci AR-15.
Bushmaster - Quality has been criticized by many, Windham broke off to establish better quality gun line and ultimately they closed shop this year. Avoid any you might find out there post-2007.
Anderson - Popular but notoriously entry level choice (hence the "poverty pony" nickname) but bootlicking MAGA bullshit so honestly it's pointless to tout over Aero Precision, PSA, or MSF.
Tennessee Arms - Mixed feedback about their polymer lowers, gloated over Infowars showout/endorsement, dumb (like okbuddyretard level) memes on FB
Enoch Industries - 10/22 Takedown parts and custom builder, some quintessential grey area Odin/Pagan stuff that could be harmless warrior aesthetic stuff or a dog whistle.
Esstac - Solid and affordable pouch and other accessory maker including shotgun cards I rec, that said they came out as Kenosha shooter stans
Classic Firearms - Used auction site/seller. Not politically iffy, just often overpriced and waste of time to browse, use gunbroker.com or even cautiously use armslist instead [edit: to clarify "waste of time" for anyone looking for pragmatic deals to skim, not niche stuff to collect.]
Kel Tec - This one is tricky, the off very affordable non-AR-15 9mm carbines - same working class price niche as High-Point - but just FYI they've had cozy PR with George Zimmerman in the past
H&S Precision - Hired Ruby Ridge FBI participant Lon Horiuchi in the past
Cheaperthandirt - Tread carefully even if you see a deal - plethora of complaints about service, pricing, turnaround, etc. Check with other options first.
Note on foreign manufacturers (IWI, Canik) - This another debate point that leads to a lot gray area and arbitrary claims whether it's regarding companies based in countries with authoritarian governments, human rights abuses, war profiteering, etc. One could argue that applies to all American makes. When it comes to state made guns most state owned firearms companies of the past either have been privatized (like IWI in Israel) or are not legally importable in the U.S. (Norinco in China, various Russian companies). Ironically while the U.S. bans certain Chinese guns many U.S. manufacturers rely heavily on Chinese plants and parts. The general reality is most non-American and non-Western manufacturers are part of multinational conglomerates or distribution networks, as is the case with many Turkish guns like Canik. History ebbs and flows too, a 60s/70s era Galil is different case than a new Tavor in terms culpability, South African guns now are less arguably problematic than apartheid era stuff. Overall, it's up to you.
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Companies with noted QC issues:
Radical Arms - Issues in the past but reportedly the QC is improving so could be a potential budget option and arguably the best of the iffy makes. Your call.
Bear Creek Arsenal - Formerly Moore's Machine. People have touted BCA as an effective and reliable budget rifles but their QC seems risky, others have had major issues. Apparently they have a good warranty option though so there's that as an option.
Anderson - See above. Stripped lowers are probably a-ok.
DPMS / Bushmaster - Easy avoid, dead as of Jan 2020 - another post Freedom Group brand that declined after 2007 as mentioned above - mixed reviews but needless consideration considering so many other options in the NOS and used market.
Vulcan/Hesse/Blackthorne - Easy avoid, multiple name changes and near universal dismissal or negative reviews.
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Avoid if you can in the future:
Blackwater Worldwide / Iron Horse - Invested, touted, and overtly marketed by longtime mercenary, grifter, and war criminal and profiteer Erik Prince, the poster child of the present day world military industrial complex. Collaborated with Spike's Tactical (see below). Formerly Iron Horse Guns and original company unchanged product wise but they're-branded as Blackwater Worldwide in exchange for Prince's investment. At least they are honest and transparent about it I guess.
Spikes Tactical - Hysterical anti-antifa (i.e. fascist lol) CHUD to the max, many note iffy / overrated products compared to peers - don't sweat it if you have one but ditch this option in the future and spend your money elsewhere.
Fenix Ammunition - anti-Antifa hysteria and with a boog angle too boot
DS Arms - Overt Rhodesia glorifying, not just camo fetishism
Griffin Armament - "Front Towards Arabs" engraved suppressors, lazy racist shit (notice it isn't ISIS) compared to the more snarky "infidel" dust covers and decals
Kahr Arms and Auto-Ordnance (thanks u/Oldskoolguitar) - Literally run by major cult (Moonies) i.e. the Unification movement Apparently Kahr is crappy anyway but Auto-Ordnance makes 1911, M1, and Thompson replicas so seek other options for those models (mispelled earlier, meant Kahr, not Khar)
Smith Enterprises - SS iconography sold, i.e. actual Nazi stuff not the Iron Cross aesthetics
T-Rex Arms - Quiverfall members more on that group here and Lucas has posted cheap homophobic crap. (thanks u/eyetracker)
Troy Industries - Apparently tits up but backlash for hiring Dale Monroe - i.e. FBI veteran and Ruby Ridge participant
DesertTech - Owner is fringe Mormon sect member with racist views
Non-AR makers/businesses to avoid... (Sourced from Something Awful thread above)
DE Guns - Neo-Nazi ties
Glockstore - White Supremacist organization ties
LGBT Gun Rights (facebook and twitter) - faux progressive social media run by Neo-Nazi, do not join either as they are aiming to misinform and glean info on progressive and leftist gun owners
^ these are the tip of the iceberg TBH. There are likely problematic owners of stores and companies who will never be outed. Always look out to avoid local gun stores, distros, and individual sellers with bigoted and fascist sentiments and/or scammers - this kind of trash has always been the nasty underbelly of gun culture. Def be subtle and unassuming IRL while shopping - be cautious and tactful in interactions. Alternatives include more apolitical / hunting and hobby oriented stores like Bass Pro/Cabelas, Academy, Dick's, Big 5, etc. Love it or hate some Walmarts often have good deals.
There are plenty of individuals, stores, and companies that are politically more conservative or libertarian but well-meaning and honest and worth patronage, i.e. you can hold to your ideology without limiting yourself to strict arbitrary choices as a customer. Try to embrace the shared sentiment of gun ownership as a right and launching point to reaffirm that owning firearms is an universal and inclusive right for personal and community self-defense. Opportunity to praxis is likely rare, but it might emerge.
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YT personas to stop subscribing from - IV8888, Brandon Herrera, CRSFirearms, etc. (there's a shitload TBH, feel free to tell me others to avoid) - Most are coming as bootlickers in recent times (not a shock), and if a YT channel isn't focused on guns over right-wing edgelord bullshit move on. For leftist/liberal/non-right wing content check out Forgotten Weapons, InRangeTV, Tacticool Girlfriend, Armed Margins, thegunpenguin, Beau of The Fifth Column, Sapper Gentleman, and DeviantOllam has a few. More apolitical and great content but likely right-wing and/or hinted such sentiments: Honest Outlaw (no idea, he plugs a local food shelter and is seemingly apolitical), Hickok45 (arguably the nicest and least pretentious YT gun personality, old timer who is passionate about sharing knowledge with others), Luckygunner, #itsonyou, 32icon, Katharina Vikør, C&R Aresnal, Rob Ski, 9-Hole Reviews, 22plinkster, Paul Harrell, Garand Thumb, gunthots, mixup98, Demolition Ranch. Wild card is Yankee Marshall - bit of a nutter but he's sincerely unabashedly pro-2A / anti-NRA and shit stirrer in away that's amusing. To his credit - although it was likely a weird fluke - he lost a bunch of subscribers for calling Garrett Foster a patriotic veteran. List of POC youtubers here - Colion Noir is probably the best known black gun YT persona, unabashedly pro-2A, like Hickok45 dropped his NRA affiliation fairly recently; the did so both over disagreements in their budget spending and ad agency contracts respectively.
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Editorial / Op-ed from original AR Build Spreadsheet
Some advice and food for thought regarding reconciling ideology with present day gun enthusiasm:
If you are a liberal, progress, moderate, etc. who has come into gun ownership more recently, or has been reckoning with shifts in gun laws and gun culture in the U.S. over the last few decades, than you've likely managed to cut through the noise surrounding the debate, discussion, and frequently knee-jerk hysteria that surrounds semi-automatic rifles and the AR-15 platform. Now you're probably navigating the persistent injection of right-wing identity politics via stamped receivers, accessories and apparel with cheap shock value and superficial pandering, tacticool veering into authoritarian fetishism, tribal jingoism, etc. You've pushed aside misguided liberal identity politics that mis-characterize and attack gun enthusiasm only to have it's reactionary core shoved in your face. It can easily be reconciled with a concept you've likely seen: “There is no ethical consumption under capitalism.” It's been overused and even widely applied in dubious scenarios but I'd argue it's highly relevant when it comes to buying any new firearm or firearm component. All that aside it's still perfectly reasonable to not inadvertently throw your hard-earned cash at bootlicking goons, so when it comes to manufacturers this list should at least help you navigate and plan your purchases armed with information and awareness. If anything, supporting more apolitical and progressive manufacturers who aim to focus first and foremost on making quality firearms for all should be spurred on, not stymied.
If you're a leftist of any variety and interested in AR-15s you are likely already past the idea of committing to firearms that seemingly align with your views - AKs, milsurp SKS, Mosins, anything from cold war era socialist or communist states, etc. You've likely realized the last era of true Nazi-eliminator rifles are now 75+ years old. Futile seeking out new firearms and parts from non-capitalist states in 2020 will only reinforce this sincere but arbitrary hill to die on. A more pragmatic approach some make is to focus on buying only used firearms and parts already in circulation but this could still involve the financial patronage to a distributor, store, or individual of bad character. On a personal tangent, I first warmed back up to the idea of owning a semi-automatic that wasn't an AR-15 either by following the same arbitrary classification that deems a used M-14 or old M-1 carbine a better choice, but beyond classic value and aesthetics they are in the same niche. Even though defenders of the AR-15 sometimes veer into obnoxious and flippant ackchyually territory, especially after tragic gun massacres, they are often technically correct. The blunt fact is the AR-15 platform is fundamentally as legal as other semi-automatic rifles. It's popular for that reason and that's why it has so many fans, defenders, and apologists in so many forms.
When it comes to broader ideas of firearm ownership in relation to one's ideology, something I reflect on often is the fact that history has always involved the oppressed using the weapons of their oppressors both past and present. It's a moot point what the firearm is, it is a tool that reflects the individual who wields it. A rifle in the hands of a fascist is a fascist rifle and likewise a rifle in the hands of a socialist is a socialist rifle. To further make the case for the AR-15 many have made in some variation is that it is the present day rifle of the proletariat, the M1 Garand or PPSh-41 of it's time. When it comes to affirming your support for gun ownership, advocate for more widespread gun education, training, and positive and inclusive gun culture. Put lawmakers to task for pushing gun regulations that discourage law-abiding citizens - especially lower income citizens and people of color - from lawful ownership of guns. Support instead substantive reform and funding of mental health resources, de-militarizing law enforcement, and ending gun lobbying that side steps gun owners to only further corruption and complicity. If those who wish to do you harm are armed and will likely always be armed, there's no point in handicapping yourself or your peers.
Buying or building an AR-15 is an exercise of one's 2nd amendment right. For those outside of the U.S., and to all lawful and well-meaning comrades, arm yourself however you can legally and responsibly. Marx put it more bluntly in 1850 than the 2A's far more nuanced wording and arduous historical establishment: “Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary”
Lastly, above all else, with tensions rising and outright violence being perpetuated by the far right, it is more imperative than ever simply to arm oneself as quickly, effectively, and safely as possible, regardless of the manufacturers, stores, and distros involved. A well made affordable gun you can acquire ASAP is a lot more imperative than your ideal build/choice. This is a guide not a plea. It's better to be armed with a gun from the "avoid" list today than to wait around for some ideologically preferable firearm weeks or months from now.

Sometimes a band gets so big that they somehow outshine themselves. They reach a point in their career where it does not matter if they release a new album or not; fans just want to see them tour. No one gave a damn that Led Zeppelin had not released a new album since the 1970’s; everyone just wanted to see them play again at the O2 Arena in 2007. When The Who played the Super Bowl halftime show in 2010 they had only released one new album in 28 years, and no one cared. And no one cares that Guns & Roses aren’t making new music. They still packed arenas to see how much cake Axl had packed into himself.
We’re going to take a dive into a blues power trio from down south who have zero need to release any new music, since their recording career stretches back over five decades. They had amazing and groundbreaking success in the ‘70s, the ‘80s, and the ‘90s before hitting the max level. Instead of playing to win, they now play for fun. Their sexually charged lyrics and videos inspired generations of teens to both dress better and worry about their fly. And you can bet that their fuzzy, bluesy tight sound had a huge impact on our very own desert dwellers.
It’s time for us to take a walk with That Little Ol’ Band from Texas. This week’s featured artist is the legendary ZZ TOP
About Them
The Power Trio is a tested and true format for a rock band. Lots of examples come to mind: Cream. Rush. The Police. Biffy Clyro. King Buffalo. Them Crooked Vultures. (Wait a sec. Just three members? Clearly, not everything is bigger in Texas.)
There is a member joke there somewhere, but I just can’t get it to come. Hmm. Perhaps it will come if you play with it a bit.
Hey! Stop that. Get your mind out of the gutter.
ZZ Top’s original and founding member was William Frederick Gibbons. Born in Houston in 1949, the front man was originally a drummer but, after studying with Tito Puente in New York City, picked up the guitar at age 13. His dad was a musician in show business, which allowed Billy to get an insider’s view of the industry. By the late ‘60s, he had been in and founded a number of bands and had even befriended the late great James Marshall Hendrix. One of his first bands, a psychedelic/art house band called The Moving Sidewalks, toured with the Jimi Hendrix Experience. This meant that Gibbons was actually mentored by Snagglepuss himself. They also toured with The Doors, where Gibbons saw the legendary self-destructive band somehow manage to rise above conflict and make music every night. The Moving Sidewalks generated a following all of its own with a couple of hit songs, and things seemed to be headed in the right direction.
Things were going absolutely great until bassist Don Summers and keyboard player Tom Moore were drafted into the army to fight in Vietnam. Don't you just love the ‘60s?
Gibbons and drummer Dan Mitchell added a new keyboard player, Lanier Greg, and tried to make another run at it. But the chemistry was all wrong. Gibbons rechristened the band as ZZ Top (an homage to BB King), and declared that he wanted more of a straight up rock approach than the art-house kaleidoscopic sound.
Gibbons, Mitchell, and Greg (isn’t it weird when last names are also first names too?) recorded the single Salt Lick in 1969. This generated a bunch of interest and a recording contract. Decisions over the direction of the band ensued and it quickly became clear that Mitchell and Greg did not agree with Gibbons’ hard rock approach. That ended up being a poor life decision for them, but a great one for a couple of other guys.
Clearly, Gibbons needed a new rhythm section.
Fortunately, he found a package deal.
Dusty Hill and Frank Beard - also both born in 1949 - had been playing together on the Dallas-Houston-Fort Worth circuit in a number of bands, including The Warlocks, The Cellar Dwellers, and a fake cover band called The Zombies. Both the Duster and the (then ironically) beardless Beard also heard the siren call of rock and roll. Hill was classically trained and was an accomplished cello player before moving to his signature bass. Frank ‘Rube’ Beard appears to have been born with drumsticks in his hands (which I imagine might have been uncomfortable for his mom).
Beard joined the band first, along with bassist Billy Ethridge, who had played with Stevie Ray Vaughn. Ethridge balked at signing a contract and so joined Mitchell and Greg on the list of ZZ Top’s former members. Their lineup was set. Hill and Beard anchored the band in a rock-solid, tight, bluesy fashion. Gibbons meshed perfectly with this duo, and his Hendrix-inspired guitar work was on another level. Hill provided backing vocals, and Gibbons’ low throaty growl was an impressive counterpoint to his soaring fretwork. The talent was all there; now they just needed to record some music.
But success was not instantaneous, not by a long shot.
Their first album - appropriately called ZZ Top’s First Album - gives insight into who the band were to become. In this 1971 release, you can hear their raw sound. The record peaked at 201 on the charts, and had only one single - (Somebody Else Been) Shaking Your Tree. It did give them material to go out and tour. The boys gelled on that tour and went back into the studio with renewed energy, and emerged with 1972’s Rio Grande Mud. The disc was a step forward in refining their sound. The album almost cracked the top 100, and the only single - Francine - went all the way to number 69.
Nice.
But the band knew that their third album, Tres Hombres, was something special. It is the epitome of Southern Rock: bluesy, fast paced, sexy, and irreverent, it is just over half an hour of pure magic. And while the album went gold and peaked at number 8 on the charts and is worth your time, it was one particular single that rocketed them to stardom. You know it and you love it, and a-how-how-how-how: La Grange. It is still in heavy rotation on classic rock stations today. And why not? The song is an absolute banger of boogie woogie blues, written about a visit to a whorehouse. What’s not to love?
La Grange propelled them to popularity. Tours sold out. Venues got bigger and bigger. 1975’s follow up album, Fandango!, was half live album (with some covers) and half new material - like an EP with bonus tracks. They covered the Elvis Presley classic Jailhouse Rock, Willie Dixon’s Mellow Down Easy and John Lee Hooker’s Long Distance Boogie. The boys had rock and blues chops, and had 5 years of touring experience. These were bold statements that cemented their musicality as well as honoring their roots. But side two of the disc had another track that you’ve come to love. You ain’t asking for much: You’re just lookin’ for some Tush. Tush was the perfect sexually charged follow up to ensure that they were not one-hit wonders. It was written in a ten-minute spasm of creativity at a sound check, and has gone on to be one of their most popular songs.
While Tush topped the charts, ZZ Top went back into the studio to record their full length follow up, 1976’s Tejas. The name of the album means ‘friends’ in the Indigenous Caddo language, and was the basis for the name of the state. You know what that means? It means that the name of the state is ‘Friends’. Just like the ‘90s sitcom. Don’t mess with Friends. Anyways, this was an album of experimentation for the band, and unlike its predecessor it came out half baked at best. Billy Gibbons has called it a transition album. What actually happened is the band transitioned into a hiatus from touring and recording, taking some significant time off. They had recorded five albums in six years and spent virtually all their time on the road. The latest effort was just not up to their standards and was a step back. It also completed their recording contract.
What was the solution to this burn out?
Facial hair of course.
The boys took a few years off before landing another recording contract, this time with Warner. Over those months, both Gibbons and Hill grew what would become their signature long ‘Texas Goatee’ beards. Frank Beard did not grow a beard (though he did finally succumb to peer pressure from his bandmates in 2013, and his is much more neatly trimmed). So while they were resting/relaxing/getting their groove back/aligning their chakras or whatever, they also started to reinvent their signature sound as the world moved towards a decade of legendary excess.
The first step on this reinvention journey was 1979’s Degüello. The title literally means ‘decapitation’ but idiomatically refers to a fight to the death. Clearly, the band decided to tackle their transition head on. The album was not as successful as Tres Hombres or Fandango!, but it was not the flop that Tejas was. It did spawn a couple of singles - I Thank You (which was a cover) and the signature hit Cheap Sunglasses. Both are staples at ZZ Top concerts to this day. Degüello was quickly followed up in 1981 by the album El Loco. This was really the first time ZZ Top incorporated a synthesizer into their sound. As you know, the synth was THE new wave sound of the 1980s. Gods help us, keytars were once popular. But Gibbons, Hill, and Beard did not abandon their edge. The single Pearl Necklace was an immensely popular innuendo laced tune from this album. And no, I will not explain what a pearl necklace is to you. Ask your mom.
Over the course of their first seven albums, ZZ Top had steadily grown in popularity and become a truly extraordinary live band. More than a decade of touring together meant that they had not just cut their teeth. They had found the Tooth Fairy, beaten her senseless, and added fangs to their jaws. They were ready to tackle whatever came their way.
Their huge breakthrough coincided with the birth of music videos and MTV. 1983’s Eliminator was an absolute monster of an album. ZZ Top were everywhere. They completely embraced the Music Video as a medium and became pioneers in this new genre. They branded their band with a 1933 fire-engine red Ford Coupe, which was on the cover of the album. They even had a signature hand gesture that they used as the car went by. The car belonged to Billy Gibbons and embodied his hot rod obsessions. It was featured in the videos for Gimme All Your Lovin’, Sharp Dressed Man, and Legs. Other singles from the album included Got me Under Pressure and TV Dinners. Eliminator is still the band’s most successful album. They were at the absolute height of their popularity with a massive audience. No doubt the 10-year-old Joshua Michael Homme watched those videos on a small screen in the California desert, little knowing that he would one day collaborate with Gibbons.
Seeking to capitalize on the popularity, the band went back into the studio and released Afterburner in 1985. It featured the signature hot rod on the cover and spawned two more singles - Sleeping Bag and Velcro Fly. Afterburner was not an innovative album by any stretch of the imagination. It simply built on the success of Eliminator and replicated the sound. If you blended the two albums together it would be very difficult for a novice fan to guess which song came from which disc. But hell, when you release the most popular album of your career and are earning millions of dollars for that sound, it is not time to mess with success. Or with Texas. Or with Friends (though Ross was a pain in the ass, IMHO).
That desire to not screw up a good thing was also evident in their next release, the retrospective re-release Six Pack. This was a great way to earn some bucks with a simple repackaging of existing tracks (I’m looking at you, K-Tel ...) and introducing them to another generation of fans. This was not a bad thing at all - you gotta get that green whenever you can, because fame can be fleeting.
ZZ Top closed out the decade by going Back to the Future. Literally. They appeared in the third installment of the Michael J. Fox trilogy as the olde-timey house band (complete with rotating guitars) in the saloon scene. The single and signature song from the movie, Doubleback, appeared on their 1990 release Recycler. The album spawned two more singles: My Head’s in Mississippi and Concrete and Steel. Recycler was not as successful as its predecessors, but it did effectively max level the band. In the 1970’s they were a scuffling bar band that hit it big. In the 1980’s they were one of the most popular bands of the MTV generation. And in the 1990’s they achieved superstardom. They had hit the level where it truly no longer mattered if they ever released new material again. They could simply tour on their back catalogue alone and sell out stadiums.
It is clear that the band realized this as well. In the thirty years since Recycler came out, they have released five albums of new material: Antenna in 1994, Rhythmeen in 1996, XXX in 1999, Mescalero in 2003 and the critically acclaimed and Rick Rubin produced La Futura in 2012. This was equivalent to their output in their first six years.
In contrast, they have released no less than eight greatest hits albums, cover albums and live albums in the same time span. Greatest Hits came out in 1992. One Foot in the Blues was released in 1994. The massive compilation Chrome, Smoke & BBQ came out in 2003, and is a fantastic place to start if you are a new fan. Rancho Texicano was released in 2004, Live from Texas came out in 2008, and Double Down Live hit shelves in 2009. Live at Montreaux came out in 2013 and Tonite at Midnight: Live Greatest Hits from Around the World was released in 2016.
There have been rumors that a new album is in the works for our Septuagenarian heroes. Lord knows the boys from Texas have nothing left to prove to anyone. Fans will welcome any new music they can get (especially if it is as great as La Futura was) but let’s face it: the goal now is just to get a chance to see them perform live before one of them shuffles off this mortal coil. If they release a new album, that means a new tour - and everyone would love that.
Let’s hope it happens. Soon.
Links to QOTSA
The Reverend Billy F. Gibbons was a big part of the Lullabies to Paralyze album by our Desert Dwellers. He played guitar and provided backing vocals on Burn the Witch. He was co-lead vocalist and lead guitar on the QotSA cover of Precious and Grace, which he originally released as a ZZ Top tune on the Tres Hombres album. He also provided the guitar stylings for Like a Drug.
But the connections don't stop there. Billy sang the lead vocal track on the recent Desert Sessions tune Move Together, and he played guitar on Noses in Roses, Forever.
What may be most important to QotSA fans is that Gibbons has teased our paleolithic monarchs' next album. Last summer, he was quoted as saying:
“Just one month ago I was making a record with Queens of the Stone Age...And Dave Grohl was also taking part and he decided to have a big barbecue. So there was this interesting gathering. So, we spent one hour telling stories, great stories remembering these lovely guys.”
Here’s hoping that we also get to see that album soon. Wouldn’t it be great if they toured together?
A man can dream.
Their Music
Salt Lick
(Somebody Else Been) Shaking your Tree
Francine
La Grange -- Live on Howard Stern
Jailhouse Rock
Tush -- a fan made video. It is not subtle.
Cheap Sunglasses
Pearl Necklace -- Live
Gimme All Your Lovin’
Sharp Dressed Man
Legs -- the ultimate makeover video
Got Me Under Pressure -- Live at Montreaux
Sleeping Bag -- Let’s go out to Egypt and check out some heads...
Velcro Fly -- also somehow in Egypt
My Head’s In Mississippi
Concrete and Steel -- vintage video
Doubleback
I Gotsta Get Paid -- from La Futura
Show Them Some Love
/zztop
Previous Posts
Tool
Alice in Chains
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Rage Against the Machine
Soundgarden
Run the Jewels
Royal Blood
Arctic Monkeys
Ty Segall
Eagles of Death Metal
Them Crooked Vultures
Led Zeppelin
Greta Van Fleet
Ten Commandos
Screaming Trees
Sound City Players
Iggy Pop
Mastodon
The Strokes
Radiohead
All Them Witches

Division: NFC South (7-9 2nd in the Division)
Head Coach: Bruce Arians
Offensive Coordinator: Byron Leftwich
Defensive Coordinator: Todd Bowles

Intro: Let me Get Something off my Chest

A couple of months ago, I wrote the Buccaneers 32 Teams/32 Days Post. Looking back a it, I’m sticking to my guns on most of my analysis. There’s just…one….little….thing….we need to talk about. Regarding Jameis’s pending free agent status, I said:

There's also the question of QB. Jameis is also a UFA and I'd say there's a...40% chance we re-sign him. So who replaces him, and would an aging veteran QB like Brady or Rivers really be a marked improvement?

[Sneezes in Boston accent]
The answer is yes, Fencing Coach, you fawkin dumbass!
Did you really think that Jameis Winston was a bettah option than Tawm Fawkin’ Brady 6-time supah bowl champion and enemy of Rawjuh Fawkin’ Goodell? You were fawkin’ wrong!
Admit to the good people of Aw/NFL that you wuh just another paht of the fake news media that tried to say Tawm Bwady deflated the footballs and that Bill Belichick used the video cameras for the SpyGates!
And who would have evah guessed that we’d end up with Gronk! What a yeeyah! What an offseason you fawkin’ pessimist! We got the GOAT! Get ya Covid immunity TB12 pills and shove ‘em up yuh asshole!
[Snaps out of it]
Okay, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, let’s get serious for a moment. This is the final Hail Mary of the underwhelming Jason Licht era, and aggressive moves were made this offseason, because the excuses have finally run out.
Since taking over the team in 2014, Jason Licht is on his third head coach (to be fair, Lovie Smith was not his choice) and only has a 34-62 (.35) record to show for, 0 playoff appearances, and only one winning season.
Meanwhile, a select list of his GM peers hired since include:

Brett Veach (Chiefs – Hired 2017): Super Bowl Champions, 3x playoff appearances, 34-14 record.
John Lynch (49ers – Hired 2017): NFC Champions, 23-25 record.
John Robinson (Titans – Hired 2016): 2x Playoff Appearances (Lost divisional in 2019), 36-28 record.
Brandon Beane (Bills – Hired 2017): 2x Playoff Appearances, 25-23 record.

Big moves were made this offseason at the Quarterback position, bringing in a certain 6th round pick out of Michigan to compete with the ethereal and legendary Blaine Gabbert. Jameis was shown the door. And the result is about a case of beer’s worth of cap space and little depth across the roster. Buckle your Bucs, this is going to be a helluvah ride.

2020 Outlook

Hard to believe that I’m now in Year 6 of writing these offseason reviews for Tampa, and outside of 2017 where I was wildly off on predicting our record, I’ve managed to fall within one victory/loss in each of the other four. The past two seasons, I’ve predicted our exact record. While Covid delays could impact the 2020 season itself, I predict the Tom Brady Bucs will go 10-6, win the wild card, and lose in the Divisional round.

Year	My Prediction	Actual
2015	7-9	6-10
2016	10-6	9-7
2017	10-6	5-11
2018	5-11	5-11
2019	7-9	7-9
2020	10-6	???

Things I Like About the Bucs in 2020

The Defense: The Bucs finished 2019 with the top ranked run defense, led by beefy Tevita Tuliʻakiʻono Tuipulotu Mosese Vaʻhae Fehoko Faletau Vea. Sack Ferret had a breakout year and led the league in sacks, and Jason Pierre-Paul added 8.5 sacks off the edge despite starting only 8 games. Our ILB unit of Lavonte David and Devin White should be among the best tandems in the league. GM Jason Licht has drafted a fine trio of CB’s in Carlton Davis, Sean Murphy-Bunting, and Jamel Dean, and the addition of Antoine Winfield Jr. will add an instant performer. Suddenly, defense isn’t a concern when it’s been in the past.
People on Offense who Touch the Football Through the Air: If you told me a few months ago that Tom Brady would be throwing footballs in Tampa to Rob Gronkowski, I would have recommended you go see a shrink. But in the year 2020, anything happens. The receiving corps of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, Cameron Brate, and OJ Howard is the best in the NFL, and I can’t be convinced otherwise.

Things That Scare me About the Bucs in 2020:

The Kicking Game: Matt Gay was a 77.1% kicker as a rookie and missed big in some clutch situations. The Jason Licht era has brought in names like Roberto Aguayo, Nick Folk, Chandler Catanzaro, Kyle Brindza, and Cairo Santos (to name a few). None have gotten the job done. Kicker simply can’t be a liability. Gay has to get that % up to the high 80’s. Kickers have lost us numerous games in the last few years. We’re becoming the Minnesota Vikings of the NFC South. A team will only be as strong as its weakest link, and the kicking link has been dreadful.
People on Offense who Run the Football: I’m not sold on Ronald Jones, mostly because his blocking is still horrid and his vision is suspect. He also goes down if he gets hit with the force of a butterfly landing on his shoulder. Shady McCoy was brought in at the veteran minimum, but he was old enough to fight in the Revolutionary War. 3rd round pick Ke’Shawn Vaughn’s ceiling seems like a low one to me and he crosses me more as a utility back than a feature one (more on him in the draft analysis section). The running game is far less important in the NFL of the 2020’s, but there isn’t anyone on this roster who I think can carry the load.
People on Offense who are Supposed to Protect Tom Brady from Dying: Donovan Smith improved in 2019 from abysmal to below average, but below average is what people like Cameron Jordan make mincemeat out of. Tristan Wirfs is a rookie, and rookie OT’s are liabilities more often than not. Ali Marpet is still a stud, and Ryan Jensen improved mightily in year 2 in Tampa. Alex Cappa (RG) is a work in progress and it’s too early to dismiss the guy yet, but progress needs to be made there. For Brady’s sake, this unit has to keep him upright. 43 year olds aren’t meant to withstand hits made with the force of an 18-wheeler.

2020 Draft Analysis

Round/Pick	Player	Analysis
Round 1, #13 Overall	Tristan Wirfs (RT – Iowa)	Admittedly, I always struggle with evaluating OL positions. I thought Chance Warmack, Robert Gallery, and Jason Smith were generational talents. They were far from that. So take what I have to say with a grain of salt, and listen to people like Barian_Fostate who did an excellent breakdown of Wirfs and Jedrick Wills, with the evaluation noting some glaring flaws in Wirfs’ footwork and hand technique. There’s no denying that Wirfs’ athletic ability is deity level batshit. At 6’5, 320 pounds, he ran a 4.86 forty at the Combine, had a 36.5” vertical, and a 10’1 broad jump. Not to mention, the kid can straight up jump out of a pool and casually hang clean 500 pounds. I wanted to watch how Wirfs performed against some of his incoming peers in the NFL, so I watched his matchup against Pedophilia State University to see how he’d fare against Yetur Gross-Matos, 2nd round pick of the Panthers and future division opponent. The results were…underwhelming. YGM brought constant pressure throughout the game, and seemed to have Wirfs beat from his first step onward, but in the same game, his ability in the run game was eye opening (Example). But then you had cases of sheer lack of awareness on blitzes and also stunts that showed deep areas of weakness for Wirfs. One way or another, this was a necessary pick, and even if he doesn’t pan out at RT, Wirfs’ athleticism and gifted abilities in the run game will make him a long-term key part of the Bucs and a potential Guard candidate.
Round 2, #45 Overall	Antoine Winfield Jr. (S – Minnesota)	Antoine Winfield Jr.’s entrance into the league was a “you’re an old man” moment for us Redditors in our 30’s who grew up watching his “Hall of Very Good” father. This was a pretty pick. While Winfield is of course a safety, the very first thing that stood out to me watching his tape was his pass rush ability. Yes, his pass rush ability. The first couple of clips I put on of Winfield had him perfectly timing a snap from the box and immediately in the backfield by the time the QB had the ball in his hands. The second thing that stood out was his nose for the ball, particularly in clutch situations. As Joe Theismann simply stated: “big players make big plays,” and that couldn’t have been more true of Winfield, who had big time game saving interceptions against both Fresno State and Penn State. Winfield was my favorite pick of the Buccaneers draft class, and what he lacks in size he makes up for in speed and an excellent nose for the ball. Keep an eye out for this one.
Round 3, #76 Overall	Ke’Shawn Vaughn (RB – Vanderbilt)	Ke’Shawn Vaughn was one of the harder players to scout from this Buccaneer class, simply because it looked like he would have been better off with an offensive line of obese, beefy toddlers than whatever Vanderbilt rolled out for him. Nearly every snap I viewed of him, he rarely had a clean hole and was hit in the backfield the moment he touched the ball. Like, seriously, what is this? Vaughn’s biggest strengths to me showed up on tape with designed outside runs. Between the tackles, he showed little elusiveness, and a similar issue I saw with former Buccaneer pick Jeremy McNichol is that Vaughn tended to make multiple cuts before turning upfield. Not a good thing. Unlike a glaring weakness I saw in McNichols’ complete inability to block, it’s an area where Vaughn succeeded with flying colors. This, along with his adequate pass catching abilities (28 receptions for 270 yards in 2019) will make him a valuable 3rd down back in the beginning of his career (assuming RoJo is anointed the feature back). There are some traits in a RB that can’t be coached, like vision. There are other things like running upright with high pad level, a weakness I frequently saw with Vaughn that can be taught. Vaughn crosses me as a valuable utility player who may get looks as a feature back should RoJo continue to struggle. The value was there with his 3rd round selection, but expectations for his upside should be kept in check.
Round 5, #161 Overall	Tyler Johnson (WR – Minnesota)	A lot of the Buccaneers crew is pretty high on the Tyler Johnson pick. Pro Football Focus (PFF) had him top 50 on their big board and a Round 2 grade. I just don’t see it. Not at all, in fact. For a guy who stands at a mere 6’1 and is expected to play slot receiver, his speed and separation stand out as glaring weaknesses on tape. What I do like however, is his footwork coming off the line. Most of the time he’d beat his receivers within the first 5-7 yards off the line, but when it came to the deep ball I didn’t see a lot of “wow” factor. Tyler Johnson, I think, will be a reserve WR, which is exactly what you want from a 5th round pick. But I don’t see him as the massive steal many other fans did.
Round 6, #194 Overall	Khalil Davis (DT – Nebraska)	Played alongside his twin brother Carlos at Nebraska (who went one round later to the Steelers). I watched Davis’s game against Wisconsin and he looked to me like he’d fit best as a backup 5-tech. Not particularly explosive with a slow first step, and there were numerous occasions when he did penetrate the backfield but had terrible angles on the RB. Mind you, he was playing against Jonathan Taylor and a stalwart OL, but you want to see flashes of brilliance, even against good competition. Did not see anything that made me say: “this guy’s going to make our final roster.”
Round 7, #241 Overall	Chapelle Russell (LB – Temple)	I was able to find little tape of Russell, but one area where I do trust Jason Licht is in his ability to scout LB’s. I’m not going to pretend I know anything about Russell. I don’t.
Round 7, #245 Overall	Raymond Calais (RB – Louisiana Lafayette)	Calais’s best shot to make the roster will likely be as a return man, where he excelled at Louisiana Lafayette. Based on the limited tape I saw of him, I saw flashes of Felix Jones for his ability to get big gains off of draw plays in the shotgun. Obviously a longshot to make the roster.

Schedule Predictions

Week	Opponent	Prediction	Analysis
Week 1	@Saints	27-24 Bucs (1-0)	Bucs pass rush finds a way to get to Brees. Fun fact: this will be the oldest matchup of QB’s ever in NFL history…until the Bucs play the Saints again in week 9.
Week 2	Panthers	34-20 Bucs (2-0)	Panthers are no doubt in rebuild mode right now. In the past two matchups, Bucs run game has managed to stifle Christian McAffrey. Keep an eye on rookie Yetur Gross-Matos. I think he’ll have a more immediate impact than even 1st round pick Derrick Brown.
Week 3	@Broncos	37-28 Bucs (3-0)	Always a challenge to play at Mile High on the road, but I think the Bucs defense will manage to shut down a young and budding Broncos offense. On a Broncos note, I’ll never understand Jeudy being the 2nd WR off the board (let alone the 2nd Bama receiver taken). Best route runner I’ve seen enter the league since OBJ.
Week 4	Chargers	28-21 Chargers (3-1)	No, I’m not too high on Justin Herbert, but when the Bucs play a rookie QB, I’m usually prone to pick the other team. For some reason, no matter the Head Coach and/or defensive coordinator, the Bucs crumple into fetal position against rookies.
Week 5	@Bears	31-13 Bucs (4-1)	If Foles’ performance against the Bucs last year is any indication, they have his number. Pray that Mitch Trubisky doesn’t start. In his last outing against Tampa, he threw 6 TD’s. He did that as a rookie, mind you. Remember what I said about Bucs against rookie QB’s?
Week 6	Packers	28-24 Packers (4-2)	Rumors of Aaron Rodgers’ demise are greatly exaggerated. It’s a team that’s just complete enough on both sides of the ball that I find it surprising so many are writing them off.
Week 7	@Raiders	34-31 Bucs (5-2)	Here’s another team that is starting to form well under the cracker Mike Mayock. Raiders will be as good as Carr is in Gruden’s offense, and while he improved somewhat in Chucky’s offense by the end of year 2, this is a team at the tipping point between playoffs and an outright QB replacement.
Week 8	@Giants	37-17 Bucs (6-2)	Though rookie Daniel Jones (sense a trend here?) shredded the Bucs with gusto last year, Bucs run defense should be able to neutralize Saquon, and despite a good rookie showing, I don’t have much faith in the long term prospects of Daniel Jones.
Week 9	Saints	20-17 Saints (6-3)	Can usually count on the Saints and Bucs to split the division series. And once again, the oldest QB matchup ever. Put on some episodes of MASH. Get your Bingo cards ready. It’s geriatric QB time.
Week 10	@Panthers	41-21 Bucs (7-3)	Will there be a season by this point? I don’t know. But I still like the Bucs to sweep the series with the Panthers this season.
Week 11	LA Rams	24-17 Rams (7-4)	Rams offense is all of a sudden looking less like the powerhouse it was from a few years ago, but their defense is still nasty. Aaron Donald will make any QB poop their pants, including Tom Brady. This will be a violent defensive battle and I think the Rams will take the edge.
Week 12	Chiefs	37-27 Chiefs (7-5)	For years on NFL going back to his time at Texas Tech, I told you all to get on board the Mahomes canoe. Love seeing him already building his Madden legacy. I’m just not going to bet against him right now.
Week 13	Bye	N/A	I have no way of confirming this, but I’m fairly certain during the bye week Bruce Arians clears out his office and runs an illegal cockfighting ring with his assistant coaches. You can’t convince me I’m wrong.
Week 14	Vikings	31-28 Bucs (8-5)	Vikings remain a balanced team on offense and defense and the Zim Zamm still can’t be flim flammed. Close game here that will be a defensive battle with a few big time plays on offense sprinkled in.
Week 15	Falcons	34-27 Falcons (8-6)	I’m glad to see Raheem Morris back in a DC position after seeing him work his way back up the coaching ranks. Always one of my favorite Buccaneer coaches despite his (many) flaws. I pick the Falcons in our first matchup because of one man and only one man: Julio Jones. Jones has now played a full 16 games in his career against Tampa, coming up with a staggering 116 catches for 1,841 yards and 11 TD’s. That’s cruelty.
Week 16	Lions	41-14 Bucs (9-6)	I have a feeling by this point in the season, Fat Patricia will be one of the first Head Coaches fired and the Lions will be staffed by Interim Head Coach Darrell Bevell. The Bucs will be playing a team with a wounded ego ready to be put down like Old Yeller.
Week 17	Falcons	28-3 Bucs (10-6)	Bucs fight hard to squeak into the playoffs, their first appearance since 2007.

Final Projection: Bucs win wild card, lose in the Divisional Round

Projected Starting Lineup & Analysis: Offense

QB- Tom Brady: See above analysis. Probably Wrong Projected Stats: 4,438 yards, 67.1% completion percentage, 33 TD’s, 13 INT’s
WR1 – Mike Evans: At only 26 years old, Mike Evans already sits at 128th all-time on the career receiving yards list, and has a chance to pass [checks notes] Michael Crabtree on the all-time list this season. In every season in the league, Evans has surpassed 1,000 yards and has become a hallmark of consistency, even with the suspect supporting cast around him. Having an accurate QB for the first time in his career will be a huge benefits to Evans. Probably Wrong Projected Stats: 70 receptions, 1,213 yards, 6 TD’s
WR2 – Chris Godwin: Godwin had a brilliant breakout last season, earning 2nd Team All-Pro honors (that probably would have been 1st team had his season not been cut short by injury). While Evans might be the bigger threat, Godwin is among the most complete receivers in the league. A fantastic route runner with sure hands—and perhaps his most overlooked quality is his blocking. Find me a WR who does it better right now. You won’t. Probably Wrong Projected Stats: 77 receptions, 1,387 yards, 7 TD’s
RB – Ronald Jones: RB is one of the few positions where fans can reasonably expect instant production from a player when he transitions from the college ranks to the pros. As a rookie, RoJo was a mega dud who could barely find the field in the Koetter era. He took a huge step forward in year 2 (724 yards, 4.2 ypc) but still often disappeared in games and lacked the pass protection skills that are so necessary in Arians’ offense. RoJo will have Vaughn to take off some of his workload, but I still see RoJo as one of the weakest links on an otherwise complete offense. Probably Wrong Projected Stats: 808 Rushing yards (4.2 YPC), 5 TD’s
TE – Rob Gronkowski: See above analysis. Probably Wrong Projected Stats: 41 receptions, 614 yards, 6 TD’s
LT – Donovan Smith: Donovan Smith provides as much protection as Jeffrey Epstein’s guards when he was on suicide watch. While Tom Brady tends to release the ball far faster than Winston, the Arians offense designed for Brady better be getting the ball out fast. 43 year old QB’s aren’t meant to take the kinds of hits Winston did. Let’s hope that Tristan Wirfs is able to prove himself a viable option on the left side. We’ll be able to get out of Donovan Smith’s contract after this season with no cap ramifications. On a side note, there’s a decent change Donovan Smith will opt out of his contract due to Covid concerns. And I wouldn’t blame him one bit.
LG – Ali Marpet: Marpet continues to be the most reliable piece of our OL. Like Lavonte, a continually unheralded player who you can rely on to go toe-to-toe with the league’s best interior DL while manhandling the dregs of the NFL. I thought last season would be Marpet’s shot at a 2nd Team All-Pro, but he was passed over once again. Love Marpet.
C – Ryan Jensen: Jensen’s first year with the team was free agent bust material. He seemed to thrive more in the Arians offense and we saw marked improvement in all facets of his game last year. Overpaid for his value? Definitely. Living up more and more to the contract we gave him? Yup.
RG – Alex Cappa: When Jason Licht rolled the dice on small school Humboldt State product Alex Cappa, he may have been expecting the next Ali Marpet. In his first full season as a starter, there were things to be encouraged by and I’m a little more bullish on Cappa than most of the fan base. Though he allowed 31 pressures on 562 pass snaps (roughly 6% pressure rate), I saw Cappa’s confidence growing as the season went on. His third season will tell us what his true ceiling in this league is. Right now, his floor isn’t Garrett Gilkey, but his ceiling ain’t Earl Grey.
RT – Tristan Wirfs: See above analysis.

Projected Starting Lineup & Analysis: Defense

EDGE – Sack Ferret: The Sack Ferret was brought on a 1 year, $4 million deal last season. I predicted he’d be a 5.5 sack guy and then probably hit free agency again. Just like we all expected, he went off and led the league in sacks with 19.5 (more than his previous five years in the league combined) and earned himself the franchise tag. Barrett has quickly become a fan favorite, and while I don’t see him replicating his majestic 2019 season, I still think he’ll be the same terror he’s been off the edge. Probably wrong projected stats: 12.5 sacks.
0-Tech - Tevita Tuliʻakiʻono Tuipulotu Mosese Vaʻhae Fehoko Faletau Vea: Running on the Buccaneers in 2019 was damn near impossible, so much so that the team only allowed 73.8 rushing yards per game. That success started up front with Vita Vea, who has quickly emerged as the league’s top 0-tech. Unfortunately, like his forefathers in Vince Wilfork and Casey Hampton, he’s likely to spend his career as a valuable defensive cog who receives few to no career accolades due to the “unsexiness” of being a two-gap space eating defender. So NFL, here’s a homework assignment for you. Watch Vea on All-22 if you have some time while on Covid lockdown. You will see one of the most absurdly athletic big men in the league who is your definition of immovable object. His progress last year was a joy to watch and he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite players. Oh, and he’s the best TE on the Bucs. By far. Probably wrong projected stats: 2.5 sacks, 2 receiving TD’s.
5-Tech – Ndamukong Suh: We brought Suh back on another 1 year deal. No, he’s not the player he once was (he’s even refrained from curbstomping genitals in Tampa…so far), but his attitude he sets on the field has been a welcome change compared to the namby-pamby milquetoasts on our DL from the past. Suh’s value will come mostly in the run game. His sack producing days are long gone. Probably wrong projected stats: 3.5 sacks.
EDGE – Jason Pierre-Paul: It’s [checks notes] August, and Jason Pierre-Paul hasn’t had an offseason accident. Praise the football Gods. Despite starting in only 8 games last year due to a serious auto accident, JPP managed 8.5 sacks. At 31, father time hasn’t quite caught up with him yet. Probably wrong projected stats: 9.5 sacks.
ILB – Lavonte David: The good part of Lavonte David bouncing inside last season to Will is that he no longer got grouped in the same bucket as sack-producing 3-4 OLB’s who beat him out for All-Pro nods nearly every year. Even at 30, Lavonte only seems to be getting better, and his instincts and smarts continue to essential to the defense. Though Lavonte is one half of the Mike tandem and has been one of the league’s best LB’s’ for all of 8 seasons, I don’t think he’s going to be the centerpiece stud. Keep Devin White’s name at the forefront of your mind, which leads me to... Probably wrong projected stats: 3.5 sacks, 3 INT’s
ILB – Devin “Get Live 45” White: If you’ve read any of my posts here for the last 5+ years, you would see I don’t take a blind homer approach with player evaluation. Not once have I predicted a Buccaneer would win the MVP award, nor have I predicted a Buccaneer would win DPOY. In fact, only once have I ever predicted we’d be a playoff team. Now that preamble is done, let me say it outright: Devin White is going to win Defensive Player of the Year in Year 2. What? Mikes never win, you say. And you’d be mostly correct. In fact, Vegas odds don’t even have Devin White listed in their top 10. Here’s what I saw from Devin White in the last half of his rookie season: an absolutely insane nose for forcing the fumble, excellent pass rush abilities, and smarts that put him in the backfield often before the RB even had the ball in his hands. I saw enough from him to believe his leap in year 2 is going to be similar to that of Luke Kuechly’s where he won DPOY in his second year in the league. Wherever the ball is, Devin White will be there. You’re going to see one of the league’s dominant defensive enforcers for a long, long time. Probably wrong projected stats: 6.0 sacks, 5 INT’s, 6 FF’s.
FS – Antoine Winfield Jr.: See above analysis. I think we’re also going to see Justin Evans get cut Probably wrong projected stats: 2.0 sacks, 2 INT’s
SS – Jordan Whitehead: Jordan White is the most underrated player on the Buccaneers defense, in my eyes. No, not Lavonte, because people talk about how underrated he is all the time to the point he’s not so underrated anymore. Whitehead’s mistakes went down drastically last year and he has a knack for being where the football is. Really like him and could see some big plays from him this season. Probably wrong projected stats: 1.0 sacks, 3 INT’s
CB – Carlton Davis: Bruce Arians doesn’t give empty praise, but he recently called Carlton Davis a top ten CB in the league, an assessment I’m inclined to agree with. He was battle tested big time in year 2, getting targeted 105 times and only allowing 52.4% of those balls thrown his way to be completed. He was able to shadow the best, and his 18 pass breakups are indicative of a guy with great awareness. And the funny thing is, he’s not even the CB I’m highest on with this roster. Probably wrong projected stats: 4 INT’s
CB – Jamel Dean: For a guy who came in as a 3rd round rookie, Dean exceeded expectations and then some. His first game as a starter came against the Seahawks, there’s no sugarcoating it—he got owned. But what I saw was a guy who stayed stride for stride with his receiver with little help over the top. By the end of his rookie season, he was looking like a shutdown corner. This is the CB I’m most excited for in 2020. Kid’s got a bright future. Probably wrong projected stats: 3 INT’s
CB – Sean Murphy-Bunting: When I’m wrong, I admit I’m helluh wrong, and with Murphy-Bunting, I was helluh wrong. Yes, it’s been only one season and things could still go south, but I was baffled when we passed on Greedy Williams in favor of SMB.

Non-Buccaneer Predictions for the Season

My 2018 breakout player prediction was Patrick Mahomes. Last year, it was Joshua Jacobs and Corey Davis (oops). This year, you need to watch J.K. Dobbins (rookie, Baltimore), N’Keal Harry (2nd year, NE). Perhaps not a true breakout, but I think Calvin Ridley will surpass 1,000 yards and become an even bigger complement to Julio Jones.
MVP will go to Russ Wilson. DPOY will go to Devin White (and if you’ve been reading these posts long enough you know I don’t usually go the homer approach). OPOY will go to Patrick Mahomes. COTY will go to Cliff Kingsbury.
The NFC Championship will be played between the 49ers and the Cowboys. The Cowboys will win. The AFC Championship will be played between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots. The Chiefs will win. The Chiefs will repeat in the Super Bowl, defeating the Cowboys.
Last year I wrote: “Sam Darnold isn’t going to amount to much as an NFL QB. Not this year, and probably not ever.” I’ll repeat it this year too. But let me add one guy to that list: Tua Tagovailoa.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire isn’t the superstar you think he is. I think his career will wind up like Joseph Addai’s: a guy who had a few flash in the pan seasons but never among the top backs. That’s not a bad thing, I would just cool expectations on him.
The teams with the highest potential to land a top 5 pick, in no particular order: Lions, Jaguars, the Washington Football team (I feel like an idiot even typing that), Bears, Jets. Dark Horse: Eagles.
Coaches who have the hottest seats: Fat Patricia, Dan Quinn, Adam Gase, Doug Marrone, Bill O’Brien (as coach and GM).

Shoutouts

Shoutouts to my fellow mods on Buccaneers and NFL. It's a pleasure working with you all every day and shooting the shit with dank memes. And of course, much love to platypusofdeath who puts an insane amount of work into this series every year. Thank you for all you do.

Hunting in California 101: What I Wish I Knew When I Started

I swear it's really not as bad as people make it out to be.

Preface:

So you're probably reading this because you're interested in hunting in California and/or you're a new hunter who is struggling to do more than take a long walk in the woods with your weapon of choice. That or you just want to find all my mistakes and point them out. Great! This is written for you (even the pedants).
Since someone will ask, no I do not work for Fish and Wildlife. No I am not some professional guide or outfitter. I've just spent a lot of time hunting here as well as other states. I'm a transplanted software engineer on the Losing Side of Twenty-Five who fell victim to the sun and salary trap of San Diego and now I'm stuck. I've posted quite a bit on this subreddit before on a different Reddit account and even met with people from here. Then I lost the password to that account and I guess I never set up a recovery email. I'm bad with computers. Thank God I can fool my employer.

Part 0: How do I actually get started hunting in California?

Step 1: The first step is to complete your Hunter Education Safety Course. If you haven't done this yet you need to do this first. There is no circumventing this. Stop asking. This is the first step and probably 10% of the posts on the sub ask this. At the time of this writing, due to COVID-19, you can do the course entirely online. The course is worth paying attention to. There are a lot of California-specific rules and regulations that are important. I'm not going to go into specifics on how to do the course. If you can't figure it out, please don't start hunting. On the subject of hunter's education, unlike some states such as NY, California does not have a separate archery license and does not require you to complete a Bowhunter's Education Course to receive archery tags. It's still a good idea to do the course as it contains some great knowledge as well as opens up the opportunity to archery hunt in other states.
Step 2: Purchase your hunting license. The cost of a license is $51.02 as of 7/23/2020. You should receive a GO ID number during the process of acquiring your Hunter Safety Card above. This GO ID number is used by Fish and Wildlife to track you. It will be linked to some kind of ID which is also used to track you. In my case, this is my California driver's license. If I go to a license retailer, I can get a license or tag showing my driver's license. You don't need to memorize the GO ID number or anything; however, it is printed on your license documents so it's easy to find (once you have those, of course). If you have a fishing license you already have a GO ID. You can either order your license online straight from CDFW, from a CDFW License Sales Office, or from a licensed agent (the search function here is poorly set up--ignore the name and put in your ZIP or do County and State). Also, remember, your license is valid 7/1 to 6/30. NOT 1/1 to 12/31 like a fishing license.
- Does it matter where I buy my license? The answer here for most people is no. If you are a disabled veteran with 50% or greater service-connected disability you need to purchase your license at the CDFW office the first time and bring your VA letter showing your rating and that it's service connected with you. After that you can buy it online or at the retailer of your choice. Disabled veteran licenses are currently $7.73. You may not need to go into a CDFW office due to COVID-19 right now. You should call and ask. Do not take this as gospel. There is also the Recovering Service Member Hunting License which requires a bunch of verification. I won't go into detail since I believe CDFW sold something like 3 of these in all of 2019. If you are mobility impaired, visually disabled, or qualify for the disabled archery permit (allowing you to use a crossbow during archery season), you're required to get your permit as well from a CDFW office as well as provide documentation from a licensed physician. There is no fee for any of those three licenses.

Part 1: What do I really need for hunting?

A hunting license. No seriously. This is a hard and fast requirement for California. If you want to hunt without a license go to Nevada and shoot coyotes (but don't actually do that--just get your damn license).
The appropriate tags. We'll go over this in the next section.
Patience. Temper your expectations. You are going to fail a lot at first. Hunting in California isn't easy and hunting on public land especially so. YouTube and hunting shows make it appear a lot easier than it is thanks to editing. Much like I tell the women I meet: have low expectations. This cannot be stressed enough.
Lead Free Ammo. More on this in a bit. Just remember this is a statewide requirement. Also someone asked me once if this applies to broad-heads for archery. Just lol. Don't be that guy.
General/Basic/Useful Starting Gear (this list is not exhaustive--just some ideas to get started):
- Inexpensive pump-action 12 or 20 Gauge shotgun. If you're a new shooter, new to guns and can only afford one to start with this is the way to go. It opens up trap/skeet shooting as a hobby and will allow you to hunt small game, upland birds and waterfowl. A 12 gauge shotgun is sort of the American standard and a worthy first purchase; however, if you're a smaller framed person I would recommend a 20 gauge shotgun. I own both and use the 20 gauge more often than the 12 just because it's lighter to take for a long walk in the woods. It's not a dick/tit measuring contest. Get what you're comfortable with. My recommendation is the Winchester Super XP (SXP) as it comes with two barrels (long for hunting and short for home defense) and three chokes (Full, IC, Mod). Another good choice is the Mossberg 500 All Purpose Field, Classic, or Turkey. Otherwise a used Remington 870 is fine, but I would avoid purchasing a new one due to some serious quality issues in recent years. If you're on a budget, buy a Maverick 88 model 31010, All Purpose. Yes it's cheap. Yes it works. Yes it's reliable. Just realize you won't be flexing on anyone with one. But, again, it's not a dick/tit measuring contest anyway.
- Inexpensive .22LR for small game and plinking. Make sure you buy copper ammo for it. If you want a semi-auto .22LR buy a Ruger 10/22 and be done with it. It's basically the Honda Civic of guns and you can't go wrong with one. If you want a bolt-action either buy a Marlin XT-22 or Savage Mark II. You should be able to source a used .22LR in good condition as well if you're short on cash.
- Decent big-game rifle If you can't afford to invest in quality for both a gun and a scope buy a quality optic first. Yes, this might seem counter-intuitive; however, you can move the scope from one rifle to the next and it's very unlikely that a new hunteshooter is going to be able to out-shoot even a cheap factory rifle for quite a while. There are tons of options for rifles. Some great options for guns which should be under $900 out-the-door at your local gun store are (in no particular order other than the first two are my favorites): Tikka T3x, Weatherby Vanguard, Bergara B14, Howa 1500, Ruger American, Savage 10/110, and a used Remington 700 (I don't recommend buying a new one anymore). Any of these guns will do you just fine. Don't buy some tacticool shit for hunting like the Ruger Precision Rifle. Don't get me wrong. It's a great gun. It just weighs 10 pounds. You'll find most of the tacticool rifles are excessively heavy or they have shorter barrels for urban combat (which results in lower muzzle velocity and reduces range). Another option is the Mauser 18 which you can get for ~$400 on sale at the moment and is criminally underrated. If you're on a budget the Mossberg Patriot, Thompson/Center Compass II, Savage AXIS Line and the Remington 783 will all be out the door for under $450-ish. They should all get the job done which is the most important thing. Also I only listed bolt-action rifles as I don't want to deal with the what-is and what-isn't questions of legal semi-autos in California.
- BUT WHAT CALIBER?1!!?//? Ever want to see nerds fight on the internet? Talk about calibers. If you want a gun which can take any of the big game in California I recommend the following calibers: .308 (usually the easiest to find ammo for), .30-06, 7mm Remington Magnum, 300 Win Mag, .270 and 7mm-08. If you're recoil sensitive, a new shooter, or guns still make you nervous, I recommend the last two as the first two you look at--especially the 7mm-08 as it's criminally underrated. All of those calibers have in-stock lead-free ammo right now at the closest gun store to me (I actually called and asked) and can be used to ethically harvest deer, elk, antelope, bear and sheep. There are tons of other options which people are going to happily point out which are way less common (e.g. 28 Nosler) or rounds which are great, but apparently sold out in lead-free at the moment (like 6.5 CM). While I'm sure tons of people have a ton to say about calibers, no one starting out hunting needs to know that the .30-06 can be filled with slightly more powder than the .308 so you get higher velocities from hand-loads, or that the .300WSM is technically better than a .300WM out of barrels shorter than 24 inches. It literally does not matter. Buy any of the above calibers and you're good to go. Ignore the haters. In a similar vein, anyone who tells you 300 Win Mag is "too big" or "overkill" for a mule deer either a) doesn't hunt or b) probably believes a .50 BMG can kill you with the shockwave from a near-miss. Also don't buy a caliber that you're afraid to shoot. Once again, this isn't a dick/tit measuring contest. I once owned a .300WSM and legitimately hated shooting it. That was a regretful purchase. Don't make the same mistake.
- Quality Scope. Buy Vortex. Hell, buy used Vortex and if you get a lemon just send it back to them under the lifetime warranty (no, seriously, it's that easy). Vortex is the best value per dollar with the best customer service and also the best Reddit presence (seriously--just ping vortexoptics with questions and you'll get answers within a day). When it comes to scopes there are tons of options with dozens of different reticles and I will try and briefly give some answers. To cover the focal plane debate, please watch this video from Vortex (I swear I don't work for them). My personal preference is First Focal Plane because I know what my subtensions are and I can accurately judge holdover regardless of my magnification as a result. As for MIL/MRAD vs MOA, here's a video that explains it really doesn't matter. Just make sure your scope adjustments match your reticle. Personally, I shoot MOA because 1 inch at 100 yards is easier for me to visualize. I've shot MIL/MRAD in the past and swapped. As far as reticles go, buy one that you can understand and use with appropriate markings. Don't buy one you don't know how to use (or aren't willing to learn how to use) or that just clutters your field of view. Finally, in regards to magnification, do not overdo it. You're not shooting a deer with a 338 Lapua from 2 1/2 miles away. The low end should be 3x or 4x and the upper end should be 12 to 16x. On my deer rifle I shoot a Viper PST Gen II 3-15x44 FFP with the EBR-7C MOA reticle. With this setup I am comfortable taking shots past 500 yards which is beyond the range most new hunters should ever consider. Now to avoid being accused of being a Vortex corporate shill, I should add that when I shot F-Class my rifle scope was a Nighforce NXS and I've owned Zeiss in the past (before I swapped to FFP) and was quite pleased with the quality of both. They're also more expensive than Vortex so there's that. Oh, and my .22LR has a Nikon Prostaff Rimfire scope on it which has worked flawlessly for 7(?) years now. Seriously. I treat it like shit and it's held zero the entire time. 5/7 would recommend.
- A shooting stick. For a large part of California, shooting from a bipod attached to a rifle isn't practical. Whether it's sage or tall grass, it just isn't happening. The Primos Trigger Stick is what you want. There is also the tripod version. I own both and use the trigger stick more often. If I had to choose one I'd go with the monopod because it's easiefaster to deploy.
- Good binoculars. Again, I'm going to suggest Vortex. A solid pair of 10x42s or 8x42s are what you're looking for. I rock Diamondback HDs 10x50s I bought used. Keep in mind, these aren't really the binoculars you'll see people "glassing" with. These are more for the mobile hunter and general scanning. If I were to buy a single pair of binos for carrying around, I'd swap my 10x50s for Diamondback HD 8x42s and it's what I suggest you do if you're starting out (again, buy used if you can). In the past I've owned Bushnell binos and they worked for getting started, but quickly left a lot to be desired. While Bushnell quality is a lot better than it was in the past, I still recommend Vortex because I've got personal experience with using them far more recently. Also just ask around. Tons of people have good binos they don't use and will usually part with for way under the replacement value.
- A pack. If you're backpack hunting you're going to have different requirements than someone stand hunting within drag distance of their truck. If you want a good pack which will work for most big game situations, buy the ALPS OutdoorZ Commander frame and bag. I owned one. It held up pretty well although it's not waterproof. For the price it's pretty much the best you can do. I upgraded to an Eberlestock Just One Pack J34 with the J2SD Spike Camp Duffel and it's been good so far. I'll be really testing it this fall though. If you don't need a full pack, I use a ALPS OutdoorZ Pathfinder with the Turkey call and game bag. Granted when I purchased it the two came together so they may have since modified it, but I still recommend it. Keeps all your stuff handy. I actually use it for turkey hunting. If you just want a simple day pack (or want to mix the daypack with the Pathfinder), I bought this a few years ago at Big5 for like $50 and it's held up just fine. The buckles are a PITA but at least they don't break.
- Good knife. I actually don't know that much about knives. I use a Havalon Piranta Edge because I'm too lazy to sharpen blades. I've skinned a lot of game with it and love it. My buddy has the Buck Knives 141 and another carries a Buck 110. As long as the knife is sharp it will work. If you don't know how to sharpen a knife, get the Havalon or similar knife with replacement blades.
- What about archery???!?1 If you want to start bow-hunting--which you absolutely should--you really need to go to an archery shop and talk to the employees. Tell them your budget (make sure they know you need a full set up for that amount and not just a bow). They'll have you test fire bows and measure your draw length. Help you figure out what draw weight you're comfortable with. You'll need to find the bow that works for you. It's not the same as buying a gun. Bows are much more individual. Don't be embarassed because you're shooting a 40lb draw. The more you practice the more it will go up. I shoot a 60lb draw and have zero intention of ever going up. It's more than enough. Once again, hunting is not a dick/tit measuring contest. Don't believe the hype that you need to have an 80lb pull bow. If you've never shot a bow before don't waste your money on a flagship. I currently shoot a Bowtech Revolt X which is basically sex in bow form. It's also overkill for someone who has never even shot a bow before. If you have a limit of $500 for bow + arrows, the Diamond SB-1 Edge is a "good enough" solution and I know two people who have taken deer with one. It's not great, but it'll do the trick to get you started. If you need the recommendation on a bow shop in the San Diego area the only shop you need to go to is the Bow N Arrow Shop in Lakeside. Make an appointment and tell Bruce your situation. He will go out of his way to help you. One other thing: crossbows are considered firearms in California in relation to hunting seasons, so basically a crossbow can't be used on an archery tag during archery season.
- Camping equipment for backpack hunters. Check Craigslist for good deals. I've had the same REI tent and stove for years. Also, look at camping's sidebar for all the camping-related and gear-related sub-reddits. They have far more on this subject than I could ever hope to fit here.
- Cooler. If you're going to be traveling a distance and need to keep ice cool for several days I can personally recommend RTIC because I'm too cheap for Yeti, but Yeti are very good coolers as well. Otherwise Igloo or Coleman coolers work just fine. Don't let the marketing fool you. You do not need a Yeti/RTIC if you're just starting out and not leaving the cooler in the Arizona sun for 6 days straight. Hell, if you're going to be home within an hour you don't even need a cooler. As for size, 65 quarts fits a quartered mule deer and ice.
- Clothing. I'll be honest. If you're just getting started and on a budget just go to Walmart and buy some cheap camo. Don't overthink it because it will work just fine. This might be sacrilege to the guy wearing $800 worth of Sitka clothes, but at least your credit card isn't max'd. If you can't afford Sitka, but also don't want to walk into Walmart, just look for King's Camo or Badlands. I wear a mix of stuff personally and it's mostly First Lite and King's Camo. Of course, if you've got the money, Sitka, First Lite and KUIU are great. Buy a good pair of gaiters. Also wool is your best friend. I have a pair of Kenetrek gaiters and they're great. You should also wear gloves even in the summer months. It will save your hands from getting cut up.
- OnX. This is a requirement for public land hunting in California. I will write more on it later. Want to know where to hunt? Well, this is the answer.
And some nice-to-haves
- Laser Range Finder This isn't a requirement to get started hunting, but if you've got the stuff above and especially if you're bowhunting it's a very nice thing to have. Personally I use a Vortex Ranger 1800 but the Impact 1000 is a great starting point. In the past I had a Leupold RX-1000i TBR that was great until it decided to die on me. Bushnell makes great rangefinders and if you're doing archery on a budget this is a good option. Also check classified ads for golf. Sometimes you'll find some deals on rangefinders there.
- Binoculars for glassing and a tripod. This is especially true for anyone hunting SoCal where you need to glass. You want a good 15x56 or 18x56 and a solid tripod. I'm currently waiting on these Diamondback HD 15x56 to come in stock where I usually buy my optics so I can replace my less-than-great Nikon 16x50s. As for tripods, I have a Vortex Summit SS-P and it works pretty well. I use it for my spotting scope and it's admittedly a little light for that, but that can be offset pretty well by hanging weight from the balance hook.
- Spotting scope I use a Vortex Viper HD 15-45x65 (angled). It's great and I can count points from crazy distances while also being light enough I don't mind carrying it. I love it. The only other spotting scope I've used is a Swarovski and the thing was incredible--but it also costs as much as 1.5 KLR650s.
- Game Cameras Since I'm going to assume most people are hunting on public land I recommend you just buy some cheap Chinesium generic cams. Game cams are prone to wandering off for unknown reasons on public land. Obviously if you're hunting private property you should have a safer investment, so feel free to spend some more on actual quality cams. As for everyone else? Cheap Chinesium it is. Use lithium batteries with the cameras to maximize the cheaply-engineered battery life and a cheap 32GB class 10 SD card. It works out to something like $52 a camera between cam, batteries and SD card. You're going to lose them. Don't splurge here unless your daily driver is a Bugatti.
- goHUNT Insider Membership. In reality, this isn't actually that useful when you're first starting out if you're only sticking to hunting inside of California. Once you decide to expand your hunting horizons it's super valuable. They also have great articles on their site.
- 4WD Vehicle There are a lot of rough desert service roads--especially around San Diego and Imperial Counties--which open up a lot of public land for you to hunt, but they can only safely accessed with 4WD. Is this a requirement to get started hunting? Not at all. Should you buy a 4WD vehicle just to go hunting? Probably not if you ask personalfinance. Is it nice to have? Absolutely. Even better if it belongs to your friend. I can't begin to tell you how many scratches my truck has from going off-road...
- Private Property. If you can't afford it find someone who owns property and ask for permission. You'll be surprised how many landowners will agree--especially if you bow-hunt. I've got permission in the past to hunt on private property in San Diego. How did I manage it? I asked. That simple. Tons of hunters complain about not being able to hunt on private property but have never even tried asking. Just get used to getting rejected. Thankfully my dating life prepared me well for this.
- Hunting Buddy. More on this later. Suffice to say friends are good to have.

Part 2: Tags, Stamps, and Points. Oh my!

Tags 101
- What are tags? Tags are a permit to harvest a specific big game animal. They're sold in addition to your regular hunting license.
- Why do I need them? You need tags to harvest deer, elk, pronhorn antelope, bighorn sheep, wild pig, or black bear.
- How many tags can I have? You are limited to two deer tags each year and one each of elk, antelope, sheep and black bear. You can purchase an unlimited number of pig tags.
- How do I get tags? Pig tags and black bear tags are sold "over-the-counter" (OTC) This means you can drive to your local Big 5, buy a tag, and then head straight to the woods and try and harvest an animal. Well, in theory. If 1,700 bears are harvested statewide, the bear season is closed; however, that hasn't happened since California banned bear hunting with dogs c. 2011. We haven't even come close since then. Some deer tags are OTC but most are not. Most deer tags are considered premium deer tags and allocated via lottery, then there are restricted deer tags (these are less common), and finally unrestricted deer tags. I will cover these differences in the section on deer. ALL Elk, Pronghorn, and Sheep tags are awarded through a lottery drawing. None are sold OTC in the state of California.
Stamps/Validations 101
- What are stamps? Stamps are endorsements on your license similar to endorsements on a driver's license. They entitle you to certain privileges. In California, these privileges are exclusively related to bird hunting.
- Why do I need them? If you want to hunt upland game, waterfowl, or other migratory birds, you need the appropriate stamps. There are three stamps. If you want to hunt waterfowl (i.e. ducks) you need the "California Duck Validation" as well as the "Federal Duck Stamp." If you want to hunt upland game (i.e. turkey, dove, pheasant or quail) you need the "Upland Game Bird Validation".
- How many stamps do I need? You just buy the stamps once per year. If you're going duck hunting, buy the two validations and you're good to go for the season. Same as the Upland Game stamp. It's valid for the same dates as your hunting license.
- How do I get stamps/validations? Same place you got your hunting license. You can order it online or go to a licensed retailer. It's super easy. There is no limit or lottery or anything.
Points 101
- What are points? Points, or preference points as they're technically known, are awarded for each year you enter a tag lottery and don't win the tag. They exist in an attempt to award a limited number of tags in a fair manner which rewards people who have tried for the tags the longest
- Why do I need them? It's practically impossible to draw elk, pronghorn, sheep and a large number of deer tags without them. I'll explain them more in depth later, but suffice it to say for now each point increases your likelihood of getting drawn.
- How many points do I need? That depends on the species and the hunt. It can be as low as zero or one to as high as the current maximum of 19 points on next year's application.
- How do I get points? Say it's your first year and you entered for a Bighorn Sheep tag and didn't win. You'll be awarded a point for this entry. The next year you'll have one point. If you don't win in your second year, you'll get another point and so on. Once you win your points zero. You can also elect to just buy a point by noting "Preference Point Only" instead of entering a specific drawing on your application. However you can not choose both "Preference Point Only" as well as entering a drawing. It's one or the other.

Part 3: Finding Public Land to Hunt On

It's not that hard. I swear. There are 38,197,000 acres of public land--38% of the entire state--open to hunting. Is it hard to find GOOD hunting land not overrun by other hunters? Yes. That's why you scout and get used to hiking quite a bit. It's not impossible, however, and that's what matters.
Use OnX. No seriously. It's worth every cent. Every single time a new hunter asks me where to go my answer is OnX. I don't want to do a write-up on every amazing feature this software has to offer because they have a YouTube channel where they do it better than I ever could. That being said, there are a few things worth mentioning for people who are too lazy to watch some YouTube videos.
First - you can use OnX from both a PC and smartphone. I'm mentioning this because quite a few people I know were surprised when I told them the website works from PC. It's way easier to plan a hunt on a 27 inch monitor than a 5.8 inch phone. The website and the phone app are synced so if you add a marker to the website, it appears on the phone (and vice versa).
Second - check out the layers library and use them. As an example, you should have the layer for recent fires turned on when you're looking for bear, deer or elk opportunities. Again, I'm not sure why people don't realize this is available.
Third - use markers and colors which make sense. When I first started using OnX, I would mark everything in the most haphazard fashion. It's not useful. I suggest keeping it simple. If I think an area might have access I drop a yellow "A", if I confirm that it has access I drop a blue"A" and if it turns out there's no getting there I set a red "A". It makes it easy to read quickly. However, do whatever is easy and works for you. Just make sure you understand what you're looking at and you're consistent with it.
What kind of land can I hunt on? Legal Disclaimer: You should verify with all respective agencies and landowners that hunting is permitted at specific locations because I'm not responsible for you going to jail etc.

BLM Land. OnX marks BLM land in yellow. BLM land typically allows dispersed camping without permits. At least in Southern California deserts, the BLM has decently maintained dirt access roads throughout. On most BLM land throughout the state you can also target shoot however this needs to be checked with the local field office first. Also, if you see a "No Shooting" sign they're talking about target shooting. You can still discharge a firearm during the lawful pursuit of game. Just a protip.
National Forest. Most National Forest property can be hunted on and if hunting is prohibited it will be clearly marked. OnX marks National Forest property in green. Roads are typically maintained pretty well through National Forest property. A large number of the roads throughout Cleveland National Forest in San Diego can be access with a front-wheel drive compact car and a sufficiently brave driver.
Wilderness Areas. Most Wilderness Areas can be hunted. There are cases where there may be an endangered animal (such as a butterfly here in San Diego) which results in some acres being closed to any and all access--not just hunting; however, this is exceedingly rare and it will be clearly posted. It's important to note you can not operate a motorized/mechanical vehicle (including a bicycle) within the bounds of the wilderness area. You will be walking in and out. Don't drive your jeep down a fire road through a wilderness area. Just because the road exists doesn't make it OK. Follow the rules. There will be signs telling you not to do it. It's pretty hard to claim ignorance on this one. OnX marks Wilderness Areas with a dotted pattern. You will notice this wilderness area is part of a national forest from the color of the lower layer. See? Learning has occurred.
Some State Wildlife Areas. OnX marks Wildlife Areas in light blue. Each Wildlife Area has specific regulations set by the state. Thankfully those regulations are easily available online as well as very useful write-ups about each area.
In Imperial County specifically you can hunt on IID Land. I'm adding this here because the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) permits hunting on their properties. You will probably be stopped by an IID officeemployee at some point. They're friendly and usually super helpful. There's just a pretty big crime problem in El Centro right now where farming equipment (including things like full-size tractors) are getting stolen and IID actively checks their properties for suspicious people. All that being said, it is not the standard for private water to allow hunting. Vista Irrigation District in San Diego leases their land to hunters through the "My Country Club" program at $3,000 a year. However, it's still worth checking where you live. You can just call the local irrigation district office and ask.
Private Property with Permission. You can use OnX for this as well. It helps you locate property owners. I don't want to doxx anyone so no screenshot, but every registered property owner is available to you. If you find a piece of land you wish to hunt you can use this information to find the owner. My house sits on an 1/8th of an acre and if I click the parcel it has my full name (including middle initial weirdly enough) as well as address. And, no, you can't hunt on my tiny slice of land I call home. The HOA would definitely frown on that.
Hunting Clubs. This is particularly true for upland game bird or duck hunting. A lot of hunting clubs own or lease property they maintain specifically for hunting. If you can afford it, this is a good option and it's a great way to meet other hunters. Think of it as the Country Clubs of the hunting world.
Private Property through a Guide Service. Again, this will cost you. However, most guide services have agreements with property owners to hunt private property. There is no shame in hiring a guide either. If you want to get better at a hobby it's common to pay for lessons. Why is hunting any different?
SOME National Recreation Areas and National Preserves / Lands administered by NPS. In Southern California, the big one which permits hunting is Mojave National Preserve (which is a great place for quail by the way). OnX marks it in this purple (fuchsia?) color. National Recreation Area is the same color and places such as Lake Meade National Recreation Area in Nevada permit hunting. I assume there are places in California which do but I don't know any off the top of my head and I'm too lazy to do your research for you. Just check the regulations before you go. Everything is online these days. There is no excuse. The incomplete list of places you can hunt is here because the government can't be bothered to maintain it. Case in point: Mojave National Preserve isn't even listed but hunting is listed on their own website for those wondering.
Military Bases. Some military bases permit hunting to the public (Fort Hunter Liggett is one). Others permit hunting only to active duty service members or retirees (Camp Pendleton). Each base has their own rules and regulations. If you're close to a base it's worth checking to see if they allow hunting and what the requirements for access are.
? Some Logging Company Properties ?. I've heard this from multiple people, but I live in Southern California where this isn't really a thing. If someone from NorCal can chime in that would be great.

What Kind of land CAN'T I hunt on?

State Parks. There is no hunting on state parks in California.
MOST National Parks / National Monuments. Again, research before you go. Just realize most properties are going to be a big no-no.
MOST National Wildlife Refuges. There are some you can hunt on though. It's worth checking. Just understand most refuges do not permit hunting and those that do typically regulate what you can and can't hunt.
Private Property without Written Permission. Seriously. Don't be that guy. Oddly enough there are exceptions to this rule in other places (dove hunting in Yuma, AZ is permitted on private non-residential farming property as long as there isn't a posted sign forbidding it). But when you're in California this is a hard and fast rule. Once again: don't be that guy (or gal).

Will you tell me your secret spot?
I don't have one and none of my spots are secrets. They're all on public land. If you're really lost-in-space or just generally nervous about going somewhere you scouted through a website and you happen to be local to Southern California, just message me and I'll help out. It's really not that difficult though.

Part 4: Alternatives For When You Don't Get The Tag You Want

SHARE Hunts for Elk
This is a California-specific hunting opportunity. It's another lottery but it's an agreement between the state and private landowners to permit very regulated hunting on their properties. Each hunt is different and, again, this is a lottery so it's basically a moonshot; however, the odds of getting drawn on an elk tag is actually higher here than most general draws are with zero points. The money goes back into the program. The SHARE elk drawings close 7/24 this year. Which happens to be today. You can read more about the SHARE opportunities here. Enter through the online DFW license sales.
Leaving California (Hunting out-of-state): Since you can check out, but never leave, right? It's worth looking at other states.

OTC Elk - Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington all offer OTC tags. This will cost you $450-$750 for the non-resident hunting license and the tag.
OTC Antelope - Wyoming has good draw odds (some are 100%). Otherwise I think Idaho is the only state with OTC antelope tags and it's archery only. New Mexico does weird OTC tags as well, but they're only valid on private property so if you pay for access this is a good option I guess.
OTC Sheep - Literally does not exist. You can do a ranch hunt in Texas if you want to harvest a sheep. Otherwise sorry.
OTC Deer - Arizona late season (DecembeJanuary) offers OTC archery hunts for both Mule deer and Coues deer with success rates as high as mid-30%. You will see TONS of deer. This is an excellent opportunity for archers. Otherwise, Idaho offers OTC Mule Deer and some 2nd/3rd season hunts in Colorado are OTC. Other states have leftover tags that are first-come, first-served. Montana and Arizona fit this category.
DISABLED VETERANS SPECIFICALLY - You can hunt in Idaho on a non-resident disabled veterans permit for cheap. A license + OTC elk tag + OTC mule deer tag is something like $100. Plus you can punch your mule deer tag on a black bear if you really want to. If you fit the criteria this is an absolutely amazing opportunity.

Continued Here: Hunting In California 102: Draws, Deer, and Dove. Plus a bit on finding a hunting buddy.

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