Salinas hunters and the road to Hastings Island

Salinas is the Monterey County seat, with about 162,000 residents and a median age of 32.4 (Census Bureau). The Central Coast has its own hunting traditions. Dogs come to Richard from all over California.

What 2.9 hours means

The distance is about 134 miles and about 2.9 hours with no traffic (OpenStreetMap routing). It is a long drive and sits in the long-drive tier on this site. Plan the day around the drop-off and leave the rest of the work to the stay.

Call Richard about drop-off and pick-up from the Central Coast.

Across the Diablo Range

Los Banos Wildlife Area, about 6,200 acres, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, over 26,800 acres, are the large public wetlands across the Diablo Range in the San Joaquin Valley (CDFW and USFWS). A Salinas hunter after ducks may cross the hills to reach them.

Rio Vista is farther north, and its Delta marsh gives a dog a different kind of work: tides, tules and long water marks.

Two questions Central Coast owners ask

Does it matter that the dog trains somewhere else? Not for the basics. Marks, blinds, steadiness and delivery are the same skills anywhere, and a handler lesson carries them home.

What about quail country at home? Valley quail is a statewide bird, and the Central Coast has plenty. Richard's upland experience, which began in 2013 at Blue Ridge Kennels, covers pointers and other upland breeds. See the Formal Gun Dog Training page.

Clubs near Monterey Bay

The Monterey Bay English Setter Club lists an event at Spenceville Wildlife Area, and the Central Coast Hunting Retriever Club of California lists a hunt test at the CRTA Goose Lake grounds in Lost Hills. Both appear on the 2026 California calendar. Confirm current listings through AKC Event Search and the clubs themselves.

If you are a first-time entrant, the first hunt test guide walks through entering and what to bring.

Hours and the first call

Google lists Richard's hours as 8 AM to 2 PM Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, closed Tuesday. Call first; drop-off is set by phone, with Wednesday to Saturday preferred. From Salinas the trip takes most of a morning, so call ahead and agree on a time. The how to book training answer covers what Richard will want to know about your dog and your hunting.

The Central Coast page, linked above, collects the clubs and wild lands for the region in one place if you want to compare options.