(Caption: Happy new life members at 2002 banquet.)
Now that the last of the hunting seasons are over, it’s time to concentrate on doing what we can to see that hunters support the wildlife resource. Without wildlife and wildlife habitat we have no place to go to replenish our spirit and without that we just go away.
It was nearly 18 years ago that I joined MDF. Shortly after that a group of us formed the Livemore Pleasanton Chapter. We decided to support The Mule Deer Foundation, because we felt it was the best place to put our conservation energy at the time.
(Caption: Committee members, Rick Escover, Rob Fletcher, Gary Pacheco kneeling, Terry Ludlow, myself and Ralph Laughlin at 2003 committee picnic.)
We started a chapter in Livermore and we’ve been doing it ever since. March 14th is the date of our annual Livermore-Pleasanton fundraiser and it will once again feature many prizes – like an ATV, two gun safes and more than 40 sporting rifles. That night you’ll find about 400 MDF supporters at the Aahmees Shrine Activity Center, 170 Lindberg Avenue, Livermore. The Shrine Activity Center is located near the airport – exit the freeway at Airway Blvd.
Our banquet sponsor is Peterson Tractor, a major MDF supporter for many years. Also contributing will be Bay Area Bobcat as hat sponsor. These supporters are key to our success. Many other individuals and small businesses sponsor merchandise by contributing cash to offset banquet expenses and allow us to improve our wildlife bottom line.
We’ll also give away four $500 Cabela’s gift certificates and one-night stays in Reno as door prizes. Two of these will be set aside for people who purchase their tickets by February 29 (early birds).
(Caption: A few of the Livermore-Pleasanton regulars at the 2007 banquet.)
The auction will have several hunting trips, fishing trips, MDF logo items, art-work and donated items like tires (Billingsley Tire), chain saw (Davy Tree), and local wines. We’ll sell two State Fundraising Tags, one from California and the other from Wyoming. Those two tags alone will go for $25,000 and a high percentage of that money will go straight into deer projects.
The California Open Zone Tag permits the holder to hunt deer in any open California deer zone until he has harvested a buck. The Wyoming tag allows the holder a choice of hunting mule deer, antelope or elk in one hand-selected unit in Wyoming. That means the tag holder can pick out the choice of species and location to hunt.
Each year we sell a local blacktail hunt on the Holm family ranch east of Livermore. The hunt is for youths only and over the last twelve or so years that the hunt has been sold, the Holm family has 100% success on deer for a youth hunter.
Our Kennedy Meadows pack trip is another regular item and each year one of our local hunters takes advantage of this opportunity to hunt the edge of Yosemite for high country bucks.
But, that’s not the only pack trip. We also auction a Montana pack trip with Cheff Ranch Outfitters. This is another great wilderness experience. The hunting camp is about 25 miles from the trail head. By the time you’ll done with this one you’re real horseperson. It’s deer and elk combo.
We’ll have a Sacramento River salmon fishing trip with Kenyon Guide Service and a local cast and blast picnic in the Livermore Hills. We still are waiting to hear about a few other regulars. Last year we had a camping trip from Wilderness Unlimited and a boar hunt donated by Golden Ram Sportsman’s Club – although we haven’t approached them yet, we hope to have them again this year. Our committee will be out their scouring the countryside looking for donations, so if you’ve got something to give, just let me know. I’m easy to find.
We’ll net in the neighborhood of $75,000 for wildlife programs and habitat projects. Our committee works hard each year to make this a worthwhile quality event.
After the fundraising season is over, the California Technical Advisory Committee will meet to decide how to spend money on California habitat. Projects like recovery of the Halleluiah Junction Wildlife Area and how to reduce auto deer collisions on Highway 89.
(Caption: 2004 California TAC Marry Sommer CDFG, David Burton BLM volunteer, Adam Rich USFS, myself, Holman King CDFG and MDF RD Rich Day.)
Another big recipient of funding has been the Round Valley Fawn Survival Study, research which has produced good information about the weak links in California mule deer habitat.
Tickets for the event are $90 single and $145 couple. I have tickets if you’re interested.
(Caption: Gary Pacheco gives instruction at an MDF Youth Day event.)
The second big MDF event is coming up even sooner. On February 6-9, MDF will be celebrating MDF’s 20-year anniversary. The event will take place in Salt Lake City at the Salt Palace. If you’d like to attend, you can obtain detailed information about the event go to www.muledeer.com.
It was 20 years ago that MDF was established by Emmett Burroughs of Redding California. The organization has grown steadily, to about 13,000 members and we have supporters throughout the country.
Why support MDF? Deer are the backbone of our hunting heritage. As with whitetail deer in the East, mule deer are the first big-game animal each of us hunts. They are the most prevalent sign of wildness. Every time I see a wild deer I cannot help but marvel that such an animal can exist in the presence of man and man’s habitat munching system.
Deer are among the world’s longest surviving species. They’ve been around for millions of years and MDF members are the ones who will see that they continue to survive. It’s hunters who know deer and care about keeping them around. So get out your checkbook and attend these events. It’s fun to hang out with other people who know deer.
