This morning, as I read the story in the Tri-Valley Herald (www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald) about the Koopman Ranch and how the county’s ranching heritage is threatened, I couldn’t help but think that something very important was missing.
Yes, agriculture is dwindling in Alameda County and ranches are disappearing along with wildlife habitat, but often forgotten is the loss of habitat for use by human hunters.
A loss of our hunting heritage will insulate man further from contact with mother earth. Hunting is one of the most compatible uses for open space and wild places. We have very few of those places left in Alameda County. Unfortunately, a large portion of the remaining wild places are owned by agencies that have foreclosed on hunters.
The remaining hunting spaces are more threatened than the kit fox, tiger salamander and red-legged frog. As agencies (primarily East Bay Regional Park District and San Francisco Water Department) close in on consumption of Alameda County’s remaining open spaces, they are signaling a death knell for Alameda County hunters who have worked hand in hand with ranchers to develop and protect wildlife habitat.
Hikers and bikers use open space, but unlike hunters they don’t carry field glasses and sneak through the woods. Bikers speed by, unaware of their surroundings while hikers grunt at the weight of their load intent upon reaching their destination.
Like the mountain lion, human hunters are acutely aware of their surroundings. Both types of hunters are often misunderstood by those who don’t share in their pursuit. Aboriginal tribes appreciated and worshiped the hunter. In our modern world, the venison is not as important, but the characteristics that made those aboriginal hunters valuable to society are just as valid today.
Also like the lion, these hunters depend upon healthy and well-managed deer herds to make their hunting adventures successful. Unlike mountain lions, these hunters are bound by many laws that limit take and insure public safety, laws that are important.
If Alameda County’s rich hunting heritage is to live on, steps must be taken to cultivate a climate in which hunters can survive. That means protecting the remaining large blocks of contiguous habitat and opening up public properties to limited hunting. Or, like the other endangered species, an American culture will disappear from our midst, leaving us all further removed from the outdoors and more susceptible to encroachment upon our remaining wild places.
Once we remove people from the outdoors, the outdoors will be gone forever and nobody will know the difference.
“Hikers and bikers use open space, but unlike hunters they don’t carry field glasses and sneak through the woods. Bikers speed by, unaware of their surroundings while hikers grunt at the weight of their load intent upon reaching their destination.”
Hi, Rich –
I work with wildlife part-time in a rescue capacity. And I do my best to deal with some of the egregious assaults I witness on wild animals by the worst of lot — hunters and non-hunters both. Just humans in general.
I’m not suggesting that a seemingly conscientious person like yourself is in any way associated with the painful practices and injuries I’ve had to contend with. But in light of how many times I have to turn my head the other way — even when I see technically legal practices that simply break the heart — a comment like the one I’ve quoted above sticks in the craw. It really isn’t fair to those of us who use the land in a non-hunting context.
Most people I know who are tied to the land as I am, DO carry field glasses. Some of us carry cameras, some of us carry rescue gear in those situations when a save is in order. Some of us study the botanical treasures along the way. Some of us sit for hours on our precious days off, watching pelicans alight, or studying shorebirds or blackbirds forage for food. And there are a lot of souls like me out there.
In sum, one doesn’t have to be a hunter to be intimately intertwined with one’s environment. To suggest that those of us who choose not to harm the animals along our outdoor sojourns are somehow ignorant of this connection or of the cycles of life, is demeaning to those of us who have devoted so much of our lives to preserving, caring about, and studying the precious but shrinking habitats around us.
I would argue that many of us who interact in a non-violent way, become even more attuned by virtue of seeing the same animals and terrain through a lens of observation and compassion, rather than through narrow field of a predator. But that’s obviously not an argument I will win with an avid hunter.
Again, I don’t mean to come down on hunters in general because ours is a coexistence I’ve had to come to accept, a long and still painful acceptance process, if you must know (owing to my involvement with wild animals). But it gets the goat to read generalizations like this one — when so many of us non-hunters are as bound to the preservation and nurturing of our coexistence with all other life forms.
Your points are valid. Generalizations are dangerous and obviously don’t always apply. I was not making the case against other users, just trying to establish a comparison to emphsize the value of hunting. I appreciate your position.
Hello!
I have a question that I’m hoping you can answer. I life in Hayward, CA, and there is a huge number of wild turkeys roaming around my apartment complex in the Hayward Hills. I was wondering what the regulations were for hunting these turkeys. I know I would need to possess a CA hunting license. As long as it’s during the turkey hunting season, would it be okay for me to hunt one around my apartment complex?
Thank you!
Hey Rich –
I’ve noticed alot of state agencies are pretty vague in regards to harvesting opportunities on public land in Northern California. As a first season bowhunter, its somewhat discouraging. Any suggestions on any public, or private, hunting opportunities in Contra Costa or Alameda County?
Keep the heritage alive! Cheers!
Unfortunately, the only public property large enough for hunting are owned by agencies that don’t want to be bothered with making it happen. The City and County of San Francisco and the East Bay Regional Park District own thousands of acres of land suitable for public hunting, but there is not anybody who can convince them of hunting’s merrits. Therefore, private property is your only hope and that’s very scarse.
The state of California owns some land in the San Antonio Valley (Santa Clara County) and that could open up for some hunting in the future, but it will be quite limited.
Another park that is suitable for hunting is the huge Henry Coe State Park – not sure why that isn’t hunted – probably the same reasons previously listed.
Hi Rich
I have a question I am a landowner of 17+ acres in Castro Valley my neighbor has 400 acres next to me and across the road from 1500+ acres. My buddy wanted to hunt a wild turkey on my property. can he legally? Yes he has is hunting license. BTW the 400ac and 1500 have no homes on the land. Its just wide open
Mike
Mike: Sorry I didn’t get back to you quicker. If the property in inside city limits, you’re probably out of luck. However if you’re in the county, and it’s safe, you can probably hunt turkeys.
Safety is the biggest issue.
Rich great information you provide. How does an individual get in contact with a land owner in Castro Valley to hunt on their property?
Without going to the county recorder and searching.
Thanks for any information you may have.
Anitamarie
Anitamarie: You must do whatever you must do to obtain information about the owner. Once you know who the owner is, you can begin the process of approaching them. Asking someone if you can hunt on their property is a very personal thing for you and the owner. The more respect you demonstrate, the more likely it is that you can win them over. In the Castro Valley area there is probably nobody who gives out permission to hunt without knowing the individual who will be hunting. In most cases, the issue is not even open to discussion. But, you might get lucky.