Mountain lions are an essential element of California ecosystems. Unfortunately they are not currently managed in any form. Although the most important cougar prey species, blacktail and mule deer, are managed, a failure to manage the main species that eats deer makes deer management less predictable. Other states have progressive, scientific methods of managing wildlife and consider mountain lions [...]
Archive for the ‘blacktail deer’ Category
California Fails to Manage Mountain Lions
Posted in Big game hunting, blacktail deer, Hunting, Mountain lions, mule deer, mule deer, wildlife conservation, tagged Mountain lions on February 22, 2012 | 2 Comments »
First Muzzleloader Buck
Posted in Big game hunting, blacktail deer, Deer hunting, Muzzleloader hunting, tagged Blacktail deer hunt, Muzzleloader hunting for deer on August 17, 2011 | 1 Comment »
My first buck came by bow and arrow in 1971. My first rifle-killed buck came in about 1997 or so. Last weekend I bagged my first muzzleloader buck. I decided early on that in order to improve my competency with the muzzleloader, I needed to go all the way and kill a buck. With two [...]
Muzzleloader Test on Saturday
Posted in blacktail deer, Hunting, Muzzleloader hunting, tagged muzzle loader hunting on August 11, 2011 | 1 Comment »
I’ll be hunting with the Remmington muzzleloader on opening day of A-Zone season. I’m still a little shakey with the rifle, but I can probably kill a buck if I can get to 50 yards. We’ll see what happens.
Gaming for a Big-Game Tag in 2011
Posted in Archery hunting, Big game hunting, blacktail deer, Deer hunting, elk, fundraising, Hunting, landowner tag, mule deer, sheep, tule elk, wildlife conservation, tagged Big Game tag lottery on May 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
It’s easy to spend money and not go hunting. I once came across an interesting character who used to put in for Los Banos Wildlife Area in the waterfowl lottery. One weekend he was drawn and arrived three days early so he could be first in line for the Saturday hunt. He got the space blind he wanted, [...]
Mountain Lion Track on Freshly Graded Road
Posted in blacktail deer, Mountain lions, tracking, tagged Cougar Track on May 10, 2011 | 1 Comment »
My pocket knife is 3 1/2 inches long, about the length of this track. This is not a large lion or a small one either. The ground is soft, which is why the track shows at all. On hard ground one seldom spots lion tracks. This lion track was found on a road that also held [...]
Livermore-Pleasanton Dinner to Auction Golden Ram Deer Hunt
Posted in Big game hunting, blacktail deer, fundraising, The Mule Deer Foundation, wildlife conservation, tagged Blacktail deer hunt, Golden Ram Sportman's Club on February 28, 2011 | 1 Comment »
The Golden Ram Sportsman’s club has generously donated a four-day blacktail deer hunt for auction at the Livermore-Pleasanton MDF Chapter banquet, March 10, 2011. The hunt is for two people and the hunt will take place on the Golden Ram Sportsmen Club’s Bar Z Ranch property near Covelo, which is leased by Golden Ram Sportsmen. This hunt is [...]
A Tracking Lesson in the Mud
Posted in animal tracks, blacktail deer, tagged animal tracks, Tracking deer on February 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Rob and I were checking one of our ponds last Monday. As we prepared to leave, Rob stopped to look down at four tracks in the mud. The tracks were large, looking to be a buck, and that’s what caught his eye. Because of the large track size, my guess would be that it was a buck [...]
Two Bucks, Same Fate
Posted in Big game hunting, blacktail deer, Mountain lions, tagged Mountain lions on February 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Last spring I came across a nice buck while turkey hunting. Although his antlers were undeveloped, the size of the base of his antlers indicated that he’d be a shooter. I looked for him during the rifle season last summer and didn’t find him. Rob found him a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately a lion found him [...]
Piebald Blacktail Deer
Posted in blacktail deer, deer, tagged Piebald blacktail deer on December 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Photos of piebald deer are rare. However, the West Coast of Washington is home to the gene that produces this color abnormality in blacktail deer and occasionally photos pop up. Here’s a shot I received from George DeBell, a Seattle hunter who found this deer approximately ten miles west of Centrailia, WA.
Another Deer Bites the Dust
Posted in blacktail deer, California red-legged frog, Deer hunting, Mountain lions on September 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Spent Friday night and Saturday morning at the ranch. It was hot and the deer didn’t seem very active, but I was distracted watching poachers and wondering if they were heading our way. Decided to make a brief still hunt and came upon a fairly fresh set of deer bones. Another mountain lion kill. No [...]
