Gaming for a Big-Game Tag in 2011

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, but quit hunting at 8 AM so he  could get back to the parking lot in time to be number one for the Sunday hunt.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to kill a nice bull elk. Rob arrowed this one in 2004 and tagged it with an Idaho over the counter tag.

For this year, at least, I’m back to hoping for a tag. Hoping is not as good as just flat-out buying in terms of ease of planning and satisfaction with the result. I’m not really into gambling, so the process of gaming for a tag is a real drag. I do it every year anyway.

Of course there are still some over-the-counter options and we’ll be using that one this fall by purchasing archery elk and general deer tags in Idaho. We’ll be hunting in a group of four during September. I’ve also purchased an A-Zone tag and preference point with my first CA deer tag. Next year we should have enough preference to hunt a California X zone. These things are good.

This is a typical A-zone blacktail. I'll try to arrow one of these on our ranch.

However, gaming for a high value tag is not looking good in California this year. I have eight preference points for Antelope, Elk and Sheep this year. Eight is one less than the maximum, so I’m in the 20% that have to get extra lucky and the odds are very poor. In most cases, even the holders of nine points will need luck – especially in the sheep category and they have a chance for 100% of the available tags.

California has three species of elk, but it takes a lot of luck or money to hunt them. I photographed these Roosevelt elk while on a blacktail hunt near the Marble Mountain Wilderness.

I’ve never had much luck in draws, but I drew an archery antelope tag one year and an Anderson Flat archery deer tag another year. Didn’t bring home any venison, but I did have the opportunity.

 A quick look at my California odds shows that I have a less than 1 in 450 chance of drawing an antelope, elk or sheep tag combined. That’s a chance, but not much of a chance. That’s at a cost of $24.39 for 1/450th which comes out to $10,975.50 for a 100% chance. If I hunt until the age of 81 (unlikely), my remaining lifetime chance is 20/450 or 1 in 22.5. Doesn’t look good for hunting elk, antelope or sheep in CA unless I spend the money to purchase a tag. 

My personal choice for the elk lottery was the Cache Creek bull elk hunt. Somebody will get it.

In Nevada, I’ve been buying bonus points for several years. I currently have three points, which means I may get lucky on a deer, elk, antelope, sheep or goat tag. My chance of drawing an archery mule deer tag alone is almost 50% and when that is combined with the other four choices I selected, two rifle and two muzzleloader hunts,  the mathematical odds are that I’ll get some kind of tag, but it’s not for sure.

 

 

For antelope, I put in for an archery tag that has a high percentage chance of drawing, so I may get that one. I didn’t calculate the odds for elk, sheep and goat, but they are very low.

I paid $4,500 for a Nevada landowner tag the year I shot this buck. I think the prices are down slightly now.

 In Colorado, I opted to purchase only preference points for deer, antelope and elk. One of these days I’ll have to get serious and put in for an actual hunt. The cost of the preference points for three species came out to $25. I have seven points for elk and antelope – about five for deer. That comes to about $200 over the past seven years. I hunted twice for deer with my bow.

For the third year in a row I entered the Utah lottery for tags at the Wildlife Conservation and Hunting Expo in  Salt Lake City. The hunts offered looked good, but by the time I purchased a Utah hunting license and paid for the chances, it added up to about $250. It would be worth it if I got drawn once, but so far I haven’t had a sniff. That’s $750 invested over the last three years.

Finally I purchased five chances for the California Open Zone tag for $27 and two chances for a Owens Valley tule elk tag at $10.80. All together I spent about $558 for these draws. That’s a lot cheaper than $10,000 for a Nevada landowner elk tag, or maybe it’s not?

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Some Would Like to Stop the Alameda County Tule Elk Hunt

 

Somebody from the Alamea Creek Alliance would like to put an end to the Alameda County tule elk hunt. Check out their reasoning on their web site at:  http://www.alamedacreek.org/Alerts/Tule%20Elk%20Hunt/Tule%20Elk%20Hunt.htm

I disagree with their conclusion, but I also believe their information is inaccurate. They comment that the hunt could interfere with breeding as it takes place during the end of the elk rut.  That’s close, but most of the breeding goes on in August. (The hunt takes place in October.)In August,  many of the elk concentrate near Maguire Peaks in a valley that is very private, but it’s close to the Sunol and proposed Apperson Ridge quarry. That’s the quarry supported by the Alameda Creek Alliance – a quarry that will just about eliminate the best tule elk habitat in Alameda County.

They also claim that the hunting will disrupt breeding because the hunter will be looking for the largest mature bull in the herd. Yes, the hunter will likely do that, but in October the bulls are dispersed and hang out in batchelor groups separated from the cows. Even if one of the mature bulls were to be killed during the rut, which they won’t, another bull would be happy to step right in. Therefore, their premise is wrong on several counts.

Habitat loss is the biggest enemy of tule elk. Hunting, in comparison, does nothing but enhance their chances for survival. Hunting creates a reason to manage tule elk and creates value in the eyes of humans. Establishing an economic and emotional tie to wildlife makes it relevant. When wildlife is relevant it has a better chance of competing with human habitat - human habitat which is typically not compatible with elk. The Alameda Creek Alliance has its own plan for tule elk. http://www.alamedacreek.org/Press_Releases/Final%20Apperson%20Agreement%20PR%205-21-09.pdf

The Alameda Creek Alliance doesn’t own or control the elk, or any other wildlife, especially big game species which are managed by the State of California. It could be that their interest is more centered on building their organization than a good faith effort to create wildlife habitat. Only their insiders know for sure if this is the case. They do plan to receive money from the Quarry developers in return for blessing the project to go ahead.

Here’s a quote from the agreement between the developer (Oliver-DeSilva Comany) and the Alliance (aka The Center For Biological Diversity, CBD).

• Conditioned upon Approval of Revised SMP-17 and initiation of mining activities at SMP-17, ODS will commence an annual payment to CBD or an entity designated by CBD of up to $250,000 for mitigation for potential noise and disturbance impacts to the Sunol tule elk herd.

 

You can read the agreement at: http://www.alamedacreek.org/Alerts/Apperson/CP-17%20(12-18-08).pdf

 

 The Alliance cannot legally manage elk without permission from the California Department of Fish and Game, an organization that understands big game management and the significance of a hunting program. If the Alliance were to work with the state, do an about face and incorporate hunting into their program, a plan to conserve and protect the Apperson Ridge tule elk herd would become feasible and enabled.  

Its been proven that with a hunting program in place, a tule elk herd can survive. Without hunting, they’ll be irrelevant and endangered. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alameda County tule elk bull

 

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Are Wildlife Management Programs Going Astray?

Traditional wildlife management is based upon an assumption of consumptive use. 

 

With consumptive use as a goal, habitat is managed to produce a healthy wildlife population with some species targeted for harvest. Healthy habitat produces a surplus of the targeted species, the ones desirable for human use. The surplus is available for consumption, with no net loss of the base population. 

This scenario is a win-win situation. More animals overall and also more available for harvest. Since consumption requires killing the animal being consumed, the sacrifice of the individual life of an animal is accepted, but the welfare of the target species, whether it be a herd, flock or family group, is enhanced. 

Tule elk were once on the verge of extinction, but hunters brought them back.

The Endangered Species Act has helped to promote the plight of numerous species which have been or are threatened and endangered to the point that the species could become extinct. But, the philosophy of the endangered species act tends to promote the welfare of each animal as an individual. This is appropriate if a species’ population dwindles to double digits. 

The killing of an individual animal listed as endangered is considered a “take” and it is illegal. That the killing of an individual animal undermines the welfare of a species seems intuitively obvious to any observer, educated in wildlife management or not. 

Unfortunately, there is a counter-intuitive component built into the issue of “take.” Management activities that promote the welfare of the species often require risking death or even  guaranteeing death of one or more individual animals. 

Therefore, the killing of a limited number of individual animals should be allowed when the action taking place ultimately enhances the survival of the species as a whole, but this is not the case. 

You can't rebuild a pond without making a mess.

Most recently, the issue of habitat improvement work related to enhancement of California tiger salamander breeding habitat has come into play. Land stewards who wish to rebuild dams and deepen stock ponds to enhance tiger salamander breeding opportunities are foreclosed from doing do as the issuance of a permit requires that there be no take. This type of conservation strategy is referred to as avoidance or minimization of take. In fact, this strategy can backfire. 

This CTS larvae, along with many others, was found in a recently rebuilt pond.

Brush that provides a sanctuary for Alameda whipsnake and many other species, should be thinned periodically to produce optimum habitat. Burning is often the prefered method, but mechanical clearing, crushing or pruning are other techniques that produces results. 

Alameda whipsnake

Unfortunately, none of these options can currently be used by land stewards for fear that an individual snake will be killed. Under current rules, there are few if any options that will allow a permit necessary to take one animal under these circumstances. 

If this type of thinking creeps into the minds of some traditional wildlife managers and the welfare of an individual animal is raised above the welfare of habitat supporting the species in general, we have a big problem. 

Habitat may not be warm and cuddly, but proper management of the critical habitat for a species must take priority over the welfare of individual animals.

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Six New Tule Elk Zones?

The California Department of Fish and Game will propose six new tule elk zones to the Fish and Game Commission this comming year.

Alameda County tule elk bull

In general they are as follows: Mendocino County – 0-4 bulls, 0-4 cows; Colusa-Lake-Yolo Counties – 0-4 bulls, 0-4 cows; Lake County (Lake Pillsbury area) 0-4 bulls, 0-4 cows; Alameda – San Joaquin Counties – 0-2 bulls, 0-2 cows; Merced-Santa Clara Counties – 0-2 bulls, 0-2 cows; Kern – San Luis Obispo -Santa Clara Counties – 0-2 bulls and 0-2 cows.

This proposal, if approved, will likely have a significant impact upon the ability of California and out-of-state elk hunters to draw a tule elk tag. CDFG has made revision of the elk hunts a priority this year and elk hunters will find several other upgrades to the elk hunting regulations.

In addition several changes to black bear hunting will also be proposed including creation of a new black bear hunt in San Luis Obispo County that was pulled from the F&G Commission docket last year.

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New Tule Elk Unit In Our Future?

Yes, these tule elk are (or in this case, were) living in a the potential new tule elk unit.

These bulls were photographed last winter in Southern Alameda County. Here they are again, a little closer.

 These are very respectible animals.

Here’s a lone bull photographed in the same area as those above on another trip. Hard to say if he’s in the other photos, but could be. Although these bulls were all living near private ranches, they primarily live on SFWD properties near San Antonio Reservoir. No matter, there is no season for hunting the animals on either private or public lands.

These bulls were hanging out on private property when I spotted them while guiding pig hunters. Note that it was late spring and their antlers were in velvet, but nearly full size.

 

 

 

 

Here’s a trio of bulls photographed on private property more than ten years ago. For many years these bulls have been left to die of old age for lack of a hunting season in the area.

Near the center of this photograph, along with cattle, two tule elk are feeding on the open hillside. These elk prefer open hillsides where they can spot trouble from far away.

Here’s another bull that frequented private property where he could have been hunted if there had been a season in the area. But it’s not too late to make a change. The California Department of Fish and Game has the ability to open this area to hunting and it may consider just that. The area south of highway 152 has a season on tule elk and at the present time there are tule elk scattered all the way from Highway 152 to Del Valle Reservior (just south of Livermore). Elk have been living on Crane Ridge and Corral Hollow for many years.

Ranches in Hospital Canyon have a number of elk and tags are available for tule elk on private ranches in the San Antonio Valley and Corral Hollow because a few ranches have entered the PLM program allowing them to harvest a limited number of tule elk. In the San Antonio Valley, the State has purchased land. Is it possible it could be hunted in the future?

A friend of mine has observed tule elk on Mission Peak on the northern edge of Fremont and one of my golfing friends talks about the tule elk that live near “The Ranch” golf course in San Jose. Creation of a elk hunting unit in the area could open the door for better monitoring and managment of the elk of Alameda, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Santa Clara Counties. And, a few lucky elk hunters might get a chance to hunt for and maybe take one of these great animals home.

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East Bay Tule Elk

The rut is long over and the bulls of San Antonio Reservoir have banded together for the winter. We often see them on the ridges near our ranch.

The bulls are shy, but they will hang around for a few minutes before they disappear over the ridge. We found this bull herd last week and they couldn’t seem to decide which way to go and we had several minutes to take photos.

We actually got a little closer as they moved parallel to the road. This herd is made up of mature bulls, mostly 6×6. If you look closely you can see that tynes have been broken off from fighting.

In springtime, we occationally find their shed antlers. The herd is unmanaged and unhunted.

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Tule Elk in the East Bay Area – SFPUC Lands

Last night I photographed this tule elk bull on my way home. I was querried as to whether I considered this bull to be good sized. It’s always hard for me to tell somebody else that a bull elk or buck deer is a large one. Just when I say, “Yea, that’s bigger than anything I’ve seen before.” I hear back.

“I’ve taken several larger.”

The point is that big is not a a very discriptive word. Six by six with 40 inch mainbeams and 11 inch circumference bases would be more descriptive, but I can’t relate to that very well either. If pressed, I’d guess that that’s about what the bull in the photo is (I have a set of drop horns about this same size).

The subject bull lives on San Francisco PUC lands and that area is not open to hunting. I’ve been told that this herd (that lives near San Antonio Reservoir) numbers over 100 animals. We occationally see large groups of bulls traveling together. This bull was at a roadside pond drinking as I drove up.

Elk in the Suisun Marsh that live on Grizzly Island (about 30 miles to the north) are hunted and that’s where the largest tule elk are taken. You’ll have to be very lucky to get a tag for that area, or spend about $50,000 for an auction tag. Each year The Mule Deer Foundation sells a Grizzly Island elk fundraising tag at its San Jose Banquet.

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Venison At Last

It looked like my last chance to harvest a blacktail this year. The weather had cooled the last couple days and it was looking like a window of opportunity. With a positive feeling about my chances, I took off this afternoon and headed to the hills ready to shoot the first decent buck I could find. With a couple other deer tags in my posession, I decided that my coastal A Zone tag would be dedicated to bringing home venison – not necessarily a trophy.

Stopping at an unlikely spot to check for deer, I stepped from my truck and glassed the opposite side of a draw that seldom holds deer.

Under a buckeye tree on the opposite side of the draw lay a doe. I glassed to see what else was there and I was surprized to find nothing – no other does or fawns. This seemed a little strange so I went back to the truck and loaded my rifle. Something told me that a buck must be near. With the rut due to kick in, a solo doe was a sign.

After moving to the shade of a nearby oak, I sat and watched for other deer. Eventually a deer shape did appear, at the base of a large oak about 30 yards from the doe. It looked like a buck. After watching him for a while, I concluded that he was a decent sized buck, but his exact size was clouded by branches hanging between him and I.

I was in venison mode. I’d already decided to shoot the first decent buck and not hunt for a trophy. After concluding that he met minimum standards for the hunt, I began to prepare for a shot. I ranged the tree and he was at 140 yards – a fairly easy range for my 7 x 57. I elected to take the shot sitting. At this range I should be accurate. I got a little excited, but not enough to ruin my aim.

A spot of sunlight hit the buck’s vital area and I took advantage of the opportunity. The shot appeared to be true and the buck jumped, but never left the shade of the tree. Unable to confirm he was down, I waited for about 15 minutes before driving to the next ridge. As I approached, I could see him laying there only ten feet from the bed he had been using. The shot had penetrated his vitals.

I made fairly short work of field dressing him and was back in town before dark. On the way home I crossed paths with a tule elk bull – a bonus. He stood long enough for me to take several photos.

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Private Lands Elk Tags for Sale April 5, 2008

Here’s some info on three elk tags being sold at the Livermore RMEF banquet April 5, 2008. 

The Tri Valley Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will hold its Annual Banquet in Livermore, CA on Saturday April 5, 2008.  Among the items to be auctioned will be a California Tule Elk PLM Tag and a Nevada Rocky Mountain Landowner Tag.  The description of each tag follows.  If you would like to attend the banquet and bid on these and other items please call Jonnina Speidel @ 925-934-9210.  We will also take PHONE BIDS and if you are interested is phoning your bid please call me at the number listed below to set up the call. 

A) Tule Elk PLM TagWhere: Livermore, Calif.2 ranches totaling about 3500 acres with a herd of 80 to 100 animals.When: August 9 to November 31, 2008 (Subject to the final season dates determined by the California DFG)Features;This tag is for any weapon (Archery, MZ and Rifle) for the entire season.  There is opportunity to harvest bull in the 6 X 6 270 +class.The hunt is unguided and does not include the California license or elk tag.There will be space to park a trailer or set up a tent camp.MINIMUM BID: $11,000.00OPTION: guides can be provided for additional cost. 

B) Nevada Landowner Tag for Rocky Mountain ElkWhere: the 20,000 acre ranch is located in NE Nevada and includes units 076 – 78 and 081.Weapons: Archery, MZ or Rifle.  Choice must be stated.When: The hunt will coincide with the dates set by the Nevada Department of Wildlife for the weapon of choice.Features:The opportunity to harvest a trophy bull in the 350+ B& C range is very good. The hunt is unguided and does not include the license or tag.A tent camp will be set up if desired or an area for a motor home or trailer is available.MINIMUM BID: $11,000.00OPTIONS:Guides can be provided at additional costs.  Call for details.Horses and Mules are available to rent.

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Springtime is Turkey Time

The first few trips to the ranch after the close of duck season are an awakening. I make very few trips to the hills during duck season, mainly because I’m focused on ducks and once the hills on our ranch become saturated by winter rains, travel becomes difficult.

(Note: Click on photos to enlarge them.)

Once duck season is over, thoughts turn to the hills and we know it won’t be long until turkey season opens. Along with the turkeys comes an occasional opportunity to bag a wild pig, but the last few years have been slow for pigs, so we’ve spent more time looking for gobblers.

Sometimes we see tule elk along the easement road as we did this day, but the two bulls we spotted were too far away to make a useful photo. The bulls had already shed their antlers. They like the open hillsides where they can spot people coming from a long ways off. Although they are not hunted, they are very careful to avoid people.

(Caption: Brian Scott, in town to MC our Mule Deer Foundation banquet accompanied me on this trip and checked out the pig rooting.)

Although we found no pigs, we did find a large area that had been rooted up by pigs in search of tubers -  probably within the past week. I find it interesting that so many people complain about the destructive nature of pig rooting. I’m sure it does have a short term negative impact upon grass, but my gut instincts tell me that there are benefits derrived from the rooting. It probably has a positive impact upon soil compaction making it easier for some plants to grow. It sets the area back a bit succession wise and creates some diversity. If pig rooting is bad, what about farming?

We had a good crop of turkeys in 2006, but the dry spring of 2007 seems to have had a negative impact upon our local turkey prooduction. The short grass last summer was probably not conducive to good brood survival and that seems to be the case as this spring the flocks are smaller and spread out over larger territories.

We have two areas on our ranch that tend to attract spring turkeys, but one of those two is by far the most productive. It is a canyon that holds a lot of water and has heavy cover on its north-facing slope. Along with the cover, the area has plenty of large roost trees – a key to attracting and holding turkeys.

That’s where we found a small group of gobblers following a couple hens in typical spring fashion.

We stopped to check a few ponds in search of red-legged frogs, but only found a few tree frogs along the pond edges.

On the way home we found a small flock of hen turkeys with several gobblers displaying.

Brian leaned out the passenger window to take these turkey photos.

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