Getting Ready for Deer Season 2008

Saturday it starts, deer season 2008. I’ve got my ground blind set beside a pond that typically attacts bucks during hot weather. I’ve missed a couple from this spot, but never put my tag on one yet. But this may be the year.

My blind is commercially made and has several ports to shoot through. I must shoot from a stool, which is the biggest issue with shooting well. I’ve got the stool at home and I’ll be practicing this week. I set my block target up beside the pond and did some practicing first hand. My shooting was poor relative to how accurate I am while standing.

After the A zone archery will come a trip to Nevada to hunt mule deer during the Nevada archery season. I can’t imagine how hot it will be, but maybe I’ll know if I hunt the ground blind near home when it’s 105 degrees as predicted.

The Nevada hunt will be via the landowner tag program. I bought a tag that will allow me to hunt archery, muzzleloader and rifle seasons. I’m hoping that other than archery the rest will be irrelevant.

Then comes the California inland season. We were drawn for the X12 zone on the eastern slope (first timeI’ve ever hunted mule deer in California with a rifle). It will be a chance to bag a relatively nice California buck. We know there are bucks up to 26 inches and that would be fine.

As a bonus, we’ve got a few pigs on the local ranch and they’ve been using the same pond where my blind is set, so you never know, I might end up with some pork as well. It will be a fun season and anticipation is half of it, the fun that is. Kind of like opening day in baseball. Everybody’s in first place.

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Nevada Landowner Antelope Tag, Utah Elk Tag

Here’s another offering from Jim Lopresto.
Rich, 

I just was notified of a Nevada Antelope tag available in Units 114 -
115.
Tag Only cost is $2100 and Guided is $3750.
These are premium zones.
Season – Aug 22

Also Utah Elk Tag $8300 / guide $5500 – 340 + Bulls
Dates September 13 – 23 and Late – Nov. 8 – 14

Let me know if you might know of anyone interested.

Regards,

Jim Lopresto
Aim Adventures
PO Box 1398
Oakley, CA 94561
PH: 877-374-4868 (Toll Free US only) or 925-679-0974
Fax: 925-679-8675
www.aimadventures.com

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Fires Rage, Fishing Good

Roads were closed and the sky was filled with smoke, but that didn’t stop our annual trek to the north lands for trout fishing. Highway 70, up the Feather River Canyon has been closed for about a week and today highway 32 from Lake Almanor to Chico was closed due to the proximity of lighting caused fires in the Deer Creek area.

However, trout fishing at Almanor was excellent. Even a few nice small mouth bass fell to our Hex nymphs fished from float tubes.

Brother Rob lands a nice five pound brown early in the evening.

 

Fishing buddy, Kevin, readies his gear as the sun sets in smoke from the many fires in Butte County.

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The Ecology of Fear

Researchers in Oregon have concluded, after extensive research, that prey species have a fear of predators and that prey species move away from their mortal enemies in an effort to survive. They have also concluded that this natural system has an important relationship to the success of other plant and animal life.

Impressive conclusion?

Interesting how a bit of research can lead to statements by politicians who are too eager to use science as a basis for social sculpturing. In our local paper (on a front-page feature article no less) Tri-Valley Herald reporter Suzanne Bohan uses the research to support her own conclusions.

” YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK – More fear of fangs is what’s needed to revive hoof-worn Western lands.”

What’s wrong with this? From what I see, the research related to this subject is most applied to wolves. There are and have never been wolves in Yosemite.

Bohan then goes on to apply the “Fear” theory to mountain lions. Then she concludes that we don’t have enough of them and we need more lions in the park for the benefit of botanical success.

Horse poop. Mountain lions are at equilibrium in California. Our habitat cannot support any more mountain lions. If you want to save the flora and fauna of Yosemite Valley, remove the tourists. They are what keeps the mountain lions away. Lions don’t like people.

Lions do move deer around and it is a benefit for the ecosystem. Human hunters do the same thing. After removing the tourists, we can then insert human hunters to assist the lions. The result will be a much improved Yosemite.

I’m all for it.

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Watching Delta Geese

On December 1, 2007, Tom Billingsley and I sat in camp and watched the geese lift off. I related this on an earlier blog. Recently I uploaded the short video I made right after the geese lifted off. Even though many, if not most, of the geese had already flown, you’ll get the idea of the goose numbers that were packed onto Webb Tract that weekend. Check it out.

The quality of this video is very poor, but you’ll get the idea of what was going on that day if you watch.

http://www.youtube.com/v/ZIW_JGzCSM0

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When Wounded Hogs Charge

During the several years that I part timed as a pig guide, we killed about 25 to 30 wild boars. Several hunters came back for a second or even third time. One of those was Roger Fung. Roger was very excited about killing a big pig.

 

He was slight of stature, probably in the 150 pound range and he didn’t shoot a big rifle, but it was effective. He liked the 7 mm .08 because it didn’t knock him down and was pretty effective on pig-size game.

 

On his first trip we found a nice boar of about 200 pounds and he easily downed it. The boar appeared to be fairly old and had nice “choppers.”

 

About a year later Roger contacted me again and we arranged another hunt. This time we found a good pig about 8:00 AM. We spotted the large boar heading our way. We only had to move short distance down the ridge to intercept it at about 100 yards.

 

Roger dropped down into the prone position and the boar stopped broadside, presenting a perfect shot. At the sound of the shot, the pig dropped like a stone. As we congratulated each other, I was surprized to see the boar jump to its feet and run out of sight, down the ridge in front of us.

 

We immediately took off in hot pursuit. I angled off the ridge to my right and we dropped into the small canyon finding no sign of the pig. We did come face to face with another boar, but we were not interested. The first pig was much larger – plus it already had Roger’s bullet in it!

 

I was very surprised by the lack of sign and concluded that the boar must have turned after it went out of sight and dropped off the opposite side of the ridge. Sure enough, as we crossed over the top of the ridge, we spotted the boar lying on its side motionless, about 50 yards away.

 

As I didn’t carry a weapon of any type, I motioned to Roger to step in front of me as we approached the boar. I wasn’t convinced it was dead. Sure enough, at about 20 paces, the 350 pound barrel of pig jumped to its feet and ran directly towards us. Roger raised his rifle to his hip and let fly. The bullet pierced the pig’s left ear.

 

Fortunately the muzzle blast at 10 yards slowed the pig long enough for Roger to chamber a second round. This time he raised the rifle just as the pig moved forward for a final charge. The shot was pure and the big boar went down for good.

 

From that time on I carried either a 12-gauge shotgun or .44 magnum hand gun while guiding for wild pigs.

 

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Conservationists Seek Oversight of DFG Dedicated Accounts

The Mule Deer Foundation is an active member of the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance, sponsor of State Senate Bill 1172.

COHA has announced that SB1172 has passed the State Senate with a 39-0 vote. The bill must now pass through the State Assembly and the Governor’s office to become law.

Below is a news release from the COHA regarding the bill, which provides Fish and Game Commission oversight on expenditures of money obtained through sale of big game tags including deer. For many years sportsmen have struggled to verify where big game tag funds have been spent. Despite laws that state these funds must be spent for the benefit of the species for which the tags are sold, that has not always been the case. Big game fund raising tags for deer also fall into this category.

SB1172 is modeled after the California Duck Stamp program which has a proven track record.

Here’s the release:

California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA) News Release regarding SB1172

Hunting Tag/Stamp Accountability Measure Passes Off Senate Floor – Despite threats of opposition from animal rights organizations and other groups, SB 1172, by Senator Bob Dutton (R-Inland Empire), easily passed the California State Senate on Thursday by a bipartisan vote of 39-0.  The bill, which is sponsored by COHA and supported by numerous hunting and conservation interests throughout California , would provide much-needed accountability and transparency over the use of hunting license tag and stamp revenues. 

 

SB 1172 was introduced in response to continued revelations over the misuse of certain hunter-generated monies within state government.  To help address this ongoing problem over the long-term, the measure would ensure that separate fiscal accounts are provided for all such monies and that they can only be used for certain game species conservation and hunting purposes.  The bill would also require the Fish and Game Commission to publicly verify that any proposed expenditure of hunting license tag and stamp money would, in fact, be used for game species conservation or hunting purposes.  In addition, SB 1172 would require the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) to consult with hunting-related conservation groups on proposed projects that would be funded from the accounts, while allowing such groups to assist DFG with much-needed habitat protection efforts.  Finally, the measure would require that any land that is acquired with hunting license tag or stamp revenue be open for, or provide access to, public hunting opportunities.

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