Recreation

Details

Written by: Editor

Published: 10 November 2015

The second weekend of November brings a popular tradition for many families in California – the opening of pheasant season.

Although the overall wild pheasant population has been decreasing over the past few decades and the number of shoot days have been reduced on some wildlife areas, opportunities are still available on state-managed lands.
 
The 2015 general pheasant season will open Saturday, Nov. 14, and extend through Friday, Dec. 27.

For 2015, the daily bag limit is two males per day for the first two days of the season, and three males per day thereafter. The possession limit is triple the daily bag limit.
 
Native to Asia, the ring-necked pheasant was introduced to California as a game bird species in the late 1800s.

Though they flourished in California for decades, numbers have been dropping for the last 25 years. Total pheasant harvest on public areas in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys declined from a high of 4,828 roosters in 1998 to 1,120 last year.
 
"Wild pheasant populations have been declining since the mid-1990s in the Central Valley due to a number of factors - changing agricultural practices and loss of upland habitats combined with increased use of insecticides and predation," said Scott Gardner, Upland Game Bird coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). "There are still enough pheasants to sustain a rooster-only hunting season, but the numbers look nothing like they used to."
 
In response to the continued decline, CDFW is entering the third year of working with Pheasants Forever and the United States Geological Survey to implement pheasant population assessments and identify factors limiting their populations to develop potential management actions.

Initial findings were presented at a pheasant workshop earlier this year and information on the workshop and ongoing research can be found on CDFW's Web site at www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/birds/pheasant .
 
In 2010, CDFW reduced the number of days that certain wildlife areas will be open for pheasant hunting due to a decline the number of hunters targeting pheasant and the cost to operate check stations during the first week of the season.

For the upcoming season, hunters should be aware of the following restrictions on wildlife areas:

– Type A wildlife areas in the Sacramento Valley (Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Delevan National Wildlife Refuge, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, and Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area (Little Dry Creek, Llano Seco and Howard Slough Units) and Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area will be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays, and only the first Monday (Nov. 16) during the pheasant season. Grizzly Island Wildlife Area will also be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays only during the pheasant season.

– Type A wildlife areas in the San Joaquin Valley (Los Banos Wildlife Area, Mendota Wildlife Area, North Grasslands Wildlife Area, Volta Wildlife Area and San Luis National Wildlife Refuge) will be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays only during the pheasant season. Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge, Freitas Unit will be open for pheasant hunting on the first Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the pheasant season (Nov. 14-16). The Kesterson blind area will be open for pheasant hunting on the first Monday of the pheasant season (Nov. 16).

– In the event some units experience closures for waterfowl hunting as a result of the drought, the goal will be to open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays during the general pheasant season.  Permits for entry will be issued at the check station through a morning lottery.  Specific information will be available from affected wildlife area offices.  Additional entry will be available through first-come, first-serve lists at the check station.

– The Wister Unit of Imperial Wildlife Area in Imperial County and San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Riverside County will continue to be closed to pheasant hunting this year.

– Type C wildlife areas will remain open as normal.

Upland game hunters are reminded that as of July 1, 2015, nonlead ammunition is required when hunting on all CDFW wildlife areas and ecological reserves. For more information please see the CDFW nonlead ammunition page.
 
All hunters must carry a current California hunting license in their possession. Adult hunters (18 or older) must also have an upland game bird validation. The full upland game bird hunting regulations  and a summary as well as the lands regulations for 2015-2016 can be found on CDFW's Web site.
 
The modifications of the shoot days on Type A wildlife areas are pursuant to the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 550(i)(1).
 
For more information on specific hunting opportunities, hunters should contact the CDFW office in their region and check the CDFW Web site.

Details

Written by: Editor

Published: 10 November 2015

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Konocti Rod and Gun Club and Lake County 4-H will present a free family fun shoot on Saturday, Nov. 14.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the club's gun range, 3800 Highland Springs Road in Lakeport. It is open to the public.

Bring your family for a day of fun and safe shooting. There will be one-on-one coach/shooter instruction with a variety of rifles, .22, centerfire, shotguns and black powder rifles.

All firearms, ammunition, hearing and eye protection will be provided free. No personal firearms, please.

This is a rare opportunity to shoot for free and receive one-on-one instruction. Free gun locks and literature on safe firearms handling and safe home storage of firearms will be available.

There also will be free lunch for everyone, with hot dogs, chips and ice cold bottled water to be served.

For more information visit www.krgc.org or call Rick and Jill Walker at 707-995-1965.

Details

Written by: Carrie Wilson

Published: 07 November 2015

Fishing ocean pinnacles?

Question: I have a question regarding fishing offshore banks and pinnacles for rockfish. The regulations state fishing in the Southern Management Area is allowed on the shoreward side of the 60 fathom (360 ft.) depth contour.

Does this mean any water shallower than the specified depth contour?

For example, there are offshore banks where the pinnacle of the bank is in water less than 360 feet deep, but there is technically no "shoreward side" of this depth contour.

Is fishing for groundfish on offshore banks allowed as long as the depth restrictions are met? (Logan M.)

Answer: No. You can only fish shoreward of the 60 fathom (360 ft.) depth contour line, even if there are banks or pinnacles beyond that are shallower than the depth limit on the ocean side of the depth contour line. You are required to stay on the shoreward side of depth limit lines when fishing for groundfish.

Depth constraints are defined one of two ways. During the open season, groundfish species may only be taken or possessed in water depths shallower than the specified depth (per California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 27.20(a)):

In waters shallower than 30 fathoms, “depth” is defined by general depth contour lines. In waters equal to or deeper than 30 fathoms, “depth” is defined by approximating a particular depth contour by connecting the appropriate set of waypoints adopted in federal regulations (50 Code of Federal Regulations Part 660, Subpart C).

When fishing in waters shoreward of lines approximating the 60-fathom depth contour, since the depth is equal to or deeper than 30 fathoms, the waypoints provided in federal regulations will need to be used to determine the depth contour line (CCR Title 14, section 27.45(b).

Land ownership deer tags?

Question: After 15 years of active military service my family and I are moving to Lassen County. How many acres of land do I need to own in order to apply for land ownership deer tags? (Shawn M.)

Answer: Cooperative Deer Hunting Area landowner tags are available for owners of land encompassing not less than a total of 5,000 acres, of which each individual landowner within that 5,000 acres must own a minimum of 640 acres to qualify.

These are areas of private land located within critical deer habitat as determined by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in deer quota zones that require public drawings (CCR Title 14, section 360).

Cooperative Deer Hunting Areas are designed to encourage the protection and enhancement of critical deer habitat, to provide added protection to landowners from depredations of trespassers and to provide greater access for the public to hunt on privately owned or controlled lands.

CDFW may establish cooperative hunting areas and issue permits for the take of deer as specified subject to the conditions listed above (CCR Title 14, section 554).

Another option is the Private Lands Management (PLM) program where tags are issued to landholders. Under this program, CDFW offers landowners incentives to manage their lands for the benefit of wildlife.

Landowners who enroll in this “ranching for wildlife” program consult with wildlife biologists to make biologically sound habitat improvements that benefit wildlife (by providing water sources, planting native plants for food, making brush piles for cover, etc.).

This partnership between wildlife managers and private landowners helps conserve and maintain wildlife habitat in our state.

For application forms and to learn more about these programs, please go to www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/deer and www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/plm .

Freshwater boat limits?

Question: If two of us are fishing for black bass from my boat in the Delta, do I have to stop fishing for black bass if I have reached my limit even though my partner has not? I couldn’t find anything about boat limits in the freshwater fishing regulations booklet. (Kin N.)

Answer: At this point, you must stop fishing for black bass but you can change your gear to target other species. Boat limits apply only in the ocean waters, not in the Delta or freshwater systems.

Ocean waters are defined as the ocean and San Francisco and San Pablo bays, plus all their tidal bays, tidal portions of their rivers and streams, sloughs and estuaries between the Golden Gate Bridge and Carquinez Bridge (Fish and Game Code, section 195(e) and CCR Title 14, section 27.00).

Shotgun capacity for coyotes?

Question: What is the shotgun magazine capacity while hunting coyotes? (Matt A.)

Answer: Only shotguns capable of holding no more than six rounds may be possessed or used for the take of any mammal or bird (FGC, section 2010). Therefore, the maximum shotgun magazine capacity for hunting nongame species, such as coyote, is six.

When hunting game species, the limit is three rounds. Remember that in the Condor Zone and on state wildlife areas, the ammunition in the shotgun must be certified as nonlead.

Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .