Recreation

Are you or someone you know hunting for a gift for Father’s Day?

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) thinks giving dad a hunting or fishing license would make his day great.

“The gift of these licenses provides the recipient with a bounty of opportunities to enjoy hunting and fishing in California,” said Charlton H. Bonham, director of CDFW.

California is the third-largest state in the nation and about half of its land is publicly owned. That translates into millions of acres of huntable public property.

Fishing opportunities also abound in the more than 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, 4,172 lakes and reservoirs and 80 major rivers in California.

The state also features more than 1,100 miles of coastline that is home to hundreds of native fish and shellfish species.

Licenses can be purchased online via CDFW’s Automated License Data System (ALDS), which allows licenses to be instantly purchased and generated. If a fishing license purchaser does not have all of the licensee’s personal data, ALDS offers a sport fishing gift license voucher along with the ability to include a personalized message to the recipient.

This voucher can be purchased and redeemed at any ALDS license agent location but cannot be purchased online. Hunting license gift vouchers are not available. In addition, licenses are available from more than 1,400 license agents throughout the state.

A 2014-2015 California resident hunting license costs $46.44 and is valid from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015.

A 2014 California resident sport fishing license is $46.44 and is valid January 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2014.

To find a license agent near you, to purchase items online or for more information on ALDS, please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing .

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Written by: Editor

Published: 13 June 2014

When wild turkeys attack

Question: I have lived in a rural area of Woodside for more than 20 years.

Although many different species of wild animals wander through our area searching for food, we have never seen wild turkeys. Never until one day about three years ago when two juvenile turkeys and a male pheasant wandered into our neighborhood scavenging for food.

Well, our neighbors began feeding them, and now there are at least two pairs of wild turkeys and 15 chicks between them. I suspect there are more but these were just on our patio last week.

And these turkeys can be mean! Recently, one of our neighbors was putting his garbage can out and was attacked by some large male turkeys! He fell down and broke his wrist trying to get away from them.

What can we do to rid our neighborhood of these pests? Can these turkeys be moved to another area? (Floyd B., Woodside)

Answer: Turkeys are now a part of many suburban neighborhoods in California. During the spring breeding season male turkeys can become aggressive, but this breeding behavior should pass.

Most of the complaints the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) receives regarding turkeys can be traced to someone feeding the birds.

The single most important thing people can do to get rid of nuisance wildlife is to remove ALL potential food sources.

If possible, discuss the matter with the neighbors who are feeding the birds, too. It is illegal to feed wildlife.

Turkeys are habitat generalists and food opportunists, meaning they can thrive in a wide variety of conditions and can eat many types of foods. Adequate food is available to them naturally and so they do not need to be fed.

As with many wild animals, people feed them because they like watching them, but this practice puts them at risk.

To help persuade the turkeys to move on, you and your neighbors should remove any cat food, dog food and especially spilled birdseed that might be in the area.

CDFW has used turkey relocation as a tool in the past but found the effectiveness limited. It’s very unlikely that all the turkeys in the area will be successfully trapped as turkeys are quite wary, and often there are plenty of other wild turkeys living in close proximity that will move in to fill any void.

Once turkeys are trapped, they must be moved to a new location where they may end up just becoming a problem for someone else. These programs also require substantial resources and money for CDFW to maintain.

Generally, CDFW does not move nuisance wildlife for these reasons. As a last resort, you can get a depredation permit for the lethal removal of the birds, though methods may be limited in suburban areas where discharging firearms is prohibited.

Many people don’t want to go this route anyway, and so the most important thing to remember when coexisting with turkeys is to not feed them.

For more information, please refer to previous California Outdoors Q&A columns that pertain to and explain the issues surrounding feeding wildlife ( http://californiaoutdoorsqas.com/?s=feeding+wildlife ) or to CDFW’s Keep Me Wild campaign ( https://www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/turkey.html ).

Crab season and whale migration do NOT mix         

Question: Is there any way to END crab season for the year due to the early migration of the whales?

Recently, there were two whales stuck in crab netting in/near Monterey Bay and it seems absolutely asinine to continue crabbing under these conditions.

Whales are a protected species, not humans. We can find something else to eat and the crabs can have an early respite from our carnivorous habits.

Can’t something be done to end the crab season earlier? (Deb D., Soquel)

Answer: According to CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Pete Kalvass, who is one of the Dungeness crab fishery managers, “We appreciate your concern regarding marine mammal interactions with crab gear. The federal government via NOAA is responsible for protecting marine mammals, including whales, and we work with them in trying to minimize these types of interactions with our state managed crab fisheries.

“Unfortunately, there is presently no way to guarantee zero interactions short of eliminating these fisheries. As it is, when you consider that there are approximately 150,000 commercial Dungeness crab pots set during the height of the fishery in November and December each season, entanglements are indeed quite rare. Closing a fishery prematurely as you suggest is not a simple proposition and would either take legislation or an extraordinary finding of harm to the mammals, and public hearings, before our Director could act.”

For further information, I suggest you contact one of the NOAA offices or check their Web site at www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/ .

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. .

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Written by: Carrie Wilson

Published: 13 June 2014

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Clear Lake High School varsity girls soccer team will host its 17th annual Cardinal Soccer Camp Monday, June 16, through Thursday, June 19.

It will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on the fields behind the Clear Lake High School gym, 350 Lange St.

The camp, for boys and girls ages 5 to 14, costs $60 on the day of the camp or $55 if you register early in the high school office.

There also is a family discount of $5 per camper if more than two campers register from the same family.

Instruction will be provided by varsity coaches Alice Holmes and Paul Larrea, and junior varsity coach, Tommy Burke.

They will be assisted by guest coaches and members of the Clear Lake High girls soccer team, many of whom have previous camp experience.

Camp instruction will emphasize basic soccer skills, offensive/defensive play and team concepts.

For the younger players, the camp offers the opportunity to learn basic soccer skills and develop a positive and fun attitude toward soccer.

The registration fee includes a t-shirt. There will be lots of fun and prizes and daily competitions.

A second camp is planned for Aug. 4 through 7.

All proceeds help fund the high school's junior varsity and varsity soccer programs, which because of budget cuts is no longer funded by the district.

For more information call 707-262-3010.

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Written by: Editor

Published: 11 June 2014