Recreation
The Department of Fish and Game must delay opening day of waterfowl season on Type-A state and federal hunting areas in the Sacramento Valley.
Due to a delayed rice harvest, opening day will be Oct. 29, one week later than the rest of the Balance of State Zone.
The areas affected by this delay in opening day are Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, Little Dry Creek Wildlife Area, Llano Seco Wildlife Area, Howard Slough Wildlife Area, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Delevan NWR, Sutter NWR and Colusa NWR.
This year’s rice harvest is unusually late because wet weather delayed the spring planting and a mild summer slowed maturation.
The harvest is expected to continue into late October this year in the Sacramento Valley.
DFG reached the decision to delay the waterfowl season in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and representatives from the agricultural community in the Sacramento area.
The delayed refuge opener is intended to minimize crop depredation consistent with Lea Act requirements and the purpose of some state and federal areas.
The Lea Act of 1948 provided funds for the acquisition of federal lands and for the state to acquire matching acreage to attract waterfowl away from adjacent agricultural lands.
Delayed refuge openers were common from the late 1940s to the early 1980s but advancements in farming technology have produced rice crops that mature earlier, minimizing the need for delay.
There have been only three delayed refuge openers for waterfowl hunting in the last 26 years, the last of which was during the 2006-07 waterfowl hunting season.
Hunters should familiarize themselves with the regulations on the Fish and Game Commission Web site at www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/current/waterfowlregs.aspx.
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A total of 64 wild pig hunters will have access to the private property during two archery hunts, two apprentice hunts and four general method hunts. All are two-day hunts.
Applications will be accepted for parties of up to two licensed hunters for the archery and general periods.
Apprentice hunters must have a 2011-12 junior hunt license, and must each fill out a separate application. Applicants may apply for more than one period but will ultimately only be drawn for one.
The Bobcat Ranch is located in Yolo County’s Vaca Mountain foothills, west of Winters. Hunting under the Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Program will help achieve the ranch’s long-term conservation management objectives, including controlling the wild pig population.
Applications must be received by 4 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2011. More information and applications are available at: www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/share/index.html.
This opportunity was made possible by the SHARE Program, which offers incentives to private landowners who allow hunts on their property. Participating landowners receive liability protection and may receive compensation for providing public access to or through their land for wildlife-dependent recreational activities.
The goal of the SHARE Program is to provide additional hunting, fishing and other recreational access on private lands in California.
In July, DFG secured a $500,000 federal grant to support the creation of additional public hunting and fishing opportunities through the SHARE Program.
This hunt is one of the new game bird and big game hunting opportunities expected to happen statewide as a result of that grant.
More information on the grant can be found at http://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/dfg-receives-federal-grant-to-support-share-program/.
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