Recreation
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- Written by: CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
Blue ear tag on a doe?
Question: I was hunting up in the Mendocino National Forest and saw a doe with a blue ear tag on her left ear. I have never seen this before and was curious as to whether or not you may know what the tag means. I have attached a picture that I took of the deer. I hope you satisfy my curiosity! (Rosanna)
Answer: Thank you for the photo! We shared it with our Deer Program biologists, who were tickled to see that one of their study deer – aka 7303 with the blue left ear tag 804 – was alive and well in the Mendocino National Forest, almost eight years after she was captured and tagged there by our biologists. She is estimated to be 14 years old today.
Deer 7303 is a survivor for sure. She was part of a five-year population assessment – from 2009 to 2013 – of Columbian black-tailed deer in the Mendocino National Forest conducted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and researchers from UC Davis. The 2014 Final Project Report is still available online.
Deer 7303 was one of 57 adult female deer captured as part of the study, along with 137 fawns and seven mountain lions. Deer 7303 was captured by tranquilizer dart on June 6, 2012, and determined to be 7 years old at the time. She also had a fawn with her.
In addition to the blue ear tag, deer 7303 was outfitted with a GPS tracking collar, which she wore for 453 days before the collar dropped off. All collars were fitted with automatic releases to drop off after a certain amount of time.
Deer 7303 has fared much better than many of the other study deer. The study found that while Columbian black-tailed deer in the Mendocino National Forest were abundant with average pregnancy and birth rates, their population was on the decline primarily as a result of low adult female survival.
Researchers investigated deer mortalities and confirmed predation accounted for approximately 57 percent of the 21 deaths investigated by staff. Most of the predation was from mountain lions, one was killed by a black bear, poachers took two of the does, and seven died from unknown causes. Black bears, however, were the main predators of fawns, particularly within 30 days of birth. The researchers also found that habitat quality - or lack thereof - played a role in low fawn and doe survival.
The assessment of deer in the Mendocino National Forest is just one of many studies conducted by CDFW deer biologists to better understand the mechanisms that drive deer populations throughout California.
Illegal to feed feral cats?
Question: I've seen a couple of feral cat feeding stations located around urban areas. I thought that feeding feral cats was illegal under the California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 251.1, "Harassment of Animals." I know you folks have a lot more important things to do, but is this something we should notify our local game warden about? (Mark G.)
Answer: Section 251.1 states that "no person shall harass, herd or drive any game or nongame bird or mammal or furbearing mammal. For the purposes of this section, harass is defined as an intentional act which disrupts an animal's normal behavior patterns, which includes, but is not limited to breeding, feeding or sheltering." But feral cats do not meet the definition of "game or nongame mammal" or "furbearing mammal" - and as they are still technically domesticated, they are not considered to be wildlife.
Even though the code does not apply to domestic animals, there may be local (city) ordinances that prohibit feeding feral cats. Large cat colonies can attract larger predators, including coyotes and mountain lions, which is never a good idea in an urban area. Your local animal control office will be able to answer questions about feral cat management in your area.
Keeping an eye out for quagga
Question: Do you have a map of California waters that are infested with quagga mussels? (Walter)
Answer: CDFW's Fishing Guide is updated in real time. Just select the filter for "Quagga Infested Areas" on the left.
You can also find a printable map of infested waters on our website. It is current, including the most recent quagga discovery in the Upper San Gabriel River in October 2017. However, it does not indicate all of the waters without mussels, nor does it depict stretches of flowing waters that are infested (e.g., the lower Colorado River).
CDFW works to monitor for new infestations of quagga and zebra mussels and other invasive species, but it is possible an infestation may be present but not yet detected. In order to prevent spreading mussels and other aquatic invasive species, watercraft and equipment that comes into contact with the waterbody should be cleaned, drained and dried after every outing.
Visit CDFW's website to learn more about quagga and zebra mussel management in California, and the precautions you can take to help prevent the spread of these invasive species. If you have specific questions, you are welcome to contact CDFW's Invasive Species Program at (866) 440-9530 or
If you have a question for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, email
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The California Wildlife Officers Foundation will recognize one grand-prize winner with a lifetime California hunting license with a bird hunting privilege package valued at up to $1,250. Second and third place winners will also be selected and prize packages will be awarded.
This year's contest challenges kids to answer the questions, "What can CDFW do to get more people involved in hunting? And what can you do, personally, to get more people involved in hunting?"
CDFW is actively expanding its efforts to recruit, retain and reactivate anglers and hunters in California. These efforts – known as the "R3 program" – are currently a high priority of the department, and the Hunter Education Program in particular.
"It will be interesting to read about the R3 ideas these young hunters present in their essays," said CDFW Hunter Education Program Administrator Capt. Robert Pelzman.
The essay contest is open to all junior hunting license holders, as well as youths under 18 who have earned a hunter education certificate. Essays should be no more than 500 words, double spaced.
Entries should be submitted via email to Capt. Pelzman at
Along with their essay, entrants must also provide their date of birth, place of residence and a contact telephone number and email address.
Essays will be reviewed and scored by CDFW wildlife officers and other CDFW representatives. The winners will be notified by telephone on or near Dec. 24.
The grand prize will be awarded during a special ceremony at the International Sportsmen's Exposition show scheduled in Sacramento on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, at 11:30 a.m.
Contest winners must be present and accompanied by a parent or guardian.
For information on becoming a Hunter Education Instructor to help "Pass on the Tradition" to others, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunter-education .
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
This ‘mystery mass’ is pretty fishy
Question: I speared a 15" blue rockfish at Ocean Cove over Labor Day weekend. It had a large belly but no eggs or anything extraordinary within stomach or fillets.
Within the gut cavity, attached to the end of the intestine (near the anus), there was a 3.5 cm white mass with a black tip at the free end. It was very hard and calcified.
I cut it in half longways and found that the translucent white skin came off easily, but the black mass inside was very dense. The black mass also seems to rub off and stain anything it touched, like a gummy charcoal.
I took pictures, with pink arrow on Gyotaku print of this fish marking the approximate location and orientation within gut cavity. Is this some kind of parasite, or just a calcified gonad/kidney stones? Would this mass give any reason to avoid eating the fillets? (TL)
Answer: What a vivid description you provided! And the photos are very helpful for reference. The condition you've described is caused by a parasitic copepod called Sarcotaces. Copepods are arthropods and are in the same taxonomic group of animals as crabs and insects.
The juvenile Sarcotaces can be found in the water column in hopes of finding a host. In this case, the host was the rockfish you caught.
Sarcotaces inserts its head into the skin of a fish and is eventually encapsulated by the fish's flesh, except for the last body-segment which maintains connection with the outside seawater.
This parasite is commonly found in rockfish, usually located near the vent where the surrounding intestinal tissue forms a sac-like protuberance inside the abdominal cavity.
Sarcotaces feed on blood from the fish, and the digested blood becomes a dark fluid or paste inside the sac. When the parasite dies, the tissue forms a closed cyst, which is what you found during filleting.
There are no human health concerns with a fish infected with Sarcotaces, although if the fillets become tainted with the dark fluid from a ruptured sac they may become visually unappealing to eat. Careful removal of the parasitic sac and handling of the fish as usual is recommended.
Sharing a video with CalTIP?
Question: I took a video of what I think is a wildlife crime in progress. I know you have a tip line, but how can I submit the video? (Anonymous)
Answer: With modern phones being capable of taking high definition video and photographs, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeing an increase in the number of CalTIP reports that include video or photographs. You can submit a video or photograph to CalTIP in one of four ways.
First, you can send your tip and video or photograph to CalTIP by SMS text message, by texting "CALTIP", followed by a space and the message, to 847411 (tip411). You can attach a media file to the SMS text message as you normally would if you were texting with a friend.
You can also use the CalTIP app, which can be downloaded for free via the Google Play Store and iTunes App Store. The app gives you the option to attach a video or photograph before you submit your report.
If you choose to report through the CalTIP website, select "Report a Violation online." This will take you to an online reporting form where you will have the option of attaching a file, including a video or photograph.
Lastly, you can attach the file to an email and send it to
Any time you make a report with CalTIP, please be prepared to provide as many incident details as you can – time of occurrence, location, vehicles involved (including license plate numbers, when possible), physical description of the suspects, the species targeted and what you believe the violation to be. The more details you provide to our wildlife officers, the faster they can put a stop to any illegal activity.
Carcass removal?
Question: Who can I call about a dead bear on my property? (Beverly)
Answer: With some exceptions, removal and disposal of wildlife carcasses is not a service that CDFW provides. If you believe the bear may have been poached, please report it to CalTIP, 1-888-334-2258, and a wildlife officer will contact you. If the bear has an ear tag, please contact the closest regional office to speak with a biologist.
Otherwise, your local or city authorities may offer options, such as pickup and transport to a rendering plant.
If you have a question for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, email
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
California Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery workers will open the gates in the ladder at 10:30 a.m. and will take more than a half-million eggs during the first week alone in an effort to ensure the successful spawning return of fall-run Chinook salmon.
The three major state-run hatcheries in the Central Valley – Nimbus Fish Hatchery in Sacramento County, and hatcheries on the Feather River in Butte County and the Mokelumne River in San Joaquin County – will take approximately 24 million eggs over the next two months to produce Chinook salmon for release next spring.
Each hatchery has a viewing area where visitors can watch the spawning process. The visitors’ center at Nimbus Hatchery includes a playground with replicas of giant salmon.
Nimbus Hatchery is open to the public free of charge from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.
For more information about spawning schedules and educational opportunities at each hatchery, please visit the CDFW website at www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/hatcheries.
There are eight state-run salmon and steelhead hatcheries, all of which will participate in the salmon spawning effort.
These spawning efforts were put in place over the past half century to offset fish losses caused by dams that block salmon from historic spawning habitat.
Once the young salmon reach 2 to 4 inches in length, one-quarter of the stock will be marked and implanted with a coded wire tag prior to release.
CDFW biologists use the information from the tags to chart their survival, catch and return rates.
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