Recreation
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- Written by: Redbud Audubon Society
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
“They’re real. They’re not just a practical joke,” said Scott Gardner, the senior environmental scientist who leads CDFW’s Upland/Small Game Program, referencing the countless children who have been duped into mythical snipe hunts.
“Snipe are well-distributed throughout the state, but they’re a very challenging bird to harvest. Not only are they a difficult target to hit, but they often hang out with other shorebirds that you can’t take. So you really have to know your stuff when hunting snipe.”
A California hunting license, Harvest Information Program Validation and Upland Game Bird Validation are required to hunt snipe. Junior Hunting License holders do not need an Upland Game Bird Validation.
Wilson’s snipe are a plump brown-and-buff migratory shorebird with short, stocky legs and a long bill. They are the only shorebird legal to hunt in California. While they can be found throughout the state during California’s long snipe season, they are elusive and hard to spot on the ground, which means hunters need to be able to identify the birds quickly on the wing.
Snipe typically flush from the ground and fly away in a fast, twisting, zig-zag pattern. The word “sniper,” in fact, originally meant a hunter who was skilled at shooting the notoriously wily bird.
Snipe are frequently found probing muddy ground for earthworms and invertebrates. They prefer the muddy edges of ponds, damp fields and other wet, open habitats. Areas with low vegetation provide adequate camouflage and cover for snipe, but they can often be spotted by glassing the water’s edge with binoculars.
Because of their habitat and a hunting season that runs almost concurrently with California’s Balance of the State Zone waterfowl season, waterfowl hunters are most likely to encounter snipe in the field. Snipe, however, are best pursued with a light upland gun, an open choke and light loads such as #7 steel shot. Waterfowl hunters who take a poke at a fleeing snipe with their heavy guns, big loads and tighter chokes often find themselves punching holes in the air and risk damaging a snipe’s delicate, delicious meat with a shot that connects.
While snipe have a wide wingspan, they are smaller than quail and it may take several birds to make a single meal. They are often roasted or pan-fried whole or breasted out and cooked with butter or bacon. Hunters who enjoy eating dove or duck will likely love the taste of snipe.
Snipe have a small but devoted following among some California hunters.
The following tips and suggestions should inspire hunters to give snipe a try this season:
– Snipe hunting can be really good when the duck hunting is poor. Those warm, bluebird days in November make for a great opportunity to go snipe hunting.
– Snipe hunting is great for getting away from the crowds and enjoying some quiet time outdoors. So few people hunt snipe that snipe hunters often have all the boggy, upland fields to themselves.
– Snipe make for an exciting hunt. Snipe flush like a wild pheasant but can provide an abundance of shots and opportunities. A good snipe field can provide hunters with dozens of flushes.
– It helps to go on your first snipe hunt with someone who has hunted snipe before. You’ll be a lot more confident about your identification.
– If you miss a snipe you can often go after it again. A flushed bird will sometimes land again after a short flight.
– Snipe can be difficult and painstaking to pluck whole but it’s often worth the effort. The legs are especially delicious.
– You will almost never see a snipe on the ground before it flushes. Once you learn to identify snipe on the wing, however, it’s easy to distinguish snipe from other shorebirds. Snipe rarely fly in flocks. The vast majority of snipe flushes are single birds. Snipe often make a high-pitched call when they flush, sometimes described as a scaipe.
– Many snipe hunters don’t use hunting dogs. The low, erratic flight typical of a flushed snipe means a lot of low shots that can put a hunting dog in danger.
– Snipe are migratory birds and move. Snipe can be in one day in big numbers and gone the next. A good snipe field one day can be vacant of snipe the next.
– Snipe hunting regulations are available online at CDFW’s website within the 2019-20 bird hunting and public lands regulations booklet.
Please note that nonlead shot is now required when taking any wildlife with a firearm anywhere in California. Please plan accordingly. For more information, please see the CDFW nonlead ammunition webpage.
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- Written by: Mendocino National Forest
Regular business hours will resume Tuesday, Oct. 15, at all offices except for the Stonyford Work Center, which will close Tuesday, Oct. 15, and reopen Wednesday, Oct. 16.
Mendocino National Forest employees are beginning to winterize campgrounds across the forest.
Beginning Oct. 27, dumpsters will be removed at Plaskett Meadows campground on the Grindstone Ranger district. The campground is open year round, however, there will be no fees and no services through the winter.
Letts Lake remains closed under Ranch Fire Closure No. 08-19-03.
In addition, the pedestrian gate hours at the Chico Seed Orchard will change on Nov. 4. New hours will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week except on all federal holidays when the site is closed to the public.
The orchard is located at 2741 Cramer Lane in Chico and has a self-guided one-mile paved accessible nature trail. The trail area supports an abundance of wildlife including: birds, snakes, rabbits, squirrels, rodents, insects, and many other species. Butte County pet leash laws apply at the orchard.
Take a trip to the forest and enjoy the fall colors that are beginning to emerge. Remember that food, gas and lodging are not available on the forest road network or within forest boundaries.
Carry emergency equipment and appropriate maps in your vehicle. Cell phone coverage is not reliable in many areas of the forest. Check the weather forecast before heading out and be aware that conditions can change suddenly in the high country.
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Game
The commissioners unanimously adopted regulations to issue experimental fishing permits to support sustainable fisheries and promote innovation in California.
The new regulations allow experimental fishing permits to be issued to those fishermen who participated in the 2018 box crab experimental gear permit program.
Next year, the commission will consider adopting regulations to establish an experimental fishing permit program.
The Herring Fishery Management Plan, or FMP, and accompanying Pacific herring regulations, were also unanimously adopted.
The FMP formalizes Pacific herring management strategies that are responsive to environmental and socioeconomic changes while also preserving the sustainability of the fishery within the context of the entire ecosystem.
Among other changes, the regulations establish a recreational bag limit for herring and allow for the regulation of the commercial herring fishery under the Herring FMP.
The commission also evaluated and discussed a state water bottom lease application from the Malibu Oyster Co., which is proposing to locate a shellfish aquaculture operation in Santa Monica Bay, approximately a mile offshore in Malibu.
Preliminary considerations for the commission included previous leases or uses of the site granted by State Lands Commission (of which there were none) and whether there were any known water quality issues (there were none at this time).
Additional assessment of environmental impacts and public concerns still lie ahead. The commission unanimously voted to allow the proposal to move forward for environmental review, tribal notification and public noticing.
The proposal is still in the early stages of review and must gain many additional levels of approval, including from the Coastal Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies, before the project comes to fruition.
All members of the commission were present at the meeting, including President Eric Sklar, Vice President Jacque Hostler-Carmesin and Commissioners Russell Burns, Samantha Murray and Peter Silva.
The full commission agenda for this meeting along with supporting information is available at www.fgc.ca.gov. An archived video will also be available in coming days.
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