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Recreation
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The late-afternoon tours run from Oct. 6 through February 2019. They are offered the first, second and third Saturdays and Sundays of each month for the five-month duration of the cranes’ fall-winter stay.
Online registration is required and is available as early as eight weeks prior to tour dates.
Registration began in mid-August for October tour dates. November tour dates will become available starting Sept. 15.
Registration and additional information is available at the CDFW Bay Delta Region’s Sandhill Crane Wetland Tour page. Please note that purchase of a one-day Lands Pass for a nominal fee is required with registration.
“We are very pleased to offer public tours at the reserve and to showcase the benefits of the restored wetlands,” said CDFW Bay Delta Region Manager Gregg Erickson. “These natural resources belong to everyone. All of us have a part in taking care of them as well as enjoying them.”
The Woodbridge Ecological Reserve is accessible at any time for self-guided tours. A series of informative, interpretive panels are located at the reserve’s southern unit at 11154 W. Woodbridge Road, Lodi. Staying through sunset is recommended to witness the sights and sounds of “fly-over” as groups of sandhill cranes return to roosting spots for the evening.
CDFW is also proud to co-sponsor the Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival scheduled for Nov. 2 to 4. Information about festival tours and activities is available at www.cranefestival.com/index.php.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Tree squirrels may be taken only in the open zone during the open season, from between one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset.
A map of the state’s tree squirrel hunt zones can be found on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Web site, along with the full tree squirrel regulations.
Four types of tree squirrels are game species and can be hunted in California.
The Western gray squirrel and the Douglas squirrel are both native to California while the Eastern fox squirrel and the Eastern gray squirrel are introduced and not native to the state.
These tree squirrels can be hunted in the open zone during the open season under authority of a hunting license in California. No other validations are required.
A fifth species of tree squirrel, the northern flying squirrel, is not a game species and may not be taken. Flying squirrels are small, native tree squirrels that are seldom encountered due to their nocturnal nature and preference for mature forest habitats with complex canopy structure.
Tree squirrel population levels fluctuate from year to year based on prevailing weather conditions and the annual production of nuts, acorns and seeds for forage.
“Given favorable mast (acorn) production years in 2016 and 2017, we anticipate that population levels and opportunities for hunting should be good in 2018,” said Matt Meshriy, an environmental scientist with CDFW’s Upland Game Program. “We continue to see numbers of invasive Eastern fox squirrels and Eastern gray squirrels increasing as these species have expanded their range in and adjacent to urban centers. The native Western gray squirrels and Douglas squirrels are often displaced where they overlap with invasive eastern species, but the native squirrels are better adapted to California’s forest and woodland habitats.”
In recent years, approximately 10,000 to 15,000 hunters have reported hunting tree squirrels annually and their combined statewide bag has ranged from 50,000 to 75,000.
National forests provide some of the best opportunity to hunt tree squirrels in California. Bureau of Land Management lands and CDFW wildlife areas may also provide opportunity for squirrel hunting.
Please note that nonlead shot is required when taking tree squirrels and all resident small game mammals anywhere in California. Please plan accordingly.
For more information, please see the CDFW nonlead ammunition page.
- Details
- Written by: U.S. Cellular
At the end of the program, the final three winning coaches will receive a donation of $50,000, $20,000 and $10,000, respectively, to help their school.
The first place coach will also be awarded with a Samsung tech prize package, valued at $30,000, for their school.
Until 11:59 a.m. CT on Sept. 10, U.S. Cellular is encouraging residents to visit www.TheMostValuableCoach.com to nominate their favorite current coach of K-12 school-affiliated sports teams, who has made a profound impact on them or their team, school or community.
“U.S. Cellular recognizes the commitment from coaches who connect to the good in all of us, and wants to celebrate the incredible work they’re doing in their communities,” said Erryn Andersen, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in the northwest market. “We’re looking forward to hearing inspiring stories about great coaches.”
U.S. Cellular is teaming up with Green Bay Packers wide receiver, Randall Cobb, to help identify the Most Valuable Coach.
Along with online voting from fans, Cobb will be part of a panel of judges who will help choose the three winning coaches based on leadership qualities and the positive impact they have on their community, school and players.
“I am fortunate to have worked with great coaches who have had a significant influence on both my professional and personal life,” said Cobb. “Coaches have the unique opportunity to motivate their players to excel as leaders both in the game and in their city. I’m looking forward to recognizing these men and women who are making a difference.”
Following the nomination period, U.S. Cellular will evaluate each nominee based on the positive impact they have had on their players, school and city as well as their leadership qualities.
The Top 50 coaches will be announced on Sept. 18 at noon CT, which marks the beginning of public voting to help select the Final 15 coaches, ending at 11:59 a.m. CT on Oct. 8.
U.S. Cellular will award the school of each Final 15 coach with a $5,000 donation and will celebrate with them at a local event at the school. A short video sharing each coach’s story will also be posted on www.TheMostValuableCoach.com.
Public voting to help determine the final three winning coaches begins at noon CT on Oct. 11 and runs until 11:59 a.m. CT on Nov.13.
The winning coaches will be announced on Nov. 20.
For more information, eligibility and to view the official program rules, please visit www.TheMostValuableCoach.com.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
September openers include quail (Zone Q1 opens for mountain quail on Sept. 8, and Zone Q2 will be open for all quail on Sept. 29) sooty and ruffed grouse (general season will open in various northern and eastern counties on Sept. 8); white-tailed ptarmigan (which will open Sept. 8); and band-tailed pigeon (the northern hunt zone will open Sept. 15).
Please note that nonlead ammunition is now required when hunting on California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Wildlife Areas and Ecological Reserves.
As of July 1, 2016, the nonlead shot requirement is extended to include the take of upland game birds with a shotgun statewide, with the exceptions of dove, quail and snipe, or any upland game bird taken on a licensed game bird club. Please plan accordingly.
For more information, please see the CDFW nonlead ammunition page.
Zone maps and information about daily bag limits and possession limits for each game bird species can be found on the CDFW Upland Game Bird Hunting Web page. Additional information about each species can be found below.
Quail
Quail are some of the state's most popular native game birds. There are three species of quail found in California: California quail, mountain quail and Gambel's quail.
California quail (the state bird) are common and widespread throughout the state in low to mid-elevation brushy habitats with good cover and abundant food.
Mountain quail are found in higher elevation habitats. Gambel's quail are California's most desert-adapted species and are found in the very arid lands of southeastern California.
The early mountain quail-only season starts on Sept. 8 in Zone Q1 and continues through Oct. 19, covering much of the mountainous region of northern and eastern California. On Sept. 29, the early general quail season opens in Zone Q2 for all quail species in several north coast counties.
The remainder of the state will open to quail hunting on Oct. 20 and extend through Jan. 27, 2019.
Finally, an additional two-day early hunt season will be open on Oct. 6-7 in Mojave National Preserve for hunters with junior hunting licenses.
For all quail species, the daily bag limit is 10 and the possession limit is triple the daily bag. Hunters can still use lead shot for quail until July 1, 2019, unless hunting on CDFW Wildlife Areas or Ecological Reserves.
All three native species of quail are characterized by high reproductive potential associated with adequate and well-timed winter and early spring precipitation. Northern California experienced increased precipitation this spring, benefitting quail habitat and productivity. Hunters should experience good populations of quail this fall.
All three species of quail are most active in the early morning and later afternoon and move in large coveys throughout the day. Quail have distinctive calls that can provide clues to the birds' location. Quail are more apt to run than flush, making them a more challenging game bird to hunt. Hunting dogs can be useful for locating, flushing and retrieving birds in the field.
Quail can be successfully hunted with legal gauge shotguns. A modified or improved cylinder choke is recommended to avoid damage to the bird. Because of the dense brush habitats where they are usually hunted, downed quail can be hard to find. Despite this challenge, CDFW reminds hunters that wasting game is both unethical and illegal.
CDFW estimates that in the 2016-2017 season, 51,281 hunters bagged 320,913 quail over the course of 184,541 hunter-days. Not surprisingly, California quail is the most frequently bagged of the three species.
Forest grouse
California has two species of native forest-dwelling grouse: the sooty grouse and the ruffed grouse. Sooty grouse occur in the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and northern coast ranges while the ruffed grouse is restricted to the northwestern part of the state.
The general hunting season for both species extends from Sept. 8 to Oct. 8 this year. For sooty and ruffed grouse, the daily bag limit is two (both of one species or mixed species) and possession limit is triple the daily bag.
Although they are fairly large birds, grouse camouflage themselves well and generally hold tight to their location even when hunters are nearby. They flush quickly and fly off in a zigzag pattern, requiring a quick and accurate response from a hunter. Dogs are useful companions to help hunters find, flush and retrieve bagged grouse. Nonlead shot is required for all grouse statewide.
Ptarmigan
The white-tailed ptarmigan is a non-native grouse that was introduced by CDFW to the Sierra Nevada in the early 1970s. This is the smallest species of ptarmigan and the only one found in California. They inhabit the high elevation alpine habitats at low densities from Sonora Pass in Tuolumne County to Kings Canyon National Park.
Hunting these birds can be challenging because of the high elevation and steep terrain. Hunting is permitted from Sept. 8-16. The daily bag limit is two per day and the possession limit is two per season. Hunters should prepare for difficult hiking conditions and be familiar with the area before heading out after this game bird. Nonlead shot is required for hunting ptarmigan.
Band-tailed pigeon
The band-tailed pigeon is California's only native pigeon and is a close relative of the extinct passenger pigeon. They look similar to the introduced domestic or rock pigeons that frequent urban areas.
Band-tailed pigeons are often found in mountainous terrain throughout the state, using coniferous forests as well as oak woodlands, but populations are migratory and movements can be unpredictable.
The federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) estimates that in 2017, 2,500 hunters spent 5,600 days afield in California and harvested 5,600 band-tailed pigeons.
The Northern California hunt zone season runs from Sept 15-23. The daily bag limit is two and the possession limit is triple the daily bag. The southern hunt zone does not open until December. Nonlead shot is required for band-tailed pigeons statewide.
CDFW reminds hunters that an upland game bird stamp is required for licensed adult hunters (18 years and older) but not for hunters with a valid junior hunting license. A HIP validation is also required to hunt band-tailed pigeons.