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Recreation
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- Written by: Editor
Anglers have only a few more days to fish for salmon in a popular Humboldt County spot before it closes for the season.
Klamath River anglers will have caught their sub-quota of 2,120 adult fall-run Chinook below the Highway 101 bridge by sundown Tuesday, Sept. 15, closing the spit (within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit formed at the Klamath River mouth) to fishing one hour after dark.
Only the mouth of the river is affected by this closure. Fishing downstream of the Highway 101 Bridge in the estuary will be unaffected until the lower river quota of 7,067 adult fall-run Chinook over 22 inches is met.
Once that number is met, anglers will still be able to fish but will have to release any Chinook over 22 inches. The lower Klamath River tally is currently at 2,687 salmon caught.
The Klamath River above the confluence with the Trinity River will remain open until 2,403 adult Chinook are caught.
The quota on the Trinity River is 2,332 adult Chinook from the confluence with the Klamath River up to Cedar Flat, and 2,332 adult Chinook from Cedar Flat up to the Old Lewiston Bridge.
Anglers may keep track of the status of open and closed sections of the Klamath and Trinity rivers by calling 800-564-6479.
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- Written by: Carrie Wilson
All that glitters can be deceiving
Question: I have been studying up on different methods of spear fishing while free diving and have read about the use of “glitter” as an attractant for bait fish.
I have an idea to sprinkle glitter in the water so that when the bait fish come to investigate, the large game fish will follow and be caught as they attack the bait fish!
What are your views and the legal ramifications of this method? I understand chumming is not legal for taking game animals in our state, but the use of artificial lures is.
With my idea the game fish would not be chummed by this method but instead just attracted by the collection of bait fish. If this method actually works, would it be legal? (Theodore G., Stockton)
Answer: You have an innovative idea there. Unfortunately, even if your plan to lure unsuspecting fish to you by sprinkling shiny, sparkling glitter in the water were to work, you could be cited for doing so. Placing glitter in the water is littering and is prohibited under Fish and Game Code, section 5652.
The activity you describe would be considered chumming and chumming is defined as “placing any material in the water, other than on a hook while angling, for the purpose of attracting fish to a particular area in order that they may be taken” (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 1.32).
Chumming in the ocean is allowed (as long as the chum is not considered to be litter!). But, chumming in freshwater is typically not permissible except in specific areas and for certain fish species (see CCR Title14, section 2.40).
Prohibited from retrieving deer from private property
Question: I recently shot a doe with my A31 tag in Los Angeles County (Archery Only-Either Sex). It appeared to be a lethal shot from 22 yards with decent shot placement.
I tracked the blood to a privately owned ranch 100 yards away. I stopped tracking it when it appeared she went onto the ranch property. I then approached the ranch manager to get permission to continue tracking my deer.
The owner initially agreed but after one of her coworkers talked to her, she retracted her permission (approximately 10 minutes from the time we spoke in her office).
She requested that we leave her property at once as she didn’t want people to think they approved of hunting. I didn’t have enough time to locate my deer and left broken-hearted.
I don’t like seeing animals die or suffer for no reason. I would never have shot if I would have known I couldn’t recover her. I believe I did everything legal and correct but it shouldn’t be right that a deer goes to waste because of the bias of a property manager.
Is there anything I could have done to recover my deer? Do I have any rights or is there anyone I could have contacted? I’m still sick over the situation. (Luke G., Loma Linda)
Answer: It’s unfortunate that this happened. Although the law prevents one from wasting the deer, the law does not permit the trespass to retrieve it.
Perhaps, if you’d contacted the local game warden, they may have been able to contact the ranch manager or owner for some possible assistance to prevent the deer from going to waste.
According to California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Lt. Todd Tognazzini, when archery hunting it is recommended to hunt farther from private property boundaries to avoid this type of problem as deer taken with archery usually travel farther after a lethal wound than those shot with a rifle.
Tognazzini says he has never been refused when a fresh and legitimate blood trail is found leaving public land onto private property.
Where do inland waters end and ocean waters begin?
Question: I would like to fish with two rods in the Delta but don’t know whether the regulations are in the freshwater books or in the ocean books.
Is the Delta part of the ocean regulations or is it considered inland waters? Where does it change from ocean to inland if considered inland? (Brian S., Felton)
Answer: You can legally fish in the waters of the Delta with a second rod stamp. Inland regulations apply from upstream of the Delta to Carquinez Bridge.
The definition of inland waters vs ocean waters is, “Inland waters are all the fresh, brackish and inland saline waters of the state, including lagoons and tidewaters upstream from the mouths of coastal rivers and streams. Inland waters exclude the waters of San Francisco and San Pablo bays downstream from the Carquinez Bridge, the tidal portions of rivers and streams flowing into San Francisco and San Pablo bays, and the waters of Elkhorn Slough …” (CCR Title 14, section 1.53).
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
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- Written by: Ron Hallman
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – The HVL Men’s Niners Golf Club held a two-man Pinehurst tournament on Sept. 3.
The results were:
– “A” flight: The team of Dennis Bero/Don Herndon took first with a combined net 31. Bruce Brashares/Randy Kephart and Bill Eagleton/Bendi Bendielli tied for second at 32.
– “B” flight: Jim Dvoark/Bob Smart first, 31. Bill Stricklan/Tommy Sowell second, 32. Bill Lyon/John Castineau and Dennis Day/Hal Weber tied for third, 34.
Closest to the par 3 pins were Bob Smart and Randy Kephart.
Chip-ins were scored by John Gastineau and Bill Eagleton, and two by Ed Brooks.
Forty-eight men in 24 teams participated in this event.
Ron Hallman is publicist for the HVL Men’s Niners Golf Club.
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The 2015 general hunting season will open in mid-September for various upland game bird species in specific zones around the state, providing hunters with many opportunities to bring home some delicious table fare for the upcoming holiday seasons.
September openers include quail (Zone Q1 opens for mountain quail only from Sept. 12 through Oct. 16, and Zone Q2 will be open for all quail from Sept. 26 through Jan. 31); sooty and ruffed grouse (general season will be open in various northern and eastern counties from Sept. 12 through Oct. 12); white-tailed ptarmigan (general and archery seasons will be open from Sept. 12-20); and band-tailed pigeon (the northern hunt zone only will be open from Sept. 19-27).
Specific information about each of these opportunities, including zone maps and information about daily bag limits and possession limits for each species can be found on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Upland Game Bird Hunting webpage. Additional information about each species can be found below.
Quail
Quail are one 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 brushy areas with good cover and abundant food. Mountain quail are also widespread, and live in steep and rugged mid to high elevation terrain. Gambel’s quail are California’s most desert adapted species and can be found in the arid lands of southeastern California.
The early mountain quail season starts on Sept. 12 and continues through Oct. 16 and covers much of the mountainous region of northern and eastern California (the zone map can be found on the CDFW website). On Sept. 26, the early general quail season opens in several coastal counties between San Francisco and Mendocino. The remainder of the state will open to quail hunting Oct. 17. Finally, an additional two-day early hunt season will be open on Oct. 3-4 for young hunters with junior hunting licenses in Mojave National Preserve.
For all quail species, the daily bag limit is 10 and the possession limit is triple the daily bag.
All three native species of quail have high reproductive potential with large hatches following good years of late-winter and early-spring precipitation. Despite the ongoing drought, the winter and spring conditions of 2015 were moist at times, providing some beneficial conditions and encouraging reproduction in wetter areas. Grass and forb production was better than the previous year and summer broods averaged seven chicks in drier areas, and eight chicks in wetter areas.
Like most upland birds, quail are most active in the early morning and later afternoon. Successful quail hunters know to look for freshly turned soil depressions in a circular shape, which can indicate where the birds have been taking dust baths. Quail have distinctive calls that can provide clues to the birds’ roosting spot or direction. Once they are away from cover and foraging, quail tend to stay on the move throughout the day.
Quail are most commonly hunted with 20, 16 or 12 gauge shotguns. A modified or improved cylinder choke is recommended to avoid excessively damaging the bird. Because of their ability to blend in and the brushy habitats, hit quail can be a challenge to find, and dogs can be useful for both locating and retrieving birds. CDFW reminds hunters that wasting game is both unethical and illegal.
CDFW estimates that in the 2014/15 season, approximately 470,000 quail were bagged across all three species by 69,000 hunters over the course of 550,000 hunter-days. Not surprisingly, California quail is the most frequently bagged of the three species.
Grouse
California has two species of native forest-dwelling grouse: the sooty (or blue) grouse and the ruffed grouse. Sooty grouse occur in the mountainous regions in the northern and eastern parts of the state, while the ruffed grouse is restricted to the extreme northwestern part of the state. The general hunting season for both species extends from Sept. 12 to Oct. 12 this year. For sooty and ruffed grouse, the bag limit is two (all of one species or mixed) and possession limit is triple the daily bag. A map of the hunt zones for sooty and ruffed grouse can be found on the CDFW website. A third species, the greater sage-grouse, can be hunted by permit only.
Although they are fairly large birds, grouse camouflage themselves very well. Dogs are useful companions for grouse hunters, due in part to the grouse’s tendency toward a fast, explosive flush. Grouse are easily frightened and will sometimes fly in a zigzag pattern when flushed. A light gun is helpful because a fast swing is often necessary.
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 live in high elevation alpine habitats at low densities from the Sonora Pass south to Sequoia National Park. The ptarmigan hunt zone includes Alpine County and portions of Mono County (for specifics, please contact CDFW’s Upland Game Program).
Hunting these birds can be challenging because of the barren an inhospitable terrain. Hunting is permitted from Sept. 12 -20 within a designated zone. The daily bag limit is two per day and the possession limit is two per season. Many hunters prefer using a 20-gauge shotgun and a hunting dog to pursue ptarmigan.
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 domestic (feral) pigeons that are common in urban areas. Band-tailed pigeons are found in mountainous terrain throughout the state, using coniferous forests as well as oak woodlands.
The band-tailed pigeon is locally abundant at times but populations are nomadic and movements can be unpredictable. The federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) estimates that in 2014, 10,700 pigeons were harvested in California, nearly 90 percent of the total Pacific Flyway harvest.
The northern California hunt zone season runs from Sept 19-27. The daily bag limit is two and the possession limit is triple the daily bag. The southern hunt zone does not open until December.
CDFW reminds hunters that an upland game bird stamp is required for licensed adult hunters (18 years and older) but not hunters with a valid junior hunting license. A HIP validation is also required to hunt band-tailed pigeons.
Please note that as of July 1, 2015, nonlead ammunition is required when hunting upland game birds on all CDFW lands. Please plan accordingly. For more information please see the CDFW nonlead ammunition page.
