spring 2009 the official publication of the california deer association
TRANSCRIPT
Spring 2009
California DeerThe Official Publication of the California Deer Association
2 California Deer
TOP-OF-THE-LINE BRANDSa t b o t t o m – l i n e p r i c e s
TR UST OUR GEAR
Shop Online Request a Catalog Find a Store
www.cabelas.com 800.432.1496
F I E LD – T E S T E D
© 2
009
Cabe
la’s
Inc.
CH
X-90
3
Laser Rangefi ndersFanny Pack 90% JacketLLLLL RRRRRRR fifififififififi dddddddd
Field–testing is a way of life at Cabela’s.
It’s the only way to make sure everything
in our proven selection of quality hunting
gear lives up to our high expectations.
We know how much you value the time you spend
outdoors, and we take seriously the responsibility that
comes with outfi tting your adventures.
Proud partner of
16886_CAdeer.indd 1 1/21/09 9:23:30 AM
California Deer 3
CDA President’s Message
Time Flies When You’re Having Fun…
Habitat is key to the survival of deer like this doe and buck in
California’s X-1 Zone.
Photograph by Jerry Springer.
The Cover
California DeerAssociation
Spring 2009
The California Deer Association is a nonprofit, tax-exempt wildlife conserva-tion organization whose principal goal is to improve our California deer herds and other wildlife through direct finan-cial support for habitat improvement and research projects. Seventy-five per-cent of the net profit from fundraising events goes to projects benefiting deer and other wildlife within California.
Founder - Alex Ramoz
Board of DirectorsMatt Rogers — President
Jerry Springer — Vice-PresidentAndy Wood — Past President
Dana Guidotti — TreasurerRick Bulloch — Director
Matt Hamman — DirectorScott Jones — DirectorJim Lidberg — Director
Randy Morrison — DirectorOscar Ramirez — DirectorGlenn Tessers — Director
Field Director/Chapter Development
Pat Fitzmorris(916) 663-2861
California Deer EditorJerry Springer
CDA Websitewww.CalDeer.org
Elizabeth Keller [email protected]
California Deer Association820 Park Row, PMB 671Salinas, CA 93901-2406
(888) 499-DEER www.CalDeer.org
TOP-OF-THE-LINE BRANDSa t b o t t o m – l i n e p r i c e s
TR UST O UR G E A R
Shop Online Request a Catalog Find a Store
www.cabelas.com 800.432.1496
F I E LD – T E S T E D
© 2
009
Cabe
la’s
Inc.
CH
X-90
3
Laser Rangefi ndersFanny Pack 90% JacketLLLLL RRRRRRR fifififififififi dddddddd
Field–testing is a way of life at Cabela’s.
It’s the only way to make sure everything
in our proven selection of quality hunting
gear lives up to our high expectations.
We know how much you value the time you spend
outdoors, and we take seriously the responsibility that
comes with outfi tting your adventures.
Proud partner of
16886_CAdeer.indd 1 1/21/09 9:23:30 AM
No truer words have been spoken since I assumed the position of President of CDA. It’s hard to be-lieve that it was only six months ago that I accepted this office. I’d be ly-ing if I said there haven’t been times that were stressful or frustrating, or that one night at home without emails or calls to answer wouldn’t be a nice change, but overall it has been a great experience. I have met many wonderful people and been involved in a wide variety of activ-ities, all with one goal in mind… improving habitat and research to increase the deer herds in California. As Pat Fitzmorris can attest, banquet season is in full swing and he has driven the miles to prove it. Congratulations on very suc-cessful banquets for three new chapters: North Valley, Woodland and Tulelake/Butte Valley. These committees did an outstanding job and their hard work paid off. We now welcome three additional new chapters: Corning, Morgan Hill and Eureka, and wish them the best of luck on their upcoming events. To the longstanding committees – Red-ding, Chico, Santa Rosa, Gridley, Kern River Valley, Mt. St. Helena, Central Coast and Southern Califor-nia – thank you for your continued commitment to CDA and congratu-lations on another year of successful banquets.
In addition to your CDA Board members attending banquets, there are some very important partnerships under way that represent long-term insurance for the future of Califor-nia’s deer. CDA continues to advocate for and participate in the implemen-tation of the Siskiyou County 5-Year Deer Plan. This long-awaited, aggres-sive management strategy will be the model for other counties. Most recently CDA has com-mitted to actively working with the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition in a multiagency approach to protect and preserve rangeland and its stewardship for the species it supports. The Board has been spending a lot of time on the CDA budget for the coming year in an effort to be fiscally prudent, while at the same time continuing to invest all available resources to fulfill the mission of our organization. Even though that one quiet eve-ning sounds pretty good to me, time is flying and there is still a lot of work ahead. Whether you are a committee member, Board member or attend a banquet and buy raffle tickets, we are all contributing to the preservation of California deer herds. That holds true for all other conservation organiza-tions as well. We essentially all have the same basic goals, so next time you have the opportunity, attend a fund-raiser, spend some money and invest in the wildlife in our state.
Matt RogersPresident
4 California Deer
Keith Hartman Owner Adventures West Recreation
BooK A MontAnA deer Hunt for tHree or More Hunters & eAcH Hunter
gets A free rifle!
* Hunters must be eligible to receive weapons & responsible for shipping and DROS fees.
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Adventures West will donate a portion of your hunt fee to the California Deer Association!
1 0 t H B o o K i n g f r o M t H i s A d w i n s A f u l l s e r V i c e s o u t H d A K o tA P H e A s A n t & g r o u s e H u n t f o r t w o !
California Deer 5
You Still Have a Chance to Bid!Don’t Miss Out on Some Great Auction Items
Chapter Date Location Contact TelephoneCentral Valley (Clovis) May 2 Veterans Memorial Hall Jerry Dunlap (559) 974-4953Corning (sporting clays) May 16 Rolling Hills Casino Ben Myhre (530) 824-4902Westside (Gustine) May 16 Gustine Community Center Rodney Torres (209) 769-1088Sacramento June 13 Saint Ignatius Parish Center Oscar Ramirez (916) 688-8469 Bakersfield June 20 Hodel’s Steve Foster (661) 203-7515Eastern Sierra (Bishop) June 20 Tri-County Fairgrounds Doug Brown (760) 873-7205Morgan Hill July 24 Morgan Hill Community Ctr Steve Balbo (408) 640-1578 Western Sierra (Sonora) July 25 Sonora Elks Lodge Ron Colombani (209) 533-2106
2009 CDA Banquet Schedule
Photos by Jerry Springer
Keith Hartman Owner Adventures West Recreation
BooK A MontAnA deer Hunt for tHree or More Hunters & eAcH Hunter
gets A free rifle!
* Hunters must be eligible to receive weapons & responsible for shipping and DROS fees.
– eXclusiVe –
PriVAte lAnd
Hunts!!
HigH successtroPHy clAss deer & elK HuntsMule Deer, Whitetail, rocky Mtn elk & antelope hunts
100% Success on (Fair ChaSe) 320-360” rocky Mtn elk hunts!
Adventures West will donate a portion of your hunt fee to the California Deer Association!
1 0 t H B o o K i n g f r o M t H i s A d w i n s A f u l l s e r V i c e s o u t H d A K o tA P H e A s A n t & g r o u s e H u n t f o r t w o !
Phot
o by
Dou
g A
lker
s
Stanislaus Fawn Survivorship Pilot StudyBy Greg Gerstenberg
Wildlife Management BiologistCalifornia Department of Fish and Game, Central Region
6 California Deer
PROJECTS
If you’ve hunted in Zone D-6 in recent years, you’ve probably found it increasingly difficult to find deer. Incredibly, there has been such an apparent decline in deer herd num-bers that the current harvest is only 35% of what it was only 30 years ago. This precipitous freefall in numbers has not gone unnoticed by the Department of Fish and Game. Annual surveys conducted by Department biologists and volunteers have documented this decline as well as a marked reduction in fawn numbers and survivorship. The results of these surveys have raised concerns that migrant deer herds in Zone D-6 are not producing enough fawns and recruiting them to adults, to sustain historic popula-tion levels. In response, the Depart-ment has begun a scientific study to investigate this apparent problem to determine its causes and then develop
a management strategy to turn things around. The initial, or “pilot,” phase of this study has just been completed in
which methods related to effectively capturing and collaring fawns and does were examined. Recent changes in technology and advancements in knowledge have provided new opportunities and methods to get a better look at the complex ecological dynamics that affect our migrant deer herds. One of these advancements examined was related to using chemi-cal immobilization to capture adult does instead of traps or netgunning from helicopters. Although use of helicopters has been proven effec-tive in many geographic areas, this particular study area has far too much brush and timber to make their use worth the costs. Results of this pilot study have shown that the chemi-cal immobilization effort employed was more efficient and effective than traditional trapping. In addition, since in other studies the best data on fawn survivorship was based on paired doe-fawns with fawns col-lared at birth, a great deal of effort was employed to examine methods to locate and capture fawns of collared does in this pilot study. It was deter-
California Deer 7
mined that a combination of methods including spotlighting, observation of doe behavior, and specialized implant transmitters provides the best strategy to capturing fawns as early in their lives as possible. Another technological advance-ment examined was the application of Global Positioning System (GPS) devices to deer radio collars, which promises to greatly enhance the un-derstanding of migratory routes and habitat use. Since the battery lifespan of these collars is only one year, sev-eral of them were fitted on does and were subsequently retrieved a year later. The GPS data stored on them has been downloaded and analysis is currently under way. The initial examination of this data is impres-sive, especially when compared to the limited information gathered from the use of traditional radio collars. Ad-ditional GPS collars were placed on adult deer in spring and fall 2008. Other preliminary results of this pilot study seem to indicate that predation is a major cause of adult
Black bears are apparently a major predator of fawns, especially on the summer range. Photo by Jan Rutan
and fawn mortality. Specifically, black bears are apparently a major preda-tor of fawns, especially on the sum-mer range. Mountain lions appear to be a major predator of adult female deer and thus also contribute to fawn losses. But why is predation a major factor now? Are there other factors that amplify the effect of predation? These are some of the many questions that need to be answered to understand the reasons for the decline in the D-6 migrant deer herds. This pilot study has provided a strong foundation from which a thorough and effective investigation can be built. A proposal for this “full” study should be completed by spring 2009. The start of the full study will begin when approval is completed and funding has been acquired.
The pilot study could not have been completed without the gener-ous financial assistance and support provided by the California Deer Association, Tuolumne County, and Tuolumne County Sportsmen. We thank them for their support!
8 California Deer
CDA Project CommitteeJim Lidberg — Committee ChairmanMatt Hamman — Board of DirectorsOscar Ramirez — Board of DirectorsGlenn Tessers —Board of DirectorsAndy Wood —Board of DirectorsPat Callahan — Northern District
Mike Gully - Northern DistrictGordon Long — Northern District
Ben Myhre - Northern DistrictMike Torres — Northern DistrictDoug Brown — Eastern District
Rodney Torres — Western DistrictMike Mantelli —North Central District
Dave Schiavon - Central DistrictLarry Smith —Central Coast District
Steve Hill —Southern DistrictTim Glenner —Southern District
Support CommitteeDepartment of Fish & Game
Craig Stowers - Deer Program CoordinatorMary Sommer - Deer ProgramSara Holm - Wildlife Biologist
Bob Schaefer - Wildlife BiologistRandy Botta - Wildlife Biologist
Greg Gerstenberg - Wildlife BiologistTim Taylor - Wildlife Biologist
B.L.M.— Larry SaslawUSFS— Sam Cuenca
A Generous Donor and Supporter
Marc Mondavi(pictured with Raffle Girl and his new rifle) has been a longtime sup-porter of CDA. At this year’s Chico Banquet, Mon-davi showed his continued support of CDA when his high bid of $29,000 allowed him to be the proud new owner of a custom .270 “One of a Kind – Whitetail Series” rifle by John Bollinger.Mondavi’s gener-ous donations to CDA will benefit California’s deer herds for years to come.Thank You, Marc!
California Deer 9
Members of the newly formed Tulelake/Butte Val-ley Chapter have been very concerned with an area on Highway 139 south of Tulelake that has had a high deer/vehicle collision rate. This area has been known by local sportsmen and CalTrans to be a trouble area for deer mortality and the winter of 2008/2009 was especially troubling. In January 2008, north-ern Modoc County received several feet of snow during a one-week period. As a re-sult, hundreds of mule deer began using an area south of Tulelake, along Highway 139. During his daily patrol on January 15th, Game Warden Aaron Freitas discovered that 15 deer had been hit during the night in a 5-mile stretch of highway. Freitas spent the rest of his patrol day keeping the deer off the road. With the help of the local CalTrans and CHP, electronic mes-sage signs were placed on both the north and south ends of the stretch
of highway where the deer had been hit. The signs were very successful in warning drivers to slow down and watch for deer but during the follow-ing five weeks approximately 100 deer were killed. Feeling that a plan for future winters should be put in place, Freitas contacted the California Deer Association. With the help of CDA and CalTrans, a plan has been put in
place to reduce future deer loss. Freitas talked to CDA’s Field Director, Pat Fitzmor-ris, who had been helping start the new Tulelake/Butte Valley Chapter, about building some permanent signs to help warn drivers about deer on the highway. With the help of the newly formed CDA Chap-ter, two signs were built. Committee members Jason and Donnie Brown de-signed the signs and with the help of committee mem-bers Bernie and Bob Guth-rie, the signs were installed on New Year’s Day of 2009. The local chapter was proactive in finding a solu-
tion to this problem area and Cal-Trans has agreed to help the CDA in finding a long-term solution along this stretch of highway. CDA mem-bers making a difference! Pictured, from left, first row, Rennie Cleland, Aar-on Freitas, Jason Brown, Bernie Guthrie. Back row, Heath Wright, Bob Guthrie, Donald Brown, and Ben Duval.
10 California Deer
A typical cheatgrass monoculture produced after a fire. Note burned skeletons of sage or bit-terbrush scattered throughout view.
Habitat Happenings
Cheatgrass – Scourge of the West In this second article in our series, we’re looking at the flip side of deer habitat quality – one of the most devastating weeds that deer through-out the West have to contend with – cheatgrass. Anyone who has spent any time hunting or hiking in the Great Basin has learned firsthand the consequences of this noxious weed. Sharp seeds stick to everything: socks, pants, animals and anything else that comes into contact with the ground. Cheatgrass, Bromus tectorum, is one of the most devastating weeds in the intermountain west, which most of us know as the Great Basin. Cheat-grass is responsible for altering the environment of millions of acres of sage and bitterbrush habitat and, as a result, degrading the habitat that is so essential to mule deer. It infests more than 100 million acres of land in the Western U.S. alone, and it alters the occurrence, frequency and intensity of major wildfires, and causes billions of dollars in damage. Cheatgrass was introduced into the United States in packing materials, ship ballast and likely as a contaminant of crop seed. It was
first found in the United States near Denver in the late 1800s. It spread ex-plosively in the ready-made seedbeds prepared by the trampling livestock hooves of overstocked rangelands in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Distur-bance associated with homesteading and cultivation of winter wheat also accelerated its spread and establish-ment.
Stands of cheatgrass on western rangeland are highly flammable in late spring through early fall after matura-tion, which usually occurs long before native species mature and enter sum-mer and autumn dormancy. Its seeds can survive wildfires, and it’s the first plant to germinate in the fall, so it is the first plant to revegetate a burned area. Nevada has spent many millions of dollars attempting to restore criti-cal deer habitat burned in lightning-caused wildfires in the last decade. California has not been immune to this devastation either, with several critical winter range areas having been destroyed in Zones X5B, X6B and X7A. Although fire is a natural part of the sagebrush grassland ecosystem, his-torically those fires usually occurred at
intervals between 60-100 years. Cheat-grass-infested areas burn at a much greater frequency, every 3-5 years.At this frequency, native shrubs and perennial grasses cannot recover and after a few wildfire cycles a cheatgrass monoculture develops, and a vicious cycle of fire, cheatgrass and then fire again is set into motion. Moreover, under drought situations the presence of cheatgrass causes rapid depletion of early-season soil moisture, thus serving to out-compete, retard or prevent the establishment of perennial grasses and shrubs. Aldo Leopold, considered the fa-ther of wildlife management, was per-haps one of the first authors to bring to the general public an awareness of the impact of cheatgrass in the West. In his essay, “Cheat Takes Over,” he addresses the ecological implications of its establishment with clarity and humor. His list of negative impacts and noxious characteristics are:
replacement of rich and useful •native bunchgrasses and wheat-grasses with the inferior cheat;prickly awns that, when mature, •cause cheat-sores in the mouths of cows and sheep;extreme flammability of cheat-•covered lands that results in burn-back of winter forage such as sagebrush, bitterbrush, and perennial grasses, and destruction of winter cover for wildlife;degradation of hay following •invasion of alfalfa fields; andblockading of newly-hatched •ducklings from making the vital trek from upland nest to lowland water.
What makes cheatgrass so nasty in the Great Basin? Most native bunchgrasses of the Great Basin are perennial, but annual grasses like cheatgrass grow from a seed, then flower, set seed, and die every year. Cheatgrass germinates in late sum-mer or early fall, which is opposite the cycle followed by most native peren-nial grasses. By the time rains are over in the spring, cheatgrass is already maturing its seeds. Cheatgrass then
California Deer 11
dies, avoiding the driest part of sum-mer. Because of this, when summer thunderstorms bring dry lightning, the cheatgrass burns easily and is able to cause early and abundant wildfires which tend to damage or kill native grasses. After a fire, cheat-grass seeds are able to take advantage of nutrients released by the fire, and grow large and produce abundant seed. Because cheatgrass produces a large root system so early, it uses whatever soil moisture is available in the top foot of soil, preventing perennial seedlings from having adequate moisture for growth and establishment. Mature native grasses have root systems that go very deep, and are able to survive cheatgrass competition, but without an ability to reproduce, native grasses decline over time, and the cheatgrass prob-lem becomes even more widespread. Cheatgrass presents two threats to mule deer: it out-competes native perennial forage, and also increases the frequency and intensity of wild-fires. This adversely alters the qual-ity of sage and bitterbrush habitat essential to mule deer, particularly in the winter. It can create a monocul-ture — a stand of plants that contains only one or a few species — which has very little value to deer. As mentioned previously, this monocul-ture is prone to extreme fire, on an
ever-accelerating schedule, which can lead to a complete loss of virtually all shrubs important to deer, leaving the area biologically impoverished for many, many years. Fortunately, land managing agen-cies, chiefly the Bureau of Land Man-agement, are taking a very active role in attempting to restore the native pe-rennial grasses and shrubs. The BLM is leading the Great Basin Restoration Initiative, an interagency effort to restore areas ravaged by fire. Reseed-ing and modifying grazing practices are two possible restoration strategies. Wildlife agencies, both the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) and the California Dept. of Fish and Game (DFG) are also actively working to restore their lands to pre-fire condition as much as possible. Private nonprofit organizations, such as the Califor-nia Deer Association and local land trusts, are also helping the effort, from both financial as well as “hands-on” approaches. In the last issue of Cali-fornia Deer, there was an article on the damage caused by a lightning-caused fire on the Hallelujah Junction Wildlife Area north of Reno, and how the DFG and CDA were partnering, along with other groups, to attempt to restore the critical winter range for the Loyalton-Truckee deer herd. All in all, this invader from the Mediterranean region is taking a mas-sive toll on deer and their habitat in
the Great Basin as well as the Colo-rado Plateau and the Columbia River Plateau. The restoration of millions of acres of land is a daunting task, but if nothing is done, mule deer will continue to decline throughout the West, and nobody wants to see that. Their populations are already in a precarious position, and could easily continue to decline without strong efforts to halt the damage caused by this extremely aggressive noxious weed. It is also incumbent on every-one who visits cheatgrass-infested lands to take measures to ensure that they don’t inadvertently cause the spread of the pest to new areas. Vehicles, clothing, camp gear, and pets should be cleaned of adher-ing seed after driving, camping and walking in cheatgrass-infested areas. This is not always convenient, but it’s important enough that every-one should make a diligent effort to prevent the spread of this devastating immigrant.
Note: Material for this article was adapt-ed from several sources, including the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; a publication of the Western As-sociation of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Mule Deer Working Group called “Mule Deer: Changing Landscapes, Changing Perspectives”; and information from The Nature Conservancy’s Wildland Weeds Management and Research Program’s Element Stewardship Abstracts (ESAs) for cheatgrass.
Jim LidbergCDA Project Committee Chairman
A buck grazes in a stand of cheatgrass. The deer appears to be eating cheatgrass, but he is actu-ally searching out forbs or seedling shrubs. The cheatgrass at this stage is totally inedible.
Phot
o by
Jan
Daw
son
12 California Deer
2008 Sharing the Tradition
California Deer 13
2008 Sharing the Tradition
14 California Deer
The Sharing the Tradition Experience
I want to say that Phil and I had a great time. We can’t thank you enough. You and the team at Tejon put on a first-class event. I think all the boys and dads had a great time. Mark Storch
My time on Tejon Ranch was like a
dream come true and I loved every
minute of it. This was my first experi-
ence hunting for deer and I will never
forget it as long as I live.
Larsen Patty
Age 14
I would like to thank The California Deer Association, The Tejon Ranch, Alpen Optics, Federal Premium Am-munition, and all the other sponsors that made this hunt possible. My hunt at Tejon Ranch was phenomenal. During my hunt I was able to take my first deer as well as gather tons of knowledge of the ranch’s history and wildlife biology from my guide Darrel. We passed up many deer before we found the right one. When we did, everyone was very supportive and no one rushed me. I was nervous and I didn’t want to miss. I tried my hardest and hit the deer. When we cleaned the deer, Darrel was very helpful as I had no idea what to do with it, this being my first deer. I feel very fortunate to have been drawn for this hunt. I had a blast and I got a better education than I do in my biology class.This hunt provided me the opportunity to learn the importance of wildlife management and taught me that hunting is much more than shooting a deer. I think my dad learned as much as I did.
Matthew NapoliAge 14
More Hunts in 2009 In the last five years, 90 juniors hunters have been selected for the “Sharing the Tradition” junior deer hunts on the Tejon Ranch. The 2008 hunts gave 25 junior hunters an opportunity of a lifetime. Juniors were selected in a free, random drawing by the California Deer Association. Each lucky junior hunter received a fully-guided antlerless deer hunt and lodging. Some of them also experienced something many California hunters do not — snow on the ground. The following sponsors provided each junior with binoculars, ammu-nition, targets, and hunting accessories. We would like to thank them for all their support. Alpen Optics, Federal Premium Ammunition, Hunter’s Specialties, Birchwood Casey, Barnes Bullets and the Tejon Ranch. In 2009, 25 more junior hunters will be given an opportunity to hunt the Tejon Ranch. Look for details in the next issue of California Deer.
The Junior Anterless Deer Hunt was one of the best experiences I have ever had. The ranch was extremely beautiful and there were all kinds of animals running around. All the guides were very friendly and funny. They also made good hamburg-ers. I feel very fortunate to have met my guide, the other hunters and their dads, and Jerry.When I shot my first deer, I felt extremely proud of myself. I will never forget my first deer hunt and everyone that I was able to share the experience with.
Kyle BrandtAge 12
I want to thank you for the awe-some hunting experience of a lifetime. I really enjoyed myself on the hunting trip at the Tejon Ranch, especially because I got to spend quality time with my dad. My guide, Brian Meadows, was very nice and patient with me. I learned a lot from him. I also want to thank the sponsors for their support and gifts. Thanks to Mr. Springer for giving me a chance to learn about hunting and the outdoors.
Michael MartinezAge 16
This was Matt’s first deer and I still can’t wipe the smile off of his face. CDA and the Tejon Ranch staff put on a great hunt that I am sure the kids will remember forever.
Wes Beardsley
California Deer 15
Field Notes
Good hunting! Pat Fitzmorris, CDA Field Director
Get Involved in CDA!
Start a CDA Chapter
ContactPat Fitzmorris
(916) [email protected]
Giving Thanks I want to thank the people who make the success of the California Deer Association possible. CDA generates most of its income from its local grassroots chapters that hold fundraising banquets. Our local chapters are comprised of people who volunteer their time and work hard at the local level to make these banquets possible. A lot of things have to happen at the chapter level to have a successful banquet. A committee is needed that works together to accomplish a common goal, and a good leader is needed to coordinate the efforts of the committee. If you are a chapter volunteer, please accept a gigantic THANK YOU! I also want to thank the members who attend our banquets. We know you have a choice of conservation organizations that you support and we try to make our banquets the very best so that our members keep coming back. We also realize that if attendees have a wonderful time at one of our banquets, they will spread the word about the great time they had and bring a friend next year. Without attendees at the banquets who support a conservation idea that they believe in, we would not have the membership base and funding that makes our organization successful and strong. We also need to recognize and
support our donors. These are the local businesses that donate goods and services to be auctioned or raffled at our banquets. Having local businesses support CDA is a testimony to our good reputation of being a well-managed and successful conservation group and adds greatly to our achievements. Please support local businesses that support us! We also want to thank our sponsors. These are the businesses and individuals that take their giving to the next level. Thank you! I also want to thank our Board of Directors. To steal a phrase from Past CDA President, Andy Wood, our Board of Directors are “employees without pay.” Why would someone do a crazy thing like working with-out pay? Because they are a team of committed conservationists who believe what we are doing for California’s deer and wildlife is the right thing to do. Our directors make the big decisions on where our organization is going and how we are managed. We also need to recognize the Project Committee and the Support
Committee. The Project Committee reviews the project proposals that are submitted for funding. This is an important job and a lot of responsibility comes with it since we want to make sure our hard-earned conservation dollars are spent in a responsible manner and we get the best “bang for our buck” (pun intended!). The Support Committee, comprised of biologists from the California Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service, provide advice and, in many cases, local knowledge of specific projects. These two committees are very important in making sure that the money CDA spends “on the ground” actually improves the health of our deer herds and other wildlife. For all of this to come together, you need a strong mission statement that people can stand behind. The members and volunteers of the California Deer Association — people who want to make a difference and help our great state’s deer herds and other wildlife — are some of the most dedicated conservationists in the world. We are all in this together; our chapter representatives, our members, our donors and sponsors, and our Board of Directors. Together as a united group we can accomplish great things in our great state. I am proud to be part of such a great group and I am looking forward to getting more things done to help our California deer.
Bad Move for Deer
In Indiana last winter five deer that wandered onto a highway overpass jumped to their deaths on Interstate 69, one of them crashing through a tractor-trailer’s windshield. The deer may have been spooked by cars as they were crossing the overpass. They fell 20 to 30 feet onto the highway.
The following is a true Letter to the Editor that was read by Jay Leno on the Tonight Show.
Letter to Editor
I live near a deer crossing and they keep getting hit. The County should move the deer crossing sign somewhere else. It is too dangerous for the deer to cross where the sign is now.
Deer and Roads
8 California Deer
Members Afield
Hunting was good for Jerry Ralston in
2007 when he took this high rack mule deer in
Montana.
Share Your Photos Had a great day afield?
Email or mail your photos to:[email protected]
orMembers Afield P.O. Box 7708
Stockton, CA 95267
Ed Bryant scored on this great mule deer buck while hunting in Wyo-ming in 2008. Bryant used CDA donor Adventures West Recreation to book his hunt.
Joe Hagen hunted Montana during the 2008 season and took this nice whitetail buck. Hagen arranged this hunt through CDA supporter, Adventures West Recreation.
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California Deer 17
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18 California Deer
CDA Banquets and More!North Valley Chapter Fundraiser and Special Event
California Deer 19
North Valley CDA Chapter’s Special Pheasant Hunt
great country. Ten local veterans took part in the hunt. Tom Dermody, with the North Valley Chapter, said about the war heroes, “This is just a small token of our appreciation to our local veterans. Without them we all would not enjoy the freedoms that we do. My hat is off to them and in my mind, every day is Veteran’s Day.” The event was such a success that the chapter is already planning next year’s hunt. The Gridley Chapter also helped with logistics, which was greatly appreciated. The chapter also wants to thank Tim Mullane and Quail Unlimited for donating the pheasants
The North Valley Chapter of the California Deer Association held a fun-filled pheasant hunt on the South Butte Game Bird Club near Sutter on December 13, 2008. Thirty-three youth hunters and 10 veterans took part in the hunt and a great time was had by all. “Engaging our youth in the outdoors is such a big part of what we are trying to accomplish. CDA concentrates on improving deer habitat in California and without our youth to carry the torch in wildlife conservation, we aren’t training the next generation to not only respect and utilize game animals but to care for the habitat that they need for survival,” said Larry Crabtree, North Valley CDA Chairman. “Our kids learned a lot from this hunt, and for some it was their first hunting experi-ence. To see the happy smile on a kid’s face who just bagged their first bird is priceless.” Breakfast and lunch were pro-vided and safety instruction was emphasized. One hundred birds were released and every child bagged at least one bird. The chapter also wanted to extend the fun to local war heroes who risked their lives for our
CDA Banquets and More!North Valley Chapter Fundraiser and Special Event
and for bringing his excellent pointers to hunt the birds. The dogs performed flawlessly and watching the point-ers work together was really exciting for the young hunters. Without Tim’s generous support, the event would not have been nearly as successful. The North Valley Chapter held its first banquet event on February 13th in Colusa. The chapter is focusing on local deer habitat projects that need funding in the B Zones. If you would like to get involved in this energetic chapter, call Larry at (530) 671-2959 or Tom Dermody at (530) 624-7208.
20 California Deer
Cañada de Los Osos Ecological ReserveRiparian Restoration Project
By Henry Coletto
PROJECTS
In April 2007, the California Deer Association submitted an application to the Wildlife Conservation Board for restoration of the Cañada de los Osos Creek. The grant was prepared by Matt Hamman, our newest mem-ber of the CDA Board of Directors. Matt made a presentation to the CDA Board for its approval of the project, which would also include some CDA matching monies. In February 2008, the Wildlife Conservation Board approved the grant for $127,167 to start work on the creek project. Through the Ripar-ian Restoration Program, the Wildlife Conservation Board administers funding to protect, restore, and en-hance riparian habitat. The Cañada de los Osos Creek restoration project was an excellent candidate for funding. After decades of livestock grazing and hay farming, the banks of the Ca-ñada de los Osos Creek were eroded away. The sides of the creek were 10- to 12-foot vertical banks, with almost no woody vegetation remaining. Before the project could start, all the necessary permits were obtained by
Department of Fish and Game biolo-gist Jeannine DeWald. A work plan was put in place outlining the tasks to be completed over the next two years. The first step was to slope the ver-tical stream banks to a 2:1 slope. This work was completed by Trinchero Construction in October 2008. Mitch
Chuck of Perma-Green Hydroseed-ing supervised preparation of the site for revegetation. Perma-Green put in over 500 holes and a drip system for the trees and shrubs to be planted by volunteers. Native plants were purchased from Elkhorn Native Plant Nursery and Western Plant Nursery, including valley oaks, coast live oaks, willows, cottonwoods, coyote bush, buckeyes, and wild rose. Local high school students and other volunteers planted over 500 plants. In three to five years their hard work will pro-duce excellent wildlife habitat along the one-half mile stretch of creek. Other parts of the project in-cluded a new well that was put in by Guardino Well Drilling, Inc. The 300-foot well produces over 30 gallons of water per minute, which will provide water to the new trees and shrubs for the next three years. Maier and Daugherty put in a solar pump and solar panels at the well site – helping the project to be “green” and to save on the electric bill. Other contractors who helped on the project were Kyle Wolfe, who prepared about 45 acres
The 10-foot to 12-foot vertical banks along the one-half mile of Cañada de los Osos Creek were sloped 2:1 for planting of native plants.
The spoils from the bank work were spread out to create additional upland habitat.
of upland for native grass seeding; Robinson and Moretti, who put in over 600 feet of pipeline from the well to the drip system; and Joe Carera Landscaping Company and Hedge-row Farms, which provided native grass seed to be planted in the upland and over 25,000 native grass plugs to be planted on the stream banks. The Loma Prieta Resource Conservation District and the Natural Resource Conservation Service provided on-site advice toward the project. CDA wants to thank all of the participants for their dedication and donations toward this project, and most importantly, thanks to the many volunteers who made the project a success, including Bob Clement, Jim and Rosemary Burnett, Steve and Sue Taylor, Mike Bebe, and all the stu-dents from Santa Teresa High School (both those still in high school and those who are now in college, but have kept coming back to help). This group has been involved at CDLO for the last four years, working on a va-riety of wildlife habitat projects – and they just keep coming back for more! We’d also like to thank Linda Figone, Teresa Mitzel and the 4-H club from Hollister; John Steinbach, Alan Viarengo and the Boy Scouts of Troop 797 of Gilroy; Will and Meda Cruz of Hollister Boy Scout Troop 400 for helping to plant trees and shrubs. To the kids and their parents – a job well done! CDA has been a partner with the California Department of Fish and Game in the Cañada de los Osos Eco-logical Reserve for the last five years. We are working to make this a lasting
partnership for youth to learn about the great outdoors. John Donnolly and Bonnie Turner of the Wildlife Conser-vation Board, and the Fish and Game staff have provided support for this project, and for ongoing youth proj-
ects on the reserve. With the support of the CDA Board of Directors and administrative support from Andy Wood, this project will provide last-ing benefits for the wildlife of Cañada de los Osos.
Over 500 holes were dug by Perma-Green Hydroseeding for tree and shrub planting.
(Photo above) Volunteers from local colleges, Santa Teresa High School, local 4-H Clubs, and Boy Scouts planted more than 500 trees and shrubs.
(Photo right)Stu-dents from Santa Teresa High School and other volun-teers planted more than 25,000 native grass plugs on the stream banks.
California Deer 21
Update
CDA joins COHA to Protect Funds The California Outdoor Heri-tage Alliance (COHA), its members and partners have successfully fended off efforts to “borrow” $30 million from the Fish and Game Preservation Fund — the account into which all hunting and fishing license monies, all bear tag mon-ies, a significant portion of deer tag funds, and many other hunter/an-gler generated revenues are depos-ited. In an attempt to plug budget holes, Governor Arnold Schwarz-enegger proposed “borrowing” $30 million dollars from the Fund. Had the proposal been approved, it would have undermined the De-partment of Fish and Game’s ability to carry out its wildlife conservation mandates, provide adequate en-forcement in the field, and impacted hunting and fishing opportunity. To address this serious concern, COHA — working closely with the California Deer Association, United States Sportsmen’s Alliance, Califor-nia Waterfowl Association, and oth-er partners — repeatedly brought our concerns to the attention of members of the California Legisla-ture Outdoor Sporting Caucus and other state legislators in an effort to protect valuable wildlife conserva-tion funding for the Department. Efforts by DFG, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and COHA to warn Governor Schwarzenegger about the potential loss of millions of dollars in federal matching funds was also key to getting “the loan” removed from the final state bud-get. In other good news, the final state budget maintained millions of dollars in state subventions to counties for the Williamson Act
— one of the most successful land conservation programs in California — that currently protects about 16.4 million acres of private farmland. The ongoing effort to maintain the Williamson Act has been led by the California Farm Bureau, and COHA was pleased to work with it and many other conservation groups to maintain the financial integrity of the program.
Bear Hunting – San Luis Obispo County/Annual Harvest With bear numbers at all-time highs, COHA continues to work with DFG and the Commission on opening new territory to bear hunting, as well as trying to liberal-ize the annual harvest of bears. At the March meeting of the Fish and Game Commission, COHA testified on behalf of California members and partners in support of the proposal to open a bear season in San Luis Obispo County for the first time. If approved, the new season will open later this year. COHA is also working with the Commission and DFG to lift the requirement that DFG notify all of those with bear tags when the annual bear harvest quota is being approached each year. Lifting this requirement will not only result in a substantial annual cost savings to DFG, but also, in effect, raise the annual harvest due to hunters with tags no longer being told to cease hunting before the season is over, due to the bear quota being reached. Finally, COHA is also in discussions with DFG regarding raising the an-nual bear quota in the near future.
Bill Introduced to Protect Hunting Stamp and Tag Revenues The California Outdoor Heritage
Alliance is sponsoring SB 589 by Senator Tom Harman (R-Orange), a bill that would help ensure that hunting license stamp and tag monies fully benefit the game spe-cies and habitats that they were intended to support. This important measure was scheduled to have its first hearing in the Senate Commit-tee on Natural Resources and Water in early April. CDA, which strongly supports SB 589, recognizes the passage of this bill would provide better protection to big game and upland bird funds which total in the millions. If signed into law, SB 589 would establish dedicated fiscal accounts for revenues derived from hunting license stamp or tag sales — spe-cifically those for deer, antelope, bighorn sheep, bear, elk, upland game birds and wild pigs — so that the public can better track and ac-count for them. Where existing law is insufficient, the measure would also mandate that such revenues can only be used for certain game species-related purposes. The bill would further create the opportu-nity for sportsmen’s organizations to provide input to the DFG as to the types of projects or activities approved for funding from the ac-counts, while allowing such groups to assist with much-needed conser-vation efforts.
COHA Sponsors Bill to Curtail Local Government Interference in Hunting Activities COHA has teamed-up with Assembly Member Tom Berryhill (R-Modesto) to introduce a bill that would reaffirm state preemption over hunting and fishing activi-ties. Specifically, AB 979 (Berryhill) would mandate that only the Fish and Game Commission or DFG may adopt or promulgate regulations over hunting and fishing activities, and would therefore help to ensure comprehensive, science-based con-trol over fish and game matters. AB 979 is in response to several failed attempts by local governments to ban hunting in their jurisdictions even though hunting activities were no threat to public safety.
22 California Deer
The Fontana Buck
By Jordan Fontana
the Gator closer, then sneak to the rock pile to get a better look. Even though we did our best to be quiet, we had to go under a live oak where the dry leaves were so noisy underfoot that I thought there was no way that buck was still going to be there. As we crept to the rock pile to take a peek, we discovered the buck was gone. We snuck around the rocks. We saw the back half of a deer go behind a bunch of branches about 100 yards away that were too dense to see through. With my rifle resting on my knee, we waited for the deer to reap-pear. When the deer finally stepped out, the only thing I remember is hear-ing, “Oh my god, Jordan! Shoot that buck!” As my gun went off, the buck ran behind another pile of rocks. We jumped up and took a few steps forward to see this absolute monster running around the rock pile and right toward us, about 60 yards away. As soon as he saw us he put on the brakes and began to do the death dance. As he fell, we ran over and could not believe what we saw. I don’t think we said a word for 30 minutes — we just stood there in
disbelief, staring at the huge buck. When we finally could function again, we went to the barn and got the tractor to pick him up. Once we got him back to the barn, I went to my grandparents’ house and told them about the big buck I’d shot. They didn’t believe us, so we asked them to come to the barn with their camera and take pictures. When they got there, I pulled the blanket off his antlers like doing a magic trick and then they were in disbelief, too. I still cannot believe how big he is. The buck officially scored 267 net and has 19 points on the left side and 19 points on the right side, with a 35 7/8-inch outside spread. Boy, is it great to have grandpar-ents like mine!
As the last weekend of D7 hunt-ing season rolled around, it found my friends and me hunting the high country. With extremely wet weather and no snow, the deer hunting was awful so we packed up early and de-cided to hunt my grandfather’s ranch in the low country. The hunting there had also been slow and what bucks we had seen were little. Most people think that if you see a legal buck in D7, he is a shooter. Papa, however, will only let us shoot big, mature deer on his property, which is good. On one hunting trip at my grand-father’s ranch, we found a shed that was bigger than anything I had ever seen, and that alone had me very excited just knowing that a buck that big had been on the property. All sea-son as we hunted we always thought about that shed, and talked about where that big boy might live. On the last Sunday afternoon of the season, my hunting partner and I were out driving around on Papa’s Gator on a road cut into the side of a mountain. We had just stopped to glass when I looked down into a val-ley about 1,000 yards away and saw a deer. As I looked through the binocu-lars I could tell he was not a very big buck but then another deer caught my attention. It was lying in some dry grass beside an oak tree about 50 yards away from the first deer, and it was difficult to tell how big he was because the color of his antlers nearly matched the grass. Being the last night of the season, though, we didn’t know if we should try to get closer to take another look or just keep going. We only knew that one was not a shooter and had no idea about the other. Still, we sat there for another 15 minutes or so, talking it over. Suddenly the sun glinted on the buck’s antlers when he put his head back and I could tell instantly that he was definitely a shooter. The buck was lying behind a big rock pile in a little flat area. Our plan was to drive
California Deer 23
Membership Drive
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