Summer 2012

California DeerThe Official Publication of the California Deer Association

California DeerAssociation

Summer 2012

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 DirectorsJerry Springer — President

Donn Walgamuth — Vice PresidentMatt Rogers — Past PresidentAndy Wood — Past President

Ron Lara — TreasurerDoug Brown — Director

Rennie Cleland — DirectorFred Schmalenberger — Director

Larry Smith — Director

Field Directors/Chapter Development

Pat Fitzmorris(916) 663-2861

patf@caldeer.orgRodney Torres(209) 826-1931

rtorres@caldeer.org

California Deer EditorJerry Springer

Jerry@WesternHunter.com

CDA Website — www.CalDeer.orgElizabeth Keller

webmaster@CalDeer.org

California Deer Association820 Park Row, PMB 671Salinas, CA 93901-2406

1 888 499-DEER www.CalDeer.org

California Deer magazine is published 4 times a year by California Deer Association. California Deer, copyright 2012 by California Deer Association. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reproduction of information appearing in this magazine is prohibited unless permis-sion has been granted in writing from the publisher.

The Wake-Up CallCDA President’s Message

Jerry SpringerPresident

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As I write this in late June, CDA members and those in the general hunting community are crossing their fingers that the failure of SB 1221 to get enough votes to move out of the state Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife will be the final stake through the heart of this anti-hunting bill. The bill, sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), would outlaw the use of dogs to hunt bears or bobcats. The reason there isn’t celebration over the vote is because there is still a chance that the bill could be brought back up for a reconsideration vote or tacked onto another bill. July 6th is the last day for these maneuvers, so sports-men and sportswomen are still being urged to continue to put the pressure on their Assembly member to stop passage of this bill. It was gratifying to receive so many emails from different sporting groups and individuals urging and pleading for everyone to call their Senators and Assembly members to ask them to vote NO on SB 1221. I have never seen so much action by sportsmen, even those who don’t hunt bears and/or bobcats with hounds. I believe that many have finally heard the wake-up call and re-alize that the anti-hunters are not go-ing to stop trying to outlaw all forms of hunting, but are concentrating on eliminating one form at a time. If it’s not your type of hunting they are attacking today, it will be yours on the chopping block tomorrow! This action by HSUS has shown us that all sportsmen need to stick together and take action. As the saying goes,

“United We Stand, Divided We Fall.” We can’t just depend on the other guy to write the letter, send the email or make the call – we all need to be willing to take action, and these days it often requires more than one time as these bills move forward. If you will take a minute and read page 3 of this issue you will realize that a growing population of black bears means a declining num-ber of deer. If you are a California deer hunter, thank a California bear hunter! The battle to stop SB 1221 made CDA’s Board of Directors realize that we are not in the best position to inform our members of important information or to ask them to take action in a timely fashion – a printed publication for time-sensitive infor-mation doesn’t work. While we do have a number of email addresses for members, we are far short of having them all or even a majority and some of them are addresses that are out-of-date or incorrect. In order to provide you with timely information about CDA or to quickly ask for your support, we need your correct, current email ad-dress. As an incentive to get mem-bers’ email addresses, a random drawing will be held at the Septem-ber CDA Board meeting to select one lucky, current CDA member who has provided us with their valid email address. The winner will receive a new rifle. All you have to do to be entered is to send an email toCDAforDeer@gmail.com with the subject “Email Rifle” and include your name and street address in the body of the email. Don’t assume we have your email address unless you have received an email from CDAforDeer@gmail.com in the last month. Finally, I hope a number of you were luckier than I was in the Cali-fornia Big Game Drawing. If so – and I hope you were – please carry a camera along as we want to share your hunting photos in the Members Afield section of the California Deer magazine.

Bears Kill More Than 70% of Fawns

A study as recent as 2011 indi-cates that black bear predation on mule deer fawns could be limiting some of California’s deer herds. It was reported that more than 70% of fawn mortalities occurring west of the Sierra Crest were related to pre-dation by black bears. Fawns were six times more likely to die from bear predation than any other cause of mortality. The population of black bears in California has grown to the point that their numbers are estimated to be in excess of 30,000. In addition to the fact that there are more bears in

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California’s historic bear country, this increase has also caused bears to now be in areas that they were not formerly known to occupy. As the bear popula-tions continue to increase, bears will kill even more fawns. Senate Bill 1221 (SB 1221) would outlaw the hunting of bears and bob-cats with hounds. The use of hounds for bear hunting accounts for approxi-mately 50% of all the bears harvested each year in California. California’s deer herds continue to experience de-creasing numbers. If SB 1221 becomes law, deer numbers can be expected to decrease at an even faster rate.

CDA members who are con-cerned about our deer herds should call their representative in the state Assembly and request that they vote NO on SB 1221. If SB 1221 has been passed by the Assemby by the time you read this, contact the Governor’s Office and request he veto this bill! Governor Jerry Brown c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 445-2841 Fax: (916) 558-3160 California’s deer herds need your help. Save some fawns next spring – buy a bear tag this season!

Photo by Lynn Chamberlain

Photo by Scott Root

If you are a California deer hunter,thank a California bear hunter!

NO on SB 1221!

Doug BrownElected to CDA Board of Directors

CDA Now onFacebook!CDA now has a Facebook page. Check us out and don’t forget to “Like” us.

CDA ScholarshipDeadline July 31stwww.caldeer.org/scholarship.htm

California Deer Wins 1st Place Award CDA’s magazine, California Deer, won 1st Place in the Newslet-ter category at the May 2012 confer-ence of the Outdoor Writers Asso-ciation of California (OWAC).In the summer, California bucks are

growing antlers but this mule deer buck already has a rack that would make any CDA member say, “Wow!”

Photograph by Danny McIntosh, CDA’s Eastern Sierra Chapter.

The Cover

Saving Rosie…

A special-needs person got Rosie, a yellow Lab, as a puppy. But at 10 months old, they could no longer care for a dog of her size and could find no home for her. Even though she was fully papered, Rosie was taken to the veterinarian with instruc-tions to put her down. Rather than do that, however, the vet got permission to contact a dog rescue group. The group turned to Eureka resident and longtime dog transporter Aileen Bartscht for transportation to a person in Ukiah who houses rescue Labs until homes can be found for them. After picking up Rosie and transporting her to Eureka, it was learned that the person in Ukiah had too many Labs at the time so couldn’t take another. Faced with the dilemma, Bartscht and co-transporters/sisters Elaine Bartscht and Phyl-lis Coy remembered that the California Deer Association’s Redwood Coast Chapter was holding its annual fundrais-ing banquet the next evening. Knowing Labs and hunters go together like milk and cookies, they hatched a plan to drop by

the CDA function with Rosie in hopes that CDA members could somehow help. After committee members and CDA Field Direc-tor Pat Fitzmorris heard Rosie’s story, they knew they had to do something. Fitzmorris agreed to put Rosie in the auction in hopes someone would give her a home. Rosie and her story did the rest. CDA members at the banquet came through for her… Not only did Rosie find a new home that night but CDA raised $450 to continue its work for conserving California’s deer herds. Now that’s a milk-and-cookies feeling, plus a win-win result for Rosie and the deer in California, too!

Aileen Bartscht with Rosie before the auction.

Rosie gets a hug from her new owner.

At the April CDA Board of Directors’ Meeting, Doug Brown from the Eastern Sierra Chapter in Bishop was elected to the Board of Directors. Brown has been a longtime member of his local chapter and will bring his strong work ethic to the Board. Welcome aboard, Doug!

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California Deer 5

Life Member Rifle DrawingThis year’s winner of the Phil Bassetti Life Member Rifle was Life Member #1, Danny Smith Jr. The Dan Smith Family decided instead to donate the $1,500 value of the rifle to the CDA Scholarship Fund. Thanks Smith Family.

Logo Contest Winner Above is the new addition to CDA’s line of logos. Many thought when the contest was announced that we were replacing the original logo, but that was not true. The idea was to add an additional modern logo which was less costly to use than the full-color CDA logo. The best design, as determined by the Board of Di-rectors, was submitted by John Tonkin. John will receive a Weatherby Vanguard Synthetic Rifle in .270 for his winning design. Congratulations, John! Look for this all-white logo to begin appearing on vehicle windows soon.

Win a Rifle and Stay In Touch with CDA

In order for CDA to be able to quickly communicate information to our members we are requesting that you let us know your email address. Those members who do this by September 1st will be entered in a drawing for a Weatherby Vanguard Synthetic Rifle. The drawing will take place at the September Board of Directors Meeting. You must be of legal age to own a firearm and a current CDA member. To enter, use your email address to send an email with the subject “Email Rifle” and your name, street address, city, state and zip code to CDAforDeer@gmail.com. Deadline for all entries is September 1, 2012. Good luck!

Apply Now for ChimineasJunior Deer Hunt The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is offer-ing a draw for an apprentice deer hunt on the Chimin-eas Unit of the Carrizo Plain Ecological Reserve. The two-day hunt, which is being offered in cooperation with the California Deer Association (CDA), will be held on September 14-16 on the 30,000-acre reserve in San Luis Obispo County. Three apprentice hunters will be chosen by lot-tery. The winning apprentice hunters must be ac-companied by an adult. Participants will receive classroom, range and field training in gun handling techniques and safety, deer hunting and game care. Hunts will be led by CDA volunteers. Overnight lodg-ing is available at the main ranch house on the ecolog-ical reserve. CDA will provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, as well as breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Applicants must submit a postcard with the hunt-er’s name, address, telephone number and 2012-2013 junior hunting license number to: Chimineas Appren-tice Deer Hunt, Department of Fish and Game, 3196 South Higuera St., Suite A, San Luis Obispo, 93401. Applications must be received in the office by 5 p.m. on July 27. Late or incomplete applications will not be entered in the draw. Successful applicants will be notified by phone and will receive additional infor-mation, including maps and special regulations, prior to the hunt.

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How I Got Deer ReligionArticle and photos by Rick E. Martin

I grew up hunting with my dad – not an unusual story. Mostly deer and then pheasants, other game birds and pigs. As I grew older I literally lost my taste for deer hunting… I did not like to eat it, so I did not want to hunt it. Now that I have kids I have done the same for them that Dad did for me. My son Matthew has enjoyed shooting, especially a shotgun since he was little. He went along with me to the sporting clays range and other shooting venues and I especially looked forward to taking him on his first pheasant hunt. Fly-fishing has also been emphasized as it is a pas-sion of mine as well. Matt also attended a kid’s camp that taught about the outdoors, including shooting, fly-fishing, sur-vival, game tracking and many other skills. The camp was a week with other kids and adults that taught a love for the outdoors. What could be better?! Matt returned home with a greater appreciation of the outdoors and was inspired in a variety of ways. One in particular I did not expect… He told me, with unusual clarity, “I want to shoot a deer!” Whoa. Knock me over with a feather… I responded with a, “Are

The next step was to figure out how to go about the actual hunt. The answer became clear – apply for a “Youth Hunt.” I asked around to friends and others about which ones to focus on. I decided to apply for the California Deer Association’s Youth Hunt at the Tejon Ranch. Matt was lucky enough to get drawn for that opportunity. We arrived at the ranch in the morning and he was paired with Tejon guide Joe Stamps. We and oth-er guides, kids, and dads headed to the rifle range to check out the guns to see if they were shooting correctly. The guides were quietly checking out the kids’ shooting abilities at the same time. Matt shot a few rounds into the black at 100 yards and Joe said to him, “You’re good, kid. Let’s go hunting.” Joe was a great fit for Matt, not to mention that Joe had guided and lived on the ranch for a number of years. As we got into Joe’s truck, Matt sat up front with him and I sat in back reminding myself to try to keep my mouth shut and let the guide be the guide. One thing that I have tried to expose Matthew to is other adults who can be a positive influence on him. Experiences like the Wilderness Unlimited Foundation’s Summer Youth Camp have proven to be a good example of this. I could quickly tell that Matt thought that Joe was a “cool dude” and this situation would work out well. As we traveled through the ranch, Matt asked a number of ques-tions about the Tejon Ranch and the

you sure that you know what all is involved to do that?” Then I told Matt what you needed to do to field dress an animal. He interrupted me and fin-ished explaining the process. Hearing that surprised me again. I next went through other steps needed to prepare for this undertak-ing, including being competent with a rifle in order to make an ethical shot. And finally I told him that you “gotta” like eating deer meat! None of this seemed to faze him. He was determined. I let the matter rest but he continued to bug me about going deer hunting. That all started in June. He received a new .243 bolt-ac-tion rifle for Christmas. Now WE were committed… What was he in for? What was I in for? Although it’s not about me, right? So, over the next year we made several trips to the range, start-ing out by sight-ing in the scope. We also practiced at different dis-tances and shot paper deer targets marked with kill zones.

Matthew Martin with guide Joe Stamps.

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game that lived there. We saw wild pigs, eagles, bobcats and many other animals. As we were climbing up a hill, two hours into the hunt, Joe suddenly stopped. “There they are,” he calmly stated. Through a few oak trees we could see four deer: a 4x4, two does and a fawn. As Matt grabbed his .243 and me my camera, we quietly got out of the truck. The three of us stayed low and crawled under some oak branches and proceeded about 35 yards. Joe told Matt, “We’re gonna take that one,” pointing to the larger and older doe. This was an antlerless hunt and the regular season was over. Joe helped Matt set up, and after a round was chambered he then instructed, “Wait for the doe to clear. Whatever you do, don’t shoot the buck!” Matt whispered back, “Awhh.”

Five seconds passed and Joe said, “Take it.” Matt did not wait and fired the shot. The doe jumped, then walked about four steps and dropped! It was done. I looked over and could see the huge smile on my son’s face. Joe smiled when he saw the pleased look as well. We waited only a minute or so to go and check out the animal. We did that and then took a few pho-tos. Then I said to Matt, “Are you ready to gut it?” Joe chimed in, “Ya Matt, I’ll help

you.” They both jumped in and took care of business. During the process I kept looking for the “remorse” from Matthew. I never noticed any. I kind

of expected it but he was just excited and proud of what he had accom-plished. After loading the deer into the truck bed, we spent the next few hours touring the ranch. Impres-sive! When evening came we shared a meal and suc-

cess stories with other guides, kids, and dads at one of the ranch’s lodges. After returning home I was looking for-ward to the challenge of preparing the backstraps for the table. I seasoned them well and wrapped them in bacon – how can you go wrong with bacon? I then grilled the steaks to medium-rare and served them. I was blown away… Nothing like I remem-bered as a kid. No strong

or undesirable taste. The meat was awesome! Matthew and his younger sister Sarah both agreed with the re-sult. Also, the Petit Sarah wine I had with it did not hurt the situation. The meal suddenly became a celebration of Matt’s success! As a kid I liked the idea of eating deer meat but did not really love it. In those days things seemed to get overcooked a lot. This was different and really enjoying venison was a new experience for me. Since then, we have loved eating loins, burgers, and apple-cinnamon breakfast sausage from Matt’s first deer. Recently I have become the owner of a new .308 and cannot wait to eat more backstraps wrapped in bacon!

Rick Martin is a Freelance Photographer who lives in Mountain View, California.www.rickemartinphoto.com/

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Field Notes

Another Great Year! As I write this, our 2012 Banquet Season is winding down and we have just a couple of banquets left. Many chapters are reflecting back on their banquets with a sense of pride and accomplishment. 2011 was the best year we ever had and it looks like we may do even better this year! To have another record year is just fantastic and our chapters are mak-ing it happen! Putting on a successful fundrais-er takes hard work. A lot of things have to fall into place to coordinate a fundraising event and our com-mittees should be congratulated for their efforts. Our volunteers and members are the lifeblood of CDA and it warms my heart that so many people will band together for a com-mon cause. Thank you so much to everyone who gives their time and resources to better California’s deer and other wildlife – we couldn’t do what we are doing without all of us working together. I hope you all had some luck in the big game draws. I used up my luck (and points, too) last year in Nevada so I wasn’t too upset that this year in California I drew a cov-eted C Zone tag for our great state and nothing else! I am still waiting on the Oregon draw since I have been building points there for longer than I care to admit. The results are coming out soon so wish me luck and I wish you the same as well. It is hard sometimes to patiently wait to see if you drew that special tag but

you can’t win if you don’t play. The other day, a mom was talking to me about hunting. She was reluc-tant to get her kids involved because she felt that hunting is a dangerous sport! A dangerous sport… ! I didn’t have any statistics for her but I told her that hunting was one of the safest sports out there. She looked at me with skepticism so I was challenged to do some research on this. I went to the National Shooting Sports Founda-tion that has compiled data for this, and learned that hunting ranks third in safety when compared to 28 recre-ational pursuits. Nationwide, hunting has an injury rate of 0.05%, which equals to about one injury per 2,000 participants, a safety level bettered only by camping (.01%), and billiards (.02%). For comparison, golf has an injury rate of 0.16% (1 injury per 622 participants), while tackle football topped the list of activities with an injury rate of 5.27% (1 injury per 19 participants). Hunting is safer than volleyball, snowboarding, cheerleading, bicycle riding, playing soccer, and skate-boarding. Many people believe that hunting is dangerous because guns are involved, but the data clearly reveals a different story. Nationwide, the number of hunters who went afield last year is estimated at 16.3 million and of that number, approxi-mately 8,122 sustained injuries, or 50 per 100,000. The vast majority of

hunting accidents are tree stand related (6,600). Hunter Education Classes that emphasize the basic rules of firearm safety are having a positive effect on making hunting a very safe sport. I am proud to say that many local CDA chapters have Hunter Educa-tion Classes and this is a great way to give back to the sport. Check out our website at www.caldeer.org, click on education at the top of the page and a list of classes in your area will be easily found. And get your kids out hunting! That is one of the most important and best things any-one can do to pass on our outdoor heritage. Things are winding down for us for the 2012 banquet season, but already we are starting to plan our 2013 banquets and we won’t rest long. Many chapters are start-ing to meet and plan how to make next year’s banquet even better. We have many habitat projects tak-ing place this summer and several youth events as well. If you aren’t already, please get involved at the chapter level. Working to help deer and other wildlife in our great state of California can be very rewarding and meeting new people who share our passion for the outdoors is a great thing, too. Best regards,Pat Fitzmorris

Field Director Pat Fitzmorris (right)presents North Valley Chapter Chairman Larry Crabtree a plaque of appreciation for all his hard work. Larry will be stepping down this year as chairman after making North Valley one of CDA’s outstanding chapters.

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Howland Flat Aspen Habitat Restoration

PROJECTS

The goal of the Howland Flat Aspen Restoration/Enhancement Project was to increase the quality and quantity of aspen habitat which has been displaced by conifer en-croachment within the Slate Creek watershed located within boundaries of the Mooretown Deer Herd. Conif-erous trees less than 10”in diameter – primarily white fir and lodgepole pine – were cut and removed from a 55-acre area containing aspen stands. The removal of the conifers, which dominated the aspen communities, has resulted in opening space, light and moisture for existing aspens and increasing regeneration of aspen through the suckering process. Ap-proximately 50% of the existing fuel loading (downed woody fuel materi-als) was removed to lower potential wildfire intensity. Removed conifers and downed material was piled and burned. Removal was accomplished with hand crews and chainsaws. To date the restored 55-acre area of aspen habitat is responding with vigorous growth and production of new aspens. Additional acres are proposed to be restored as part of the other district projects with the Slate Creek watershed’s upper area.

The photo above shows one of the areas before treat-ment. The pho-tos at the right show the area after removal of the competing conifer trees.

Jeff Maxwell, Central Coast Chapter member, displays a terrific 6x6 elk he

took in 2011. Jeff says, “I was fortunate enough to take this bull on October 1st on the Valles Caldera in New Mexico.

It was a muzzleloader hunt. I was shooting a .50 caliber Thompson Cen-ter Bone Collector using a 250-grain

bullet with 100 grains of Triple 7. The Valles hunts are somewhat unique in that they are basically a raffle allow-

ing you to buy as many tickets as you want. I purchased five bull chances

for $100 and was lucky enough to be drawn. I heartily recommend you check them out on their website.”

Attention CDA Members!Share your days afield with other mem-bers by emailing your photos to Jerry@WesternHunter.com.14 California Deer

Members AfieldBailey Smith displays her spring 2012 gobbler taken when hunting with her dad, Ryan Smith, CDA Central Coast Chapter Chairman. After seeing three toms cross a road, they set up and started calling. After 10 minutes the toms came running… 100 yards, 50 yards, 10 yards. Bang and down went Bailey’s first gobbler. After hugs and smiles, and a tear or two, they checked out the tom. It had a 9” beard and 1” spurs – a whopper! Bailey used 3-inch #6s in her Youth Model Weatherby 20-gauge automatic, which she had won at the Central Coast Banquet.

Mike Torres, Redding Chapter, recently took this 30” free-range Aoudad in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas. Mike hunted with Joe Jakab of Point Blank Hunts.

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CDA Member Davin Baez was hunting near Crawford, Colorado

in November 2011 when he dropped this 180 B&C 4x4 mule deer. Davin

was shooting a Weatherby Vanguard .257 using Weatherby ammo. It was a 200-yard shot. The buck had an inside

spread of 23 1/2 inches and the G2s were 18 1/2 inches tall. Congratula-

tions on an outstanding buck in beautiful hunting country.

Mike Dias (left) and Doug Timmer pose with Dias’ 3x3 mule deer taken in the X3B Zone during the 2011 season. Dias is the chapter chairman and Timmer the past co-chairman of CDA’s Santa Rosa Chapter.

Karen Zumwalt, a Mt. St. Helena Chapter Commit-tee member, shows off the great Red Stag she took in April 2012 while hunting in New Zealand. Zumwalt was on a guided hunt with Neil Mercer of Kanuka Wilderness Hunting. Mercer is a frequent donor to CDA banquets.

Members Afield

Making a Difference

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On Saturday, June 16, the CDA Project Committee held its annual meeting to review 30 projects submit-ted by various agencies, groups and individuals. After the review was complete, the Committee voted to fund 15 projects. These requests were seeking funds generated from the hard work of CDA chapters at their 2011 banquets. Your CDA dollars will support projects around the state and in many deer zones. The zones these projects will benefit are A, B1, B2, C1, D3, D17, X1, X3A, X3B, X6A, X6B, X8, X9A, and X12. The recommended 15 projects will go to the CDA Board, at its July meeting, for final approval. The following is a brief description of the projects approved by the Project Committee.

Beaver Ridge Prairie RestorationThis project will restore historic prairies and oak woodland at Beaver Ridge in the Lacks Creek Manage-ment Area. Encroaching Douglas fir trees will be removed and fire will be reintroduced. The project will take place in the B1 deer zone in Hum-boldt County and was submitted by the Bureau of Land Management.

Carson River Deer Herd StudyThe Carson River Deer Herd is an in-terstate deer herd which inhabits por-tions of El Dorado, Alpine and Mono counties, plus Douglas County in Nevada. The herd has shown a steady population decline. The reasons for this decline are changes in habitat, predation, road kill and other factors. This project will capture female mule deer on their summer range and fit them with satellite collars. The infor-mation gathered will provide habitat use, migration corridors, important critical habitats (fawning, holding ar-eas, etc.) and survival rates. This will aid in developing management strate-gies and improved decision-making processes for the future of this deer

herd. The project will take place in the X8 deer zone and was submitted by the Department of Fish and Game.

Water for Wildlife Spring andGuzzler RestorationSome water sources, which include springs and guzzlers, will be restored by this project in the East Mojave, including the Mojave National Pre-serve, in order to ensure a stable water source for its wildlife. This will provide water for deer, bighorn sheep, quail, chukar, dove, and non-game animals. The project will take place in the D17 deer zone in the East Mojave and was submitted by Water for Wild-life, a 501 c (3) organization for the protection and care of wildlife.

Fish Meadow and Oak Woodland RestorationThe Fish Meadows Restoration Proj-ect will thin conifers and madrone trees to reduce competition to oaks, reduce meadow encroachment and decrease the chances for high-intensity fires. Small openings will be created throughout the area to improve habi-tat for large and small game animals. The result of this project will increase acorn production from oaks; stimu-late new forbs, grasses and shrub growth; and increase forage areas in

terms of openings and meadow size. The project area currently contains limited young forage for black-tailed deer. The habitat will be improved for a wide variety of wildlife species including black-tailed deer, Roosevelt elk, mountain quail, and turkey. This project will take place in the B2 deer zone area of the Klamath National Forest and was submitted by the U.S. Forest Service.

Mt. Hough Deer HabitatImprovement BurnThis project will help revitalize mule deer summer and winter range habi-tat for the Sloat Deer Herd through prescribed fire within a large brush field (728 acres) which was created by wildlfire more than 50 years ago. The burning will allow for improved deer access, forage availability, renewed plant vigor, nutrition and browse palatability. The project will take place in the X6A deer zone in the Plumas National Forest near the town of Quincy and was submitted by the U.S. Forest Service.

Estimating Black Bear Population Size and Density in the Eastern SierraUnderstanding the eastern Sierra black bear population is critical to the

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Making a Difference

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management of both bear and mule deer populations. Recent research sug-gests that an increasing bear popula-tion could result in the removal of a high proportion of fawns less than four weeks old, resulting in lower fawn recruitment and reduced deer population levels. This study will use DNA-based sampling from hair collec-tions to estimate black bear population size and density using mark-recapture techniques. This information will then be used as a baseline for future monitoring of bear population trends in Mono County. This project will take place in the X12 and X9A deer zones and was submitted by the Department of Fish and Game.

Frenchman Work Center Aspen Hand ThinThis project will help improve the deer fawning and foraging habitat in the five areas of aspen stands near French-man Lake and northwest of the lake by removing the thick undergrowth of conifers in the aspen stands. It will improve the overall health of aspen habitats, promoting regeneration of the aspen which over time had been out-competed for sunlight and water by the conifers. This project will take place in the X6B deer zone in Plumas National Forest and was submitted by

the U.S. Forest Service.

Northeast WarnerVast numbers of junipers have en-croached in areas of the Northeast Warner Mountains of Modoc County, competing with sage, mahogany, bitterbrush and aspen stands. The junipers will be cut from these areas, increasing forage for deer and elk as well as reducing the fuel available for high-intensity fires. This project will take place in the X3B deer zone and was submitted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Slapjack Meadow HabitatEnhancementThe purpose of this project is to re-store and enhance meadow habitat for the Mooretown Deer Herd, including summer range and migratory routes. Meadows provide valuable summer forage for deer in the lower eleva-tions. Conifers will be thinned and/or removed within and around mead-ows. This project will take place in the D3 deer zone on the Plumas National Forest in Butte and Yuba counties, and was submitted by the U.S. Forest Service.

McCloud Highway 89 GuzzlerDuring spring, summer and fall, deer

stay in an area west of McCloud due to its good feed and cover, but the deer there are forced to cross High-way 89 because of a lack of water on the highway’s north side. Many deer have been killed by motor vehicles in this location. To help reduce these deer losses, this project will install a 1,800-gallon wildlife water catchment guzzler on the north side of Highway 89 to reduce the need for deer to cross the highway for water. This project will take place in the X1 deer zone and was submitted by the Mt. Shasta CDA Chapter.

Black Rock Aspen RestorationThe Black Rock Aspen Restoration Project will restore approximately 3,000 acres of critical deer habitat in the Black Rock area. Aspen and meadow habitat enhancement will be accomplished by thinning out conifers and fencing in young aspen growth so cattle do not limit aspen regeneration prior to maturing. The project will work on restoring meadow and aspen stands to historic conditions. The project area is a criti-cal transition (spring/summer) area and important fawning area for deer.

continued on page 14

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SECTIONAL DENSITY PART#WEIGHT & STYLE

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180 Gr. Spitzer 591800.2710.523

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Hunter access in this area is excellent. This project will take place in the C1 deer zone and was submitted by the U.S. Forest Service.

South Ash Valley HabitatRestorationThis project will restore mule deer habitat through the removal of western juniper on 600 acres of BLM-managed land within a 5,500-acre planned treatment area. The removal of juniper will allow for the shrub community, bitterbrush and moun-tain mahogany to re-vegetate. The watershed will also be restored, mak-ing a dramatic improvement to criti-cal deer habitat. The treated area will be removed from grazing for two years after the treatment to facilitate and enhance restoration. This project will take place in the X3A deer zone in Lassen County and was submit-ted by the Pit Resource Conservation District.

Five Cent Gulch BurnEnhancing habitat quality for the Weaverville Deer Herd by stimu-

continued from page 13 lating re-sprouting and re-growth of shrubs and promoting growth of herbaceous plants and grasses is the purpose of this project. Prescribed underburning will be used to remove the widespread decadent brush fields of manzanita and ceanothus, thereby resulting in the re-growth and improv-ing the suitability of habitat by creat-ing a mosaic pattern for the benefit of deer, black bears, mountain lions, fur-bearing mammals and upland game birds. This project will take place in the B2 deer zone north of Weaverville and was submitted by the U.S. Forest Service.

Canada de los Osos (CDLO) Youth EducationFunds for conference and meeting room equipment at CDLO will be provided with this project. CDLO has been providing and expanding youth outdoor education programs and events over the last five years. The equipment will be used for youth and adult outdoor and resource education programs. The DFG Hunter Educa-tion black-tailed deer and wild pig workshops as well as hunter safety

classes will be directly related to deer and other wildlife by educating and inspiring future and current wildlife stewards. This project is in the area of CDA’s education outreach and was submitted by Friends of CDLO.

Chimineas Ranch 28 Tank Project (Section 28)The Red Rock Canyon area of the southern half of the Chimineas Ranch Reserve has been without a year-round water source for wildlife for more than 15 years. This ongoing project will repair an old pipeline and add new pipeline to supply an existing 500-gallon water trough that has been dry since the 1990s. This second stage of the project will provide water in each section of the 30,000-acre reserve. It will greatly aid in increasing populations of deer, tule elk, wild pigs, antelope and other wildlife. Completion of this pipeline will eventually result in increased hunting opportunities for the general hunting public. This project will take place in the A deer zone of San Luis Obispo County and was submitted by the Chimineas Ranch Foundation.

California Deer 15

16 California Deer

Concow Black Oak Habitat Restoration

PROJECTS

The Concow Black Oak Habitat Restoration Project was funded by a partnership between the California Deer Association (CDA) and the U.S. Forest Service (FS). The CDA funds were used solely for ground implementation costs associated with black oak sprouting. The treated lands are within the 2008 Butte Lightning Complex Wildfire landscape. The majority of the affected land was privately owned, primarily by commercial timber companies (primarily conifer plantations) and the community of Concow. The wildfire on FS lands resulted in predominately low-intensity burns, with patches of moderate-to-high intensity burn mostly in black oak habitat

which had not burned in many years and had a heavy accumulation of under-growth. The primary goal of the project was to increase the quantity and quality of forage and cover for the Bucks Mountain Deer Herd. Black oak stump sprouts were pruned to 2-3 dominant stems, allowing the oak to grow above much of the existing vegetation with less competition. In addition, a wide perimeter surrounding the oaks was cleared of brush to help reduce competition and fuel loading. To date, approximately 355 acres of black oak habitat – some pure stands and some mixed with conifers – have been

restored. Areas of black oak sprouting are responding with vigorous growth. Additional acres are proposed to be restored as part of the “Concow Fuels Reduction Project 2011.”The two photos below show the the area before it was treated (left) and after treatment.

California Deer 17

California Bucks

Have a nice photo of California bucks? Share it with other CDA members in California Deer by emailing it to Jerry@WesternHunter.com.

Photo by John Mc Millan

Photo by Ben Nuckolls

Photo by Donn Walgamuth

Photo by Hank Dubose

18 California Deer

CDA Banquets!North Valley Chapter, 2012

California Deer 19

CDA Banquets!Merced Chapter, 2012

20 California Deer

Bet You Can’t Just Buy One!!!By Jerry Springer

The two photos below and the one to the right are of Splish Splash the bear, named after the old Bobby Darin song, Splish Splash. Like the song says, Splish Splash I was taking a bath long about a Saturday night, but this was a Sunday evening. Notice he was relaxing in the tub with his head resting on the rim in the photo to the right. Leupold RCX-2

As I made my way along the game trail I could feel my excitement building. It was only June and the big game seasons for me were still months away. So why did I feel anxious with a bit of excitement thrown in? It was because of the trail cameras! Yes, I was nearing one of the trail cameras I had placed along a game trail. This one was farther from my truck so I packed my laptop with me so I could view any photos that had been taken on a large screen once I reached the trail cam. After inserting the SD card I had removed from the Cuddeback trail cam into my laptop, my eyes widened as I saw the photo of the bear. Then I really got excited because I had set the feature on this trail cam that allowed the camera to start a 10-second video clip immediately after it had taken the photo. Now there was the bear from the photo walking in the video right toward the camera… Wow! I wasn’t hunting but what I was seeing sure got me excited! If you aren’t using trail cameras you are missing out on extending your hunting season and discovering what really is out there when you aren’t – both day and night, and year round.

My first experience with a trail camera was more than four years earlier and I must say it didn’t live up to the hype. I expected to get photos of any animal that happened by day or night. I soon learned that trail cameras didn’t see everything. The photo quality was poor and depending on the conditions and lighting, terrible compared to what I was used to with my digital SLR cameras. Roll forward to last summer… I was attending a fundraising banquet and won a Tasco trail camera in the raffle. After trying it out in my backyard, I was pleasantly surprised that it captured photos in the middle of the night of some visiting raccoons and a skunk. The photos were better than I had seen from that first trail cam. This piqued my interest once again in trail cameras. After some research I found that there were now a number of makes and models of trail cameras on the market, in fact enough to make the purchasing decision for hunters difficult when they saw them all lined up in a store. At this point I wanted to see what the differences were and how the trail cameras actually worked in the field. During the last year I have field-tested the following trail cameras: Tasco Digital Trail Camera, Bushnell Trophy

Cam, Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Max, Bushnell Trail Scout, Stealth Cam UNIT, Leupold RCX-2, Cuddeback Attack IR, WildView X8IR and WildView EZ Cam. There are many makes and models on the market that I have not had the opportunity to test but I would like to share with you what I have learned about trail cameras in general and some hints that may help you in your purchasing decision and use. First, let’s talk about probably the number one consideration for most hunters when they are looking

Photo above taken just before the trail camera took a 10-second video clip.

continued on page 22

California Deer 21

The photos above are the same photo but the one on the left has been enhanced with the Curves option of Photoshop to lighten the photo, making it easier to see the detail of the bear. The transition from daylight to night may make it difficult for the trail cameras to adjust for correct exposure. Leupold RCX-2

It helps to have a higher-resolution photo if you want to crop and enlarge the photo. The photo of this bobcat was from the Tasco Digital Trail Camera set at 3MB - even though 3MB is no longer considered high-res. It also helped that it was taken during the day.

Trail cameras with IR, like the Stealth Cam UNIT, take color daytime photos and black-and-white night-time photos (coyote on left, buck below).

NOTE: Some photos have been cropped for placement on these pages.

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Western Colorado’s majestic Flat Tops Wilderness. We provide fully guided and quality drop camp elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep hunts in prime national forest and wilderness land that is accessible by horseback and mule pack string only, plus winter mountain lion hunts at lower elevations. We also offer wilderness trout fishing, summer horse-back vacations and an accredited Outfitters, Guides & Packers School. We’ve built our reputation on providing great fair-chase hunting, excellent camps, quality stock and highly personalized service.

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22 California Deer

Stealing Our Wildlife

As you look at the two photos to the right, I’ll bet many of you are saying, “I sure would like to have bagged one of those bucks.” All of the bucks pictured in these photos were poached or taken illegally in Northern California. With California’s deer num-bers on the decline, the wildlife thieves who took these bucks are not only stealing opportunities for legal hunters to take one of these bucks they are also reducing the deer numbers that are already depressed. The people who killed these deer are thieves just as much as the ones who break into your homes and take your things. Instead of your home, however, they are steal-ing wildlife from our outdoors. Remember to be on the look-out for poachers. If you see one or suspect one, take down the make and model of their vehicle, license number if possible, location, and time of day. Then call 1-800-952-5400 to report it.

at trail cameras – price. The price of a trail camera generally runs between $50 and $299. A few can range as high as $500 but I have also seen some reconditioned trail cameras on sale for $34.99. So, the question is what features do you want, but probably more important is what is your budget? To complicate the purchasing decision further, how many do you need? In my testing I have found out that trail cameras are like a twist on the old Lays Potato Chip commercial, “Bet you can’t buy just one!” The number depends on the number of game trails, water sources and fields you want to

monitor. Can you afford to move you single trail camera from an area that you have been getting activity to another area to find out what is there? One person I know has more than 10 water sources on his ranch so if he puts a trail camera at each location, should he purchase $50 cameras for a total of $500 or the $250 cameras for $2,500? Or should he just buy two cameras and move them around? What do you need or want? The budget and decision is yours. At this point, let me burst a bubble. There is a good chance you will not get photos or videos of every animal that comes by your

trail camera. Testing has shown that applies to most trail cameras, no matter what you paid for them. Some of this can be caused by the way you set up your trail cam, the features available, or just the technology. Have you ever been watching a TV show and just at the exciting part it stops and says, “To Be Continued Next Week?” Well, pictures speak louder than words and I wanted to make sure there was plenty of space for photos in this article, so I’ll continue with hints, features, usage and more photos in the Fall issue of California Deer.

continued from page 21

California Deer 23

W interhawk is a full-time professional outfitter operating on nearly 250 square miles of

Western Colorado’s majestic Flat Tops Wilderness. We provide fully guided and quality drop camp elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep hunts in prime national forest and wilderness land that is accessible by horseback and mule pack string only, plus winter mountain lion hunts at lower elevations. We also offer wilderness trout fishing, summer horse-back vacations and an accredited Outfitters, Guides & Packers School. We’ve built our reputation on providing great fair-chase hunting, excellent camps, quality stock and highly personalized service.

A r c h e r y n r i f l e n M u z z l e l o A d i n g

O f f e r i n g t h e f i n e s t i n

True WesTern-sTyle horsebAck

big gAMe hunTing i n c O l O r a d O ’ s P r i m i t i v e

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Membership Drive

Join Today!If you are a deer enthusiast, this could be the best $30 that you have

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