October 22, 2009

Commentary
Lots of birds, spotty
success for upland
bird season opener

By JIM MATTHEWS
Outdoor News Service

     APPLE VALLEY -- Upland bird hunters reported seeing good numbers of quail and chukar throughout most of Southern California’s deserts and foothill regions, but rain just before the opener, then heat and heavy hunting pressure over the weekend made for difficult conditions and low hunter success.
     “At Goat Springs, there was approximately the same number of vehicles you’d find at a large car dealership,” said Rick Bean of Hesperia of a popular chukar hunting spot in the West Mojave off Highway 247 between Barstow and Lucerne Valley on opening day. While Bean and his hunting partners Matt and Debbie Gangola of Glendora didn’t bag a bird, in spite of seeing a big covey with 60 or more birds, two young hunters they met near a guzzler north of Goat Spring managed to get seven chukar between them.
     Chris Coston of Orange was hunting near Ord Mountain, another popular chukar spot in the West Mojave, and said there were hunters everywhere, but that most guys he spoke with had “one or two birds each.”
     “There were a lot of birds, a lot of birds,” said Coston, who managed to bag two chukar opening Saturday and then another pair in the same area on Sunday.
     Further north, chukar hunters in the Southern Sierra Nevada, White, and Inyo mountains, along with the popular Red Mountain region, all had similar reports: lots of birds, but tough hunting conditions. Several hunters complained of chukar flushing well out of range in the Rand Mountains, but the hunting pressure was very high in this area, like the West Mojave, and it was warm.
     The Mojave National Preserve had an excellent hatch of quail and chukar this year, but rains apparently scattered the birds and then warm weather made hunting very difficult. Most hunters reported seeing birds but success seemed to be about only a quail per hunter with the chukar even tougher, flushing out of range.
     Ed Tolman, and his son Andreas and father DeLoy, Dave Hancock, and Ted Werner, all of the Chino Hills area, were out in the Preserve on Friday and saw good numbers of both quail scouting for the opener. But opening day they managed to bag only five quail between them. Werner and Andreas Tolman wore themselves out chasing chukar over some nasty terrain, seeing 120 or so birds, but weren’t able to bag a single bird.
     Jack Ingram of Chino managed to get six Gambel’s quail for two days of hunting in the Mid Hills region of the Preserve.
     “The birds were hard to locate, but I did get into a couple small coveys,” said Ingram on Monday. “I had my shots and I could have taken a limit for the weekend if I were on my game. As it was, I will be grilling six up tomorrow for dinner.”
     In the Imperial Valley and near the Salton Sea quail numbers were reported to be well up from the past couple of seasons, but the heat made the birds very difficult to hunt, especially after the coveys were scattered opening morning.
     Along the lower Colorado River, there were generally pretty good reports of quail numbers from Yuma to Needles. Robert Pierce, who managed Walter’s Camp south of Palo Verde, said there were a lot of birds in the desert washes this year, and he and his brother-in-law managed to get 11 birds between them on Sunday of opening weekend, after being skunked the day before.
     “There were a lot of birds out there, but there are too many guys with quads who chase them on those things and then jump off and shoot them. I’m from Texas where you get out and walk and hunting quail behind dogs, and it’s just a shame that quail season was so badly abused,” said Pierce.
     “On Sunday, the quads were gone, the jeeps were gone, and we got 11 birds in four hours of hunting. All the coveys were big, massive, with 20 to 30 birds,” said Pierce.
     A number of hunters complained about unethical hunters sitting on desert water sources (you can’t stay on a water source for more than 30 minutes so wildlife can come to water), and people on quads who didn’t use normal hunter etiquette.
     With another warm weekend forecast, it doesn’t look like the second weekend of the season will be any better than the first.
     WATERFOWL SEASON OPENS SATURDAY: Waterfowl hunting season opens this Saturday in the Southern California and Balance of State hunting zones, while include most of the region. The Colorado River zone opens today (Friday, Oct. 23).
     While bluebird weather and warm temperatures are in forecast, Scott Sewell, the Department of Fish and Game’s manager of both the San Jacinto Wildlife Area in western Riverside County and the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area on the south end of the Salton Sea, said opening day was likely to be very good
     “Both areas are loaded up with birds, especially the U and T units at Wister and the B, C, D, and E ponds at San Jacinto,” said Sewell. “There are a lot of widgeon, hoards of spoonies, and quite a few mallards.”
      But he noted that the big flights of pintails have not arrived yet. He did say there were two groups of specs or white-fronted geese using the San Jacinto area with about 50 birds total. Wister, which will end the season with thousands and thousands of snow geese, only had about two dozens snows right now, a handful of specs, and a dozen of so honkers.
     At the Kern National Wildlife Refuge, which is in the Southern San Joaquin hunting zone which opened Oct. 10, the average was 2.3 birds this past Saturday and then the average dropped to 1.7 birds on Wednesday this week.

OUTDOOR CALENDAR

     OCTOBER 24 CAPING AND SKINNING SEMINAR: A free big game caping and skinning seminar will be held beginning 9 a.m. Saturday at Al’s Taxidermy and Wildlife Art Studio, Apple Valley. Hunters going out-of-state can no-longer bring unskinned big game heads back to California because of Chronic Wasting Disease. This seminar will teach hunters how to properly remove capes in the field. A class will also be held Oct. 31. Space is limited, call 760-961-2434 for reservations.
     OCTOBER 24-25 ONTARIO GUN SHOW: The Crossroads of the West Ontario Gun Show will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, at the Ontario Convention Center, Ontario. Admission is $10. The 2019 slate of shows in Ontario has not be set yet. Information, directions, and $1 off coupons available at www.crossroadsgunshows.com.
     OCTOBER 25 UNITED ANGLERS ANNUAL FUND-RAISING DINNER: United Anglers of Southern California will have its annual fund-raising dinner beginning 3:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort, Newport Beach. The dinner will honor Beverly Ray. Dinner tickets are $100 per person. For information or reservations, call UASC at 562-494-9900.
     OCTOBER 28 SINGLES FRIENDS OF THE NRA FUND-RAISER: Southern California’s first Friends of the National Rifle Association “singles” banquet will be held beginning 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28 at The Castaway Restaurant, 1250 E. Harvard Rd., Burbank. Tickets are $100 per person, but women are being admitted two-for-one. E-Harmony and Match.Com can cost over $300 a year and there’s no chance you could at least win a gun. There are no ticket sales at the door. For information, e-mail Lissa Davis at ldavis@nrahg.org.
     OCTOBER 31 CAPING AND SKINNING SEMINAR: A free big game caping and skinning seminar will be held beginning 9 a.m. Saturday at Al’s Taxidermy and Wildlife Art Studio, Apple Valley. Hunters going out-of-state can no-longer bring unskinned big game heads back to California because of Chronic Wasting Disease. This seminar will teach hunters how to properly remove capes in the field. Space is limited, call 760-961-2434 for reservations.
     NOVEMBER 7 NORCO HUNTER SAFETY CLASS: A one-day, 10-hour certified hunter safety class will be held at Mike Raahauge's Shooting Enterprises, Norco. Classes are required for all first-time California hunters before a hunting license can be purchased. Cost is $35 per person. The remaining 2009 class date is Dec. 12. Sign-ups are taken at all Turner's Outdoorsman stores. Contact Raahauge's at 951-735-7981.
     NOVEMBER 7 BASS PRO SHOPS HUNTER SAFETY CLASS: Bass Pro Shops is now having hunter safety classes four days per month on the first and third full weekends, with classes on Saturday and Sunday of each weekend. The classes are all one-day, 10-hour certified hunter safety classes. Classes are required for all first-time California hunters before a hunting license can be purchased. Cost is $10 per person. Sign-ups are taken at Bass Pro and class size is limited. For information, call 909-922-5500. A pre-class study course is available at www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/.

CALENDAR RESOURCES

     For a complete list of HUNTER SAFETY CLASSES held throughout the state, including times, dates, and locations, go to the Department of Fish and Game’s web site at this address: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/classes.aspx.
     For the rules and regulations on GRUNION RUNS, along with a complete schedule and the expected times of the runs, go to this web site address: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/gruschd.asp

CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

     The following is a list of hunting, shooting, and fishing clubs and organizations in Southern California with contact information and regular meeting dates:
     976-TUNA ROD AND REEL CLUB: The 976-Tuna Rod and Reel Club meets 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at Bass Pro Shops, Rancho Cucamonga. At the December meeting a free trip to Palmas de Cortez in Baja will be given away. Contact Phil Friedman at 310-328-8426.
     CALIFORNIA STATE VARMINT CALLERS ASSOCIATION: The California State Varmint Callers Association meets 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at the Denny's just north of the 210 freeway at Irwindale Ave., Irwindale. Contact Steven Childs at 626-407-8826 or steve@sdchilds.com. Web site: www.csvca.com.
     CANYON OAKS SPORTSMAN’S CLUB: The Canyon Oaks Sportsman’s Club meets the first Tuesday of every month at it’s clubhouse in Lakeview Terrace-Sylmar. The club has regular trap, skeet, smallbore, big bore, handgun, and Cowboy Action shooting events. Contact Gary White at 818-998-7240, Mike Totta at 818-362-2181 or Mike Nickoloff via e-mail at idpamike@yahoo.com.
     CERRITOS ROD & GUN CLUB: The Cerritos Rod & Gun Club meets the second Wednesday of each month at Heritage Park in Cerritos. Contact Charles Sharp at 714-317-8290 or fish_90605@yahoo.com.
     CLUB FISH: Club Fish, a 20-year-old fishing club, meets 7:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at the Izaak Walton League Clubhouse, Santa Ana. The clubhouse is located at the entrance to Riverview Gold Course. Contact Mike Cross at 949-854-5258 or m_r_cross@yahoo.com.
     DEEP CREEK FLY-FISHERS: Deep Creek Fly-Fishers meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Izaak Walton League clubhouse in Fairmont Park, in Riverside. Go to www.deepcreekflyfishers.org to download a map to the club house. Contact Brett Browning at 909-793-8912.
     HIGH DESERT FLY-FISHERS: The High Desert Fly-Fishers holds its monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of each month at The Apple Valley Fire Conference Center, 19235 Yucca Loma, Apple Valley. Contact John Rose at 760-247-5966.
     HIGHLAND PARK SPORTSMEN'S CLUB: The Highland Park Sportsmen's Club meets at 8 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of each month at 2035 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles. Contact Mauro Garcia at 323-254-0763 or incareal@juno.com.
     NATIONAL VARMINT HUNTERS: The National Varmint Hunters meets 7:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at the Veterans of Foreign Wars club located on Grand Avenue, just west of 17th Street, Santa Ana. Contact Mark Harris at 714-655-6954 or mhitis1@yahoo.com or Terry Mathers at 714-299-9938 or coyote@jps.net.
     NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION (INLAND EMPIRE CHAPTER): The Inland Empire Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation meets 6:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month at Bass Pro Shops, 7777 Victoria Gardens Lane, Rancho Cucamonga. Contact David Halbrook at 760-694-1191 or nrajrc@msn.com.
     NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION (ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER): The Orange County Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation meets 6 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at The Firing Line, 17921 Jamestown Lane, Huntington Beach. Contact Pat Ryan at 714-373-3688 or Casey Rasmussen at 714-377-5859.
     ORANCO BOWMEN: The ORANCO Bowmen meet the second Tuesday of each month at the club range, 17504 Pomona Rincon Rd., Chino (Euclid Avenue one block north of the 71 freeway). The range is open to the public on Sundays 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 909-597-7582. Web site: www.oranco.org.
     ORANGE COUNTY BASS CLUB: The Orange County Bass Club meets 7 p.m. the third Monday of each month at the Garden Grove Elk's Lodge. Contact Steve Pendergast at 949-651-8172 or prendergasts@netzero.com.
     PLUNGE CREEK COWBOYS: The Plunge Creek Cowboys, a new Cowboy Action Shooting club in the Inland Empire, has shoots the third Saturday of each month at the Inland Fish and Game range on Orange Street in East Highlands. Authentic or replica firearms and garb required. Information: www.plungecreekcowboys.com.
     PREDATOR CALLERS OF ORANGE COUNTY: The Predator Callers of Orange County meet 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month at the Denny's restaurant, 7490 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach. Contact Rickey Macy via e-mail at rickmacey@juno.com.
     QUAIL UNLIMITED (HIGH DESERT CHAPTER): The High Desert Chapter of Quail Unlimited meets 6 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at the Apple Valley Gun Club. Contact Cruz Garcia at 760-949-6334 or fathercruz@verizon.net.
     QUAIL UNLIMITED (ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER): The Orange County Chapter of Quail Unlimited meets 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the Izaak Walton League Clubhouse (located at the entrance to Riverview Golf Course) in Santa Ana. Contact Craig Riedel at 714-282-1194 or criedel@mflex.com.
     QUAIL UNLIMITED (RIVERSIDE CHAPTER): The Riverside Chapter of Quail Unlimited meets 7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at Prado Olympic Shooting Park, 17501 Pomona Rincon Road, Chino (one block west of Euclid, just off the 71 freeway). Contact Ron Gibbons at 909-902-9814 or gibbent@gte.net. Web site: www.quriverside.com.
     QUAIL UNLIMITED (SAN DIEGO CHAPTER): The San Diego Chapter of Quail Unlimited meets 6:30 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at DFG Headquarters at 4949 Viewridge Rd., San Diego. Contact David Preddy at davidpreddy@cox.net or visit www.sdqu.org.
     QUAIL UNLIMITED (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY CHAPTER): The San Gabriel Valley Chapter of Quail Unlimited meets 6 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at Triple B Clays in El Monte. Contact Tim Bovard at 866-206-9070, ext. 6715 or sgvqu@onebox.com.
     REDONDO ROD & GUN CLUB: The Redondo Rod & Gun Club meets 8 p.m. every Thursday of every month at its own clubhouse. The club has promoted hunting, fishing, sport shooting and the outdoors since 1948. The clubhouse is located at 2023 Vanderbilt Lane, Redondo Beach. Contact 310-379-7772.
     RIVERSIDE VARMINT CALLERS: The Riverside Varmint Callers meet 7 p.m. the last Saturday of each month at Flo's Country Kitchen, Riverside. Contact Lance Cochrane at 909-919-4309 or Ray Gauthier at 951-785-4986. Web site:www.californiavarmintcallers.com/chapters.html/.
     SAN DIEGO SPORTING DOG CLUB: The San Diego Sporting Dog Club meets 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at the Animal Medical Center, 600 Broadway, El Cajon. Contact Steve Sarmiento at 619-659-9393 or sssarmi@sbcglobal.net.
     SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VARMINT CALLERS ASSOCIATION: The Southern California Varmint Callers Association meets 8 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month at the Denny's Restaurant at Pioneer Blvd and Imperial Highway in Norwalk. Contact Granville Crow at 310-548-6221 or crowshot1@cox.net or Skip Gildner at 562-900-9020 or mtnhigh5@excite.com.
     TEMPLE CITY SPORTSMEN: The Temple City Sportsmen meet the first Thursday of each month at the Temple City Civic Center in Temple City. Contact Jim White at 626-201-7782 or TCSPresident2006@yahoo.com. The club’s web site is www.tcsportsmen.org.
     TURNER'S OUTDOORSMAN ROD AND REEL CLUB: The Turner's Outdoorsman Rod and Reel Club meets 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at Marie Calendar’s Restaurant, 2300 Foothill, Pasadena. Contact Richard Crowe at 626-960-9610.