October 30, 2008

Commentary
Catalina: California’s unique big game

hunting experience

By JIM MATTHEWS
Outdoor News Service

AVALON -- From the highest ridges on Catalina Island you can look in all four directions and see ocean. There are little juttings of land in the distance -- San Clemente Island to the south, Santa Barbara Island to the west, and the Palos Verde Peninsula to the north with the San Gabriels sometimes visible beyond. But you quickly realize you are surrounded by water and the land under your feet feels insignificant.
     People who spend a lot of time on boats, islands, or peninsulas realize that all land is insular. Those of us who live in landlocked, dry deserts can forget that oceans dominate the earth. From Catalina’s breath-taking ridges you don’t forget, and more than once I reeled from the vertigo and feeling that I was on a postage stamp drifting on the breeze about to plummet into the blue ocean below.

     So it seems a little odd to be on a high, desert island ridge with a rifle while hunting deer in the middle of the ocean. It may be California’s most unique big game hunting experience.
     While the Catalina Island Conservancy has gone to great lengths to eliminate the feral goats, sheep, and wild hogs that once rooted up and chewed up much of the island to the detriment of the native habitat, the deer have always been a milder, albeit non-native intrusion. Most of the native plants and animals on the island are pretty much identical to those just the 25-plus miles across the channel on the mainland. Bringing deer from the mainland to the island many decades ago didn’t have the same destructive impact that cattle and the feral barnyard animals did. So the deer look and feel like they belong here, and the rural parts of the 48,000-acre island are starting to look like it must have looked before it became a big cattle ranch.
     The difference for the deer is that there are no predators on Catalina. No one considered bringing coyotes or mountain lions to the island to control big animal numbers, so the deer numbers could get out of hand -- just as the more prolific wild hogs and goats did -- if the Conservancy didn’t allow an aggressive hunting program.
     Kept low-key and out-of-sight of most Catalina visitors, the deer hunting program keeps the deer population very healthy, even with a harvest of around 400 animals a year. Ben Myhre and Jim Settle, who run Wildlife West, Inc. which is the concession that manages the hunting program for the Conservancy, work with the islands’ managers to make sure the deer population doesn’t grow so large it begins to have an impact on the native vegetation. Myhre’s and Settle’s hunters are all too glad to help.
     Sitting on a chaparral hillside glassing at first or last light, it is just like deer hunting across the channel until the binoculars catch the glint of distant whitecaps on the ocean beyond that ridge you’re glassing, and the canyons seem steeper and more deeply rutted than in the San Gabriels. But deer can make you forget that and get on with the business of collecting the winter meat supply.
     The first buck we saw was a heavy beamed buck with four antler points on his left beam, but the right beam was broken off just above the fork. He was with a smaller three-point buck. From where we were glassing, I could look down into Avalon and see specks of tourists walking along the streets. Myhre could see deer a mile away with his naked eye. There was another buck in heavy brush, one walking skylined on a ridge with a doe, and then two big bucks on a distant fire break, also with a doe. I could eventually see them with my binoculars. That was just the first evening.
     The next morning, we started seeing deer at first light. I was in camp with four other hunters, and Danny Coe of Woodland Hills was hunting with Myhre and me that morning. Coe was spotting all the bucks this day – and he was mostly seeing bucks, mature bucks. I was getting excited at the action, but Coe remained calm. He had been coming to the island every year since Mahre and Settle took over the hunting operation five years ago, and he and I had adjoining cabanas right on the beach in White’s Cove, where the hunting camp is located.
     Coe had taken his fishing boat across from the mainland and moored it in the cove right at camp. It was the most unlikely of hunting camps. If you go, bring flip-flops, shorts, and a light saltwater spinning rod. “Welcome to Margaritaville Outfitters,” I thought to myself listening to the ocean my first night in camp. I could get accustomed to this. And it helped explain why Coe was so laid back.

     The first an only deer I saw first was a buck we ended up stalking. We dropped down a long, steeply sloping ridge to get opposite the buck. As the three of us inched down the hill, it became apparent there were actually three bucks with a doe on that opposite ridge. Three-hundred yards was as close as we could close the gap, but with a backpack for a rest, Coe and I both made shots on the two bigger bucks, both older age class, mature bucks with nice mass. Coe’s had four points per side, and mine was a three-by-three with dark antlers. But it was more than four hours later when we were back at the truck with our deer. Some things about deer hunting never change.
     Catalina Island deer hunters will notice two things that are dramatically different than what they are familiar with on the mainland: they will see lots of deer and lots of mature bucks. The hunting program works diligently to keep the deer numbers in check by shooting a lot of does and young bucks. Hunts for these “management” animals is the most affordable option for hunters, costing as little as $600 for a three-day, two-night hunt where two does are taken. A cabana on a secluded island cove with food, drinks, and snacks included can cost you more than $300 a night. But you can also spend up to $3,300 for an opportunity and guide time to find one of the bigger mature deer on a four-day, three-night hunt.
     But the price of admission is as much about seeing bison strolling through your beach camp, watching an island fox silhouetted against the sunset, or seeing a bald eagle diving on fish in a cove as it is about the deer hunting.
     There’s no other hunting like this anywhere.
     For information on deer hunting at Catalina, contact Wildlife West, Inc., P.O. Box 282, Corning, CA 96021, call 530-824-4902, or e-mail Ben Myhre at bmyhre@wildlifewestinc.com. You can also visit the web site at www.wildlifewestinc.com.

OUTDOOR CALENDAR

NOVEMBER 1 BIG GAME DRINKER REPAIR: The Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep is coordinating and hosting an extensive big game drinker repair effort Saturday, Nov. 1 in the Kingston Range (north of Baker). The Right Wrong Ridge Drinker needs fencing, rain matt repair, and new plumbing. Volunteers should be in moderately good condition (the drinker is a half-mile hike in) and be willing to work at least a half-day. Bring work clothes, gloves, and hiking boots. Food will be provided Friday evening and after the work project, but volunteers should bring water and snacks. Contact Gary Thomas for more information and directions via e-mail at g.cranky@verizon.net.
NOVEMBER 1 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 2008 class date is Dec. 6. Sign-ups are taken at all Turner's Outdoorsman stores. Contact Raahauge's at 951-735-7981.
NOVEMBER 1 RANCHO CUCAMONGA HUNTER SAFETY CLASS: A one-day, 10-hour certified hunter safety class will be held at Bass Pro Shop, Rancho Cucamonga. Classes are required for all first-time California hunters before a hunting license can be purchased. These free classes are held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. the first Saturday of each month at Bass Pro and limited to 40 people. Reservations by calling Bass Pro at 909-922-5500.
NOVEMBER 1 EAST SAN DIEGO COUNTY FRIENDS OF NRA FUNDRAISER: The East San Diego County Friends of the National Rifle Association will have its fundraiser beginning 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 1 in San Diego. Tickets are $40 per person. Auction highlight: A wild turkey hunt guided by Congressman Duncan Hunter. For an event flyer, go to http://friendsofnra.org/eventdocs/California/EastCoWeb.jpg Contact: Ronnie Smith at 619-562-3629 or via e-mail at rsnsd@cox.net
NOVEMBER 1-2 VENTURA GUN SHOW: The McMann’s Roadrunner Gun Show will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at Seaside Park, Ventura. Admission is $9. Information, directions, and $1 off coupons available at www.mcmannsroadrunner.com.
NOVEMBER 15-16 GLENDALE GUN SHOW: The Glendale Gun Show will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, at the Glendale Civic Auditorium, Glendale. Admission is $9. The next Glendale gun show will be March 7-8, 2009, Aug. 8-9, 2009, and Nov. 21-22, 2009 Information, directions, and $1 off coupons available at www.glendalegunshow.com.
NOVEMBER 22-23 REDLANDS WILDLIFE ART FESTIVAL: The 26th Annual Wildlife Art Festival will be held Nov. 22-23 at the San Bernardino County Museum, 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands. This event features the top 100 entries in this year’s federal duck stamp art competition along with exhibits from over two dozens prominent wildlife artists. Admission and parking are free. Information at www.sbcountymuseum.org or by calling 909-307-2669.
NOVEMBER 22-23 BAKERSFIELD GUN SHOW: The Central Coast Gun Shows Bakersfield event will be held Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22-23 at the Kern County Fairgrounds, Bakersfield. The 2008 dates for the Bakersfield gun shows include Jan. 5-6, April 5-6, June 21-22, Aug. 30-31, and Nov. 22-23. Information at www.centralcoastgunshows.com or call 805-481-6726.
DECEMBER 6 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 2009 class date schedule has not be set yet. Sign-ups are taken at all Turner's Outdoorsman stores. Contact Raahauge's at 951-735-7981.
DECEMBER 6-7 CONCEALED CARRY WEAPON COURSE: A 16-hour California Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) course is being offered by Firearms Training Associates at Mike Raahauge's Shooting Enterprises this Saturday and Sunday. Cost is $180 per person. This course meets the state requirement for 16 hours of training to qualify for a CCW (not valid in San Bernardino County). This is the final date for 2008 classes. Contact FTA at 714-701-9918 or 877-544-4867 for information about this class of the 2009 schedule. The web site is www.ftatv.com.
DECEMBER 20 CALIFORNIA WATERFOWL IMPERIAL VALLEY FUND-RAISER: The Imperial Valley Chapter of the California Waterfowl Association will have its mid-season fund-raising dinner banquet beginning 5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. at the St. Patricks’s Community Center, 133 E. Church, Calipatria. Dinner tickets are $55 per person, $80 a couple. Contacts: Frank Bailey at 760-359-0200 or Keith Cowell at 760-455-8990. Web site: www.calwaterfowl.org.

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 Thursday 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 (HIGH DESERT CHAPTER): The High Desert Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation meets 6:30 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at the Apple Valley Gun Club, 16699 Stoddard Wells Rd., Victorville. Contact Dave Recce at 760-956-7092 or Dave Halbrook at 760-553-2794.
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.
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.

[Want your event or club listed here? Send the information to Jim Matthews, Outdoor News Service, P.O. Box 9007, San Bernardino, CA 92427-0007 or e-mail it to odwriter@charter.net. Following the style used above for events and clubs makes our life easier and increases the likelihood of it being included here.]

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The deer on Catalina Island are the same animals that occur in the local mainland coastal mountains. This pair includes a nice, mature three-point buck and the doe he was following during the rut.
 

There are big bucks on the ridges just above the resort town of Avalon. Through binoculars you can see deer and tourists in the same view, but hunting is not allowed close to the city.
 

From the high ridges on the island, you can see ocean in all directions. Here the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Orange County are visible in the background while Ben Myhre looks for deer.
 

When the ocean isn't in view, Catalina Island deer hunting is just like everywhere else: You cover ground and glass for deer out feeding or chasing does during the rut.

Danny Coe (right) of Woodland Hills and Ben Myhre of Wildlife West, Inc., the hunting managers on Catalina, show off Coe's nice four-by-four buck taken Oct. 27, 2008. Coe made a nice shot with a vintage 8x56 Mannlicher-Schoenauer rifle and Hensoldt scope.

The "camp" for the deer hunting operation is right on the beach at White's Landing. Some hunting camp: Welcome to Margaritaville Outfitters. There's nothing else like it in the world of big game hunting.

And then a bison will wander through camp or stroll past while you are glassing for deer on the steep hillsides. It's a little other worldly.

The deer hunting is not easy. The hillsides are steep, the canyons are deep, there is cactus everywhere, and the deer are skittish. But the hunting is also very good.

In the mornings, you will be serenaded by the calling of valley quail all over the island, and you might just see one of the birds' only predators, an island fox.

What you will remember from you Catalina Island hunt are the great views, sitting glassing for deer above the fog, how the air is 15 degrees cooler right on the beach than just 10 minutes up a ridge. You will want to come back.

If you are lucky, you might get a buck like this nice 18-inch wide, three-by-three shot by Jim Matthews on Oct. 27, 2008. It took us four hours to get the buck out of the canyon where he was shot. That might be the only part of my Catalina trip I'd like to forget.