Hunting Articles

Hunters have a lot to look forward to this fall when the California waterfowl season opens. The season opens Saturday, Oct. 7 in the Northeastern California Zone and on Saturday, Oct. 21 in most other zones. “Habitat conditions look good in most areas and the majority of waterfowl populations continue to be at all-time highs,” said Melanie Weaver, Waterfowl Program Leader...
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California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) biologists are expecting a very good quail hunting season when the general seasons open, thanks to rebounding populations that benefitted from California’s wet fall and winter in 2016. California’s prolonged drought reduced quail populations statewide. Biologists found overall declines of 33 percent for mountain quail, 29 percent for California quail and 17 percent for...
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For a long time I’ve been thinking about the so called good-old-days with regard to deer hunting in this state. I started hunting deer in the dark ages of the 1950s when the entire state was open to anyone with a tag and there were lots more deer to hunt. Really. Since the 1970s herds have diminished a lot, and...
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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) named Sonoma County husband and wife Tom and Sharon Henderson as 2017 Hunter Education Instructors of the Year. This is the first time the honor has been awarded to two instructors. “The Hendersons are an amazing team who have dedicated so much to the Hunter Education Program. It would have been impossible not...
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ODFW has launched a new online Coyote and Gray Wolf ID Quiz to help people differentiate between wolves and coyotes. Find the online quiz at http://bit.ly/2x56uoU  or at the ODFW Wolves website. The quiz uses actual photos of various wolves and coyotes of various ages to test user’s knowledge, and gives tips on how to tell wolves from coyotes. For example, coyotes...
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Expect more of the same this year in the southern Cascades, according to ODFW’s Mark Vargas in Medford. Winter was “harsh” but it didn’t affect elk. The October snow storms didn’t increase the harvest, either, despite deer hunters taking advantage. The Butcher Shop in Eagle Point was inundated with over 200 deer, but few elk. Elk harvest was steady, but...
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