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NOT-SO-GOOD BILLS

NOT-SO-GOOD BILLS: Dog owners, especially hunting dog owners, are under assault in the state legislature, with three bad bills pending. SB 250 would mandate spaying or neutering of your dog with very limited exceptions. It would basically eliminate many breeders who take proven field performers and breed them. I got my latest Labrador from such a breeder, and if this bill has passed two years ago, Duke wouldn’t have been born. It’s a bad bill but it passed the state Senate and is now in the House. Well intentioned (it wants to halt puppy mills), the authors haven’t figured out a way to protect those of us who are legitimate and concerned breeders of specialty dogs. And apparently they don’t care. AB 241, also supposedly after puppy mills, would limit how many dogs you can own at one time. It would put out of business many small kennels and trainers breeding specialty dogs, especially hunting breeds. It’s just more bad legislation. Last, AB 1122 would prohibit the sale of dogs in public places. Doesn’t sound bad on the surface, but it would make it illegal for you or I to get a hunting dog at a field trial, performance event (dog show), or sportsmen’s show or fundraiser. All three are marching through the legislature.

Sun Jun 21 2009, 07:20PM by TC
Posted in JIM MATTHEWS | |        

DUCK STAMP PRICES COULD GO UP

     DUCK STAMP PRICES COULD GO UP: Legislation introduced by John Dingell of Michigan and Robert Wittman of Virginia would jack up the cost of the federal duck stamp from $15 to $25 for the 2010-11 hunting season, and then jump to $35 in 2020 if passed. It has been 18 years since there was an increased in stamp fees. According to Dingell's office, a $15 duck stamp in 1991 (the first year at that price) would be just shy of the proposed $25 if adjusted for inflation. with inflation added to the $15 stamp since 1991, the price now would be just shy of the proposed $25.... A CORRECTION ON AB 962: In last week's newspaper column on AB 962, it was reported the bill would limit ammunition sales to 50 round per month. It would not limit individual sales. That was a component of previous piece of legislation. AB 962 would still create registry of gun owners and mandate that you be thumbprinted each time you buy ammunition. It's horrible legislation that does nothing to fight crime and only discriminates again legal gun owners.

Thu Jun 11 2009, 01:16PM by TC
Posted in Waterfoul | |        

Pure European Boar hunts

We just wanted everyone to know that the hunting season at Cedar Canyon Ranch is going well with some nice tuskers being taken . The hogs are well fured right now with five inch long hair and wooly undercoats. Come on out and Joing us, click Cedar Canyon now and book.
Submitted by killerbill

Thu Jun 11 2009, 10:45AM by TC
Posted in Hog Hunter | |        

This bad penny just won't go away: AB962 would ban most ammunition sales

     After being placed in the suspense file, and everyone thinking it was dead, Aseembly Bill 962 is moving through the state legislature again. It passed the state assembly Wednesday and now moves to the state senate. How it got this far is a mystery.

     In case you've forgotten, Los Angeles assemblyman Kevin DeLeon's bill would:

     1) Stop the sale of more than 50 rounds of handgun ammunition per month to individuals.

     Since "handgun" ammunition is not defined anywhere in the bill, it effectively means "all" ammunition, since you can buy handguns in just about any metallic cartridge today. It would also include rimfire cartridges, which are routinely sold in 100-round packs, and are used in many handguns.

     How can state government tell me I can only buy and shoot 50 rounds of ammunition per month to be competent with my handgun (or any gun)? The part of the law would effectively ban competitive shooting by civilians, if the law was followed to the letter. It would make those who live in dangerous neighborhoods less safe because gun owners would be less practiced, less trained.

     How limiting how much ammunition we buy is supposed to do anything to help prevent crimes or help solve crimes is a complete mystery to anyone who has seriously examined this legislation.

     2) It would license and tax anyone selling handgun ammunition commercially and force these stores to get background checks on anyone selling that ammunition.

     This would make it more expensive to operate a firearms business in California, already one
of the most expensive and highly-regulated businesses in the state. How does this help prevent or solve crimes? It doesn't, of course.

     3) It would require ammunition sellers to get a thumbprint from anyone buying handgun ammunition, and mandate store owners keep these records for five years.

     The bill would force store owners to keep track of their customers so they know if John Doe has bought or tried to buy more than 50 rounds in any given month. (There are no provisions, however, for anyone to know if John Doe bought 50 rounds from a business across town earlier yesterday.) First, imagine the paperwork nightmare this creates for these businesses. Second, it has been proven that even if law enforcement knows someone purchased a box of ammunition does nothing to help solve a crime. Zip. This is just another harassment of gun owners and legal gun sellers. Plus there's the law enforcement oversight, adding more bureaucratic costs to a state that is going bankrupt, and wasting law enforcement's time and money with an effort that won't help them. This is a really bright thing. Don't you think?

     4) It would ban all ammunition sales that don't take place face-to-face, effectively banning all mail-order sales.

     If this was the only provision of the bill, it might be supported by local gun retailers because it would mean they wouldn't have to compete with mail order businesses that provide a lot of us with ammunition cheaper and offer more selection than the local gun shops. This is restraint of trade, but worse, it would effectively put out of business several local business who custom load ammunition for hunters. Custom Cartridge in Santa Barbara is one of the few companies that will load non-lead bullets into just about any hunting round to make it legal for use in California's condor hunting zone. They'd be forced out of business by this bill.

     The bill was supposedly amended recently, but the only real change I could find in the legislation was the name. This horribly prejudical legislation is now called: PROTECTION Act of 2009: Providing Regulation and Oversight
To End Community Terrorism In Our Neighborhoods.

     Isn't that clever? Never mind that it has nothing to do with making our neighborhoods safer.

     It has everything to do with a bias against legal gun ownership and those who legally sell guns and ammunition. This is legislated discrimination. It is about a legislator who doesn't have the courage to introduce legislation to ban handguns. That's what he wants, but he realizes that even in his liberal Los Angeles district that stand would get him kicked out of office in the next election. This is his way to get at gun owners and sellers by making their lives more difficult and expensive.

     Unfortunately, it's time to call your state Senate members and ask them to jettison this bill once and for all.

Sat Jun 06 2009, 01:09PM by TC
Posted in Guns | |        

Veteran Duck Stamp Artist Wins California Duck Stamp Competition

An Indiana artist has won the 2009 California Duck Stamp Contest, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced.

Jeffrey Klinefelter's painting of a pair of northern shovelers was selected by a panel of wildlife experts at an open judging event held at the California Museum in Sacramento on May 27. Klinefelter's winning design will appear on the 2009-10 California duck stamp, which will be available to the public in August.

The winning painting depicts a pair of shovelers wading in a pond against the backdrop of a golden sky. According to the judges, the vibrant colors in the background gave it an edge over the other contenders. It beat the second place winner by only one point. 

Klinefelter, who resides in Etna Green, Ind., has previously won 20 state duck stamp competitions in other states. This will be the first time his work has been featured on a California duck stamp. Klinefelter was not present at the judging but was notified of his win by telephone shortly after the judges' decision.

This event, which drew 18 entries from 10 states, marked the first time in nearly 15 years that the state's duck stamp image was selected through a contest. Since 1995 the California duck stamp art has been commissioned or awarded through a contract.

A duck stamp is required for hunting waterfowl in California. The money generated from stamp sales can only be spent on waterfowl-related conservation projects. Since it began in 1971, the California duck stamp program has raised more than $22 million. It is also the first, and oldest, state duck stamp program in the country.

DFG sells about 70,000 duck stamps annually, which includes sales to collectors who value them for their artist depiction of native ducks and geese. In addition to duck stamps, DFG typically issues signed limited edition prints that are valued by art collectors.

This year's contest rules required that the species depicted be a northern shoveler, the waterfowl species chosen by the Fish and Game Commission for the 2009-10 duck stamp. Entries were judged for originality, artistic composition, anatomical accuracy and suitability for reproduction as a stamp and print.

The top four entries will be on display in July at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association's art show in Sacramento. All of the contest entries can be viewed on the DFG Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/about/duckstamp.

Mon Jun 01 2009, 06:44PM by TC
Posted in Waterfoul | |        

DFG Announces 2009 Waterfowl Population Estimates

 A 2009 Department of Fish and Game (DFG) waterfowl survey indicates that the number of mallards statewide remains steady, but the overall duck population has declined.  

Conducted by DFG in late April and early May, the Waterfowl Breeding Survey estimates that there are 510,800 ducks of all species in the state. This is an eight percent decrease from 2008, when DFG found 554,300 ducks. Mallards, the most abundant duck in the survey, remain essentially unchanged in number - DFG found 302,000 mallards this year, up only slightly from the 297,100 found in 2008. However, the number of mallards is currently 18 percent below the long-term average for this species. 

"Preliminary age ratios in the mallard harvest indicated poor production in 2008," said Shaun Oldenburger, a wildlife biologist with DFG's Waterfowl Program. "We expect better waterfowl production this year, due to increased late spring precipitation that improved habitat conditions in some areas." 

The DFG survey covered the majority of the suitable waterfowl nesting habitat in the state, including wetland and agricultural habitats in northeastern California, the Central Valley from Red Bluff to Bakersfield, and the Suisun and Napa-Sonoma marshes. Since 1955, DFG has conducted this survey with a fixed-wing aircraft; California Waterfowl, a cooperative partner, provides assistance by surveying a sample of transects by helicopter.

Currently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is conducting its own breeding population surveys throughout Alaska, the north-central United States and Canada, all of which are primary breeding grounds for California's wintering duck population. This data, along with the waterfowl population estimates from DFG and other states, is used by USFWS in setting regulation frameworks for outside dates, maximum season lengths and maximum bag limits in the Pacific Flyway.

The USFWS frameworks will be considered by the Fish and Game Commission when setting California waterfowl hunting regulations in August.

Thu May 28 2009, 04:03PM by TC
Posted in Waterfoul | |        

Cavalletto Outdoors

Cavalletto Outdoors has been in operation and providing professional guide services for over eight years. Our big game hunts take place on our family owned ranches in California and Northeastern Oregon. We take pride in our operation and the fact that 94% of our clients come back each year, beginning with our very first clients.

Oregon's big game hunting may well be one of the best kept secrets in the United States, with the second largest elk herd in America numbering over an estimated 125,000 animals (second only to Colorado), the state's mule deer population on the increase with numbers estimated at over 250,000 animals.

On our family's California ranch, we offer excellent wild pig hunting. Our rifle hunts are fully guided and we guarantee you an opportunity at a pig. Wild pig hunting season runs for 365 days a year. We use a 4x4 vehicle to get around on the ranch. We also hike to spot and stalk game. No dogs are used.

The owner, Craig Cavalletto, believes that his hunters' needs and comforts are a major priority. We obey all game laws and hunt only under "fair chase". Our ranches are equipped with primitive cabins and tent camps. We want to assure you that we will work hard to make your hunting experience and vacation one you will remember for a lifetime.

Our GOAL is to provide you with a HIGH QUALITY, ENJOYABLE, AND SUCCESSFUL HUNTING ADVENTURE AT THE LOWEST POSSIBLE COST.

We guarantee an honest 100% effort in providing you that shooting opportunity.

Thu May 28 2009, 01:11PM by TC
Posted in Hog Hunter | |        

Fire restriction in effect in desert and along Colorado River for holiday weekend

     Campers and fishermen heading to the Colorado River and area deserts this holiday weekend should note that fire restrictions are in effect on all Bureau of Land Management lands in this region.
     Stage I restrictions require a permit for all campfires and charcoal barbecues, and permits are available from all BLM field offices, fire/ranger stations and patrol personnel. Stage I restrictions are in effect on BLM lands north and east of the Angeles, San Bernardino and Cleveland National Forests.
     Stage II Fire Restrictions prohibit campfires and barbecues outside of developed recreation sites, with only controlled-flame (propane stoves and lanterns) allowed under a permit. Stage II restrictions are in effect in more urbanized regions south and west of the National Forests and all along the Colorado River.
     "We were told not even to sell charcoal," said Robert Pierce of Walter's Camp on the Colorado River south of Palo Verde. "The BLM ranger said he wasn't going to issue warnings because the fire danger is so great."

     A person violating the restrictions can be fined up to $1,000 and spend up to 12 months in jail, especially if you start a wildlife, and you'd also be liable for the cost of damages and suppression of the wildfire.

     For more information or to obtain a permit contact the BLM's California Desert District Office in Moreno Valley, call 951-697-5220, or local call local field offices in Barstow at 760-252-6000, El Centro at 760-337-4400, Needles at 760-326-7000, Palm Springs at 760-833-7100, or Ridgecrest at 760-384-5400.

Thu May 21 2009, 06:46PM by TC
Posted in JIM MATTHEWS | |        

D17 deer tags sell out before drawing again

     The popular D17 desert deer hunting zone saw its 500-tag quota filled May 15 with first-come, first-serve tag sales, but the Department of Fish and Game regulation booklet said these tags would be part of the premium deer tag drawing for 2009, assuring all first-choice applicants would have an equal shot at these tags. But only those who rushed to get their tag applications into the DFG will have these tags for this hunting season.

     After promising deer hunters that first-come, first-serve zones would be placed in the tag drawing if their tag quotas filled before the annual drawings, the Fish and Game Commission failed to adopt the regulation that would have facilitated this change. But by then, the application booklet had already been published, and many hunters who didn't hear about the change are going to be upset they were denied an opportunity to get a D17 tag.

     The Department of Fish and Game announced the regulation change had not taken place in a May 14 press release, and the D17 zone filled the next day when the last of its quota was sold out. This is the third year in a row that D17 sold out before the June 2 application deadline for drawing tags.
     Both D12 and the C zone tag quotas were also expected to fill before the drawing by hunters requesting first-come, first-serve tags. Both of these zones' tags were also supposed to be issued in the premium tag drawing this year. 

     As of Thursday, there were just 234 tags still available out of the 950-tag quota for D12, and 4,904 tags were still available out of the 8,575-tag quota for the C zones. Last year, D12 sold out before the drawing, and the few C-zone tags remaining after first-come, first-serve sales were issued in the drawing.

     Hunters who want tags for either of these two zones should get a tag application and return it immediately. The D12 tags have been selling at a clip of about 60 per day, and this zone will likely fill with tag applications that arrive in Monday's mail at the DFG. The C zone tags may not sell out before the drawing, but it is unlikely that hunters who put the C zone as a second choice will get a tag in the drawing, which was once common.

     The deadline to apply for premium deer, elk, pronghorn, or bighorn sheep tags is June 2 this year. Hunters must have their applications at the DFG License and Revenue Branch in Sacramento by 5 p.m. that day. Drawing results will be available by phone and online on June 24. Hunters can check the availability of first-come, first-serve or left-over deer tags at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/biggame/deertagsavailable.html.

     While mucking up the tag process for D17, D12, and the C zones, the FGC did adopt a change that reclassified several deer hunts whose tag quotas never sell out. These zones are now classified as "unrestricted," meaning all tags can be purchased immediately with a first or second deer tag application. The reclassification applies to 13 different D zones, including all Southern California zones except those in the desert, and six archery-only deer hunts. In the past, second deer tag applications would not be filled until the first Monday in August.

     Applications to apply for pronghorn, elk, and bighorn sheep are $7.50 each this year. Deer tag applications for California residents are $27.55 for the first tag, and $34.40 for the second tag.

Thu May 21 2009, 06:45PM by TC
Posted in Big Game | |        

Deadline: All big game drawing applications

Deadline: All big game drawing applications must be received at the Department of Fish and Game's License and Revenue Branch, 1740 N.

Market Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95834, by 5 p.m. Information about the drawing and hunting regulations are in the 2009 California Hunting Digest - Big Game, available on the Web at www.dfg.ca.gov/publications/digest/. It is also available - free - at all DFG license sales offices and most independent license agents, listed at http://dfginternal5.dfg.ca.gov/lasweb/. The applications to apply for antelope, elk and bighorn sheep hunts are located inside the Digest; the application fee is $7.50 each. Deer tag applications for California residents are $27.55 for the first tag and $34.40 for the second tag, and are available through DFG license sales offices and independent license agents. On June 24, drawing results will be available online at www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing or by telephone at DFG license sales offices www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/officelocation.html. For more information, please contact your nearest DFG license sales office.

Thu May 21 2009, 12:02PM by TC
Posted in Big Game | |        

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We have discounted hunt good thru the end of July.[more ...]
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The hunting has been great we are doing a late spr[more ...]
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hows the quail hatch looking??
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From my son Cory's youth waterfowl hunt this past [more ...]
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the mountains are nice and green and temps have be[more ...]
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These special hunts are provided by the California[more ...]
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