California Hunters

[Dirk J]

I am taking magazine production for my major at school and I need some stats on how many California hunters leave California because of the laws on hunters. Also I read I think on JHP that on one of the islands they were spending 2.1 milion dollars to kill hogs because the little @#$# were eating the protected plants. Any iformation were be greatly apprieciated.

Dirk

 

[Freedivr2]

OK, I'll be the messenger here........

I would seriously doubt if there were more than a handful, if that, of people who would up and leave this state because of their hunting laws. That said, I do know of a couple, my in-laws, who left this state because of the vast number of C.S. laws on the books. California, by far, is the state with more C.S. laws than any other state I know of. I'm just stickin it out here myself until my kids are all set and I'm in retirement land (about 10 yrs from now). Lived here all my life and love everything but the stupid, stupid laws and weak "representatives" that we have. Pitiful......

 

[HKE]

DirkJ, It was Santa Cruz Island, that was being "overtaken" by wild pigs. They( DFG) had a lottery drawing last year to the "Public" to go out and hunt them. Seems only outdoor writers and friends of the DFG were drawn.You could bring your hunting gear and a 60 qt ? icechest to bring home the meat. I read a story in CA BigGame Hunting Magazine, and the author brought home like 4 pigs in his. And all were near 200 lb hogs. Must of been a magic ice chest. I killed a 195 lber last year and it took up most of my 105 qt ice chest. I understand boning out would take less space but come on 4 hogs. A very "fishy" public hunt.

 

[Speckmisser]

Dirk,

First off, you'll get a pretty limited response to this query here (except as per the Santa Cruz Island hunts). If you'd like, I can push this topic into the hot issues forum, where you'll probably get a few more responses. That's probably the more appropriate place for it anyway.

In the meantime, here's my take...

I've heard quite a few complaints, of course, but no one I know has left or is leaving due to the hunting regulations or even the firearms laws.

Personally, I don't think the hunting regulations in CA are bad at all, although it's a fine line when regulations (think mountain lion, bears, hound hunts, and dove hunts) are at risk due to politics vs. science. There are an awful lot of people wanting to hunt a relatively small amount of quality ground, but that's the case in lots of states.

If anything, the handful of folks I know who bolted left due to the insane cost of living, and because the entrepreneurs I know can't afford to start/run a business in this state.

As to the Santa Cruz Island hunts, do a search in this forum and you'll find more than you ever wanted to read about them... both arguments and discussion about what's happening there, AND some pretty good hunting reports from a couple of the guys who made the trip from this list.

 

[SDHNTR]

I think this is the first time I have actually defended the DFG. To their credit the Santa Cruz hunt was very well run. I know, I was there. There was nothing "fishy" about it. Yes there were not a lot of spots to be filled but the allegations that only DFG friends and outdoor writers got drawn just isn't true. The other guys hunting when I was there were just your average Joe California hunter. Even several of the DFG staff that were there stated that they applied for the hunt and were denied just like most folks who applied. The DFG was extremely frustrated that they could only run such a small number of sport hunts on the island before the comercial irradication program began. The island is controlled by the Nature Conservancy, not the DFG. The DFG and the hunters there were purely guests of the Nature Conservancy. The DFG would have loved to have more hunts for the public but that just wasn't an option. As it was, Doug Updike of the DFG worked dilligently for years just to offer this small opportunity for the hunters of CA. I can easily see how a conspiracy theory could arise from this very limited hunt but let me assure you, there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. The DFG staff that I had contact with were great guys who were hunters themselves. I'd be happy to share a field with any of them.

About the gear limitatons you are right. 50lbs of gear total. Including clothes, camping gear, rifle, hunting supplies, food, and cooler. It was tough to figure out what was actually a necessity. There were 2 planes going over and three coming back to handle the extra weight of the meat. I don't believe any stories of many 200 lb pigs on that island. There a just too many of them and not enough food to get that big. There may be very few that are close to that big but that is nowhere near the average. There may have been some big boys years ago when a sport hunting concession on the island kept the population in check, but not in recent years. I shot one that was 140 lbs and that was the biggest killed on that hunt. The average was probably 90 lbs. Boned out I easily fit 4 hogs into my 60 qt cooler. I could have fit one more large hog or two smaller ones if I needed to. This was not wasting anything either. The DFG combed through the cleaning areas and checked carcasses to make sure there was no "wanton waste." Overall, it was the most memorable hunting experience I have ever had. My story and pictures are posted on this forum somewhere.

The whole purpose of this hunt was not at all because the hogs were eating some plant. The reason is because the piglets are a food source that attract eagles. The eagles will also, when the opportunity presents itself, eat the island kit fox. This is the endangered animal the Nature Conservancy was trying to protect. Their logic was thus, remove the pigs, this removes (or reduces) the eagles, and the kit fox can then flourish. I agree its a stretch, and by no means do I support the NC'c efforts of commercial irradication. They are obviously not too bright. Instead of spending millions of dollars to get rid of the things, they could be making money on sport hunters like you and me who would pay to hunt the island. The whole thing is crazy. I'll not beat a dead horse. If you search "Santa Cruz" on this forum you will find lengthy discussion and articles on the subject.

Now, back to the original question. Do people leave CA because of the ridiculus game laws. I'm sure some do. I'd like to, but I also like employment. I'll be out of here the day I retire though. But that is way off for me. I think more people leave because of things that don't necessarily have anything to do with hunting. Like high state taxes, restrictive gun laws, difficult business environments, and an overall illogical liberal mentality of our state officials. Just look at all the CA transplants in Oregon. The lame laws on fish and game surely don't help keep outdoorsmen here and this year we certainly may see some leave. With the two laws to ban hunting mammalls with hounds and banning dove hunting, this state seems to have reached an unseen level of insanity. The laws simply make no sense and have no founding in biological science. This is what frustrates hunters and I'm sure some will leave the state because of it.

Sorry for the long rant. I just didn't want the DFG getting bashed for something that was out of their control. There are plenty of other issues that are worthy of bashing the DFG.

 

[jackrabbit]

I've gone to Colorado (I live in California) for many years to hunt deer and elk. However, the hunting seasons last either five days, or a few weeks, depending on which I choose. So, I would not move there just for the hunting. CA has plenty of fishing and small game available, and about half of the state is public lands, primarily National Forests and BLM. I can hunt year around and fish year around. If a person has lived in CA all his/her life and has a decent paying job and job security/seniority there is no reason to leave until after retirement. There may be many economic and aesthetic reasons for people to leave CA (especially the heavily populated and expensive metropolitan areas), but I would be surprised if many hunters of working age would leave just because of rules and poor success ratios. As I said above, it is easier just to hunt out of state a week or two and have a higher success rate, if a person is just after the meat or just wants better odds of scoring. I live 30-45 minutes from the National Forest and can go up there daily if work allows. When I lived in Long Beach, CA, I could get to the National Forest in an hour. Access to public hunting and fishing areas has always been easy no matter where I've lived, as long as I was willing to drive anywhere from 1-3 hours. I actually enjoy multiple trips after game than a quick score and then it's over. If I don't sight deer in my area, I always see fresh sign, so I know they are in the area, and that makes the hunt exciting and challenging.