New Tule Elk Hunt

[bunkhole]

I know the area fairly well,and the proposed area to hunt is about 99% private land. The rest of it is primarily bird hunting ground. How does the Fish and Game expect this hunt to work?

 

[DFGELK]

The Department expects this hunt to work fairly well. Not all game animals are found entirely on public ground, this is no reason to not have a hunt. The hunter just has to do a little more work to contact landowners before applying to secure permission. California does have a lot of public ground but it also has a lot of private ground as well. For Tule elk private ground is going to be just about the only option for a public run hunt in the future. If not that then more ground will be put into the PLM program and this puts the hunt out of the reach of most people. Gaining permission or paying a tresspass fee will cost a lot less than a PLM tag. Granted this hunt is not for everyone but it is an additional option for many. Please give me a call if you have any questions, 916 445-9992. Many states have hunts that are entirely on private ground, it seems to work fine for them. DFG does state that there is limited public land and low chance for success, trying to let people know what the situation is. That being said each year I receive letters from a few disappointed hunters who put in for hunts where the elk are mainly found on private ground, they are mad because the elk were on private ground and a tresspass fee was required. I can only make it so clear, after that it is up to the hunter to make some phone calls ahead of time to find out the situation.

Joe

 

[snoopdogg]

Once again, thanks for the heads up.

 

[Hitechhunter]

DFGELK,

What CA elk hunt do you think is the best one going right now (chance of drawing and high quality hunt)? I know it is a generic and open question, but your opinion would be of value to me. I apply every year. (I also buy a lottery ticket every couple of months.)

 

[Glass eye]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hitechhunter @ Apr 24 2007, 09:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

DFGELK,

What CA elk hunt do you think is the best one going right now[/b]

SSSHHHH!!!!!

 

[DFGELK]

That is a very hard question to answer, because the answer will vary from person to person. Best chance of getting drawn is for a cow but if you are after antlers then that hunt will not mean anything to you. Owens Valley will have a lot of additional tags this year, but with no history for that many tags in those zones it is hard to say what the success will be (I hope it is high). Archery has the best odds of any hunt but success is variable. Grizzly Island tags are reduced this year (the harvest has been fairly high for several years and the herd is back down to a manegeable size). Fort Hunter Liggett is often over looked and is a good hunt with lots of elk. Northeastern CA has huge elk but low chance of getting drawn, the list goes on and on. Depends on what you are really looking for and that is an individual preference. Give me a call and I can give you more information in more detail about various hunts. 916 445-9992.

Joe

 

[chompot]

to hunt FHL do you need to apply for the La Panza hunt?

NM I figured it out

 

[brubo]

hunter ligget & la panza are 2 different hunts.

 

[Speckmisser]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DFGELK @ Apr 24 2007, 08:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

DFG does state that there is limited public land and low chance for success, trying to let people know what the situation is. That being said each year I receive letters from a few disappointed hunters who put in for hunts where the elk are mainly found on private ground, they are mad because the elk were on private ground and a tresspass fee was required. I can only make it so clear, after that it is up to the hunter to make some phone calls ahead of time to find out the situation.[/b]

Joe,

Please take this as constructive criticism, but what you just said isn't really made very clear in the DFG booklet. Sure, the booklets offer the statment about the availability of public landvs private , but it doesn't really offer much of any direction as to locating and accessing the private property... or if that's even an option.

When I look at zone information, whether it's deer zones or elk; and the information tells me that the zone is mostly private land, then my immediate assumption is that the private land is generally off-limits to the general public. It's either locked up in lease agreements with clubs or guides, or hunted by the landowner and their friends. As a result, I pretty much discount those zones and don't apply to hunt there. I don't think I'm unique in this.

It would be a huge benefit to hunters (whose money funds these publications as you well know) to spend a little time in the big game booklet discussing the private vs public land access issues, and potentially even offer some information for prospective hunters about how to contact landowners, and where there are tresspass fees involved. Seems to me that if a property owner stands to make some money off of tresspass or guide fees, or if they have other interests in getting hunters onto their land, they'd be amenable to listing some contact information so that hunters considering a zone would know that there's at least an opportunity to access that private land. Or maybe DFG could serve as a go-between, if the landowner is afraid of being deluged by phone calls. If the hunters don't want to pay a fee to hunt the private property, then that's a different matter, but at least they'd be able to make a more informed choice.

One of the things that is sort of strange (to me, at least) about hunting in this state is that many of us have to travel three, four, or even many more hours to hunting grounds. That distance puts a serious damper on the ability to "do homework," much less to meet and greet landowners to discuss property access. Shoot, for the most part it's a trick just to identify the landowners in those distant areas. It's a lot like hunting out of state, except of course that we don't cross state lines to do it.

Sure, this gives an edge to local hunters, and to that handful who are dedicated enough (and have the leeway in their lifestyles) to get out to these remote locations and do the footwork, or to those who can afford to hire local guides and outfitters. That's not a bad thing, I suppose... but in the interest of expanding hunting opportunities and possibly spreading out the lottery application pool, DFG could provide much more comprehensive information.

 

[Glass eye]

Speck
I can understand your concerns, but I drew a tule elk tag this last season without knowing anything about the area and Joe/ DFGELK contacted me, I didnt call him, he called me to congratulate me and inform me of my options/possibilities with landowner names and numbers. He was a great help and I'm sure he would be again with anyone who draws a tag.

 

[DFGELK]

There is only so much info that can go into two lines in the booklet. That is why I list my work phone number. I have some additional information and the unit biologist will have more. I can answer about 90% of the questions I receive. Each area is unique in the amount of contact we have with landowners and how willing they are to give out information. In all honesty we do not have the resources to contact every landowner and see if they would be willing to let people hunt, etc. I wish I had that much time to dedicate toward helping hunters, but there is a lot more involved in setting regulations than drawing a map and I can tell you the amount of paperwork is staggering. I enourage anyone who has questions to give me a call and I will do my best to answer their questions or steer them in the right direction.

Joe

 

[Hitechhunter]

I drew a Wyoming pronghorn tag a few years ago and Wyoming published a list of landowners in the unit who allowed hunting on their property (albiet with a trespass fee). I didn't feel bad calling numbers on the list because they had already signed up to be on the list. I'm not real comfortable cold calling property owners at random and asking to hunt on their property. Many landowners may be offended.

 

[hatchet1]

glass eye,great elk!! what zone did you hammer him in?
on another note,thanks for your help joe,you are one of the "few"
that seem to go the extra mile to help a brother out,i can only imagine the crap you have to deal with on a daily basis from the general public,
nobody will ever be completly satisfied im sure, but keep up the strong work!

 

[Speckmisser]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DFGELK @ Apr 26 2007, 09:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

There is only so much info that can go into two lines in the booklet. That is why I list my work phone number. I have some additional information and the unit biologist will have more. I can answer about 90% of the questions I receive. Each area is unique in the amount of contact we have with landowners and how willing they are to give out information. In all honesty we do not have the resources to contact every landowner and see if they would be willing to let people hunt, etc. I wish I had that much time to dedicate toward helping hunters, but there is a lot more involved in setting regulations than drawing a map and I can tell you the amount of paperwork is staggering. I enourage anyone who has questions to give me a call and I will do my best to answer their questions or steer them in the right direction.

Joe[/b]

Hey Joe,

Where you goin with that gun in your hand...

Oops..sorry... been wanting to write that for days.

Anyway, no need to defend what's already been done to the present. I'm just making some observations about what could be in the future.

I can fully appreciate both the fact that you're resource and budget constrained, and that it's not always as simple as adding a paragraph here or there. I deal in critical documentation on a daily basis, and I know the challenges.

It would make sense to me, though, that there be a little more info for the hunting public about what that "mostly private" notation really means, and some information about how to go about getting access to it would be awesome. A list, of course, would be ideal, but I can accept that that's not a reality at this time. However, it would go a long ways just to let folks know that, simply because the land is private doesn't necessarily mean it's off limits. A lot of guys would gladly pay a tresspass fee if they knew it was an option.

It just seems to me that, if folks knew there was a way to get onto some of that private land, then maybe some of the people that put in for the "good access to public lands" zones might try their luck at applying for some of the other areas and spread the lottery applicants out a bit. That would be great for the hunters, and might even help the management effort as well (at least for deer hunting).

Anyway, it's only a thought.

 

['Ike' @ HM]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Glass eye @ Apr 26 2007, 08:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Speck
I can understand your concerns, but I drew a tule elk tag this last season without knowing anything about the area and Joe/ DFGELK contacted me, I didnt call him, he called me to congratulate me and inform me of my options/possibilities with landowner names and numbers. He was a great help and I'm sure he would be again with anyone who draws a tag.[/b]

Glass, that's not a bow kill is it? Great bull!!!

 

[bunkhole]

Most landowners that I know in the proposed elk hunt zone would not even consider letting anyone even shoot a pig on thier property. It would be helpful to talk to to landowners that would consider letting anyone hunt an elk , even if there is a fee BEFORE we apply. I'm sure Joe from the DFG will help anyone as much as he can,but it is ultimatly up to landowners to make the call on this hunt.

 

[Glass eye]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE ('Ike' @ HM @ Apr 26 2007, 06:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Glass, that's not a bow kill is it? Great bull!!!

[/b]

Muzzleloader at 75 yards.