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Traditional method seems to work fine
California's deer population has decreased since the 1960s.
December 19, 2002
By JOEL HOOD, Modesto BEE STAFF WRITER
Twice each year, first in April and then again in mid-December, Department of Fish and Game officials, wildlife researchers, conservationists, forestry experts and hunters gather in a small, rustic cabin at Jawbone station in the Stanislaus National Forest to take stock of the deer population in the Central Valley.
Amenities are sparse and the task of finding and cataloging deer can be exhausting. Representatives from each group will split up and search the mountain ridges in northern and eastern Tuolumne County for "undisturbed" herds of deer, those deer that group naturally to feed or socialize.
The morning search parties can be bitterly cold. The evening spotlight hunts can be tiresome and dangerous.
But twice a year the people come to count deer because the search allows outdoor enthusiasts and wildlife lovers to work in some of the most strikingly beautiful office space in the country. And because it reminds many of them why they got into the business to begin with -- to protect California's wildlife.
"The process we use to catalog these deer is very traditional," said Holman King, a Denair resident and DFG biologist who oversees the deer count in Tuolumne County and Yosemite. "It's been done this way in Tuolumne County since 1953. In Stanislaus since 1963 and Yosemite since 1966. So, there's some history there.
"There are no telephones, no e-mail, no faxes. We just sit in a cabin and share stories."
The deer population in California has steadily declined since the boom period in the 1960s and data gathered in the Central Valley reflects it.
In the Tuolumne deer herd region located on Jawbone Ridge west of Cherry Lake, last week's deer count revealed 259 deer, a breakdown of 58 bucks, 137 does and 64 fawns.
By no means is that the total mule deer population in that area, it's merely a sample size. What the group is most concerned with is the ratio of bucks and fawns to does. That will tell DFG biologists what direction the deer population is heading and, in turn, how strict or how loose the deer hunting regulations will be next season.
A high buck and fawn ratio indicates the deer population is on the rise. The greater the population, the more opportunity there is for deer hunters each fall.
The December 2002 ratio of 42 bucks and 47 fawns for every 100 does in the Tuolumne deer herd region is slightly lower than it was last December. But the ratio is still solid, King said.
"Forty-two bucks (per 100 does) is excellent, but it's about what we expected," King said. "We didn't kill as many deer last year as we could have, mostly due to bad weather. So we expected a pretty good number."
Of greater concern is the decrease in the total number of deer. In 1978-79, about the time King first began deer counting, the December count revealed 461 deer and the April count, traditionally the larger of the two, 640. The following year, there were 504 deer cataloged in the fall and 638 in the spring.
Why the drop-off in deer? There are a number of factors, King said.
The biggest is a change of habitat. Young trees that deer favor for snacking have grown and become old trees.
Other factors include an increase in traffic and people in areas deer used to keep to themselves, and rising numbers of mountain lions, which are off-limits to hunters in California.
"It's been a combination of things that have just not been favorable for deer," King said. "We've seen the numbers declining, it's shown in the sample sizes and in the number of those killed (each deer season)."
Weather permitting, King's group is hoping to search three deer herd regions by the end of the month. After completing the Tuolumne area search last week, the group has moved on to the Stanislaus area, which is located north of Twain Harte in the Stanislaus National Forest. Then it's on to the Yosemite deer herd area located between the town of Groveland and the Tuolumne and Merced rivers.
But the storm that has hit Northern California hard this month has made traversing the thin, forest roads almost impossible. King said it's likely the fall count will not be completed until after Jan. 1.
"We're just waiting for the weather to give us a break," King said. "That's the only thing that can spoil this trip."
Joel Hood's hunting and fishing column appears Thursdays. He can be reached at 578-2300 or jhood@modbee.com.
California's deer population has decreased since the 1960s.
December 19, 2002
By JOEL HOOD, Modesto BEE STAFF WRITER
Twice each year, first in April and then again in mid-December, Department of Fish and Game officials, wildlife researchers, conservationists, forestry experts and hunters gather in a small, rustic cabin at Jawbone station in the Stanislaus National Forest to take stock of the deer population in the Central Valley.
Amenities are sparse and the task of finding and cataloging deer can be exhausting. Representatives from each group will split up and search the mountain ridges in northern and eastern Tuolumne County for "undisturbed" herds of deer, those deer that group naturally to feed or socialize.
The morning search parties can be bitterly cold. The evening spotlight hunts can be tiresome and dangerous.
But twice a year the people come to count deer because the search allows outdoor enthusiasts and wildlife lovers to work in some of the most strikingly beautiful office space in the country. And because it reminds many of them why they got into the business to begin with -- to protect California's wildlife.
"The process we use to catalog these deer is very traditional," said Holman King, a Denair resident and DFG biologist who oversees the deer count in Tuolumne County and Yosemite. "It's been done this way in Tuolumne County since 1953. In Stanislaus since 1963 and Yosemite since 1966. So, there's some history there.
"There are no telephones, no e-mail, no faxes. We just sit in a cabin and share stories."
The deer population in California has steadily declined since the boom period in the 1960s and data gathered in the Central Valley reflects it.
In the Tuolumne deer herd region located on Jawbone Ridge west of Cherry Lake, last week's deer count revealed 259 deer, a breakdown of 58 bucks, 137 does and 64 fawns.
By no means is that the total mule deer population in that area, it's merely a sample size. What the group is most concerned with is the ratio of bucks and fawns to does. That will tell DFG biologists what direction the deer population is heading and, in turn, how strict or how loose the deer hunting regulations will be next season.
A high buck and fawn ratio indicates the deer population is on the rise. The greater the population, the more opportunity there is for deer hunters each fall.
The December 2002 ratio of 42 bucks and 47 fawns for every 100 does in the Tuolumne deer herd region is slightly lower than it was last December. But the ratio is still solid, King said.
"Forty-two bucks (per 100 does) is excellent, but it's about what we expected," King said. "We didn't kill as many deer last year as we could have, mostly due to bad weather. So we expected a pretty good number."
Of greater concern is the decrease in the total number of deer. In 1978-79, about the time King first began deer counting, the December count revealed 461 deer and the April count, traditionally the larger of the two, 640. The following year, there were 504 deer cataloged in the fall and 638 in the spring.
Why the drop-off in deer? There are a number of factors, King said.
The biggest is a change of habitat. Young trees that deer favor for snacking have grown and become old trees.
Other factors include an increase in traffic and people in areas deer used to keep to themselves, and rising numbers of mountain lions, which are off-limits to hunters in California.
"It's been a combination of things that have just not been favorable for deer," King said. "We've seen the numbers declining, it's shown in the sample sizes and in the number of those killed (each deer season)."
Weather permitting, King's group is hoping to search three deer herd regions by the end of the month. After completing the Tuolumne area search last week, the group has moved on to the Stanislaus area, which is located north of Twain Harte in the Stanislaus National Forest. Then it's on to the Yosemite deer herd area located between the town of Groveland and the Tuolumne and Merced rivers.
But the storm that has hit Northern California hard this month has made traversing the thin, forest roads almost impossible. King said it's likely the fall count will not be completed until after Jan. 1.
"We're just waiting for the weather to give us a break," King said. "That's the only thing that can spoil this trip."
Joel Hood's hunting and fishing column appears Thursdays. He can be reached at 578-2300 or jhood@modbee.com.
