The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is seeking assistance from the public regarding recent deer poaching in the Cassel area in Shasta County.

On Dec. 10, the remains of a buck were discovered by wardens in the Cassel area. On Jan. 20, a second illegally killed buck was discovered in the same area. Both of these animals were taken outside of the legal hunting season. It is unknown if the cases are related.

Local wardens are asking for the public to come forward with any information regarding the illegal take of these animals. If you have any information regarding the above incidents, please contact CalTIP (Californians Turn in Poachers and Polluters) at 1-888-DFG-CALTIP (888-334-2258).

DFG is responsible for monitoring and setting animal seasons and bag limits in an effort to ensure that California’s diverse wildlife populations thrive.

“When a small handful of individuals take those resources with no regard for the law, they are not only showing contempt for the wildlife, but are also stealing opportunities from the rest of the public who would have a chance to legally harvest the animals,” said DFG Warden John Sutterfield, who patrols in and around Cassel.

CalTIP may offer a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the individuals responsible for these crimes. Callers to the hotline may also choose to remain anonymous.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - California DFG Wardens Seeking Tips in Shasta County Deer Poaching Investigation

The California Fish and Game Commission has approved a third 2011/2012 late season hunting opportunity for geese.

Licensed hunters can now hunt white-fronted geese and white geese during the late season for geese in the Balance of the State Zone. This is in addition to the already established late season goose hunts in the North Coast and Imperial County Special Management Areas.

The purpose of these late season goose hunts is to reduce goose crop depredation complaints on private lands. Providing hunting opportunities in the late season will help reduce potential crop depredation by lowering the population(s) and shifting geese onto public areas. Most goose populations that winter in California are at or above population goals and remain in California through late spring. Providing hunting opportunities at this time helps minimize potential damage on agricultural lands. All late season goose hunts are closed on Type A and B wildlife areas. However, other public lands open to waterfowl hunting may be open during these late season hunts.

The new season in the Balance of the State Zone will be open from Feb. 18 through Feb. 22. A daily bag limit of eight geese is allowed which may include up to six white geese or up to six white-fronted geese. The Sacramento Valley Special Management Area will be closed to the take of white-fronted geese during the late season goose hunt. Type A and B wildlife areas will not be open to hunting. However, Type C areas and other public lands that allow waterfowl hunting may be open.

The North Coast Special Management Area will be open from Feb. 18 through Mar. 10. The daily bag limit is six small Canada geese only. Large Canada geese cannot be taken during the late season hunt. Type A, B and C wildlife areas will not be open to hunting but other public lands that allow waterfowl hunting may be open.

The Imperial County Special Management Area will be open from Feb. 11 through Feb. 26. The daily bag limit is six white geese. Type A, B and C wildlife areas will not be open to hunting but other public lands that allow waterfowl hunting may be open.

The complete regulations can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - California DFG to Offer Three Late Season Goose Hunting Opportunities

No one welcomed the recent storms more than California’s 70,000 waterfowl hunters. Rain and wind in California’s central valley has salvaged what was an extremely slow hunting season for waterfowl. All of the central valley wildlife areas and national wildlife refuges with hunt programs reported increased hunter success averages last weekend.

The vast majority of hunters in the field were law abiding and ethical. But wardens cited three Butte County men and one San Jose man who stepped far out of bounds by shooting a total of 108 ducks in two days.

California regulations provide for a duck hunting limit of seven ducks per day with 14 in possession if taken over two or more days. Collectively, the four men had an overlimit of 52 ducks, with additional individual species violations.

On Jan. 20, Butte County Warden Tyson Hulse observed unusual behavior from the men that suggested they might be “double tripping.” Double tripping is a term used to describe when a poacher takes a limit of ducks or geese, brings them back to his residence, then goes out again in an attempt to shoot more.

For 12 hours the following day, Hulse watched the four men continue taking overlimits of ducks. At the end of the day, he gathered three members of his squad and contacted the suspects at two different residences. In addition to the 108 ducks the men killed in the two day period, they had freezers full of additional duck meat in various states of processing that made it difficult to count.

Citations were handed to Todd Gregory Owen, 48, and Cody Lee Owen, 21, both of Biggs; Clint Matthew Owen, 24, of Richvale; and Jeffrey Delte, 24, of San Jose.

Hulse offered a special thank you to the Butte County Fish and Game Commission for their recent purchase of high quality binoculars and a spotting scope, without which the case would not have been possible.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Fowl Weather a Boon for Poachers: Butte County Wardens Make Huge Overlimit Case in California

The Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Advanced Hunter Education Program is offering a northern California turkey hunting clinic on Saturday, March 3. The clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area near Gridley.

Joe Johnson, a DFG biologist and experienced turkey hunter and instructor, will lead this exciting clinic. Topics to be covered include concepts of decoy placement, blind design, ballistics, calling, equipment, game care and safety.

The clinic will be open to hunters of all ages and skill levels. The cost is $45 for adults. Youths 16 years and younger are free but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. DFG’s Advanced Hunter Education Program will provide all necessary class equipment.

Advance registration for the clinic is required. Participants can register online at www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/advanced/index.aspx. Registered participants will receive an e-mail with a map to the facility and a list of items to bring.

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area is located approximately 60 miles north of Sacramento.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - California DFG Offers One-day Turkey Hunting Clinic in March

Hunters and Wildlife Both Win With Big Game Fund-Raising Tags Random drawings expected to generate more than $250,000 for big game conservation in 2012.

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is pleased to announce four random drawings for big game license tags in 2012. These drawings will raise funds needed for vital wildlife conservation programs.

In 2011, DFG offered two random drawings – one for an open zone deer tag and one for an Owens Valley zone elk tag – which together generated more than $130,000 for conservation. DFG will bring back these tags this year and make two more tags available for random drawing – one northeastern California pronghorn antelope tag and one Kelso Peak/Old Dad Mountains desert bighorn sheep tag.

Opportunities to win one of the four fund-raising tags are available to all interested hunters. Random tag drawing chances can now be purchased at DFG license sales offices and online, as well as at the upcoming International Sportsmen’s Expositions in Sacramento and Long Beach.

Each chance will cost $5.66 and there is no purchase limit. Purchase of random drawing chances does not require a valid license, but the successful applicants must show proof of a valid 2012-2013 California hunting license to obtain the tag. The application deadline for all tags is June 2, 2012 with the drawings taking place within 10 business days of the deadline.

“In our continued support of hunting and quest to increase hunting and fishing opportunities in California, I’m pleased that our hunters can purchase multiple random drawing fund-raising tag chances for special hunt tags this year,” said DFG Director Charlton H. Bonham.” I am particularly excited that this year we will include a once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep tag as well as a coveted northeastern California pronghorn antelope tag.

“California’s big game conservation and hunting opportunities continue to demonstrate that world-class opportunities are available in this great state. Just this past season two hunters set pending Boone and Crocket State and Pope and Young world records for desert bighorn sheep.”

As an added bonus, San Gorgonio Wilderness Outfitters has offered to provide free guide services to the hunter who wins the Kelso Peak/Old Dad Mountains desert bighorn sheep tag.

“This is a wonderful offer and commitment by the San Gorgonio folks and demonstrates the great support of one another within the hunting community,” Bonham said.

Hunters who are not selected as winners of one of the four random tag draws are still eligible to bid on any of the 13 fund-raising tags available through auction by DFG’s conservation partners. Frequently asked questions are answered on the DFG website at  www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/hunting/huntingfaqs.html.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - California Hunters and Wildlife Both Win With Big Game Fund-Raising Tags

Tahoe Films, Ltd. is pleased to announce the winner in the third annual Extreme Huntress Contest. Tiffany Brewer from Northern California has been named the next Extreme Huntress. Members of the media are invited to meet Brewer this coming Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 4:00 pm at the Aimpoint booth #14573, at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas.

Born in Tyler, Texas as the middle child of seven, Tiffany Brewer started hunting with brother Tosh at the age of eight. Despite many family moves when they were young, Tiffany and Tosh always managed to find a place to hunt whenever the car would stop long enough for them to get lost in the woods. The two siblings loved to explore and scout new places and it was these childhood experiences that gave rise to Tiffany’s lifelong passion for hunting.

Tiffany lives in northern California and works as a psychiatric ER nurse at Alameda County Medical Center in the Bay Area. Despite her demanding nursing schedule, without question, she still takes a month off every year during the rut to meet brother Tosh in a West Texas deer stand. Tiffany graduated with a BSN from Ohio State University and will finish her Masters of Nursing degree in one year to be a family nurse practitioner.

Entrants were asked to write a 500 word essay on why they are the most hardcore woman huntress in the world. The essays were scored by a panel of five celebrity judges who chose the top ten finalists. Then the winner was decided via an online public vote that ran from Nov. 1, 2011 through Jan. 1, 2012. The final days of the contest were very exciting as a couple of the contestants were leading neck-and-neck. After all the votes were confirmed, Tiffany Brewer was named the winner of the Extreme Huntress 2012 contest. Her winning essay can be viewed at TahoeFilms.com.

Brewer will receive a fully outfitted trip to hunt Cape buffalo with Martin Pieters Safaris in the Omay Concession in Zimbabwe, Africa. The hunt will be featured on an upcoming episode of Eye of the Hunter, hosted by Tom Opre of Tahoe Films, airing Sundays at 7am EST on NBC Sports beginning August 2012.

Brewer will also receive a Blaser R8 Rifle, an Aimpoint Hunter rifle sight, ammunition from Barnes, complete firearm cleaning kits from Otis, a gift certificate from Brownells and safari clothing from SHE Outdoor Apparel. Also, stateside trophy import fees will be handled by Coppersmith Global Logistics.

Contest organizer Tom Opre would like to thank all of its generous sponsors, including Martin Pieters Safaris, Aimpoint, Otis Technology, Inc., Brownells, Inc., Montana Decoy Company, Barnes Bullets, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Coppersmith Global Logistics, SHE Outdoor Apparel and Barnett Crossbows. Also a big thank you to all of the women who entered the Extreme Huntress Contest this year.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Northern California ER Nurse Extreme Huntress 2012 Winner

The Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Advanced Hunter Education Program is offering a turkey hunting clinic Feb. 18 at Tejon Ranch in Kern County. Jointly sponsored by DFG, the Hunter Education Instructor Association of Southern California and Tejon

Ranch, this clinic is open to hunters of all ages and skill levels.

Experienced instructor and longtime turkey hunter Dave Holbrock will lead this exciting clinic. Topics to be covered include decoy placement, blind design, ballistics, calling, equipment, game care and cleaning, cooking tips and safety.

The clinic starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. The cost is $45 and space is limited. Youths 16 years and younger are free but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. DFG’s Advanced Hunter Education Program will provide all necessary class equipment.

Registration forms are available online at www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/advanced/index.aspx. After registering, participants will receive an e-mail with a map to the facility and a list of items to bring.

Tejon Ranch is located along Interstate 5, approximately 30 miles south of Bakersfield and 60 miles north of Los Angeles.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - California DFG Offers One-day Turkey Hunting Clinic in February

Los Angeles, CA – As a leading supplier of soft goods in the hunting, hiking and camping industries for over forty years, The Outdoor Recreation Group has claimed another chunk of marketshare with its acquisition of Timber Hawk, a backpack startup out of Salt Lake City. “We’re thrilled to take ownership of a brand that already had a strong reputation,” said Outdoor Recreations’ Brad Ottomeyer. “It’s always a challenge to meet the equipment needs of hunters, who demand such high quality and performance. These are men and women who really know what they want in a pack, and it feels good to know we can provide it.”

Outdoor Recreation’s team has redesigned and expanded the Timber Hawk line for 2012 to include five backpacks and two waist packs, offering hunters their choice between Realtree AP or Mossy Oak Breakup camo patterns. Most models are outfitted with hydration bladders, and all are stuffed to the zippers with nifty features to compliment the hi-tech gear toted by the modern hunter. The “Hawkeye” binocular system is just one of the innovations that comes standard — something so simple it’s amazing no other pack company has thought of it.

Over the last six years Timber Hawk has developed a strong reputation for creative and deceptively simple designs, while building a loyal base of hardcore hunters — all right in the backyard of some pretty stiff competition. “Anyone who’s dabbled in this industry knows that hunters are pretty tough to impress,” said Timber Hawk’s founder, Mike O’Reilly. “It’s even harder to do it in Utah where hunters really use their packs, and where there’s already a few good brands to choose from.”

Yet even as more hunters began to choose Timber Hawk, and as photos of trophy kills and positive testimonials clogged his inbox, O’Reilly couldn’t figure out a way to expand the business by himself in a tough economic climate. “I knew the brand had traction,” he said, “especially at the level of small archery stores and pro shops, but it was tough to find the [financial] backing to take the ‘Hawk to the next level.”

Not long after O’Reilly put the word out, offers for the company started coming in but there was more at stake than just dollars. “Obviously it was important for me to strike a good deal,” he said. “But it was equally important that I sold the company to someone I knew could really make something out of it, so it would really flourish the way I had hoped. Most of the potential buyers didn’t have a clue about the hunting industry, let alone the manufacturing process. After all, when you create your own company from scratch, it’s almost like raising a kid — you wouldn’t just give it away to anyone.”

When Outdoor Recreation came knocking, O’Reilly knew he’d found a good match. The California company had already built a complete portfolio of successful sporting goods brands including Fieldline and Outdoor Products, not to mention O.E.M. work for several names owned by Pure Fishing Inc. The Timber Hawk brand represents another tier of quality items Outdoor Recreation can offer the serious outdoor enthusiast. “They’ve proved they know their way around a sewing machine,” O’Reilly said. “They’ve got good business sense, they’re nice guys and, most importantly, they’re hunters!”

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Outdoor Recreation Group Expands Offering in Hunting Market with Purchase of Timber Hawk Packs

The application deadline is fast approaching for hunters who wish to enter the permit drawing for the Joice Island pig hunts. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) will be accepting application cards through close of business Feb. 10, 2012. The drawing will be held on Feb. 14, 2012.

A total of 24 two-day permits will be issued. DFG will be holding these limited-entry, permit-only hunts to control a small population of wild pigs on the Joice Island Unit of the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area in Solano County. Joice Island is a 2,150-acre wetland area consisting of thick cattails, tules, some brush and standing water.

The first weekend of this hunting opportunity has been reserved for apprentice hunters. Two-day pig hunt permits will be issued by drawing only for the following weekends:

Apprentice Hunters (12 years of age and older with Junior Hunting License)

• March 3-4

General (Adults or apprentice hunters may apply)

• March 10-11
• March 17-18
• March 24-25
• March 31-April 1
• April 7-8
• April 14-15
• April 21-22

Three hunters will be drawn for each of the eight weekends, for a total of 24. Permits with maps and additional information will be mailed to successful applicants. A permit holder may bring one non-hunting partner. Only shotguns using slugs and archery will be allowed as well as dogs. In addition to a hunting license, participants must also possess a validCaliforniapig tag.

To apply for a permit drawing, please send a standard postcard with the hunter’s name (apprentice hunters must also provide name of adult chaperone), valid hunting license GO-ID number, address, telephone number and desired hunt date.

Mail the application card to Joice Island Pig Hunt, 2548 Grizzly Island Road, Suisun City, CA  94585. Each hunter may apply only one time and for only one date. Applications will be accepted for parties of up to two hunters, but the card must contain all information for both hunters. Incomplete cards and multiple entries will not be accepted. There is no fee to apply.

DFG reserves the right to cancel this hunt and close the area to all public users without prior notification due to unforeseen circumstances or emergency situations.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - California DFG Announces Drawing for Joice Island Pig Hunt

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is currently seeking qualified hunter education volunteer instructors for its 2012 statewide education courses.

“There’s a long legacy of hunting in this great state,” said DFG Director Charlton H. Bonham. “At the department, we’re going to continue to seek ways to manage our resources for hunting and fishing as well as improve access and opportunity. But we need help in cultivating the next generation of sportsmen and sportswomen who will step in our shoes once we have gone. We thank those that already volunteer to teach our hunter education courses, and we’re looking to recruit even more.”In 2009, approximately 30,000 students completed the state’s 10-hour minimum hunter education course. The courses are offered throughout the state, on weekends and weekday evenings. The courses are taught by veteran hunters who volunteer their time to help ensure that the newest generation of hunters has a thorough understanding of safety, ethics and conservation.

“The backbone ofCalifornia’s hunter education training effort rests on the volunteer instructors, who give their time, passion and energy to the program,” said Captain Roy Griffith,DFG’s Hunter Education Program Administrator. “These dedicated individuals have passed on a tradition and trained well over one million outdoor enthusiasts since the start of the program. As a result, they have increased safety and conservation within the community.”

To become a hunter education instructor, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Successfully complete the hunter education course prior to submitting an application
• Have not have been convicted of any felony
• Completed a course of study prior to taking a supervised examination covering the basic topics of hunter education

The testing process to become a certified instructor takes about two hours and applicants must score a minimum of 80 percent. After passing the exam, the volunteer will take an oath and work with an experienced instructor before leading their own class.

To retain current Hunter Education Instruction (HEI) certification, an instructor must teach one class per year and attend one conference. More information on the requirements can be found www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Wanted: California Hunter Education Instructors for 2012