Calling all divers - Spiny lobster season opens tomorrow

The spiny lobster season opens on October 1 in California. At 1minute past midnight recreational lobster fishermen can take the big plunge. At the same time a big scraping noise can be heard all along the California cost line as spiny lobster scramble into their hiding holes.
The season ends on March 21, 2012.
Recreational lobster fishermen can take lobster by hoop netting or diving.


Before I lost my boat in a severe storm I have splashed into the frigid waters around around Catalina Island many times.

In their latest press release DFG sums up the most pertinent lobster regulations for 2011/2012 as follows:


" • Anglers (16 years or older) must possess a valid sport fishing license, enhancement stamp and a lobster report card.
• Children who are under 16 and fishing for lobster must possess a lobster report card.
• Lobster report cards need to be filled out while you are on your fishing trip. Prior to the start of your fishing activity, the card holder must record the month, day, location and gear code on the card.
• When finished fishing or changing locations the fishermen must immediately record the number of lobster taken from that location.

A California Spiny Lobster off the Southern California Coast. DFG photo by Derek Stein

Lobster report cards must be returned to the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) by the end of January of the following year regardless of whether you used the card or were able to catch any lobster. This information is extremely valuable for management, so please don’t forget to turn in your cards. Anglers who fill up a report card can turn in their card and purchase another.
• Spiny lobster taken must measure at least 3 1/4 inches in length, and are measured in a straight line on the mid-line of the back from the rear edge of the eye socket to the rear edge of the body shell.
• The daily bag and possession limit is seven lobsters.
• Divers may take lobsters by hand only.
• For those catching lobster with a Type B hoop net, the upper ring or rings shall be connected to the bottom ring and supported by no more than six rigid support arms, and the assembled frame shall measure no more than 10 inches tall. This is a change in the regulations not printed in the Ocean Regulations or the supplement.
• No more than five hoop nets may be possessed by a person when taking spiny lobster or crab. No more than 10 hoop nets may be possessed aboard a vessel, regardless of how many fishermen are onboard.

Complete details are on the DFG website.
PJJ

PS: As of this writing wild pigs have not yet been observed diving for lobster.

Santa Cruz Island And Wild Pig Eradication From Helicopters

Success with mixed results.
 
In April 2005 the Los Angeles Times published an article by Gregory Griggs on the removal of wild pigs on Santa Cruz Island off the coast of California. The boar had to be removed in order to ensure the survival of the Santa Cruz Island Fox, a cat sized fox.
On the behest of the National Park Service under its director Tim Setnicka, an avid proponent of wild pig eradication, traps, helicopter based snipers and finally ground based hunters with dogs were employed together with sterilized Judas pigs that lead the expert hunters to the last and smartest boar. In 411days 5036 wild boar were 'removed' from the island. Though helicopter based shooters eliminated the majority of wild pigs, the biggest, smartest and most cunning boar fell victim only to expert hunters and their dogs.

At the start of the eradication the entire 98 square miles of the island were divided into five fenced eradication zones. Wild pig eradication followed a carefully orchestrated plan. It began with trapping (16% of dispatches in 1660 trap-nights), then proceeded to aerial shooting from helicopters (77% of dispatches in 13,822 km of flight path) and ended with the use of ground based hunters with dogs and sterilized Judas pigs leading the hunters to their quarry (5% of dispatches in 1111 hunter-days)(according to http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320709004935.) Only about 10 percent of the last 102 pigs (about 20 per fenced zone) had to be found and killed with the help of telemetered traitor pigs. After normal hunting stopped radio-collared boar assisted in removing 43 percent of the very last survivors.
Helicopters were useless in finding and destroying them. These few last survivors would have been enough to repopulate the island slowly.


The entire operation was vehemently opposed by animal rights activists, the group In Defense of Animals and other interested parties.  It eventually lead to a law suit.


In order to win support for the eradication program the Park Service and the Nature Conservancy, which owns 75 per cent of the island, had to establish an enemy. They found it in the wild pigs by accusing the animal of attracting Golden Eagles to the island. The eagles preyed on piglets and foxes alike. But they made a convenient excuse for the eradication program.


The plan was to remove the boar  first, then eliminate the eagles and thus restore harmony and ecological balance to the island.
Forty-four pairs of eagles were removed. At least one pair eluded capture successfully. Bald Eagles had to be introduced to get the last and most resilient of Golden Eagles off the island. I could not find any indication in literature anywhere that even one pig survived.


Though island foxes and some plant life affected by foraging boar regained strength, other unintended animal beneficiaries of the mass eradication surfaced.
Bald eagles may be one of them. They began to prey on island foxes on a neighboring island. Wild turkey are another. They started to proliferate as soon as the boar were gone.  Moreover, the endemic skunk population has increased considerably in numbers due to reduced competition.

Looking at scientific literature and research papers it appears more and more that the ideal of restoring an environment to its 'pristine' state before Europeans changed its nature through their activities is not achievable without trade-off. At least not in the idealistic way the Nature Conservancy and some members of the National Park Service envision it.

Controversial as it was, at least the elimination of wild pigs from Santa Cruz Island was not called 'hunting' wild pigs from helicopters. Unlike in Texas where the self-interest of wealthy ranchers to shift the cost of removal of their boar to the public, helicopter owners and paying guests has created "wild pig hunts from helicopters" by Vertex.
PJJ

Did You Know . . .

... that pigs have different and identifiable squeals, oinks and grunt sounds for different situations, ranging from greeting humans to romancing and vocalizing hunger or stress. 

Researchers at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln  found out by "... listening to the animals and seeing what they have to tell us,'' according to Jim DeShazer, an agricultural engineering scientist who headed the five-year swine communication study.

Wholesale Pig Theft Is Sweeping The Midwest

Record prices for pork have created a new industry: Pig Rustling.

The price for a fully finished pig ready for slaughter is at an all time high. Increased demand for corn and other pig feed as well as the insatiable appetite of the ethanol industry for corn allowed mid-west farmers to collect around $ 200.00 per pig. Soaring demand worldwide for pigs and cattle have further drive up the market price for hogs.

As a consequence market ready pigs disappear from mid-western farm facilities in record numbers. One farmers lost 150 pigs on one weekend. That represents a loss of about 30,000 dollars. Close by another was relieved of about 650 hogs in one night.

The hog napping occurs in pig country in Minnesota and Iowa.

An article published by the The Wall Street Journal on September 24, 2011 adds up the numbers to at least over one thousand porkers. Though pig napping has occurred in the past, such instances were infrequent and the numbers of 'liberated' pigs small.

Farmers and authorities alike suspect that the new wholesale theft of pigs is an expression of the prevailing dire economic situation. High demand from foreign markets for meat, ever increasing demand for corn by the ethanol industry, near record high prices for market ready pigs and a steep rise in the cost of pig production all combine to this perfect storm of pig theft.

How can anyone steal dozens or even hundreds of squealing porkers from a finishing barn without being noticed? Doesn't one pig alone squeal in protest louder than the roar of a jet engine?

Yes, indeed. But farm facilities and finishing barns are usually located in desolate rural areas far away from farm houses and populated areas because of the smell and noise associated with them. In the past a padlock on the barn door was sufficient security to protect the animals inside. Not so anymore.

Local law enforcement speculates that the disappearing pigs are collected by thieves familiar with pig farms and the behavior of pigs in finishing barns. Expert pig handlers and rustlers can simply back up a large animal transport truck to the exit door of a barn, cut the padlock off and move dozens of pigs into the vehicle in minutes. It takes no more than seven minutes to drive 100 pigs into one trailer according to one farmer.

Which prompts me to wonder whether authorities in Texas could have handled their wild pig overpopulation in a similar manner. Why could they not use their precious helicopters to drive wild hogs in huge over-sized trapping pens, drive them into waiting pig transporters and ferry the squealing hogs to slaughter houses? Their meat could then be used to safely satisfy the demand from foreign countries.

After all, helicopters are used to drive wild horses into dead-end corrals.

Oh, I forgot. We are talking about wild pigs here, not docile, domesticated, mild mannered farm animals. Rounding up Texan wild pigs in a cul-de-sac and then driving them into a waiting trailer would require great personal courage. And that, my friends, is rarely found among 'hunters' in helicopters.

Just my opinion.

PJJ

 

Penny Auction For Wild Boar Hunt

The first of its kind. Will it also be the last?

Boar hunting is enjoying an ever increasing popularity. In California for example it is poised to replace deer hunting as the most popular big game hunt.
Growth rates would be even higher were it not for the fact that almost all wild pigs occur on privately owned land. Though landowners bewail the damage the boar inflict on their properties, they strictly control access to their ranches by charging hefty access fees. The worst examples of that kind are found in Texas where millions of wild pigs devastate ranches. Yet boar hunts on private properties still cost anywhere from 400 to 800 dollars or more.

Is it therefore a wonder that enterprising minds put two and two together and created a first of its kind: A penny auction for a two day boar hunt for two at a private ranch.

In mid-August 2011 Outdoor Sportsman Auctions, a Georgia limited liability company, announced with great fanfare the first ever penny auction for a two day boar hunt for two. Outdoor Sportsman Auctions is also the first penny auction company that “caters exclusively to the outdoor sports enthusiast, people who enjoy camping, fishing and hunting.” Their product palette includes "brand-new, high-quality rifle scopes, range finders, tree stands and ground blinds, camping gear, fishing tackle, and now hunting trips."

The auction features a bare bones guided two day boar hunt on a well known, traditional private big game ranch  on 27,000 acres within 5 miles of the historic Stephen C. Foster State Park, which is also the primary entrance to the famed Okefenokee Swamp. Transportation to the ranch and food are not included. Hunting license fees, game processing and lodging beyond the two hunting days are extra charges. Cooler space is free.
Each hunter can take two boar per day.

The boar hunt is the fanciest product offered by Outdoor Sportsman Auctions. It is a truly groundbreaking experiment with an outcome that is far from certain. Participation in this auction makes only sense to hunters who live relatively close to the ranch on which the hunt will take place. Otherwise the cost for transportation to and from the property could easily exceed  the price for a low cost hunt, say, in California – even if the hunter won the actual hunt at auction for one penny.
 
The list price for a two day hunt at the hunting lodge is about 800 dollars. For example, if a Californian hunter won the penny auction hunt for half that price, he could go instead on a local unguided or semi-guided hunt for less.

Consequently, for hunters in California this auction is pretty much a non-starter. Let us first watch how this first penny auction for a boar hunt in Georgia goes and hope, if successful, that it is soon followed by a corresponding auction for a wild boar hunt in California.

But is it a good idea to wager money on a penny auction? That depends on how much risk a person is willing to accept and on the integrity of the company that is staging the auction.
Participants in penny auctions place bids on desirable, usually high priced items in small fixed increments, usually one penny or so. To do so bidders must buy bid packages from the auction company. The minimum bid package varies from company to company. It can range from $ 20.00 to 75 dollars or more. High value bid packages are more common.

While participants in penny auctions can control the maximum amount they are willing to bid, they cannot safeguard the funds invested in the purchase of bid packages. Unscrupulous operators have in the past folded their businesses and left potential bidders holding the bag … uuhh the now worthless bid packages.
There are other potential pitfalls. But this is not an article on the pro and the con of penny auctions.

This penny auction wild hog hunt is a 2-day hunt (gun or bow) for two people with overnight lodging accommodations provided. It is scheduled to take place at the Bear Run Lodge in Council, Georgia.

Outdoor Sportsman Auctions started in 2010 as purveyor of outdoor gear to enthusiasts of the great outdoors. Boar hunts are their latest addition to their range of products. The auction for the current two day boar hunt is an open auction for 30 days. As of today there is one bid shown. Most of the bids in penny auctions are placed towards the end of the auction. There are 27 days left.

Asked how long Outdoor Sportsman Auctions has offered penny auctions for outdoor gear Robert Ford, CEO of OutdoorSportsmanAuctions.com, told us:
“About 4 months and we are in the top 40 Penny auction sites and there are thousands of them.”
PJJ

Chinook Salmon Quota Reached

Size restrictions now in effect for adult fall-run Klamath River Salmon.

September 21, 2011 CA DFG News


Anglers on the Klamath River have been so active that they almost reached the quota of 3950 Chinook salmon. This success triggered size restrictions effective September 22, 2011.


Sports fishermen along the lower 40 miles of the river may no longer keep Chinook salmon that are 22 inches or more in length.
The good news is that downstream of the Highway 96 Bridge at Weitchpec (at the confluence with the Trinity River) recreational fishermen are still allowed to fish for jack salmon. The daily limit is three salmon 22 inches or shorter.


According to DFG biologists who have been monitoring the salmon harvest the “3,950 quota of adult Chinook salmon is half the number of adult fish allotted to recreational anglers for the entire Klamath-Trinity River basin.
“...The remaining 3,950 adult Chinook salmon are available to recreational anglers on the Klamath River above the Highway 96 Bridge at Weitchpec and on the Trinity River. These areas will remain open to the take of adult Chinook salmon until DFG determines that the sub-quotas for these areas have been met.”


There are sub-quotas and other regulations anglers must track in order to avoid conflicts with the law. Anyone fishing for Chinook salmon at the Klamath River is advised to call 1 (800) 564-6479 for up to date information.
PJJ

PS: Wild pigs like to eat salmon too if they can get them. That's why this belongs here.

Boar In The News – August 2011

Part 3

Let us check out this telling report from ABC7 News.

Hunter bitten by wild boar at Lake Sonoma

In the morning of August 3, 2011 an elderly hunter was hunting wild pigs together with “three other men in the Yorty Creek day use area off of Hot Springs Road near the Dry Creek arm of the lake”. One of the hunters shot a wild pig with a rifle. He only wounded it. The hunters then tracked the boar into a canyon.

"It got backed into a corner, charged the hunters and bit the man in his hand and upper leg,"Cloverdale Fire Protection District engineer Peter Avansino said.

The other hunters then killed the pig.

My comment: I bet it was a sow. A boar would have slashed at the hunters. Sows attack with a wide open mouth and bite with about 500 pounds per inch.

Hunting feral hogs?

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) used KNOA8 News to remind citizens “that a valid Louisiana hunting license is still required to take outlaw quadrupeds including feral hogs with the new laws that went into effect today, Aug. 15.”

Outlaw quadrupeds are defined in Louisiana as armadillos, coyotes, feral hogs and nuisance animals (nutria and beaver).

It is now legal to hunt outlaw quadrupeds at night from March through August on private property with any legal firearm. In addition, nuisance quadrupeds can be taken at night using sound suppressors on the firearm(s).

“The use of sound suppressed weapons is restricted to the take of outlaw quadrupeds, including coyotes and feral hogs, from March through August on private property.”

Hunters using such a weapon must have in possession a valid permit issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Feral pigs vs. coyotes: Could they be behind Galesburg's missing cats and squirrels?

Missing cats and squirrels in a Galesburg neighborhood are the subject of an article by Rosemary Parker in the Kalamazoo Gazette. A woman wrote in  complaining that her cat and some squirrels had gone missing in the neighborhood. She noticed their absence after hearing bloodcurdling screams that went on for about45 minutes during the night. She claims to have observed feral hogs “stamping the ground, tearing up the ground”.

Mary Parker asked Michigan wildlife authorities whether this could be true.

“The Michigan Department of Natural Resources had this to say in an e-mailed response to the question:

2009_02_0171.JPG

"Wildlife chief Russ Mason (said) that pigs will eat just about anything, including cats. But cats going missing en masse is likely the work of a coyote. He has a lot of experience with coyotes because he was a USDA Wildlife Services sharpshooter out West for coyotes preying on livestock."

Has anyone heard of wild pigs climbing trees?

Wild boar deaths on French coast baffle authorities

On August 2, 2011 Reuters Life ran this report:

“The mysterious death of 36 wild boars on France's northwestern coast baffled authorities on Tuesday after tests suggested large amounts of rotting seaweed strewn across beaches may not be to blame.

Environmentalists had said that toxic, foul-smelling hydrogen sulfide gas emitted by the rotting seaweed had poisoned the animals in the Cotes d'Armor region of Brittany.

Ecologists say that nitrates pollution in rivers from fertilizers used in intensive farming has boosted the growth of algae along France's coastline.

However, tests on the bodies of six wild boars found widely ranging traces of the gas and one carcass showed no signs of the gas at all.

"With such a wide difference in the values, we cannot reach any conclusion," said a spokesman for the local prefecture.

The beach near the town of Morieux where most of the animals were found in late July has been closed to the public. Authorities are considering a range of possibilities for the deaths, which have been front page news in France, such as deliberate poisoning of the animals.

The government launched a plan to fight against the spread of seaweed along the coast in 2009 after an asphyxiated horse found in Cotes-d'Armor was discovered to have a large amount of hydrogen sulfide in its body.” (Pierre-Henri Allain; writing by Daniel Flynn)

PJJ

PS: I am still waiting to hear from the operators of the auction that claims to auction off wild boar hunts for two. I also have not yet seen that auction anywhere.

2011-12 California Waterfowl Hunter Pocket Guide corrected

CA DFG News September 16, 2011 

The California Waterfowl Association’s 2011-12 Waterfowl Hunter’s Pocket Guide contains incorrect dates for the upcoming North Coast Black Brant hunting season. The correct season dates for the Northern Brant Zone are Nov. 7, 2011 through Dec. 6, 2011.

Boar In The News – August 2011

Part 2

Oregon Officials Alarmed About Growing Wild Pig Population

Biologists point to California as ominous warning of things to come if action is not taken now.

In a article published by The Oregonian on August 19, 2011 free lance writer Joe Hansen reports on increased concerns of Department of Fish and Wildlife officials about the status of the wild pig populations in Oregon.

“Between 2,000 and 5,000 wild pigs roam central and southwest Oregon, says Rick Boatner, Fish and Wildlife Invasive Species Wildlife Integrity coordinator.” After a visit to a 27,000 acre ranch whose owner complained about extensive damage caused by wild pigs Tom Nelson, another Fish and Wildlife biologist,concludes:

“I'm not sure where this population of pigs ends. Either the population is bigger than I thought or it's expanding rapidly."

He estimates that about 100 wild pigs are roaming the ranch. Their actual numbers are unknown on this ranch and in the rest of Oregon. Pigs are prolific and fast breeders.

Keeping their numbers in check is no easy task. Action must come early and in a decisive way.

"Just to keep them in check you have to remove 70 percent of the population each year. Even through hunting and all the (other) means, that's pretty difficult to do, says Boatner.

Eradication, the ultimate goal, is not easy to achieve. Many boar are on private land. Landowners overcome their distrust of Government only slowly as Hansen points out in his article. Consequently, Oregon lawmakers outlawed paid hunts for wild pigs and required landowner to report boar on their property.

Says Hansen: 

“Wildlife managers point to California and Texas as cautionary tales where early opportunities to eradicate wild swine weren't taken.”

“If they (i.e. California and Texas) had the ability to go back in time and react when an eradication of pigs was feasible and coincidentally affordable, they would say, hindsight being 20/20, 'We would have invested in the solution of this problem in the early stages,'" says Dave Williams, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's director of wildlife services for Oregon.”

Hansen continues:

“Boatner compares Oregon's feral pig population today to California in the late 1950s: A crossroads where eradication was possible.

California took a different path. In 1956, the state declared wild pigs a big game species to be managed for sustained hunting. Today, California Department of Fish and Game's pig biologist, Marc Kenyon, says more than 100,000 wild swine roam the state. Hard figures for wild pig damage don't exist, he says, but the destruction is widespread and serious.

"They can disrupt very fragile and endangered habitats," Kenyon says.

Their impact continues to mount: Wild swine are blamed for a deadly 2006 outbreak of E. coli in vegetables; a 2007 report from the University of California Exotic/Invasive Pests and Diseases Research Program said the pigs' rooting affected 97 threatened, endangered or rare plants and animals; in July, several hundred pigs started devouring the lawns of San Diego residents.

Wild pigs aren't without friends in California, however. Pigs are good sport for hunters and hunting tags bring millions of dollars in revenue. Kenyon also points out that rooting can help native plants that require disturbed soil. But as wild pigs roam 56 of the state's 58 counties, the pig gambit appears irreversible.

Asked if eradication of California pigs is possible at this point, Kenyon doesn't hesitate: "No, it would not (be)."

The deadly outbreak of E. Coli was later proven to have had other causes. But wild pigs are nevertheless stuck with the blame.

Oregon Fish and Wildlife employs traps, hunting and aerial shooting to eradicate the wild pigs.

Hansen writes: “ Captured pigs are either euthanized or fitted with tracking collars to lead hunters to their herds. In Oregon, Fish and Wildlife has killed 60 pigs this year, 24 from a single 10-hour aerial gunning outing. USDA has killed about 40 this year. Aerial gunning is possible only in open areas, and it's expensive: $800 an hour. This year, $27,000 has been spent removing the pigs. Small numbers, but they're just getting started. . . .

But Boatner says Fish and Wildlife needs more access to really attack the problem.

"We're right on the cusp," he says, if they can catch and eradicate the pigs now. "If not, it may be to the point where we can't do anything except try to contain and control them."

A Judas Pig

***

Once again landowners and their reluctance to allow hunting and trapping on their land as well as their attempts to reserve it exclusively 

for paying hunters  play a major role in the early phases of expansive growth rates of boar on private properties. At a time when hunting could control wild pig populations, hunters are prevented from pursuing wild pigs in their private sanctuaries. Taxpayers have to pick up the tab later on.

Exotic pig species quickly becoming illegal in the State of Michigan

In December of 2010 the Michigan legislature  adopted a ban on “exotic” swine. Just what exactly are 'exotic' swine? It appears that all swine kept on a ranch for sporting purposes, not for commercial pork production, fall under this looming order, specifically Russian boar. Nobody knows exactly how many of these 'sporting swine' live on private ranches in Michigan.

Authorities are hampered in their efforts to get a baseline on how many 'sporting pigs' live in the state. Cooperation from farmers is mixed; a few are cooperative, others are reluctant and a small number of farmers does not even want wildlife officials on their property.

The order banning sporting swine was scheduled to go into effect in July. However Michigan Governor Rick Snyder agreed to delay enforcement of the ban in order to give the legislature more time to develop regulations. Not much has happened since.

In her article published in the Kalamazoo Gazette on August 11, 2011 Rosemary Parker quotes Mary Dettloff, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, talking about lackluster cooperation from farmers:

“I think the ones that didn't feel like giving us this information feel they don't have to because it's still up in the air. These businesses have not had to report any data to anybody, they don't have to tell us where they are, they don't have to tell us how many animals they have, they don't have to tell us anything at all until there's a regulatory framework or until the Director's (invasive species) order goes into goes into effect Oct. 8."

Dettloff said the DNR will do its best to move forward, collecting ranch location and other data as best it can.

“We don't want to end up like Texas or Florida that have a rampant feral hog problem that they can't get a handle on.”

***

 

You may also want  to check the following articles.   

two articles about wild pigs. One goes into more details about the new wild pig “hunts” from helicopters that just become law in Texas. The articles are too long and the information is quite repetitive. Just google if you are interested.

Wild hogs ravage field near Berlin

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

By Clint Confehr, Senior Staff Writer

Amarillo Globe News

Pork choppers,' state contest target feral hogs

Posted: August 31, 2011 – 10:47pm

Just google for the links.

Let us leave it at that for today.  There is much more to come. Next up:    

New York may also ban captive wild pigs hunts.

Boar bites hunter in  Lake Sonoma area.

PJJ

Waterfowl Hunting Delayed on Public Hunting Areas in the Sacramento Valley

CA DFG News September 14, 2011

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) must delay opening day of waterfowl season on Type-A state and federal hunting areas in the Sacramento Valley. Due to a delayed rice harvest, opening day will be Oct. 29, one week later than the rest of the Balance of State Zone.

The areas affected by this delay in opening day are Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, Little Dry Creek Wildlife Area, Llano Seco Wildlife Area, Howard Slough Wildlife Area, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Delevan NWR, Sutter NWR and Colusa NWR.

This year’s rice harvest is unusually late because wet weather delayed the spring planting and a mild summer slowed maturation. The harvest is expected to continue into late October this year in the Sacramento Valley.

DFG reached the decision to delay the waterfowl season in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and representatives from the agricultural community in the Sacramento area. The delayed refuge opener is intended to minimize crop depredation consistent with Lea Act requirements and the purpose of some state and federal areas. The Lea Act of 1948 provided funds for the acquisition of federal lands and for the state to acquire matching acreage to attract waterfowl away from adjacent agricultural lands.

Delayed refuge openers were common from the late 1940s to the early 1980s but advancements in farming technology have produced rice crops that mature earlier, minimizing the need for delay. There have been only three delayed refuge openers for waterfowl hunting in the last 26 years, the last of which was during the 2006-07 waterfowl hunting season.

Boar In The News – August 2011

Late July and August produced a plethora of boar news. Consequently, this month's report will come in two parts. The second section will follow shortly.

Need for quality boar semen fuels international conference.

The 7th Boar Semen Conference was held from August 18 to August 20, 2011 at the Gustav-Stresemann-Institute (GSI) in Bonn, Germany in cooperation with the Zentralverband der Deutschen Schweineproduktion e.V.( Central Association of German Swine Producers) and the Friedrich Loeffler Institut Center for reproductive medicine, Lower Saxony.

The conference was designed to give participants the opportunity to exchange the latest information influencing the productivity and fertility of the working boar. Scientists and practioners from many countries of the world participated in this exchange of ideas. Among them Dr. Kilby Willenburg who presented new industry-changing research on predicting boar fertility using semen head shape analysis. This new method is expected to be a useful tool in the future.

Dr. Willenburg presented his new method in conjunction with ReproQuest Inc., an American producer of swine related reproductive products. Among the innovative products introduced at the conference was the new RQ800 packaging machine that is capable of packing up to 1800 doses of boar semen per hour.

Lucky boar.

Sixty domestic pigs turn into 350 wild pigs in the forest.

Only seven years after a farmer dumped sixty unwanted farm pigs into the Forest of Dean, England, their progeny now numbers at least 350 despite the fact that forest rangers have doubled the number of boar killed from year to year. Forest authorities argue that 250 wild pigs need to be killed in order to prevent a repeat of events in Germany where wild boar now openly roam the streets of many cities. The goal is to keep the number of boar in the Forest at or below 90. Chief ranger Ian Harvey warns that unless more boar are killed, property damage and attacks on dogs, horses and people will increase.

Others want to keep the boar. The Forester, local newspaper for the Forest of Dean, quotes naturalist David Slater:

"Foresters and tourists need to be educated not terrified when it comes to boar relations.”

Retorts chief wildlife ranger Ian Harvey:

"We don’t want to eradicate the boar, but we do need to keep their numbers down.”

Feeding Robin Hood and his band would have kept the boar down and the archers happy. Right?

Radioactive wild pigs roaming Japan.

According to an article published by the Mainichi Daily News on August 20, 2011 radioactive cesium “at a level over four times the government-set safety limit has been detected in the meat of a wild boar captured in Kakuda city, Miyagi Prefecture...” Radioactive contamination exceeding the safety limits was never found before in the area. Residents are asked not to eat meat from wild animals or birds.

“The meat of the boar, which local hunters caught in the mountains in Kakuda on Aug. 7 in response to a request by the city government to exterminate it, measured 2,200 becquerels of cesium per kilogram. The central government's provisional safety limit is 500 becquerels per kg”, states the newspaper.

FreeRepublic.com in Fresno, California , also re-printed this article.

Since we are talking about eating and food, this might be the right time and place to share with you verbatim a recipe circulated by ABC 7 News, The Denver Channel on August 21, 2011.

Wild Boar Sliders With Mango Salsa

“What You Will Need

4- 2oz patties ground wild boar

4 dinner rolls

Salsa

1 mango, diced

½ jalapeno, diced

½ red onion, diced

½ red bell pepper diced

Juice from 1 lime

Heat cast iron skillet with ½ tablespoon oil, place patties in to hot pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook each side for 4 minutes or until cooked though. Heat buns in toaster oven until warm. Place sliders on buns, top with mango salsa and serve.

Salsa: Combine all ingredients in medium size bowl, season with salt and pepper. Can be made 24 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator.”

Halfway around the globe, Australia also has wild pig problems. Here is one of their ways to deal with the pesky critters.

This big porker is a corker

The Mackay Regional council rolled out its newest weapon in their fight against nuisance wild pigs:

It was a case of deja vu for Bruce the boar.

Bruce is a stuffed boar. He was on loan from the Department of Primary Industries to demonstrate a new pig trap designed and built by the Mackay Regional Council and its pest control officers. It can hold up to 20 pigs. Contrary to the previous traps that were heart-shaped, the new, improved contraption is rectangular in shape. It is easier to transport and can be placed around a tree. The tree provides the shade required by law for the protection of the trapped animals.

“There is a big issue with wild pigs in the area so we have come up with this design to try and help the landowners in Mackay to help trap their pigs. They just breed up in the area and come in because food is getting short out west so they are moving closer into town, says Laurie Warren, the Council's pest manager/coordinator.

“The pig season is going all year round here, they’re on cane at the moment, and when the cane finishes they will go onto the mangoes and then onto the guavas.”

At the moment it is really hard to get pigs in a trap, because they are in the cane, so we have to get them out of the cane to try and trap them, Warren continues.

See Warren and his buddy, ferocious Bruce.

Next up:

Auction for a wild boar hunt.

PJJ

Did You Know . . .

that pigs can be trained to use a litter box? Outside pigs generally use one corner of the yard as the bathroom. And wild pigs? They keep their nesting and sleeping places clean.

California Hunting Tags Are Raising Funds For Nonprofit Organizations

Apply before October 5, 2011 at 15:00.

CA DFH News
September 8, 2011

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) invites nonprofit organizations to help wildlife by auctioning big game hunting license tags for the 2012-13 season. These tags will allow the highest bidder to hunt bighorn sheep, deer, elk and pronghorn antelope in California. There are only 13 of these special fund-raising tags reserved for 501(c)(3) nonprofit groups to sell and they’re sure to draw many participants to any fund-raising event.
Nonprofit organizations compete for a chance to auction these special fund-raising tags, which hunters can only buy through such auctions. The possibility of winning such a rare prize attracts bidders to the groups’ fund-raising events, which helps them raise more money for their organizations.
... all required application forms are on the DFG website at dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/fundraising/index.html. Applications must be submitted by 3 p.m. October 5, 2011...
Organizations that have previously applied or expressed interest in future opportunities to sell these tags have been notified by e-mail.
Representatives of nonprofit groups without Internet access may request a printed application package by calling the DFG Wildlife Branch at (916) 445-4034, sending a FAX to (916) 445-4048.
Fish and Game Code section 4334 requires the proceeds from the sale of these few tags to be returned to DFG to fund programs that benefit bighorn sheep, deer, elk and pronghorn antelope. In last year’s auctions, tags for hunting three bighorn sheep, two pronghorn antelope, two elk and eight deer raised more than $402,000 for the research and management of these native wildlife species.
DFG

Fall Pig Hunts Offered in Yolo County

Good news for boar hunters in the San Francisco area.

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) will conduct eight permit-only wild pig hunts on Bobcat Ranch in Yolo County between Oct. 24 and Nov. 18. A total of 64 wild pig hunters will have access to the private property during two archery hunts, two apprentice hunts and four general method hunts. All are two-day hunts.
Applications will be accepted for parties of up to two licensed hunters for the archery and general periods. Apprentice hunters must have a 2011/2012 junior hunt license, and must each fill out a separate application. Applicants may apply for more than one period but will ultimately only be drawn for one.
The Bobcat Ranch is located in Yolo County’s Vaca Mountain foothills, west of Winters. Hunting under the Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Program will help achieve the ranch’s long-term conservation management objectives, including controlling the wild pig population.
 
Applications must be received by 4 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2011. More information and applications are available at the DFG website. Look for the SHARE program page.

This opportunity was made possible by the SHARE Program, which offers incentives to private landowners who allow hunts on their property. Participating landowners receive liability protection and may receive compensation for providing public access to or through their land for wildlife-dependent recreational activities. The goal of the SHARE Program is to provide additional hunting, fishing and other recreational access on private lands in California.
 
In July, DFG secured a $500,000 federal grant to support the creation of additional public hunting and fishing opportunities through the SHARE Program. This hunt is one of the new game bird and big game hunting opportunities expected to happen statewide as a result of that grant. . .
CA DFG News
September 6, 2011 

PS: Yolo County is located just east of Napa County. It became first more widely known as producer of organic products sold at early farmers markets in San Francisco.

It is a long drive from Southern California, but easy to reach and may well be worth the effort considering the limited number of hunters. Only eight hunters will be allowed to hunt per period. 
Applications are due on and must be received by September 29, 2011. The hunts will take place between October 24 and November 18, 2011. More details and applications for general and archery hunts are available here: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/share/index.html.
PJJ

Sea Lions Reported To Maim And Kill Pelicans

DFG biologists believe to have finally determined the mysterious cause for the death of numerous California Brown Pelicans in the San Luis Obispo area. Brown Pelicans were put on the endangered species list under President Roosevelt. They stayed on the list in California till 2009 when their numbers had grown strong enough to assure survival of the species.

According to a report by the California Department of Fish and Game  residents and law enforcement agencies have been finding over one dozen dead or injured California Brown Pelicans along local beaches in late August in the San Luis Obispo area. More than a dozen of the big birds were injured or killed. Death and injuries were caused by large puncture wounds.


DFG biologists sent several dead birds to a marine research lab in Santa Cruz where a necropsy was performed on the birds. The results show that the puncture wounds were caused by sea lions attacking and biting the birds.

Game wardens and locals noticed a significant increase in bait fish close to San Luis Obispo beaches and in the harbor area. Abundant bait fish attract  sea lions and sea birds alike. It appears that the birds get in the way of the feeding sea lions and are bit in the process.
One kayaker reported observing a sea lion drag a pelican under water before releasing it. This behavior is not unusual for other marine mammals and in different regions.

Sea lions are also known for steeling bait from commercial and sport fishermen alike. Isn't it time for a politician to write some new bill allowing the use of helicopters to hunt sea lions?
PJJ

Hunting wild Pigs from Helicopters Now Legal In Texas

Do not call that 'hunting', please.

As of September1, 2011 wimpy “hunters” with more money than courage and physical prowess can shoot wild pigs from helicopters legally in Texas.  Up to now only boar eradicators in the employ of landowners could do that.

I expected this effortless slaughter of wild pigs to be quite popular among those with a macho man complex, memories of mowing down purported enemy soldiers  in Vietnam and an sadistic desire to experience the thrill of dominating defenseless targets.

And indeed, the 'Fort Worth Star Telegram' published an article under the title “Shooting hogs from helicopters and fishing with your hands: five new Perry-approved laws in Texas”. 
In it the author Chris Moody reports that 'Vertex Helicopters, a Houston-based company, has already reserved slots for 30 hog hunters, at a price of $475 an hour (with a 3-hour minimum), and that 60 hunters have taken the company's required $350 safety course.'

Before the new law took effect, this company was already in the business of conducting wild pig eradication from helicopters upon the request of landowners over their properties.

Is it that far fetched an idea to assume that the owners of this outfit could be found among the backers of the new law making large contributions to the election campaigns of politicians with open ears and wide pockets? I think it would be easy to prove.

Back in the days of my career as an investigative journalist I would have set out to do just that. Having gained in wisdom over the years, I hope, quixotic battles against windmills have no longer high priority in my playbook.

Greed and shady deals once again triumphed over reason and decency. Those of us who despise this wanton murder always have the ballot box to get even.
PJJ

Advanced Waterfowl Hunting Clinics In October At San Jacinto and Klamath Basin Wildlife Areas.

Hunters who missed the waterfowl hunting seminar in September have two more chances to brush up
on their wing shooting skills or to absorb priceless information on the fine art of hunting winged prey.
Bird hunting, especially hunting waterfowl and migratory geese, offers an exciting alternative to stalking and harvesting wild pigs or deer. Contrary to hunting big game animals where quiet stalking or sitting in ambush are followed by one shots, maybe two at best, waterfowl hunting and shooting other winged prey often ends in minutes of frenzied action with game flying hither and thither and rapid shotgun fire pumping adrenalin through your veins. I will never forget my first waterfowl hunting experience on a private property at the Salton Sea.
We arrived kind of late at our reserved blind two youngsters in tow. I admonished them not to slam the car doors. Guess what? A car door got slammed followed by the overwhelming rush of wings and honking and screaming of a large flock of Canada geese. The geese never returned. But dozens of ducks suddenly filled the sky later on. Our hunting party of three in a blind was firing like crazy to excited shrieks of “incoming 2 o'clock, incoming 11 o'clock . . .” from the youngster. We got our  bag limit in minutes despite not having a set of decoys.
It is every bit as exhilarating and exciting as chancing on the biggest and meanest wild boar. And a whole lot more shooting fun.


San Jacinto Wildlife Area
The Hunter Education Instructors Association of Southern California will hold in conjunction with the Department of Fish and Game an advanced waterfowl hunting clinic on October 1, 2011 at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Riverside County.
The event follows a proven pattern.
“From duck calls to duck identification, this clinic has it all. In this clinic we will focus on calling, bird ID, ethics, etiquette, gauging distance, decoy placement, and ballistics. We will also go over hunting on State and Federal Waterfowl Management Areas and game care.”
The wildlife areas is located in Riverside County within easy reach of major metropolitan areas.

As always space is limited to 25 participants. Go to the DFG website for details or contact Lt. Dan Lehman by phone.

Next up:

Klamath Basin National Wildlife Complex

This advanced waterfowl hunting class will focus on hunting waterfowl in the Klamath Basin. The seminar is scheduled for October 29, 2011. It will be conducted by Mike Carion, Assistant Chief of the Dept. of Fish and Game and Warden Aaron Freitas. Mike Carion is well known for his expertise in identifying and hunting waterfowl with special emphasis on the fowl that frequent the Klamath Basin.

Topics covered during the seminar include, but are not limited to, “... concepts of decoy placement, blind design, ballistics, calling, duck ID, and safety. We will also go over hunting on State and Federal Waterfowl Management Areas and game care.”

Space is as always limited. The cost per hunter is 
$ 45.00 as for most other advanced hunting clinics; juniors under 16 are free as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
Contact for all advanced hunting clinics is Lieutenant Dan Lehman at 916-358-4356. Registration forms are available at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/advanced/docs/regform.pdf.

Additional detailed information about waterfowl, waterfowl hunting, habitat, conservation and hunting regulations status as well as noteworthy facts about the Pacific Flyway are at the DFG website (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/waterfowl/) .
The website of the California Waterfowl Association (http://www.calwaterfowl.org/#) gives a brief overview of the 2011/12 bird hunting regulations. It also lists very detailed seasonal bird and waterfowl hunting opportunities on private and public land. To apply for one of these hunts on private land a hunter must be a member of the California Waterfowl Association.
PJJ