Lake County deer hunters open their season on Saturday, Aug. 12 and while Lake County doesn”t have the deer herd of 20 years ago, the wet spring should improve the hunting this year. A check of the Mendocino National Forest revealed water everywhere. The deer are also in excellent condition with good horn growth.
Thirty years ago Lake County was one of the top buck producing counties in the state. However, in recent years the deer herd has been in a steady decline due to a loss of habitat. The county”s deer herd reached its maximum numbers in the late 1950s. In 1955, the estimated deer kill in Lake County exceeded 2,000 bucks. Compare that to last year when only about 350 bucks were taken.
All the deer in Lake County are of the blacktail species. They are cousins of the mule deer only much smaller. A mature blacktail buck will weigh about 130 to 150 pounds alive.
Deer face the same problem as other wildlife in the county. As more and more people move into the county, suitable wildlife habitat disappears. The total lack of control burning has also reduced the available habitat. Much of the deer range along the North Coast is now at its maximum carrying capacity.
The Mendocino National Forest is a good example. In the 1960s it wasn”t unusual to see 25 to 60 deer per day. Now if you see five deer per day it”s considered a bonus.
Control burning on public lands is a major factor in deer survival. Years ago the local ranchers and hunters annually control burned the vast Cow Mountain Recreational Area and the deer thrived. Typically on opening the weekend of hunting season more than 40 bucks would be taken. Now only about 10 bucks are taken from the 60,000-acre area during the entire season.
Many people think because they see dozens of deer on the local golf courses and in the backyards that the county is awash with deer. Not so. The reason the deer hang around the golf courses and local residences is because there is an abundant food supply. However, the back county is often a virtual desert.
Of all the species of deer, the blacktail is the most challenging to hunt. They test not only the hunter”s endurance but his patience as well. This is especially true during the A zone season. The weather is usually near the century mark, you”re hunting in brush so thick that you can often see only a few yards, and all for a buck that usually is only a forked horn and weighs less than 100 pounds. No other hunting sport challenges the hunter like the coastal deer zone. And yet, it is one of the most popular deer hunting zones in the state.
Without question the blacktail buck is a worthy opponent. He would rather hide than run and more than one hunter has walked within a few feet of a buck and never known he was there. He thrives in the hot, dry terrain under miserable conditions. He spends most of his day in the thick brush or deep canyons and unlike his muley cousin, who often stops and stares when flushed, all most hunters see of a black-tailed buck is his rear end as he goes over the hill.
When a hunter bags a blacktail buck ? be it a forked horn or four-pointer ? he has earned his trophy.
As in past years on the opening weekend the Department of Fish and Game game wardens will be out in force and will be using the deer decoy. The decoy, which resembles a three-point buck, has fooled more than one poacher.
The wardens will also be enforcing the loaded weapon in vehicle law. A weapon is considered loaded by the DFG when there is a shell in the chamber.
The wardens will also be looking for trespassers. The law says that if a property is posted, fenced or under cultivation you must have written permission from the owner to hunt on it. It goes without saying that you must have a valid hunting license and the appropriate deer tags in your possession while hunting.
The fire danger level will also be very high. Campfires are only allowed in designated campgrounds. If a hunter sets a wildfire and is caught he can expect to pay not only a fine but the cost of fighting the fire as well — which can run into thousands of dollars.
The A zone season runs through Sunday, Sept. 24 and the limit is one forked horn deer or better per tag. A person can purchase a maximum of two tags.
Terry Knight can be reached at tknight3021@sbc global.net or by calling (707) 263-1699. Letters intended for publication that respond to Mr. Knight”s column can be sent to news@clearlakeobserver.com.
