The Zone A deer season opens Saturday and most of Lake County is located in the A zone. The recent wildfires will have a definite impact on the hunters as the Cow Mountain Recreation Area, popular among hunters, is pretty much burned. The same applies to the Mendocino National Forest. The Cache Creek Wildlife area also has been impacted by the fires.
Many of the popular public hunting areas will be closed for the opener. Information can be obtained on the closures by going to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management websites.
Even without the wildfires and forest closures, the overall deer population in Lake and Mendocino counties is at a low point. The reason for the deer decline is a continuing loss of habitat and predation by coyotes and mountain lions. A study conducted four years ago in Mendocino County by the University of California revealed that only about one in eight fawns survive a year because of the growing coyote population. The past year has seen the deer herd leveling off and today it’s barely holding its own. 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 25-60 deer per day. Now if you see five deer per day it’s considered a lot. The deer herd reached its maximum population in the late 1950s when deer takes in the county often exceeded 2,000 bucks. Compare that to last few years when fewer than 250 bucks were taken.
All the deer in Lake County are of the Columbian blacktail species. They are a subspecies of the mule deer but much smaller. A mature blacktail buck weighs about 130-150 pounds alive.
To survive and reproduce, deer need food, water and cover. As more and more people move into the county, suitable wildlife habitat disappears. A half century ago the sheep population along the North Coast was peaking and ranchers provided water, food and predator control. That not only helped the sheep but also benefited the deer. Another factor were the timber harvests in the Mendocino National Forest. There also was unlimited control burning during that era. With all these ideal conditions the deer herd literally exploded. That has all changed. Vineyards have taken over most of the rural parts of the county and there are no predator controls and very little control burning.
Control burning on public lands is 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. It was not unusual on the opening the weekend of hunting season to see more than 40 bucks taken. Now only about 10 bucks are taken from this 60,000-acre area the entire season. It’s little more than a giant brush patch and supports little wildlife of any type. That is why this past week the wildfires have burned so much of Cow Mountain.
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. You’re hunting in brush so thick 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 a 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.
As in past years on the opening weekend the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) game wardens will be out in force and will be probably using the deer decoy at night to catch spotlighters. The decoy, which resembles a three-point buck, has fooled more than one poacher.
The wardens also will be enforcing the loaded weapon in a vehicle law. A weapon is considered loaded by the DFW when there is a shell in the chamber. The wardens also will 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.
