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Sportsman

California Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

Volume 6 • Issue 1 PUBLISHER James R. Baker ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles CONTRIBUTORS Nick Barr, Steve Carson, Andre’ M. Dall’au, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Tim E. Hovey, Luke Kelly, Patrick Kittle, Albert Quackenbush, Bill Schaefer, Mike Stevens, Dave Workman SALES MANAGER Brian Lull ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Becca Ellingsworth, Mamie Griffin, Mike Nelson, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS Dawn Carlson, Beth Harrison, Sonjia Kells PRODUCTION MANAGER John Rusnak INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTING Audra Higgins ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Sauro INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn CIRCULATION MANAGER Heidi Belew ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@calsportsmanmag.com CORRESPONDENCE Email letters, articles/queries, photos, etc., to ccocoles@media-inc.com.

ON THE COVER Los Angeles native Brittany Boddington’s passion was once competitive synchronized swimming.

Now, at 28, she is a big-game hunter who has traveled all over the world and is an aspiring journalist and TV host. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 1

42 BACK IN QUACK

Living in dry Southern California, Tim Hovey’s trips to hunt ducks were more for bonding purposes with friends than finding ideal waterfowl habitat. Through all the frustrating outings, the love-hate relationship never stopped. After heading north and converging in a marshy duck blind, Hovey hopes to make it back soon. (TIM E. HOVEY)

FEATURES 16

L.A. WOMAN Daughter of a renowned big-game hunter, Brittany Boddington had other interests in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. But a high school graduation trip to Africa served as the motivation to get interested in hunting, and it’s become a passion for Brittany, who is following in the footsteps of her father, author and TV host Craig Boddington.

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COMMON SCENTS Our SoCal huntsman, Albert Quackenbush, is meticulous when it comes to keeping himself as scatless as possible before and during a deer hunt. Everything but avoiding a prehunt cocktail or lager and watching how you launder your gear is covered in this odor alert column.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 65

BORN TO HUNT BLACKTAILS There are no crisp fall temperatures yet around Redding in October, which should remain toasty throughout the month.

That’s never slowed down Scott Haugen from glassing for blacktail deer in the heat. Scott and Tiffany Haugen’s From Field to Fire contribution also includes a European-inspired dish.

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FALL TROPHIES IN THE O.C. It’s October in Irvine, so that means popular Irvine Lake is set to open for business. Thousands of pounds of rainbow trout, some trophy-sized, will be stocked in anticipation of its Halloween opener. Our Steve Carson has all the tips and information for the opener.

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The Editor’s Note Joe Everett on chasing giant bucks and bass Enforcing the law with the Oakland Police Department The Dishonor Roll: Marijuana crops, wildlife poachers discovered Browning, Eagle Claw Photo Contest winners The California State Duck Calling Championships Projecting the 2014-15 waterfowl season A Montana deer hunt adventure Preparing tasty meat from the field Sacramento and Feather River king salmon update Fall fishing at Crowley Lake Eastern Sierra brown trout preview El Capitan bass are biting Pros/Joes: Q&A with up-and-coming bass pro Clifford Pirch Tuna frenzy off SoCal coast

California Sportsman goes digital!

Read California Sportsman on your desktop or mobile device. Only $1.89 an issue. Go to www.calsportsmanmag.com/digital California Sportsman is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Avenue South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Send address changes to California Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues are available at Media Index Publishing Group offices at the cost of $5 plus tax. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card.

Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2014 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. 10 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

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THEEDITOR’SNOTE

When she graduated from Los Angeles Baptist High School, Brittany Boddington eventually decided to put college on hold to see the world and hunt. A decade later, she’s close to earning a degree. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON) ow what? That’s what so many high school graduates tell themselves when those crossroads appear in front of them.

When Brittany Boddington received her diploma from Los Angeles Baptist High School a decade or so ago, she was mesmerized by the life her hunting TV show-host father Craig Boddington had enjoyed.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do with life. I was very much directionless,” Brittany admitted to me during a lengthy interview for our cover story this month.

I remember the days leading up to my graduation. For a time I wanted to be a fish and game warden (little did I know more that 25 years later I’d be writing and editing stories about them).

Then I told myself I wanted to be an auto mechanic like my dad. I ultimately settled on going to college and being a sports reporter (check) and now a magazine editor.

Boddington, like I did years ago, will soon receive her degree in journalism. But before that, she was going to see the world. I regretted not doing something similar, especially after watching a close friend spend separate summers during his college years backpacking through both Europe and Asia. A road trip to Reno or Lake Tahoe was my usual summer adventure.

Craig Boddington took his daughter to Africa as part of her high school graduation reward, and the younger generation of the family discovered hunting and travel while eventually putting college on hold.

But parents, take note: sometimes your kids make what might seem like crazy decisions for an 18-year-old (“I’m extremely impulsive, to a fault,” says Brittany, now 28 and hopeful she’ll someday host her own TV hunting show). But give her credit for staying on the right course.

There’s nothing wrong with graduating from high school and experiencing other parts of the world if you have an opportunity.

But when you get back from abroad and move back in with your parents, offer to do your own laundry once in a while! –Chris Cocoles

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The mountains of New Zealand provide quite a backdrop for Brittany Boddington, who despite embracing hunting a little later than you might think as the daughter of a renowned sportsman, is now hooked on the outdoors.

(BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

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VALLEY GIRL TO HUNTING WOMAN BRITTANY BODDINGTON FOLLOWING IN DAD’S FOOTSTEPS

By Chris Cocoles

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here was little evidence pointing to young Brittany Boddington being the apple that didn’t fall very far from the tree. In fact, she seemed orchards away from her father, Craig Boddington, a well-respected hunter, author and outdoor journalist.

As the Boddington family settled in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, Brittany had very little interest in following in Craig’s footsteps. A competitive synchronized swimmer good enough to make the U.S. Junior National Team, her sport of choice didn’t exactly have much in common with shooting.

“I was swimming around 35 hours a week, so I didn’t have a lot of time to worry about guns and hunting,” she says. “There certainly wasn’t any hunting going on at that point.”

But times change, and the Boddingtons have now become a family of biggame hunters (Brittany’s younger sister, Caroline, has also since joined in).

Brittany, now 28, still lives in L.A. and is an aspiring journalist – after taking some time off from school to travel the world and hunt throughout it, she’ll earn a journalism and mass communications degree next year. She also has appeared on several television shows (some with her dad, and they’ll collaborate on a show sometime next year), hunting in such far-flung locales as New Zealand, Peru, Turkey and Macedonia.

“I’ve always had a passion for travel.

When I was 10, my dad would go to Africa for the summer and (the rest of the family) would go to Mexico,” says Boddington, who spends as much time on the African

continent as her time and finances allow.

She’s hoping to find a niche not just as a hunting TV show host but also as a writer (Craig has written numerous hunting books and is published around the world).

We chatted with Brittany about life in L.A. as a big-game hunter, and how hunting went from nonexistent to a lifelong passion.

Chris Cocoles It’s a surprise to me that you were kind of late to the party when it comes to hunting, especially given your dad’s background as a renowned sportsman. So how it did happen?

Brittany Boddington I was pretty much against hunting through most of my childhood into high school. And I think a lot of that stems from just growing up in Los Angeles. I had to explain to my friends why my dad was killing Bambi [laughs].

So it took me a while to come around. I didn’t even want to shoot a gun and really didn’t until after high school.

My (high school) graduation present was a trip to Africa with no intention of hunting. He just wanted to show me where he’d been. And I was really excited to see it. But before the trip, I decided to do some research and more and more sites were popping up with safaris as an option. So finally, just out of curiosity, I started clicking on them.

In my research, I found out more and more why people did hunt in Africa.

I had no idea what he was doing. So once I learned that were regulations and conservation aspects, especially in Africa, where there was very little else to do besides hunting to control these populations, I came around to the idea pretty quick, and startled my dad by

asking to teach me how to shoot. And he just said, “Why?” [laughs]. I said, “We’re going to Africa. Don’t you think I should learn how to shoot?” He again said, “Why?” I told him I wanted to hunt.

CC So was that, at the time, a major shock to him, because you had not shown a lot of interest in the past?

BB It was, because he didn’t believe me. So he told me if I could go on a pig hunt in California, then he would arrange for permits to hunt in Africa. He thought I’d go to Africa and chicken out. So he set up the pig hunt in California. And he figured, if I kill one of those, then maybe I would actually do something in Africa when we got there.

So I shot a boar in Northern California. I remember when the gun went off, he looked at me instead of the pig and asked, “Are you OK?” [laughs]. I never lost eye contact with the pig and said, “Let’s go, let’s go.”

CC Was that first shot and taking down that pig difficult at all?

BB No. For some reason there was never a second thought; it was instinctual, I think. I was super excited. They thought I’d missed him; it was a huge group of pigs coming over the edge of this ridge. And the guide told me to shoot the one with the big black spot, and I shot the one with the big black spot. And I saw him roll down the ravine, but they were watching the pig with the black spot in the front, but I shot the one in the back. I said, “He’s down; I can see him!”

It was really exciting.

CC Your dad must have had a lot of thoughts racing through his head at that point.

BB I think it was very exciting for him. The idea to have someone pass it onto, I think it had been lacking for him. I think he was really excited. My sister wasn’t that excit-

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Boddington has hunted in Macedonia, a Balkan nation not exactly a household name for tourism, let alone hunting. But the Los Angeles native found success there with a chamois.

(BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

house was decorated (with an African motif). But I had a very different idea on what it would be, I guess. That’s not to say it was better or worse. But it was absolutely completely different, in a wonderful way. And that first trip will always be the pinnacle of the travels in my career. It was a huge eye-opener and a life-changer for me.

CC What did you hunt on that first trip?

BB The first animal I shot was a springbok, and then another springbok. And a zebra, kudu and gemsbok.

CC As a former competitive athlete, did that fuel your hunting competitiveness?

BB Definitely. That first trip, my best friend from childhood was also with me. And we had a major competition going. But I think the spirit of competition is something that carries over into a lot of different aspects of my life. I wouldn’t say that I’m competitive with any one person. It’s more in me to be the best that I can and see the most that I can in the world.

ed about it either, although she grew up shooting a lot more than I did. She had one of those cricket guns when she was like 6 and would go to the range. She loved it, but as she got older, things got more interesting, like hanging with her friends. She just stopped going to the range, and when she did go she would usually play with her phone. But then at 16, she also wanted to go on a pig hunt, and she did. So I just think there were late bloomers in our family. But it’s also hard because we grew up in California, and it’s not the nicest place to explain to your friends, as a kid, what your dad does. I told them my dad was a sportswriter, and I think they all thought he wrote about basketball. I never explained it. When I was a child we didn’t have a lot in common; he was never into synchronized swimming

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and I was never into hunting. So there wasn’t a lot to talk about. But after that first safari, our relationship had grown dramatically. We had a common ground.

CC Did he try to get you involved, or did he back off and let you do your own thing?

BB I have a vague memory of when I was 6 or 7 and he let me shoot a gun when we were on a trip. It was way too big of a gun for me. I got knocked down and cried, and that was the end of it for me. He would try to talk to me about hunting, but I didn’t want to hear it. I was uninterested.

CC Tell me about that first Africa trip.

BB I’ve always had a passion for travel. Africa was always huge on my hit list. I’d been hearing about it my whole life, and our

CC I’ve just started to travel abroad in maybe the last five years, but you had a chance to see the world at a young age. What was that like on a personal and cultural level?

BB My dad and I worked out a deal: as long as I stayed in school he’d help me out financially. But when I left school, that was kind of lost, and rightfully so. So my travel was pretty much this: I’d be home and would work four jobs until I was ready to leave, then spend everything I had, come back broke and work again until I could afford to go back out. It was an interesting lifestyle, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. And I think it’s also very character-building to do it yourself. I really enjoyed that period of my life. If anything, I would have done it a little bit longer [laughs].

CC What was it like to be able to embrace the culture of where you visited?

BB It was awesome, especially since I did a lot of traveling alone. I think a lot of people travel in groups, and it almost becomes a crutch to buy into whatever culture you’re in. Traveling alone is very interesting because you don’t have a lot of choice but to

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CC You have seen some fascinating places.

BB I’ve been hunting in Europe, the South Pacific and Africa, mostly. I’ve been a little bit in South America as well. I made it to Turkey near the border of Iran, and it’s been amazing. I’ve been able to hunt in places like Macedonia; never in my life had I thought about hunting in Macedonia. It’s a tiny country of two million people. It’s very interesting. We found shells in the ground from old wars. You could see where the bunkers were still kind of degrading from where there were wars fought. But when I was there they seemed like very happy people. And the hunting was awesome.

We were in Turkey for two weeks hunting the Anatolian stag, and we had some ex-

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tra time and ended up getting my scuba license and dove to sunken ships. Hunting has been a fabulous way to see the world.

CC What was your first TV experience like?

BB During those years when I would travel with my dad once a year to go on a hunt, he would film the trips to Africa. So every now and then, I’d be on camera in a very, very minor role. I hunted my buffalo on that show. I wasn’t as comfortable on camera as much as I am now. I didn’t take the lead and talk to the camera. It was very much my dad saying, “I’m here with Brittany; this is what we’re going to do and let’s go.” And I would just go. It was a nice learning experience and I was able to see how he does it in real time. After that show over a few years, I joined the American Huntress show, which was awesome. Linda Donaho was the previous host for that, and we shared some responsibilities for two seasons. And that was the first time I was on my own, sent out with the cameraman to get enough foot-

age to make a TV show. You learn pretty quickly.

CC When you’re on a TV show do you have to learn on the fly?

BB Absolutely, especially when it’s hunting because you never know what you’re going to find. There’s no set shot and the animals don’t follow the script. So you have to wing it, and even now there are times when everything is just off the cuff. And I think (when things don’t follow the script) that’s important to show the general public. I feel sorry for shows that suggest everything is perfect. The truth is there are few hunting experiences without screw-ups. If you hunt long enough, something’s going to go wrong.

CC What’s your ideal career path right now?

BB I’ve always wanted to do my show. And this year my dad and I are restarting The Boddington Experience. He had that show before, but it was him alone. So we’re bring-

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MIXED BAG ing it back with the two of us as joint hosts, which is very exciting. And that will be starting next year. And long-term I realize people aren’t going to want to watch me hunting on TV for my whole life [laughs].

So with my degree in journalism, I want to write books. But really, the goal is to keep hunting throughout my lifetime. It’s something that I can do permanently.

CC Unfortunately, this lately seems to be an issue with women who hunt, but how much of a backlash have you received about what you enjoy doing?

BB It’s a dramatic shift. Growing up in a hunting family, there were people out there who didn’t like us, and I knew that from a young age. I remember once I was riding home from the airport with a Japanese exchange student, and when we arrived home there was a bomb squad on our lawn going through everything we owned.

Someone had called in a bomb threat to my dad’s office when he was a (magazine)

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editor. I was probably 5 or 6, so you grow up knowing people are after you. I think in the last few years, the aggression has switched directions and is now aimed at the female of the hunting world; it’s much more than at men. People don’t go on my dad’s page and say, “Your eyes look stupid.” But they do on mine. And these are personal attacks that have nothing to do with hunting. I told several people, “If you have something intelligent to talk about, let’s talk. I’m more than willing to talk to you.” But just calling me names and saying that you don’t like my hair – well, OK. [Laughs.] And maybe there is a guy out there getting lots of flak. But for the most part they don’t. I think they see us females as weaker targets. The idea of girls and guns is iffy to lots of people. I think seeing us do hunts that are traditionally male-dominated angers them even more.

They obviously don’t know us. I would like to get that message across. But you have to have thick skin in this industry or you’re not going to survive. When the whole Kendall

Jones news broke (about a college cheerleader who hunts being blasted on social media) I was getting 100 death threats a day on my Facebook page. That’s ridiculous.

CC So what other messages do you try and send out to your audience about hunting?

BB I hope that women watching are empowered and feel, “if this little redheaded kid can do it, then we can do it too.” But I also want women to see that hunting is not a men-only sport. It may have been in the past, but we can do anything they can do. I really enjoy that part. In the last couple years I have been taking more difficult hunts to push my limits. I want the world to see that women are serious in the hunting industry. We’re not just doing fluffy hunts.

We want to do everything. CS Editor’s note: For more information on Brittany Boddington, check our her website (brittanyboddington.com) and Facebook page (facebook.com/brittany.boddington).

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BIG BASS AND BIG BUCKS EVERETT CONTINUES HIS TROPHY QUEST

By Luke Kelly hen it comes to sheer tenacity and passion for deer hunting and largemouth bass fishing in California, it would be difficult to match that of Joe Everett.

An avid sportsman who exudes energy when he speaks, Everett

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dedicates his time between hunting deer throughout California, and a personal quest to catch the worldrecord largemouth bass.

His impressive resume as an outdoorsman has been chiseled through years of experience in both sports, and by a hunger to excel – especially when it comes to catching a bass bigger than the curent world record, 22.311 pounds, caught by Manuba Kurita in Japan in 2009.

Everett’s annual deer hunt this

year took place in Central California on a 28,000-acre ranch.

“We saw deer every day,” he says.

“Out of about 70 doe, we saw one fawn.”

He attributes this unusual discrepancy to a high population of mountain lions, which are classified by the state of California as a specially protected species.

Other than that, says Everett, it was a fine trip, one in which he saw many bucks.

“We saw bucks. I’m not out to Joe Everett had a more successful hunt in a previous California deer season, but his quest to go big, whether he’s chasing bucks or the world-record largemouth bass, is still a passion.

(JOE EVERETT)

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just kill something for the freezer. I didn’t even put one in the chamber because I don’t need to hunt for sustenance,” he explains.

One of the joys of the hunt, he says, was just getting out there and enjoying the spectacular landscape of California.

“I just jumped off and enjoyed the scenery, and that California is alive and somewhat well,” he says in spite of the absence of fawns that he witnessed. Another trip for fall is already in the works for Everett.

“From the way things are looking right now, I’m going to do another hunt, not on the ranch, but in the area. So that’s promising.”

HIS DEER HUNTING ventures aside, one of the most compelling things about Everett is his relentless pursuit of the worldrecord largemouth, which could well be lurking in Southern California waters.

“About 20-something years ago, I got a wild (idea) and thought that I could break the world record,” Everett explains.

He fishes on a private lake stocked with trout. The trout, in turn, become the primary food source for the bass, resulting in what Everett describes as a “donkey factory.” And he’s had some monster bass on the line before.

“My biggest fish is 18 pounds. I’ve had fish on the line

26 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

One of Joe Everett’s “smaller” largemouth he’s constantly chasing. This is a 14-pounder, but he’s landed fish up to 18 pounds, and lost even bigger ones. (JOE EVERETT)

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MIXED BAG on three different occasions that shattered that. I didn’t catch them, I lost ’em.”

These experiences with huge bass only reaffirmed his belief that the world record is within his reach.

Everett explains that his tactic is primarily based on sight-fishing.

“What I do is, I fish them on the spawn,” he says. “If I fish every day from when they come up to spawn, say, from the end of February to the beginning of May, my plan is to cover the water from sun up to dark.”

The theory, then, is that he will see every fish coming to spawn.

The idea is that he has a chance of breaking the record based on the number of opportunities that he is creating for himself alone.

A testament to his determination, Everett has developed his own brand of lures to help him catch

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the record – and they are drawing quite a bit of attention from some big names in bass fishing.

“I’m a jig fisherman,” says Everett, who teamed with friends to help the cause. “We designed a specific sightfishing, bed-fishing jig.”

Everett says that his lure has caught the attention of big-time bass anglers, some of whom have won the Bassmaster Classic, including Ray Scott, Roland Martin, Hank Parker and Mike Iaconelli.

“I’m not looking for public opinion, but it’s nice to be accepted into that circle. When we sit and eat dinner together, it makes me feel like I’m doing something right,” he says.

Everett prides himself on taking others fishing, and putting them on some of the biggest bass they’ve ever caught. Whether or not he himself catches the record remains to be seen. As with any method of fishing,

there will always be a degree of luck involved.

“I could get (the record),” says Everett, “but you can never get away from that luck card. I don’t care who you are or what you do, no matter how well you cover your bases, that luck card is still a key factor in the equation.”

What Everett has done is meticulously put himself in the best possible situation to catch the biggest fish possible – through the bait he uses, the location he has chosen, and his consistency in fishing. And of course, he has the X-factor – the kind of single-minded passion for his sport that you just can’t teach.

“My whole philosophy is that I can’t be the Bassmaster Classic winner; I don’t have that resource,” Everett explains. “What I can do is break the world record.” CS

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POLICING THE EAST BAY On Patrol With The Men And Women In Blue And Black – The Oakland PD

By Andre’ M. Dall’au Photos by Oakland Police Department

D

uring an attempted traffic stop by the Oakland Police Department for a reportedly stolen car, the driver opted to flee. That dangerous act turned the white SUV into a wildly driven, multi-ton hazard to both officers and innocent residents of the East Bay. After nearly colliding with several vehicles and persons, the recklessly driven SUV solidly struck another car, disabling both vehicles and nearly killing three people, including two children. The driver of the now immobile and smoking SUV fled the scene into a nearby suburban residential area. The on-scene Oakland officers immediately blocked off the two-block area and established overwatch of the perimeter to make sure the criminal did not flee.

To facilitate a thorough search, the Oakland PD organized a designated arrest team (DAT) to perform house-byhouse and yard-by-yard searches. The team included experienced, well-armed and well-prepared officers as well as a K-9 and her handler, both of whom were experienced in tracking and locating subjects hidden in urban, suburban or wooded terrain. As the team was prepared, the air asset of Oakland PD, a McDonald Douglas MD-500 “Little Bird” helicopter, was alerted, and within a few minutes started the engine, increased power, pulled pitch and was in the air over the scene. Unlike other choppers built more for the light civilian market, the immensely successful and powerful MD-500 is excellent for providing aerial observation and extended surveillance.

Officers know that when the chopper is in the air the bad guys have nowhere to run and have to sit and hide, and sometimes that doesn’t even work.

I was on a ride-along with the OPD and had gotten a seat in the MD-500.

The Oakland PD’s MD-500 provides excellent protection for the department’s officers, local citizens and even perps by making sure situations remain under effective command and control.

I was able to clearly see the huge advantage of overhead observation for command, control and surveillance of a tactical event.

The sworn officers and pilots maintained contact with the DAT, and continually advised them of threats and what they were going to see as they cleared the backyards and gardens of the locked-down neighborhood. The officers and K-9 cleared the first yard,

then the second, but at the third house, the K-9 alerted to a threat that only a well-trained K-9 could have sensed. The chopper swung overhead and spotted the DAT apprehending the subject, who had gone to ground, fearful of his movements being observed by the all-seeing eyes in the sky. The pilots watched as the DAT extracted the now-humble criminal from between two fences knowing that he was outmatched, outclassed and OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

31

one of accessible on the island’s OPD relies a great deal onstream use of designated arrest teams, or DATs, for coordinated efforts including house and road systems structure searches.

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32 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

outmaneuvered by the Oakland teamwork of air, land and K-9!

TO COVER THE CITY OF OAKLAND, named after the local forests felled to build San Francisco across the bay, OPD employs over 600 sworn officers. There are about 400,000 residents living in 56 square miles of “The Flatlands” and “The Hills” that comprise the city. Once the West Coast terminus of the intercontinental railroad as well the busiest port on San Francisco Bay, Oakland always had “big city” issues. Oakland PD faces similar issues of hard drugs, gangs and crime associated with them, plus the effects of a large transient population of commuters and tourists.

As a result, the OPD needs a variety of specialty units including K-9, animal services, patrol, intelligence and maritime support to handle the busy waterfront and over 22 square miles of inland waterways.

The OPD has 30 qualified SWAT members, trained by their own SWAT school in tactics including entry, with some operators specifically trained in long-range precision shooting and both kinetic and explosive breaching. The OPD SWAT team is comprised of patrol officers who are stationed at department headquar-

An Oakland officer traibs with a Noveske N4, among the best carbines available.

ters and respond up to several times a week to calls all over the East Bay. Both the patrol officers and the SWAT team have AR patrol rifles, with the incredible Noveske 5.56 NATO AR being used by SWAT operators.

Based on an informal poll of officers on what pistol they would like to carry on duty, the Oakland PD chose the Glock G22 Gen4 .40 auto pistol for most of the uniformed members of the OPD (including the SWAT team), with others preferring to stay with their Glock G17 and G21 pistols. Overall, the Glock system won the day because of its reliability, simplicity and the three independent safety systems that secure the weapon against accidental discharge but shoot

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BRP has signed an agreement to provide Renaissance Marine Groups’ KingFisher Boats with Evinrude outboard engines. The welded heavygauge aluminum boats, manufactured in a stateof-the art facility in Vernon, British Columbia, are known for their custom-built quality.

“This partnership is exciting for BRP. Showcasing our Evinrude E-TEC technology and innovations alongside a leader in heavy-gauge aluminum boats allows us to continue expanding our presence in the industry, and reinforces our commitment to providing a superior consumer experience across multiple segments and markets,” said Alain Villemure, vice president and general manager of BRP’s Marine Propulsion Systems division. “We’re confident this agreement with KingFisher Boats and The Renaissance Group is a strategic one and we look forward to the mutual opportunities it represents.”

“We’re very excited about this partnership because BRP’s newest offerings with its Evinrude brand bring outstanding technological innovation to our product,” said Byron Bolton, CEO of Renaissance Marine Group and KingFisher. “Our boaters require top performance for that hole shot, and the reliability of Evinrude engines is something they can count on.”

KingFisher and Renaissance have a broad West Coast distribution network of dealers. New to their line-up this year is the KingFisher multi-species boat line offering the next generation of all-welded aluminum fishing boats using their industry-leading Pre-flex hull. Their tougher, more durable performance fishing line is an ideal partner for Evinrude E-TEC engines.

California Sportsman recently had the opportunity to see the new Evinrude G2’s in action on the back of a 29-foot

KingFisher.

This engine is a complete rededication to the innovation Evinrude brings to the two-stroke outboard market. The Evinrude E-TEC G2 outboard engine delivers unrivaled performance with best-in-class torque and fuel efficiency and lowest total emissions. The new E-TEC G2 engine offers the first and only customizable look, the only clean rigging and fully integrated digital controls. These innovations now allow consumers to choose the absolute perfect combination of boat and engine by selecting top and front panels, as well as accent colors that match your boat.

Check them out at your local Evinrude dealer.

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

33

INFIDEL COMBAT SYSTEMS

CIVILIANS GRABBING UP BODY ARMOR tŝůů LJŽƵ ŵŝƐƐ LJŽƵƌ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJ ƚŽ ŽǁŶ ďŽĚLJ ĂƌŵŽƌ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ŽƵƚůĂǁĞĚ͍ U.S. Rep., Mike Honda, of Silicon ValůĞLJ ; Ϳ ĂŶŶŽƵŶĐĞĚ ŚĞ ŚĂƐ ƐƵďŵŝƩĞĚ ůĞŐŝƐůĂƟŽŶ ƚŽ ŽŶŐƌĞƐƐ ƚŽ ŽƵƚůĂǁ ƚŚĞ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ŽĨ ŵŝůŝƚĂƌLJͲŐƌĂĚĞ ďŽĚLJ ĂƌŵŽƌ ďLJ ĐŝǀŝůŝĂŶƐ͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ ŚĂƉƉĞŶŝŶŐ ĂŐĂŝŶ͘ &ŝǀĞ LJĞĂƌƐ ĂŐŽ ĨĞĂƌƐ ƚŚĂƚ KďĂŵĂ ǁŽƵůĚ ŽƵƚůĂǁ ĂƐƐĂƵůƚ ƌŝŇĞƐ ůĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ďŝŐŐĞƐƚ ďƵLJŝŶŐ ƐƉƌĞĞ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶƐ ŚĂǀĞ ĞǀĞƌ ƐĞĞŶ͘ EŽǁ͕ ƚŚĞ ĨĞĚĞƌĂů ŐŽǀĞƌŶŵĞŶƚ ŝƐ ĐŽŶƐŝĚĞƌŝŶŐ ďĂŶŶŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƐĂůĞ ŽĨ ŵŝůŝƚĂƌLJͲŐƌĂĚĞ ďŽĚLJ ĂƌŵŽƌ ƚŽ ĐŝǀŝůŝĂŶƐ͘ ZĞƉ͘ ,ŽŶĚĂ ŚŽƉĞƐ ƚŚĞ ƌĞŐƵůĂƟŽŶ ǁŝůů ƉƌĞǀĞŶƚ ĐƌŝŵŝŶĂůƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƵƐŝŶŐ ĂƌŵŽƌ ŝŶ ďĂƩůĞƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ƉŽůŝĐĞ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĨĂĐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚŝƐ ƐƟůůͲƉĞŶĚŝŶŐ ƌĞŐƵůĂƟŽŶ͕ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ǁŚŽ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ďĞ ĐĂƵŐŚƚ ŇĂƚͲĨŽŽƚĞĚ ĂƌĞ ƌƵƐŚŝŶŐ ŽƵƚ ƚŽ ƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞ ďŽĚLJ ĂƌŵŽƌ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞLJ ƐƟůů ĐĂŶ͘ /ŶĮĚĞů ŽĚLJ ƌŵŽƌ K ĂŶĚ ŵŝůŝƚĂƌLJ ǀĞƚĞƌĂŶ͕ ŚĂĚ ŽŽƉĞƌ͕ ƐĂLJƐ ƐĂůĞƐ ĂƌĞ ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĚŝƐĐƌĞƚĞ ƐŚŝƉƉŝŶŐ ƉŽůŝĐLJ ĂŶĚ ůŽǁ ƉƌŝĐŝŶŐ͕ ͞tĞ ŽīĞƌ ϭϬϬ ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚ ƵŶĐŽŶĚŝƟŽŶĂů ŐƵĂƌĂŶƚĞĞ ŽŶ Ăůů ŽƵƌ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ͖ ĂŶĚ ĂƌŵŽƌĞĚ ǀĞƐƚƐ ƐƚĂƌƚ Ăƚ ũƵƐƚ Ψϯϳϰ͘ϵϵ͕ ĂŶĚ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞƐ ƐŚŝƉƉŝŶŐ ƚŽ Ăůů ϱϬ ƐƚĂƚĞƐ Ͳ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ ĂůŝĨŽƌŶŝĂ͘͟ ͞/ ŚŽƉĞ / ŶĞǀĞƌ ŚĂǀĞ ƚŽ ƵƐĞ ƚŚŝƐ ŐĞĂƌ͕ ďƵƚ /͛ŵ ŐůĂĚ / ŚĂǀĞ ŝƚ Ͳ ũƵƐƚ ŝŶ ĐĂƐĞ͕͟ ƐĂLJƐ Ă ƐĂƟƐĮĞĚ ĐƵƐƚŽŵĞƌ͘ >ĞǀĞů /// ĂŶĚ /s ĂƌŵŽƌ ĂƌĞ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ ƚŽ ƐƚŽƉ ƌŝŇĞ ďƵůůĞƚƐ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ƉŝƐƚŽů ƌŽƵŶĚƐ͘ tŝƚŚ ĂŶ ĂƉƉĂƌĞŶƚ ŝŵƉĞŶĚŝŶŐ ĞĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ ĐŽůůĂƉƐĞ͕ ŝůůĞŐĂů ŝŵŵŝŐƌĂƟŽŶ ƐƵƌŐĞ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐŽĐŝĂů ƵŶƌĞƐƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ƐŵĂƌƚ ĐŚŽŝĐĞ ŝƐ ƚŽ ĂƌŵŽƌ ƵƉ ǁŚŝůĞ ǁĞ ƐƟůů can. /ŶĮĚĞů ŽĚLJ ƌŵŽƌ͘ĐŽŵ ŚĂƐ ĂƌŵŽƌ ŝŶ ƐƚŽĐŬ ĂŶĚ ƐŚŝƉƐ ŶĞdžƚ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĚĂLJ͘ ƐŵĂƌƚ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚ Ăƚ Ψϯϳϰ͘ϵϵ͕ LJŽƵ ŐĞƚ ƉĞĂĐĞ ŽĨ ŵŝŶĚ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐĞĐƵƌŝƚLJ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ĨĂŵŝůLJ͘

34 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

every time the trigger is pulled.

Oakland PD officers receive frequent in-service training as well as periodic weapons’ requalification. All the OPD officers are trained in the classroom as well as static shooting drills and dynamic scenarios based on actual events.

Part of the instruction includes reality-based scenarios against active role players who are armed with training pistols loaded with Simunition-marking rounds. They are primer-powered, paint-covered BBs that sting when hit, requiring mandatory protection for critical areas such as face, neck and groin. The kinetic feedback using live-action opponents allows the training to be both unpredictable and memorable as mistakes are seldom made twice!

The creative training staff makes each scenario different and unpredictable so that the officer has to think their way through and apply force only as required. They replicate recent operational experience events or

complicated situations such as a traffic stop with noncompliant persons or room clearing with other officers. The officer has to make decisions on the amount of force applicable for each situation and then thoroughly discuss their performance in the post-event critique.

Oakland PD has been challenged with doing a tough job that is just getting tougher every day. While use of force by the bad guys has been escalating throughout the nation, OPD (like other law enforcement agencies) has to maintain a response-based posture.

That means officers cannot act unless they have probable cause or if a crime has been committed, a weapon is displayed or violence has been used.

Even with that, with the high caliber of OPD officers, their excellent training and superior equipment, they still can effectively do what they do every day, to protect and serve the citizens and visitors of the East Bay. CS

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TULE RIVER POT GROWERS POACHED WILDLIFE

OUTDOOR CALENDAR

Marijuana growth with excessive water usage has become commonplace around isolated spots in Northern and Central California, and 13,698 plants were eradicated in the Tule River Tribal area near Porterville. (CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH

and Southern California Zone geese season 30-Nov. 2 Morrison’s Bonus Derby Weekend at Convict Lake (800-922-2260)

AND WILDLIFE)

t’s become quite a battle for water rights between farmers, fish and marijuana growers

BY CHRIS COCOLES throughout California.

In August, several agencies, including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, teamed over a five-day investigation of the Tule River Tribal area in the San Joaquin Valley near Porterville.

What the task force found was kind of disturbing.

While the joint effort eradicated marijuana from the tribal land, a CDFW press release reported that “the growers were poaching wildlife, polluting the land and water and destroying habitat.”

We’re not making any judgment on whether states like California should follow the lead taken by Washington and Colorado and legalize pot. But when natural resources – and as stated, this isn’t the first example of something similar in the state – are potentially being harmed, it’s an issue.

The Tule River, which flows from the Sierras through Tulare County for roughly 68 miles before running out of a dry lake bed in neighboring Kings County, supplies much of the Tule River tribe’s water source.

The CDFW reported 13,698 plants were being cultivated and estimated each plant soaks up between 8 and 10 gallons of water a day. In theory, the illegal plants were consuming 100,000 gallons of water every 24 hours.

The growers allegedly made like beavers and damned multiple water sources for growing purposes, but much of the entire operation was removed after being detected. Among the final tally cleaned up was garbage totaling about 12,000 pounds.

“We will continue our efforts in protecting our sacred lands and restoring the water for future generations to come,” said Tule River Tribal spokesperson William J. Garfield.

We can only hope for more of the same throughout the state.

I

OCTOBER

4 Start of Zone D-19 deer season 4 Start of most X Zones deer season 5 Start of Northeastern Zone duck and season 5 Start of Northeastern Zone regular dark geese season 11 Start of Zone D-11, D-13, D-14, D-15, D-17deer seasons 12 Start of archery pheasant season 18 Start of Colorado River Zone duck and geese seasons 19 Start of Balance of State Zone duck season 19 Start of Zone Q1 and Q3 mountain quail season 19 Start of general chukar season 19 Start of Southern California Zone duck season 19 Start of snipe season 19 Start of Southern San Joaquin Valley

NOVEMBER

1 Start of scaup season 8 Start of general pheasant season 8 Start of fall wild turkey season 8 Start of late mourning and white-winged dove season Snow geese and Ross’s geese fly above the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge near Willows.

Various geese hunting seasons begin this month.

(STEVE EMMONS/USFWS)

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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PHOTO CONTEST

WINNERS! â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ene Pifelti of San Mateo, who fishes with his friends in the Tribal Hooks Fishing Club (check out some of their Bay Area adventures on YouTube), was trolling whole squid just outside the mouth of Pillar Point Harbor off Half Moon Bay and pulled in 18- and 11-pound lingcod. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ene wins our monthly Wright&McGill/Eagle Claw contest prize package that includes pliers, Lazer Sharp hooks and a hat!

Our monthly Browning Photo Contest winner is Jeff Keen, who snapped this fine shot at his cabin in the grousy Northeast Washington woods a couple seasons back. It scores him a Browning hat and sticker!

For your shot at winning Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw and Browning products, send your photos to ccocoles@media-inc.com or California Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124-0365. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or Internet publications.

38 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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GOOD CALLS IN COLUSA Photos courtesy of Sue Graue Photography

COLUSA– The 2014 California State Duck Calling Championship and Outdoor Expo took place at Memorial Park in downtown Colusa on Aug. 23 and 24.

Kittle’s Outdoor and Sport Company (530-458-4868, kittlesoutdoor.com) hosted the event again, which featured three-time world champion Butch Richenback, who is the founder of Rich N Tone (rntcalls.com) duck calls from Stuttgart, Ark. Also featured

was Bret Crowe, a two-time world champ caller from Chico and the owner of JJ Lares Duck Calls (530-342-3068; jjlares.com).

This year’s event was a record breaker with 25 two-man teams and 18 open goose contestants. Over $3,800 in contest money was handed out, plus over $3,000 in prizes for the winners, both setting new highs.

Six California contestants, including duck-calling champion Gregory Hubbell Jr., will represent the state in Arkansas this November when Stuttgart hosts the Duck

Calling World Championship.

In its fourth consecutive year to be held in Colusa, the event generated an estimated $55,000 for local businesses and community tourism revenue. Over 600 people attended the two-day event, with approximately 90 percent from outside Colusa County. The event is scheduled to return to Colusa from August 28-30, 2015.

Meanwhile, check out the following scenes from the 2014 event. CS

A colorful collection of duck calls.

Gregory Hubbell Jr. makes the sweet sound of a successful call that won him the state championship.

40 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

Hubbell, pictured with featured guest and three-time world champion Butch Richenback, will get his chance to be the world’s best duck caller when he attends the championships in Stuttgart, Ark., this November.

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2014 RESULTS DUCK CALLING Champion Gregory Hubbell Jr. Second Tim Hudson Third Anthony Wallace

One of the tools of Butch Richenback’s trade

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Colusa will host next year’s event from Aug. 28-30, 2015, and it will again be sponsored by Kittle’s Outdoor Sports.

OPEN SPECKLEBELLY (GOOSE) Champion Carson Leber Second Collin Brown Third Daniel Ault TWO-MAN MEAT CALLING (PRO DIVISION) Champion Bret Crowe and Tim Hudson Second James Rathjen and Zane Peterson Third Stuart Mattos and Bret Crowe TWO-MAN MEAT CALLING (AMATEUR DIVISION) Champion Collin Brown and Latigo Hext Second Anthony Wallace and Latigo Hext

Butch Richenback is a legendary figure among duck callers. He operates Rich N Tone duck calls in Arkansas.

A younger generation of future duck callers.

Third Colby Stilwell and Ryan Sherbondy JUNIOR DUCK CALLING Champion Colby Stilwell Second Grayson Taylor Third Hunter Derrick INTERMEDIATE DUCK CALLING Champion Ryan Sherbondy Second Logan Hill Third Garrison MacQueen INTERMEDIATE GOOSE CALLING Champion Ryan Sherbondy Second Daniel Ault Third Colby Stilwell The duck call finalists after another successful event.

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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42 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

HUNTING Even when your day doesn’t turn out as well as you’d like, sunrise at a Northern California duck blind makes for spectacular scenery. (TIM E. HOVEY)

BACK FOR MORE QUACK A DUCK HUNTER REKINDLES HIS LOVE AFFAIR

By Tim E. Hovey

D

arrin and I set our folding stools in the muddy water behind the reeds. We had just spent 45 minutes setting out our bargain-brand decoys and getting things just right.

I had left my place at 2:30 a.m. to meet Darrin at the wildlife refuge an hour before sunrise. We were cold, wet and it was still dark. Off in the distance, voices of other hunters could be heard as they did the same. As we shivered in the water, waiting for the

sun to peak up, Darrin spoke from his dark, reed-covered hole.

“I hate duck hunting!”

Fowl play I’ve hunted ducks on and off for over 15 years. I’ve hunted private clubs, public areas, wildlife refuges and jump ponds, and the one common thread that strikes me personally is that I have always had a love-hate relationship with duck hunting.

Like Southern California hunters our duck hunting options are somewhat limited. We don’t have the immense habitat or the amazing duck numbers that you’d find in the northern part of the state. However, local wildlife refuges run by the state, some privately owned lakes and the Salton Sea provide water-

fowl hunters with options.

When we first started, we began searching out all the opportunities within our area. We understood that to be successful, we needed to drive extended distances, deal with questionable pond conditions and make the most of the brief and limited opportunities presented us. In my opinion, that’s the norm for any Southern California hunter, and we were up for the challenge.

Early on, I seriously enjoyed learning the different species and lining those up with the regulations and different seasonal start dates. I was also fortunate enough to have a hunting buddy in Darrin who was equally enthused to chase waterfowl.

As those early seasons came and went, we started to see patterns. No matter how we set up or how much we thought we’d learned from previous seasons, the early waterfowl hunts played out predictably: waking up early, being cold and wet and having the same species of ducks show up year after year. During some hunts, the morning flights could be measured in minutes.

Goin’ Hollywood Several species – teal, green-winged, blue-winged and cinnamon – would fly in small groups low and fast before OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

43

HUNTING goofy-looking ducks displayed a less than handsome bill and were a patchwork of colors that just seemed a bit off. We called them Hollywood mallards, and they almost appeared like a prototype of the more attractive drake mallard. Handsome or not, when they appeared, we would add a few to our bag.

Avoiding a goose egg Jeff Cota tries to call in some ducks. Last season was not one for the books in California, which has endured lack of water issues due to an ongoing drought. (TIM E. HOVEY)

shooting time. They’d bank in like the Blue Angels and either circle and leave, or land just out of range. We both agreed that of the limited duck species available to us, the teal tasted the best.

The diving ducks, like the ruddies, would readily land in our set of cheap decoys and paddle around like they

44 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

were trying to start a conversation with their plastic pals. They’d automatically get a pass since their edibility was questionable. Darrin would say, “you couldn’t wrap enough bacon around a slice of ruddy breast to make me eat another one!”

Shooting time usually signaled the arrival of the spoonbills. These

During one trip, we decided to set up in a location that was considered a snow goose area at the state-run Whistler Wildlife Area. The day broke foggy, and as it cleared we could hear the geese stirring. We tucked ourselves into the reeds and waited. Several flocks moved through, but out of range. Then a very large group glided over a lot lower. We began firing, and when the feathers settled, we had dropped three large snow geese from the flock.

Those were the first geese we had killed in our developing waterfowl ca-

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45

HUNTING reers, a moment I still mark as one of my favorite hunts.

Darrin and I hunted a half-dozen seasons together down in San Diego, but life changes pulled us in different directions. At the time, I felt like I was done with pursuing waterfowl.

We had had a great deal of success chasing Southern California ducks, but I decided that moving more north, away from potential duck hunting spots, also was occurring at a time when my hunting interests were changing. An invitation to hunt the northern end of our state’s flyway last season made me realize that I was still very much interested in hunting waterfowl.

Heading north My cousin, Jeff Cota, invited me up to experience the other end of the waterfowl hunting spectrum. His father-inlaw had purchased the use of a blind in the center of a flooded rice field for

the entire 2013-14 season. The blind was a metal box blind buried in the dry land between the watered fields.

It was most definitely more luxurious than the stinky Southland setups I had hunkered in the past.

The decoys were new, well maintained and set out permanently for the entire season. Several sets of mechanical decoys surrounded the roof of the blind, set on poles, adding motion to the decoy set. A small shelf inside the blind had boxes of shells lined up near the padded seats.

Next to the shells was a bag filled with various duck and goose calls. As I slid into the dry, cavernous blind, I thought how the only thing missing was a warm breakfast burrito.

We were hunting the end of the waterfowl season, and despite some early duck success, the flight had been slow in recent weeks. The real draw for this particular blind was its position directly in the flight path of thou-

sands of snow geese.

I really didn’t care if we were successful or not. Jeff was just getting into hunting and it was a privilege to share a blind with him as the sun came up.

The whistling flights of several species could be heard as the day started. We had several ducks land in the decoy set about ten minutes before shooting time, but they didn’t stay very long.

We messed with the duck calls and called to distant groups that skirted our area. Off in the distance, large groups of snow geese called as they lifted off their bedding areas and headed out to feed. At first, the flocks avoided our area completely.

We did some calling, which seemed to help. Several of the decoys in the setup were snow geese and that too seemed to benefit us. As the day warmed, the huge groups of geese started flying high over our position.

Jeff was beyond excited, and we both

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HUNTING sprayed the sky with shot despite the birds being just a bit out of range.

In between the flights, I walked the edge of some of the surrounding ponds and was able to jump shoot a nice mallard. While I was recovering the duck, I heard shooting over at the blind. A large flock of geese had flown directly over Jeff’s position and looked to be within range.

He fired three rounds, reloaded and fired again.

The drake mallard I had just killed was the first mallard I had ever shot at and the first of the species I had ever taken. I would’ve easily traded that duck in just to see Jeff take a goose. Unfortunately, he didn’t connect and the day’s flight stopped abruptly after that.

Why he can’t quit them The heat of the day shut down all activity and we were locking up the blind by 10:30. I was gathering my

48 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

gear when I realized that I had not only enjoyed myself, but felt sad that the day was over.

I tried to think of the last time I had hunted ducks and really couldn’t remember the trip. But sharing a nice blind with a new hunter seems to have energized my interest in waterfowl.

I used to think that, as hunters, we move on to more challenging game as we develop our skills.

Starting off on small game and then moving on to big game has always seemed like the natural progression to me. However, when I get the opportunity to revisit species that I haven’t hunted in a while, I find that the hunting thrill still remains.

I also understand that sharing experiences with new hunters is far more important than bagging a limit. I’ve known Jeff all my life and we’re as close as brothers. I’m hopeful that through encouragement and

The author with a pair of geese. He’s hunted waterfowl off and on for the last 15 years, usually in less productive Southern California. So he was excited to try his luck in the state’s more duckfriendly northern part of the state. (TIM E. HOVEY)

future hunts together Jeff will continue to develop an interest in the activity. I’m also optimistic I get invited back out to the rice field blind this year. CS

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By Robert Milner, III Since my father is a gundog trainer, I caught the duck hunting “bug” at an early age! I grew up at the Wildrose Kennels that my dad founded, owned for 23 years and made famous. (Duckhill Kennels is his current kennel.) In 2012 I was very fortunate to be able to put together a club called the Nash Buckingham Rod and Gun Club at the legendary Beaver Dam Lake in Tunica, Miss.

It was a very dry year and the lake was very low. I wanted to buy an inexpensive shallow-water motor for a small boat but was having a hard time finding one. This quest led to the founding of Beaver Dam Mud Runners.

After thoroughly researching the market and the history of the mud motor, I quickly found out that there were very few inexpensive mud-motor options in the U.S. Most were overpriced and overengineered for what I wanted. So I researched the history and origins of the mud motor. Since the 1950s, Thailand has been making shallow-water, or long-tail, motors. I bought a couple and used them through duck season and was very impressed.

Thai long tails are the worldwide standard for mud motors, but they have not been effectively marketed in the U.S. The Vietnam War did expose U.S. soldiers to the Asian long-tail mud motor, and in the 1970s, Go-Devil was founded in Louisiana and began making expensive motors very similar to the Thai design. However, long tails had been made in the U.S. since the late 1800s by various companies.

Strelinger, Caille and Gierholtt were some of the companies in the US in the early 1900s.

I found that there are many duck hunters who need an inexpensive, simple solution for a mud motor. Most of us don’t need a 250-pound, 35-hp mud motor that costs over $5,000. Thailand companies have been making and distributing long-tail mud motors throughout the world for at least 50 years. My mission is to provide duck hunters with an inexpensive, but high-quality and simple solution for shallow-water navigation. For more information go to beaverdammudrunners.com or call (901) 831-1669.

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49

50 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

HUNTING

DROUGHT NOT DUCK-FRIENDLY

Pintail ducks congregate in Northern California’s Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. In early September, an estimated 15,000 pintail had reached the Sutter Butte area. (USFWS)

VALLEY WATER LEVEL WILL BE CRITICAL FOR SEASON

By Patrick Kittle

COLUSA—California is living up to its reputation as an arid state.

The continued drought of this decade has now become one for the record books. It’s become so extreme that it now rivals the disaster California suffered in 1976; and the end is not yet in sight.

As of September 2 an estimated 15,000 pintail had migrated to the Sutter Butte’s Sink and are enjoying the very limited water in the Sacramento Valley.

The Butte Sink, also known as the Butte Basin, is a natural low-lying area at the foot of the Sutter Buttes mountain range in the northern Sacramento Valley. The Sutter Buttes serve as a favorite landmark for the waterfowl that navigate the Pacific Flyway.

It is referred to as a sink or basin because any watershed in the area naturally flows to it. The fertile ground making up the Butte Sink is made up of primarily rice fields and natural and converted wetland habitat.

The first flight of migrating waterfowl ended up at the federal “bean field” refuge at the end of August and beginning of September for a reason. It is the only area that has open, expansive water in these wintering grounds.

Other surrounding federal and state refuges that groom their wetlands for the arrival of more than a million annual feathered visitors are expecting less than normal water for this season.

It is unknown at this time exactly how much water will be delivered through the federally con-

trolled surface-water systems, just as it is unknown exactly when and how much rain this region of California may get come the fall.

The lack or almost nonexistence of surface water that is stored in a few major reservoirs has caused many in the area to drill wells or improve existing groundwater sources. There are over 100 private duck clubs in the Butte Sink area that also provide flooded habitat for the birds.

Most of these private lands will use ground-water pumps to flood.

So those with the funding to pull water from below the surface will be pouring it on as much of the thirsty ground as possible.

The majority of the Sacramento Valley will not receive any of the post-harvest surface-water previously provided through the irrigation systems. This massive flooding of the harvested rice fields served OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

51

HUNTING two purposes: It is used largely to decompose the leftover rice straw as an alternative to burning it. And in a more limited nature, the water also serves as waterfowl habitat and an area to hunt waterfowl.

The waterfowl that migrate to their favorite landmark in the Pacific Flyway in the fall of 2014 will find more of a pond than an ocean of water.

Most of the hunters will need to adapt to a dry-land approach, unless they can afford the expense of pumping water from the already-taxed aquifers. It is expected that any land with water on it this season will produce an exceptional waterfowl season. CS Editor’s note: The author is the co-owner at Kittle’s Outdoor Sports in Colusa.

Contact the store at (530) 458-4868 or go to kittlesoutdoor.com.

52 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

A youth waterfowl hunt commences in Northern California. Water, or lack thereof, is among the concerns for the traditional start of seasons this month. (CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE)

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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54 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

OOH, THAT SMELL MAKING SENSE OUT OF DEER SCENTS

By Albert Quackenbush

I

t’s a brisk morning with a slight breeze and the sun is peeking over the horizon. It’s a beautiful day for hunting! You are set in your stand waiting for that big buck to walk by when the wind shifts and you get a whiff of something funky.

That can’t be me, right?

Then you watch as a deer walks downwind, sniffs the air, and then looks directly at you before he bolts.

Face it, you stink! We humans give off some funky odors that animals can smell from a great distance. No matter what we do, we will always stink, but there are ways to reduce your scent to get you closer to the animals you want to hunt.

You are what you eat Here’s a simple rule when it comes to being less stinky in the woods: don’t eat things that might make you stink, like onions or garlic. It stays in your system and you sweat it out.

Trust me, if you or your wife can smell the garlic, animals are cringing and running away from you. Think smart and eat foods that may not have much of an odor the next day.

My family thinks I am a bit extreme when it comes to what I eat a day or two prior to a hunt, but if I am to get as close as I can, I want to try to increase my chances.

Don’t drink any alcohol the night before a hunt. I am not judging here as I love a good stout, but the night before a hunt I refuse to drink anything alcoholic. In the past, I have had a hunting partner or two that, if they are upwind, you can tell they threw a few back the night

before. It really does stink, and if my inadequate human nose can pick that up, imagine what an animal will smell. Avoid food and drink that is going to stick stink with you.

Hygiene matters As a man, if you feel the need to shave your face prior to a hunt, do so before you bathe, but honestly, why would you need to? Shower right before you leave the house with scent-free soap, or earth-scented soap (depending on where you hunt) and dry off with a towel that hasn’t been doused with fabric softener.

Why ruin what you just started?

Then be sure to use some unscented antiperspirant.

Halitosis, or bad breath as it is commonly known, affects us all. We all get it and probably have it when we hit the woods. Do I worry about it that much? Honestly, not as much as some say I should. Even if I brush my teeth with charcoal and chew on apple-flavored gum all day I really have never had an issue with my breath and an animal winding me.

Could it play a factor?

It sure could and just might be one fraction of the scent you are giving off, but I normally shy away from breath sprays unless I am going to be sitting within 20 yards of a trail or waterhole.

Why? Probably because it’s one more thing in my pack to worry about and I don’t treat hunting like a first date.

I am not going to shoot some breath spray on my tongue right before letting an arrow fly.

Instead, I will probably just close my mouth, focus, and then shoot. One of the guys I shoot with mentioned that your breath is 90

An Ozonics unit is mounted to a tree. Animals like deer have a tremendous sense of smell, and yes, how you smell can make a difference between success and failure. (ALBERT QUACKENBUSH)

percent of what animals smell. When I asked him if that was science talking or word-of-mouth, he mentioned a guide told him that. To each his own on this one and, in fact, if you have evidence to the contrary, please share it! I would love to hear it.

Have some compassion for your hunting buddies, too. Lay off the baked beans at the Friday night barbecue if you are headed out first thing in the morning, especially if you are the passenger in their vehicle.

I may or may not have tested these waters in years past. All I know is that it makes for a very long truck ride when it’s 20 degrees and you have to keep the windows down to keep from dry heaving.

Do your laundry Wash your hunting clothes in baking OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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A collection of scent-control sprays; whichever one you may choose is just the beginning of a pre-hunt plan. Prepare yourself by avoiding any unnecessary scents that deer in your area might sniff out on you. (ALBERT QUACKENBUSH)

soda or scent-free soap after each outing. Yes, I said each outing, but I don’t mean every single hunt. Who has time for that? And with the drought that we Californians are in, we need to conserve water where we can. The baking soda will absorb odors in a pinch, but I prefer some of the scent-free soaps like Scent-Away, Hunter’s Specialties, or Dead Down Wind. All work well in my book.

I don’t like to use the dryer in any way because I feel that any scented fabric softener residue will transfer to my clothing. I have no proof of this, but it is a personal preference. If you choose to use your dryer, use an earth-scented dryer sheet, or you can do what I prefer and that is to hang them outside until dry.

If you hang them up like I do, be sure that before taking them off the clothesline you haven’t just sprayed down with cologne or taken a shower with scented soap. It defeats the purpose!

Spare the air Ozone use has been increasing in popularity over the years on the East Coast and in the Midwest, and slowly creeping into California. I have used 56 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

the LOG6 ozone machine for a couple years; while I have no scientific proof, it seems to kill the scent of my personal odor temporarily. Ozonics makes a unit that is portable and proven effective by many people, but it costs upwards of $400.

Many hunters have used it and continue to do so in the Midwest, but not as much in California. I think one of the reasons is that it’s an extra piece of gear that you have to haul around all day. I know people who use it for spot-and-stalk hunting, but for me it seems like more of a treestand or hunting blind application. It might be worth a try

Pack attack An often overlooked item to be washed thoroughly is your pack.

While I do not wash it after every outing, like I do my clothing, I do wash it thoroughly at the beginning of the season and a time or two through the season.

Your back sweats – a lot – and your backpack acts like a wick. If nothing else, wet the back with water and scrub it with scent-free soap. Do this often because I know it is going to stink. Once it has dried, I usually

drop it in my ozone tote for an hour and then bag it to keep it as scentfree is I can.

One tactic to mask odors is to leave your clothes in a plastic tote with dry leaves or a scented wafer to mask any other scent on the clothing. Do not place wet leaves in the tote or you are asking for a mold colony.

Tips to consider When I started out, my dad armed us with trash bags and had us gather up fallen leaves from the maple and cypress trees to help mask the scent on our clothing. We would hang our clothes outside to dry and get the farm air blowing through them. We just had to watch out for bees and other bugs you didn’t want crawling down your neck while in your stand.

Be sure to shake them out prior to putting them inside the bag.

Then we would add some leaves to the bag, along with our clothing, and cinch it up prior to a hunt. This is very effective and your clothes take on the scent of the areas you are hunting. Another tactic I use is to fill an old sock (washed prior in scentfree soap) with baking soda, knot it off, and then leave that inside the bin

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

57

in California because they offer sage, juniper, cedar, and rosewood. The sage is great for Southern California hunts.

Go natural with my hunting clothes. It will soak up some of the odors on the clothing and works better than nothing if you don’t have time to wash before the next day of hunting.

Scent-reducing sprays have been around for as long as I can remember.

Scent-reducing sprays are different than a cover scent. These are produced to truly kill off nearly 100 percent of the odor-causing bacteria on your clothing gear. No, they don’t kill it all off, but they help.

Once I spray down with spray to reduce scent, I use a cover scent.

Cover-scent spray is a great option because it does exactly what the name says – cover. It doesn’t eliminate your scent, but rather perfumes it. Final Step Cover Scents is one that I use

Cover scents can also be found in the wild. Some of the areas I hunt hold large sage plants, and if you snap off a piece or two, rub them in your gloved hands and then rub that onto your clothes (especially your armpits, back of the knees, even your crotch) that may help mask your odor for a short time. I do whatever it takes to get closer to that animal.

Just be sure you know what plant you are using. Try this with poison oak or sumac and you are looking at covering your body in Calamine lotion.

In your shoes You will notice I left footwear as the last item. Footwear care is an integral part of fooling an animal’s nose. Your

hunting boots track around your scent, the scent of the last place you were, and are notorious for giving away a hunter’s location.

Why is that? Think about a deer walking through the woods. Most of the time deer are walking with their nose to the ground and eating. The scent of your boots is going to be all over that ground.

Spray your boots as soon as you get out of the truck and are heading into the woods. Spray them well!

I will even scuff them through dirt, sand, and weeds a few times to pick up some of the local scents.

I remember one hunt where I forgot to spray anything on my boots and I figured I was safe to hunt. After I was set in my treestand, I watched a doe from a long way off start sniffing the air and soon the ground. She was sniffing the trail where I walked and it didn’t take her too long before she bolted.

That gave me the idea to use cover

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Using an Ozonics unit to mask his scent, hunter Matt Peters was helped in getting a nice buck. Ozone use has been increasing in popularity over the years. (MATT PETERS)

scent, but my dad had a better idea.

After I sprayed my boots with scentkilling spray, he squirted a little bit of buck lure on the inside heel of my boot. That way as I walked through the leaves, a little would be given off each time. I have seen this work well as bucks have crossed the trail I walked in on, picked up the scent, and walked right to my stand. It doesn’t always work, but it sure is worth a try.

There are plenty of products that claim to keep you scent-free or close to it. You can reduce odor or cover it up a bit, but you will never be scent free. If a bear sticks his nose up, he’s going to smell you – up to 5 miles away. Do what you can to reduce your human aroma and get in close to that animal.

62 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

Overall, the best method to an animal not smelling you is to be downwind, plain and simple.

If you are anyplace else, you are likely to be winded and the animal will bust out of there fast.

When a hunter tells you to play the wind, you now know what

they mean. It will make you think more, strategize better, and get you closer to the animals you wish to hunt. CS Editor’s note: Check out the author’s website, socalbowhunter.com, for more of his tips.

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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HUNTING

FROM FIELD:

BACK IN BLACK HUNTING THE GOLDEN STATE’S CASCADE BLACKTAILS

By Scott Haugen

REDDING—As dawn broke, I was

The author scored this 152-inch Cascade blacktail east of Redding. During dry conditions, where food sources wither at higher elevations, bucks will move to lower ground. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

already in position atop an oakstudded ridge, ready to glass surrounding valleys and hillsides for blacktail deer.

It was October, California’s rifle season, and temperatures were forecast to reach the century mark.

The plan was to hunt the first few hours of morning, rest during the heat of the day and then get after it again in the last couple hours of daylight.

When the unmistakable sound of deer scurrying through dry, fallen oak leaves caught my attention, I got the out the binoculars. Two does scooted through cover, fast, and a whopper buck was chasing them. When he stopped, rub urinated and lip curled, I was struck by his immense rack.

As he pushed the does through a dry creekbed and passed through a small opening, I let him have it. The buck scored 152 inches, a true monster among the world of blacktails.

That hunt took place only a few miles east of Redding, which means this buck was technically classified as a benchleg blacktail, also known as a Cascade blacktail.

The Columbia blacktail deer can be found along the Pacific coastal mountain region and into the Cascade Mountains from California to British Columbia. Because their habitat is so diverse, there’s a widerange of behavioral characteristics these deer display in order to survive and reproduce.

Some serious blacktail hunters, those who have pursued them in OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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HUNTING all of their respective habitats and know these species of deer inside and out, feel there should be a separate subcategory for each in the record books.

If you’ve ever hunted blacktails in the thick coastal habitat, on valley floors and high in the Cascades, you can understand what I mean. Each of these deer live in different habitats and their behaviors are unique to suit their lifestyle.

In the Cascade Range of the Northwest and extending into the Sierra Nevada Range in California, you’ll find blacktails living at surprisingly high elevations. No matter what you call these bucks – Cascade blacktails, benchlegs or inland blacktails – the fact that they are capable of crossbreeding with mule deer is what sets them apart from other blacktails.

Some regional record books do

recognize these deer as a unique subspecies among blacktails and have separate categories for listing them. These deer are what many hunters consider to be the most beautifully marked of them all.

The antler configuration of the Cascade deer can also vary. This is due to genetics and that they will cross with mule deer. Often, these racks are more mule deer like in appearance and have wider, sweeping frames that don’t carry the mass like brush-country blacktails.

Then again, a buck may come from the 6,000-foot elevation mark that is 100 percent blacktail, or at least appears to be. At the same time, there are mule deer hunters who are taking bucks on the east side of the mountains that look more like blacktails than muleys. This is because the deer do crossbreed and migrate off both sides of the Cascades.

The fact these deer can, but

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Don’t let October’s hot spells fool you. Benchleg blacktails will be on the move at higher elevations, often shifting to lowland habitats and offering more food and water this time of year. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

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HUNTING The author says the flavor in this recipe will make skeptical eaters of big game a believer in the flavor of this French-inspired venison dish. (HAUGEN ENTERPRISES)

T0 FIRE

GAME WITH A EURO TWIST

By Tiffany Haugen

W

ith big game season upon us, don’t fall into the trap of storing meat in the freezer to eat later. Now is a great time to make sure those carefully cared-for, fresh cuts of meat are used rather than getting shoved to the back of the freezer and forgotten about.

Like many of you, our family lives on wild game, so we’re always looking for new and flavorful ways to prepare our meals. This recipe came by surprise and is one we love.

The French gave us the name rouler, meaning “to roll,” but the Germans added the pickle.

We first enjoyed this creation made with kudu while staying with German friends in Namibia. Be it deer, elk, caribou, antelope or African big game, this easy, slow-cooked dish is a winner on any continent. Even our boys love it, as do those picky wild game eaters we’ve shared the recipe with. “No, this must be beef!” is their usual reaction.

6 venison steaks 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 6 slices bacon 6 tablespoons sauerkraut 6 small dill pickles 4 tablespoons flour 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups beef broth

68 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

⅓ cup red wine Salt & pepper to taste Pound venison steaks to 1/3-inch thickness. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spread mustard evenly over each steak. Cut bacon slices in half, placing two short strips over mustard. Spread sauerkraut evenly over bacon. Place pickles on one end of each steak. Roll steaks tightly over pickle, all the way to the end. Secure with a toothpick or butcher’s twine. Coat rolls in flour. Heat oil on medium-high and brown rolls one to two minutes per side.

Place rolls in an ovenproof casserole dish. Pour beef broth and red wine into the pan used for browning and scrape up any brown bits. Bring liquid to a boil and pour over rolls. Place in a preheated 350-degree oven. Bake 60 to 90 minutes or until meat is tender. Serve as is or remove rolls and make sauce from the liquid. To make sauce, add liquid to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce five to 10 minutes. In a small bowl whisk 2 tablespoons flour with ²/3 cup water.

Add flour mixture to boiling liquid, whisking constantly. Place rolls in sauce to warm or pour warm sauce over rolls

and serve.

Editor’s note: For 100-plus more great recipes and signed copies of Scott and Tiffany Haugen’s popular cookbook, Cooking Big Game, send a check for $20 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or order online at scotthaugen.com.

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HUNTING don’t always, breed with muleys is too bad, because I think there are some monster, pure-strain blacktails taken each year in these higher elevations that don’t get recognized as such.

Cascade blacktail hunts can take place in some of the West’s most rugged terrain, at elevations up to 6,000 feet and higher. These are deer that live at high elevations throughout the spring, summer and early fall, then migrate to lower elevations with winter’s onset. But bad winter weather isn’t the only factor that pushes deer from the high country.

Northern California’s inland blacktails also undergo impressive seasonal migrations rather early (October). Hot conditions often dry up food and water sources at higher elevations, forcing deer to head to lower elevations. Combine this with the timing of the period

70 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

before the rut, and you get exactly what happened on my hunt, where a buck is chasing does and feeding on acorns. This is a great time to catch big bucks moving in daylight hours.

This season, no matter how hot the temperatures, head to the hills and glass early and late in the day. Once you get a taste of how challenging and rewarding blacktail hunting can be, you’ll understand why so many people consider them their favorite animal to pursue, me included. CS

Focus blacktail hunting efforts on food sources and does, as this is a time of pre-rut, when many bucks are on the move. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular book, Trophy Blacktails: The Science Of The Hunt , send a check for $20 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or order online at scotthaugen.com. Scott Haugen is the host of Trijicon’s The Hunt, on the Sportsman Channel.

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72 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

HUNTING

BIG BUCKS IN BIG SKY TAGGING OUT IN MONTANA

By Tim E. Hovey

BELT, Mont.—My friend, Troy Adams of Montana, calls me a lucky hunter.

I’ve been out a few times to hunt his home state, and each time I’ve applied for a tag, I’ve been drawn for my first choice.

This particular trip was no different. After Troy again congratulated me on my luck, we started planning my trip back out to Big Sky country to hunt deer. Troy had access to a large piece of private property where he had hunted coyotes.

Showing his appreciation for conducting predator control on the parcel, the landowner was willing to let Troy hunt his property during deer season. Hearing that we had quality land to hunt, I was excited to fly out to Montana and hunt with Troy.

There are quite a few out-of-state, big-game opportunities for California hunters willing to put in the time to investigate. Some states have overthe-counter tags for nonresident hunters, or high-percentage draws for just about all species you’d want to hunt. Knowing someone in the state you’re headed to helps, but it isn’t mandatory.

If you don’t mind traveling a little and putting in a little effort – and I don’t – you can easily expand the land you hunt and the species you chase by putting in for these out-ofstate hunts. Tag prices for big game in other states are usually very afford-

The author went from 80-degree weather in Southern California to cold and snowy Montana in search of a giant buck. More bad weather was on the way in, so time was of the essence to find a decent deer.

(TIM E. HOVEY)

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

73

HUNTING

The author’s friend, Troy Adams, knew the area they were hunting in, and when the author saw a decent-sized buck he was willing to use a tag on, Adams scouted downstream of the river they were on and found a bigger one. (TIM E. HOVEY)

able and the amount of land available to the public will seriously leave you in awe.

ABOUT A MONTH after making my travel arrangements, I met Troy at his house early on a snowy morning.

With snow falling on my California head, we loaded our gear into Troy’s truck and started down the highway. As the wipers pushed the snow to the edge of the windshield, it was hard for me to believe that I had boarded a plane the day before in 80-degree weather.

Troy pulled off the main road and traveled a two-track for several miles before we came to a gate. I jumped out to let us through. The snow was about a foot deep and the cutting wind made me glad I had packed for serious weather.

We busted through some snow drifts and pulled to the edge of a bluff that looked over a winding creek, 30 feet below. Animal tracks 74 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

of all shapes and sizes dotted the far bank and were easy to spot in the fresh snow.

We sat in the truck and glassed several hills across the drainage.

Almost instantly we started seeing small patches of mule deer. They seemed to be feeding or just bedded down and keeping warm. All the animals within my view were does and more than 500 yards away. Troy searched his side with his binoculars.

After a few minutes, he straightened up and turned in his seat.

“I’ve got a buck!” he said.

Over the next few minutes we watched the 3x2 stand watch over a bedded doe. The pair was about 400 yards away and had no idea we were watching. The buck stayed busy, chasing away any deer that approached.

I found the buck in my binoculars and looked him over. When I found out that I had been drawn for a mule deer buck tag in Montana, I decided that I wasn’t going to be picky. I wanted to fill the tag with any legal buck I found. Now, examining this buck less than an hour into the hunt, I felt no different.

Troy had other ideas.

I told Troy that the deer looked good to me and I’d be willing to try and take him. He stared at the animal for a few minutes and he apparently wasn’t impressed.

“We can do better!” he said.

AFTER A BRIEF discussion, Troy decided to leave me on the bluff to watch the buck while he drove downriver to look for other animals. I watched him slowly drive the edge of the river, occasionally dropping from view in the shallow draws. I lost sight of him after a mile or so.

I stayed next to a fence post and kept an eye on the only buck I spotted. The weather report for the next two days did not look promising. I knew that if we didn’t get a buck on the ground today, the chances of filling my tag would drop substantially.

The buck walked around the bed-

ded doe, posturing. She didn’t seem impressed. Another doe walked within 20 feet of the pair and the young buck chased her off. It was fun to watch.

After about 20 minutes, I glanced back to where I had last seen Troy. I spotted a large group of sage grouse flying right towards me, about 200 yards out. They moved in unison as they flapped and glided towards me at eye level. With the snowy background, the scene was right off the cover of a Christmas card. That is, until I spotted Troy’s Toyota catching air over one of the shallow draws directly behind the birds. He was on his way back and coming fast.

Less than a minute later, Troy slid his truck sideways feet from where I stood. “Get in!” he insisted. I jumped into the cab and we headed back upriver. We bounced heavily over the worn road, kicking up huge waves of fresh snow.

As we drove across the Montana flatland, Troy could barely contain himself. He told me that he had spotted a much nicer buck bedded with a doe in the bend of the river about 2 miles upstream. The hunt was on!

TROY STOPPED THE truck 100 yards from the edge of the bluff that overlooked the river. We quietly stalked to the edge. Before we got there, Troy spotted both deer quickly leaving.

“They’re on the move,” he said.

I trotted to the edge and set my rifle on my shooting sticks. Troy knelt down next to me with his range finder. I found the buck in the scope, but he was trotting away across the far bank. To make a comfortable shot, I needed him to stop.

We watched the deer bounce up the far hill without a care in the world. I tracked the buck in the scope as Troy called out distances.

As the yardage moved through the mid-200-yard range I started to get a little concerned. I remember specifically hearing doubt in Troy’s voice

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

75

HUNTING as he called out 290 yards. The buck trotted up a small ravine and perched broadside on a small, snow-covered mound clear across the far bank. He looked absolutely huge in the scope.

“That’s 307 yards right there,” Troy stated. “I think that’s all you’re going to get!”

Being a California hunter, I’m used to shooting longer distances when hunting big game. In fact, I practice making long shots so that I’m comfortable doing so. For the last several years I’ve actually started sighting my rifle in using what is termed maximum point-blank range, or MPBR. This method utilizes the ballistics of your specific caliber and round and outlines sighting methods to maximize your shooting distance. It allows you to sight your rifle in at its maximum distance without holding over. This means that you do not need to worry about bullet drop

76 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

A successful 307-yard shot resulted in one fantastic Montana buck for the author.

(TIM E. HOVEY)

or holdover if the animal is within MPBR for your specific round. For example, my 150-grain, .30-06 cartridge has a maximum point-blank range of 287 yards when sighted in 2.6 inches high at 100 yards. That means from where I’m standing out

to close to 300 yards, I just need to put the crosshairs on fur.

I placed the crosshairs right on the deer’s vitals, right behind the shoulder, and squeezed the trigger. The longer distance allowed me to recover from the recoil and watch the bul-

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

77

HUNTING let impact through the scope.

It was something else I’ve practiced. The buck crumpled there and slid down the snowy mound a few yards. After the shot, he didn’t move. Troy looked over at me. “Now that was a shot!”

AS PREDICTED, THE weather deteriorated and I didn’t see another buck for the rest of the trip. But Montana is a very generous state for the outdoorsman, and with my nonresident license, I was able to continue my hunt and chase small game and upland birds. Troy happily obliged his crazy California friend, and drove me around to chase upland game in the snow. I felt like a kid, busting through snow drifts chasing rabbits, grouse, pheasant and partridges.

My Montana mule deer hunt was my second successful trip out to hunt with Troy. A huge part of that success rests with Troy and his knowledge of the game we chased.

As a California hunter, I’m always looking to extend my season in other states. I’ve hunted most of the Western states for whatever they have to offer, but Montana will always be special to me.

Not just for the abundance of game and the amazing scenery, but for the friendship and good company of my friend, Troy.

Besides, a long shot doesn’t mean much unless you have a good buddy there to see it. CS Editor’s note: For information on Montana hunting regulations, check out the Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ website (fwp.mt.gov/hunting).

78 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

The author has hunted throughout the Western states, but there’s something about Montana that has a special place in his heart.

(TIM E. HOVEY)

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HUNTING

Start Thinking ‘Meat Care’

By Dave Workman

W

hatever else a successful hunt may be, once you’ve notched a tag and taken photos, the work starts so that all of your preparation doesn’t wind up turning you into a vegetarian.

Let’s get right down to it. You’ve put a bullet into a big buck, bull, or whatever else you’re hunting. Maybe you have a hunting vest full of dead grouse or rabbits, or you’re packing a string of ducks or a couple of geese out of the field. Whatever it is you’ve bagged, you need to field dress your game pronto and start cooling it down.

The sooner you open up the body cavity and remove the innards, the better that venison is going to taste in the long run. I shot a buck many years ago on a late hunt. It was a one-shot stop, downhill about 150 yards or so, but as soon as that animal was down, I was up and walking with my gear. Within minutes, I had the buck opened up and was tossing big handfuls of snow into the cavity to cool it off.

More recent adventures have occurred in mild weather, so we get our field-dressed bucks as quickly as possible into a nice, shady, cool old barn to let them hang a bit, and then we start peeling hide.

California Sportsman ad sales manager Brian Lull is a stickler for getting as much fat off the meat as possible.

I’ve never been quite as particular, though whenever I cook up a nice piece of venison, or grind it up for smoked sausage, I take out a good knife and trim off all the fat I can before putting it in the grinder or the skillet.

Fat on venison isn’t like fat in beef. Deer fat, in my humble opinion, doesn’t enhance the flavor of the meat

The author preaches trimming fat off venison to make it as lean as possible. (DAVE WORKMAN)

at all. It might contribute to the “wild” taste that can turn off some people to eating game meat, so get rid of it. It doesn’t even make for good cooking grease or candle tallow, in my opinion.

This year, Lull and I have taken delivery of the Hoist’N Lok from Columbia River Knife & Tool. This Russ Kommer-designed big game hoist features a patented locking-cam system and has a 500-pound lift capacity. It has a welded steel gambrel and comes with 40 feet of nylon rope. We plan to put these hoists to good use about the middle of this month.

HAIR REMOVAL It’s important to get as much hair off

the meat as possible. Use a wet cloth or towel for this chore. In addition to removing fat, getting rid of hair is important to the quality of your meat.

We take along a rather large cooler and make sure we’ve got plenty of ice. Lull is a pretty good butcher, and he always brings along an ample supply of zip-lock plastic bags – the gallon size is best – for trimming meat and keeping selected cuts separated.

In one bag, we might put the loins and backstraps, while another bag will hold roasts, or cuts we intend to use for burger.

When you seal those bags, be sure to squeeze as much of the air as possible out of them. Lull has actually OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

81

HUNTING resealed meat over the past couple of years using a vacuum sealer, which is a very good investment. Meat sealed this way can keep for a very long time, if kept frozen.

If you cut along the muscle lines, you should have several good cuts of meat at the end of your butchering process. Somewhere along the way – probably as a Christmas gift – I acquired a great cutting tool from Knives of Alaska. It’s a cross between a heavy butcher’s knife and a cleaver, and it comes in a sheath with a much smaller trimming knife called the Cub Bear. There’s also a flat sharpening steel in the kit.

Keep your knives sharp and have more than one knife because you’ll need them. I’ve written about this before, and at the time I mentioned having an EZE-LAP round diamond sharpener.

Another good tool for cutting tissue and removing unwanted fat is a

fillet knife. That thin, sharp blade can cut close, saving lots of meat that a bigger unwieldy knife might destroy.

REMOVING DAMAGED TISSUE

After a successful hunt and careful meat care, sausages and jerky smoke up for yummy fall and winter treats. (DAVE WORKMAN)

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It is important during the butchering process to cut out all the meat that shows bullet trauma. I’ve tasted some of this stuff over the years and it can be just awful, not to mention the possibility, regardless of however slight, that one might be ingesting tiny particles of lead and/or copper.

It is also imperative during the field-dressing process to carefully remove the bladder without puncturing it, and get rid of the scent glands or at least make darned certain you don’t slice them. Typically, if you’ve made a good incision from the sternum to the groin, you can literally roll out the gut pile without having to dig around too much in the body cavity.

Now, one thing that people a gen-

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

83

HUNTING WHET YOUR APPETITE

Learning how to cut up a deer yourself rather than taking it to a butcher who may be days or hundreds of miles away can reduce meat spoilage.

(BRIAN LULL)

eration ago didn’t think of but that I now practice religiously is to take along a couple of pairs of rubber gloves for the gutting process. Those latex gloves, like the ones salmon and steelhead anglers now commonly use when handling lures and baits, weigh literally nothing, and you can carry a half dozen of them in your pocket. This keeps your hands clean.

Stay safe, shoot straight and good luck! CS

84 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

Over the years, I’ve come to the opinion that venison is best served after being slow-cooked in a cast-iron skillet that’s been cured with bacon fat, warmed up slowly to cooking heat, and then treated with a bit of olive oil.

I may cut up some breakfast steaks from the backstrap or the loins, and cook them up with a slice or two of bacon, a bit of onion, perhaps a pinch or two of fresh garlic (crush the clove, don’t shake it out of a bottle!), and maybe a sliced potato.

Cook that up until brown and enjoy.

For stew, the crock pot is a marvelous invention because you can dice up the meat, some onions, potatoes, celery if you like (I don’t), a few sliced onions and add the spices you think appropriate. Toss in all of your makings, turn on, and walk away to let it cook things up.

I’m hankering to barbecue up some

venison this fall after marinating it in teriyaki sauce with a bit of steak seasoning overnight, just to see what that’s like.

You might also turn to page 128 for the Field to Fire recipe and see how California Sportsman chef Tiffany Haugen prepares her venison delights.

If you’re going to go to the trouble and expense of conking a buck, you better take the extra steps necessary to make sure your dinner fare is delicious.

What about smoking your venison? I did this once for a Christmas gathering, putting about a 4-pound roast in the smoker, wrapping it with a couple of bacon slices and I believe we also injected a couple of garlic cloves deep into the meat.

Everyone who tried it said it was superb.

They couldn’t have been lying because they finished it off.

Bon appétit! –DW

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FISHING Lake Oroville, which feeds the Feather River, is dangerously low and about at 31 percent capacity. In turn, the Feather’s water level is making it difficult for king salmon anglers to navigate it for much longer this fall. (KELLY M. GROW/CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES)

SHALLOW RIVERS A CONCERN FALL CHINOOK FISHING ON SAC/FEATHER DEPENDS ON WATER LEVELS

By Chris Cocoles

MARYSVILLE—As

a longtime king salmon fishing guide in the Yuba City/ Marysville area, Manuel Saldana Jr. has taken plenty of trips up and down the Sacramento and Feather Rivers over the years. Hence, he’s seen a lot.

Take the Feather, which split the cities of Marysville and Yuba City after beginning its journey to the northeast from Lake Oroville.

“Honestly, the Feather is turning into a creek. The last time I navigated it, it was at 1,500 cfs. I was seeing (structure) I’ve never seen. Now (as of mid-September), it was 1,300,” says Saldana, who runs MSJ Guide Service (530-301-7455; msjguideservice. com). “On a normal year it’s easily 3,500 cfs.”

Things are only slightly better in the nearby Sacramento, which the

Feather eventually converges with.

And, of course, the usual dynamite fall Chinook fishing has suffered with the water level low and temperatures soaring as summer transitioned to fall and the state continues to wait for more rainfall in an extended drought period.

“The water’s been getting low and it’s getting lower. I’ve never seen them so low,” Saldana says.

A lot of the misfortune starts with the lower water levels. But the rivers are being affected by their sources.

Oroville is a mere 31 percent of capacity. Shasta Lake, which feeds the Sacramento north of Redding, was at just 28 percent full.

“So I’m wondering how much longer we’ll even be able to navigate the Sacramento,” Saldana says. “It makes me wonder how much longer they can keep releasing water.”

THAT’S NOT TO

say the rivers, particularly the Sacramento, haven’t produced some nice fish heading from the summer to the fall transition of the run.

“The bite’s been a little better one day, then slows down the next day.

It’s just been a little hit-and-miss year,” Saldana says.

It’s looking far less productive than the last couple years, including an epic 2013.

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87

most effective egg cure this season.

But the salmon that have made it upriver have been more reluctant thus far.

“They just haven’t wanted to bite due to the water temp,” Saldana says of conditions in the Sacramento that had water temperatures in the low 60s.

“But then you’ll have a 3- to 4-degree fluctuation throughout the day from morning to evening. And that’s really kind of been the case.

Some days we’re able to stick them.

One day we had two people and got them 3-for-4 salmon. But we had to work six or seven hours.

“Other guides have had some good days. But we’re all planning on long days. In (the past couple seasons) we’d make morning brunch. We’d pack snacks, but we knew we’d get limits and we’d be eating at our favorite Mexican restaurant for a little morning meal by 10:30 or 11. But it’s changed.”

88 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

THE GOLDEN GATE Salmon Association has proposed an emergency drought egg proposal that would, according to the organization’s website (goldengatesalmonassociation. com), “Increase the normal fallrun salmon egg take at Coleman Hatchery (near Redding) during October, using brood stock of those fish entering the hatchery from Battle Creek and/or the Keswick Fish Trap.”

The plan would also incubate he surplus eggs and hydraulically inject them back into the Sacramento once the expected cooling period comes. Such measures would help compensate for the loss of naturally produced eggs in the warmer water.

But for now, Saldana and other guides on the rivers will take a waitand-see approach. Saldana has told some with reservations to postpone their trips and see how the early stages of this month go in terms of surface temperature and water

Some days the Sacramento has delivered some salmon like these during the early fall run. The bite has been spotty, but with cool temperatures this month and enough water, the king fishing could get better. (MSJ GUIDE SERVICE)

levels.

“Right now, what I’m banking on is we get some really cooler weather and get this water to cool down,” Saldana said in mid-September when the Sacramento Valley was scorched by triple-digit days. “And then we’re going to hit it hard. Now, I’m hoping I still have enough water.”

His boat has seen more exposed trees, sand and gravel bars and “structures that we’ve just never seen that are normally underneath the water.”

Saldana has tried to fish in his usual productive spots. But especially on the Feather, anglers have to launch from specific ramps to holes they know they can get to, as certain areas on the river are not safe to run through. On the Feather, Saldana is mostly sticking to one or two pockets above and below Gridley. On the Sacramento, he’s fished around Las Molinos and Red Bluff to just above Chico.

The anticipated cooler weather means he’ll likely head down below Chico.

But who knows what to expect as fall progresses. The fish could end up high and dry – literally.

“That would be devastating for us all,” Saldana says. CS

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90 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

FISHING

CROWLEY’S A CROWN JEWEL FALL OPTIONS FOR LARGE BROWNS, ‘BOWS

This high-elevation lake does get its share of wind, particularly in the afternoon, so boaters should be aware. But with the consistency of fish Crowley produces, it’s well worth the effort. (MIKE STEVENS)

By Mike Stevens

MAMMOTH LAKES—Crowley Lake is the crown jewel of the Eastern Sierra, and there may not be a better time to fish it than between Labor Day and the end of the season in mid-November.

While every fall on Crowley is different based on water levels, you can count on catching a good number of fish with a solid average size and a good shot at a trophy.

Formed in 1941 when the Los Angeles Department of Water and

Power dammed the Owens River, Crowley Lake is as close to ideal trout habitat as you can imagine. The water has the perfect makeup for the propagation of aquatic insects – chironomids, for the most part – that act as the first link of a food chain featuring wall-hanger brown and rainbow trout at the top.

The Crowley Lake Fish Camp (706935-4301) crowleylakefishcamp. com) should be your first stop. It’s the only full-service marina and features campsites, a tackle and convenience

shop and a boat launch. The lake will be open to fishing through Nov. 15.

Crowley is fed by numerous nutrient and oxygen-delivering creeks as well as the mighty Owens River. These creeks, along with the Owens, also provide primo spawning habitats, and many fall fish pulled out of the lake are picked off while staging outside of these inlets.

“Some years may see weedbeds hanging around till the end of the season, while others may have the weeds die off by late summer,” says OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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FISHING Just off Highway 395, Crowley Lake is just about a 300-mile drive from Los Angeles, and the snowcapped peaks in the distance makes it a great fall getaway for fall brown trout anglers. (MIKE STEVENS)

“Trout Bums” flock to the Eastern Sierra when the weather cools and trophy brown trout are pursued religiously. (MIKE STEVENS)

Doug Rodricks of Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250; sierradrifters. com). “Whatever the situation, the fish are ready to eat – big time. They are in prespawn mode and are trying to get as much food as they can before the approaching winter.”

Crowley is also blessed with a great panfish population in the form of Sacramento perch. Sac perch are summer spawners, so come fall, their fry are all over the place and provide gobs of spawning-season protein to big browns. As a result, stripping big streamers on heavier line is a hot fall tactic.

“The trout are feeding heavily on Sacramento perch fry and juveniles, 92 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

and heavier line can be used for streamer fishing, as these bigger fish in the 20-inch and greater range are what is being targeted with these patterns,” adds Rodricks. “They can

attack a streamer with a lot of force, and it is nice to have some heavier line on your side to get them to the boat faster.”

This time of year, regulations are in

OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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FISHING place that allow for only two fish that measure over 18 inches to be kept, and only artificial lures and flies with barbless hooks may be used. These regs create a situation in which fly fishermen and lure-chucking lunker hunters are no longer competing with dough bait, salmon eggs and nightcrawlers for grabs.

You’ll see more guide boats, private boats, and float tubes than anything else, and even those fishing from shore will get to enjoy good conditions as weedlines recede.

Stillwater nymphing is also a popular tactic at Crowley Lake, a year-around option due to its thick chironomid population.

The technique has been honed to perfection by local guides. While fishing a midge under an indicator doesn’t sound very exciting on paper, that all goes out the window when there is a torpedo of a Crowley brown, rainbow or cutthroat on the

94 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

FALL DERBIES STILL IN PLAY The summer crowds might be gone, but Eastern Sierra anglers still have time to get in on the area’s late-season trout derbies.

Ongoing through Nov. 15 is the Ambush at the Lake Derby at Convict Lake. In all, $6,000 in resort prizes will be handed out. Derby entry is $15, with all participants receiving a one-year subscription to California Sportsman and a commemorative pin.

Only fish that measure 14 or more inches can be submitted.

The Morrison’s Bonus Derby Weekend is a part of the overall event and is scheduled from Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at Convict Lake. A dozen tagged trophy trout are planted during the three-day period. These fish feature $2,000 worth of cash prizes. One fish features a $1,000 tag, with one more worth $500 and 10 tagged at $50 apiece.

For more information, call (800) 992-2260 or go to convictlake.com/activities/ fishing/derbies/ambush-derby. -CS

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FISHING business end.

“Finding large concentrations of fish using a depthfinder is very helpful.

Steep dropoffs with solid mud bottoms are also good areas to target fish,” Rodricks says. “This is a special time of year when shore fishermen can also get into some big-number days, and most of the weedbeds have receded to the point where shore fishermen can easily cast over them to get their presentation to the fish.”

If fly fishing isn’t your game, trolling at Crowley is another yeararound producer. Try dragging minnow/crankbaits like Owner Cultivas, Berkley Flicker Shads and Rapalas, or throwing Tasmanian Devils offshore of the inlets, along weedlines and around points. Casting these lures or a trout jig with a plastic worm trailer in the coves will also will also draw strikes, and definitely count on hooking more browns than you are accustomed to. CS

96 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

Crowley Lake brown trout that measure 20 or more inches are consistently landed in the fall.

The lake gets a boost from its large population of Sacramento perch, which are a favorite meal for spawning browns. (SIERRA DRIFTERS GUIDE SERVICE) Fall regulations dictate that Crowley fishing must be done with artificial flies or lures with barbless hooks. Just two trout of 18 or more inches can be kept. (SIERRA DRIFTERS GUIDE SERVICE)

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FISHING

GET THE BROWN STRATEGIES DOWN TIPS FOR EASTERN SIERRA’S FALL TROUT SEASON

By Chris Cocoles

BRIDGEPORT—When the late-summer weather is just been starting to show signs of cooling off in the Eastern Sierras, and in October, that means brown trout fishing will begin in earnest.

Jim Reid of Bridgeport-based Ken’s Sporting Goods (760-2577220; kenssport.com) is expecting anglers to begin the annual trek to the Eastern Sierras this month. Reid says the nights in September have been finally starting to cool off despite some high daytime temperatures.

“I think once the weather gets colder, in the last half of October and then through the end of the (fall), that’s when we usually start seeing some nice browns show up again,” Reid says.

Keep an eye on the Twin Lakes and Bridgeport Reservoir as places to target; they are usually the most heavily fished in that area. The Twin Lakes, Upper and Lower Twin, are deep and high enough to have avoided any significant drop in water level. And both are usually popular fisheries for brown trout. Upper has spit out the last two state records for browns, including the current mark of 26 pounds, 8 ounces that was established in 1987.

While that state mark might not be broken, the Twin Lakes always seem to be productive options.

“And then, to some degree, Bridgeport Reservoir (will also be effective fishing for browns),” says

Jake Brower (right) and guide Doug Rodricks with an Eastern Sierra brown trout. With temperatures expected to drop later this month, anglers should expect some good fishing in the Upper Owens River and especially the Twin Lakes to the north. (SIERRA DRIFTERS GUIDE SERCVICE)

Reid.

One of the issues with Bridgeport is the lake, located at 6,472 feet, has experienced quite a dropoff in its water level.

“Bridgeport Reservoir is really low,” Reid says. “The Twins are low, but they are super deep anyway, so it really doesn’t matter up there very much. It definitely makes it tougher (at Bridgeport). But there’s not much you can do about it.”

Twin Lakes anglers would do best trolling leadcore line for browns.

Reid says large stickbaits like Rapalas are good choices. Spoons like Thomas Buoyants can also be trolled there, as can Needlefish.

At Bridgeport, casting larger Rapalas from shore is the best option “because the water’s so low,” Reid says.

Upper Owens River Heading south toward Bishop, the Upper Owens River is also worth checking out this fall for big browns.

Tom Loe of Mammoth Lakes-based Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760935-4250; sierradrifters.com) says years of planting brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout have provided numbers of wild fish for fly anglers.

“Fishing can be excellent during these migrational cycles, with 18- to 26-inch trout holding in the major pools along undercut banks and deeper riffles,” Loe says.

Recently, regulations were changed to allow year-round fishing in the Upper Owens above the Benton Crossing Bridge for catchand-release fishing.

“A variety of techniques have been used to fool the trophy trout.

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FISHING However, the most popular and arguably the most effective has been indicator nymphing with heavily weighted midge, mayfly and attractor patterns,” says Loe, who recommends San Juan Worms and Glo Bug egg imitations.

“Streamer techniques using light to moderate sinking-tip lines to get the patterns deep along the undercut banks can provoke the aggressive strikes from large trout,” he says.

Brown bagging The obsession that is brown trout fishing in the fall in the high country is sort of a rite of fall for anglers like Southern Californian and longtime “brown bagger” Craig Adkinson.

“We have been switching over to rod-and-reel combos that are ordinarily used for largemouth bass fishing,” says Adkinson, who is on the pro staff for Phenix Rods,

Southern California brown trout angler Craig Adkinson says he and others who chase browns in the Eastern Sierra are using some of the gear used to fish for largemouth bass in search of trophy fish. (CRAIG ADKINSON)

Izorline and Trout King Lures, among others.

Adkinson thinks swimbaits like a Huddleston Deluxe 68 in a rainbow trout pattern, BBZ1 shad in a Sacramento perch color, and Savage Gear that resemble rainbow and brown trout are on Adkinson’s short list.

He also likes to throw large Panther Martins and bigger dropshot baits like Skinny Bear Shad Eyes, Flukes, Mijos Minnows, Basstrix Flash Trix and the Bass Pro Shops-made XPS. Largediameter crankbaits (Rapalas and Lucky Crafts), Rat-L-Trap lipless crankbaits and Yo-Zuri largerdiameter jerkbaits and medium jerkbaits also can well on browns.

“The moral of the story is this: big bait means big fish when we are making trips in search of monster browns,” Adkinson says. “All baits that rattle are better.” CS

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FISHING

TRICKING TROUT FOR TREATS IRVINE LAKE’S HALLOWEEN OPENER BECKONS

By Steve Carson

IRVINE-Southern California’s weather dictates that trout fishing is a winterto-spring pursuit in lower elevations, and so it is that Irvine Lake will have its 2014-15 public trout season opener on Friday, October 31.

Some 20,000 pounds of trout will be planted in the 700-acre lake just prior to the opener, and an average of 5,000 additional pounds will be added every single week until the season ends in early May. There will also be a special limited-entry VIP Fishing Day on Thursday, October 30.

Trout species The majority of the trout planted this year will be beautiful Calaveras rainbows in the 2- to 8-pound class.

Opening weekend will see fish to 10 pounds, but starting around Thanksgiving, lunker-grade trout to 15 pounds or more will be part of the stocks, with the lake record – caught in 2009 – standing at an impressive 22 pounds, 4 ounces.

The balance of the stocks will be beautiful brown trout to 10 pounds, and colorful brook trout to 4 pounds.

Later in the year some drag-sizzling inland steelhead to 8 pounds will add spice to the species mix.

Bait The key to almost all successful trout fishing presentations at Irvine Lake is ultralight line. Whether the trout are smart or simply cautious is hard to say, but it is indisputable that the lightest line usually catches the most

fish by a big margin.

The No. 1 bait setup is a Carolina rig with a ⅛-ounce sinker, and nothing heavier than 4-pound-test leader, with 2-pound test being necessary during busy weekend periods when the fish are heavily pressured. Leader length depends on water clarity, with 12 to 16 inches being average, down at 6 inches with turbid water, and up to 18 to 24 inches with ultraclear water.

PowerBait is the overwhelming choice, with the most productive colors last year being chartreuse, garlic, and red salmon egg. Lake regulars often make their own colors, or combine PowerBait with half a nightcrawler. The two favorite baitfishing locations for shorecasters are Trout Island and the West Shore Road.

Trolling Trollers do exceptionally well and can get away with slightly heavier line than bait dunkers. Most times anglers can get away with 6-pound test, and occasionally even 8-pound test. The most popular spots for trollers are midlake, Santiago Flats and along the dam restriction lines. Slow trolling speeds are important, with 0.9 to 1.9 mph being ideal. Another tip is to run the boat in broad “S” patterns to keep the lures running in and out of the wake.

The gold-standard trolling lure at Irvine is the firetiger Rapala Countdown CD05, and firetiger is, in fact, the “default” color on many days, along with red/chartreuse; surprisingly the lake’s steelhead

Irvine Lake churns out trophy rainbows like this 10-pounder. The season opener on Halloween will feature a 20,000-pound trout plant. (IRVINE LAKE)

Irvine Lake also features a kid-only lagoon, which is a perfect opportunity to introduce youngsters to fishing. (IRVINE LAKE)

Float tubing is quite popular on the 700-acre lake, which features plenty of trout and will get a boost from weekly plants. (IRVINE LAKE) OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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prefer chrome/blue colors.

When the trout are keyed up feeding on shad, the Rapala Ultralight Shad ULS04 is a great choice, and when they want an exaggerated wiggle, the Ultralight Crank ULC03 excels. The “lockjaw key” last year was the ShadRap SR04 in pink tiger.

Trolling leadcore line can at times be productive, with two to four colors of leadcore being the norm, and a cop car- or bikini-colored Luhr Jensen Needlefish is the most popular lure.

Micro-plastics and more A popular alternative for Irvine Lake trouters are tiny plastic and organic lures that offer almost infinite variety to fool reluctant fish. Again this is a light-line approach, with 4-pound line the standard, and 2-pound often producing best.

The most popular choice is a Berkley Mice Tail, which is usually fished just like PowerBait, with red/ chartreuse or pink/white the most popular colors. Also very good are the various Gulp! trout baits, with the Gulp! Pinched ‘Crawler and Gulp!

Salmon Egg being favorites, either separately or in combination.

A little more activity is required with Power Trout Worms, which can be split-shotted or drop-shotted, with the usual bright colors like chartreuse and pink getting the nod.

Perhaps most popular are mini-jigs, either with or without a Power Worm trailer like the Atomic Teaser, which covers numerous color combinations depending on the mood of the fish.

These are usually cast and retrieved with a slow, rhythmic twitching. A deadly alternative approach is rigging the Atomic Tube 4 to 7 feet under a bobber and retrieving ultra-slowly, or even just drifting with the breeze.

Kids Lagoon Families with children age 12 and under will have an easy time of it in the 3-acre Kids Lagoon, which is stocked with trout regularly throughout the season. The same baits that work in the main lake work 104 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

fine, but a particular favorite in the lagoon is a marshmallow/mealworm combination. There is also a 50-by50-foot “Kids Catch Out Pond,” which can be reserved for birthday parties and other special events.

Other species Even though the lion’s share of effort will be expended toward trout, there are several other choices. October’s excellent catfish action will slowly simmer down later in the month as water temperatures cool, but decent stringers of 3- to 8-pound channel cats will still be filled into the middle of November on small chunks of mackerel. Also possible will be one of the lake’s monster blue catfish in the 20- to 60-pound class. Use a whole mackerel head on a 7/0 hook with 65-pound braided line, and be sure to carry a big salmon net.

Bass anglers will also find steady action on 2- to 4-pound largemouth using dropshot-rigged plastics, with some larger bucketmouths to 10 pounds hitting on swimbaits. Skilled bassers can find their quarry pretty much all winter long, with the fish sliding down to as deep as 40 feet during the winter.

The crappie, bluegill and redear sunfish are fairly quiet until spring, but a few 5- to 15-pound carp and hybrid striped bass will be caught incidentally, and very lucky anglers may latch onto a sturgeon from 20 to 50 pounds.

Hours For most of October the lake is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with nighttime catfish sessions running until 11 p.m. on Thursdays and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Starting on Friday, October 31, the lake will be open seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, and from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. CS Editor’s note: Follow Irvine Lake on Facebook, on the web at IrvineLake.net or call (714) 649-9111. The author can be reached at scarson@sunset.com.

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FISHING

EL CAPITAN BASS STILL BITING TOPWATER LURES LANDING LOTS OF FISH

The water’s a little low after a dry rainy season and hot summer, but bass are still eating dropshot worms at Southern California lakes like El Capitan. (BILL SCHAEFER)

By Bill Schaefer

SAN DIEGO—El Capitan Lake is getting a little smaller each month, no thanks to the drought and heat wave that has robbed all the Southland lakes of their water.

As El Cap drops it concentrates the bass, and makes for great fishing. We definitely have to cross our fingers that the scientists and meteorologists are correct and we will be seeing a rainy El Niño-influenced winter. This would help refill lakes and improve conditions for all reservoirs next year.

Launch conditions are still good and the weather is hot.

But let’s get back to the present.

El Capitan’s fall topwater bite is on, and roaming packs of bass chasing shad can be had in the main part of the lake, as well as the outer edge of the dam arm. Main lake points have also been good later in the day after the topwater action for drop-shot worming and various shad-designed plastics.

For topwater anglers starting at first light, go down the bank with your favorite popping bait. You want to draw those fish out of the weeds, and the action will get their attention.

You can still go with a walking bait like a Zara Spook or a wake bait for larger bass, but I think the popper will produce the most action. There are some corners with matted weeds for frogging; even for this fishing, the popping frog has been the trick.

As the day wears on, it will get

hot – very hot. The bass will slide out offshore a bit into deeper water.

This is good for you, as you will not have to contend with the very thick vegetation. Work the outside edge of the weeds with drop-shot worms; a split-shot rig will do well too. I like to work uphill to the face of the weeds, usually getting bit as I approach them or parallel to the face of the weeds.

There are still bass eating the

umbrella rigs, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. The lake’s North Arm has been the place to go for this.

Bass lay along the old river bed in this arm and the umbrella rig with shad-type baits can really score here, and sometimes with multiple bass in one catch.

Fall is a great time to fish El Capitan, and with this warm summer, it may last a bit longer than normal. CS OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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FISHING

PROS

HIGH ATOP THE PIRCH Q&A WITH RISING BASS ANGLER

By Nick Barr

C

alifornia Sportsman recently caught up with second-year B.A.S.S. Elite Series pro Clifford Pirch.

We joined the Arizona native on his travels from one exciting win to hopefully qualifying for his second appearance in the Bassmaster Classic.

Pirch had just won his third U.S. Open Championship on Lake Mead in early September. His focus shifted to finishing up a strong run by closing out his second season of the Bassmaster Elite Series.

Nick Barr Congratulations on the big win, Cliff. Being your third time holding up the winner’s trophy at the U.S. Open, how does it feel?

Cliff Pirch I’m exhausted, and it is hard to end up first in any big tournament. Going in I had a gameplan to be consistent each day, as I know how to catch them on Mead. That first day was really crazy, one of those perfect days where you catch an absolute brute of a largemouth on day one, and it carried me rest of the tournament.

NB The rest of the leader board was creeping up behind you on the final day. What adjustments did you make on day three to seal the deal on the win?

CP I decided to go to an area that I

Arizonan Cliff Pirch is making a push to automatically qualify for the Bassmaster Classic for a second time.

(B.A.S.S.)

saved all tournament. I don’t think anyone else found it and I was playing the weather to get there.

It was quite a run across some bad water, so there was a high risk involved, unless the conditions

were right. We had absolutely weird weather – it flash-flooded the night before, washing a lot of trash down into the lake.

NB That must have been pretty

JOES OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

111

FISHING am well-versed in big-water fishing for northern smallmouth. That is really my wheelhouse. I’ve done well whenever the Elite series makes its northern swing. You can bet I’ll have a drop-shot in my hand. When going to a new place like Bay De Noc, you really need to just find the right areas with schools of larger fish and which can fish in undesirable weather. When fishing up north, the catching part is just a small bit of the gameplan. There are a lot more factors involved in these giant bodies of water. You might be able to catch 20 pounds a day, but can you make it to and from weighin without putting yourself in danger of not making it back? That is the biggest catch.

NB Being your second year on the

After competing on the FLW Tour, Cliff Pirch is learning on the fly when fishing in less familiar geographic areas, such as a swing that went from Lake Champlain and Cayuga Lake in upstate New York. (B.A.S.S.)

nerve-racking; walk me through what was going through your mind fishing that final day?

CP When I showed up to the area, it was completely blown out – milky water with big debris mats everywhere. I simply couldn’t get where I wanted to fish. I was a little worried I didn’t have anything until 11 a.m., trying to relocate these fish. I put my nose to the ground and started searching around for better conditions nearby.

I eventually found some cleaner water with fishable debris clumps.

The fish were stacked up where the clean water was coming through the debris, and I was able to catch them enough to hold on to the win.

Figuring out where those fish had moved to and actually being able to effectively fish, it was huge.

NB Lake Mead is famous for junk fishing. Not many patterns or techniques seem to hold up for more than a day. What techniques carried you throughout the tournament?

112 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

CP Day three all I threw was a Clifford Pirch Outdoors flipping jig in that heavy debris. But on the prior days I was mainly dropshotting a Roboworm, which is a textbook technique on this lake. I also was catching some on topwater and a crankbait on day one. I think I actually weighed in more fish the first two days on the crankbait fishing around rock structures.

NB Currently you are 38th in the Angler of the Year points on the B.A.S.S. Elite Series, two spots outside of an automatic Classic qualification, but on the bubble to make it in via double qualifiers.

You’re heading into the AOY Championship at Bay De Noc in Escanaba, Mich. With so much on the line, how are you approaching this event?

CP It is one of those events where I am in the place to do everything in my power to stay consistent and not mess up. Bay De Noc is somewhere I’ve never been, but I

Elite Series, how do you adapt to fishing these new bodies of water around the country that may be unfamiliar to you?

CP I’ve been doing it long enough that I’ve got some experience fishing the southern waters via the FLW Tour. Specific regions or river systems generally fish like other bodies of water in the vicinity. You can apply what you know from one body of water to a similar area, such as having the knowledge of Lake Champlain and putting together a pattern on Cayuga Lake (both upstate New York tournaments).

Really, it is all about putting your time in and gaining experience in each of those regions so you can apply that knowledge to a variety of waters.

NB How did the transfer from the FLW Tour to the B.A.S.S. Elite Series affect you?

CP It wasn’t any huge switch for me, but mainly a business decision. With the changing structure of B.A.S.S., paybacks have come into line and you receive much more exposure fishing the Elite Series than what I could have done on the FLW side of things, especially since I am running

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FISHING Pirch says he’s looking forward to the B.A.S.S. Elite Series heading to the West Coast for two tournaments next year, including one stop in the Sacramento River. (B.A.S.S.)

my own tackle business as well.

NB Lastly, the Elite Series is coming out for a Western swing on the 2015

114 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

schedule. This is a great thing for the starved bass fishing community of the West Coast. We have the

Sacramento River event April 30-May 3 and the Lake Havasu tournament May 7-10. How do you think those events will play out?

CP Lake Havasu will definitely be in postspawn, but will still pretty good fishing. It’s not a very popular time of year to fish it, so it should be a very even playing field. I have a lot of experience there, but not during that time frame, as many tournaments are in the early spring or fall. Going to the Sacramento River will be interesting, because I can bet you that a majority of the field will make the long run to the Delta, while very few will actually stay in the river. It is great to see B.A.S.S. come back out West to give the fans in the region a couple of very exciting events. CS Editor’s note: You can follow Clifford Pirch at CliffordPirchOutdoors.com. For more information from the author, check out NickBarrFishing.com.

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FISHING

TIME FOR TUNA IS NOW

The author’s yellowfin tuna is typical of the El Niño-affected Southern California coast that has boats streaming offshore in search of mostly 15- to 25-pound fish. (BILL SCHAEFER)

HUNGRY FISH UP AND DOWN SOUTHERN COAST

By Capt. Bill Schaefer

SAN DIEGO—Does it get any better than this? I think so.

Southern California offshore fishing is at full speed right now and everyone seems to be scoring big time, from sportfishing-landing boats to six-pack charters to weekend warriors. This fishing year will go in the record books.

Hurricanes keep sending warmer water north, and with it comes pelagic fish. Even wahoo have been caught unusually north of their regular stomping grounds, along with many other species usually found to the south in Mexican waters.

El Niño-type conditions are making for a banner year, even though scientists are arguing about whether we are indeed having one. I know that I don’t care, nor do the sportfishing landings that are making up for bad seasons of the past. I’ve been out a number of times and the fishing is out of this world.

On the last trip I took on a friend’s boat, the New Free Jack, we waited in line for bait for an hour, left San Diego Bay and drove an hour to the 181 spot. We stopped on a school of boiling tuna for an hour and got

limits before 8 a.m.

For those of you who want to fish and not bother with all the requirements of the Mexican government, there are plenty of fish just north of the border. In fact, you can head all the way north to Long Beach and beyond.

If you have a good mapping unit, skirt the border as you head west. Anywhere from 9 miles out you should start watching for bird activity. Diving birds almost always mean tuna are under the surface.

Paddies are a good thing as well, with a lot of them holding yellowtail, dorado as well as tuna. If the diving birds bring you to porpoise, troll around them as many anglers have scored this way. Cedar plugs are the top weapon this season, with various feathers a close second.

But most of the stops are on already-boiling fish. Brail some bait out and watch the fish come to your boat! Medium to mediumheavy tackle is all you need for any of these fish. We had them eating the 40- and 50-pound mono. I used 50-pound Daiwa braid with a short fluorocarbon leader on a Daiwa

Diving birds are a good sign that tuna are in the area. (BILL SCHAEFER)

Saltist 30 two-speed reel. Most of the tuna are in the 15- to 25-pound range. Remember when fishing the paddies to loop around and blow past them with the wind if you can.

Also, if a boat is already fishing one, asking permission to come in and fish goes a long ways.

I hope you all can experience this year’s tuna bonanza. It should keep on going for a few more months. CS OCTOBER 2014 California Sportsman

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118 1 18 California Sportsman OCTOBER 2014

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