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PROTECT HUNTING
Our hunting tradition and wildlife habitat is under serious threat. Care about the future of our heritage?
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Check out the COHA
Field Wire.
Subscribe to our Field Wire email newsletter and receive immediate updates on issues critical to you and join the COHA Action Team. |
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| "Our Association believes that it is no longer enough to simply conserve and improve habitat, we must also get involved with the 'Decision Makers' that are determining the use of this valuable, renewable resource." |
Andy Wood,
President of the California Deer Association |
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SHARE Program Grows in 2009/2010
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For the first time, the Department of Fish and Game has requested funding for implementation of the SHARE program (a voluntary program that provides incentives to private landowners who allow public hunting access) in the 2010/11 State Budget. COHA staff was pleased to provide testimony before the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees in support of the Department’s funding request. If approved by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, the additional funding will be used to hire staff and greatly expand the SHARE program.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is now finally offering state grant applications from state fish and game departments to fund private land hunting access programs like SHARE. A total of $50 million is available to the states over a 5-year period.
COHA recently implemented special late season hunts (Feb. 13th-March 1st) for white geese in the Imperial Valley as part of SHARE. The number of hunter applications again far exceeded available space, with the odds of being drawn for each individual hunt typically exceeding 60:1. While white geese related depredation in the Imperial Valley has significantly increased in recent years, hunter success this year was low due to smaller numbers of geese observed off-refuge.
On a related note, the recent signing of COHA sponsored legislation (AB 1423) into law has formalized the SHARE Program into a permanent statewide hunter access program that will be administered by the Department of Fish and Game, in partnership with interested nonprofits, through a variety of funding sources. DFG has already created a staff position to implement SHARE, and now has the ability to tap into hunting and fishing license monies to provide much needed funding for the program. |
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Public Hunt Programs - Sacramento Valley National Wildlife Refuges/State Wildlife Areas
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In mid February, COHA staff met with the new DFG Region 2 manager to discuss ways to expand public hunting opportunities via the SHARE Program, special youth hunts and other means. Public hunting program issues were also discussed, including proposed changes to Little Dry Creek Wildlife Area (WA) and Howard Slough WA. COHA again stressed the need to reduce hunter conflict/overcrowding issues on the WAs, but in a manner that maintains hunter opportunity and does not favor one hunting constituency (e.g. assigned ponds, free roam, blinds) over another.
COHA, in coordination with California Waterfowl’s Unattached Hunters Committee (UHC), also participated in the Sacramento NWR Complex hunt program meeting in May. Issues of concern for COHA included maintaining enough vegetative cover and food in the hunt areas, assuring that flooded out refuges are opened back up as soon as possible, providing an equitable distribution of preferred hunting types (e.g. assigned ponds, free roam, blinds), and lowering water levels in certain ponds.
COHA’s continuing goal in working with both the USFWS and DFG on their hunt programs is to avoid any new unreasonable restrictions on hunters, and to ensure an appropriate balance of free roam, assign pond and assigned blind hunting opportunity on public areas - both in terms of quality and quantity. |
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