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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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| "The unified and organized campaign that the formation of this Alliance offers is critical if we are to stop the further erosion of what we value as sportsmen and women." |
Phil Martinelli,
Past State President,
National Wild Turkey Federation |
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| Fish and Game Commission |
Late Season Goose Hunts -- DRAW RESULTS
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Property #1
Date: Feb. 11-12
HL/GO ID: D-0001787266-7
City: Alpine
Date: Feb. 14-15
HL/GO ID: 1001014197
City: Bloomington
Date: Feb. 18-19
HL/GO ID: D-0003244743-7
City: Anaheim Hills
Date: Feb. 21-22
HL/GO ID: 1001834311
City: Aliso Viejo
Date: Feb. 25-26
HL/GO ID: 1017782736
City: Valley Center
Property #2
Date: Feb. 11-12
HL/GO ID: D-0002655309-0
City: Anaheim
Date: Feb 21-22
HL/GO ID: 1001898951
City: Fontana |
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SHARE Hunt Application |
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SHARE Property Location |
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General Fish and Game Commission Efforts
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COHA’s recent efforts at the Fish and Game Commission regulatory level have been integral to creating new hunting opportunity in the 2011/2012 waterfowl season – including working with DFG and CWA to establish the new early (October 1-5) Canada goose season and a new late (February 18-23) white-front and white goose season in the Balance of the State Zone.
COHA also secured adding .177 caliber pellet guns as an allowable method of take for turkeys, beginning with the Fall 2011 season. |
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Hunter Input Needed on Proposed Regulations
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COHA needs your help in our efforts to protect against the loss of hunting, dog training and field trialing opportunity currently offered on Department of Fish and Game (DFG) lands.
The California Fish and Game Commission will soon consider a host of new regulations that will affect public use on state-owned lands. While many of the proposed regulations are intended to simplify and make rules more consistent across DFG lands, others are more substantive and affect a wide range of activities - including methods of accessing hunting areas.
Most concerning, the proposed regulations would designate several DFG lands that currently offer hunting opportunities as "Ecological Reserves", including Liberty Island in Solano County and San Antonio Valley in Santa Clara County. Because Ecological Reserves are managed primarily for threatened and endangered species or specialized wildlife habitats, hunting opportunities would likely be restricted.
Further, the proposed regulations would affect dog training, hunt tests and field trial events on DFG Wildlife Areas. For instance, depending on the number of dogs and participants, a special use permit would be required with a fee of either $58.71 or $386.50.
For a summary of the proposed regulations go to Fish & Game Commission website at www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations |
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Proposed MLPA Designation Threatens Waterfowl Hunting on North Coast Public Waters
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Earlier this year, the Blue Ribbon Task Force for the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) forwarded its recommendations for the creation on new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for California’s North Coast to the California Fish and Game Commission. The proposals, if ultimately approved by the Fish and Game Commission, would not only include restrictions on a variety of fisheries, but would also adversely impact public waterfowl hunting opportunities, including possible closures, in several estuaries and bays in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties.
COHA staff has been working with local hunters to identify those waterfowl hunting areas most at risk of new restrictions/closures, including the South Humboldt Bay, Ten Mile Estuary, Big River Estuary and the Navarro River Estuary.
Over the course of the past few months, COHA testified four separate times before the Commission to urge that traditional waterfowl hunting areas on the North Coast be kept open for hunting. We also convened several meetings with Commission staff and CA State Parks staff to draft up an option (and accompanying regulatory language) that would protect waterfowl hunting on all 4 areas of concern.
Fortunately, the Commission has strongly supported our concerns throughout the entire North Coast MLPA process and, at its June meeting, included regulatory language as part of its Preferred Alternative that would keep at least three areas open to waterfowl hunting. Final adoption of the language will likely be made sometime in the Fall or Winter of 2011. |
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2011/2012 Waterfowl Regulations
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With the latest waterfowl survey data just now available, COHA will work closely with DFG, CWA and the CWA Regulations and Traditions (R&T) Committee over the next two weeks to agree upon and secure biologically justifiable liberal waterfowl hunting regulations for the 2011/2012 season. The Commission is slated to consider and adopt the 2011/2012 Waterfowl regulations at their August 3rd meeting in southern California.
COHA has also been heavily involved with the Commission in efforts to secure Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) designations which threatened waterfowl hunting opportunity. |
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2011 Mammal and Upland Game Regulations
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| Earlier this year, COHA’s efforts at the Commission included working on 2011 Mammal and Upland Game regulations to ensure that they provide maximum biologically justifiable season lengths, bag limits and hunting opportunity. Although there was little conflict in regards to most big game and upland game regulations, COHA was very disappointed with DFG’s last minute move to lower the number of deer tags available for the B zone. Historically, the highly popular B zone, which occupies much of northwestern California, has had 55,000 tags available for sale to anxious hunters. However, in early May, following their published proposed change to allow a range of 35,000 to 65,000 B zone tags, DFG unexpectedly announced at the Commission meeting that they recommended the absolute bottom of the range (35,000 tags) be sold for 2011 – with little scientific rationale. Moments later, the Commission gaveled down the change, along with the rest of the mammal regulations. COHA met with DFG top staff early the following week and discussed our concern over the lack of DFG coordination on their desire to lower tag sales. COHA will take steps to ensure that better coordination is in place in future years. |
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Proposed Marine Protected Areas Threaten Traditional Waterfowl Hunting Areas
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Earlier this year, the Blue Ribbon Task Force for the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) forwarded its recommendations for the creation on new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for California’s North Coast to the California Fish and Game Commission. The proposals, if ultimately approved by the Fish and Game Commission, would not only include closures and restrictions on a variety of fisheries, but would also adversely impact public waterfowl hunting opportunities in several estuaries and bays in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties.
COHA staff has been working with local hunters to identify those waterfowl hunting areas most at risk of new restrictions/closures, including the South Humboldt Bay, Ten Mile Estuary, Big River Estuary and the Navarro River Estuary.
Over the course of the past few months, COHA has testified three times before the Commission to urge that traditional waterfowl hunting areas on the North Coast be kept open for hunting. The Commission has thus far received our input well, and asked that modified proposals be drafted that would protect waterfowl hunting on all four areas we’ve identified at risk. These modified proposals will be considered at the Commission’s June meeting. |
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COHA Letter to the F&G Commission |
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COHA Member Appointed to/Removed from Fish and Game Commission
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In early September, COHA member and close friend, Mike Sutsos – owner/operator of the Black Point Sports Club in Petaluma – was appointed to the California Fish and Game Commission by Governor Schwarzenegger. Roughly two weeks later, in a surprise move, Sutsos’ appointment was suddenly pulled. Sutsos temporarily filled the fifth seat on the important five member Commission body that is responsible for determining all of the fish and game regulations in the state, state listed species and many other regulatory resource decisions of vital importance to COHA and the future of our outdoor heritage.
A few days after Sutsos removal, Jack Baylis, chemical engineer and chief executive for AECOM, a Los Angeles-based global design, engineering and program management firm, was appointed to fill the seat vacated upon Sutsos’ removal. Baylis is a public member of the state Coastal Conservancy and serves as vice chair of the Heal the Bay Board of Directors. Both groups have sided largely with environmental groups when it comes to ocean closures called for by the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) – the biggest topic currently in front of the Commission, and an issue of great importance to the Governor. In addition to serving those groups, he founded and is strategic planning committee chair of the Clean Water America Alliance, and is a member of the California State Parks and Recreation Commission. Baylis was sworn in as a Fish and Game Commissioner on September 29th, just in time to vote on whether to extend the deadline for comment on the MLPA’s South Coast Region draft environmental impact report. Baylis will reportedly resign as a Coastal Conservancy member. In order to serve the full six year term on the Commission, Baylis will have to avoid having his appointment pulled by the new Governor next year and be approved by the State Senate within 12 months. Baylis reportedly does not hunt, and his positions on hunting are currently unknown.
COHA will work hard with the new Governor in an effort to get Sutsos reappointed to the Commission at the earliest possible opportunity. |
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Commission Receives Petition to Ban Most Hunting in the Mojave National Preserve
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A petition was recently filed with the California Fish and Game Commission by the Center for Biological Diversity and other environmental groups to revise rules governing hunting within the Mojave National Preserve. The petition seeks to place several new prohibitions on hunting, ostensibly to protect populations of desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) which are listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act, by amending Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR). These proposed prohibitions include:
• A ban on the hunting of a variety of game species, nongame species and furbearers, including cottontail rabbits, jackrabbits, bobcats, coyotes, gray fox and badgers.
• A ban on all hunting from February 1st through August 30th, with the exception of limited hunting for bighorn sheep in February.
• A ban on the use of dogs for hunting any mammal.
• A ban on the use of spotlights for hunting furbearers and nongame species.
COHA has submitted a letter to the Commission strongly opposing the petition, and has asked Commission members to reject the petition in it’s entirely. COHA's letter points out that these additional proposed restrictions are unnecessary, would not aid in the recovery of desert tortoise populations, and would adversely affect local hunting opportunity for the public. In particular, COHA's letter notes that no scientific data or peer reviewed studies are cited in the petition which specifically link hunting or the use of hunting dogs with declining populations of desert tortoise.
COHA supplemented their written comments by also providing verbal testimony to the Commission regarding the petition at their February 2010 meeting in Sacramento. Following testimony from COHA and others, the Commission directed the Department of Fish and Game to treat the petition as they would any other public input and/or request to the Commission - in essence tabling the topic until further notice. |
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COHA Letter |
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Legal Resources for Hunters
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| Hunting near urban areas and on navigable waters can often be challenging in California because of anti-hunting sentiment and/or ignorance of the law, even amongst seasoned law enforcement officers. However, the California Constitution does provide a reasonable level of protection for hunters in these areas when hunting can be undertaken safely under state laws and regulations. Please see the following State Attorney General Opinions for a detailed legal analysis on these subjects. |
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Hunting Near Urban Areas/Within City Limits |
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Hunting Naviable Flood Waters |
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