Coyotes Become Fish & Game Commission Topic
At the April 16th meeting of the
California Fish & Game Commission
in Ventura, the following item was on
the agenda: Discussion and Possible
Authorization to Publish Notice of
Intent to Establish a Prohibition on
Inducements for Predator Hunting
Contests, Tournaments, or Derbies.
Even though the agenda item
was listed as predator hunting on the
agenda, the draft proposed regulatory
language stated:
New Section 250.1 Prohibition on prizes
or inducements for hunting contests
involving mammals.
It is unlawful to offer any prize or other
inducement as a reward for the taking of
any mammals in an individual contest,
tournament, or derby.
The wording of the draft would
make it illegal to have Big Buck or
similar contests and/or awards/
plaques given by Safari Club International, Boone and Crockett Club, Pope
and Young, or other organizations.
After discussion by the Commis-
sioners and the public comments
made by those in attendance, an
amendment was made to change it
to just predatory mammal hunting
contests. It will now start through the
regulation process before reaching a
vote by the Commission to adopt or
not adopt this proposed regulation.
During the Public Comment
period, CDA President Jerry Springer
participated on behalf of CDA members.
For those who would like to see
the video recording of the meeting
via the Internet, go to the Commission website at www.fgc.ca.gov,
click the Meetings drop-down menu,
select 2014, scroll down to the April
16 meeting, and click Video. You will
then be taken to the web page with all
the recorded Commission meetings.
Doggone Good Job!
K-9 Helps at Deer Poaching Crime Scene
A good tip on the Californians
Turn In Poachers and Polluters
(CalTIP) hotline — combined with
the well-trained nose of a K-9 wildlife
officer — led to the recent conviction
of a deer poacher in Susanville.
In June 2013, Warden Nick
Buckler received a CalTIP lead from
a concerned citizen regarding dangerous shooting activity southeast
of Susanville. Suspecting a possible
poaching incident, Warden Buckler
searched the area and located a dead
doe near a Susanville property. The
condition of the carcass suggested the
deer was killed by a shotgun blast.
Based upon the available evidence, Buckler obtained a search warrant to further search the property.
With the assistance of fellow wildlife
officers, including Warden Paul Cardoza and his Warden K-9 Kilo as well
as deputies from the Lassen County
Sheriff’s Department, Buckler systematically searched the residence and
surrounding property. While serving
the warrant, the search team gained
information to suggest the landowner
may have disassembled the shotgun
18
California Deer
and hid it in heavy vegetation among
several acres of dense vegetation on
the property.
Warden K-9 Kilo stepped up to
do the job he was trained for. In addition to apprehending dangerous
criminals, Kilo is trained to alert on
several scents, including gunpowder
and firearms. Kilo went to work on the
property surrounding the residence.
Not only did Kilo find every piece of
the disassembled shotgun, he found
the spent shotshells and shotshell
wads that were used in the commission of the crime. By finding all the
pieces, Kilo allowed Buckler to perfectly reconstruct the poaching crime
scene.
“Warden Cardoza and K-9 Kilo
were able to locate very small but very
important items of physical evidence
over a very large and difficult search
area,” Buckler reported. “Without
Kilo, our chances of locating all the
evidence were slim.”
Wardens and deputies awarded
K-9 Kilo with lavish praise and his favorite rubber ball for a job well done.
On February 8, 2014, the poacher
pled guilty to unlawful take of a deer
out of season and unlawful discharge
of a firearm within 150 yards of an
occupied dwelling. He was fined
$1,500 and was placed on two years
of probation, during which time he
cannot hunt or fish.
Warden Buckler thanks the
Lassen County Sheriff’s Office and
District Attorney’s Office for their assistance throughout the investigation.
He also credits the citizens of Lassen
County, who continue to protect their
own wildlife and habitat by reporting
poaching and pollution activities to
CDFW through the 24-hour CalTIP
hotline at (888) 334-2258. Callers may
remain anonymous if they so choose.
The most useful information
from witnesses typically includes
time and location of the suspected
crime, the suspect’s specific activity,
suspect and vehicle descriptions (approximate style, size, color, age and
especially unique characteristics),
vehicle license plate number and last
known direction of travel.