mempg

Have you noticed as you drive around from Pennington Road to Nelson Road how you don't see any pheasants any more?

I started noticing this about three years ago when I started seeing more cotton tail rabbits along the road (and around our own clubs) than pheasants.

Predators are the real problem, we have had a real coyote population explosion. Coyotes eating the living and raccoons eating the eggs.

Richvale used to be the pheasant capital of Northern California, now the only time you might see one is when the Richvale Hunting Area plant birds the first three Fridays of the season.

I'm not an avid pheasant hunter but I'd rather see birds than coyotes. Neither the Federal or State DFG are doing anything about it, so I guess we need to take it upon ourselves.

Now that duck season is over and there are no tractors in the fields we need to organize predator hunts or at least get the word out for those that enjoy hunting coyotes that we need their help.

We would willing to clear the predator hunting with the land owners, at least with the ones that agree with our thinking.

Another thought, the Cherokee Strip was also crawling with pheasants. We have property bordering the strip and no birds.

SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.

Concerned,

Lonny

Had a meeting with a couple of my hunters the other day at Casa Lupe in Gridley. At the table next to us sat Lloyd Horn a life long friend and retired manager of the Richvale Irrigation District. As a side line the entire time he was employed there he trapped muskrats every winter.

We got to talking about the shortage of pheasants and how they have just disappeared. Lloyd had some very wise, not solutions to the problem, but causes for the problem.

He went on to say how trapping had been outlawed about four and one half years ago. The lack of pheasants became noticeable about two or maybe even three years ago.

Lloyd added, how many coyotes did you see prior to five years ago? No coyotes and hundreds of pheasants. He went on to say, this held true for all the ditches and canals, concerning fish. The otters have taken over and you cannot catch a bass or catfish any more.

The solution is simple. The trapping laws need to be revised or completely done away with. As stated before, Richvale was the pheasant capitol of Northern California now it seems to be the varmint capitol.

Unfortunately these main laws which affect trapping, hunting, and water rights are always perpetuated by people who want to implement the nickel per shell tax on 22 rounds.

Hi friends, members and fellow hunters,

SILVERNAIL - PETERSON
"DUCK CLUB"

Concerning Hunting License Agreements

> You are the captain of this blind. All correspondence will be with you concerning the blind with either Larry or I. It is your responsibility to pass all correspondence along to your partners. Any complaints about your partners or blind etiquette, etc. will be directed towards you. If you do not wish to be Captain let me know.

> Print all members names in first paragraph on page one. Include names and addresses on a different sheet of paper. Have each member sign on page four. Do both on both agreements.

> Return by mail or fax the return copy to me. Fax 530-894-0276

> Send all correspondence and checks to the above address,
not Larrys.

Thank you,
Lonny

If you have any pictures to put on the websight send them to me.

s-pduckclub.com

PHEASANTS AND DEER
WHAT HAPPENED?

As I've been dwelling on the lack of pheasants in our area the past couple of years, quite a few facts have come to light.
There's no DEER in the valley and very few in the foothills. Many States are having doe hunts, special two and three per person buck hunts. Not in California.
Populations are booming everywhere but here. WHY?
As far as the pheasants go more efficient farming practices are taking their toll.
Spraying roads and ditches, ridging levees, etc. This is all necessary as high productions the key to staying in business.
In my prior articles my focus was on the damage coyotes were wreaking on the pheasants, them and other varmints that raise havoc with the nests and eggs. Raccoons, possums, feral cats, etc.
Habitat wise we have Cherokee Canal, Butte Creek, Railroad Right Of Way and those that farm a bit more liberal. We have club locations in these areas and still no pheasants.
From what I've been told the problems are far more than farming practices, habitat and varmints.
WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE DEER????????????????????????
We have property bordering Gray Lodge and an 80-acre jungle along Butte Creek. We used to see deer daily and there were tracks everywhere. LAST YEAR I NOT ONLY DIDN'T SEE A DEER BUT NOT A TRACK ONE.
Back to pheasants. If everyone left 10% of they're ground out of production and let the Smart week grow and we persisted in our coyote quest things might get back to normal. POSSIBLY?????
There's still one more major problem. People who KILL anything, hens, roosters, the young and it don't seem to matter what time of the year.
The HMONG population. They are a hunting people. They brought their traditions with them from Viet Nam. Our government brought thousands of them to the U.S. after the war.
These people seem to have immunity when it comes to the DFG both State and Federal. A person who watched them at EAST PARK RESIVOIR catching hundreds of crappie, bass, catfish and anything else that swam told me. All sizes and numbers and a warden sat and watched. Actually it was two wardens in different vehicles sitting, watching. IMMUNITY????? See what happens to you.
Nothing goes to waste they eat everything. Soon there will be no fish, upland game, fowl, deer,etc.
HERE IS THE BIG ONE.
There are seven mountain lions in the valley ranging from Gray Lodge to Llano Seco.
Apparently they are hunting their way from Gray Lodge to Little Dry Creek all along Butte Creek to Howards Slough crossing over to the Sacramento River to Llano Seco, M&T right on up the river and back to Gray Lodge. Now I just heard one of my Hunters saw one along Cherokee Canal.
If this is all true, which the original source was very, very reliable SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE WALKING TO A RICE BOX AND GET ATTACKED BY A HUGH MOUNTAIN LION?????
If you have heard or know of any of this please contact us. Write a letter I'll put it in our FORUM.
Maybe in numbers we can get something positive done prior to one of us getting killed.

It may not be realized but Hunting is a major economic boom to this and surrounding areas.