Author: Carrie Wilson

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is reminding those who got a 2020-2021 spiny lobster report card to mail their cards or submit them online by April 30, 2021, as required by regulations. Information collected from the cards provides CDFW with data necessary to monitor and manage California’s spiny lobster fishery. Nearly 46,000 spiny lobster report cards were sold during the 2020-2021 season, which is over 10,000 more than any previous season. CDFW generates recreational spiny lobster catch and effort estimates based on data collected from lobster report cards each season. It is extremely important for all spiny lobster report…

Why Do I Need to Report the Number of Days I Hunted? Q:Why does the deer harvest report questionnaire ask about the number of days spent hunting? Why is this question important? What is the purpose of this information? A:Your timing is perfect, as the deer tag reporting deadline of Jan. 31 is fast approaching. Deer tag reporting is now mandatory for all deer tag holders, successful or not. Successful deer tag holders are required to report their deer within 30 days of take or by Jan. 31, whichever date is first. Unsuccessful deer tag holders, whether they hunted or not,…

Editor’s Note: Carrie Wilson, veteran of the CDFW, offers answers to sportsmen’s questions about CDFW regulations on a wide variety of topics.  Can Javelina be Hunted in California? Question:I am new to Southern California and have been hearing about javelina in the southeastern part of the state. Can I use a pig tag or can I even hunt them? CDFW:Although javelina (Pecari tajacu or Tayassu tajacu) resemble and are often mistaken for a rodent or type of wild pig (Sus scrofa), they are not rodents and are not wild pigs that are hunted commonly in California. Instead, they belong to a completely…

What are the Abalone Regs for 2017? Question:What’s happening with abalone for this year? Does the season close at the end of October or November? And what is the season limit? CDFW:Abalone populations in California have been in decline over the last few years due to unprecedented environmental and biological stressors, including warming ocean conditions and a dramatic reduction in kelp in many areas. Abalone eat kelp and they are adversely affected – even starving – as a result. The California Fish and Game Commission adopted emergency regulations to reduce the open season length by two months by closing April and…

Properly catching and releasing fish while taking photos? Question: My friends and I are all fly fishermen who promote catch and release fishing rather than taking fish for consumption. Many other fishermen, fishing guides and lodges, as well as most fly fishing magazines also claim to share this philosophy but then publish untold numbers of photos of people holding the fish they’ve caught. Typically these photos reveal the fish being held for quite a few seconds out of water, and clearly their slime barrier is being broken by the clutching hands. I wonder how many fish handled in this way…

CDFW Answers Questions Question: I have a question regarding regulations on non-adipose fin-clipped (“wild”) rainbow trout/steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout in tributaries on the North Coast (e.g. the lagoons in northern Humboldt County). Anglers are not permitted to keep wild rainbow trout/steelhead but are permitted to keep wild coastal cutthroat trout. However, these two species are well known to hybridize and hybrid offspring are reproductively viable. Hybrids also exhibit a continuous spectrum of phenotypic expression that runs from the rainbow phenotype (few spots below the lateral line, small head, maxillary terminating before the rear of the eye and no throat…

Importing Native Snakes To Control Ground Squirrels? Q:We have a small orange grove in Ventura County that has been overrun by ground squirrels in the past few years. Is there any legal method of “importing” king snakes or gopher snakes onto our property to help control the squirrel population? A:Unfortunately, we don’t allow the release or relocation of snakes into the wild without specific authorization, and at this time we do not allow it for bio-control such as you are requesting. According to CDFW Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Policy Coordinator Laura Patterson, “We’d have to evaluate what else they may…

California Outdoors Q & A Shooting Deer Across a Lake? Q:Is it legal to shoot my rifle across open water to the other side? Say I am on one side of a lake and see a legal deer on the other side (let’s assume it’s 200 yards, not a good long range shot). Can I shoot across the lake or pond or river? A:It is never advisable to shoot over water due to the potential for a ricochet. However, it is not illegal under the Fish and Game Code and its implementing regulations as long as both you and the deer…

Can Sport-Caught Fish Be Donated to a Food Bank? California Q CDFW Q: We often take folks out fishing while they are visiting the area and staying at hotels, bed-and-breakfasts or campsites. Unfortunately, they are often not able to consume all of the fish that they catch. We understand we are allowed to gift fish to friends and family members (as long as each individual does not possess more than one bag limit per person per day). Are there restrictions on gifting extra fish to local food banks or soup kitchens as long as the food bank would want and accept them?…

CA Hunting and Fishing Questions Electronic Decoys? Q:I need some clarification regarding electronic waterfowl decoys. My duck blind partner and I are contemplating buying one of the new electronic decoys. These brand new electronic decoys have wings that flap up and down like a real bird. They can either be motorized tug lines that move the decoys, or electronic feet that cause rotation or flapping of the feet, or they may spray water or swim. The wings on these decoys do not spin or rotate in any way but they are electronically powered. Due to how these are operated, our…

Hunting and Fishing Questions Sea Lions are Eating All My Bait Q:Is there anything I can do to deter or discourage sea lions from eating all my crabbing bait? I know that seals and sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act but I’ve heard there are exceptions for recreational fishermen to deter them to prevent damage to private property, including gear and catch. What can I legally do to chase off these seals/sea lions or at least prevent them from chewing up my bait cages and hoop nets? Is it legal to shoot them with paintball guns? A:California…

Keeping the Peace Q: My question is about peace officers carrying a handgun while archery hunting. The way I read the Fish and Game Code, it only states that you may carry a firearm capable of being concealed on his or her person, not that it shall or will be concealed. I always carry a backpack while hunting, and I usually carry my off-duty weapon on the waist belt under a pouch. This is not totally concealed, so is it acceptable or is it going to be left to officer discretion in the field? A: Yes, this is acceptable, but…

New California Recreational Pacific – California Fishers The recreational Pacific halibut fishery opened May 1 for the 2015 season. This year the fishery will be held to a federally established quota of 25,220 pounds. The season dates will be May 1-15, June 1-15, July 1-15, Aug. 1-15, and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever happens earlier. “California’s recreational quota was the result of hard work with the industry and other states,” said Marci Yaremko, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) representative to the Pacific Fishery Management Council. “We are committed to ensuring this year’s…

Harvest of Road-Killed Wild Game Meat? Q:I have a screwy immune system with 3-4 different diagnoses (depending on the doctor) as to what the problem may be. Going vegetarian makes it worse. I must have flesh food, but again, because of the immune issues, it has to be grassfed/pastured or wild game. Whatever farmers do to crowded animals turns my body into a torture chamber. I understand from my Canadian contacts with similar issues that Canadian provinces can create a list of people who have a medical need for this kind of protein, and freshly taken road-killed deer, elk, moose…

Q and A With California Fish Game Regulations Can Anglers and Divers Help Fill Another’s Bag Limits? Q:We do a lot of ocean fishing and spear fishing and have a question: Does an angler or spear fisher have to stop fishing once they reach their bag limit even if they are with another licensed angler or spearfisher without their limit? For example, if I am on my boat fishing for rockfish with a friend and I catch my limit but my licensed friend is having a slow day, can I legally gift him some of my limit and continue fishing? The…

Residential Varmint Trapping – CDFW February 23 Q:I live in Chico across the street from Bidwell Park. Lately I have been plagued with raccoons and skunks on my property. They have been wreaking havoc on my garden, crapping all over my deck and carport, and I think they have been using the pool (WITHOUT a lifeguard on duty which is COMPLETELY UNSAFE!). I contacted a gentleman who is employed by the USDA and he told me he has been contracted by the County of Butte to trap and euthanize or relocate problem varmints. He explained to me that I can either…

Although They Sell Deer Chow, Don’t Be Deceived Q:I was at my local feed store today and was astounded to find bags of Purina Deer Chow for sale, and another feed for wild pigs. I know it is illegal in California to feed big game animals, including deer, bear, elk, wild pigs and pronghorn. So why is it okay to sell deer food? I asked the proprietor and they said that it was not illegal to sell the food and that their customers wanted the product. Isn’t this a little bit like saying it is okay to sell drugs, even…

Hoisting Sturgeon to Pose for Photos? Q: I’ve seen several pictures over the years of anglers hoisting oversized sturgeon out of the water and dragging them back to the dock for pictures. Isn’t it against the law to treat fish that are to be released this way? How should oversized sturgeon be handled, given that the justifiably proud angler would like to get a picture or two before releasing? A:Regulations for sturgeon have become more protective since 2006, so hopefully you were looking at old-time pictures. There are two important issues here – the regulations and doing what is best…

Cattle Blind? Q:I am in a duck club and we get geese in the field between our blinds. It is impossible to sneak up on the geese without being seen. We made a life-size cow silhouette and painted it black and white just like the cows in the field. We are planning on hiding behind it to sneak up within shooting range of the geese. Is this a legal decoy to use? A:No, it is not legal to use any mammal (except a dog) or an imitation of a mammal as a blind in approaching or taking game birds (FGC…

Hunting Sea Ducks Q:I would like to hunt sea ducks and target surf scoters this waterfowl season. Is this legal? If so, how does one know where it is legal to hunt from shore? Also, if hunting from a boat, I know the motor must not be utilized except to retrieve birds. What other guidelines are there for hunting from a boat? A:Surf scoters and other sea ducks are found along the entire coast but hunting for them is more popular north of the Golden Gate Bridge in northern California (such as Humboldt Bay) and in Oregon and Washington. Hunting…

Each month Carrie Wilson, a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), answers questions sent in by outdoorsmen on a wide range of hunting and fishing topics. In this column, Carrie tackles a range of questions including one about reporting tagged lobster, hunting off of a road, and even hunting and baiting bears. Q: While out lobster fishing last weekend, I caught a lobster with a tag attached to it. What should I do with it? — Anonymous, San Diego A: Most lobster tags are small colored strips of plastic inserted into the underside or back…

Each month Carrie Wilson, a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), answers questions sent in by outdoorsmen on a wide range of hunting and fishing topics. In this column, Carrie tackles a range of questions including one about fishing for halibut in San Francisco Bay, how to become a hunting guide on private land, and laws for using decoys to hunt ducks and dove. Q: My parents have 370 acres of land in the Blue Lakes area. We have harvested a few feral hogs and I am thinking about trying to start a guide service.…

Each month Carrie Wilson, a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game, answers questions sent in by outdoorsmen on a wide range of hunting and fishing topics. This month, Carrie tackles a range of questions including whether or not it is legal for anglers to share fish after they caught their limit, and if the crew can share limits. She also answers questions about trail cameras and fishing licenses for kids under 16. Q: A Southern California fishing website posted about an angler catching three white sea bass, and there’s a photograph clearly showing the angler in…

Each month Carrie Wilson, a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), answers questions sent in by outdoorsmen on a wide range of hunting and fishing topics. This month, Carrie tackles a range of questions including one about turning in salmon heads, whether or not it’s legal to carry a concealed firearm while fishing, catching crayfish and what to do when you spot a bird with a band on its leg. Q: I was wondering if it’s mandatory to have to give up my salmon heads when the volunteer fish checkers come around to measure my…