THE
CALIFORNIA DEER ASSOCIATION
CENTRAL COAST CHAPTER
4TH ANNUAL CHIMINEAS JUNIOR DEER HUNT
The
Central Coast chapter of the California Deer Association,
in cooperation with the Department of Fish and Game,
hosted its fourth anuual junior deer hunt on the 30,000-acre
Chimineas Unit of the Carrizo Plain Ecological Reserve
in San Luis Obispo County on September 15th and 16th.
Three lucky junior hunters won a statewide lottery
to hunt deer on the Chimineas Ranch. Lodging for the
hunters, family members, and volunteers was provided
at the historic ranch facility, which included six
bedrooms in the main house, a two-unit apartment,
rustic bunk house, pool with spa, and dining cabana.
Guide services, meals, jeep vehicles, meat handling
and trophy care were provided by CDA members who were
eager to assist the young hunters with the quest for
their first bucks, as well as pass on hunting lore
and tactics.
The
event kicked off Friday afternoon with the arrival
of the junior deer hunters and their families. The
three junior hunters were Jake Post, accompanied by
his father Mike Post, Dustin Deveaux was accompanied
by his father David, and Spencer Olney with his father
Shawn. They were greeted by all of the CDA volunteers
and Bob Stafford, Associate Wildlife Biologist of
the Department of Fish and Game. After dinner (provided
by the CDA BBQ crew), Bob Stafford gave an orientiation
following by handing out gifts to the three junior
deer hunters by Ryan Smith (President of the Central
Coast chapter of the California Deer Association).
The gifts were donated by the CDA and consisted of
hats, deer bags, knives, shirts, flashlights, and
one box of lead-free ammunition to each of the junior
hunters. The hunters were then paired up with volunteer
guides from the CDA. Guides Ryan Smith and Corey Butler
paired up with Jake Post and his father Mike. Rick
Criswell and Scott Simons guided Dustin Deveaux and
Father David, while Spencer Olney and father Shawn
were guided by Craig Righetti and Bob Middlecamp.
All then retired to their quarters to await the early
breakfast call scheduled for 5:00 am.
Saturday morning started before first light with breakfast,
hot coffee, and three junior hunters who couldn't
wait to take the field. After all, this was to be
the hunt where each of the junior hunters would take
their first buck. With a beautiful sunrise, lots of
deer were spotted and it didn't take long for guide
Ryan Smith to spot two bucks running together. A stock
was put on and Jake killed his first buck on the second
shot at 90 yards. It was a very nice 4 x 1 buck that
topped the scales at 125 pounds field-dressed. After
the kill, Jake and father Mike hugged and Mike told
Ryan (their guide) that he had 'buck fever' and was
shaking worse than his son Jake. Of course, this teared
up Ryan Smith, who was supposed to be a toughy! It
brought back memories of Ryan's first buck with his
father, Larry.
After
lunch and a dip in the pool for the kids (and a nap
for the fathers and volunteers), the crew was back
out in the field in search of two more bucks. Again,
it didn't take long with Spencer taking his first
buck on the second shot at 60 yards. It was a very
nice 2 x 2 buck that field dressed to 100 pounds.
Both guides, Craig and Bob, assisted the junior in
field dressing and loading the animal. The rest of
that afternoon was spent skinning the deer and taking
photos.
Saturdaya
evening found all enjoying another awesome dinner
prepared by our BBQ crew, which consisted of CDA committee
members Dick Oliveira, Ron Bellefeuille, Darren Kennet,
Marvin Elliott and Russ. I think the hardest workers
at these events are the cooks. They are up at 4:00
am each morning, preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinners.
Then comes the clean up and washing of dishes, not
to mention the buying of all the food and drinks and
towing the barbecue pit out to the site. In addition
to all of this work, they help in spotting deer and
then cleaning the cook house when the event is over.
All I can say is my hat is off to all of them!
Sunday
morning with another great breakfast and one more
buck to go. The hunt was on! 9:30 am found Dustin
putting his sights on a very nice 3 x 2 buck. This
was the second buck that was running with the buck
that Jake shot on Saturday morning. It was ranged
at 220 yards and Dustin's shot held true to produce
him with his first buck. What a shot, Dustin! The
buck was 17 inches wide and field-dressed at 125 pounds.
Guides Rick Criswell and Scott Simons gave guidance
in field dressing and care of the animal.
Sunday
afternoon found everyone involved packing, loading,
and making ready for the long trips home. Goodbyes
were said, hugs were given, and more pictures taken
along with parting words by Ryan Smith and Bob Stafford.
Memories of this splendid weekend, along with the
companionship of CDA and DFG personnel and the sights
of bucks in the wild will not be forgotten. For all
three hunters these were their first bucks. The smiles
on their faces as they brought their animals into
headquarters reflected upon each of us, reminding
us of the smiles we had on our faces when we came
home with our first bucks. I'm certain that these
fine young men will carry on the hunting tradition,
just as all of us have passed it on after our fathers
introduced the hunting tradition to us. It doesn't
get any better than this!
Larry Smith
Central Coast Chapter
Junior
Pig Hunt at Cañada de los Osos Ecological Reserve
June 7-8, 2008
On June 7 and 8, four
lucky junior hunters participated in a wild pig hunt
at the Cañada
de los Osos Ecological Reserve east of Gilroy. Each
year 30 junior hunters are drawn to participate in
a variety of hunts sponsored by the California Department
of Fish and Game and CDA. CAÑADA de los Osos also
provides a junior fishery program, hunter safety classes,
and hands-on wildlife habitat projects for youth to
learn about wildlife management and managing natural
resources. For more information about these programs,
check out the CDA website under Cañada
de los Osos.
This year’s pig hunt
started off with a firearms safety talk, followed
by a great BBQ. Then the junior hunters
paired up with their CDA guides and drivers. While
hunting pigs everyone saw lots of deer, wild turkeys,
coyotes, and a few pigs. One group even saw a bobcat
take a dove right out of the air as the dove flew
up beside the road – you never know what you’ll get
to see in the great outdoors.
The
first day of the hunt went unexpectedly well for two
of the junior hunters. It's been a drought year with
a dry spring and it was anticipated that the pigs
might be hard to find because of the dry conditions.
Jeff Amstutz and Jeff Floersch took Vincent Lionel
out on the ranch. As they drove around a turn, Jeff
spotted a group of pigs. Jeff Floersch walked him
closer to where the pigs had gone. He then used a
pig call to get the pigs to come out the trees/bushes.
They showed Vincent how to get in close to the pigs
to make a good shot. He killed a nice sow. Jeff and
Jeff showed Vincent how to field 
dress
the pig and then they all jumped into the jeep to
go help Corin load up her 'boarasaurus'.
The
last junior hunter out in the field was the first
one to kill a big boar when John and Todd guided Corin
Keller out to a stock pond with a shaded wallow. After
quietly walking the perimeter of the first pond, Todd
guided Corin past the wallow and jumped a huge boar
that was bedded down in the grass. He jumped out of
the tall grass about twenty feet to her left and ran
away and uphill. Corin's first shot was at about 35
yards, with her last shot at about 75 yards. She was
shooting a .270 and is a very good marksman. It took
three solid hits to bring him down. We didn't realize
how big he was until we came up on him and he was
HUGE. He was a very impressive boar with intact bottom
tusks, one of them measuring 4.25 inches long. In
order to get him back to the camp we had to take the
jeep back to camp and bring a pickup truck. It took
several guys to hoist him into the bed. 
Back
at the skinning shed Corin and Vincent skinned out
their pigs while sharing hunting stories. The other
two junior hunters didn't get a shot at a pig on Saturday,
so they went back out on Sunday morning. The pigs
proved more elusive the next day and the other two
hunters couldn't get close enough to some pigs to
get in a shot. Overall, the experience was a blast
for everyone involved.
Thanks
to the CDA volunteers who cooked up a delicious BBQ
for the group and to the volunteer guides who brought
the juniors to some really nice pigs. And a big thanks
to Henry Coletto for the informative presentation
for the junior hunters, and the assistance to Vincent
and his Dad for helping them to get off the ranch
when their jeep driver went home, accidentally taking
their vehicle keys with him.
A
Special Thanksgiving Junior Hunt on Santa Rosa Island
Five
very lucky young men got to participate in a once
in a lifetime opportunity to hunt for deer on Santa
Rosa Island over Thanksgiving weekend. CDA chapters
sponsored the youngsters, ranging in age from 10 to
12 years old, and also sent volunteer guides. For
most of these youths this was their first big game
hunt and all five were successful in taking a really
nice buck. We were fortunate enough to have three
generations of one family participate in the hunt,
as CDA volunter Mike Saiers made arrangements for
10 year old Adrian's grandfather to be there to witness
his grandson's first hunt and very first deer.
It
was an awe inspiring experience for young and old
alike, seeing all the trophy bucks roaming Santa Rosa
Island and the sheer number of bucks roaming the terrain.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to the Vail and Vickers
Company and the Multiple Use Managers for making the
hunt possible.
Will,
age 12, Pasa Robles Chapter |
Ryan,
age 10, Chico Chapter |
Kyle,
age 10, Southern California Chapter |
Adrian,
age 10, Sonora Chapter |
Alex,
age 11, Redding Chapter
|
Kids
Outdoor Sports Campers Show Appreciation for CDA Support
11/26/07
Kids
Outdoor Sports Camps provide opportunities for youths
to learn about fishing, hunting, and survival skills
in a safe and fun outdoor camp. KOSC is celebrating
their 10th anniversary this year. CDA funds donated
to KOSC this year provided the following;
-
Over
140 girls and boys attended one of the five
camps with education and training in fishing,
shooting, and wildlife conservation and survival
skills
-
Continued
KOSC's long standing relationship with Red Bank
Ale & Quail Outfitters
-
Provided
full and/or partial sponsorships for 31 campers
- more than double our historical
average
-
Awarded
84 hunter education certificates to beginning
campers, allowing them to embark on hunting
and fishing adventures in the future that will
provide experiences they will never forget
-
Enhance
the advanced (intense shooting) camp by providing
a one-on-one instructor to shooter ratio and
specialized instruction from a certified shooting
instructor
-
Introduced
several of the advanced campers to a hands-on
pig hunt (one of the campers shot his first
pig, and others go to observe the hunt).
KOSC
is planning to conduct a special three-day camp in
December of this year for KOSC graduates to apply
their newly
gained skills on bird and pig hunts, and fishing in
the ranch ponds.
CDA
received many letters from the kids who attended camp
last summer. Below you can read some of the hand written
letters from the kids (last names have been removed
from the letters to protect the youths' privacy);
Colton
| Laura
| Cody
| Ashley
Cañada
de los Osos Ecological Reserve Youth Deer Hunt
September 14th and 15th, 2007
The 2007 Deer Hunt at
Cañada de los Osos Ecological Reserve owned
by the Department of Fish and Game and co-managed
by the California Deer Association proved to be a
challenge this year; 4 youth – 3 deer. The four youth
chosen ranged between 12 and 16 years old. None of
them had ever taken a deer so this was an extra special
event. Most of the youth were within a 50 mile radius
except for one who came from Yucaipa. The event started
Saturday afternoon at the “Cabin” with Henry Coletto,
CDA Life Member. Henry discussed with Jeannine Dewald
(Department of Fish and Game) the Reserve and general
deer talk. After that Steve Fortino spent about 30
minutes reviewing hunter safety with the youth and
their parents.
A fantastic lunch was
barbequed by Chris Eslick and Crew, tri-tip, garlic
bread, and fresh corn from Christopher Ranch in Gilroy.
Each youth had a chance to fire off a few shots and
make sure that the scopes were sighted in. Every hunter
was accompanied by his father and a set of volunteer
guides. Around 3:30 pm Saturday the groups took off
in pursuit of the “buck”!
After a lot of walking
and glassing, Guide Mitchell Kirk and CDA Life Member
Lee Kirk found a great forked horn for Nikolass. Nikolass
had a dilemma earlier in the week but made the right
choice, skip the hunt and go to the Sadie Hawkins
dance at his school or go deer hunting. As luck would
have it he got a deer early and still made the dance!
Guides Al Nelson and
Bob Clement worked hard all weekend to find Carter
a deer. They saw a great deal of wildlife in their
pursuit but were unsuccessful. Carter learned a lot
that weekend about deer hunting and the true meaning
of hunting. Carter’s attitude was great!
Henry Coletto and Brian
Eslick took Joanna and her dad from southern California
on their first deer hunt. Joanna had a little trouble
sighting in her gun, but when it came time to take
a buck, it was a no win situation for the buck. Joanna
was very proud of her take as it was the first big
game taken in the family! It’s truly nice to see that
there ARE new hunters coming to the sport. Joanna
and her father are just two years new to the sport
and love it! Joanna could hardly wait to call mom
and let her know.
Daniel, Joanna’s father
wrote this “I just wanted to take the time to
say thank you for the opportunity for my daughter
to participate in this years fall deer hunt. Joanna
enjoyed herself greatly and was so excited to be the
first person in the family to bag a big game animal
of any kind. Henry and Brian were awesome and Henry
really took the time to teach her the proper use of
a firearm and hunting techniques. We both had fun
and learned a lot and I just wanted to let you know
that we appreciate all the hard work your volunteers
had put in to make this happen.”
Scott drew guides Matt and Todd. Scott had been to
the ranch last year on a wild turkey hunt with Matt.
On Saturday, Scott had a chance at a nice buck, but
just couldn’t make it happen. An early morning Sunday
hunt though proved to be successful. Scott made a
nice shot and took the only two by three taken for
the weekend.
All of the hunters used
Barnes non-lead bullets purchased by CDA and delivered
by Jim Tonkin. The guides got to see a video of the
bullets and how they performed in the field and on
the test bench. Those that killed deer are convinced
that non lead bullets are just as good if not better
than the traditional lead bullets.
All in all it was a great
hunt. Each hunter had a chance to walk a lot of acres
of the Reserve and see the assorted wildlife at the
Reserve - tarantulas, kite hawks, bobtail cat, mountain
lion, pigs, ducks, and the list goes on.
Many thanks go out to
the parents for taking the time to allow their kids
to experience the Cañada de los Osos Ecological
Reserve. A special thanks to Jeannine Dewald with
the Department of Fish and Game for organizing all
of the applications. Also thanks to all who helped:
Al Nelson, Chris Eslick, Brian Eslick, Matt Scarcella,
Todd Morrell, Henry Coletto, Lee Kirk, Mitchell Kirk,
Bob Clement, and Marc Mantelli.
The Cañada de los Osos Ecological Reserve was
purchased in 2000 by the Department of Fish and Game.
It has been set up for youth outdoor education events,
with CDA partnering with Fish and Game to manage the
area. CDA is helping to put on a variety of youth
events, and is providing funds for habitat restoration,
research, and outdoor education programs. If you have
a youth who would like to enter the lottery draw go
to http://www.caldeer.com/forms/CDLO%20Hunts.pdf
or if you would like to help at the Cañada
de los Osos, please send an e-mail to Henry Coletto
- hcoletto@sbcglobal.net.
There is a variety of hunting, fishing, and habitat
projects as well as just some good ole fashion clean
up that takes place 9 months out of the year.
Cañada
de los Osos Ecological Reserve Spring Youth Turkey
Hunt
April 14-15th, 2007
This past weekend kicked off the fourth year of youth
hunts at the Cañada de los Osos Ecological
Reserve owned by the Department of Fish and Game and
co-managed by the California Deer Association. This
years youth hunt brought 5 young hunters from as far
south as Castaic and as far north as Penngrove.
The
event started Saturday morning at the cabin with Henry
Coletto (CDA), Jeannine Dewald (DFG) and Steve Fortino
(Hunter Safety Instructor) introducing the parents
and kids to the ranch, turkeys and above all hunter
safety. Rain set in for much of the day on Saturday,
but Sunday proved to be a great day for hunting turkeys.
All 5 kids bagged a tom with the Chris taking an 11
½ inch bearded giant!
Rather
than describe each of the hunts, I thought I would
share the two e-mails that came in just days after
the hunt.
Rich
from Penngrove wrote…
“Just wanted to let you know what a great experience
the junior turkey hunt at CAÑADA de los Osos was for
Bick and myself. It was a beautiful property and all
of the volunteers went out of their way to make it
great for all of the kids and parents. I hope some
of the other juniors were able to take a turkey on
Sunday, but if not I know it was an amazing weekend
for them anyway.
Bick was so excited to have killed his first turkey,
and a nice big tom at that. We relived the hunt many
times on the long drive home and he has proudly told
the story to family and friends several times over.
Thank you so much to everybody involved! You don't
know how much it meant to us to come down and spend
the day with you guys. Bick got to see how generous
the hunting community can be, as well as hang out
with a bunch of fun people. He will remember this
forever and this will hopefully be a stepping stone
to becoming a responsible and caring hunter.”
Matt
from Pacifica wrote….
“WOW, where do I begin! I put my son Travis in
for the California Deer Association (CDA) / Dept of
Fish & Game Youth Turkey hunt back in February
thinking it was just another hunt with short odds
of drawing. Boy was I wrong. Not only did we draw
but we found out that the draw odds were very good.
When we arrived we were greeted by people who particularly
wanted us not only to score a turkey but have a memory
to last a lifetime. Their job was most definitely
successful here with all the hunters that participated
including us. The food was prepared like a chef made
it (even though it rained on us). The people were
top shelf & the turkey hunting was even better
if that was possible. I believe every kid got a turkey
& if they didn't they sure had many opportunities
for them to try. Our guide Don Springer was so knowledgeable
that I think we could have got a turkey with a sling
shot. Throughout our hunt me & my son consistently
make major mistakes but Don would power through every
time even though we blew opportunity after opportunity.
We sure learned a lot that day! Thanks to him my son
harvested a good bird with an 8 1/4 inch beard &
we had opportunities to harvest trophy birds which
my son was just a little too inexperienced to get
the gun on. We actually had a bird Don named (Godzilla)
literally 10 feet from us in full strut & somehow
we messed that whole thing up. We would have been
just fine with a jake as it was a trip of a life time.
Again I can't say enough about the way the ranch was
managed for this hunt & the way the wildlife on
the property was managed. It was like a wildlife zoo
with deer, turkeys, quail, dove everywhere that could
easily be seen from the window of our truck.
There's
not a whole lot of places to do that around any more.
". I am hoping that the managers of this hunt
will allow more hunts of this type for introduction
of hunting into our youth of California. I for one
would donate to this cause. I consider this type of
successful quality hunting to be the anti-drug for
kids. I know it sure allowed me to stay away from
that lifestyle when most of my friends went into it.
On the way into the ranch on Saturday we drove by
a huge bicycle athon of some sort of people out for
the day. Maybe no-one else noticed but me, but out
of the hundreds of people out there none of them were
with their kids bonding. We sure were and THANK YOU.
Thank you to all who made a giant dent in the memory
of me & my son Travis.”
I
believe that says it all……
Many thanks go out to the parents for taking the time
to allow their kids to experience the Cañada
de los Osos Ecological Reserve. A special
thanks to Jeannine Dewald with the Department of Fish
and Game for organizing all of the applications. Also
thanks to the guides, Rich Krona, Don Springer, Bob
Cominsky, Lee Kirk, and Ron Martin. Supporting the
kids, their parents, and guides with vehicles and
cooking were Jeff Amstutuz, Brad Buchholtz, Les Dixon,
Marc Mantelli, Brent Kirk, Ish Hernandez (the Gourmet
Cook), Jim and Sheryll Tonkin, Steve and Kendra Fortino,
and Henry Coletto.
The
turkeys found on the reserve were relocated from Texas
in 1978. During the early 1980's several hundred turkeys
were live-trapped on the ranch by Fish and Game wildlife
biologist Don Pine and others for relocation to other
sites in central California. These relocations were
the beginning of thriving turkey populations on both
private and public lands.
The ecological Reserve was purchased in 2000 by the
Department of Fish and Game. It has been set up for
youth outdoor education events, with CDA partnering
with Fish and Game to manage the area. CDA is helping
to put on a variety of youth events, and is providing
funds for habitat restoration, research, and outdoor
education programs.
Cañada
de los Osos Ecological Reserve Fall Upland Game Bird
Hunt
November 18, 2006
This
past weekend was the last youth hunt at Cañada
de los Osos for 2006. Five kids came from all around
to participate in the first Upland Game Bird Hunt.
The hunt was a one day outing for wild turkey (just
in time for Thanksgiving), quail and doves. The day
was perfect, the weather was great, and thus the day
began...
The
hunters joined the guides mid morning on Saturday
at the cabin at the Cañada de los Osos Ecological
Reserve. Jeanine DeWald, with the Department of Fish
and Game, opened up the day with a talk about upland
game birds and the Cañada de los Osos. Jim
Sanchez – California Hunter Education Program Master
– gave a 30 minute refresher course on hunter safety
that included safe gun handling, proper shot placement,
and an eye opening video on hunting safely.
The
youth and their parents/cousins were paired up with
a guide and sent out to the various zones on the ranch.
Each zone is about 500 acres and has a mixed variety
if terrain such as ponds, tree covered canyons and
wide open grass covered hills. Two groups came in
with birds at mid day. The first group in lead by
Lee Kirk had a jake and a quail. Alfred, a repeat
hunter to Cañada, was to say the very least
extremely proud of his take. Hopefully he did not
get any poison oak this time…
Alfred and Lee |
The
second group in lead by new volunteer Matt Scarcella
came in a little late for lunch but for good reason.
Scott, a high school freshman, bagged a hen turkey
and a male quail. After Scott shot his turkey with
his 20 gauge, he turned to the group and said “Wow…that
was easy!”
Thanks
to Henry Coletto, burgers and hot dogs were ready
to go when everyone came in. After a little pumpkin
pie, the groups headed back out to hunt until dark.
Two
of the groups lead by Brian Eslick and Jeff Amstutz
joined efforts and spent several hours working a group
of turkeys. The youth with Jeff, Jacob, succeeded
in taking a hen. Brian and CJ could just not get close
enough. The Fall turkeys generally do not come to
calls as all of the groups learned.
The
other group led by Bob Clement and Les Dixon spent
a lot of time looking but were unable to get anything
with in range. Bryce was anxious to get his fair shot
at a bird but learned what the term hunting really
means. They did see some quail and turkeys, but not
close enough to take.
All
of the groups saw an abundance of animals through
out the reserve. One group reported seeing a large
group of wild pigs. All of the groups saw deer – bucks
and does at every turn said one group.
Scott, Mark and Matt |
The
turkeys found on the reserve were relocated from Texas
in 1978. During the early 1980's several hundred turkeys
were live-trapped on the ranch by Fish and Game wildlife
biologist Don Pine and others for relocation to other
sites in central California. These relocations were
the beginning of thriving turkey populations on both
private and public lands.
The
quail found on the reserve are California Quail and
are native to the reserve. Coveys generally range
in size from 20 to 30. The ecological Reserve was
purchased in 2000 by the Department of Fish and Game.
It has been set up for youth outdoor education events,
with CDA partnering with Fish and Game to manage the
area. CDA is helping to put on a variety of youth
events, and is providing funds for habitat restoration,
research, and outdoor education programs.
Many
thanks go out to the parents for taking the time to
allow their kids to experience the Cañada de
los Osos Ecological Reserve. A special thanks to Jeannine
DeWald with the Department of Fish and Game for organizing
all of the applications. Thanks to Jim Sanchez for
dedicating his time to make sure the youth are reminded
about hunter safety. Also thanks to the guides, Jeff
Amstutz, Bob Clement, Les Dixon, Brian Eslick, Lee
Kirk, and Matt Scarcella.
Mark, Scott and Matt calling for quail and turkeys
Gilroyan
Learns About Nature During Hunt For Wild Pigs
Thursday, October 26, 2006
By Chris Riley Chief Photographer
(story from the Gilroy Dispatch)
Gilroy
- There's something in the air in the hills east of
Gilroy, and it's not the smell of garlic. It's thick
with anticipation for the thrill of the hunt, and
for five junior hunters it's the chance of a lifetime.
They
came from Morgan Hill, Modesto, Vacaville and Castroville,
but for 12-year-old Gilroy resident, Louie Bonesio,
the hunt is in his own backyard.
Each
year, for the past three years, the Department of
Fish and Game - in cooperation with the California
Deer Association - hold junior hunting opportunities
on the 4,200-acre Ca'ada De Los Osos Ecological Reserve
in south Santa Clara County. Each of the five annual
hunts is for a specific type of animal. This trip
the young hunters sought the elusive wild pig.
This
opportunity was particularly special for young Louie
because a handful of the volunteer guides are practically
family. According to Louie's grandpa, Tony Lopez,
when Louie was 1 year old, his father, Louie III died
from heart failure. Louie III was best friends with
many of the men that help keep the junior hunting
program running strong at Ca'ada de Los Osos, and
they became Louie's surrogate uncles. As luck would
have it, Louie was one of the five of 104 applicants
to be drawn for this year's fall pig hunt.
"Each
applicant is assigned a number, and randomly selected
in a lottery chosen by computer at the Department
of Fish and Game. Once the computer has selected five
numbers," said Jeannine Dewald with the Department
of Fish and Game. "We match them to the applicant,
and e-mail the list to Mike Mantelli, the coordinator."
"It
was quite an honor and very special for Louie to be
drawn," said Louie's mom Tonya Bonesio. "He
got a chance to be one of the guys."
The
two-day excursion began at a small cabin on the reserve
where the hunters, ranging in age from 12 to 15, got
a refresher course in hunter safety.
"The
kids are required to have a California Junior Hunting
License prior to the hunt. We stress safety and education,
we want to teach the kids how to be good hunters and
that a hunter is not someone who just blows crap up,"
Mantelii said.
After
the safety course and watching a short video the kids
got a chance, under supervision, to fire their gun
and make sure the sight was dialed in. For some it
would be the only shots fired during the two-day trip.
The
reserve was divided into five zones. Each hunter was
assigned a zone, jeep, driver and guide and was only
allowed to shoot one pig. A parent or relative also
got to experience the hunt, riding along. In Louie's
case it was grandpa Tony.
"It's
been terrific being able to watch Louie grow up,"
Lopez said, "I didn't get to know his father
that well, but what I do know is, he is a lot like
him."
Under
the midday sun, the hunting parties began their trek
into the reserve. As the jeeps traveled down a graded
dirt road, parts of the reserve resembled an African
safari with rolling hills covered in dry grass blowing
in the wind where grazing deer occasionally lift their
heads to look at the passing jeeps. As the mountains
became more steep and the terrain covered with trees
and heavy vegetation a different kind of awareness
became apparent.
"This
reminds me of Jurassic Park, when the jeeps run on
that track ," Lopez said.
The
hum of the jeep was the only sound heard as they headed
into zone two. Todd Morrell, or uncle Todd to Louie,
kept a sharp eye out occasionally hitting the brakes
and grabbing the binoculars tethered around his neck
to examine a dark spot that seemed out of place.
"Just
a rock," he said as the jeep began to roll again.
Throughout
the day the jeep stopped several times so the group
could look through binoculars at rocks, logs and anything
out of the ordinary that could have possibly been
a pig. A few times during the hunt Morrell and Louie
hopped out of the jeep to peek over a hill, or walk
down a canyon. Lopez would picked them up further
down the road.
"We
looked at tracks and other signs of what animals had
been there and where they were going," Louie
said.
Henry
Coletto, director of the California Deer Association,
said about 5 percent of the ecological reserve is
used for the hunting, the other 95 percent is for
outdoor hands-on habitat enhancement and education,
"For
the kids rather than sitting in front of the TV, it's
getting out there and using their other senses to
learn about nature and what's around them," Coletto
said.
The
day quietly lulled on with no pigs in sight, then
the silence was broken by a crackle on the handheld
radio. Through a broken transmission Morrell was able
to decipher that two other groups, hunting together
in another part of the reserve, had come across a
group of about 12 pigs.
"We
have one down and grazed another that we are tracking,"
said Mantelli.
This
gave Louie and the zone two group a renewed energy.
They new the pigs were out there, they'd just had
to find them. As the sky grew dark the visibility
and chance of finding the animals grew less and less.
The hunting party decided to call it a day. Tomorrow
was another day and 6am would come early.
The
hunting party returned to the cabin to tell stories
of the hunt and the one that got away. It turned out
that the smallest of the hunters, Todd Pate, 12, of
Modesto, was the only successful hunter of the day,
bagging an estimated 200 pound female. Todd stood
quiet with a smile on his face.
"A
pig on the ground is meat in the freezer," said
Everett Pate, the boy's proud dad.
The
hunt was over for the Pate's which meant only four
hunters ventured out the next morning.
Under
the cover of darkness and in the chill of the early
Sunday morning wind, the remaining hunting parties
set out into the fog, headed for their designated
zones. Four hours later they all returned they way
they had went out, empty handed.
Out
of nine hunts four shots were fired, and three of
those were fired by Todd to bring down his pig.
"It
was still fun even though I didn't get one,"
Louie said.
"When
you are hunting deer," Morrell said, "you
see all kinds of pigs and when your hunting pigs,
you see all kinds of deer. It's kind of like they
know what your looking for."
Cañada
de los Osos Ecological Reserve
Education Day
