OUTDOORS COMMENTARY: Can deer, turkey hunters get along?

By ERNIE COWAN - For the North County Times | Wednesday, August 20, 2008 4:14 PM PDT ∞

New hunting regulations that will allow for a fall turkey hunt in San Diego County is good news for turkey hunters, but is generating controversy among deer hunters who will now have to compete with bird hunters.

The California Fish and Game Commission last week adopted regulations that will allow turkey hunting in San Diego for the first time since birds were introduced here in 1993. Populations increased enough to allow for a spring hunt, but unlike the rest of the state, hunters were not permitted to hunt in the fall.

Biologists who have monitored turkey numbers and hunter success in the county believe that the flock is strong enough to support a fall hunt, and the commission agreed by establishing the Nov. 8-23 hunt. Unlike the spring hunt that limits the take to bearded birds only, the fall hunt will allow any turkey to be taken. The fall limit will be one bird.

The conflict arises because deer hunting in San Diego County this year will run from Oct. 25 through Nov. 23. Deer hunters are not thrilled about sharing their range with turkey hunters.

"It's not the same kind of hunting," said Gary Whyte, a partner at My Country Club, a back-country hunting club. "Unfortunately, deer and turkey on public lands are in the same place, and I see the potential for some real conflicts."

Deer hunters in San Diego County have never been highly productive, with a historic success rate of less than 10 percent. Putting turkey hunters in the field at the same time could further reduce the deer hunter success rate.

Whyte said even though there will be a fall turkey season, My Country Club has not decided if it will allow members to hunt turkey in the fall.

My Country Club controls some of the most productive deer hunting and turkey habitat in the county, and fall turkey hunters might not be welcomed by deer hunters looking for trophy bucks.

Steve Turigliatto is an avid deer and turkey hunter and serves on the San Diego County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Commission.

"The fall turkey hunt will put bird hunters in the field during the last three weeks of deer season, and this is often the most productive period of the deer hunt," Turigliatto said.

He said having both turkey and deer hunters out at the same time will put a lot of pressure on public lands.

This year's deer/turkey season could be interesting.

Dove season

Dove hunters in Imperial Valley will have a lot more to hunt when the season opens Sept. 1, because of action taken by the California Fish and Game Commission to remove a daily bag and possession limit on Eurasian dove. In past years, the exotic doves were included in the 10-bird daily bag limit that included mourning and white-winged dove.

The Eurasian doves are an invasive species that has migrated from the east. Biologists have noted that the prolific birds are impacting native populations of dove.

Now hunters will be able to fill their 10-bird limit with mourning and white-winged dove and continue to take the Eurasian birds, which mean a lot more hunter opportunity.

Biologists had recommended that the larger Eurasian bird be removed from the daily bag limit after monitoring their increase and following what other states are doing to control the invading species. Neighboring Arizona allows hunters to take the tasty Eurasian dove all year long, and there is no limit.

Dove season is a split season, opening Sept. 1-15 and again Nov. 8-Dec. 22. Hunters are reminded that they must have an upland game stamp on their current hunting license.

Surf fishing

While local surf anglers have had a miserable season hunting for corbina, croaker fishing has ranged from good to excellent, according to Hugh Cobb at Pacific Coast Bait & Tackle in Oceanside. Cobb said this appears to be one of the worst corbina seasons in years.

Anglers fishing at San Onofre and at the boat basin at Camp Pendleton have done very well on croaker, using bloodworms, mussel and Gulp bait.

 

Ernie Cowan is the outdoors writer for the North County Times. If you have an outdoor story of interest, call (760) 518-8050 or e-mail to ernie@packtrain.com.