I was breathing hard and having a hard time holding steady for the shot. I was 60 yards away from a full-curl bighorn ram and I wanted a good shot. My digital camera clicked, and I had my trophy.
This was the first weekend after hunting season ended last fall, and I still wanted to be in the field experiencing the joy and excitement of a hunt. As the general deer season winds to a close this weekend in San Diego County, I am again dusting off the old telephoto and making plans to hunt with my camera.
Wild turkey, deer, bighorn sheep, coyotes, a wide variety of birds and ocean mammals all offer plenty of game opportunity for the camera hunter in San Diego County. Late fall is a particularly good time to find the elusive desert bighorn sheep in some of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park's rugged canyons.
The park is a great place for camera hunting because of the spectacular scenery and the fact that all wildlife is protected.
For the camera hunter, one of the best locations to bag a bighorn is Borrego Palm Canyon. This is one of a few places where animals can still find water after the long, hot summer. As a result, sheep are frequently spotted there by hikers.
On this hunt, I got an early-morning start because midday temperatures would approach 90. The trail into the canyon is not difficult, and besides the possibility of seeing sheep, the beautiful native palm groves offer shade and a comfortable place to spend a day in the desert.
Shortly after I began the hike, I spotted something moving in the distance.
It was white, and my first thought was that it was another hiker in a tee shirt.
When I lifted my glasses, I counted 11 bighorn moving along a ridge. Their white rumps had caught my eye. I started moving toward the herd, keeping boulders and bushes as cover as much as possible.
At about 60 yards, I began shooting. I kept moving closer, eventually getting just yards away from the group. The bighorn were seeking water, and they seemed to show no fear of my presence. I was getting fantastic images and had that same feeling you get after a great day of hunting.
It was not over.
I continued the next mile into the palm groves, and while enjoying lunch in the shade of the big trees, another herd of sheep began to clatter down the rocky mountainside toward water. There was a massive ram in this group, and I was able to get even more spectacular photos.
A few weekends later, I was sitting under an oak tree in full camouflage at the Mataguay Boy Scout Camp. There is no hunting or shooting allowed in the camp, but I was again armed with a camera. This time, I was hoping to capture a big Tom in my lens. This hunt was also a success and came with a bonus ---- a small buck wandered within photo range during my stand.
Hunting season doesn't have to end when the calendar shows a certain date.
The same skills, excitement and success come to the camera hunter.
Good hunting.
Surf fishing
He's keeping the exact location a secret, but Andy Harris of Oceanside reports that he caught four halibut using plastic swimbait at a local beach.
One of the flatties was a keeper, meaning it was longer than the 22-inch minimum. Like most fishermen who can¹t resist a good story, Harris did say he was fishing north. Hugh Cobb at Pacific Coast Bait & Tackle in Oceanside said reports are coming in of halibut moving into shallow water right now in good numbers. He suggests plastics, flies, plugs and, above all, patience.
Senior anglers
The public is invited Friday to the monthly meeting of the Escondido Senior Anglers. The club meets at 9:30 a.m. at Joslyn Senior Center, 210 Park Ave., Escondido.
Brandon Hayward, associate editor for Western Outdoor News, will be the guest speaker. The author of the recently released "The Southern California Angler" will talk about his angling experiences.
Ernie Cowan is the outdoors writer for the North County Times. If you have a story of interest, call (760) 518-8050 or e-mail ernie@packtrain.com.
