Jesse's Hunting > Jim Matthews > July 2002 To December 2002

July 2002 To December 2002

DEER HUNTING LEGEND IN POMONA -- matthews column-ONS -- 31dec02

Deer hunting guru one of Pomona shows' highlights

Mike Eastman, a legend among mule deer hunters and outdoor film makers, will be one of the headline speakers at this year's 2nd International Sportsman's Exhibition to be held at the Fairplex in Pomona January 9-12.

Eastman will have a guest with him named "Popeye" at the show.

This isn't the cartoon character of your childhood, this is one of the largest mule deer bucks ever photographed. The huge deer was given the name "Popeye" because -- as Eastman explains -- "your eyes pop out when you see him the first time."

"This is the most famous mule deer, bar none," said Eastman of this tremendous buck that was photographed and videoed four consecutive years on public land winter range in Wyoming until the buck died of old age. Eastman said that because of his videos and stories in his magazine, said the buck became perhaps the most well-known and most heavily hunted buck in the West. But it still managed to elude hunters to die of old age.

Eastman said a hunting partner of his, Eddie Boe, followed the big buck on the winter range picking up his sheds each year until he died, and those sheds show the growth of this incredible buck over the seasons. The publicity over Popeye drew hunters from all over the country to try to find the big deer during the hunting season, but he was never taken even though he lived his whole life in one of Wyoming's general hunting units. Eastman will have film and mounted heads with the antlers of Popeye, a huge deer with a 42-inch outside spread his last year of life.

Eastman, who publishes the Eastman Hunting Journal and Eastman Bowhunting Journal, is beginning his firth year on the Outdoor Channel with the video version of his magazine. His publications and television shows specialize in showing mule deer hunters the biggest bucks taken each year on public lands and explains what they need to do to be successful in taking monster bucks.

A Wyoming native, Eastman will be giving seminars daily at the show in Pomona outlining the four keys to taking big deer on public land: 1)hunting terrain that holds big bucks, 2) concentrating your hunting in the same place year after year, 3) learn how to glass a trophy deer area without pushing deer, and 4) learning how to judge what constitutes a real trophy buck.

"Mule deer have changed their behavior over the last 20 years, and you can't hunt them the same way our father's taught us back when we were younger," said Eastman. "Back then we had millions of mule deer and there wasn't the hunting pressure. We try to give hunters the skills they need to take a trophy mule deer."

Eastman's seminars, which have only been held in Southern California once before and then in Oxnard, typically draw from 400 to 500 dedicated hunters. His shows at ISE are free each day with admission to the event.

In addition to Eastman's seminars, the Eastman Hunting Journal's World Record Deer Tour will also be at the show with mounted heads of the largest mule deer ever taken by hunters, including the famous 46-inch Meeker buck. Roger Selner and Don Stemler, who run the deer tour, are also both Boone & Crockett scorers and encourage hunters to bring their big antlers by the booth to have them scored to see how they stack up with the big boys.

The ISE show, which features over 300 exhibitors from the hunting and fishing arena, will run Thursday through Sunday next week at the Fairplex at 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $9 for adults with kids 12 and under free. Discount coupons that knock $2 off the price on weekdays and $1 on weekends are available at Sportmart and Long Drug Stores.

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SOLUTIONS TO THE LEAD-CONDOR PROBLEM -- matthews column -- 24dec02

Lead poisoning of condors has simple solution

Both major populations of wild California condors -- those in northern Arizona and along the California coast -- exhibited signs of lead poisoning again this fall, causing several of the birds to be taken back into captivity and given special calcium treatments (chelated) to reduce the lead levels and keep them from dying.

For over a decade, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies working with condors have known there was a lead poisoning problem that was -- in all likelihood -- caused by the big scavengers eating the gutpiles of game killed by hunters, mostly deer in the fall hunting seasons.

Most bullets from big game hunting ammunition used by hunters leave small amounts of lead in the carcass of game even if they penetrate completely through the animal. Most of this lead is in the entrails and trimmed away meat that hunters leave in the field after dressing the deer. Since it only takes small amounts of lead to cause death in condors, birds feeding on gut piles of deer can easily get crippling or lethal doses.

Many, if not most, big game hunters in California still do not realize the minuscule amounts of lead they leave behind in discarded portions of game can cause the death of critically endangered condors, and perhaps other scavengers as well. Vultures, golden eagles and other wildlife also are probably killed directly by lead poisoning or weakened to the point they become vulnerable and are killed by predators.

This is a failure of the agencies charged with protecting the species because there is a simple two-pronged solution to the problem that would largely end the lead-caused deaths overnight. First, hunters can be encouraged to shoot one of the two very effective big game bullets that do not leave lead residue. Second, they can be asked to bury gutpiles so the lead in the discarded portion is not available to scavengers.

Hunters would comply with these recommendations if they were given information on the problem. So what has been done to inform hunters and give them this information? Little or nothing.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has done nothing. The U.S. Forest Service has a flyer posted at its ranger stations in condor country. The Ventana Wilderness Society, working under a grant to help educate the hunting community, produced a horrible flyer that didn't even tell what bullet alternatives didn't leave lead residue in gutpiles. Other conservation groups have done nothing but rattle the chains for a non-toxic bullet, which doesn't exist, and would effectively become a defacto hunting ban. The Department of Fish and Game has also done nothing. They all stand around and wring their hands each time news of lead poisoning in condors is discovered. Take action.

Here's what needs to be done: 1) All wild pig tags and all deer tags for zones where condors may forage need to be accompanied with an information flyer that explains the problem, how to bury or hide gutpiles, and the safe ammunition that is available (Barnes X-Bullets loaded by both PMC and Federal and Winchester Fail Safe bullets in Winchester ammunition). 2) All wild pig and deer guides in condor country need to be contacted by the agencies and provided with flyers to give to their clients and use as guidelines for their own actions. These contacts should be made by both mail and by telephone. 3) Conservation groups should work with the National Shooting Sports Foundation and ammunition companies to fund a rebate or coupon program that allows hunters to buy "gut pile safe" ammunition at a reduced price. This program needs to be publicized in all guns and sporting goods shops in California.

The hunting community will step up to the plate to solve the problem, but the agencies and conservation groups involved with condors need to work together to take some positive steps to inform hunters and the shooting industry -- and that continues not to be done.

The solution is simple and would happen overnight if -- if -- the agencies would make a concerted and united effort to inform hunters about the problem and explain how they can implement the simple fixes.

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NEAR RECORD BIGHORN -- Jim Matthews column 18dec02

Near-record desert bighorn sheep taken by archer

Outdoor News Service

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- Desert bighorn sheep are among the most-coveted trophies a big game hunter can pursue. That is for two reasons.

First, tags are nearly impossible to obtain in long-odds drawings or they require a major investment at auctions where a few tags are offered, with all of the money paid is earmarked for bighorn management. So you have to be incredibly lucky or willing to invest an incredible amount of money to get a tag. Second, the hunting is difficult. The wary animals have keen eyesight and an acute sense of smell, and they live in open, parched country. Stalks on game often involve a lot of time on hands and knees or actually crawling, and everything in the country where desert sheep live has spines.

Al Baldwin, a well-known developer in Orange County, recently returned from an 11-day archery hunt on Mexico's Tiburon Island for desert sheep. He returned with a tremendous ram that many who saw the sheep thought might be a new world record for archers. After it was given a preliminary scoring at Red Stag Archery here Wednesday night, Baldwin learned that it will be very close to the top. Probably number two or three after the required 60-day drying period before it can be officially scored.

For hunters familiar with the Boone and Crockett or Pope and Young scoring system, the sheep's horns measured 176 3/8s inches, and the world record is 178 2/8s for archers. For those unfamiliar with that scoring system, the length of each horn is measure along its longest point and then the circumference is measured at the base and at quarter-points along the horn. The score is added up and totaled, in 1/8th inch increments. Differences between the left and right horns deduct from the final tally.

Baldwin's sheep had 15 3/8s-inch bases on each horn and measured around the curl they were 36 1/2 and 37 1/2-inches long.

For 11 days, Baldwin and his hunting party looked over sheep. Tiburon Island is bigger than Catalina, and Baldwin said he felt like he climbed at least 2/3s of the peaks on the island during his hunt. The sheep population is around 700 animals, and the Indians who own the island issue only three permits each year, allowing only a few old rams to be taken by hunters each season.

The huge ram was spotted at 10 a.m. last Tuesday, but it took the hunters most of the day to work into position, moving slowly, trying to remain out of sight. The big ram was feeding with three other rams and an old ewe, but broken terrain allowed Baldwin to creep close. Very close. At 32 yards, he made a perfect shot through the heart.

"The hardest part about hunting animals this big is controlling your adrenaline the last 30 seconds. You have to focus on the body for the shot, not the horns, and that is difficult," said Baldwin, still looking at the horns of the sheep.

Baldwin is three-quarters of a way to a goal he's set for himself -- trying to take huge specimens of each of the four North American sheep species with his bow. Most hunters consider the desert bighorn the most difficult, but Baldwin has now taken two desert sheep with the bow. He's also shot a stone sheep (the 10th biggest ever taken by an archery) and a fine Rocky Mountain bighorn. The dall sheep -- arguably the easiest to bag -- has eluded him twice. The bow makes the challenge immeasurably more difficult.

"I hunted with a bow as a kid -- rabbits and birds -- but when I could afford my first rifle I bought one. I went back to bowhunting about 15 years ago when the excitement left," said Baldwin. Hearing him talk about the hunt than ended over a week ago, the excitement was back in his voice.

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PYRAMID LAKE FEATURE -- Bennett-ons 11dec02

LAKE PYRAMID -- With a flick of the wrist, the Pop-R went slicing through the early morning haze. The lure landed with a small splash in the distance. I popped the lure once. Blurp!

No other cast in a fisherman's day holds as much power and mystique as the first cast. All the planning, all the money, all the hopes come together as the line arcs out over the water. Will today be the day that sparks tales of giant fish and gallant battles to be relived by campfires for years to come? Will today be the day that future bites are compared to, but never equal?

While I was deep in thought pondering these ideas, a striper decided that my Pop-R would look better at the bottom of its gut than jittering across the surface of the water. As I set back on the rod, the 14-inch Lake Pyramid striper went ballistic. A fish on the first cast. Was a sign of the day to come?

Quickly scoring fish on my second, third, fourth and fifth casts, what had started as a cast into uncertain waters, turned into a solid, red-hot striper bite on fish from a 1/2-pound to about a pound each in matter of seconds. Who knows how long the streak would have lasted if I didn't build a bird's nest fit for a pelican atop my baitcasting reel.

My fishing partner Shawn Kittrell of Chino scored four quick fish in as many casts on a shad-colored Slug-Go. We were in a thick school of small fish, hitting them every cast with top water plugs and swim baits. But then the greener-pasture syndrome set in. We were looking for some bigger fish, so we decided to leave the little guys biting like mad and head toward the dam in deeper water to check things out.

As we launched that morning, the Sheriff that checked us for a valid driver's license said the bigger fish were in deeper water. We had been in 90 feet of water and catching dinks. How much deeper could these fish prefer? As we motored toward the dam I noticed the lack of fisherman and boats. There were a few bass boats working the steep walls of the lake for largemouth bass, but where were are all the striper fisherman? As we came up to the dam and rounded the island, that question was quickly answered for us.

We quietly pulled up on about a 11 boats, tightly packed together drifting in 256 feet of water. Who would have thought a bass boat could float on water that deep. Coming from largemouth bass fishing, 50 feet was pretty deep; 256 feet deep that was just mind-boggling. As we were still assessing whether to fill out the fisherman 12-pack, we noticed almost all the boats were hooked up on nicer fish. So we slid right in, I mean we couldn't let a 12-pack be one short now could we?

Quickly, a whole frozen anchovy was flung over the side with a size BB split shot two feet up the six-pound line. As the bait drifted down about 30 feet, a fish picked it up and ran with it. I set the hook on a quality three-pound striper that pulled harder and longer than I expected. These fish are not like largemouth once you have them next to the boat. They don't just open their mouths waiting to be plucked from the water. They streak around, never sitting still, making them hard to get even with a net. After getting a nice picture of the fish we let it go.

We never moved from this spot of fish all day as the stripers readily ate all the drifted anchovies we offered them. This was more like it. A wide-open bite on 14-inch fish is great. But a wide-open bite on three-pounders, that makes the hour drive to the lake worth it.

There were a lot two- to three-pound fish with enough quality fish pushing six to eight pounds mixed in with them to make it very interesting. Boats that were anchored in the deep water could drop a bait straight down with a one eighth-ounce sliding weight and put it at any exact depth they wanted. While drifting an anchovy, smaller fish would sometimes attack it before you could get it down to an appropriate depth.

The key for targeting the nicer grade of fish was to get your anchovy about 30 feet down. Any shallower and you were in the 12- to 14-inch fish. The stripers had tons of shad balled up in about in about 15 to 20 feet of water. The small stripers were keeping the shad corralled and the bigger fish were hanging about 10 feet below them picking off injured baits so they wouldn't have to fight the speed of the smaller fish that were beating them to lunch.

Drift your anchovy too shallow and you quickly stuck a small fish that eagerly smashed your bait. Drift it just deep enough (30 to 35 feet on this day) and you had a shot at a real nice fish. Drift it too deep and you were wasting your time.

One tip that we found out the hard way was to keep the anchovies as frozen as possible and to make sure the ones you get are fresh and shiny. Our bait became soft and dull and did not produce half as well as people with fresh frozen bait.

Last cast time. It's difficult to quit a good day. You want just one more. Can you stop on a cast that doesn't produce a fish, but should've anyway? So about 24 casts after "My final and last cast no matter what," we called it a day.

The final tally for the day was two burnt-out anglers catching and releasing 45 stripers to 5 1/2 pounds.

This epic striper bite at Pyramid Lake started in the beginning of August and has gone strong ever since. The only reason anglers didn't catch fish for a while was because the lake was shut down while the Angeles National Forest was closed due to fire danger.

Every day since the reopening of the lake the fishing has been wide open again.

"On weekends we are running out of boats and frozen anchovies. By the end of the day, the walls of the bait shack look as barren as a Death Valley flower garden in September," said Lynn Macaluso, who works at the marina. Supplies at the lake are restocked every day. But if you get a late jump getting to the lake it would be wise to stop and pick up bait on the way.

Now that trout plants have begun this adds another weapon to your arsenal: Big trout swim baits. Stripers are smart and will catch on to a stocking schedule very quickly. They will be lying in wait just like eager trout fisherman lining the shoreline when they see the truck pull up.

One of the most magnificent things one can see is about 50 stripers in the 10- to 20-pound class going raging through the frothy water where the trout are gushing out of the truck. It looks like a school of bluefin tuna tearing through a sardine bait ball. It will truly take your breath away.

But don't get caught staring to long. Throw the trout plugs on boils and hold on. Or slow troll big trout plugs around the marina (or wherever the stocking occurs) on the day of, or the day after a trout plant, and you have a much better shot at nailing a wall-hanger.

The greatest tip for fishing big trout baits is this, if a striper hits your trout plug and misses it do not wind it in fast to recast, or stop the bait to cuss about missing one. Keep the bait swimming at its original speed like nothing happened. A lot of times a striper will roll on a trout and use its powerful tail to smack it, causing the fish to become disoriented and slowing it down. If your trout keeps swimming like nothing happened it really makes them mad, and they will charge at your bait with their mouth wide open.

This is definitely a boat only bite, so if you don't have one Lake Pyramid has a full line of gas-powered rental boats for your use. These boats cost $55 for all day, with an additional $30 security deposit required.

Don't forget you need to have a California Striper Stamp on your license if you plan to have any stripers in your possession. This $3.70 stamp will save a lot of headaches and money if the Department of Fish and Game happens to check you and your catch.

Remember the limits on stripers at Pyramid are 10 per person with the stamp. So when you are done you can have a giant fish fry, and see why stripers are almost better eating than catching. For more information on park hours and fishing hotspots, call the Lake Pyramid Marina at (661) 295-1245.

Anglers, landings set up fishing trip to benefit the homeless

TORRANCE -- Several sportfishing landings in Southern California will offer free fishing trips for anyone willing to donate their entire catch to help feed the homeless next Tuesday.

Designated trips for free fishing will depart from the participating landings at 8 a.m. and return at 2 p.m. Each boat's catch will be sent to selected homeless shelters in Southern California that will prepare the fresh fish as part of special menus for the holiday season.

The public is invited to participate by contacting one of the landings to make reservations to fish for free on Tuesday. Anglers without reservations will be permitted on a space available basis on Tuesday morning. The landings involved with the program including Marina Del Rey Sportfishing, Marina del Rey; Redondo Sportfishing, Redondo Beach; 22nd St. Landing, San Pedro; Pierpoint Landing, Long Beach; Long Beach Sportfishing, Long Beach; and L.A. Harbor Sportfishing, San Pedro.

Private boaters may also participate on Tuesday by bringing their catch to any of the collection points at the designated landings by 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The participating landings, boat operators, and boat crews are donating all their facilities and services for this special event.

These special free trips will target sand dabs and other shallow water fish not effected by the closures and seasonal restrictions on sports angling recently imposed by the Department of Fish and Game.

"All you have to do is show up and come out and have a good time. This is a great opportunity for kids, too," said Rich Oefinger, the owner of Marina del Rey Sportfishing. "You get a free day on the water with your kids, and you get to teach your kids how important it is to look out for others. This is a win, win, win experience for everybody."

For more information on the event, contact event coordinator Philip Friedman of 976-TUNA at (310) 328-8862.

Learning about leaps of faith from squirrels

The tree squirrels had been making repeated trips to the base of a pair of oaks right outside the dirt driveway into the hunting cabin. The two trees had shed most of their acorn crop for the year, and they were two of the only trees in this part of the canyon that has produced the big seeds.

When we'd come back to the cabin after a morning of deer hunting, there would be as many as a dozen gray squirrels scampering around feeding, sometimes hauling off acorns to some hiding place in a tree cavity. Frequently they were joined by the deer we'd come to call "the cabin doe" because she was always nearby. Mostly they would ignore us as we slowly roll past and park 30 yards away.

Since there's not a lot to do at hunting camp, I would frequently come outside and watch the squirrels. They are wary animals, well aware of the dangers that surround them, especially here, where there are so many predators. From the picnic table, I've seen red shouldered hawks, redtails, and Cooper's hawks. At the hidden spring below the cabin, my son and I watched a young coyote come to drink, and we have seen bobcats in every direction we've walked from the front door. I found a gray fox carcass near a rock outcropping at the spring just a few hundred yards above the cabin, and while I doubt bears would give gray squirrels more than a passing glance, the bruins have left tracks up and down the driveway. And we once saw four mountain lions together just down that same road. So you understand why the squirrels watch me carefully.

When I come out of the cabin, the squirrels make their way to the trees and up into the protective canopy of oaks, some of them sound their raspy, chuk-chuk-chuk warning calls. But they are also curious and impatient animals. After a time, they go back about their business, while keeping and eye on me, and there are always one or two that run along the branches and out onto the skinny limbs, moving acrobatically from tree to tree toward me. I am not here often enough for them to take me for granted like they do the doe. They peak at me over branches. Stop eating an acorn to watch me adjust my seat.

There are three massive old oaks in the yard around the cabin, and their branches reach out to nearly touch the branches of other oaks that line the canyon below. These are the squirrel routes, and I love to watch them leap from tree to tree at those places where the branches almost touch. The gray squirrels in this canyon could literally travel over a mile without ever putting their feet on the ground, and I have come to see them more as birds than mammals. There are places above the cabin where, because of the steepness of the hillside and spreading branches, they could be over 50 yards above the ground. They live in the air.

I wonder if their distant ancestors, creeping through the grass and fallen leaves like their ground squirrel counterparts, didn't look skyward and wonder about the heights and flight, just like man has done. You wonder about things like that when you see a gray squirrel come to the edge of a tree and launch itself out into space and into the branches of another oak. The ones that come to watch me inquisitively have a particularly large leap to reach the oaks by the cabin. I watch the squirrels do this with binoculars and marvel that they don't always look where they are jumping. They look around as they soar out into thin air. They look down at me as if to say, "Pretty cool, huh?" Self-flight, however brief, is a marvelous experience as any kid jumping on a trampoline will tell you.

The question is would you or I make that same leap, adding another level of danger and uncertainty to our lives?

So I watch tree squirrels make incredible leaps out into space between oaks. They don't know with certainty the branches will hold their weight or that they won't lose their grip. They are truly heroic leaps of faith, but the squirrels make it seem commonplace. Things we all could aspire toward.

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GUN LAWS, ROCKFISH, AND MORE NOTES -- matthews-ons 04dec02

Testing, permits will be required to buy handguns after Jan. 1

Buying a handgun in California will become more tedious and expensive starting January 1 thanks to bureaucrats in Sacramento.

If you want to purchase a handgun, you will now have to take a 30-question test at your local gun shop. If you pass the test by getting 23 or more of the questions right, you will be issued a permit to buy handguns good for five years. Of course there’s a fee for this.

You can then fill out the paperwork to purchase a gun, go through the background check -- and pay yet another fee -- and then 10 days later pick up your gun. The gun shop will have to give you a demonstration on how to use the gun, and you’ll need to show that you can operate the firearm, too, before you can leave with the handgun. Despite the rumors to the contrary, there is no proficiency or live firing test required.

This nightmare is somehow supposed to prevent criminals from getting guns or stop gun accidents, although I’ve never been able to figure out how this will happen. It just makes the legal purchase more time-consuming, tedious, and expensive.

Those of you who want to avoid this new added layer of expense and tedium have until Dec. 20 to purchase a new handgun.

My friend Jerry Springer (not that Jerry Springer), who operates the Western Hunter website (http://www.westerhunter.com), brought up and interesting point about the new law. Once you have the five-year permit, you can buy as many guns as you want, provided you pass the background check each time. But when it comes time to renew the five-year permit, what happens if you fail the test? Will they come and try to make you give up the guns you bought under the old permit when you were smarter?

I told Jerry that the government wouldn’t be that competent. Afterall, if a background check shows that a convicted felon is trying to buy a gun, which is another felony, the short arm of the law doesn’t go arrest the crook. They merely brag that he didn’t get a gun legally. That’s what we get with our 10-day waiting period: Law abiders are inconvenienced for nothing. The crooks aren’t even arrested for trying to buy guns illegally. So what have we accomplished with the waiting period and background check? Zip. Nada. Nothing. What’s the new testing and permit process getting us in terms of public safety? More nothing. Welcome to the mind-numbing world of gun control.

GUN CONTROL, TAKE TWO: Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) introduced AB-50, a law to regulate the sales of .50 caliber rifles in California, about 12 seconds after he took his oath of office. His theory is that by adding more layers of bureaucracy to the purchase of these obscure and expensive long-range target rifles “terrorists and criminals” will not gain access “to this deadly weapon.” I’m pretty sure there’s not a single case of a .50 being used in any kind of crime, and Koretz’ bill wouldn’t ban them. So what’s the point?

ROCKFISH EYE-OPENER: Ricky Carbajal, skipper of the New Del Mar out of Marina del Rey Sportfishing, was out with biologists doing rockfish assessment work on Wednesday this week. Bocaccio, a rockfish that is supposedly so damaged by fishing pressure as to warrant endangered species listing, is now off limits to sport and commercial anglers, and probably will be for a long time. All rockfish are in dire straights, according to the marine biologists, and their goal Wednesday was to tag and release a number of the other species that are still fished by sport anglers some of the year.

The problem Carbajal and the biologists found was not in catching fish. The problem was catching rockfish other than bocaccio. He couldn’t get away from bocaccio. The endangered one.

Skippers all along the coast have said the bocaccio closure was based on bad science and the numbers of this popular fish were better the last couple of seasons than they’ve been since the last big El Nino apparently had a negative impact on all rockfish. Do the skippers think all rockfish closures should be lifted? No, their numbers are definitely down, but reduced sportfish limits and better management can be more effective than closures for many reasons.

SAND DABS FOR THE HOMELESS: On Tuesday, Dec. 17, sportfishing landings from Marina del Rey to Newport Beach will be running free sand dab fishing trips for the public, but 100 percent of the fish caught on all these trips will be donated to homeless shelters in Southern California.

"We want to do something for the needy this year and every year," said Captain Danny Strunk of the Pierpoint out of Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach. "We are starting what we hope will be a long tradition of helping the poor." Anglers can call their local landings to make a reservation on the December 17th trip. The trips will depart at 8 a.m. and return around 2 p.m. so that the fish can be collected and transported to the homeless shelters. Private boaters who want to fish on their own boats are also encouraged to join in and show up at the landings by 2 p.m. to donate their fish. And not just sand dabs.

"It doesn't have to be sand dabs," said Norris Tapp from Davey's Locker. "I'm sure some nice big halibut would work just fine."

HOT STRIPER BITES: This will probably be a jinx to these bites, but the striped bass fishing at Pyramid Lake, Lake Skinner, Casitas Lake, and even Lake Silverwood has been marvelous for the past month. Casitas and Silverwood have been producing the bigger fish, with some over 20 pounds, while there has been consistent action on one to four-pound stripers at Pyramid and Skinner. If you’ve missed this in the fishing report, you need to pay attention.

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DEER MANAGEMENT -- matthews column-ONS -- 27nov02

Private ground gives DFG model for better deer management

In California this deer season, I probably glassed over 25 different bucks before taking a nice, mature four-pointer. My deer wasn't as big as the huge-based, three-pointer one of my hunting buddies, Dennis Culley, shot the same weekend in nearly the same place. And there were two other older age-class deer taken in the same area by other hunting partners.

Where were we hunting? What secret spot is this?

Actually, the Tejon Ranch is no secret spot. It has been producing lots of deer, along with a few quality ones, for a lot of years. The Tejon is a participant in the state's Private Lands Management (PLM) program, and the ranch works diligently to enhance the value of the property for wildlife. On our deer lease on the Tejon, we are in the second year of a trophy deer management program where only older age class deer are legal bucks.

Last season we didn't shoot a buck on our 6,000 acres, although we saw a couple that fit the criteria. This year, we have taken four bucks so far, and our season doesn't close until Sunday, Dec. 1. In just two short years, the quality of the deer has increased pretty dramatically. When I was a kid and hunting this ranch on this same lease, then run by my uncle, it was a rare occurrence to see a buck older than three years old, and most deer were killed as two-year-old forked horns. For the last two seasons, we have been letting those deer grow up as part of the ranch's effort to increase the average age and trophy quality of the bucks shot on the property.

Bucks that would have been shot the first few days of the season in the past get nicknames: the "crab-forked three pointer on Red Mountain" or "that big-bodied forked-horn in Canyon Two." Deer that would be shot out on public ground are allowed to get bigger on the Tejon now. We found ourselves saying, "Oh man, that's going to be a heck of a buck in two years," when we'd see a spindly, young three-point with a tall rack.

What is utterly amazing to me is not that the hunting on this private ground is so good, but that the hunting on the adjacent public ground is so bad. And the only real difference between one side of the fence and the other is how the ground and wildlife is managed.

If the Department of Fish and Game would learn from the lessons of the PLM program and apply those lessons to public ground we could again have terrific hunting in California. Whitetail states throughout the country are adopting trophy deer management strategies to increase the average age of the bucks harvested -- and it's working. The fact that the trophy value also increases is a bonus. Yet, here in California, the few zones that we once managed for trophy deer have dropped the antler point restrictions and reduced tag numbers.

There are two ways to improve the average age of the bucks in a herd. Reduce the total number of deer killed so more bucks survive to the following year, or only allow hunters to harvest big, older age class deer. The first reduces hunter opportunity, while the second only reduces the harvest for the first couple of years of the program, not the number who participate. Today we manage Southern California's public deer herds for the highest take possible. We issue basically an unlimited number of permits and encourage hunters to shoot the first legal buck he sees because it might be the only buck he sees during our long season.

It could and should be different.

Our program on the Tejon allows us to shoot forks or three points, so long as they are older age class bucks. Antler mass is more an indicator of age than number of points, and the Tejon puts its hunters through a great class session to teach them the difference. The Tejon's buck ratios are also about double what they are on the surrounding public ground, and the number of big bucks is increasing each year of this program.

Could we have the same thing on public ground? Absolutely. We have a jump start on the program for the D11, D14, D15, and D19 zones this year because the seasons were essentially ended because of fire closures. Many of those young, forked-horns that would have been whopped will survive this year. Buck ratios should increase, and we should set a target of 40 to 60 bucks per 100 does for these zones in the future -- not the 20 to 25 we hope for now. Next year, we need to allow only trophy deer hunting in these zones. Within two or three years, you would be amazed what would be happening on public ground.

Will the DFG try it? Do they care? Do you care? Those are the questions that need to be answered. The question is not whether or not we can grow more and bigger bucks on public ground. That has been proven on private ground all over the state.

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DFG TAG REFUNDS, SANTA ANA OPENER -- matthews-ons -- 20nov02

DFG offers tag refunds to hunters

Deer tag refunds will be available to hunters who have been locked out of Southern California's public land during the fire closures in the Angeles, San Bernardino, and Cleveland national forests. The closures began just before deer hunting season opened, and most reopened just two or three days before the seasons closed, and many hunters did not find out about the reopening.

The Department of Fish and Game said earlier this fall that it would refund tag money if hunters were not able to hunt at least a week of the season. Kristine Fakunding, with the DFG's license and revenue branch in Sacramento, said the DFG would potentially have to refund money on over 14,000 tags for the D11, D13, D14, D15, and D19 zone hunts along with the G13 San Diego antlerless hunt.

While the D13 zone in the Los Padres National Forest remained open throughout its season, hunters who purchase D13 tags can also hunt in the D11 and D15 zones, and the DFG decided to offer refunds to those hunters who might have purchased a D13 tag intending to hunt the other closed units, too.

The DFG is hoping that hunters, especially those who did hunt the archery season or in the D13 regular season, will not return their tags for a refund because of the impact the lost money would have on the deer program.

Since deer tag money is specifically earmarked for deer management programs in the state, the potential loss of nearly $300,000 in refunds could result in some serious cutbacks in the management program. "It's going to hurt our budgets, unfortunately," said Fakunding.

Already, the DFG has had 139 positions eliminated due budget cuts mandated by the governor's office, and many DFG staff members will admit that dedicated accounts' monies have been used, actually misused, for projects and staffing outside of what they are designed to fund.

To get a tag refund, hunters should send their tag to Attention: Deer Tag Refund, Department of Fish and Game, License and Revenue Branch, 3211 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95816. The refund will not include the license agent handling and processing fees, which are a small portion of the fee. Hunters should allow eight to 10 weeks for the DFG to process the refund check. The DFG will not be refunding fees for hunting licenses, only deer tags, and the deadline to request a tag refund is Jan. 31. Questions about the refund can be directed to the DFG at (916) 227-2252.

SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES OPENER: Since last Thursday's trout season opener at Santa Ana River Lakes, there have been more than 150 trout topping six pounds caught, including an 18-pounder and another 40 over 10 pounds. Bill Andrews, who runs the Santa Ana concession with his business partner Doug Elliott, was a little distressed at this news.

"All the big ones got away," said Andrews. He was serious. "I think our anglers are just a little rusty. They've been popping the big ones off left and right. We put several 20-plus pounders in there and not one of them has come out yet."

The lake was planted with 24,000 pounds of trout for last week's opener, and 7,000 pounds -- including 3,000 pounds of Lightning Trout from two to 15 pounds -- were stocked this week.

WINCHESTER'S NEW CARTRIDGES: Short and fat is where it's at. That the case for rifle cartridges anyway. Winchester announced recently that it will be bringing out two brand new rifle cartridges in a new line called the Winchester Super Short Magnum (WSSM) for 2003. The regular Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) line -- .270, 7mm, and .300 -- are being hailed as the most innovate and efficient rounds in decades. The new .223 and .243 WSSM cartridges are even shorter, and brand new Model 70s and Browning A-Bolts, with a half-inch shorter action, will be offered to shoot the new stubby rounds.

CRAVE GRAVY: The hottest new trout fishing bait in Southern California isn't even something you put on a hook. It's something you squeeze onto just about any bait that's already on the hook. The new Crave Gravy, which has been available in very limited supplies until this week when Turner's Outdoorsman and other tackle stores received new shipments, is a scent-based product that is added to floating baits, nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, or any lure to enhance its appeal to the trout. Some anglers are saying adding Crave Gravy improves their success five to 10 times over baits without the additive.

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OUTDOOR COLUMN -- matthews-ons 13nov02

Forest closures lifted, hunters get pass extensions

The forest closures are over. All three of the National Forests in Southern California that had been closed to use because of fire danger reopened this past weekend when rainfall eased the threat of catastrophic fires.

Gene Zimmerman, supervisor for the San Bernardino National Forest, said that all people who bought annual Adventure Passes after Sept. 1 will be given three-month extensions. And hunters who purchased annual passes for deer season will be allowed to exchange their pass for a pass valid for next year's fall deer season. The closure caused deer hunters to miss all but the last weekend of the 2002 deer season, and many hunters did not find out about the forest opening until after the weekend.

"What a wasted year," said Steve Shurte, a San Bernardino hunter who did get out the final weekend of the D14 season. "Every hunter we talked with out there was irate. They don't want to buy deer tags and Adventure Passes here any more. I'm the same way. I think we're going to take our money someplace else next year. Maybe Utah."

Shurte said that he and his hunting partner and their two sons bought two Adventure Passes, six hunting licenses, six upland bird stamps, and 12 deer tags between them this year (over $500 in total fees) "and we got to hunt legally two days."

Besides being offered exchanges for the Adventure Pass, deer hunters who lost the opportunity to hunt this season are also being offered refunds by the Department of Fish and Game, but only for their deer tags.

LUCK OF THE DRAW: Al and Vera Fols of Yucaipa were both drawn for tule elk bull tags in the Owens Valley this year. There were exactly two bull tags issued for the first period Lone Pine hunt and over 400 sportsmen applied for those two tags. Applying as a party, the Fols were drawn first and got both of them.

California elk hunters always say that getting the tag is the hard part, and Al and Vera started scouting for their November hunt the first of September, visiting the Owens Valley to look at bulls during the `bugle' or mating season, and then they returned the week before the season opened Nov. 2 to do some final scouting.

There are a lot of elk in the valley and finding the elk wasn't a problem, and with the help of guide Joel Depaoli of Tustin and Fols long-time hunting partner Walt Boysha, also of Yucaipa. The Fols had the two biggest elk in their hunt zone located along with several quality bulls as backups. Opening morning went poorly, with the two big bulls, a huge seven-by-seven bull and a nearly-as-big elk with six points per side, staying in a tule marsh and never presenting a shot.

"We went to the backup bulls for the evening hunt," said Al Fols. "We moved in on them and I took the first one. Elk starting appearing everywhere and then Vera moved in and took hers."

The bull elk was Vera Fols first big game animal. She'd hunted deer unsuccessfully with her husband for three seasons, and then bagged a unique California big game trophy. Tule elk are unique to the Golden State and many believe today's growing population recovered from a single pair of animals.

DUCK STAMP ART SHOW: The annual Wildlife Art Festival at the San Bernardino County Museum attracts sportsmen from all over Southern California to view some of today's finest wildlife art. The Nov. 22-24 exhibit features over 20 of the West's finest wildlife artists in person with their work in addition to the top 100 entries in this year's federal duck stamp competition, along with the winning artist.

This year, a 30-year entrant in the duck stamp competition, won the event in judging held in mid-October. Ron Louque, a Virginia artist who's entered each year since 1973, captured the coveted duck stamp title with his painting of two snow geese in flight by the lighthouse at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

"I wanted to use a refuge with a distinctive feature as background since next year is the National Wildlife Refuge System's Centennial," said Louque. "The lighthouse is such a majestic feature, plus my painting is based on the effect of light, so I called the manager at Chincoteague refuge and he sent me photos of the lighthouse. There was a flock of snow geese in the picture.... It must have been a sign."

Louque, a taxidermist and avid duck hunter since childhood, will be at the Wildlife Art Festival which runs Nov. 22-24. Friday is a members and invitation-only event, while show hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and $4 for children. Kids five-and-under and museum members are free.

The museum is located at 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, just north of Interstate 10 at the California Street exit. For more information, call (909) 307-2669 or1-888-BIRD EGG. You can also visit the museum's website at www.sbcountymuseum.org.

TROUT CHAOS?: What do you get when you stock 12 tons of rainbow trout into two small lakes? Some say chaos. Some say the best trout fishing of the year. Santa Ana River Lakes, located in Orange County near the junction of the 91 and 55 freeways, will open today (Thursday) for its annual trout season and the lake has been planted with 24,000 pounds of trout, with some weighing in around 20 pounds.

"The water is low," said Doug Elliott, who manages the fishing program at the Lakes, "But we didn't cut back how many fish we're putting in for the opener so they'll be concentrated more than normal. We're excited about how good the fishing will be."

For each of the past two trout seasons, the Santa Ana River Lakes have produced more than 500 rainbow trout over 10 pounds for anglers, including at least four fish that would break the current state record of 23 pounds. As of mid-afternoon Wednesday there were already some 20 cars parking waiting to get in this morning.

And you thought the crowds at Crowley were bad?

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JOEL PENNY FEATURE -- matthews-ONS 06nov02

TOPANGA -- Joel Penny is from a different era. He is from a time when shooters still knew that the simple truth about rifle accuracy was a bullet that fit the bore of the barrel. A lead bullet.

This isn't to say there's anything wrong with jacketed bullets, but can you get them in a range of sizes for your .30-06 that vary from .3075 to .3105 inches in diameter? Well, no you can't. Most everything is .308 inches. Measure bullets from a dozen boxes of Noslers, Hornady, Speer, and Sierra bullets in 30 caliber, and they will all be darn near exactly .308 inches in diameter.

If you have a gun with a bore that is just slightly oversize, you probably need a bullet that is a little bigger in diameter to engage the bore correctly for decent accuracy. Ditto for a slightly underside bore. In older rifles, there is quite a variation in the diameter of the bore, depth of grooves, width of rifling, and so on. Sizing a lead slug to .310 might just be the ticket to make the gun shoot if it were slightly oversize.

Now that might be "old school" and ancient technology, but school is school, and a whole new generation of shooters are learning about the simple and cost effective joys of straight lead rifle and pistol bullets.

Revolver shooters never did stray too far away from lead bullets, but rifle shooters seemed to have largely left behind an era when just about everyone shot at least some lead loads in their rifles. Part of that certainly has to do with our overblown interest in magnums and high velocity. Push straight lead slugs too fast, even ones with gas checks on their bases, and you have a barrel cleaning problem. But load a magnum with lead gas check slugs at 1,200 to 1,800 fps and you have a load you can shoot cottontails with or just get in some serious practice without the pounding of full-power loads.

Joel Penny has spanned the two generations. The 71-year-old Topanga resident has been casting lead bullets for customers since 1959, but Penny's interest in lead slugs started when he was a youngster not even old enough to go to school.

"We had an old gunsmith and black powder man who lived two blocks from my house, and I'd get my legs whipped for going down the street to watch him mold bullets. I was only five or six years old then," said Penny.

A machinist and tool maker for 35 years, Penny's interest in shooting and guns led him to a weekend rangemaster job where he "found out there all the problems were with people's guns and what they were doing wrong."

Today, Penny has over 3,000 customers from all over the world and one of the largest mold selections in the world -- at nearly 300 -- and most of them are molds that are no longer made. He has everything from a variety of 22 caliber molds on up to a massive 4 bore mold that makes 1/2-pound slugs .955 in diameter.

"When I was going to gun shows all the time, they called me `the 32 man' because I had so many different 32s," said Penny, who admits that he still makes a lot of 32s, but he pours bullets for the whole range of rifle and pistol diameters.

"I could leave any 30 caliber mold on the pot 100 percent of the time and sell them all," said Penny, who often puts in 10-hour days hand-pouring bullets for customers, often making 1,000 bullets or more in a single sitting. But he admits he's always behind.

"Where I've made my business is in the sizing," said Penny. He always asks those ordering bullets if they slugged the barrel so he can match the bullet size precisely. For pistol shooters, he generally sizes the bullets 1/2 thousandth of an inch over the bore diameter, for rifles a full thousandth. For some guns, he varies the scheme of things. For example, Marlin rifles have a micro-groove rifling and "to put pressure on the shallow grooving," Penny often goes 1 1/2 thousandths over the bore measurement.

Modern production guns are very consistent and Penny has learned what certain guns shoot well. He can tell you that 9mms pistols vary considerably, Glock and Smith & Wesson have .355 diameter bores, Sigs have .357 bores, and Beretta's are even slightly larger and need.358-diameter bullets to stabilize, said Penny. Shooters of .45-70s see variations in bores that ranges from .457 to .461.

And shooters sometimes wonder why some ammunition shoots well in one gun but not another. Or why some guns just won't shoot at all. It may all be as simple as the diameter of the bullet.

Proving that things don't change, Penny's prices are right out of the 1950s. While he insisted he was going to be raising prices $1 to $2 per hundred, his prices are still amazingly low when compared to other companies lead slugs and downright cheap when viewed next to the prices of jacketed bullets. Prices range from $6 to $12 per hundred for gas check bullets in most standard diameters, and each slug is touched by Penny's fingers and custom-sized to fit your bore.

"I give them something that will shoot," said Penny.

[Shooters can write Penny's Hand and Machine Casting, P.O. Box 314, Topanga, CA 90290 for a price list or call him from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at (310) 455-1567.]

NEGLECTED SHOOTING STICKS -- matthews column-ONS -- 06nov02

Shooting sticks save the bacon.

Most of us don't shoot very well in the field. Why? Rests are uncertain, we've just hiked up steep hills, we're excited at the sight of game, and we never practice as much as we should.

I recently missed a wild hog no more than 100 yards away. I know why. I took a hasty kneeling position, which wasn't all that stable since I'd just jogged up a gentle slope, and I was afraid the hog was about to run. I jerked the trigger pretty badly sending the big bullet at least a foot in front of his nose. The adrenaline was churning pretty good, too.

Yet a couple months before I was on another hog hunt, under nearly identical circumstances, and the pigs were even further away. But I dropped one with a single shot. The difference? Shooting sticks.

They are one of the most useful, least used items for hunters. Next to a sling, I can't think of a single accessory items that is more valuable. There are a variety shooting sticks and rifle-mounted bipods on the market. All have slightly different features that suit them to different hunting situations. I lump them into four categories.

Rifle Mounted Bipods: These include the popular Harris bipod and others like it. They attach to the front sling lug and have legs that fold up along the barrel when not in use, and then snap down to form a bipod for shooting. There are short models for use from the prone position, off shooting benches, or vehicle hoods, and there are taller models for use from a sitting position.

The advantages are a nearly rock-solid platform for shooting. For varmint hunting where you can get set up, they are exceptional. The disadvantages are that they are heavy and make for awkward use when you need to take a quick shot. Under ideal circumstances, they can work very quickly, but their lack of quick adjustability can make it hard to get set up on a steep slope or adjust to moving game. But from a stand or single position, they are the best.

Non-Folding Shooting Sticks: There are wide range of shooting sticks that hinge open, allowing for the shooter to quickly stab them into the ground and drop the forearm of the rifle into the V created by the sticks. To raise or lower the elevation, you can spread the legs further apart or move them closer together. You can find them made from wood, plastic, and aluminum from very light to very heavy. They all suit different needs.

With a little practice, they are all extremely fast to use on just about any terrain, which is the advantage of sticks. The heavy versions are more stable than the more flexible models, but all of them steady the shooter by great magnitudes. With all of them, except those with leather or cloth rifle forearm supports, I set my forearm-gripping hand in the V of the sticks and rest the rifle in the meaty web of flesh between my thumb and forefinger. This not only cushions the rifle, but allows minute adjustments by merely slightly changing the squeeze or position of the hand.

The disadvantage of these full-size sticks is carrying them around in the field. I have a buddy who made a very simple, but clever, holder out of PVC that he's attached to his day pack like an arrow quiver.

Collapsible Shooting Sticks: They are God's gift to the walking hunter. Most are designed like tent stakes that have a bungicord-like material through their center. Some you simply shake than they snap to full size, and other you can quickly joint up and be ready for action. They have all the advantages of regular sticks and the added advantage of being fairly handy. Many come with belt sheaths or are small enough that they can be stuck in a pants or jacket pocket.

Mono Pods or a Walking Stick: If you hunt where there's a lot of brush and you have to shoot offhand a lot, there is nothing better than a simple walking stick for giving you an added measure of stability. I have a very nice wood one that was designed as a wading staff for fishermen, and there are a host of lightweight mono pods on the market that are designed for shooters and photographers. You can shoot off the top of them from a standing position, or grip them lower down and brace against them from sitting or kneeling positions. They should be from 4 1/2 to 5 feet long, although some people like sticks that are longer than they are tall.

The walking sticks have a versatility that goes beyond just shooting, too. My two boys don't give me as much trouble when I have the big walking stick. It's long enough to fend off rattlesnakes. I can knock out-of-reach pine cones out of pinons during good nut years. But most of all, I have a tendency to lean on mine a lot, catching my breath.

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WATERFOWL OPENER THIS WEEKEND -- matthews-ons 30oct02

Duck numbers are down but opener should be good

Waterfowl season for most of Southern California opens this weekend and the prospects are good for this first weekend of the season, but slower than normal for the rest of the hunt, according to reports from the Department of Fish and Game and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"I think it will be a good opener," said the DFG's Jim Chakarun, manager of the Imperial Wildlife Area, which includes the popular Wister Unit. "I won't make any predictions that it will be good beyond that, but I think the opener will be good."

Chakarun said that Wister was currently holding 4,000 to 5,000 ducks, mostly teal, northern shovelers, and pintail. He noted that pintail are off limits to hunters until Nov. 28 so "guys are going to have to be careful."

Because of lower duck numbers again this year, seasons have been reduced and limits cut, or completely closed for some species. Continued concern about pintail numbers has kept the limit at a single bird per day as part of a hunter's five-bird limit. The pintail season for the Southern California Zone, is also 26-days shorter than the regular hunting period. The season that opens Saturday runs 86 days through Jan. 26, but pintails can only be taken from Nov. 28 through Jan. 26.

The limit will be five ducks statewide this year, and hunters may not take more than one hen mallard, two redheads of either sex, or four scaup (bluebill) as part of their daily limit. Canvasback are not allowed in the bag at all this season.

For the second year in a row, spinning wing decoys are not legal until after Nov. 30 during any of the state's waterfowl seasons.

Popular public hunting places that open this weekend include Wister, the Finney-Ramer Unit, and all of Salton Sea region; the San Diego City Lakes with hunting programs; the San Jacinto Wildlife Area and Lake Perris in western Riverside County; and Mike Raahauge's Duck Club in Prado Basin, which has public hunting blinds.

Waterfowl hunting in other areas, including the Colorado River Zone, the Southern San Joaquin Zone, and the Balance of State Zone, all have opened over the past two weeks.

The regulations, adopted the end of August by the Fish and Game Commission, are far more restrictive than last year's season due to a reduced number of birds in the flyway this year, especially mallards and pintail. Drought has hammered the duck population while most geese species, which generally nest further north, continue to remain stable, but with some declines in the Colorado River geese populations.

Because of the complex regulations by zone and species, the DFG and USFWS are encouraging hunters to study the regulations carefully so they do not violate game laws.

The following is a list of organized public hunting opportunities in the Southern California Zone, basic information, and contact numbers:

-- The Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area is open to waterfowl hunting through the state reservation system and a daily drawing for sites after all reservation holders are admitted to the area. Refills are permitted. Shoot days are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The state manages the waterfowl hunting program for the federal refuge. For more information, contact the unit at (760) 359-0577.

-- The Finney-Ramer Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area is on the Alamo River south of the Salton Sea is open to hunters seven days per week under a self-registration system. For more information, contact the Wister Unit at (760) 359-0577.

-- The San Jacinto Wildlife is located in western Riverside County near Lake Perris, and it is open to waterfowl hunting through the state reservation system or a daily drawing for remaining sites after all reservation holders are admitted to the area. Refills are also permitted throughout the shoot day. Shoot days are Wednesday and Saturday. For more information, contact the wildlife area at (909) 928-0580.

-- The Lake Perris State Recreation, adjacent to San Jacinto, is open to hunting until noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Only hunters with boats and motors can hunt the area, and the check-in station is at parking lots 11 and 12 at the jet ski launch ramp inside the state recreation area. Perris is open on a first-come, first-serve basis each shoot day and its blind site quota never filled last year, even on opening day. For more information, contact the San Jacinto Wildlife Area at (909) 654-0580.

-- Raahauge's Duck Club in Prado Basin has public blinds available to hunters for $135 for a two-person blind. To encourage hunters to bring juniors, there is a Sunday special where a hunter can hunt for just $50 with the junior hunter free. Shoot days are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. All reservations for opening weekend are taken. For more information, call the club at (909) 735-7981 or check the club's web site at www.raahauges.com.

-- In San Diego County, Barrett Lake and Otay Reservoir are open Wednesday and Saturdays, while Lake Sutherland is open Thursday and Sunday. Reservations were all issued through an in-person lottery or mail in reservation system. Many shoot days still have openings. For more information call (619) 668-2050.

-- Lake Henshaw traditionally opens to duck and goose hunting around Dec. 1. Hunt days are Wednesdays and Saturdays. The fee will again be $25 per hunter per day. For more information, contact the lake at (760) 782-3501.

GUEST OUTDOOR OR OP-ED COLUMN -- from ONS 25oct02

Guns: Guilty Until Proven Innocent? By Senator Ray Haynes

With the serial killings in the Washington, DC area a focus of attention nationwide, many have taken note of ballistic "fingerprinting" for the first time. Each of the shootings has been linked to a single gun by a relatively new technology that looks for microscopic marks on the recovered bullets. Every rifle or handgun leaves unique marks on bullets when they are fired, and by comparing bullets, you can frequently prove that they were fired by a particular gun. With evidence linking all of the shootings to a single gun, there have been many who have openly called for a system that would allow us to link any bullet to a particular gun and its owner, in essence a national database of the ballistic fingerprint of every gun on the market. While this seems like a straightforward and simple idea, the reality is more complicated than that. Maintaining a database of bullets found at crime scenes has been a valuable tool and has resulted in convictions of criminals. Trying to create a national database of all the rifles and handguns, however, would be a massive undertaking and the federal government is now considering a study to determine the feasibility and value of such a program. California recently completed just such a study of ballistic identification systems that was requested by an anti-gun legislature, signed by an anti-gun Governor, and overseen by an anti-gun Attorney General.

The results were not what they intended, I'm sure. In California alone, over 100,000 handguns per year (not including revolvers) are sold. In five years the database would hold over a half million cartridge images, and would still represent only a fraction of the guns that are in circulation. It is estimated that there are over 200 million firearms in circulation nationwide, almost none of which are currently in any database. The summary of the report states that "automated computer matching systems do not provide conclusive results," and that the number of hits on a suspect cartridge "will be so large as to be impractical and will likely create logistic complications so great they cannot be effectively addressed."

Remember, this is a study only dealing with guns in California. A national system would be exponentially worse.

Another problem with this system is the ease in which it could be defeated. Unlike real fingerprints or DNA in humans, ballistic fingerprints are easily changed. Barrels are easily changed in many guns and even existing barrels can have their identifying marks changed by the use of a wire brush or even frequent shooting and cleaning. The file on a newly sold gun could be useless within months of purchase if the gun was fired and cleaned regularly.

Furthermore, there is no national registration of firearms (nor should there be, for reasons too lengthy to discuss here), so even in the unlikely event you could get a match on a ballistic fingerprint, there would be no way to track that gun to even the original owner, much less the shooter himself.

Even with such a registration system, given how rarely guns are legally bought by criminals (and never by felons), the likelihood of being able to trace the guns to the shooters would be slim and none.

Maintaining databases of bullets and casings found at crime scenes makes sense, just as maintaining fingerprints and DNA samples of criminals and crime scenes makes sense, but no one has actually proposed a national DNA databank of law-abiding citizens to run against physical evidence found at crime scenes. I guarantee we could solve a lot of crimes today if we were to require everyone to give a DNA sample the next time they got their driver's license renewed or at birth when they issue the birth certificate. Any physical evidence left at a crime could instantly be matched to the national DNA database to nab the criminals. Since DNA can't be changed, it would be more reliable than the ballistic identification.

No one is pushing for this system because it would be considered an invasion of privacy and a violation of the 4th and 5th Amendments to the Constitution. We live in a system where we are considered innocent until proven guilty. If the police have probable cause to suspect our involvement in a crime, they have the right to fingerprint us, take a DNA sample or check the ballistic identification of our guns. If they don't have probable cause, they don't.

This is really no different. There are practical, utilitarian, and constitutional reasons why neither sort of database is appropriate, and it has nothing to do with the 2nd Amendment and little to do with opposition to gun control. We don't treat people like criminals until we have reason to do so, and we shouldn't treat guns and law abiding gun owners any differently.

Senator Ray Haynes represents the 36th Senate District, which includes Western Riverside County and Northern San Diego County. He is also the Senate Republican Whip.

SMALL GAME GUZZLERS: Quail hunters take note. Larry Bowden, Twentynine Palms, reported seeing 20 coveys of quail with 15 to 30 birds each while hunting in the Mojave National Preserve early this season. This is in stark contrast to other hunters who've been reporting dismal hunting and few birds. What is Bowden's secret? Finding water. He's seen most of his birds around small game guzzlers that were holding water. A special issue of Western Birds, a bird hunting newsletter for Southern California hunters, lists the locations for all 136 of the guzzlers on the Preserve. The newsletter is available for $25 at all Turner's Outdoorsman stores or direct by sending a check to Western Birds, P.O. box 9007, San Bernardino, CA 92427-0007.

JUNIOR PHEASANT HUNT: There will be a junior pheasant hunt at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area Sunday, Nov. 10. Anyone who has a junior hunting license can apply by sending their name, address, and phone number along with their hunting license number to the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, P.O. Box 1254, Lakeview, CA 92567. The information can also be faxed to (909) 928-1196. For more information, call (909) 928-0580

TEJON RANCH PIG-O-RAMA: The next Pig-O-Rama, the Tejon Ranch's popular unguided weekend wild hog hunting event, will be held Dec. 6-8. Hunter success rates on these hunts have averaged 50 percent with many hunters taking large boars. Cost is $300 per person and a $10 insurance policy is required. For more information, contact Barbara Boeck by telephone at (661) 663-4288 or via e-mail at bbb@frazmtn.com.

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UPLAND OPENER, NOTES COLUMN -- matthews-ons 23oct02

Upland bird season opener fair to dismal

With the closures of the local National Forests, most quail and chukar hunters flocked to the desert regions of Southern California for this past weekend's upland bird season opener and found generally dismal hunting due to a poor bird production year. Successful exceptions were few and far between but indicated a pattern. First, diligent chukar hunters who scouted extensively before the opener found fair numbers of holdover birds around remote water sources and managed to get a few opening day birds. Second, quail hunters who focused their activity around agriculture at the edges of the desert found larger coveys of birds than sportsmen who hunted traditional desert spots. But even those successful hunters found the hunting much poorer than normal because of low bird numbers and savvy mature birds.

Andy Pauli, a Department of Fish and Game biologist who works in the Mojave Desert, said that his brood counts were horrible this summer. Pauli never classified a single young-of-the-year chukar in his surveys. Quail broods were nearly as bad. That was reflected in opening day success in the East Mojave. Pauli said of some 50 hunters that were checked opening weekend, only eight birds had been taken -- six of those were taken by just two hunters. A typical bag for the East Mojave is five to six birds per hunter with a number of 10-bird limits posted. Pauli said it was the worst season he's seen since he came to the region in 1980.

Several hunters I spoke with placed the blame for the poor bird numbers on the Mojave National Preserve, which has been removing water developments done for cattle that have been on the preserve for over 100 years in some instances.

A lot of us contend that the NPS has killed more quail in two years with water removals than hunters have killed in 50 years in the Mojave, and with the water removals, the loss is permanent because birds can no longer survive in an area without the water.

West Mojave and Red Mountain area chukar hunters also saw generally poor hunting. Most reports from hunters were complete blanks, but many at least reporting seeing a few small coveys of mature birds that often flushed well out of range.

Jim Monroe of Lancaster took three hunting buddies to the El Paso Mountains northwest of Red Mountain opening day. After extensive scouting before the season, Monroe had several locations where he had found birds. The four hunters ended up with eight birds. Monroe had two, and his partners Dean Hill, Mira Loma, and Ed Wright, El Monte, each had a single birds, while Wright's hill-climbing son Ron got four chukar.

Further south, David Bailey of West Covina managed to get five birds in the Sidewinder Mountains out of Apple Valley, but his hunting buddies did not fire a shot. And the other hunters they spoke with also didn't score.

"This was my sixth time in the field to hunt chukar, and the first time I ever saw some, except when scouting. I was very pleased to say the least," said Bailey.

FOREST CLOSURES SHOULD END: Is there a forest supervisor with any courage out there? I find it utterly impossible to believe that the fire danger now (especially with all of these moist days) is greater than it was all summer when recreational use of the forest was allowed. There are no ongoing fires, so resources are not stressed. Fall use is less than it was all summer, so the danger is even less. Any supervisors brave enough to match Jeanine Derby's courage at keeping the Los Padres open?

The Angeles, San Bernardino, and Cleveland National Forests should all be reopened immediately. You can set triggers that would close some areas to use if there is a sustained Santa Ana wind conditions or low humidity, but let the public back in now. These closures are ridiculous.

KERN WATERFOWL OPENER: The complex waterfowl regulations this year are going to make it difficult to keep track of areas that are open, which are closed, and what species can be taken. The forecast for a poor fall flight is also disheartening. That said there are still a lot of waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway. The opening weekend at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge proves that. There were 92 hunters this past Saturday who shot 384 ducks for a 4.17 average. The bulk of the bag was greenwing teal at 150, but there were also 42 pintail and 30 mallards in the bag.

The season in this area, the Southern San Joaquin Zone, opened this past Saturday for ducks and continues through Nov. 3. Duck season will then close until Nov. 23 and then remain open until Jan. 26. Goose season in this area opens Nov. 2 and runs continuously through Jan. 26. Confused? In the Southern California zone, the goose season opened Saturday, but duck season doesn't open until Nov. 2. For the Colorado River zone, the season for both ducks and geese opened Oct. 18, while the Balance of State Zone opens for ducks on Oct. 26, and the goose opener is Nov. 2. More confused? Don't forget that canvasback can not be taken at all this year, and the pintail seasons are reduced in all zones and do not follow the same framework as general duck seasons.

Waterfowl hunters really need to get copies of the regulations and study them carefully this year. Very carefully.

LET THE TROUT WARS BEGIN: Two of the central players in what has become known as "the trout wars" are set to kick off their trout fishing season this week. Both Corona Lake and Irvine Lake are opening with massive plants of trout for openers today (Thursday). The battle between these two lakes, and several others will join the fray as they open throughout November, will be to see who can stock the most, the biggest, and the most unusual trout.

In the past, Doug Andrews and Bill Elliott, managers of Anaheim Lake, Santa Ana River Lakes, and Corona Lake have consistently stocked far more fish per surface acre than any water in the region, and they have planted Mt. Lassen Trout Farms' rainbows that were in excess of the state record. Last season alone, there were six trout bigger than the currently listed state record for rainbow trout of 23 pounds and over 600 trout better than 10 pounds were caught at Santa Ana River Lakes alone. Then there were the unique Lightning and Thunder trout, brilliant color-strains of rainbow trout.

To compete, the operators of Irvine Lake brought in brown and brook trout. Laguna Niguel Lake answered with colorful rainbow trout from Utah, and most of the San Bernardino County park lakes began stocking steelhead rainbows that gained a reputation as acrobatic fighters.

What can we expect this year? Well, Irvine Lake is boasting that state and line-class records for brook trout could be surpassed this season. That record is just under 10 pounds and has stood for 70 years. Santa Ana River Lakes and Corona Lake will be planted with seven different varieties of trout -- the most of any water in the region -- and there is the expectation that a rainbow trout at 30 pounds might be seen. Not to be completely outdone by its private competitors, San Bernardino County Parks will have a tournament trail that winds to all of its trout lakes.

Let the trout wars begin.

DFG, BLM BIG GAME DRINKERS: The Department of Fish and Game and the Bureau of Land Management are working together to build two new big game drinkers, or guzzlers, in Sheephole Valley Wilderness. The BLM has issued the environmental documents, a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Environmental Assessment (EA), for the proposed projects. The two water developments will increase the survival chances for bighorn sheep in this area.

The two documents are being reviewed for 30 days by the public before the project can begin. Copies are available on the Internet at http://ww.ca.blm.gov/needles or may be requested by calling the Needles BLM office at (760) 326-7000. Comments must be received by Nov. 15 to be considered, and anyone interested in desert wildlife is encouraged to voice their support for the drinkers.

This is an important project because these would be the first water improvements done inside a wilderness area and could set a precedent for allowing habitat improvements for wildlife instead of a complete hands-off policy. The National Park Service has proven that policy doesn't work for wildlife and its habitat. In California alone, there are several examples of desert bighorn sheep populations suffering in park settings when adjacent populations outside of parks flourish with the addition of big game drinkers.

The BLM and DFG are to be applauded for moving forward on this project.

JUNIOR PHEASANT HUNT: There will be a junior pheasant hunt at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area Sunday, Nov. 10. Anyone who has a junior hunting license can apply by sending their name, address, and phone number along with their hunting license number to the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, P.O. Box 1254, Lakeview, CA 92567. The information can also be faxed to (909) 928-1196. For more information, call (909) 928-0580

TEJON RANCH PIG-O-RAMA: The next Pig-O-Rama, the Tejon Ranch's popular unguided weekend wild hog hunting event, will be held Dec. 6-8. Hunter success rates on these hunts have averaged 50 percent with many hunters taken large boars. Cost is $300 per person and a $10 insurance policy is required. For more information, contact Barbara Boeck by telephone at (661) 663-4288 or via e-mail at bbb@frazmtn.com.

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FOREST CLOSURE MISTAKES -- matthews column-ons -- 16oct02

Forest closure mistakes

It's not just about hunting.

The near total closure of three of four forest in Southern California, which has resulted in a defacto end of five deer zone hunting seasons in this region, is about more than the Forest Service's inability to accommodate hunters the one brief time of year they get to pursue game.

It's about prejudice and discrimination by people in a position of authority within that agency and their reactions to problems. These are people who would bristle if you suggested they were racist or discriminated against any racial minority in conducting their job, but their response to fire problems proves they don't understand prejudice. They are like people who repeat racial jokes because they think they're funny, not because they harbor any real racist feelings. They just don't get it. And members of the public who support the way the current forest closures were done also just don't get it.

This wasn't about hunters or other users not being able to use the forests, it was how use of the forest was stopped. The Angeles National Forest shut down completely because of an ongoing fire, continued fire danger, and fear about public safety. When there were howls from the public about the stupidity of a blanket closure (what fire danger was there at Pyramid Lake?), the San Bernardino National Forest reacted to that feedback. In its closure, some recreational areas remained open to some types of activities in places were it was argued the USFS could protect public safety. Hunter's who were effectively locked out, howled discrimination, and rightfully so. Trying to head off the howls of hunters, when the Cleveland National Forest did its partial closure, their staff even left a couple of places open to hunting.

What none of the forest staff understood was that it wasn't ultimately about fires, public safety, hunting, or other recreational use. It was about poor planning and latent discrimination. Many on the forest staffs didn't even realize they were discriminating against hunters and other users, and they were somehow justifying it in their minds because of the "fire threat."

The fire threat is very real and needs to be addressed. Since spring, some forest service officials have said the forest should have been closed. Plant moisture were at all time lows. Closures early in the year might have prevented several fires in the Angeles and other areas, but it took the 38,000-acre Williams Fire before administrators panicked.

Are things appreciably worse now? No. There are fewer people out in the forest this time of year. Moister weather is more common. (And moist air was the only reason fire fighters got a line around the Williams Fire.) Yes, fuel moisture is still very low. Santa Ana winds could make for a horrific fire. But will it be worse this fall than in July or August or September? Obviously not because the Williams Fire was the worst fire in Angeles Forest history. The reality is that the fire danger was no greater after the closure than before. The closure was arbitrary.

The three forest closures were a knee-jerk response to a big fire. Yet each forest response was different to the same set of conditions. When I asked different forest staff why the closures were different, there was sputtering and stuttering. They knew what they did was wrong. They stammered trying to justify it. They made excuses about how things were different in each forest. All the closures were wrong because they were made arbitrarily and without planning, without a framework, without foresight. They unfairly and unwittingly targeted certain user groups. The closures were indeed prejudicial, and hunters especially had a right to feel targeted.

Only the Los Padres National Forest did what was right, what should have been done by all the forest supervisors in June if they were truly believed there was a severe fire and public safety issue and that closures could help. The Los Padres set parameters that would trigger the closure of the forest. All users now know those closure mechanisms. There's no one group being singled out, and the goal of the Los Padres is to keep public access available to the greatest extent possible. It is still open.

Closures are not wrong, but they need to be implemented fairly. Only one of the forest services' management staffs in this region figured that out. Hats off to forest supervisor Jeanine Derby and her Los Padres staff for doing the right thing. They managed to figure out that it was not "fair" or even necessary to close the forest now just because there had been a big fire in the Angeles.

This isn't tough. Here, I'll give the other supervisors a policy they can use for the future that no one will complain about -- not hunters, not campers, not OHVers, not backpackers, not anyone. We won't complain because it is fair and we will have been given fair warning. We won't complain because it eliminates discrimination:

Base the closures or restrictions on three simple things: fuel moisture level, wind forecasts, and other fires. Have a three-level system. When fuel moisture levels reach X, all camp and cooking fires are prohibited. When fuel moisture levels reach Y, all outside open flame use, including cook stoves, is prohibited in backcountry areas (more than 1/4-mile from a maintained road). When fuel moisture levels reach Z, we close the forest to all use away from facilities that are easily accessible (like the San Bernardino and Cleveland did). If there are sustained winds forecast for more than two days, at X or Y fuel moisture levels, the forest will close until the end of the wind condition, and then reopen immediately. If there are other fires ongoing that have compromised a forest's ability to fight a new fire, then the forest should be closed at X or Y fuel moisture levels, and then reopen immediately when the fire fighting preparedness level is restored.

Make the information a standard part of all the printed literature for forest users. The DFG could send it out with deer tags. OHVers could get it with their green stickers. Campers could get it when they check in to a campground, backpackers with their wilderness permits, day-users with their Adventure Pass.

This system would be fair and make sense. And it wouldn't discriminate.

DFG to offer deer tag refunds if forests don't reopen during season

SACRAMENTO -- The Department of Fish and Game announced Wednesday that it would be offering refunds for deer hunters in Southern California who's deer zones have been closed to entry because of extreme fire danger.

If deer zones do not open in time to provide nine days of hunting, refunds will be offered after the close of the season, according to Craig Stowers, deer program coordinator for the DFG.

"This could have ramifications for the deer program financially, but it's the right thing to do for the hunters," said Stowers.

The DFG has also extended the period where hunters can exchange deer tags affected by forest closures for deer zones that remain open and still have tags available. That extension goes through Oct. 25. There is a $6.25 processing fee for the exchange.

Because of fire closures on the Angeles, San Bernardino, and Cleveland national forests, hunters are being denied access to the majority of public lands in the D11, D14, D15, D16, and D19 deer zones. In Southern California, only the D13 hunting zone remains open, and as of Monday this week, there were still approximately 500 tags available for purchase or exchange in this zone.

The D13 opener this past weekend attracted about twice as many hunters as normal, according to Kathy Good with the Los Padres National Forest. But the forest staff had feared that three to four times as many hunters would shift and hunt D13 due to the closures in other areas. Hunters with D11 and D15 tags, both currently closed, can also hunt D13.

Good said a joint DFG-USFS check station in Fraiser Park had over 700 hunter visitors and another 300 stopped by the ranger station. There were 25 deer and seven black bears validated opening weekend. Good said Adventure Pass money was used for the hunter check station, and it was so well received by hunters the two agencies will likely have jointly staffed check stations in the future.

The D13 season continues through Nov. 10.

The closed forests all could reopen if there is significant rainfall that reduces the fire risk. All of the affected deer zones' season continues through Nov. 10, except for D19 which runs through Nov. 3 and D16 which runs through Nov. 24.

The procedures for requesting a refund will be released Nov. 18 and posted on the DFG's website www.dfg.ca.gov.

Stowers said the DFG is encouraging hunters to consider not applying for refunds even if the deer seasons do not open before the scheduled end of the hunt. The refund money would come directly out of the DFG deer management coffers and may negatively impact implementation and management of future deer seasons.

Olancha angler catches record brown trout from Oregon lake

BEND, Ore. -- Ron Lane of Olancha, a long-time member of the Brownbaggers, caught a 28-pound, five-ounce brown trout from Paulina Lake in Oregon on October 3rd to topple that state's record for brown trout. The fish beats the old record caught in 1993, also from Paulina, by nine ounces.

Lane was shallow-trolling a seven-inch A.C. Plug when he made the catch right at dusk on Thursday evening. The big trout took about 25 minutes to land.

"I told Allan [Cole] I had a picture of the fish with the A.C. Plug in it's mouth, but that he was going to have to pay dearly for it," joked Lane last week about the maker of the lure he used to catch the record fish.

The 64-year-old angler is well-known to long-time Eastern Sierra anglers, having landed a 22-pound, 12-ounce brown trout from Pleasant Valley Reservoir, and three trophy browns on the same day that weighed 13-8, 13-3 and 7-4, all which are mounted and on display in Culver's Sporting Goods in Bishop where Lane grew up.

Lane was one of the original members of the Brownbaggers, a club started by Allan Cole, who's only requirement for membership was that you land two brown trout over 10 pounds.

Lane said they didn't weigh the big brown officially for a couple of days because they didn't realize it was a state record. But once they heard it might topple the existing state record, it was fished out of the ice chest and weighed on a certified scale. Lane said he submitted all of the official paperwork to gain state record status last week.

"We didn't catch another fish this whole trip," said Lane. "But this made it a pretty exciting trip.

"Howard Bryan [another famous Brownbagger] was there two weeks before, and he'd caught a 15 1/2 pounder," said Lane, who said that Bryan and Cole had fished the lake two weeks early and caught a number of quality fish. "We fished five days and this was only fish. They just turned off, except for one. The big one."

Lane was fishing with Bryan and another Brownbagger, Ray Patterson.

Todd Brown, who owns the Paulina Lake Lodge, suggested they weigh the big brown on a certified scale and get the state record. He said that before Lane's fish, the best brown taken this year was a 20-pounder landed early in the season.

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FOREST CLOSURES STOP DEER SEASON -- matthews-ONS -- 09oct02

Forest closures effectively end five SoCal deer hunting seasons

Five Southern California deer hunting seasons have been effectively halted by the closures of three national forests in the region. The complete closure of the Angeles National Forest two weeks ago, followed last week by the closure of the majority of the San Bernardino National Forest, and the closure of most of the Cleveland National Forest Wednesday have locked hunters out of the only public deer hunting areas in this portion of the state.

The move has prompted Turner's Outdoorsman, the largest seller of annual Adventure Passes, the U.S. Forest Service's $30 annual use pass, to halt sales of these passes, alleging discrimination against hunters.

The only forest in Southern California to remain open is the Los Padres National Forest, and it there is a major wildfire or sustained Santa And wind conditions, the Los Padres could close too.

Over 9,000 hunters have tags for the D11, D14, D15, D16, and D19 hunting zones which encompass the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, San Jacinto, and Santa Ana Mountain, and all of San Diego County. All have openers this coming Saturday, except D16 which opens Oct. 26 and D15 which opened last Saturday. There are also approximately 1,000 hunters who hold special archery or muzzleloading deer tags in these same areas. All will effectively will have no place to hunt this fall because most hunting takes place on national forest lands. The closures are expected to last through at least mid-November, which is past the normal end of all these hunting seasons. If forest closures also occur in the Los Padres, an additional 2,500-plus tagholders for the D13 zone also will lose hunting opportunity.

To compound matters, the Department of Fish and Game will not give refunds to hunters with tags in these units. Instead, it is offering to exchange the tags for other hunting zones that currently remain open to hunters where their are available tags, but with most zone quotas filled, it simply means most hunters will not get to hunt this fall and will not get refunds on tags they cannot use unless there is a refund policy change.

Craig Stowers, the deer program coordinator for the DFG in Sacramento, said the DFG's policy has been not to exchange or refund tags if the season was already open, and the archery season had already opened in all of the affected zones. But "because of the magnitude of the problem," Stowers said the agency was offering hunters the opportunity to exchange tags up until Oct. 15, but there is a $6.25 fee per tag for the exchange.

All of the forest closures have been made because of extreme fire danger in the forests. Moisture levels in vegetation on all four forests are at record low levels and the forests have been described as a tinderbox that could explode into unstoppable flames. Forest officials are concerned for both public safety and the safety of firefighters forced to battle blazes under these conditions.

"Our fire crews have been telling us the Williams Fire was doing things they've never seen before," said Ruth Wendstrom, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino National Forest when that forest's closure was announced last week. She said the flames were moving as fast downhill as uphill, and that until the weather gave them an assist, their efforts at fighting the flames were almost useless.

But many Forest Service officials admit that conditions are not significantly worse now than they have been since June. It is fear of Santa Ana winds that have prompted the closures, they say.

Andy McCormick, the public relations specialist for Turner's Outdoorsman, a chain of 13 hunting and fishing stores throughout Southern California, said the forest closures appear to be directly aimed at hunters. And in response to the closures, McCormick announced on Wednesday the Turner's chain was dropping the sales of the USFS Adventure Passes and would no longer be supporting the user fee program. Turner's sells more annual Adventure Passes than any vendor for the Forest Service and has been an outspoken proponent of the program, even in the face of strong user dislike of the fee.

"We sold these passes as a service, and at this point I feel it's a disservice," said McCormick. "The attitude I got from my conversation with Max Copenhagen (deputy forest supervisor of the San Bernardino National Forest) was that `they're just hunters, who cares?' And then when he made the comment that hunter's need to be more safe, that's when I got really upset. Hunter's are probably the safest users on the forest. They've gone through more training than anyone else up there -- anyone on a quad or ATC or even campers -- but we need to be more safe?"

McCormick said the Forest Service was creating a safety issue with its closures.

The closure of all but two areas of the Cleveland National Forest, which goes into affect Friday this week, and the San Bernardino National Forest recommendation that D14 zone hunters go to Bureau of Land Management Lands within that zone has many hunters concerned about the safety of squeezing all tag holders into small areas.

During the Cleveland's press conference on Wednesday morning, it was announced that hunting would only be allowed in the "Agua Tibia Wilderness and Forest Service lands adjacent to Indian Flats." This means that no public lands in the D15 hunting zone will be open as deer season was set to start this weekend. It will also crowd all 1,500 tag holders in the D19 zone into two small areas when that season opens Oct. 26.

Kathy Good, a public relations spokeswoman for the Los Padres National Forest, said they were going to remain open to the public, the only one of four forests in the region to do so. But she said their staff was concerned about the approximately 4,000 hunters from D11 and D15 crowding into the D13 zone, which will be open Saturday. Tags purchased for any of those three zones are also valid in the other two areas.

"Did anyone think about public safety?" asked McCormick. "Hunters are well trained in safety and we have a terrific record in California, but this is just asking for trouble."

McCormick said that he called the BLM office telephone number that the San