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FISHING • HUNTING • TRAVEL CALSPORTSMANMAG.COM

HOT SUMMER BITES! Bluefin • Halibut • Largemouth

The Hunt Starts Now! Preseason Deer Scouting July Cottontails

Riding With The ‘River Jedis’

New Zealand Big Game

Biologists Track Sac River Sturgeon

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Sportsman

California Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

Volume 10 • Issue 10 PUBLISHER James R. Baker GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Brittany Boddington LEAD WRITER Tim E. Hovey CONTRIBUTORS Steve Comus, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Todd Kline, Steve Martarano, Bill Schaefer, Lisa Selner, Mike Stevens SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Rick D’Alessandro, Mamie Griffin, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold PRODUCTION MANAGER Sonjia Kells DESIGNERS Kayla Mehring, Jake Weipert PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Kelly Baker DIGITAL STRATEGIST Jon Hines ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Aumann INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@calsportsmanmag.com CORRESPONDENCE Email ccocoles@media-inc.com Twitter @CalSportsMan Facebook.com/californiasportsmanmagazine ON THE COVER Some of Southern California’s most exciting saltwater fishing targets bluefin tuna, which in summer begin making their way up from the warm waters off Mexico. These hard-fighting fish get well into triple-digit sizes. (JEFF KING) MEDIA INC PUBLISHING GROUP CALIFORNIA OFFICE 4517 District Blvd. • Bakersfield, CA 93313 (661) 381-7533 WASHINGTON OFFICE P.O. Box 24365 • Seattle, WA 98124-0365 14240 Interurban Ave. S., Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 (206) 382-9220 • (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 10 (TIM E. HOVEY)

(TIM E. HOVEY)

FEATURES 19

STURGEON TAGGING WITH RIVER JEDIS Considered an endangered fish species, green sturgeon are an important part of the Sacramento River system. So it’s important to continue studying these remarkable creatures. Biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Southwest Region team up on “trawls” that tag green sturgeon. USFWS public affairs specialist Steve Martarano tagged along on for a research project.

71

PIT STOP, FISH FLOPS Ever have the impulse that Steve Butts had while driving through the lush Tuolumne Meadows near Yosemite National Park? He and his girlfriend made a quick stop to walk the dog by the Tuolumne River. Butts did what any angler would do: cast a few times in the river. Little did he know what would eventually bite his jig. Mike Stevens shared this fish tale.

77

ALWAYS PREPARED Even in the heat of summer, deer season is getting closer, including some archery dates opening in July. So this is an ideal time to get yourself prepared for an upcoming hunt in California.

Scott Haugen talks scouting for bucks and getting in your best hiking shape, while Tiffany Haugen whips up a venison-topped breakfast pizza to fuel up in their Field to Fire piece.

49

TEMPTED BY TUNA The warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, both below and above the MexicoCalifornia border, are teeming with bluefin, some that grow to massive sizes. Party boats and private vessels will be combing these areas for a chance to bring home a hard-fighting tuna. Capt. Bill Schaefer, a veteran of fishing the Southland, will help you catch bluefin fever.

87 IT’S RABBIT SEASON

July 1 isn’t normally considered a coveted spot in the calendar for hunters, many of whom are circling dates later this summer and fall for deer and then waterfowl/upland bird seasons. But our Tim Hovey knows the cottontail opener means a spectacular menu item, a fun species to target in various locales and a great hunt for kids.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

DEPARTMENTS

41 61 53 55 99 117

13 29 33 37 67 107 126

California halibut tips and tactics Summer catfish at Collins Lake Finding hot-weather largies Lake Casitas birthday bassin’ Hunting dogs and water Two shotguns worth considering

The Editor’s Note Outdoor Calendar Adventures of Todd Kline Photo contest winners Rig of the Month: Catfish on crickets She Hunts: New Zealand tahr Last Laugh Cartoon

CALIFORNIA SPORTSMAN GOES DIGITAL! Read California Sportsman on your desktop or mobile device.

Only $1.89 an issue. Go to www.calsportsmanmag.com/digital California Sportsman is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Avenue South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Send address changes to California Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues are available at Media Index Publishing Group offices at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card.

Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2016 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.

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THEEDITOR’SNOTE

Steve Butts’ decision to cast a few times during a Tuolumne River pit stop shows you that carrying ďŹ shing gear around in your rig can pay off big! (STEVE BUTTS)

I

used to drive my dad crazy when we’d be driving back from a vacation somewhere.

Once we were visiting family friends in Yuba City on the way home from a father-son trip to Tahoe, where we’d caught and released a couple of smallish planter rainbows. I wanted more.

So after spending a couple days with our friends – I remember getting tormented by the older kids when we’d gone out into their orchards to run amok – it was time to head back to the Bay Area. In reality I was probably ready to get back to my Atari, buddies and the local mall. But I was a fishing-obsessed kid still. “Dad, maybe we can make a quick stop at a lake or maybe cast a little in the (Feather) River,� I said. “No more fishing,� he said. “Time to go home.�

I remembered that, and by the time I got to high school and was driving around my mom’s old station wagon I carried a rod and tackle box, just in case. More often than not my fishing trips were planned, but I always had the gear in the back so I’d have no regrets.

Same goes for Steve Butts. He and girlfriend Layla Yaganeh and their dog were driving through Tuolumne Meadows on a drive to Mammoth Lakes when they made a quick stop to get the pooch some exercise – I can relate, since my dog accompanies me on many weekend road trips. As our Mike Stevens reports (page 71), their rest break just happened to be along the shores of the Tuolumne River, and since the water was right there ... Butts made a good choice, as that pic of he and his big brown trout above attests.

I have to think that diehard golfers carry their driver and pitching wedge in the trunk when they head to their in-law’s house should a range suddenly appear at the next freeway exit. So take note, fellow fishers: Whether you’re hitting the highway to a wedding or your nephew’s soccer game, don’t forget to pack that spinning rod and a few lures. Just don’t be late to wherever you’re going. Unless you catch a big bass or trout – it’s totally worth it then. -Chris Cocoles

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PROTECTING

WILD CALIFORNIA

STURGEON TAGGING ADVENTURES

WITH THE ‘RIVER JEDIS’ Though considered an endangered species, green sturgeon can be regularly found in the Sacramento and Feather Rivers. Federal biologists are capturing and tagging juveniles in an effort to better understand their outmigration. (STEVE MARTARANO/USFWS)

By Steve Martarano

O

n a cold, dark, moonless night last December, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service boat stealthily cruised along the upper Sacramento River near Corning on its nightly mission to find green sturgeon.

Except for the sound of the boat engine signaling a change of location, and an occasional coyote howl heard off in the distance, most of the four-hour trip on this frigid night took place in workmanlike silence.

Even now, in June and amidst the scorching heat of another Northern California summer, the chill of that winter evening remains fresh, as the crew diligently worked its unique assignment: a

regular winter nighttime fish survey.

“Nighttime trawls are really rare,” said crew chief Chad Praetorius. “You have to know the river and where you’re going.

You basically have to be a river Jedi.”

STURGEON WHISPERING The survey – officially known as the Juvenile Green Sturgeon Outmigration Investigation – was just one of 39 weekday trips conducted in 2017 by USFWS’s Red Bluff Fish and Wildlife Office, all led by Praetorius.

As the survey gears up for September and its third year of tagging, once again the goal is to capture, tag, release and then track 50 green sturgeon, a number that was reached by mid-December last year, following

the 21 that were captured and tagged with UC Davis assistance during the initial 2016 survey.

“We’re out there from September to December, four days a week, 10 hours a day – sometimes more – averaging between six and 15 trawls a night,” said Praetorius, who has been the crew lead since the project’s pilot launch back in 2015. His two assisting crewmembers rotated among nine others.

“Those nets and weighted boards are heavy. This work can be very difficult and technical, especially during the late evening hours and under inclement weather conditions.”

This night, along with Praetorius, the crew consisted of biologists Lenny Cheskiewicz and Lyla Pirkola, enthusias-

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Dusk falls on the Sacramento River near Corning, where a hydrophone receiver will be deployed to detect if there are any previously tagged green sturgeon in the area. (STEVE MARTARANO/USFWS)

tically going about their tasks knowing they’re breaking new ground in green sturgeon research.

Throughout the year, other crewmembers included Bill Poytress, Josh Gruber, Casey Collins, Robert Larson, Samantha Adams, David Ryan and Scott Voss.

The crew does its work with methodical precision, with no natural lighting except what is generated by headlamps and the boat.

After taking off from a county park boat ramp in Corning, the crew makes its way along the river, using an underwater missile-shaped hydrophone receiver to detect if there are any previously tagged green sturgeon in the area that might be potentially recaptured.

With each night resulting in up to 15 separate trawls, crews successfully completed 337 total trawls during the 2017 survey, Praetorius said.

For each trawl, the net is dragged downstream in the water between seven and 15 minutes with the boat lights off to eliminate detection by the fish. The onboard sonar unit tracks the boat’s progression through the sampling reach.

This information is later uploaded into a GIS layering system, which provides a visual breakdown of the habitat sampled for each individual trawl in terms of water velocities, depths, and temperature.

BY THE NUMBERS Green sturgeon, listed by NOAA Fish-

Biologists Lyla Pirkola, left, Chad Praetorius and Lenny Cheskiewicz – also known as the “river Jedis” – prepare for another night on the water. The crew conducts survey trawls to study the migration of green sturgeon in the upper Sacramento River. (STEVE MARTARANO/USWFS) 20 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

ccalsportsmanmag.com ca cals lp po por port o ssma ort sman man nmag. m com mag ma c | JULY JU ULY LY 2 2018 018 18 8 Calif California C Ca Cal allif ifornia rniia S Sportsman Spor por por rt ts tsm sm s an n

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PROTECTING

WILD CALIFORNIA eries as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2006, are regularly found in the upper Sacramento and Feather Rivers. Last fall, for the first time, one was verified in the Stanislaus River.

The prehistoric-looking greens are different from other bony fish in that their skeleton is made of cartilage, producing a sponge-like feel, and they possess large bony plates, called scutes, instead of scales. They can live 70 years, weigh up to 350 pounds and have a maximum length of more than 8 feet.

In its two years in existence, the outmigration survey has collected new information to determine how long the juveniles occupy the upper Sacramento River after leaving hatching areas near the Red Bluff Diversion Dam before entering the Bay-Delta Estuary near downtown Sacramento, 160 river miles away. Tracking is accomplished after captured juveniles are surgically implanted with micro-acoustic telemetry tags that “ping” at intervals up to 10 seconds.

The fish are then tracked using an elaborate set of receivers in the water that are also utilized by other agencies such as the National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The implanted tags can last from 100 to 184 days, depending on the size of the fish and ping rates of the device, said Poytress, a fish biologist in Red Bluff who heads up the project.

“The collaboration with other agencies and researchers has been exceptional,” Poytress noted. “There are many different agencies interested in what this species is doing and where it is and at what time of the year.”

“Knowing more about this species can allow regulatory biologists to work with project proponents to provide such things as work windows where impacts to fish and their populations can be minimized or, in some cases, eliminated,” Poytress continued. “This knowledge is also very helpful for managers of California’s water resources and their

Crew leader Praetorius fixes a net that developed a snag in the middle of a survey trawl.

(STEVE MARTARANO/USFWS)

Cheskiewicz checks his data as night falls on the upper Sacramento River.

(STEVE MARTARANO/USFWS)

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Pirkola logs information gathered on fish collected during the nightly trawls.

(STEVE MARTARANO/USFWS)

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(STEVE MARTARANO/USFWS)

end users.”

Data from 2017 has been coming in this spring and is being analyzed now, said Poytress. That data shows that 20 of 55 tagged fish made it to the legal Delta boundary, with 54 of the 55 fish getting detections. Almost 70 percent of those were detected by three or more acoustic receivers (five were tagged in 2018 prior to the March storms and included). In the prior year, data showed up to 95 percent detections.

“Interestingly, 69 percent were last detected during storm events as river flows and turbidity increased,” Poytress said. He said that flow and turbidity appear to cue migration where some fish moved significantly during flow events, a pattern seen both in 2016 and 2017.

The third season of the survey starts in September, depending on when the larvae show up in the Red Bluff Diversion Dam traps, which is an indication spawning has occurred. One change will be an additional number of detection receivers.

“This year we will still be interested in Delta entry timing and cues, but we also want to take a look at having more receivers covering the upper river in a two-dimensional array to obtain finer-scale habitat use movements prior to outmigration,” Praetorius said.

Poytress added that the hope for the 2018 surveys and beyond will be to obtain habitat data that will quantify ju-

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PROTECTING

WILD CALIFORNIA venile green sturgeon rearing habitat in the Sacramento River.

The data will be compared with winter-run Chinook juvenile habitat to see how much area exists and overlaps from a water temperature perspective.

BACK ON THE WATER After a half-dozen net trawls that December night failed to produce a green sturgeon, the crew decided to try a new sampling location upstream. Quickly over the next three trawls, a total of four juveniles were caught.

For the last 90 minutes of the trip, after declaring “it’s time for surgery,” Praetorius successfully implanted tiny acoustic receiver tags into each sturgeon, then released them back into the river. The night’s catch meant they were surprisingly just a few fish shy of the survey’s limit of 50, a number few on the team thought they’d reach.

“In 2016, we got 21 and had to work

At the end of the night, the crew show the four captured and successfully tagged green sturgeon that are ready to be released back into the upper Sacramento River. (STEVE MARTARANO/USFWS)

really hard for that,” Praetorius said. “But no one’s done this before and we are learning as we go, continuing to learn from our experiences and refining our methods along the way.” CS

26 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

Editor’s note: Steve Martarano is a public affairs specialist in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Fish and Wildlife Office and based in Sacramento. For more on the USFWS Pacific Southwest Region, check out fws.gov/cno.

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OUTDOOR CALENDAR

This is a great month to hit the Eastern Sierra, what with severalPROTECTING derbies scheduled, including the How Big is Big Fishing Derby on the West Walker River, the Bridgeport Fish Fest at Twin Lakes and the Mono Village Summer Fishing Derby. (MONO COUNTY TOURISM)

WILD CALIFORNIA

JULY 1 1-31

Cottontail rabbit season opener How Big is Big Fishing Derby, West Walker River; northernmonochamber.com 7 California free fishing day; wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/ Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days 14-Aug. 5 Archery deer season in Zone A (South Unit 110 along Central Coast) 14 Lake Pardee Team Kokanee Derby; kokaneepower.org 14 Kiwanis Club Special Olympics Trout Derby, Wishon Lake; kiwanisdivisionfive.com/Special_Olympics.php 14 Archery deer season opener in Zone A 16 Sacramento River and adjacent rivers’ king salmon opener 27-28 Bridgeport Fish Fest, Twin Lakes; twinlakeresort.com 27-29 Ultimate Big Fish Derby, Big Bear Lake; bigbearfishingassociation.org 28 Archery deer season opener in Zone B-4 26-Aug. 5 Mono Village Summer Fishing Derby, Upper Twin Lakes; monovillage.com 29 Kids’ Fishing Festival, Mammoth Lakes; (760) 937-2942

AUGUST 11

Stampede Reservoir Team Kokanee Derby; kokaneepower.org/derbies.php

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Crowley Lake Stillwater Classic derby; (760) 935-4301 Klamath River king salmon season opens Archery deer season openers in most B, C and D zones General pronghorn antelope buck season in most zones Falconry pheasant, quail, chukar, sooty grouse and white-tailed ptarmigan seasons open

Note: For a complete list of bass fishing tournaments, go to dfg.ca.gov/FishingContests/default.aspx

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s e r u t n e v d A We’re not ashamed to admit it: Todd Kline has the kind of life we wish we could experience. Kline’s a former professional surfer, a successful co-angler on the FLW Tour and a Southern California bass guide, plus he gets to travel the world as a commentator for the World Surf League’s telecasts. Todd has agreed to give us a peek on what he’s up to each month. For more on Todd or to book a guided fishing trip with him, check out toddklinefishing.com, and you can follow him on Instagram (@toddokrine). –The Editor

I went to Japan this past month to announce a surf competition. This was the beach where the contest took place and I am sitting (front right) with the local crew. I love the people and food in Japan. (TODD KLINE) Hanging loose in the land of the Rising Sun. (TODD KLINE)

I had some great guide trips this month. In between outings I found time to get on the water and bust a decent one on the IMA Glide Fluke. (TODD KLINE) A friend of mine in the Marine Corps received a major promotion. The ceremony at Camp Pendleton was awesome. (TODD KLINE)

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PHOTO CONTEST

WINNERS!

Marvin Holder is the winner of our monthly Yo-Zuri Photo Contest. His pic of Caden and Nathan Holder with razor clams dug on the Washington Coast last January scores him gear from the company that makes some of the world’s best fishing lures and lines!

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Jon Jackman is our monthly Browning Photo Contest winner, thanks to this shot of his Washington mule deer buck, taken during last September’s wilderness hunt. It wins him a Browning hat!

For your shot at winning Browning and Yo-Zuri products, send your photos and pertinent (who, what, when, where) details to ccocoles@ media-inc.com, or to California Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124-0365. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or internet publications. calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

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FISHING

THESE FLATFISH ARE PHAT FISH CALIFORNIA HALIBUT PROVIDE ANGLERS WITH A GOOD FIGHT, GREAT FOOD

By Tim E. Hovey

I

was about 9 years old and fishing the calm waters of the Santa Barbara Harbor when I caught my first California halibut. Dragging it up on the boat dock, I remember being amazed at the flatfish with both eyes on one side. When I returned home, I read all I could about the crazy fish that looked like a pancake with eyes.

Since that time I have become absolutely fascinated with halibut.

When I began snorkeling and diving in the ocean, I would spend all my time combing the sandy bottom looking for them. I knew they tasted great, and I also knew that they could get very big. When I first started venturing into the ocean, all I could think of was spearing a big one.

FLAT AND FANTASTIC Biologically, California halibut are amazing fish. They are voracious fish predators that lie in wait, camouflaged on the ocean floor. Many have two eyespots on their body, making them look like a larger predator than they actually are. It has been speculated that these spots help dissuade predators further up the food chain from preying on younger halibut.

They occur along the entire coast of California and are considered one of the most popular game species available to commercial and recreational anglers. Harvest data collect-

California halibut don’t reach the sizes of their cousins caught in North Pacific waters, but for Golden State anglers, these feisty flatfish offer a good fight and great eating. (PARKER MENDENHALL) calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

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FISHING ed over the last several years shows that recreational anglers consistently catch between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds of halibut annually. That is an amazing amount of fish when considering they’re all caught one at a time.

Abundant in the nearshore marine environment and readily caught on live bait, anglers can successfully put a few fillets in the freezers with relatively little effort.

Among party boat anglers, California halibut are considered one of the top targeted species on half- and three-quarter-day charters.

LIFE HISTORY As with most marine fishes, female halibut will reach a larger size than males. Males reach sexual maturity within two to three years and females reach maturity after four to five years. Research has shown that the halibut spawning season runs from February through August. However, they may spawn year-round depending on seasonal water temperature.

California halibut are what are known as broadcast spawners. The female will release an immense amount of eggs and the male fertilizes them in the water column.

Fertile eggs will hatch in a few days and larval halibut will float with the current living off their yolk sac. Once they have exhausted the yolk sac and their mouths have fully formed, they will feed on plankton and smaller aquatic invertebrates. Free-swimming halibut larvae develop with an eye on each side of their heads, just like regular fish larvae. They are laterally compressed and swim just like other species of fish too.

But at about 35 days of development, one eye will begin to migrate to one side of the fish’s head, and it will begin to adopt a more flatfish swimming behavior. Surprisingly, 60 percent of the time the eye will migrate to the left side of the fish and 40 percent of the time the eye migrates to the right.

At about day 35 in a halibut’s life, one eye will begin to migrate to one side of its head, and the fish will begin to adopt a more flatfish-type swimming behavior. Plenty of both live bait and lure options (right) can score halibut. They must be at least 22 inches to retain, and the daily bag limit is five in Southern California waters, three in the northern part of the state. (JD MICHAEL)

To determine if you have a lefteyed or right-eyed halibut, turn the fish on its side with the mouth pointing upwards. Whichever side the eyes are on while holding the fish in this position will tell you if you have a left-eyed or right-eyed fish.

Coastal bays and lagoons act as nursery grounds for developing halibut. Juvenile flatfish are drawn into these calm, protected waters as larvae by the currents. They will spend the first few years of their lives getting bigger before they head out to the open coast.

Data gathered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife suggests that most coastal halibut inhab-

42 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

it water depths of 60 meters, or 200 feet, or less. At times, larger adults can be found in just a few feet of water near the surf. Surf fishermen who use larger crankbaits can frequently catch legal-sized and larger halibut

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FISHING With salmon runs struggling and seasons limited, halibut provide California anglers with a nice summer saltwater fishing option. (PARKER MENDENHALL)

Author Tim Hovey shows off his biggest California halibut, a 23-pounder caught a few years back around Oceanside in San Diego County. (TIM E. HOVEY)

44 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

casting from the sand.

CATCHING HALIBUT I’ve caught halibut a number of different ways. They will regularly take a variety of lures bounced off the sandy bottom. A leadhead lure rigged with just about any color of soft plastic will get bit.

I’ve also caught dozens of legal halibut in many Southern California bays using swimbaits, jigs and silver casting lures. I feel like if I can put a lure in front of a resting halibut, I can get him to bite.

In my opinion, live bait is the best way to consistently catch halibut.

Using a dropper-loop or a Carolina rig – baited with a live sardine or anchovy – I’ll drift fish this set-up and bounce the weight off the bottom.

The weight disturbs the sediment on the seafloor and the silvery baitfish is dragged behind.

Using this method, strikes are usually violent and sudden. This type of fishing is more successful from a boat and often results in encountering larger halibut.

Back in 2003, I was drift fishing a live sardine off of Oceanside north of San Diego when a strike nearly broke the rod held in a rod holder.

The 23-pound halibut took me 30 minutes to bring to gaff. To this day it is still my largest California halibut.

A handful of times I’ve even caught halibut still-fishing with bait.

While fishing off a pier, I’ve caught legal halibut off salted anchovies and squid. However, as halibut are ambush predators, I feel that lure or bait movement is crucial to consistently catching fish.

When hooked, halibut have a distinct behavior with head shaking.

They are a strong fish at the end of a line and make powerful, fast runs, especially near the end of the fight when they see the shore or the boat.

California halibut can be a yearround fishing target. There is a minimum size limit of 22 inches and a bag limit of five fish per day in the southern portion of the state and three per

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day in the north.

California halibut are an excellent seafood option for your dinner table. The flesh is white and flaky with a mild flavor. Baked or fried, halibut steaks are among my favorite type of fish to eat. Due to their unique shape, halibut will yield four sizeable fillets when cleaned. Their fighting ability and great taste are likely the reasons California halibut are highly prized among recreational anglers.

DIVING DOWN As a diver, searching the sandy bottom for hiding halibut is one of my favorite ways to spend my time in the water. Halibut are masters of camouflage and will frequently dust themselves with sand to essentially disappear.

Usually staging near structure, halibut will sit still for hours waiting for unsuspecting prey to swim close. I’ll slowly swim the edges of the coastal kelp beds looking for any variation on the seafloor. I can spend hours drifting the shallows and hunting the bottom for halibut.

If you’re a diver and enjoy gathering your bounty from the sea, spend some time searching the ocean floor for those characteristic eyespots sitting in the sand.

A UBIQUITOUS OPTION California halibut are abundant and available over the entire California coast. They are highly prized as a food fish and the top target of most recreational anglers.

Whether you’re tossing lures into the local bay or slow-drifting live bait off the coast, the chance of hooking a monster halibut is only one cast away.

And if you venture into the water for your food, nothing will equal the rush of spotting one laying in the sand. If I’m ocean fishing, I’m always hopeful that the next bite I get is that of a hard-fighting California halibut. CS 46 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

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SOCAL

BLUEFIN CLOSE IN THE TUNA ARE PROWLING MEXICAN WATERS AND COULD SOON BE OFF THE SOUTHLAND COAST Jeff King hoists a nice bluefin taken on iron. These coveted tuna – some can reach 200 pounds – are beginning to head towards Southern California waters. (JEFF KING)

By Capt. Bill Schaefer

T

he long awaited bluefin tuna bite is on, but boats have had to travel to get to them. And since they arrived south of the border, the fish have been finicky.

Oh, they are there, as meters show thousands of fish. But production has been hit and miss for some boats. Sometimes you need to be lucky and find already-feeding fish.

And sometimes you need to chum them up and get the party started. Fish have been spotted from off Southern California to beyond the U.S.-Mexico border and should go full-steam ahead any day.

Storms off Southern California have not helped matters, as small boats haven’t been able to explore the waters. But there are a few skippers who are braving the not-sosettled ocean to look around, with

some being rewarded with nice tuna.

Use iron to target feeding bluefin. You don’t want to put fish down by racing too fast up to the action.

Try to go upwind and drift into it.

If the fish are really going, then they will stay up and you will be rewarded.

Watch for bird schools working the leftovers of bluefin feeding fests.

For tackle, you will need to break out your favorite jigstick and iron.

White or variations of white with slight accent colors seem to be the hot ticket right now, but in a feeding frenzy the fish will eat almost anything.

I like to go with mono for these fish, with 30- to 50-pound Maxima Ultragreen doing the trick. For the rod-and-reel setup I like a Daiwa Saltiga – a two-speed, if you have it – and a matching jigstick.

Fish have been anywhere from the 30-pound class all the way up

to 200-pounders. You’re in for a battle with these fish and it’s usually a lengthy one. But sore arms mean a satisfying reward. Make sure you have a variety of tackle options on the boat.

Hurricanes have been starting to show in warmer waters, which usually pushes the fish up into Southern California in even larger numbers.

The same goes for other exotics like dorado and yellowfin.

Remember that you can’t just grab your rod and go fishing if you want to bring some fish home. You need to make sure you left everything in good shape from the year before.

If your gear requires it, respool your line and check out your drags.

Also note that a sparring match with a tuna that lasts an hour will test your tackle, so grease the reel and check your guides. You don’t want to lose that bluefin of a lifetime. CS

calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

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SOCAL

RAID THE SHADE

SUMMER’S BRIGHT SUN SENDS BASS TO COVER, DEEPER, AND ANGLERS SHOULD FISH THOSE SPOTS A deep-diving crankbait is a great way to explore deep-water points for sun-shy bass. (BILL SCHAEFER)

By Bill Schaefer

W

ell, we finally got through the postspawn blues and bass fishing just seems to keep getting better in Southern California.

Yet with summer arriving, so do those hot bluebird skies that can seem to turn off the bite. There’s always something that can put a twist on bass fishing.

Next time you head to the lake, I’ve got a few helpful tactics that can help you through the day and hopefully catch more bass. Don’t give up just yet.

SUN GETS IN THEIR EYES You have to remember that bass don’t have eyelids and the bright sunlight can affect them, even in stained water. The bass will move to cover to shade themselves and give themselves a vantagepoint to attack their prey.

When the sun is low in the morning, that is why you get a little more action. The bass are on the move then, but that bite tends to die off as the sun rises high in the sky.

You have to think about this a little and attack those areas where the bass may retreat to. Tules, rocky areas, and brush are just a few, along with sliding out into deeper water.

LOOK FOR COVER If you are catching bass in the morning under low light, then fish some of those areas I just mentioned as the sun rises. Flipping tules or brush with jigs or creature baits will work wonders this time of year.

Fish brush the same way, as well as rocky points and anything that casts shade. Deeper points, close to where you had action earlier in the day, may now hold those bass while they wait for an easy meal to pass by.

Sometimes with stained waters the bright sun may not be quite as strong as with gin-clear waters.

Crankbaits run across outside points may be another place to fish once the sun is up.

KEEP THE FAITH A lot of bass anglers give up on these bright sunny days, but you can continue to catch fish as long as you adapt. So don’t leave that flipping stick at home and don’t forget to use it. If the lake has no tules or sunken brush, you need to fish the points, because that point is structure itself.

Think about rock piles and old river bends that bass may slide out onto.

This will move you to the next level of catching rather than just fishing.

Taking chances will reward you more times and as your confidence grows, you will become a better bass fisherman. CS

calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

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SOCAL

BIRTHDAY BASS BASH

LAKE CASITAS PROVIDES A SOCAL TRANSPLANT WITH FISHING FUN ON HER SPECIAL DAY

By Lisa Selner

F

ishing is such a jubilant pastime – an activity that can be enjoyed alone or with those closest to you.

I have enjoyed many delightful outings on quiet and serene lakes, quaint little ponds, rippling rivers and along their scenic banks, and atop the waves of the ocean and alongside its foamy surf.

Fishing can sometimes require a lot of patience, but at the same time also provide hours of peace, quiet and serenity. The thrill of a big catch as it battles your line can be electrifying!

For me, fishing has been quite an enjoyable diversion over the years. And some of my fondest memories are of walleye and northern pike catches on Devils

Lake, North Dakota; striped bass catches along the Atlantic coast and on Chesapeake Bay in Maryland; red drum on Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico in Florida; and shark fishing endeavors on the Pacific Ocean, right off Southern California’s coastline.

I’ve also enjoyed quite a few charter fishing trips out of Ventura and Santa Barbara to catch rockfish and Pacific red snapper during my time spent in California. I’ve been residing in the Golden State for eight years now and I take advantage of many outdoor-related pursuits throughout the year on my personal time.

BASS FOR MY BIRTHDAY A birthday largemouth bass trip to Ventura County’s Lake Casitas

One of the most prized bass fisheries in Southern California, Casitas Lake was where author Lisa Selner had one of her best fishing experiences since moving to the state eight years ago. (LISA SELNER)

provided one of my most favorite fishing memories during my time in Southern California so far.

Casitas is a man-made lake near Ojai and about 20 minutes north

calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

55

SOCAL Man-made Casitas is a source of drinking water for many Ventura County residents. It’s also a popular recreation lake and regularly spits out giant bass. (LISA SELNER)

on Highway 33 from Ventura. It was created by the construction of Casitas Dam on Coyote Creek. The dam was completed in November 1958 as part of the Ventura River Project and was reinforced in 2000 to help withstand earthquakes. The Casitas Municipal Water District

provides roughly 70,000 residents of western Ventura County with water. But the reservoir’s also one of the area’s most popular recreation destinations.

I had the pleasure of accompanying guide Marc Mitrany of Ojai Angler (805-701-2835; ojaiangler.

56 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

com). Marc has been sharing his knowledge and experience on Lake Casitas since 1973, just miles from his childhood home. The lake is famous for trophy largemouth, and Casitas is also filled with bluegill, crappie, rainbow trout, redear sunfish and channel catfish.

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SOCAL On the morning of my fishing trip, I reeled in nearly a dozen largemouth once the fog lifted, and I was spellbound by the myriad schools of fish and all the wildlife around the lake – an exciting morning for a biologist!

Marc had captured baitfish first thing in the morning and they worked like a charm once we found some hunger-crazed schools of bass. Marc referred to a couple of these schools as “a true wolfpack of largemouth bass.”

The experienced guide was just as amazed at the sight of so many fish as I was.

Ojai Angler offers full- and halfday trips using top-of-the-line rods and reels. They provide artificial lure, live bait and combo trips. Mitrany and his wife and Amy also welcome beginner and junior anglers, a plus for all ages and levels of experience!

I’m looking forward to another

It was a memorable experience for Selner to use baitfish caught that morning by guide Marc Mitrany to land nice-sized bass. (LISA SELNER)

trip with Ojai Angler in the future and hope that any readers interested in bass fishing in Southern California take advantage of this amazing and spellbinding opportunity.

Happy fishing to all. CS Editor’s note: Lisa Selner is a wildlife biologist for California Wildlife Services.

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CENTRAL VALLEY

CATFISH ARE HOT STUFF AT YUBA COUNTY LAKE SUMMER’S SOARING TEMPS MEAN TROUT TAKE BACKSEAT TO HUNGRY CATFISH AT COLLINS LAKE

By Chris Cocoles

C

ollins Lake’s spring attraction is its trout fishing prowess, and why not? This popular lake east of Yuba City and Marysville has some of the area’s most liberal trout plants.

And while you can still score one of the many rainbows that have been stocked, the expected rising temperatures means catfish become angler’s summer crush.

“The trout bite definitely starts to slow down as compared to the spring, but we still see a decent amount of trout activity throughout the hotter summer months,” says Jacob Young of Collins Lake resort (800-286-0576; collinslake.com).

“They have definitely dropped down deep to 30 feet down, so there has been less activity from the shore and more from anglers trolling with downriggers. PowerBait and Kastmasters are still the popular bait and lure we see anglers using.”

Still, as Young admits, “This is the season for catfish.”

Recent catches at Collins include a 12.2-pounder caught near the dam with sardines and a

Eric and Renee Crow used sardines to entice this 12-plus-pound catfish near one of Collins Lake’s campsites. Summer means the catfish are biting at this popular lake east of Yuba City/Marysville. (COLLINS LAKE) calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

61

CENTRAL VALLEY Lucky Williams of Richmond lived up to his name by catching this 5.75-pounder on worms. “This is the season for catfish,” Jacob Young of Collins Lake declares. (COLLINS LAKE)

5.75-pound cat in the same area. Cut bait and chicken livers are the tickets to filling the stringers.

“Late summer and early fall are the prime seasons for catfish, specifically throughout August and September when we expect to see the most catfish activity,” Young says.

Still, July will see plenty of catfish caught. One great option is for anglers to take a short hike on the Hidden Spruce Trail that splices out from the main campground and recreation area on the north side and hits various spots to fish from shore like Elmers Cove, where a 3-pound catfish was recently caught. The lake’s recreation area recently opened the trail to provide some new fishing areas and nature walks.

“This also allows for anglers to get access to new areas of shoreline that used to be harder to access for shore fishing,” Young says.

Collins Lake recently opened 62 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

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Catfish will eat many different baits, even a hot dog, which was gobbled up by this 3-pounder.

(COLLINS LAKE)

a swimming dock to allow campers, day trippers and even anglers a chance to cool off in the lake as summer temperatures regularly approach triple digits.

“We are currently at the peak of the camping season,” Young says.

“The campground is typically sold out on the weekends and still busy on the weekdays with campers, recreational boaters and fishermen.”

Go to collinslake.com/fishing for the latest fishing reports. CS 64 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

65

BAIT & TACKLE

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Kayak angler Jared Rivera’s set-up initially included a float, which was subsequently discarded to make the contents of the rig even simpler: a small, undressed jighead and lighter mainline – “all the tackle I needed for the day.” For bait, he plucked the plentiful Mormon crickets off the water, his kayak, his legs, etc., and skewered them on the hook. Bites came on top and as the set-up sank through the top few feet of water.

Rivera also retied his 4-pound line to the jighead every five catfish or so to reduce the chances of frayed line breaking. It’s unclear if the hot fishing he experienced was dependent on some biblical-scale cricket plague or not, but of the rig he writes, “It was dead simple and deadly effective.” Fly guys who venture to the dark side – or at least can whip up a good Mormon cricket pattern – could have epic days as well, Rivera adds. –CS

4-plus-pound mainline

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(JARED RIVERA)

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SIERRA

CAST AND CATCH

All Steve Butts wanted to do was cast a few times into the Tuolumne River when he and his girlfriend made a quick stop on their way through Tuolumne Meadows. He sure wasn’t expecting to catch this monster 30-inch brown. (STEVE BUTTS)

A QUICK TUOLUMNE RIVER STOPOVER LEADS TO BIG BROWN

By Mike Stevens

W

hat was supposed to be a quick break to stretch the legs and walk the dog on a trip from Yosemite Valley to Mammoth Lakes ended up yielding a possible fish of a lifetime for an angler from Chico.

Steve Butts was traveling with his girlfriend Layla Yaganeh and their dog when they decided to stop in Tuolumne Meadows to break up the drive. As anglers tend to do in such situations, he couldn’t help but make a few casts

into the Tuolumne River.

“My original plan was to spend a couple of hours in Tuolumne Meadows with my girlfriend and dog, but it was cut down to a quick stop,” Butts said. “We had only 15 minutes or so, so we got out.

Of course I walked straight to the river with my girlfriend and dog close behind. I threw out my Sierra Slammer a few times and saw a couple small fish follow it back, and I felt automatic pressure from my girlfriend because we were technically supposed to be walking the dog.”

Taking it down to the itty bitties, Butts was using a Sierra Slammers 2-inch pearl Mini Swim on a 1/16-ounce jighead and deploying it with a 5-foot ultralight rod and 2-pound line.

He called out that obligatory “last cast” into a shallow, flooded-grass area when he connected with a fish that, generally speaking, had no business hanging out in this area.

“I reeled fast until it reached a drop off, and that’s where I slowed it down and let it drop a little deeper, and it got hit right away,” he said. “I was in shock when I saw its dorsal fin, and all I could

calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

71

SIERRA think of was how everything I read about the area said that 12inch fish were about the max size.

I saw the fin and thought maybe it was a huge suckerfish, but as it came close I got a real look at it, and my original plan to release it without a net changed.”

GETTING WET Butts pleaded for his girlfriend to run and get the net, and by the time she returned with it, he had taken off his shoes and socks and emptied his pockets in preparation to jump into the drink. The tanker German brown had freight-trained upstream into another shallow area and got wrapped up in some grass.

The spot was sketchy if not dangerous – it’s where three channels of the Tuolumne dump into one deep hole. The fish untangled just before he went in after it.

Butts fought the fish for “a few

more minutes” before it came to the net. Not wanting to injure the fish, he didn’t want to measure it but taped it out at 30 inches long with an 18-inch girth before releasing it back into the Tuolumne.

Layla took video of the scuffle, which resulted in some incredible stats in the form of a timeline detailing the ordeal from start to finish. Butts said he arrived at 11:47 a.m. He was fishing by 11:50, hooked up at 11:53, had it in the net at 12:02 p.m. and released it a minute later. Talk about efficient use of limited fishing time!

“That was my first time fishing in Tuolumne Meadows,” said Butts.

“I now feel like I deserve many days of being skunked in Tuolumne Meadows just to make up for the fish of a lifetime I was very fortunate to catch. I’m going back to get a more realistic view of the area and, of course, I’m going to see if I can catch that big brown again!” CS

72 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

Barefoot and a bit wet and overwhelmed, Butts admired then quickly released his trophy fish, capping off a frantic few minutes all anglers dream of experiencing.

(STEVE BUTTS))

BEST OF LAKE ISABELLA KERN RIVER VALLEY

Brett Ege and friends hit the jackpot!

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GET READY TO HUNT FROM FIELD ...

SCOUTING AND FITNESS SHOULD BE ON YOUR GOALS LIST AS BIG GAME SEASONS NEAR

By Scott Haugen

B

ecause I make my living in the outdoors, I spend a lot of time year-round in the woods. It’s there that I learn all I can about the animals I hunt.

July, however, marks my favorite time of year when it comes to scouting, as this is when antlered game is very visible.

When it comes to deer and elk, the bucks and bulls are growing their racks this time of year. I see a lot of animals during July and August because they’re in velvet.

A velvet-covered antler is one of the fastest-growing tissues on the planet, and the blood-rich rack is sensitive to the touch. As a result, bucks and bulls often spend all day in the open to be outside of the timber and thick brush. They don’t want to damage their rack, as it’s their status symbol, what they use as defense against predators and what they rely on to defend themselves in the rut.

WHERE ARE THE DEER? Early and late in the day are Velvet-covered antlers are sensitive, leading bucks to hang out more in the open, making them more visible this time of year. The author photographed this magnificent blacktail in the foothills of Northern California’s Coast Range. (SCOTT HAUGEN) calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

77

NORCAL

... TO FIRE

VENISON? EGG? PIZZA? BREAKFAST? YOU BET!

By Tiffany Haugen

J

uly marks the start of archery deer season in some parts of California, making it the earliest deer season in the country. Hungry?

Whether you’re hitting the woods in search of fresh venison or looking to make space in that freezer, this is a recipe you’ll love.

Homemade pizza is a family favorite that can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. With a Camp Chef Artisan Pizza oven on the back porch or set up in camp, pizzas of all kinds become a fast and easy meal sure to please any palate.

Pizza crust can be made ahead of time, bought fresh from the grocery store or even purchased premade.

Sauce can range from traditional tomato-based marinara to creamy pesto to ranch dressing. Obviously, cheese and toppings can run the gamut and when making individual-sized pizzas, everyone can create their own masterpiece.

A few tricks to making great pizza are

to keep the crust as thin as possible and limit toppings to a minimum so everything cooks through at once.

6 to 8 ounces pizza dough or prepared, pan-baked 10-inch crust ¼ cup mozzarella cheese ¼ cup venison sausage, uncooked 2 tablespoons marinara sauce 1 egg Salt and pepper to taste Cornmeal Fresh parsley for garnish, if desired Sprinkle cornmeal onto a flat surface.

Using your hands, begin to shape the dough into a circle. Place on cornmeal and continue rolling dough with a rolling pin to desired diameter and thickness. Sprinkle more cornmeal onto a wooden pizza paddle and transfer crust to paddle.

Spread marinara sauce evenly over crust and sprinkle with cheese. Cut sausage into small cubes or pinch off

78 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

Pizza with a wild game and egg twist makes for an awesome alternative breakfast or anytime meal. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

small bits of sausage and distribute evenly over cheese. Crack egg in the middle of the pizza (if you prefer a well-cooked egg, pan-fry for a few minutes before adding to the pizza).

Salt and pepper the egg to taste.

Slide pizza into a preheated 425-degree oven and cook until the bottom of the crust begins to brown. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s popular book Cooking Big Game, visit tiffanyhaugen.com.

Follow Tiffany on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and watch for her on the online series Cook With Cabela’s, The Sporting Chef TV show, and The Hunt, on Netflix.

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Nonmotorized-access-only roads like this are great avenues to finding big game. Traveling them on a mountain bike is quick, quiet and efficient.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

80 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

when I see most animals, but I also see a lot of mature bucks and bulls in the middle of the day. As the sun shifts, the animals that were bedded in shade can overheat as the sun hits them, and then they get up to re-bed.

While some may nibble for a few minutes, others get up, take a few steps into the shade and bed back down. I scout all day long for this reason.

A spotting scope is my most valuable summer scouting tool. Mine is a Swarovski ATX with a 25-to60-power eyepiece and a 95mm high-definition objective lens.

Another valuable tool is an adapter for my iPhone. Through digiscoping, animals that are over 1,000 yards away can have a photo snapped of them, allowing me to look closely at them on the computer.

Gated roads that allow non-motorized access are some of the best places to scout in summer. This is

PACIFIC NORTHWEST SPOTLIGHT because few hunters venture off the main roads. While walking can be effective, taking a mountain bike behind gates will allow you to cover a lot more ground.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION If you can’t make it out scouting as much as you’d like, put trail cameras to use. Situating cameras along game trails and near promising habitat in the areas you’ll be hunting come fall can reveal a lot.

Summertime scouting can also be done at home. Google Earth is a favorite tool of many hunters, and you can monitor wildfires through websites like wildfires.com.

Learning all you can about the behaviors and lifecycle of the animals you’re hunting is a major plus.

There are some excellent books out there on hunting deer and elk.

Find these resources and learn from them, as that’s why they’re written: to share valued information.

There’s no substitute for learning about wild game through personal observation, as in scouting, but reading what others have learned is a close second.

WORKOUT PLAN Getting in shape for hunting season should also start now, if it hasn’t already. You don’t have to be a world-class athlete to be a successful hunter. If your weight is where it should be, your core strength is optimal and your cardio is maintained, you’ve increased your chances of hunting success.

A 30-minute weight workout five times a week, plus three days dedicated to cardio work, will perform wonders. Ten minutes on an Airdyne bike three times a week will provide a great, all-around body workout that does wonders for your cardio levels.

Working the abs two days a week – in addition to your 30-minute weight workout – and cardio work is a good idea. Stretching and yoga can be valuable additions. Round out

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Not only are spotting scopes one of the most valuable summer scouting tools out there, but put a mobile phone on them and a whole new world opens up. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

the training with a healthy diet and you’ve just taken your ability to hunt more effectively to another level.

TIME TO GET BUSY Summer marks the time to start getting in shape for hunting season. Making scouting part of your workout routine will also accomplish two goals, plus offer a welcome change of pace.

The more time you spend in the woods, the more you’ll learn about the game you pursue. From my more than 40 years of big game hunting experience, nothing offers more insight than learning from the animals themselves.

Now is a great time to be out there, enjoying nature, watching animals and learning all you can.

Habitats and animal densities can change from year to year, making scouting even more important. In the end, there’s no substitute for actually being in the woods, and the benefits of those efforts will be recognized come hunting season. CS Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s best selling book Trophy Blacktails: The Science Of The Hunt, send $20 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or order online at scotthaugen.com.

calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

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HUNTING

GET CRACKIN’ ON HOPPERS JULY’S ARRIVAL BRINGS COTTONTAIL SEASON, A BELOVED OPPORTUNITY FOR ONE CALIFORNIA HUNTER

By Tim E. Hovey

S

tarting about the third week of May I begin to see a shift in my outdoor interests.

The rods, reels and tackle that have been out and cluttering up the shop since the end of hunting season start getting moved aside to make room for what’s coming.

As we move into June, I notice that I stare a few seconds longer at pairs of mourning dove that cut through the neighborhood at dusk looking for roosts. I also start pointing out cottontail rabbits that began to show up in the brushy patches near my house.

My wife usually demonstrates her level of interest in my talent for pointing out suburban wildlife by rolling her eyes. She knows what’s coming and she’s become used to a noticeable elevation in my hyperactivity at this time of year. It can only mean that hunting season is right around the corner.

FOR MOST OF MY ADULT life, my friends and family have known not to include me in any plans once the calendar page flips after June 30. As we move through the true beginning of summer, I start getting my hunting gear ready to chase the fast and abundant cottontail rabbit.

July 1st is opening day of the

Deer and upland bird seasons are getting closer, but hunters should take note that July 1 marks the opening of cottontail rabbit season in California, a date that author Tim Hovey (bottom, left with daughter Alyssa) circles on his summer calendar. (USFWS/STEVE MARTARANO; TIM E. HOVEY)

season and, to me, it is a day more exciting than Christmas. Hunting rabbits near my house in Atascadero along the Central Coast was where my hunting career started. Some 40 years later, that youthful hunting excitement remains today.

Following an exceptional rain year in spring 2017, I started to notice a serious abundance of rabbits in

the areas I hunt. The much-needed water had greened up the hills and the wildlife had definitely responded favorably.

During one scouting trip, I counted over 80 rabbits during a two-hour hike. Seeing the rebounding wildlife as the season approached convinced me that this amazing bounty had to be shared.

calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

87

HUNTING Last season, I hunted with several different friends and, of course, my daughters. The kids seemed to really enjoy the spot-and-stalk method of chasing cottontails. Moving slowly through the brush during the early morning, we’d spot rabbits waiting for the warmth of the sun near their burrows. Using shooting sticks and .17 HMR rifles, the kids had no problem dropping their first five-rabbit limits of cottontails.

When it was my turn, I’d grab the shotgun and walk through the sage looking for flashes of brown fur cutting through the very narrow shooting lanes. Rabbits will usually hold tight until disturbed, then suddenly burst from cover.

Depending on the thickness of the habitat, you may only get a split second to take a shot. This flash of opportunity is challenging to me and the reason why I love chasing bunnies.

Shotgun hunting is my favorite way of pursuing cottontails. Rabbits are thin-skinned animals and any size shotgun loaded with number 7s or 8s work fine.

In the last few years I’ve added a specialized choke to my Browning Silver Hunter. It helps me extend the range of my shots. This has definitely helped me fill my bag limit faster in wide open country. So has scouting.

Rabbits will occupy a wide range of areas if permanent water is around. They love sage bushes, rabbit brush and any vegetation that provides thick cover. They are more active in the early morning and later afternoon during the cooler parts of the day. During the heat of the day, they’ll usually head underground to stay cool.

Scouting for rabbits is easy. I actually look for a good, safe area to shoot first and then walk through brush trying to kick up bunnies. Old and new rabbit droppings in the area will usually tell me if any are using the surrounding habitat. If green vegetation and a water source are

Jessica Hovey had a good day hunting rabbits, which provide a great outdoor opportunity for kids to hone their shooting skills. (TIM E. HOVEY)

ADDING RABBIT TO THE MENU Another reason our family loves to hunt rabbits is because they are one of our favorite wild species to eat.

Before we head out, I make sure our coolers are filled with ice blocks.

I will almost always field dress and prepare the meat out in the wild.

Doing this allows me to get the meat on ice quicker. Back home, I will debone all the meat and decide how I want to prepare it.

88 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

The flavor is mild and the meat will pick up the flavor of any marinade.

We’ve prepared rabbit several different ways and have never been disappointed. The meat is easy to cook with and, essentially, rabbit can be substituted in any recipe that calls for chicken.

Last year we purchased a high-end smoker and this season I’m excited to try a few smoking recipes on our wild game like cottontails. TH

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calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

89

HUNTING close by, the area will hold rabbits.

AS I GET OLDER, I find that the fire to chase anything during hunting season by myself is dimming. I’d much rather spend my time outside with good friends and family, building memories. During the last cottontail opener, I invited my good friend Jose De Orta and his son Adrian along.

During last year’s dove season, Jose and I located a spot nearby that was absolutely loaded with rabbits.

So when it was time to hunt that same area we arrived the night before and spent the evening in a nearby hotel. We arrived at the hunting grounds an hour before daybreak and got our gear ready.

This was Adrian’s first shotgun hunt for cottontails. He had bagged a limit with a rifle, but those bunLast year’s big spring rains led to a bumper crop of bunnies, which in turn helped Hovey’s daughter Alyssa bag her first limit. (TIM E. HOVEY)

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nies were sitting in one spot and not moving. Swinging a shotgun on a moving target is tougher to do and was going to take some practice.

We spread out to give us all some room and started hunting. I hiked further north and walked a dry creek bed where we had seen rabbits during the dove season. I spotted a few bunnies but they were scattering out of range before I could get a shot. After an hour of hunting, I had yet to pull the trigger.

Meanwhile, over where Jose and his son were hunting, I heard the regular clap of shotguns being fired.

It sounded like I was in the wrong place.

I hiked back to where I had parked and noticed something under my truck. Several dead cottontails in two piles were placed in the shade of the vehicle.

I grabbed the rabbits and placed them in the cooler. I decided to drive further down the hunting area where Jose and his son were hunting.

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HUNTING

DON’T FORGET YOUR LICENSE Working for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, I’ve had the opportunity to discuss hunting and fishing regulations with quite a few wardens. Hands down, they state that their busiest time of the year – the season they write the most citations – is the cottontail opener.

My good friend James Kasper, who was a warden in Southern California for over a decade, tells me that most hunters just forget that their hunting license expires the day before the opener.

If you plan to chase rabbits this season, make sure you grab your new hunting license before you head out. TH The author (left, with Adrian and Jose De Orta) likes hunting rabbits with a shotgun. He added a special choke to his Browning Silver Hunter to extend its range. (TIM E. HOVEY)

We spent the next hour or so chasing game and enjoying the day.

Adrian limited out first and I was a close second. Jose closed out the

day with his limit around noon.

We gathered up our limits and took some great photos. After cleaning our rabbits, we headed home.

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I don’t think I’ll ever tire of chasing rabbits during the July 1 opener.

This season I’ll be camping overnight in the desert with a good buddy.

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Rabbit is a delicious meat that will readily take up marinades and can be substituted for chicken such as in stir-fry dishes. (TIM E. HOVEY)

We’ll walk the brush flats in the early morning and hopefully fill the coolers with fresh meat.

RABBIT HUNTING IS FUN and relatively easy. If you’re new to the sport, it’s a great way to get started. Plus in good rabbit habitat your opportunities will be abundant. A shotgun, a box of shells and a pair of good hiking boots are really all you need.

If you’ve chased bunnies before, do all sportsmen and -women a favor and take a new hunter out on a hunt. As I get older and seasons come and go, my enjoyment and success are measured in who’s with me and what I can pass on to others.

In my opinion, rabbit season is the perfect time to expose new hunters, young and old, to our hunting heritage. CS 94 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

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HUNTING

PUPS AND WATER

Making water entry fun for shy pups can be the key to success.

This may mean putting waders on, hopping in the pond and encouraging the pup to come to you. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

By Scott Haugen

A

s temperatures warm, it is time to introduce your gun dog pup to water. With some puppies, getting them interested in water is easy, while others may take time.

Being a former science teacher, I equate puppy learning to that of students. Not all students learn the same way, at the same rate, so how instruction is delivered has to be personally tailored. The same with dog training.

My first pup, Echo, took to water at eight weeks of age – the day we brought her home, in fact. She was on a leash, and happily walked through short grass, then tall grass, then right into a shallow creek. She waded the stream, getting her belly wet without a care in the world. At 16 weeks, as water temperatures warmed, she was swimming on her own, fetching bumpers and jumping in the water just to play.

HOWEVER, OUR OTHER pup, Kona, took some work. Early on he wanted nothing to do with water. He didn’t even like getting his feet wet. We introduced

him to shallow, clear water so he could see where he was going, but he wasn’t thrilled over the idea.

Echo, two years older than Kona, would run and jump into the water, and though Kona would excitedly watch, he’d rarely so much as get his feet wet. I got worried; every trick I tried failed.

Then, at about 18 weeks of age, Kona finally got excited about getting into the water, but would rarely go belly-deep. That’s when my wife Tiffany and I worked together and made fast progress.

Tiffany stayed on the bank of a shallow, clear pond, while I waded into the water with a bumper that Kona liked. I talked to him in a high voice and tried getting him excited, but he still wouldn’t get into the water.

“Let me try,” suggested Tiffany.

We switched places. Tiff reached into her pocket and grabbed a few bits of kibble, which she let Kona sniff.

I’m not a fan of using food for training unless it’s for discipline and hand-signal work, but I was willing to try anything to get Kona to swim.

Tiffany then waded shin-deep into the water. She took some food in

her hand and excitedly called Kona’s name in a high voice. Instantly his ears perked up and he waded right out to her. I called him back, and simultaneously, Tiff waded deeper. This time when she called, Kona pranced into the water and waded nearly to his back.

Kona was excited and loved this game, so we kept going. I got on one side of the pond and Tiffany got on the other. It was only 15 yards wide, but it was deep and Kona had to swim 10 yards of it if he wanted to reach Tiffany. I held him on the shallow side so he could start by wading and feeling the bottom. As he entered the water, Tiff excitedly called to him and showed him the food. He kept walking and was soon swimming on his own for the first time.

We repeated that one more time with food and Kona once again swam.

Then we switched places. But first I took a bird wing in my pocket, which I showed to Kona to get him excited.

Tiff held Kona in the shallows while I excitedly called to him and waved the wing from across the narrow stretch of pond. Without hesitation, Kona waded into the water, swam the entire way and grabbed the wing from

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HUNTING my hand. I praised him, let him run off with it a short distance, then called him back and took the wing back.

We ended the training session on a high note. Ever since that day, Kona has swam, no matter what he was after.

INDEED, PATIENCE IS the key when you introduce your pup to water.

Observe their behavior and demeanor, and know what gets them excited.

Starting them off in cold water can set them back, so don’t rush it.

Some pups won’t mind how cold the water is, but some will. This is where it’s up to you as their owner and trainer to read them and understand what they do and do not like.

The goal is to get the pup into water on its own and swim under its own power. Taking them into a heated swimming pool can also help.

We routinely took both our pups into a warm swimming pool, where they happily played and swam. To this day

Coaxing a reluctant pup into a shallow pond (left) is a good way to get them interested in water. Make certain they always enter water under their own power; never force a pup into the water. Don’t overlook the value of heated swimming pools (right), bathtubs and kiddie pools with a few inches of warm water in them, to help expedite the water introduction process. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

we use that swimming pool for water training.

If you bring a pup home in the winter, get in a warm tub with them.

You can also fill a kiddie pool with a few inches of warm water for play time.

Read your pup and don’t force things.

They’ll take to water eventually; it just might take time and require some creative thinking on your part. Keep the

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experience fun and always stay positive, as that’s the key to any successful training, especially when it comes to introducing your pup to water. CS Editor’s note: Scott Haugen is host of The Hunt on Netflix. To watch some of his basic puppy training videos, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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SEEKING WATER FOR DESERT WILDLIFE

The California Wild Sheep Foundation is seeking funding to help improve water sources for bighorn sheep and other species in California’s desert areas. (CALIFORNIA WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION)

The following is courtesy of the California Wild Sheep Foundation

Water is the number one issue limiting populations of the iconic desert bighorn sheep populations in California.

Desert bighorn require 4 percent of their body mass in water per day. However, as early as the 1940s, the continuous change in availability of water sources for California desert animals due to climate changes and human intrusions began to appear.

In 2017, the California Wild Sheep Foundation (CA WSF) embarked upon an epic plan to vault desert bighorn populations in California by installing over 90 new strategically placed wildlife water development installations throughout the state. This project is known as Give a Lamb a Drink.

Now in the summer of 2018, our funding for Give a Lamb a Drink is going full force and we expect we will soon be funded for the 2018-19 installations. That would mean a huge increase in water for bighorn sheep and other desert dwellers. This is all because of CA WSF members, other conservationists and the hunting community.

CA WSF has also received grants from other conservation organizations and we are actively seeking organizations to request additional funding to make this project a reality.

Even with grant funds, we will still need the help of members and friends and any of the general public with an interest in making sure that all animals within desert environs have the water they need to be healthy.

The primary species to benefit are the iconic bighorn sheep of California. However, any species within the range of the water systems will benefit from the installations. This includes golden eagles, desert tortoises, mule deer, squirrels, quail, desert hares (jackrabbit), coyotes, plus other denizens of the desert.

If you would like to help, donate online at cawsf.org or gofundme.com/galad.

Your donation, no matter how big or how small, will help CA WSF more than double the number of desert bighorn sheep in California.

California Wild Sheep Foundation, a chapter of Wild Sheep Foundation International, has been focused on putting and keeping wild sheep on the mountains since 2001. The organization’s mission is specifically to promote and enhance increasing populations of indigenous wild sheep on the North American continent by enhancement of habitat and utilizing professional management.

See the complete mission statement at cawsf.org. calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

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HUNTING TAHR AFAR

ON THE TRAIL OF BIG GAME IN NEW ZEALAND

By Brittany Boddington

I

’ve hunted several tahr in New Zealand, particularly with an outfitter who is like family to me.

Chris Bilkey and his wife Peg run a guiding operation out of Geraldine, on New Zealand’s South Island. Peg is like a second mother to me and I try to visit as often as possible.

This time I was not the one hunting. I got my boyfriend Brad Jannenga a tahr hunt for Christmas, so we went in early June to get it.

New Zealand’s South Island has so much rugged terrain. It’s a spectacular place to hunt tahr, which the author and her boyfriend experienced in June. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON) calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2018 California Sportsman

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Not a bad view in the twinkling twilight of New Zealand. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

I’ve been hunting in New Zealand with the Bilkeys’ Track and Trail Safaris (chrisbilkey.co.nz) since 2004 and I really wanted Brad to experience the hunt with the people who first introduced me to the country.

NEW ZEALAND IS SPECIAL for a variety of reasons. One major one is that there are no snakes or predators to speak of. They have possums and some pigs but no real predators that big game animals like tahr, chamois and stag need to worry about. These animals thrive in the beautiful green mountains that dot the island nation.

Another reason New Zealand is a wonderful place is because of its agriculture, which is considered to be the largest sector of tradable economy.

New Zealand is covered in lush green grass and white sheep with a scattering of alpaca and stag farms.

The nation’s lamb is known to be some of the best in the world, but the hunting leaves it all in the dust.

With the seasons there opposite of ours in the Northern Hemisphere, we hunt New Zealand in our summer. My favorite time to hunt there is June, when it is cold but not too cold. If we get lucky in early June we’ll catch some of the first snows

Heading uphill to get close to the tahr. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

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Taking a Kiwi selfie. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

that push the animals down from the cliffs to the grassy hillsides, which makes for spectacular hunting conditions. On this trip we arrived when the weather was beautiful and green, with very little breeze.

We hunted hard for the ďŹ rst two days and we passed on quite a few beautiful tahr because Chris wanted to make sure that Brad got a good one for his ďŹ rst hunt in New Zealand. The hiking was steep but the landscapes were so beautiful that you actually wanted to climb higher to see the spectacular sights that this country is known for.

OUR LUCK CHANGED ON the night of day two. A nasty storm rolled in right as we packed up the vehicle to head back to the house. It rained on us as we drove home and I worried that the next day would be a slippery and soggy mess. I was wrong.

The storm only brought us rain, but atop the mountains it snowed like crazy. The next day we arrived 110 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

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at daybreak to start hiking and found the most beautiful winter wonderland of fresh powder. We hiked in the soft snow and I grabbed handfuls along the way to eat fresh snow cones as we hiked.

I swear Chris is part mountain goat by the way he climbs. It is incredible to watch but darn tough to follow.

We zigzagged across the snow as he hurried to catch a better glimpse of tahr at the top of the mountain.

We had several unsuccessful climbs, most likely due to the fact that we were just a little slow and breathing too hard to go unnoticed by the tahr.

We decided to check the front side of the mountain we were hunting.

This side of the mountain faced the sun and the tahr tended to stay on the colder backside. But because of the snow we found a large group of them that had moved down to feed on some grass in the melted snow.

Brad and Chris made pace up a ravine that ran down the side of the

With the help of guide Chris Bilkey, Brad Jennenga prepares to take a shot at his ďŹ rst tahr. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

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hill that the tahr were on. I stayed on the spotting scope at the last ridge before the straight climb up the hill.

It was the end of the day and the final push would be best with as few bodies as possible.

I watched as the guys slipped slowly and carefully up the draw. The tahr were feeding and the males were chasing the nannies around in circles.

They were completely unaware of our presence. Brad and Chris got to where there was no cover left and I watched as they crawled slowly over the last 50 yards to put the tahr at around 250 yards, a perfect shooting distance.

Brad got settled and Chris made sure they were on the same animal.

When they were both comfortable, Chris gave the word to shoot when ready and Brad shot.

I instantly caught sight of a tahr sliding down the mountainside. It was a perfect one-shot kill on a nice old bull. The experience was tough and cold but more memorable than any easy hunt I’ve been on.

We made memories as we struggled toward our goal, a tahr that has earned a place of honor on the wall at home. CS Editor’s note: Los Angeles native Brittany Boddington is a hunter, journalist and adventurer. For more, check out brittanyboddington.com and facebook.com/brittanyboddington.

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HUNTING

A SLEEKER IMPALA

The gold-colored receiver on the Dickinson Impala Plus Wood YLW gives it a touch of class. Here, author Steve Comus takes the 12-gauge semiauto through its paces on a clay target range. (STEVE COMUS)

DICKINSON’S NEW WOOD YLW MODEL ‘A SPORTER/HUNTER CROSSOVER WITH CLASS’; MOSSBERG ALSO OUT WITH SHOTGUNS FOR YOUTH, SMALLER-FRAMED SHOOTERS

By Steve Comus

W

henever I talk to the folks at Dickinson Arms, they have come up with exciting new shotgun models, and there is never any warning about whether it will be a pump, semiauto, over/under or side-by-side.

Some time ago, I took a look at Dickinson’s Impala Plus semiauto 12-gauge sporter with red and black

synthetic stock and a number of other niceties. That was a great gun, but slightly different from the one being reviewed here.

Technically, the box says this one is an Impala Plus Wood YLW. It has a walnut stock, so that’s the wood part of the equation. I assume the YLW stands for yellow.

If a shotgun can be handsome, this is one handsome devil. As much as the previous Impala Plus was a

high-volume, serious sporter, this is a sporter/hunter crossover with class – like the user can score style points, regardless of the actual target score.

Dickinson has come a long way from offering great values on good guns to outstanding values on great guns. That’s great news because the market has never had such a wide variety of solid, functional guns at such relatively low prices.

Magnum bang for the buck, so to speak.

This is an inertia-operated semi-auto, which means it uses the forces of recoil to cycle the action.

It is quick, slick and can shoot oo-

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HUNTING This Impala literally glows. Note the checkering with the curved accent line. (STEVE COMUS)

dles of ammo without gumming up.

That’s nice.

The walnut stock is something to discuss. Measurements are typical for a 12-gauge semiauto. But the checkering design is both intriguing and comforting. The borderless, fine checkering is done without an outside line – touch of class. Even more interesting is the melding of both straight lines and curves in the outer edges of both the buttstock and the forend. Add to that a long “V” line with sunken dots every half an inch on the forend and a similar curved line inside the checkering on the pistol grip, and we’re talking an artistic statement. This is the kind of treatment encountered almost exclusively on the highest-grade guns extant.

The buttstock features a rather classic straight sporter comb. When it is used in conjunction with the barrel’s ventilated rib, nice things happen.

A ported barrel comes standard on the Dickinson sporter. (STEVE COMUS)

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HUNTING

The Bantam Synthetic 28-gauge shotgun from Mossberg is great for upland hunts as well as clays. (MOSSBERG)

Mossberg’s Walnut Bantam shotgun not only handles well, it looks good while doing it. (MOSSBERG)

The rib is ever so slightly higher than a typical sporter rib, which means the shooter is not tempted to raise the head when shooting, which means more targets hit.

I’m not talking about some high rib, as is often seen on serious trap guns.

This rib is only a fraction of an inch higher than the typical sporter rib, and that fraction of an inch matters in the shooting of it.

With such a comb/rib combination, it is easy to find the target, get the gun on the target, stay with and/or go through the target and bust it. For me, the rig shot ever so slightly high (probably 60/40), which really works for me in a sporting gun because I don’t like to have to cover targets to hit them; I always like to see them through the entire process to and including the break. For dropping targets, 60/40 is fine. All one has to do is enhance the downward lead ever so slightly and the target breaks. Other shooters may find that it shoots flatter for them, but not as flat as some sporters.

Two rows of ports on each side of the barrel near the muzzle means there is less muzzle lift, which enhances the ability to engage a following second target successfully. Again, this is critical in a serious sporter.

I tried this new Impala Plus variant on a sporting clays course where

it made me look like I knew what I was doing. Hitting targets from all angles and disparate distances actually was easy. Felt good.

Then I tried some skeet. Ink balls on stations 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8. Crunched clays on stations 3, 4 and 5. Delicious.

Earlier I mentioned the term “crossover.” That seems to be a term used when talking about autos, etc., and it also applies in Gundom. This specific model has the makings for a serious hunting shotgun. It comes with a magazine plug for times when magazine capacity is an issue.

Also, it comes with five interchangeable screw-in choke tubes that range all the way from wide open to tighter than a bull’s bottom at fly time (skeet, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified, and full). A choke tube key wrench comes with the gun, as do spacers that allow changing the drop and offset.

At just shy of 8 pounds empty, it is a bit heavy for quail hunting, but right in there for doves or ducks (it has a 3-inch chamber that handles 2¾- and 3-inch shells).

Dickinson has been doing one thing that I really, really like and hope they keep on doing. They offer their shotguns with sling swivel studs.

These simple little eyelets front and rear are unobtrusive when not needed, but so incredibly handy when called for.

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This is especially true for both waterfowling and wild turkey hunting.

And yes, this specific shotgun could make a great waterfowling or turkey hunting shotgun, even with its stylish golden-burnt-yellow receiver.

I have used slings on shotguns on dove hunts when going to or from the truck to a spot where the birds are passing over, and even on upland hunts when there is a long walk back to the truck after limiting out on pheasants.

I still marvel at the beautiful way the inside of the action on this model is finished off, as well as the outside.

That is a touch of class not seen in all semiautos these days.

If fun with a gun is the name of the game, check out the Dickinson Impala Plus. For more information, see dickinsonarms.com.

ELSEWHERE ON THE SHOTGUN FRONT, Mossberg has introduced models designed for young and physically small shooters. This is important, because the future of the shooting sports in large measure depends on recruitment of following generations.

Mossberg has expanded its line of Mossberg International SA-28 and SA-20 Bantam (Youth) semiauto shotguns. The shorter length of pull (12.5 inches), balance and easy-handling characteristics of these soft-shooting autoloaders make them

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HUNTING perfectly suited for smaller-statured individuals, young and old alike.

With optional walnut and synthetic versions and 24-inch barrels, the SA-28 and SA-20 Bantam are ideal for wingshooting, competitive and recreational shooting.

Complementing the wood finish is a polished blue finish on exposed metalwork, while the synthetic versions have matte blue metal finishes.

The vent-rib barrels have a front bead sight and feature an interchangeable

ITEM 75794 75769 75793 75770

TYPE SA-28 Bantam Autoloader SA-28 Bantam Autoloader SA-20 Bantam Autoloader SA-20 Bantam Autoloader

SHELL GAUGE/ CHAMBER CAPACITY 28 gauge/ 2¾ inch

5

28 gauge/ 2¾ inch

5

20 gauge/ 3 inch

5

20 gauge/ 3 inch

5

choke tube system. Each version of the SA-28 and SA-20 Bantam comes equipped with a Sport Set of choke tubes (full, improved modified, modified, improved cylinder and cylinder). Other standard features include a handy cross-bolt safety and easy-load elevator.

Enhancing the high-gloss-finished walnut of the Bantam Walnut 20- and 28-gauge versions is laser-cut checkering on the pistol grip and forend and a complementing high-polish blue finish on the exBARREL/ FINISH 24 inch/Vent Rib High Polish Blue 24 inch/ Vent Rib Matte Blue 24 inch/Vent Rib High Polish Blue 24 inch/ Vent Rib Matte Blue

SIGHTS

CHOKES

LOP

STOCK/ FINISH

APPROX. WEIGHT

MSRP

Front Bead

Walnut/ Sport Set 40.75 inches 12.5 inches High Gloss 6.25 pounds

$654

Front Bead

Sport Set 40.75 inches 12.5 inches

Synthetic/ 5.5 pounds Black

$570

Front Bead

Walnut/ Sport Set 40.75 inches 12.5 inches High Gloss 6.25 pounds

$654

Front Bead

Synthetic/ 5.5 pounds Sport Set 40.75 inches 12.5 inches Black

$570

SONORA, MEXICO Here at Team S.T.O., we want to provide you with the best hunting experience south of the border.

We feel we have put together a great team with over 13 years combined hunting and guiding experience in Mexico for trophy, quality mule deer, Coues deer, and desert sheep. We work very closely with the land owners to ensure that the land we hunt is looked after and proper deer management is at its highest.

707-689-6398 • www.sonoratrophyoutfitters.com 122 California Sportsman JULY 2018 | calsportsmanmag.com

OVERALL LENGTH

posed metalwork. The lighter model features a 2.75-inch chamber and the 20-gauge has a 3-inch chamber.

For a lighter weight (.75 pound less than the walnut version), consider Mossberg’s black synthetic versions, the SA-28 and SA-20 Bantam Synthetic models, with matte blue metal finishes. Like the walnut versions, the 28-gauge features a 2.75-inch chamber and the 20-gauge has a 3-inch chamber.

For more information, see mossberg.com. CS

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BEDLINERS | ACCESSORIES | PROTECTIVE COATINGS

WHEN PROTECTION MATTERS MOST, LINE-X IT. Line-X of Clovis 707 Jefferson Avenue, Clovis, CA 93612 (559) 323-5578 www.linexofclovis.com

Empire LINE-X 9261 Bally Ct Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 Call/Text (909) 980-8922 www.empirelinex.com

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LINE-X of Pasadena 1817 S. Myrtle Ave Monrovia, CA 91016 (626) 303-8647 www.line-x-of-pasadena.com

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the LAST LAUGH

Editor's note: To see more illustrations from Tim “Spike” Davis, check out his website at scatteredthoughtscartoons.com.

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