FORTY-SECOND BIENNIAL, REPORT 11!) 



SPECIAL HUNTING SEASONS 



Antelope Hunt 



During the biennium one antelope hunting season was held. In 1950 

 aerial surveys showed the number of adult male antelope was not sufficient 

 to warrant a hunting season. However, in 1951 the population had in- 

 creased and a controlled hunt for bucks only was held in Modoc, Lassen 

 and Shasta Counties. As in previous hunts, permits selected by lottery 

 were issued to 500 hunters. A check of all hunters showed that 415 actually 

 hunted and 280 antelope were shot. Results of the 1951 hunt and previous 

 special antelope hunting seasons are shown in Table 3, Appendix D. 



Mineral King Deer Hunt 



The Mineral King National Game Refuge in the Sequoia National 

 Forest of Tulare County with an overpopulation of deer suffered from 

 extreme overbrowsing. In 1950 after investigational work had shown that 

 the range was being seriously damaged, the California Fish and Game 

 Commission and the U. S. Forest Service at the request of Central Cali- 

 fornia sportsmen 's groups, took the necessary steps to declare the refuge 

 open to controlled deer hunting. 



A total of 960 permits was drawn by lottery from a list of hunter appli- 

 cants. To relieve the overcrowded hunting conditions, the 30-day season 

 was divided into eight hunting periods with 120 permittees eligible to 

 hunt during each period. A total of 870 hunters appeared for the hunt 

 and took 677 deer for an average success of 78 percent. 



Devils Garden Deer Hunt 



The Devils Garden interstate deer herd is made up of Rocky Mountain 

 mule deer that summer principally on the Fremont National Forest in 

 Oregon and winter on the Devils Garden area in the Modoc National 

 Forest in California. With many key forage species practically eliminated 

 on large areas, a deer-livestock food problem had been recognized on this 

 range for a number of years by the Interstate Deer Herd Committee. This 

 committee is composed of members of the Oregon Game Commission, the 

 TJ. S. Forest Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, and 

 representatives of organized sportsmen and livestock growers associa- 

 tions. The first step that was taken to help solve this range problem was 

 to reduce the number of livestock permitted on the area. The next step w r as 

 to bring deer numbers into closer balance with the supply of forage. An 

 increased harvest of the deer on this range was accomplished by two 

 special deer hunts that were held during the biennium. 



In 1950 a total of 1,509 permits was issued by lottery. From this num- 

 ber, 1,398 hunters appeared for the hunt and bagged 1,319 antlerless deer 

 for an average success of 94 percent. 



In 1951 a total of 1,818 permits was issued by lottery, and 1,716 hunters 

 used their permits. These hunters shot 1,504 antlerless deer for an average 

 success of 88 percent. 



