FORT^'-THIRD BIENNIAL REPORT 



45 



GAME MANAGEMENT 



Game Management activities during the bienniijm were carried out by the department during a 

 period of record or near-record bags of most game species, and constantly increasing hunting pres- 

 sures in every part of the State. Through constant cflForts to provide improved habitat conditions and 

 sound game management, the resource appears to he holding its own and in some cases showing gains. 



At the same time great strides were being taken 

 along the hnes of keeping the game resource in sound 

 condition, equal steps w ere made to provide more op- 



feeding was authorized for duck clubs on a licensed 

 permit basis. 



portunities for public shooting for sportsmen of the 

 State. During the biennium important additions and 

 improvements were made in the field of pheasant co- 

 operative areas, waterfowl management areas, public 

 shooting areas for deer, and in winter deer ranges. 



Following reorganization of the department, ef- 

 fected during the biennium, the Game Management 

 Branch of headquarters staff coordinates the Pittman- 

 Robertson federal aid in wildlife restoration program, 

 directs research activities, keeps records and prepares 

 statistics and acts in an advisory and coordinating ca- 

 pacity for regional matters. Preparation of policy rec- 

 ommendations on game management and regulation is 

 another function of the branch. 



Operational functions of Game Management such 

 as maintenance df waterfowl management areas, pheas- 

 ant cooperative hunting areas, investigation and con- 

 trol of game depredations, predator control, trapping 

 and transplanting beaver, game range examinations, 

 maintenance of winter deer ranges, raising and stock- 

 ing of game farm birds, operation of public hunting 

 areas and numerous other miscellaneous activities were 

 conducted as regional functions. 



Other important activities of the branch during the 

 biennium included active participation in the work of 

 the Pacific Waterfowl Flyway Council, made up of 

 representatives of the western states who make recom- 

 mendations to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service on 

 setting open seasons and attempting to solve various 

 problems of the flyway; participation in an interstate 

 committee on deer browse restoration problems com- 

 mon to most western states, and working closely with 

 Oregon and Nevada in management of deer herds 

 which have interstate migration patterns with Califor- 

 nia. 



The council, on which Chairman William J. Silva of 

 the California Fish and Game Commission was an ac- 

 tive member, and Game Management Branch Chief 

 Ben Glading, secretary, was instrumental in obtaining 

 more liberalized seasons and bag limits for California 

 hunters during the past biennium. 



Through efforts of the council several special water- 

 fowl seasons were authorized as crop depredation relief 

 measures. Among these were the 1953-54 late winter 

 widgeon season in Imperial Valley, the late brant sea- 

 son, and a coot reduction season in the spring of 1954. 

 As a further crop relief measure prehunting season 



THE GAME HARVEST 



Game bags of most species showed a high level dur- 

 ing the biennium and record kills were reported for 

 many. At the same time game population remained at 

 good levels in spite of tremendous hunting pressure, 

 which was an important factor in the increased bag. 

 Statistics on the game bag were compiled from hunter 

 questionnaire surveys and from a tabulation of deer 

 tags. 



Indications are that despite the present high popula- 

 tion levels, game will continue to suffer from en- 

 croachment of agriculture and industry unless wildlife 

 is given its proper place in planning for future develop- 

 ment of the State. Most likely to suffer a reduction in 

 numbers are waterfowl, whose habitat has been subject 

 to constant decrease over the years. 



With deer, the most pressing problem is a more ade- 

 quate use of the resource by harvesting more animals. 

 Field investigations by the branch have shown that 

 present deer populations in many sections of the State 

 are overusing their range to the point of seriously dam- 

 aging the food supply. Failure to harvest the annual in- 

 crease in deer population, which is the case today, will 

 result in the deer herds adjusting their own numbers 

 by periodic and wasteful die-offs and herd increases— 

 a boom-and-bust routine. 



For a better understanding of the total bag figures, 

 the essentials of the hunter questionnaire system are 

 summarized. The hunter questionnaire has been stand- 

 ard procedure since 1948, and is a statistical process 

 recommended by the Opinion Research Center of the 

 University of Denver. Questionnaires are sent to a 2- 

 percent random sampling of hunting license buyers. 

 Resulting data is considered typical of the entire hunt- 

 ing public and projected mathematically to get a state- 

 wide figure. Exaggerated results are obtained through 

 such a system, but the factors leading to the exaggera- 

 tions remain constant from year to year so that the 

 indicated trends of game bag are considered reliable. 

 Answers are checked with expected hunting prospects 

 as determined by field surveys, and through combining 

 the two sources of information valuable data is ob- 

 tained. 



More accurate figures on pheasants and waterfowl 

 bag were obtained by checking the questionnaire re- 

 sults with known bag on cooperative hunting areas and 

 on waterfowl management areas. Interestingly enough 



