First Chukar Season 



In autumn of 1954 the first open season on chukar 

 partridges in California began, extending for four days. 

 Because of the tendency of this bird to frequent semi- 

 aiid mountainous regions, hunters were dispersed and 

 patrol was necessitated over a wide area. In 1955 the 

 chukar season was increased to 16 days, coinciding 

 \\ith the state-wide pheasant season. Because of the 

 critical need for patrol of pheasant habitat, especially 

 cooperative hunting areas, during the open season, it 

 has proved fortunate that the chukar is not taken with- 

 out a great deal of hard work by the hunter. 



A two-day sage grouse season occurred in Lassen 

 and Modoc Counties in both autumns of the biennium. 

 Because the inland deer season had not yet begun in 

 either year, little conflict with the need to patrol deer 

 areas resulted, except to watch the activities of those 

 w ho might be inclined to take deer illegally because 

 their shooting w ould be masked b\' gunfire of grouse 

 hunters. 



During 1955 a special elk hunt was held to remove 

 surplus animals from Inyo County. There were 150 

 permits issued, and wardens were assigned especially 

 to patrol the county during the term of the hunt. 



Special winter and antlerless deer hunts conducted 

 during the biennium required an intensive patrol by 

 wardens assigned to this duty. In 1954 some 3,625 

 permits to take anterless deer were issued; in 1955 

 permits approximated 16,170. Hunts of this type give 

 rise to a number of violations by a small minority, and 

 w ardens were active in insuring game law observance. 



Operating procedures on state cooperative hunting 

 areas were changed during the biennium. The changes 

 resulted during the 1955 season in a decrease in the 

 number of wardens assigned to the areas in 1954. 

 Although the changes did not decrease the total 

 number of enforcement personnel in the areas (since 

 department employees other than wardens were as- 

 signed to perform law enforcement duties), it was 

 possible for more wardens to effectively patrol the 

 State at large during this particularly busy period of 

 November hunting. 



OTHER ACTIVITIES 



Of each warden's day, some 30 percent is spent in 

 wildlife conservation activities other than nominal law 

 enforcement. Critical review of operations b\- the de- 

 partment during the biennium, aimed at rendering 

 greater service for the same amount of money per 

 license bu\er, resulted in the addition of a number 

 of tasks to the warden's variety of duties. 



During 1955 wardens added to their back-country 

 patrols the responsibility for inspection and opera- 

 tion of stream flow maintenance dams. This job, pre- 

 viously done by Inland Fisheries personnel, could 

 more economically be performed by wardens while 



Warden E. C. Fullerton models the standardized uniform adopted dur- 

 ing the biennium by the department. 



(Fish and Game Photo) 



patroling the remote lakes and impoundments. In- 

 spection and maintenance of the dams include the 

 removal of debris from spillways, adjustment of water 

 flow and the rendering of reports on the need for 

 dam repair. 



Performance of this job by wardens while on rou- 

 tine patrol did away with the need for Inland Fish- 

 eries personnel to schedule valuable peak-season days 

 to this activity at a time when tourist demands for 

 pack stock are heavy and available stock is corres- 

 pondingly scarce. 



