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Mule deer with trophy rack. 



—Fish and Game Photo 



FEDERAL AID 



Apportionments of federal aid money during the 

 biennium amounted to 11,587,506. California's contri- 

 bution, as required by the Pittman-Robertson Act, 

 was $529,169, making a total of $2,116,675 available 

 for carrying out the federal aid program in California. 



Federal aid apportionments were the highest since 

 the state entered the program in 1940, exceeding the 

 amount received during the preceding biennium bv 

 $441,235. 



The increase was due to two factors: first, there has 

 been a steady rise in federal receipts derived from the 

 excise tax on arms and ammunition; second was the 

 addition of the Bible Bill funds. Under the Bible Bill, 

 certain accumulated Pittman-Robertson moneys over 

 a five-\ear period were released to the states. For the 

 biennium for California this amounted to more than 

 $200,000. 



The increase in funds came at just the right time. 

 The development and operation of waterfowl areas, 

 recently acquired by Wildlife Conservation Board 

 Funds, at Wister, .Mendota and Gra\' Lodge produced 

 added expense. During the biennium, a number of po- 

 sitions, together ^\■ith certain operational expenses on 

 the waterfowl areas formerly supported hv license 

 revenue, were transferred to the federal aid program. 

 Moreover the general rise in costs has taken its share 

 of dollars. 



The department's Pittman-Robertson program is di- 

 vided into 14 projects. Five of these projects are de- 

 voted to investigations and management. They are by 

 nature research and fact-finding projects and are the 

 bases for determining what is necessary for the man- 

 agement of game species. Approximately 37 percent of 

 the funds were expended in this category. Six projects 

 are concerned with the development and maintenance 

 of waterfowl management areas. Forty-three percent 

 of the funds go here. Two projects are concerned with 

 game habitat development and take 17 percent of the 

 funds. A single project co-ordinates the program and 

 this takes 3 percent. 



DEER 



Deer hunters had good hunting during the biennium 

 although not up to the all-time record bags made dur- 

 ing the previous two years. The buck kill in 1956 was 

 70,371 and in 1957, 65,214. This compares with the 

 record bag of 75,602 in 1954. Actually the third and 

 fourth best kills on record were made during the 

 biennium. 



The state's deer herds are at high levels, probably 

 as high as at any time in history. Survival of deer over 

 the past two mild winters has been exceptional. 



General Either-Sex Deer Hunt 



California held its first general either-sex deer season 

 in 1956. The area opened to either-sex hunting con- 

 sisted of 34 of the state's 58 counties. All hunters who 

 possessed a "B" deer tag were allowed to use it for 

 taking one deer of either sex during the last three 

 days of both the coastal and inland seasons. 



At the time the either-sex season was authorized by 

 the California Fish and Game Commission, there was 

 considerable public support for the hunts. It was felt 

 that a definite step forward in the management of the 

 state's deer herds had been made. As the actual time 

 for the season approached, public opposition to the 

 hunt had begun to develop. After the season, a verita- 

 ble storm of opposition developed and was reflected 

 in numerous proposals for legislation concerning deer 

 management in the 1957 legislative session. Out of this 

 conti-oversy, the Busch Bill was passed and is now the 

 basis for regulating the deer harvest. 



At this time a more sober appraisal of the results of 

 this first general either-sex deer hunt can be made than 

 was possible right after the season. 



There is no evidence to indicate that any deer herds 

 were shot down to the point of endangering the breed- 

 ing stocks. Herd counts and kill figures in the year 

 subsequent to the hunt remained high. 



In the coastal season the area opened to either-sex 

 hunting produced a kill of 14,151 legal bucks and 5,747 

 antlerless deer. In the inland area, 30,423 legal bucks 

 and 32,334 antlerless deer were bagged. It is estimated 

 that in the coastal area open to either-sex hunting, 9.5 

 percent of the deer population had been taken; in the 



