Peggy DiPrima. Summer 2010 IN THIS ISSUE. A Publication of the California Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep

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1 California Wild Sheep IN THIS ISSUE From the Editor President s Message Projects Funded Summary... 6 Hunting Chamois in Eastern Europe 7 Deer Capture Activities in Mojave National Preserve California Wild Sheep Summit VII. 10 Out and About in Sheep Country. 12 Right of Way Disease Monitoring: White Mountain Bighorn Sheep. 14 Crazy Goats Chased By Destiny Trail Cam Photos Fundraiser Recap Fundraiser Photos Floating Menace The One-Eyed Wonder Roping A Deer Director Candidates Management of Bighorn Sheep in California Peggy DiPrima Desert Bighorn Old Dad Mountains December 2009 A Publication of the California Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep

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3 From the Editor s Desk I hope you have drawn (or will still draw) a good tag or two for this season. I also hope you enjoy this newsletter issue I enjoy pulling it together for you each quarter. There is a lot to find/see, including: Some fun stuff Pictures from the May 1 Fundraiser, trail cam photos from SCBS, Crazy Mountain Goats and a rancher s experience with roping a deer Important Recent Literature on Wild Sheep White Mountain disease situation, Floating Menace and Right of Way Update on the Scientific Wildlife Water Project in the Mojave National Preserve 2009 CA FNAWS Projects Funded summary by Brenton Scott Sheep Summit VII Session Several great hunt stories, including a new state and world record desert bighorn from CA (read the Chased by Destiny article to find out about this!) Other news of interest I am always looking for new material of interest to members. , call or write! Input due date for the 3Q10 issue is August 27. Mike J. Borel CA FNAWS Newsletter Editor mike.borel@contextnet.com NEWS FLASH Date change for Future CA FNAWS Banquet and Fundraiser Moved to the last Saturday in April each year (rather than the first Saturday in May). In 2011 it will be April 30 at the Marriott in Rancho Cordova (same site as 2010). Please mark your calendars! Cape to Cairo Safaris Cedric & Karin Nieuwoudt cedric@capetocairosafari.com Marietta, GA Fort Bragg Furniture Mart 235 North Franklin Street Fort Bragg, CA CA FNAWS

4 Board of Directors Events Officers President Ken D. Fish (2010) Northern California Vice President Mike J. Borel (2010) Southern California Vice President Jim Fitzgerald (2011) Vice President, Operations Kyle Meintzer (2011) Secretary Paul A. Brisso (2011) Treasurer Steve Boitano (2010) Board of Directors 2010 June August 27 October 22 October 23 November Feb Feb April 29 April 30 April 30 2 Springs Repair in MNP, Call Cliff McDonald cell Due Date for 3Q2010 Newsletter to mike.borel@contextnet.com Sheep Summit VIII at Bass Pro Shops in Ranch Cucamonga (near Ontario Airport) Hunter Clinic for Lucky Tag Recipients, Camp Cady Due Date for 4Q2010 Newsletter to mike.borel@contextnet.com WSF Convention, Reno GSCO Convention, Las Vegas Sheep Summit IX, Sacramento Tour of DFG Lab (to be organized) CA FNAWS Drive to 35 Fundraiser/ Banquet in Rancho Cordova at Marriott (note date change to Last Saturday in April) John Drummond (2010) Ben Gordon (2010) Tom Griffiths (2011) Brenton Scott (2010) Tammy Scott (2010) Chris Settelmeyer (2011) USA Shooting Team Buddy DuVall Colorado Springs, CO Debi Ramsey-Casey (2010) California Wild Sheep is published quarterly. Iron Wheel Guest Ranch John and Sherry Cargill cargill@ironwheel.com Whitehall, MT Please all articles and photos to mike.borel@contextnet.com. Photos should be high resolution and in color. It is recommended that digital photos be sent by . Please include photo credits and captions. Timberline Outfitters Perry Hunsaker timber@timberlineoutfitters.com Higley, AZ CA FNAWS 4

5 President s Letter As I write this letter, the 2010 fundraiser is only a month behind us. Depending upon one s perspective, CA FNAWS either began or ended its year well with the outstanding success of this event. It was clearly the best-received fundraiser the chapter has hosted in several years, and the momentum generated by this event is palpable. The rest of 2010 is shaping up to hold a number of opportunities as well as a few challenges. On the opportunities side, the California Department of Fish and Game has asked for the assistance of our chapter in recruiting volunteers to help with sheep surveys, particularly for the lesserknown ranges. Due to budget cutbacks, the Department needs willing volunteers to help identify sheep and sheep sign in desert areas across the state. Generally, these surveys will require a weekend, and will involve spotting, walking, and collecting samples of (dried) scat. More details on these surveys will be forthcoming. Your Board is encouraging everyone who belongs to CA FNAWS to consider giving some time to the cause for which we exist: putting and keeping sheep on the mountains of California. Continuing on with the opportunities theme, you will read in this newsletter about upcoming regional dinners that the chapter would like to have around the state this Fall. The purpose of these dinners is pure unadulterated fun and fellowship around alpine hunting. We hope you will be able to make it to one of these inexpensive regional dinners, and perhaps to consider organizing one of them. On the challenges side, there is an initiative to create additional monuments and wilderness from the Mojave to the coast under the sponsorship of Senator Dianne Feinstein. It will take concerted effort on the part of all California sportsmen, not just sheep hunters, to ensure that the voice of the hunting fraternity is heard and harkened to with respect to hunting rights on millions of acres of land that have always been open to our sport in the past. Vehicle access is also key to maintaining the wildlife drinkers and to access. In addition, the growing crisis in the Gulf of Mexico should remind everyone that there are costs associated with all energy development, even so-called green or alternative energy. In the same Mojave Desert where a wide-ranging hunting closure is looming, millions of acres of sheep habitat particularly migratory corridors between mountain ranges are currently under extreme threat from solar power companies. The public perception of the desert as a sterile environment open to unbridled development with no threat to wildlife is simply incorrect. Sheep hunters, of all people, know that many small and large animals make their homes in the very areas that are currently slated for massive development, backed by billions of federal dollars. The magnitude and permanence of the impact of such development on sheep populations in the Mojave simply cannot be understated. If solar development as planned is allowed to proceed, it could set sheep populations back by 30 years or more. The next time someone tells you that solar power is free and has no environmental impacts, remind them of the pictures of oil-covered birds in the Gulf of Mexico, and of oil-sickened seals and otters off the Alaskan coast in the 1980s and off the California coast in the 1970s. Sure, the sheep and the deer and the rabbits and the tortoises and the quail won t be covered in oil, but they will still be harmed, and they are likely to suffer mass die-offs. CA FNAWS endorses and supports controlled hunting, but we are a conservation organization at our roots. All of our members should be aware of the growing threat that solar power poses to the very populations of sheep that we seek to support and rebuild, and should communicate their concerns to their elected representatives. Finally, you will shortly receive ballots for a new slate of Board members. I hope you will take the time to consider and to vote for the candidates who have stepped forward to help our organization and its cause. For the sheep, Ken Fish President, CA FNAWS 5 CA FNAWS

6 2009 PROJECTS FUNDED SUMMARY by the Projects Committee Brenton Scott, Chair Or to cut to the chase, this article could easily be titled: Where the Money Goes So in a rather concise format, that s exactly what we ll detail. It is the money that comes from our members, our donors and our fundraiser supporters that makes it possible for the Chapter to fund any and all of our endeavors. For that we are always grateful, while being ever mindful of the fact that we are simply the stewards responsible for proper oversight and disbursement of the precious dollars that are in our care. This article will cover things that were both reviewed by the Projects Committee prior to submission and subsequent approval by the Chapter Board and those that were approved or funded in other ways. California s 2009 required desert bighorn sheep hunter orientation program conducted by the Department of Fish & Game and in conjunction with the Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep. CA FNAWS agreed to fund up to $2,500 or 50% of the cost of putting the program on, whichever amount was less. Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep drinker construction. Funding via the sale of the naming rights to a new drinker which was sold at the 2009 CA FNAWS fundraiser banquet for $20,000. Additional wildlife drinker construction by the Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep. Funded by a donation of $13,000 from an anonymous donor after the CA FNAWS fundraiser in Emergency request to fund desert bighorn sheep helicopter surveys by California Department of Fish and Game. This request was due to some legal issues which arose in an untimely manner immediately prior to surveys needing to be done. Proposal was for a complete hunt zone survey of the bighorn population in the Orocopia Mountains. (This population moves between the Orocopias and a small portion of the West Chocolate Mountains.) And a complete helicopter survey of the Cady Mountains to evaluate the status and composition of the bighorn population there. CA FNAWS agreed to fund up to $28,800 for completion of these surveys. The funds necessary to enable this endeavor were transferred from a set-aside from 2008 for survey work (specifically for the Old Woman, Newberry and Cady Mountains) which was subsequently never undertaken by the California Department of Fish and Game. A request for possible additional helicopter time (2 hours), if necessary, for the West Chocolate Mountains survey for up to $2,000. Due to logistical breakdowns in the routing of this request, an executive decision was made to approve this request made by Desert Wildlife Unlimited. An emergency/urgent request to fund a study of the effects of disease on the demography of Nelson bighorn sheep in the White Mountains of California. Funding had been sought from another source, but had not come through with the time for the commencement of the project nearing. The study objectives were: to estimate population size and trend; to conduct frequent and systematic disease surveillance; to intensively monitor bighorn movements relative to the potential for contact with domestic livestock; to identify seasonal ranges used by bighorn sheep and clarify differences in use by males and females; to evaluate the efficacy of using darting as a means to chemically immobilize bighorn sheep when the use of a net gun is not an option; quantify survival of adult and juvenile cohorts. CA FNAWS agreed to fund up to $21,300 for completion of this study. CA FNAWS provided a grant of $1,500 to the USA Shooting Team. CA FNAWS also agreed to cover travel expenses to have various representatives of California Department of Fish and Game, or other wildlife professionals, attend meetings such as the Desert Bighorn Council, the Wild Sheep Working Group of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, etc. Your Projects Committee members work quietly, quickly, diligently and without ever being in the spotlight or asking to be appreciated. I would like to thank my colleagues on the Committee for their insight, intellect, wisdom and dedication. I always learn from them during the process of reviewing a proposal. I consider it a privilege to work with all of them. CA FNAWS 6

7 HUNTING CHAMOIS IN EASTERN EUROPE by Roger McCosker I returned in late November 2009 from a well-coordinated group of hunts in eastern Europe with Joe Jakab of Point Blank Hunts. We hunted, and I was successful in taking, three different species of chamois in three different countries, starting with an Alpine chamois in Slovenia, then a Balkan chamois in Macedonia, ending with a Carpathian chamois in Romania. All the hunts were worthwhile and rewarding, but the last hunt for Carpathian chamois was a hunting experience I will not soon forget. It was the third (and final) day of hunting for Carpathian chamois in Romania. We had been pursuing a large male chamois for 6-7 hours. We were climbing in steep treacherous terrain and a large storm system was approaching. Cornel, my Romanian guide, finally spotted the chamois again, after he had alluded us earlier, at 650 years at a 30 degree steep downhill angle. The chamois was looking directly at us and there was no cover between us to conceal a stalk. There was a strong wind (est mph min.) blowing from right to left. It was a standoff and time was passing, with fog and storm clouds approaching fast. Finally, the chamois adjusted his sitting position to look slightly away from us. When Cornel spotted this, he suggested we stay low (lie flat) and slide down a steep snow chute nearby. Cornel went first, and slid down about 60 yards, and I slid (crashed) right into him; and then, Joe followed. The goat hadn t moved, so we started down another snow chute, with similar results. We did it one more time each time getting closer. By this time, I was soaking wet and very cold from sitting and sliding in the snow, without waterproof pants. In fact, at that moment, I got a very bad case of the shivers. I was wondering how could I even make the shot! Cornel, quickly put the back packs between two large rocks and asked me to take a look. Joe ranged the ram at 360 yards, the angle was 30 degrees, and the winds were blowing strong from right to left. The hour was late and it was time for a decision. I set up, calmed down, put the sight on the goat, on the far right side of his body and slowly squeezed the trigger. I hit him on the far left side of his body (from shoulder area). I couldn t believe it. Cornel and I ran down to the goat, on some pretty treacherous footing... because he apparently rebounded and was on the move. Fortunately, I successfully anchored him with the next shot. The chamois was a good male and the hour was late (the last hour of the last scheduled day of hunting). What a thrill! D Additional note: Before I took up international big game hunting 12 years ago, I used to do a lot of international travel for business and pleasure. This trip to eastern Europe was second to none, in a historical perspective. Joe Jakab, besides being an excellent outfitter and enjoyable companion, was a perfect host as he is a student of eastern European history and culture. At my request, Joe went out of his way to make sure I had the opportunity to see some of the major historical sights in Vienna, Austria; Slovenia; Serbia; Macedonia; Romania; and Budapest, Hungary. Dick Lyman Outfitters Dick Lyman dklyman@huntfishmontana.com Great Falls, MT Black Dog Outfitters Darren Puetz darren@blackdogoutfitters.com Idaho Falls, ID 7 CA FNAWS

8 DEER CAPTURE ACTIVITIES IN MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE APRIL 2010 by Vernon C. Bleich, Ph.D. As members of the California Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (CA FNAWS) are aware, much controversy has persisted with respect to the availability of water for wildlife in the Mojave National Preserve (MNP). As a result of decisions made by the former superintendent at MNP, numerous water sources that had been used for many decades by wildlife were suddenly made unavailable. Following departure of that individual, personnel from MNP, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), University of Nevada Reno (UNR), and Safari Club International (SCI) worked cooperatively to restore availability of water at some of those sites and to launch an investigation into the responses of wildlife, particularly mule deer, to the restoration of those water sources. CA FNAWS, along with the Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep and other organizations, played a pivotal role in the changes that have occurred in MNP. Water was restored at numerous locations during 2008, and during 2008 and 2009, more than 40 deer were captured and collared as part of the aforementioned investigation. In January of 2010, immediately before implementing operations to capture additional deer in MNP, three CDFG wildlife biologists (Clu Cotter, Kevin O'Connor, and Tom Stolberg) and their pilot (Mike Donovan) died in a tragic helicopter accident in the western Sierra Nevada. As a result, and as was appropriate, CDFG leadership placed a moratorium on the use of helicopters by CDFG personnel until the accident has been fully investigated and revised guidelines or policies regarding the use of those aircraft have been developed. Thus, the planned capture of additional mule deer in MNP was cancelled. In the absence of the consideration and deliberations (which surely were intensive, difficult, and time-consuming) that have ensued, the project would not have moved forward; leadership at the highest levels of CDFG and MNP are to be commended for recognizing the value of the ongoing cooperative research, and for approving an interim alternative that allowed this important project to continue. What follows is a brief summary of the activities associated with the first CDFG effort to capture large mammals since the tragic accident earlier this year. During April 25-30, personnel from CDFG (Dr. Vern Bleich and Dr. Becky Pierce, who served as project leaders), UNR (Mr. Cody McKee), and MNP (Mr. Neal Darby and Dr. Debra Hughson) provided ground support and worked with personnel from Quicksilver Air, Inc., of Fairbanks, Alaska to capture and collar mule deer in MNP. CDFG Warden-Pilot Tom Evans provided aerial telemetry support that helped Mr. Brent Lithgow (helicopter pilot), Mr. Jeremiah Vardiman (net-gunner), and Mr. Andy Taylor (crewman) capture and collar a total of 15 adult female mule deer. On 25 April, personnel from CDFG and UNR traveled to Mojave National Preserve. On 26 April the helicopter, pilot, and crew arrived, as did personnel from NPS, and the aerial telemetry flight was conducted. The helicopter was made ready to initiate work the following morning, and the capture effort commenced early on 27 April. On that date, 4 mule deer were captured in the vicinity of Bathtub Spring in the New York Mountains. Approximately 3.5 hours of helicopter time were expended before high winds forced the work to be cut short for the day. Severe winds prevented any work from being accomplished on 28 April. On 29 April, the capture team was able to catch 7 deer, primarily in the vicinity of the Mid Hills and Petit Well. The helicopter pilot also located one previously collared deer that did not appear to be responding to repeated passes by the aircraft, and observed a mountain lion near the estimated location of the telemetry signal. DFG and UNR personnel investigated and located the carcass of an adult female mule deer that had been killed and fed upon by a lion; personnel also retrieved the GPS collar. Approximately 4.0 hours of helicopter time were expended before high winds forced cancellation of work that day. On 30 April, the capture team expended an additional 2.5 hours of flight time, working primarily in the vicinity of the New York Mountains or Matt Spring. During this effort, they caught and collared 4 deer, bringing the total to 15 animals captured and collared in approximately 9.5 hours of flight time. During the week personnel retrieved 2 GPS collars that had failed to release from animals collared in January 2009; newly refurbished GPS collars were placed on those individuals. Personnel also captured CA FNAWS 8

9 13 additional animals, and fitted them with GPS collars. One GPS collar was retrieved from the deer that had been killed a day or two earlier by a mountain lion. This project was accomplished safely despite low densities of mule deer, and was confounded immensely by logistical and fiscal constraints associated with transporting the aircraft and crew nearly 3,000 km to and from the capture site, and severe winds throughout the week. The pilot and crew were exceedingly professional, safety conscious, and highly skilled; they worked extremely hard to meet capture objectives despite the aforementioned factors. Another important aspect of this project was the continuing enhancement of the close working relationship that has developed among all of the project personnel, and the realization that seemingly impossible obstacles can sometimes be overcome. Mountain sheep and mule deer have been the beneficiaries of countless hours of aerial work conducted by dedicated employees and contractors. Review, deliberations, and development of additional recommendations regarding the use of helicopters by CDFG personnel continue. Helicopters have become an important tool in wildlife conservation, and it is with that in mind that CDFG leadership continues to press forward with development of guidelines and policies that will justify continued use of helicopters in wildlife conservation while simultaneously enhancing the margin of safety associated with such work. Although the recent and successful capture did not involve mountain sheep, it was an important first step to reinitiate use of rotary-winged aircraft by CDFG personnel. It will, nevertheless, still be some time before guidelines that will allow CDFG personnel to move forward with capture and survey projects are adopted. In the meantime, let's keep in mind the dedication of all of those involved with this type of work and, especially, let's remember the families of those lost in January. D Dr. Vern Bleich, who retired from CDFG after 34 years of service, remains active in the management and conservation of large mammals inhabiting arid environments across the southwestern United States. At the request of CDFG, Vern and Dr. Becky Pierce assumed the responsibility for ensuring that the activities described above were carried out safely and effectively. Vern can be contacted at vbleich@ndsupernet.com. Lowa Boots Dan Hill dan@endlessadventuresales.com Truckee, CA Action Whitewater Adventures Verle Duerden info@riverguide.com Provo, UT International Adventures Unlimited Michael H. Grosse intadvun@gunnison.com Gunnison, CO Chungo Creek Outfitters Greg Kristoff Nordegg, Alberta, Canada Mexico Hunts Sergio Jimenez Lezama sjimenez@vitro.com Nuevo Leon, MX Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep Steve Marschke, President Point Blank Hunts Joe Jakab joejakab@pointblankhunts.com Pittsburgh, PA K. E. Pack Watercolors K. E. Pack Ramona, CA 9 CA FNAWS

10 CALIFORNIA WILD SHEEP SUMMIT VII APRIL 30, 2010, SACRAMENTO By Mike J. Borel CA FNAWS hosted Sheep Summit VII on April 30, the day before our Fundraiser. This has proven to be a valuable interactive seminar and Summit VIII is scheduled for Ontario, October 22. Following is a brief summary of Session VII. Participants Mary Conner, CA DFG Conrad Jones, CA DFG Eric Loft, CA DFG Lora Konde, CA DFG Mike Morrison, CA DFG Terri Stewart, CA DFG Brenton Scott, CA FNAWS Tammy Scott, CA FNAWS Ken Fish, CA FNAWS Kyle Meintzer, CA FNAWS Mike Borel, CA FNAWS Vern Bleich, Independent Gary Thomas, SCBS George Kerr, SCBS Steve Marschke, SCBS Bob Burke, SCBS Jeff Crouse, SCBS Jenny Hinojosa, SCBS Cheryl Carrothers, U.S. Forest Service Diane McFarlane, U.S. Forest Service Anne Yost, U.S. Forest Service Neal Darby, U.S. NPS - MNP New information reviewed and Comprehensive Plan elements completed: 1. Status of Pittman-Robertson Project for Sheep includes a State Sheep Coordinator and associated staff. 2. Status of Wildlife Water Developments, progress in last 12 months. 3. Status of new drinker design. 4. Report on model of potential movement in intermountain corridor areas and GIS information layers added over the past6 months, including potential locations for energy projects. 5. Progress/Status Report on Comprehensive Bighorn Sheep Plan. Plan to include all known about bighorn sheep, sheep habitat and resources. Including important movement corridors. 6. Update on initiatives that might potentially cut wild sheep travel corridors, and opportunities identified to negotiate wildlife corridor establishment. 7. Update on alternate methodologies development for population estimation. 8. Report on status of taking advantage of opportunities resulting from the Station Fire. 9. Status of trail cameras efforts and report of learnings. 10. Update on New National Monument Proposals and their potential impact on wild sheep. 11. Update on efforts to expand political influence and status of influence level. CA FNAWS 10

11 12. What we've learned from collared animals in the Whites. 13. Status of publications reference list to address development concerns. 14. Report on DFG plans for volunteer efforts and how they fit into the overall management plan. 15. Report on progress toward opening the Cady's and Bristol's. 16. Status report on investigating the potential for, and moving forward with proposals (regulatory), as appropriate, to implement (1) lottery opportunity for the third fund-raising tag; (2) a guaranteed non-resident portion of the general lottery tags; (3) preparation of the necessary plans and documents to ensure increased harvest opportunities during the next regulatory cycle. 17. Status of getting Clint Epp's and additional work into popular print 18. Status of work with landowners in the Whites to reduce/eliminate domestic sheep grazing in proximity to winter range. Our previously committed and recommitted Vision and Primary Strategies are: Ensure the persistence and restoration of healthy and sustainable metapopulations of bighorn sheep throughout their historical distribution in California. Develop and use science as the basis for conservation and management. Provide for recreational uses of bighorn sheep wherever appropriate. Primary Strategies to Progress Toward the Vision in the Next Three Years: 1. Elevate conservation to a level of public concern equivalent as wilderness and public land use. 2. Identify and address limiting factors and threats to persistence and recovery of bighorn sheep domestic sheep grazing, development and wildlife corridor management/preservation. 3. Create and implement a plan to inventory, conserve and re-establish populations of bighorn sheep in California, and assure appropriate resourcing. Giuseppe Carrizosa Spain Giuseppe Carrizosa giuseppecarrizosa@gmail.com Madrid, Spain Sportsman s Warehouse Rocklin, GA Bill Johnson Company John Harris Wheatland, WY California Department of Fish and Game Thomas Stephenson AR Hunting Consultant Abed Radwan abed@gci.net Anchorage, AK Western Wildlife Taxidermy Aaron Armstrong aaronhunts@gmail.com Roseville, CA Drake Dawson Safari Unlimited LLC safariunlimited@juno.com New Bloomfield, MO Joshua Spies Fine Art Joshua Spies & John Coulter Tracy, MN 11 CA FNAWS

12 OUT AND ABOUT IN SHEEP COUNTRY By Gary Thomas, SCBS Projects Coordinator Well it s time to sit down and write something about sheep; how I know this is the second note from Mike about the deadline for the magazine. If you haven t had the pleasure of meeting Mike Borel, let me take a minute here and tell you to go to the annual fundraiser in Sacramento next year and meet the guy who keeps all this going. Just look for the guy who never stops and is always smiling. Every one knows how much work it takes to raise money and keep sheep on the mountain, and a thank you now and then to the people who put this all together is about all it takes to keep them going. Well not much about sheep or country here, so let s move on to why you read this column. We ve had a good year in the desert this past year with more rain in some areas than I ve seen in a long time. I was up north in the Nopah s last month and the drinkers there are full and more sheep sign there than I ve seen before. Most years the rains are spotty with rain heavy in some places and not much in others, but this year we had good rains everywhere. The whipples and turtles usually get short-changed, but this year they got their share with some flood damage to one of the drinkers there. One of the great things about a wet winter is the wildflowers, and this year was one of the best. I saw Desert Lilies in places where I ve never seen them before, and that makes me wonder how long they can lay dormant without rain. Another first was last week in the Bobcat Hills, where I saw a flower that looked like a Mexican Poppy, but I m not sure if they grow this far north. Then there are the birds, quail and chucker should do well this year. But everytime I see all the signs like tent caterpillars and lots of greenup and predict good quail hunting, someone will have a bad year and let me know about it. So this year I ll wait and then say I told you so. Cliff McDonald and his bunch were repairing guzzlers this week in the Old Woman Mountains and saw the first baby quail of the year, so with two more months of mating time you might want to buy some extra shells. Now for the sheep. Things look good here also. We saw our first lambs in late December and January and all the sheep looking good. All of the sheep ranges we have checked are in good condition, with most of the drinkers full and lots of green-up. We are starting our second year of the camera study in the Newberrys and expanding the camera program to the Cadys. With fewer water holes there, it will present some challenges regarding where we place the cameras. But we have some ideas, and if we hope to study sheep in other mountains, we need to find new methods of camera placement. This Fall we will buy five more cameras and start a study of the movement of sheep between the Cadys and Bristols so we can document the corridor there. This is important because there are renewable energy companies that would like to build there, and that would cut the only sheep corridor from the Cadys. So far we have a lot of pictures, but without a data base and the people to enter them, they are just pictures, not information. So next time I will tell you about the people who are working on this project and what they are doing. We had five work projects this year, with two of them really important to the sheep. The Teresa Spring project was one where there was water, but the system had failed and only a few sheep used it. Now with two Johnson Screens and a better tank there, it will take the pressure from the other spring in the area and the sheep won t have to travel so far to get a drink. The other project was up north and we did the same thing there. Before, there was an old tank that didn t collect water, so the sheep had a nose hole and by mid-summer it was dry. We put in a new Johnson Screen and pipe and ran it to the old tank to collect and store water. Then we replaced the old spring box with a New Mexico drinker. Well I m running out of time, so I ll cut this off and save the rest til next time. D Wild Sheep Foundation Cody, WY Archery Only Wayne Piersol wayne@archeryonly.com Newark, CA CA FNAWS 12

13 RIGHT OF WAY GIVING ANIMALS SAFE PASSAGE ACROSS ROADWAYS Reprinted with permission; originally published in The Wildlife Professional Winter 2009 By Patricia Cramer, Ph.D. and Shauna Leavin Wildlife has typically been the loser when it comes to roads. By some estimates, there are more than 1.5 million wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) each year in the United States. In Canada four to eight large animal collisions occur each hour, according to the British Columbia Conservation Foundation. Such incidents have risen as highways have spread, with fatal consequences for both humans and animals. The Highway Loss Data Institute reported 223 human WVC fatalities in 2007 in the U.S., double the number that occurred in Wildlife biologists around the world are increasingly concerned about how roads, fences, walls, and other linear infrastructure are fragmenting habitats to the detriment of wildlife. To address the issue and discuss solutions, the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand hosted a symposium in May of this year titled Breaking the Barriers: Engineering Solutions to Ecological Problems. More than 200 experts from four nations gathered to discuss the latest research, strategies, and structures designed to minimize wildlife-vehicle collisions. It is imperative that study results and practices that are both successful and unsuccessful are communicated as quickly and effectively as possible, says John Bissonette, a keynote speaker at the event and head of the U.S. Geological Survey's Utah Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit. The need for safe wildlife crossings has grown steadily since 1956, when the signing of the U.S. Federal-Aid Highway Act launched the interstate highway system, a boon to commerce but a lethal gauntlet for wildlife. The U.S. built its first wildlife crossing in the early 1970S, with Canada closely following, particularly in its national parks. Throughout North America there are now more than 700 terrestrial crossings and thousands of aquatic crossings-a vast improvement for wildlife, but still insufficient to help animals navigate the spreading tangle of roads. Assessing the Options Given the age of our highway infrastructure, thousands of bridges and culverts will need to be replaced in the next decade. This presents an opportunity to create new, more-permeable structures that allow wildlife to pass unimpeded. The challenge for highway engineers and wildlife managers is to assess the scientific data and choose among crossing structures that vary widely in form and function, from simple rope ladders over roads to expansive vegetated overpasses for migratory herds. The complete article is available at River Otter Florida White-tailed Deer Montana Bobcat Florida 13 CA FNAWS

14 DISEASE MONITORING: WHITE MOUNTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP Excerpt from Semiannual Report of the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program July December 2009 In 2005, desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) in the Silver Canyon area of the White Mountains were reported to be suffering from respiratory disease. We initiated this work because of the proximity of the White Mountains to the Sierra Nevada, concerns about the effects of disease amongst all bighorn, and growing interest in this population. In other bighorn populations affected by respiratory disease, such as the Hells Canyon population, severe die-offs have occurred, often killing entire herds or severely depressing population sizes. In recent history, the White Mountain bighorn sheep population has been monitored almost exclusively by conducting aerial and ground surveys to count animals. After discovering respiratory disease in this population, the need for more intensive monitoring of the White Mountain population was realized. We designed a study to investigate the extent of disease spread throughout the range and its possible demographic effects in the White Mountain population. Our study plan was constructed carefully using power simulations and statistical modeling to determine sample sizes and schemes to meet our study objectives. Initial focus was placed on gaining updated and more accurate basic information such as population size and growth rate, adult survival, and Map showing the White Mountain bighorn sheep study area and three within the study area. The White Mountain and Montgomery Peak herds have been termed the northern subpopulation and the Silver Canyon herd is the southern subpopulation. animal movements. The main aspect of the study was to monitor survival of lambs that belonged to collared ewes and document visual observations of sick animals. This would allow us to track the spread of disease and to document lamb deaths throughout the study period, thus shedding light on the severity of the disease outbreak in this population. To begin the disease investigation we captured 23 females and 4 males in March 2009 in the northern subpopulation. We monitored these collared animals, along with previously collared sheep, to track the survival of their lambs from June until October. Lamb survival markedly decreased over the study period. However, because of limitations to the study that resulted in small sample sizes and large variance, the survival estimate lacked statistical resolution. We therefore analyzed lamb recruitment (the lamb to ewe ratio for both collared and uncollared females in the population) as a way to monitor lamb survival for the entire population. This measure gave us more statistical confidence. Both estimates (lamb survival 0.10 (95% CI = ) and recruitment 0.29 (95% CI = ) were below normal lamb survival and recruitment values of 0.30 and 0.43 observed in other desert bighorn populations. Adult female survival remained high at 97 percent. Judging by these below normal lamb survival and recruitment rates, coupled with visual observations of sick lambs outside Silver Canyon, we concluded that respiratory disease is not limited to the Silver Canyon herd in the White Mountains. The disease outbreak has spread throughout the White Mountain population and is significantly affecting lamb survival. Consequently, population size of bighorn sheep in the White Mountains appears to be declining. Because of the high elevation (>11,000 ft) at which most White Mountain bighorn live during lambing season there is virtually no opportunity to treat disease in this herd. This illustrates the essential need to protect bighorn herds from exposure to disease. Domestic sheep and goats pose the greatest disease threat and hence must be managed to avoid any contact with bighorn sheep. D A more detailed discussion of the study can be obtained from the CA Dept. of Fish and Game, Bishop, CA, titled Monitoring Population Dynamics and Spatial Patterns of Distribution and Movement in Relation to Disease Spread in Bighorn Sheep of the White Mountains of California: 2009 Summary. CA FNAWS 14

15 CRAZY GOATS For your viewing pleasure and to stimulate memories for all who have pursued the Rocky Mountain Goat! 15 CA FNAWS

16 CHASED BY DESTINY By Peggy DiPrima I have been told drawing a California Nelson Bighorn Sheep tag is like winning the Lottery. It is a tag my husband Al has been trying for as long as he can remember. Unfortunately he has never been drawn. So you can imagine the excitement when the notification came in the mail that I had been drawn. Destiny had made its first step toward me. My husband immediately started doing some research and asking friends for some guide recommendations. The name that kept popping up was Terry Anderson of Gorgonio Wilderness Outfitters, who had an amazing success rate. My husband spoke with Terry and asked him if he had ever guided a handgun hunter. A handgun is the only firearm I have ever hunted with. I use a Custom Gary Reeder Contender chambered in 35 rem. Terry mentioned that I would be his first handgun hunter, but quickly built a rapport with my husband. We were convinced Terry was our guy. During the many months prior to my hunt, I prepared myself by doing an hour of cardio on the treadmill at the highest incline a few times a week, as well as hiking Mt. Diablo on the weekends with my best buddy Christa. She deserves a medal for putting up with my constant moaning and groaning. My husband, Al, and I hit the range to get some shooting practice in as often as we could. In October each person drawn was required to attend a mandatory Sheep Hunters Clinic where after completion you are given your coveted tag. I met Terry there for the first time, and I chuckle as I think back on that day and what must have gone through his mind as he met his client sporting 5-inch heel suede boots and full blown make up. Finally the day of my hunt arrived. We arrived in camp late in the evening on Friday, December 4, in the Old Dad Mountains. After unpacking we discussed strategy for opening day with Terry. I mentioned to Terry that I was looking for an old ram with a lot of character. Terry has an amazing and very talented staff. His assistant guides Collin, Andrew and Jake were so knowledgeable and passionate about what they do, I knew I was in good hands. Another very important part of the team was John, aka Cactus Jack, our chef extraordinaire who took great care of us. It was hard to get a good night s sleep that night as I was so excited. I felt like a 4-year-old waiting for Christmas day. Day 1: Saturday, December 5 (opening day) What an amazing experience the first day of my hunt was. We spent all day glassing various groups of sheep in various places. We finally settled on a group of sheep on the side of a mountain with a ram Terry felt was what I was looking for. We spent the rest of the day watching these sheep basically watch us. They have a very keen eye and can see for miles. We were running out of time, so when the group of sheep finally decided to head on out to a location to feed, we hurriedly climbed the fastest way we could get to them. That would be in a straight line up the side of the mountain. When we finally reached the area we saw them crest, we carefully peeked over the top. There the group was about 175 yards away. The ram I was looking for was hidden from view. All of a sudden my husband noticed a ram standing behind us at about 95 yards. Then suddenly a ram climbed a trail that lead him 39 yards in front of us. We were literally surrounded by sheep. None of these opportunities were the ram that I wanted. Clearly Terry was getting ants in the pants as we were getting closer and closer to dusk, and he had never in his entire career been in a shooting situation like this before. He knew he had to get a handgun hunter closer to an animal than a rifle shooter and here one was only 39 yards away. Terry asked me what I wanted to do and I decided to pass. Finally the ram that was closest to us took off like a bat out of hell and we knew the jig was up. Boy, talk about seeing the life suck right out of a man! As we walked back down the mountain I felt that the team I was with felt disappointed, but I explained to them that I would regret it for the rest of my life if I took a ram that I did not want merely because it was an easy shot. Especially on day 1 of a 16-day hunt. I, however, was NOT disappointed CA FNAWS 16

17 even if it meant going home empty-handed. I had complete faith in Terry and his crew and I knew tomorrow was a new day. That evening we had a wonderful meal of elk stroganoff, salad and homemade sourdough bread. That night I made the crew promise me that when I got my ram we would all share in a congratulatory shot of Patron Tequila. Day 2: Sunday, December 6 We knew we were starting from scratch, so we decided to hit a different location. Glassing the sides of Kelso Peak, Terry spotted a group of sheep around 2-1/2 to 3 miles away tucked deep inside the mountains. Terry and his crew analyzed the sheep and determined there were about three rams I might be interested in. The plan was to cross the desert behind the mountains and climb up behind the sheep. Someone said, Let s make this happen! And we were off. We started our stalk at 8:30 a.m. My husband once again relegated himself to carry our pack with s upplies as he only wanted me concerned with my firearm. We walked through miles and miles of desert, seeing rabbits, desert quail, tortoise remnants and ravens. We stopped once very briefly for a quick lunch, and then went straight away to our stalk. There were many discussions between the guides about the terrain in relation to where we would be from the opposite side of the mountain. We started to climb to the area where the sheep were last spotted early in the morning. When we reached the top, the men felt that we overshot it a bit when just then three ewes appeared in front of us. Terry yelled to get down and quickly got me positioned to take a shot, thinking that a ram may be following the ewe. When it was clear no other sheep were coming and the ewe headed back to the direction they came from, the guys re-evaluated the situation and how to best get us to the sheep without them catching our scent or seeing us. Then out came the secret weapon, the infamous top secret sheep camouflage. We took each step painfully slow with hand gestures and very hushed tones to a corner where, yes, in fact, the very same group of sheep that we spotted in the morning were. Staying low Terry and his crew were getting me in position right behind the sheep. Collin led me up to the top, and as we peeked over the ridge we startled the sheep. Collin pointed out the exact ram I was hoping for 100 yards away standing broad-sided. With a raised pack for a rest, I calmly aimed and took my shot. It was a beautiful shot right through the shoulder and through the lungs. While I quickly reloaded, the ram stumbled in the opposite direction. It was clearly hit and would not get far. Repositioning ourselves, I fired a final shot at about 175 yards that anchored the ram. We all yelled as Collin and I highfived. I turned around to see my husband, Terry and Andrew jumping up and down like little boys. I yelled to Terry, Now wasn t that MUCH more exciting? The shot was taken at 5:00 p.m. after an 8-1/2 hour stalk. After our initial congratulations, we took proud photos and went quickly to work field dressing my trophy. By the time we were done, it was getting dark and we still had a long climb down the mountain. I felt so proud of my husband, Terry and the crew as we prepared to head down the mountain in the dark with our headlamps. We followed Collin down the mountain in a single line. It was amazing to see him carry my trophy on this back while navigating in the dark just like the mountain men and trappers long ago. The stars were out and it was beautiful. Terry commented on how truly blessed we all were and I agreed. Cactus Jack was waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain with hot chocolate. What a man! That evening, over another wonderful meal, we toasted our success with the promised shot of Patron Tequila. I mentioned how happy I felt to be Terry s first handgun hunter when Andrew said No, Peggy, you are the only person in California to have ever used a handgun. Destiny just got a little closer. With hugs and kisses, I said goodbye and wrapped up my journey the next morning. I felt honored to have been with such amazing men who were of great character and talent. I felt proud of my husband who relegated himself to pack mule and purposely let this be my own hunting experience by standing on the sidelines. Just shy of two months later I had my trophy measured by Jim Martin, an official scorer for Safari Club International. SCI, of which my husband is a life member, has a handgun category for all game taken. May 22, 2010 my official score and rank came in the mail for my beautiful desert sheep. Taken with a handgun measuring 162 4/8, I found out that I am the only person (man or woman) in the world to have taken a California Nelson bighorn sheep with a pistol. My ram is the new world record, ranking No. 1 handgun as a Silver Medal trophy. Destiny finally caught up with me! D 17 CA FNAWS

18 PHOTOS FROM TRAIL CAMS ON WILDLIFE WATER DEVELOPMENTS IN DESERT SHEEP COUNTRY OF CALIFORNIA Thanks to Bob Burke, SCBS Camera Coordinator and CA FNAWS member, for sharing these pictures! Love those lambs! OK, we ll wait til you re finished. CA FNAWS 18

19 2010 FUNDRAISER RECAP By Ken Fish The CA FNAWS 2010 Fundraiser was held this year on May 1 at the Marriott Rancho Cordova, just outside of Sacramento. Despite the down economy, sheep hunters are a persevering lot, and many made the trek from across the state and even from out of state to attend. For several of the higher-priced tags, a number of phone bidders joined in from around the US and even from Canada. Everyone who attended appreciated the setting, and the food quality was the best in several years. The chapter anticipates returning to the Marriott for the 2011 Fundraiser, so save the date of April 30, Among the several highlights of the event, a Tiburon Island desert sheep tag sold for a record $100,000! In addition, there were a number of extremely high-quality hunts available for sale, including two hunts in the Yukon with Arctic Red River outfitters, two dall sheep hunts, a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunt, and a number of exciting hunts in Europe, including Spain, Macedonia and Turkey. However, hunts closer to home were also on offer, with pronghorn, whitetail, and elk hunts in the lower 48 available. In addition, the gun raffle featured a number of outstanding firearms including a custom.50 caliber blackpowder rifle, a custom Nosler hunting rifle in Norma, and a Kimber 1911 handgun. Anyone who has worked on a fundraiser can attest that the success begins months before the event with the committed hard work of the fundraising committee. This year s committee included Mike Borel, Paul Brisso, Matt Burke, Debi Ramsey-Casey, Jim Fitzgerald, Chris Settelmeyer, Kyle Meintzer, Brenton and Tammy Scott, and chapter administrator Beverly Valdez. Without their dedication, the fundraiser would not have occurred. Chip Hollister was our photographer on the day. Please join me in thanking all of them for their contributions to the chapter s fundraising success. Also, while you are thinking about the fundraiser, consider whether you might want to volunteer to help with next year s event. There is always room for more volunteers, and the tasks that need to be done range from complex and challenging to not burdensome. D Item for Sale Fully outfitted coues deer hunt for two in southern Arizona: $4750. Dates are open in 2010 or 2011, and may be arranged with the outfitter. For more information, contact Ken Fish at: gspgeneral@aol.com. Dama Dama Safaris Resit Kaan Ozmen resit@damadamasafaris.com Antalya, Turkey Front Sight Firearms Training Institute Ken Fish Rolling Hills Estates, CA Grand Slam Club/Ovis Taylor Deboer Birmingham, AL Steyn Caracal Safaris Abie Steyn absteyn@mailbox.co.za Linden, South Africa 19 CA FNAWS

20 2010 DRIVE TO 35 FUNDRAISER Photos courtesy of Chip Hollister, member and great photographer Thank you, Chip! Contact Chip for individual files/prints at or (925) CA FNAWS 20

21 21 CA FNAWS

22 FLOATING MENACE Reprinted with permission; originally published in Outdoor California January-February 2010 By Rebecca Barboza Researchers say latex party balloons pose a unique threat to southern California s population of bighorn sheep because of the way sheep eat and digest food. A helium balloon wafting in the breeze across an endless sky hardly conveys a sense of peril. Yet these brightly colored spheres frequent icon at parties, soirées and announcements must eventually submit to the call of gravity and return to the environment where in southern California s high desert landscape they are creating a growing hazard for some of North America s rarest mammals. For years, biologists have documented the negative impacts of latex balloons on marine wildlife. More recently, researchers have seen devastating evidence of what they can do to terrestrial wildlife as well. Of particular notice is how scientists are seeing more balloon debris in the rugged mountains of southern California. Specifically, they have found latex balloons near areas that support several populations of bighorn sheep. Nelson bighorn sheep (Ovis Canadensis nelsoni) are designated as fully protected species. The classification of fully protected was California s initial effort in the 1960s to identify and provide additional protection to wildlife that were rare or faced possible extinction. Throughout the 1990s some Nelson bighorn sheep populations were thought to be on the verge of collapse. Today, wildlife biologists believe they are recovering from years of poor habitat conditions and habitat loss, predation and human impacts. In 2003, the Department of Fish and Game, along with the Angeles and San Bernardino national forests, began tracking local populations of bighorn sheep to better understand the animals long-term management needs. Researchers captured and marked sheep with radio collars to monitor their movements. When a marked animal dies, the collar emits a mortality signal, which helps biologists locate the remains and determine the cause of death. During these routine mortality investigations, biologists regularly found remnants of latex balloons in the animals stomachs. We have found everything from small latex fragments to entire balloon bouquets completely impacting the animals digestive tracts, says Jeff Villepique, a DFG associate wildlife biologist. If this were happening in just one location, we would probably consider it an anomaly. But our greatest concern is that this appears to be a ubiquitous occurrence in bighorn sheep populations that inhabit the urban-wild land interface of southern California and in the adjacent high deserts. The complete article is available at Rebecca Barboza is an Associate Wildlife Biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game, South Coast Region Left: An investigation of this deceased bighorn sheep showed the animal had swallowed plastic balloon strings while their other ends remained entangled in the sheep s mandible and teeth. Above: Jeff Villepique, a DFG associate wildlife biologist removed enough balloons from one of the chambers of a bighorn s stomach to fill a plastic bag. CA FNAWS 22

23 THE ONE-EYED WONDER By Ken Crother I am not typically so great at remembering dates. Ask my wife. But one sticks in my head. If I remember correctly, it was Saturday, June 24, I had just come home from a golf tournament to a BBQ we were having at our house. I had called my mom and asked her to pick up the mail and bring it to town. When we got home, she handed me the pile. I was expecting my returns from the California Department of Fish and Game as I had already had all the calls from buddies on who had and had not drawn tags. It was almost surreal, but I remember getting one letter from the Department and opened it quickly to see what deer tag I had not drawn. I distinctly remember reading the letter, read it again, and the next thing I remember was my wife asking me what was wrong. I was having a hard time getting the words out, but was trying to explain to her what letter I was holding and what it said. Cindy, not being a hunter, did not quite understand why I was hyperventilating, but finally understood that I had just drawn a sheep tag in the Marble Clipper Mountains in the Mojave Desert. My mind was spinning. After a few days of letting it sink in, I began making phone calls to try decide how to approach this hunt. I knew very little about sheep, had no idea where the Marbles were, let alone how to approach this hunt as I had never hunted sheep before. I had heard from my buddy Mike Passaglia, who had hunted them, is that once you go you will never be the same. Little did I know that he was right. I eventually got in touch with Andy Pauli, a fish and game biologist, and got the skinny about the sheep orientation that you must attend. Then I started trying to decide how to pass the time for the next five months. A friend of mine put me in touch with Michael Hornbarger of Black Rock Outfitters out of Winnemucca. Mike has been hunting sheep for over 30 years and had hunted the Marbles in the past. He and I started making plans together and eventually made it through the orientation and waited for December 1. The orientation was great and the members of the Society of Conservation of Bighorn Sheep could not have been more helpful with knowledge of the zones, sheep surveys, pictures and help with judging the sheep. The time had come to go hunting. My hunting buddy Mark Shires had committed to come along and help on this hunt, as well as another friend Cody Brinkerhoff, and of course Mike Hornbarger. Horny had arrived early and had started scouting some for us. Mark and I showed up a couple of days early, got camp set up and could not wait to see our first sheep. We split up and systematically started glassing different parts of the two ranges and tried to break it down. Opening morning came and immediately Horny found rams. It was our first group of rams that we got excited about and decided to make a hunt on them. First morning, are you kidding me? It was incredible to see these animals in these desert mountains. We set out on our first hunt. What I did not realize is that there is a lot of ground to cover in the desert. That short walk that you looked at through a spotting scope was just a bit more than I had expected. A couple of hours later, the four of us were peeking around the corner of a giant rock outcropping, looking at what we called the magnificent five. Five beautiful rams on the first morning of the hunt. We had them at about 500 yards, but with nothing in between us to give us a good opportunity to make a good stalk. Also the wind was blowing about 40 miles an hour and did not help on making a long shot. The most memorable ram of this group had only one horn and the horn he had was monstrous. He was very old, and knowing what I know now. he would have made a great ram to harvest as he was very old. Live and learn I suppose. Well since it was the first morning and the conditions were not quite conducive, we decided to pass on these rams and go look at some more. I believe it was that evening I got to experience another first in the desert. It rained a few inches that night and we awoke to rivers running through the continued on page CA FNAWS

24 continued from page 23 desert, including one coming right through camp. Wind, rain and fog on and off for the next few days made for interesting hunting. The glassing was tough, and Horny was getting tired of telling me that we would not just go on hikes. He was patiently trying to make a sheep hunter out of an elk and deer hunter. We continued on and kept finding ram after ram. I can only explain this as the Disneyland of Desert Sheep. We were having so much fun looking at sheep in all parts of the range. We finally found a sheep that I really liked and put a hunt together. After working our way around the back side of the Clippers and about a three-hour hike, we got into the area that we had seen the sheep earlier. This was a very wide-horned ram that also appeared to be long. What I liked most of all about this ram was that he had a limp and I kind of felt that combining the horns and a limp was a great reason to harvest this animal. It took us an hour or so to find the ram again and watched him feed from a distance. We ran out of time that evening to make a safe hunt on him. At that point we decided to put him to bed and come back early the next morning to have good light and make a hunt on him. He was headed towards a point in the Marbles called Molly's Tip, and from what George Kerr of SCBS had told me, if a ram is headed for that, they are headed to the Clippers. We awoke the next morning and hiked in the dark for a couple of hours and got into position to find that our limping ram was gone. All I could think was that he took Georges advice and moved on to the Clippers. (Note: This ram was taken the following year by Mark Dickson.) We were pretty dejected at this point, and to make matters worse, I had to get Mark back to work and I had to get caught up also. We headed home for one of the longest 10-hour drives I think that Mark and I have made. We did not talk a bunch but had plenty of time to mull it over. I headed back to meet Mike at camp a few days later after getting work and family taken care of. Mike took a quick trip to clear his head and we were back on the mountain. It felt good and did not take us long to find a great group of rams on Patton hill in the Clippers. The next morning, we packed our packs and bedrolls and headed up the mountain. It took the better part of the day to get to where we wanted to be. As we were approaching where we had seen the rams, we saw a guy in a red shirt walking down the mountain. We sat down and looked at each other and assumed we were doomed. He happily walked up and we spoke. He was a hiker that had pulled over and decided to go on a walk up the mountain. After determining that he did not blow the hunt, we continued. We found our rams with about an hour of daylight left. Seventeen rams together on the top of Patton Hill what a sight. At one point they all ran together, and from 700 plus yards away it was amazing to hear the ground rumble beneath their feet. We could not make a move. We got pinned in and just laid down on the rocks and froze until we could back out and take a nap on the hill that night. I remember not sleeping much that night. I jumped out of bed at the crack of dawn and we were off. We quickly found the rams, but only had seven of them this time. Horny found a great ram we had called Pretty Boy just the perfect set of horns and would score well. After about an hour getting into position, I had a great opportunity to make a shot on this ram. I shoot a 300 UM and the closest we could get was 450 yards. This is when I got to take my first shot and realized that I had not spent enough time practicing long-range shooting. I did not trust my gun and shot right over his back. I was not used to missing game, but had no excuses. Horny and I were just a bit south of disappointed. We headed back to our little camp, not talking a bunch. I proceeded to call home and make myself feel better. I did not reach my family, but had a voice mail from my little boy Caleb who is 7. He was crying and asking me to come home. Horny had spoken to Terry Anderson, who was in the area when we were checking on where everybody was. Terry had been helpful and we did not want to get in each other s way. We let Terry know we were going to make a hike toward where these sheep had gone. We headed toward where the sheep had run and quickly, to my surprise, found another small band of five rams. Horny quickly found the oldest ram in the group and was in the process of telling me that he was very beat up and most likely would not score very well. I was only hearing bits and pieces as my missed shot, as well as my family, were weighing heavy on my mind. The next thing I asked was how far. Horny told me 310 yards and continued to tell me about the ram being old and beat up. I told him to watch through the scope, and made the shot. The ram never got out of his bed; he ended up rolling way down the steep hill he was bedded on. It was over, what a relief. To harvest this ram in this range on Patton Hill will be something I will never forget. He may not score well, but with the memories of all the rams we got to see and pass on, this beautiful desert, the laughs and sorrows that I experienced with great friends, I would not change a thing. After all the high fives, I might have even given him a hug. He said that was a first for him. We got to the ram. He was awesome and looked like a prizefighter. We had him at roughly 9 years old, horns very chipped up from sinusitis and was missing his left eye. He looked as though someone took a baseball bat to his nose, and we assumed that he was just off on hitting horns with others with only one eye. We caped him and packed the meat, horns and cape about four miles CA FNAWS 24

25 to the highway. We were fortunate enough to have Terry Anderson pick us up and haul us to camp as we were very far from our vehicle. Cannot thank him enough as we were beat. What a hunt. I am hooked. So hooked that I started putting in for sheep tags all over the West the following year. That will be my next story, if you can believe I have another to tell? I cannot adequately thank those who help support the sheep in our state. CA FNAWS, SCBS and California Department of Fish and Game all do a great job at working for these awesome animals. I have made a ton of great friends through this one tag, and it has opened up a whole new dimension to my hunting world. Most of all, I would like to thank Mike Hornbarger for all of his efforts and for putting up with me. We have become great friends and look forward to the next time we get to hunt together. Cody and Mark, I owe you both thanks for all of your help and for making this hunt one I will never forget. Most of all, to Cindy, Caleb and Hannah, thanks for understanding when I am gone hunting, and I look forward to spending time with you in the field as you grow. D Limcroma Safaris Hannes Els hannes@limcroma.com South Africa Cordoba Hunting SA Faco Pavcovich Los Andex 600 Villa Carlos PA3 Cordoba, Argentina info@cordobahunting.com Ward s Outfitters Steven Ward trophyhunts@wardsoutfitters.com Wilcox, AZ Hunt Trip Spain Francisco Rosich joelle@hunttripspain.com Barcelona, Spain Sitka Gear David Brinker Napa, CA Zulu Nyala Group Veena Joory Holland, MI Cordoba Hunting SA Faco Pavcovich usa@cordobahunting.com info@cordobahunting.com Cordoba, Argentina Furs by Robert Brian and Jeanne Smith PMB # Market St. N.E. Salem, OR Crooked Horn Outfitters Danell and Lennis Janzen Tehachapi, CA Hunt in Europe Srdja Dimitrijevic info@huntineurope.com Marbella, Spain 25 CA FNAWS

26 ROPING A DEER: LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE Actual letter from someone who farms, writes well and tried this by An Educated Rancher I had this idea that I could rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there, it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home. I filled the cattle feeder, then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. After about 20 minutes, my deer showed up three of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope. The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold. The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it, it took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope and then received an education. The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope. That deer EXPLODED. The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer no chance. That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined. The only upside is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals. A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope. I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual. Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer s momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in. I didn t want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder a little trap I had set before hand kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back. Did you know that deer bite? They do! I was very surprised when I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts. The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective. It seemed like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now), tricked it. While I kept it busy tearing the tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose. That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day. Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are surprisingly sharp. I learned a long time ago that, when an animal like a horse strikes at you with their hooves and you can t get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape. This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously, such trickery would not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run. The reason I had always been told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all, besides being twice as strong and 3 times as evil, because the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down. Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are laying there crying like a little girl and covering your head. I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away. So now I know why when people go deer hunting they bring a rifle with a scope to sort of even the odds. All these events are true so help me God. D CA FNAWS 26

27 DIRECTOR CANDIDATES STEVEN F. BOITANO, San Jose, California Steven is a husband, and a father of two young hunters. He is a CPA and Partner in the firm Boitano, Sargent & Lilly. Steven became Treasurer of CA FNAWS in 2005 and has developed the reporting and compliance systems required for our organization. He has a broad range of business accounting and tax experience. He is involved in many charitable organizations and is an active supporter of wildlife conservation. Steven started hunting and fishing at a very young age in California and has two sons he believes can enjoy this legacy further with the help of organizations like CA FNAWS. MEMBERSHIP Life member. MIKE J. BOREL, Alamo, California Current Vice President, also past President and past Secretary of CA FNAWS. Mike is a Partner in the Context Network, which assists agricultural businesses with strategy and critical decision support. Mike has lived across the USA, in Europe and Australia. A hunter his whole life, Mike is an active supporter of wildlife conservation and sound management, Second Amendment rights and hunting rights. He holds Life memberships in: WSF, Boone & Crockett Associates, SCI, CA FNAWS, Grand Slam /Ovis, NRA, RMEF, NAHC, and The 2nd Amendment Foundation. He is also a member of SCI Golden Gate, CRPA, CCRKBA, U.S. Sportsman s Alliance, Christian Sportsman s Fellowship, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and the Gun Owners Task Force. He s been an officer and Board member in three SCI Chapters, two Gun Clubs, CA FNAWS; and he is third term Director at Large in SCI. He believes political action is necessary to preserve our hunting heritage and gun ownership rights, and is an active campaigner, phone caller and letter writer. He confesses to being severely afflicted with Sheep Fever and has taken 28 of the World s Ovis and Capra species. MEMBERSHIP Founding Life Member JOHN CAVIN, Danville, California I grew up knowing two things: I wanted to become a lawyer and I wanted to hunt and fish. In college, I was fortunate enough to meet my wife of the past 34 years. To this day, Debbie swears I married her to have her brother, Tom Griffiths, as my brother-in-law. Since then Tom and I have hunted together across the Rocky Mountain States for deer, elk, antelope, and uncountable numbers of wild pigs, doves, pheasants, ducks and geese. We went on a Dall sheep hunt in 2002 and were hooked. Over the ensuing six years we accompanied each other across Canada, Mexico and California on our successful quest for the Stone, Rocky and Desert sheep. As a litigation lawyer and mediator I have been appalled at the enormous waste of our donated funds spent on between our brethren in the national sheep organizations. I strongly believe that our hard-earned monies should be used for putting and keeping sheep on the mountain. I am a life member of the Wild Sheep Foundation and the NRA, and regular member of many other conversation organizations. MEMBERSHIP 3 year member, current. JOHN R. DRUMMOND, Lodi, California John is a current Board member who feels blessed in having the opportunity to serve on the CA FNAWS Board for the past two years. Serving with the men and women on the Board has been inspiring with their passion to put sheep on the mountain. John is married to his high school sweetheart, Diane, for almost 41 years, and they are raising their twin 14-year-old granddaughters. John is looking forward to taking the girls to Africa in John is a life member of CA FNAWS, WSF, RMEF and the NRA. MEMBERSHIP Life Member. continued on page CA FNAWS

28 continued from page 27 KEN FISH, Rancho Palos Verdes, California Ken is currently President and 2010 Fundraiser Chair. He was Vice President Southern CA and 2009 Fundraiser Chair. He is also active in SCI, where he is Director (fourth term) and Legislative Affairs Chair; he is also a past Treasurer. Ken has been hunting almost his entire life and says, I grew up with a gun in my hands. In fact, while attending high school in Southern California in the 1970s he often brought a shotgun with him each day in the autumn so he could hunt on the way to and from school! He also remembers buying ammunition at the hardware store and JC Penney. The differences between then and now are stark, and Ken is committed to seeing the ownership and usage of firearms for hunting returned to the mainstream in California. Ken has hunted most species of North American big game, and he will go on his fifth safari this summer. He has a special passion for hunting birds over pointing dogs, and he raises and trains German Shorthaired Pointers. He is a very active campaigner against anti-hunting and anti-gun legislation. MEMBERSHIP Life Member BEN GORDON, Princeton, California Ben is a fifth generation Northern California rancher currently involved in commercial rice production and wildlife habitat management. His operation also includes a commercial duck hunting club managing hunting opportunities for 70+ hunters each year and managing pasture land for cattle with upland habitat for pheasant, turkey and blacktail deer. He currently serves as Director on two different mutual water company Boards and has served on several committees involving farm cooperatives, banking, and county fish and game commissions. Ben is a lifetime member of FNAWS, CA FNAWS, Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, SCI, and also holds memberships in RMEF, NBU, Calif. Deer Assn., MDF, NWTF, and NRA. Married with two grown children, he and his family hunt many western states each year and just recently completed his collection of the four species of North American wild sheep. MEMBERSHIP Life Member DONALD C. MARTIN, Elk Grove, CA A native of California, Don grew up hunting with his family. As a youth, Don also became an accomplished bass fisherman, having competed in over 40 bass tournaments by age 18. While attending Humboldt State University, Don began bowhunting for blacktail deer and black bear, as well as abalone-diving, spear-fishing, and duck hunting. After graduation, Don apprenticed as a guide in Alaska, where he is now a registered guide/outfitter (#1220) conducting hunts for sheep, moose, and brown bear. He has also guided hunters for mule deer in Sonora, Mexico for 11 years. To date, Don has guided over 170 successful hunts for nine species of big game. He has also personally harvested 44 species of big game worldwide, including 14 with a bow, and 19 in North America. In the off-season, Don works as a videoproducer and resides in Elk Grove with his wife, Katie. He is a life-member of CA FNAWS; maintains memberships in WSF, SCI, GSC/OVIS, and the Pope & Young Club; and has also supported DU, RMEF, MDF, and WAFNAWS. MEMBERSHIP Life Member CA FNAWS 28

29 ROGER L. MCCOSKER, Reno, Nevada A Charter Life Member of CA FNAWS, Roger is a 4th generation Californian, who currently resides in Reno. While in college, Roger completed his BS and MBA, leading to a career in the investment business, the last 25 years as principal and owner of an investment advisory firm, Pinehurst Capital Management Corporation, when he retired this past year. Roger enjoys the outdoors, hunting, fishing, but his sheep hunting affinity (addiction) started with a surprise resident drawing of a California Desert Sheep Tag in 1995 (East Chocolate Mountains), and finished with a Bighorn Ram in Wyoming in 1999, which led him to successfully achieving his Grand Slam of North American Wild Sheep in four years. Roger has taken 23 species of sheep and goats in 13 different countries, leading to the World Slam of Sheep (Ovis) and Goats (Capra) awards. Roger is a life member of SCI, CA FNAWS, Grand Slam/Ovis, NRA, Nevada Bighorn, and WSF. He has been an officer, director, and member of SCI Golden Gate, as well as a member of No. Nevada SCI. MEMBERSHIP Charter Life Member BRENTON SCOTT, Littleton, Colorado Brenton is running for another term on the Board in order to continue his service to the membership and the wild sheep of California. Brenton is a founding life member of the organization, has served on the Board since its inception and also serves as the Projects Committee Chair. If you ve attended a CA FNAWS fundraiser, you ll know Brenton as (with the exception of 2005 due to a severe back injury) he has served as emcee during all of the auctions through 2009 when his vocal cords gave out. His roots in conservation, and wild sheep in particular, date to the 80s when he started his now long tenure of volunteer endeavors with the Golden Gate Chapter (followed by his co-founding of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter) of Safari Club International. He now holds Life memberships in: ADBSS, CA FNAWS, EA WSF, IA FNAWS, ID WSF, IPHA, MT WSF, NBU, NRA, GSCO, MDF, PHASA, RMBS, RMEF, SCBS, SCI, SCI-PAC, TBS, TU, WSF, WSF Midwest, WA FNAWS and WY FNAWS. Additionally, Brenton currently serves on the Board of directors of the Wild Sheep Foundation Midwest Chapter and as Co-Chair of their Funding Request Committee. MEMBERSHIP Founding Life Member TAMMY SCOTT, Littleton, Colorado Tammy was born and raised in San Jose, California. For those who do not know her, she has over 20 years of experience in working with various non-profit conservation organizations (you may have possibly seen and most likely heard her acting as an auction spotter, maybe even standing on your dinner table trying to get you to bid again). Tammy has served as a Director previously, as well as serving in the capacity of Founding Southern California Vice President for CA FNAWS. She was also the Founding Chapter Sables President of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter SCI. She s served as a Director with the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society since Additionally, she has assisted conservation fundraising events in Washington, California, Wyoming, Minnesota Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Colorado. Tammy is a hunter of over 20 years, having hunted in the USA, Canada, Mexico and Africa. Memberships include: CA FNAWS Founding Life Member, FNAWS Member, MN / WI FNAWS Member, NRA Benefactor Life Member, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society Member, Director and Treasurer, SCI Life Member and Master Measurer, WY FNAWS Life Member. MEMBERSHIP Founding Life Member. 29 CA FNAWS

30 MANAGEMENT OF BIGHORN SHEEP IN CALIFORNIA by Dr. Steve Torres and Dr. Ben Gonzales The California Department of Fish and Game (Department) manages bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in California as 10 distinct metapopulations (see map). Metapopulations are defined as systems of interconnected populations that are distinct in that bighorn sheep movement within them is frequent, between them is unlikely, and the barriers that separate them are either man-made (such as highways) or natural (large open areas). The bighorn sheep metapopulation in the Sierra Nevada is recognized as a unique and distinct subspecies of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae). This metapopulation is both federally and state listed as endangered. The greatest threats facing the population recovery include disease risks from contact with domestic sheep in the northern part of the range, and mountain lion predation. The State of California funds the management of Sierra Nevada bighorn and this program is led by the Inland Deserts Region field office in Bishop, California. Nelson s or desert bighorn sheep (O. canadensis nelsoni) enjoy the widest distribution in California, inhabiting the White Mountains in East Central California, the Mojave and parts of the Sonoran/Colorado Deserts in Southeastern California, and the transverse ranges including the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains. Desert bighorn sheep are fully protected under California law and populations in seven separate zones are managed for hunting. The effects of drought on bighorn forage and water have been a challenge for desert sheep and there is currently concern for the effects on habitat from large scale development of solar and wind power projects. n the White Mountains, respiratory disease has resulted in significant lamb mortality, with less impact on adult bighorn sheep. Nelson s bighorn in California are managed jointly by the Inland Deserts Region, the South Coast Region, and the Department s Wildlife Branch. While desert bighorn sheep in the Peninsular Ranges are considered Nelson s bighorn sheep, this metapopulation is federally listed as endangered, and state listed as threatened. Peninsular bighorn habitat occurs in parts of San Diego, Riverside and Imperial counties. Urban development in the San Jacinto and the northern portions of the Santa Rosa Mountains is considered a risk to the Recovery of bighorn sheep in those areas. In certain southern mountain ranges of Anza-Borrego State Park, pneumonia has resulted in lamb mortalities affecting the growth of those herds. The sporadic occurrences of domestic sheep and goats in the Peninsular Ranges have created concerns for the transmission of respiratory disease to bighorn. Management of bighorn sheep in the Peninsular ranges is provided by the South Coast Region in cooperation with personnel from the Department s Wildlife Branch. Operations budgets for bighorn programs vary between the three groups of sheep. Funding for Sierra Nevada bighorn is legislatively mandated and is supplemented by competitive research grants. Funding for Peninsular bighorn sheep program is the most difficult and tends to be a variety of sources including the Department, local governments, federal projects, and mitigation from development projects. Auction tag revenues go into the Dedicated Bighorn Sheep Fund, which funds a large portion of helicopter surveys and captures in the desert sheep program. The Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep (SCBS) has been part of the State s bighorn sheep management program since coordinated bighorn sheep surveys started in the 1960s. They have provided valuable financial, volunteer labor, and political support for desert bighorn sheep habitat projects. Support from SCBS was also instrumental in helping to establish the first regulated desert bighorn sheep hunting in CA FNAWS is a more recent supporter of desert bighorn sheep management and has already contributed critical funding for several desert bighorn sheep projects. Without support from CA FNAWS important population surveys could not have been completed last year, when California s fiscal crisis resulted in administrative delays that prevented our use of helicopters. Funding for employee salaries and vehicles, equipment, supplies (other than Operations) comes from a variety of Headquarters and Regional fund sources. The management of bighorn sheep in California is a true partnership. The Department s efforts to develop objective, scientifically based risk assessment techniques to evaluate disease transmission between domestic sheep and Sierra Nevada bighorn have helped address this issue not just in California but also in desert and Rocky Mountain bighorn habitat throughout the western United States. Research in California and throughout the western states has helped us understand diseases in bighorn such as pneumonia and contagious ecthyma and how they affect bighorn sheep populations. Conservation of bighorn sheep does not occur at the herd or even the population level. In California we approach bighorn conservation on a statewide basis. Although specific objectives, personnel and funding vary between the three major groups of bighorn, the overarching objective of the Department s statewide bighorn sheep management program is conservation; an approach to management that maintains, enhances, and restores viable bighorn sheep populations in California. An important benefit to a sound conservation program for Sierra Nevada and Peninsular bighorn CA FNAWS 30

31 sheep will be recovery and eventual downlisting and then delisting of these metapopulations. For Nelson s bighorn sheep the benefits of growing vital, healthy herds of bighorn include implementing bighorn sheep translocation projects to restore historic populations. Of course healthy and thriving herds will help to continue to provide hunting opportunities for consistently good quality rams. We believe that California has the finest and highest quality desert bighorn sheep hunting opportunities. CA FNAWS and SCBS are conservationists that truly step up to the challenge of preserving and enhancing wildlife in California. We look forward to a continued partnership of conservation, management and research for all bighorn populations in California. D Cal-TIP Californians Turn in Poachers and Polluters DFG-CALTIP( ) A Confidential Secret Witness Program CalTIP (Californians Turn In Poachers and Polluters) is a confidential secret witness program that encourages the public to provide Fish and Game with factual information leading to the arrest of poachers and polluters. CalTIP was introduced in California in 1981 in order to give Californians an opportunity to help protect the state's fish and wildlife resources. The toll free telephone number operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You do not have to give your name. For more information go to Brian S. MacDonald Vice President Financial Advisor Richard D. MacDonald Vice President Financial Advisor Kristin Villasper Client Associate Global Wealth Management 101 California St., Suite 2575 San Francisco, California Direct Toll Free FAX brian_s_macdonald@ml.com Western Wildlife Taxidermy Aaron Armstrong aaronhunts@gmail.com Roseville, CA Alaska Trophy Hunts Tom Shankster akhunts148@aol.com 31 CA FNAWS

32 CA FNAWS REGIONAL DINNERS Because CA FNAWS is a statewide organization in a very large state (California is the third largest state in the United States, and the longest when measured from top to bottom), it is logistically difficult to gather our members in one place more than once a year. In the Fall of 2008, CA FNAWS hosted two regional dinners for our members. One was held in the Bay Area and the other was held in Los Angeles. We received positive feedback about these dinners, and in the wake of our recent fundraiser, several people have asked if there might be a way for our members to get together to swap sheep (and other hunting) stories before the next fundraiser. With this in mind, the leadership of CA FNAWS would like to hold regional dinners again in the Fall of These dinners are tentatively slated for the following areas, based upon where the chapter s membership is concentrated: San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Fresno, Santa Barbara, San Francisco (Silicon Valley), San Francisco (East Bay), Sacramento, and Redding. The dinners will be held on Saturday, September 11 and Saturday, November 6, so save the dates. Tentatively the location split for the two dates will be: September 11: Los Angeles, San Francisco (East Bay), Fresno, Redding November 6: San Diego, Orange County, Santa Barbara, San Francisco (Silicon Valley), Sacramento Each dinner will be self-paid (i.e., everyone who attends buys his or her own dinner and drinks), and will be held at a suitable restaurant. Each dinner will need a host to select a restaurant capable of handling a party of up 20 people, although some dinners may have significantly fewer attendees. The host will send the name and the address of the restaurant to CA FNAWS before the end of July so the location can be posted in the newsletter. When the restaurant for each location is posted in the newsletter, please RSVP so CA FNAWS can communicate back to the host approximately how large of a reservation to make. If you would like to be the host for one of these dinners, please send an to our chapter administrator Beverly Valdez at cafnaws@gaiatec.com, along with your recommendation of where the dinner will be hosted. We hope this simple initiative will foster greater camaraderie among CA FNAWS members. CA FNAWS 423 Broadway #617 Millbrae, CA w w w. c a f n a w s. o r g