Opinion: Lawful hunters have forest rights, too

by Timothy Jones

The San Gabriel Mountain foothills are abundant with deer, bear, coyotes and a variety of animals that classify as game animals.  The State of California Department of Fish and Wildlife divide the state into specific Hunting Zones to regulate and balance populations of the aforementioned animals.  Specifically, legal deer hunting regulations in the Altadena and Pasadena areas by use of bow and arrow are as follows:

A-31 (Los Angeles Archery Either-Sex Deer Hunt).
(A) Area: That portion of Los Angeles County within Zone D-11 (see subsection 360(a)(10)(A)).
(B) Season: The season for hunt A-31 (Los Angeles Archery Either-Sex Deer Hunt) shall open on the fourth Saturday in September and extend through December 31.  
(C) Bag and Possession Limit: One either-sex deer (see subsection 351(b)) per tag.
(D) Number of Tags: 1,000.

The proximity of legal hunting areas on public lands in the National Forest to urban areas and residential neighborhoods have long been a major concern in Altadena.  There have been reports of poaching, hunting on private property, hunting too close to a structure and other misdeeds.  These actions are illegal and should not be tolerated.  They should not be tolerated by residents, because they are definitely not tolerated by legal and ethical outdoors-men.  People who engage in this behavior are criminals.  Criminals typically execute their deeds in secrecy and out of the public eye.  When exposed, they scurry like cockroaches trying to avoid the light.  

    

A person firing a weapon at an animal in the forest in violation of the rules and regulations qualifies no more as hunter than a person with a handgun qualifies as a policeman. In the State of California, every hunter is required to take and pass a Hunter Safety course.  Carrying a weapon also carries added responsibility.  The primary focus throughout the course is public safety.  The rules and regulations are designed to maximize public safety in the hunting environment without compromise.  You are much more likely to be severely injured by a errant golf ball from Altadena Golf Course than by a hunter bow hunting in Angeles National Forest.  

People accused of violating the rules and regulations are treated fairly under the law.  If the accusations are proven to be true, the offender's hunting privileges can be suspended and/or revoked.  However, our legal system does provide that once the penance has been completed and the privilege to hunt restored, the person is not restricted as long as the current rules and regulations are followed.  There is no need to create a residential vigilante posse to monitor his activities.  Egregious crimes are noted and often have distinct signatures as to who and how they were committed.  Authorities have been trained to "hunt" for perpetrators of these crimes.  If someone repeats crimes that were proven in the past, the authorities are very well trained to handle the situation.         

 

The camouflage clad hunter casually crossing the road to enter the National Forest, or sitting on the tailgate of his truck talking to his hunting buddy, or walking down a trail is less likely to be someone planning to break the rules and trying to hide.  He or she is more likely to be the person who sees you while you are out for a morning or evening hike, but you do not see him or her.  The same unseen person would not hesitate to assist you if assistance was required when you believed there was no assistance to be found.  Public safety is paramount in hunting rules and regulations; virtue and decency are traits exemplified by hunters that I know personally.  This should not become a person of interest to the sheriff's department because he's not wearing the suit and tie he's required to wear during the week.  A deputy sheriff chatting with a legal bow hunter on Chaney Trail can't be at a house on Punahou Street investigating a burglary. 

There are some residents who live in the foothills and near the National Forest with a very low "outdoor IQ".  Symptoms include leaving pet food outdoors, trash improperly bagged, in cans without lids or several days before scheduled pickup. Local wildlife view this as a dinner bell for an all-you-can-eat buffet.  Neighbors and law enforcement see this as an invitation for trouble. Unfortunately, it is usually trouble for the wildlife.   The California Department of Fish and Wildlife support the "Keep Me Wild" campaign to help educate people about our relationship with wildlife.  Most people are aware of the slogan, "a fed animal is a dead animal".   People exhibiting this behavior create a very serious public safety issue.  Wild animals are just that, wild.  Wild animals can be dangerous.  It is illegal to feed deer in California. Penalties may include a fine and/or jail time. 

California Regulation
251.3. Prohibition Against Feeding Big Game Mammals.
No person shall knowingly feed big game mammals, as defined in Section 350 of these regulations.  Amendment filed 1-1-08; effective 2-7-08.
    

I make no effort to influence your personal feelings toward hunting in general.  Having hunted in the Altadena area for over 15 years, I have personal misgivings about certain events that have influenced the wildlife population, also.  The destruction of wildlife habitat over the years has been appalling.  The deer population is only a fraction of what it was before much of the residential construction along the foothills.  The razing of hills to build housing lots has decimated the fruit and black walnut trees we shared with the animals that used to populate the hillsides.  Using the current hunting rules and regulations, It would take me at least 5 lifetimes with a 100% success rate of hunting each year to harvest as many deer as was displaced by the deleterious environment created by urban development and the destruction of the natural habitat.

It has long been argued that hunters are the first conservationists.  I'm hoping that many of the concerns expressed by local residents are based on a true desire to maintain and protect the integrity of the foothills and the wildlife native to the area.  I hope that we can establish common goals based on public safety and respecting the rights of others to pursue lawful activities on the "Land of Many Uses".

 

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Altadenan Timothy Jones was a Los Angeles County Fish and Game Commissioner from 2005-2011, where he served as vice-chairman.   He blogs at http://fishandgametim.blogspot.com/