Here's an interesting article. High fence?
Twenty-six miles across the sea, mule deer are waiting
[size=-1]BY DAVE STREGE[/size]
[size=-1]The Orange County Register[/size]
CATALINA ISLAND, Calif. - Antlers seemed to be growing out of the horizon when suddenly the animal they belonged to stepped up from behind the ridge and into full view.
The buck stood sideways in all its glory, frozen against a darkening sky. It turned its head and stared.
The hunters stared back.
Matt Zastrow of South Dakota and Ben Myhre, a guide with Wildlife West Inc., were crouched on a hillside 165 yards away.
The deer was within range, but Zastrow could not take a shot, not with the dangerous background. Who knew what was over the ridge if he missed?
They hoped the deer would scamper down the hillside to the right and give Zastrow a green light.
Instead, the deer ambled down the other side of the ridge and was gone.
``He was a beautiful deer," Zastrow said. ``That's all right. That's why they get big. He outsmarted us. Not by much, though."
Darkness fell and the hunt was over for the day. No matter. Chances were good Zastrow and his hunting partner, Glenn Mitchell of Shadow Hills, would get a deer the next day. Or the next.
On Catalina Island, there is no shortage of mule deer.
Deer hunting on Catalina? Lots of people are surprised by this. But hunting has been around on the island since deer were first introduced in 1928 by the California Department of Fish and Game.
The Catalina Island Conservancy, formed in 1972, uses deer hunting as a tool to manage the species. Otherwise, the deer population would explode and the animals would eventually starve themselves into extinction.
Wildlife West, owned by Myhre and Jim Settle, both from Northern California, currently operates the island's hunting concession. From late September to Thanksgiving, they host 70 hunters on three-day hunts and take about 100 deer a season.
Six hunters come at a time and pair off with three guides. They stay in rustic, two-man cabins located at White's Landing, a quiet beach between Two Harbors and Avalon.
``I don't think there are many hunting camps on the beach," Myhre said. ``It's a unique hunt. It's a one-of-a-kind deal."
For Southern California hunters, it's the most convenient deer hunting around where you are virtually guaranteed success.
``Very few guys come here and don't get an opportunity to shoot a deer," Myhre said.
No wonder the waiting list is a mile long.
A trophy deer hunt it is not. The average buck taken is 3x3 or 4x4 (the numbers representing points on each side of the antler). Though bigger ones exist, a 4x4 with a width of 30 inches is considered the ultimate prize on Catalina.
But what Catalina might lack in quality it makes up for in quantity.
They hunt 42,000 of the island's 48,000 acres. This is uninhabited, rugged backcountry that is accessible mostly by four-wheel-drive-only roads. It's almost impossible not to see deer somewhere along the way.
Zastrow and Mitchell were hunting Catalina for the first time on a recent Friday-Saturday-Sunday. So was Rich Leigh of South Dakota. Clete Zastrow and son David Zastrow of Glendale and James Foster of El Segundo were making repeat visits.
On the first afternoon, the hunters paired off and ventured to various parts of the island. Myhre drove Matt Zastrow and Mitchell to Mount Oraziba, the highest point on the island at 2,130 feet.
The binoculars came out and the hunt began.
Success came easily for some.
Foster shot a 3x4 the first afternoon, probably before Matt eyeballed that majestic buck on the ridge that he couldn't shoot.
The next morning, Clete got a 3x2, Leigh a 3x4 and David a 4x6. Though an easy shot at a 2x2 presented itself, Matt and Mitchell passed in hopes of finding a bigger buck.
``It's bad enough not getting one, but to come back with a small one with this group?" Matt said.
As it was, the pair got its share of ribbing at lunch back at camp.
``The pressure is on," Myhre said as they prepared to go out again that afternoon.
Third guide Lucas Smith and David tagged along this time. At the backside of the island, near the ocean, a nice buck was spotted on a distant hillside. Matt and Myhre trudged down and around a ridge in hopes of a shot.
A while later, they were huffing and puffing their way back up to the truck. The buck bolted before Matt could get a shot. Matt was spent, the tough terrain taking its toll.
``You do that three times a day, you'll be in great shape," Mitchell said. ``Either that or dead."
Sunlight was dying. Time was running out. The group drove to another ridge, seeing several doe along the way. Then a buck. Mitchell, Smith and Myhre went to pursue it, but night won out.
``Just got a little dark on us," Mitchell said.
The third outing was the charm. The next morning, Matt and Mitchell each got a deer. The trip was a success.
``It's very unusual for that short of time that everybody gets a deer," Mitchell said. ``In Northern California, I go up with six guys for a week-long hunt and we might get one deer."
Catalina, most definitely, is a far different story.
---
DEER HUNTING ON CATALINA ISLAND
What: Three-day hunts for mule deer guided by Wildlife West Inc.
Season: Late September through Thanksgiving.
Base camp: White's Landing, located on the beach. Two-bed cabins with nearby showers and restrooms available along with dining hall and lounge.
Cost: $2,800 (all inclusive).
Contact: (530) 824-4902 or www.wildlifewestinc.com.
Twenty-six miles across the sea, mule deer are waiting
[size=-1]BY DAVE STREGE[/size]
[size=-1]The Orange County Register[/size]
CATALINA ISLAND, Calif. - Antlers seemed to be growing out of the horizon when suddenly the animal they belonged to stepped up from behind the ridge and into full view.
The buck stood sideways in all its glory, frozen against a darkening sky. It turned its head and stared.
The hunters stared back.
Matt Zastrow of South Dakota and Ben Myhre, a guide with Wildlife West Inc., were crouched on a hillside 165 yards away.
The deer was within range, but Zastrow could not take a shot, not with the dangerous background. Who knew what was over the ridge if he missed?
They hoped the deer would scamper down the hillside to the right and give Zastrow a green light.
Instead, the deer ambled down the other side of the ridge and was gone.
``He was a beautiful deer," Zastrow said. ``That's all right. That's why they get big. He outsmarted us. Not by much, though."
Darkness fell and the hunt was over for the day. No matter. Chances were good Zastrow and his hunting partner, Glenn Mitchell of Shadow Hills, would get a deer the next day. Or the next.
On Catalina Island, there is no shortage of mule deer.
Deer hunting on Catalina? Lots of people are surprised by this. But hunting has been around on the island since deer were first introduced in 1928 by the California Department of Fish and Game.
The Catalina Island Conservancy, formed in 1972, uses deer hunting as a tool to manage the species. Otherwise, the deer population would explode and the animals would eventually starve themselves into extinction.
Wildlife West, owned by Myhre and Jim Settle, both from Northern California, currently operates the island's hunting concession. From late September to Thanksgiving, they host 70 hunters on three-day hunts and take about 100 deer a season.
Six hunters come at a time and pair off with three guides. They stay in rustic, two-man cabins located at White's Landing, a quiet beach between Two Harbors and Avalon.
``I don't think there are many hunting camps on the beach," Myhre said. ``It's a unique hunt. It's a one-of-a-kind deal."
For Southern California hunters, it's the most convenient deer hunting around where you are virtually guaranteed success.
``Very few guys come here and don't get an opportunity to shoot a deer," Myhre said.
No wonder the waiting list is a mile long.
A trophy deer hunt it is not. The average buck taken is 3x3 or 4x4 (the numbers representing points on each side of the antler). Though bigger ones exist, a 4x4 with a width of 30 inches is considered the ultimate prize on Catalina.
But what Catalina might lack in quality it makes up for in quantity.
They hunt 42,000 of the island's 48,000 acres. This is uninhabited, rugged backcountry that is accessible mostly by four-wheel-drive-only roads. It's almost impossible not to see deer somewhere along the way.
Zastrow and Mitchell were hunting Catalina for the first time on a recent Friday-Saturday-Sunday. So was Rich Leigh of South Dakota. Clete Zastrow and son David Zastrow of Glendale and James Foster of El Segundo were making repeat visits.
On the first afternoon, the hunters paired off and ventured to various parts of the island. Myhre drove Matt Zastrow and Mitchell to Mount Oraziba, the highest point on the island at 2,130 feet.
The binoculars came out and the hunt began.
Success came easily for some.
Foster shot a 3x4 the first afternoon, probably before Matt eyeballed that majestic buck on the ridge that he couldn't shoot.
The next morning, Clete got a 3x2, Leigh a 3x4 and David a 4x6. Though an easy shot at a 2x2 presented itself, Matt and Mitchell passed in hopes of finding a bigger buck.
``It's bad enough not getting one, but to come back with a small one with this group?" Matt said.
As it was, the pair got its share of ribbing at lunch back at camp.
``The pressure is on," Myhre said as they prepared to go out again that afternoon.
Third guide Lucas Smith and David tagged along this time. At the backside of the island, near the ocean, a nice buck was spotted on a distant hillside. Matt and Myhre trudged down and around a ridge in hopes of a shot.
A while later, they were huffing and puffing their way back up to the truck. The buck bolted before Matt could get a shot. Matt was spent, the tough terrain taking its toll.
``You do that three times a day, you'll be in great shape," Mitchell said. ``Either that or dead."
Sunlight was dying. Time was running out. The group drove to another ridge, seeing several doe along the way. Then a buck. Mitchell, Smith and Myhre went to pursue it, but night won out.
``Just got a little dark on us," Mitchell said.
The third outing was the charm. The next morning, Matt and Mitchell each got a deer. The trip was a success.
``It's very unusual for that short of time that everybody gets a deer," Mitchell said. ``In Northern California, I go up with six guys for a week-long hunt and we might get one deer."
Catalina, most definitely, is a far different story.
---
DEER HUNTING ON CATALINA ISLAND
What: Three-day hunts for mule deer guided by Wildlife West Inc.
Season: Late September through Thanksgiving.
Base camp: White's Landing, located on the beach. Two-bed cabins with nearby showers and restrooms available along with dining hall and lounge.
Cost: $2,800 (all inclusive).
Contact: (530) 824-4902 or www.wildlifewestinc.com.
