Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Saturday – 1/26/13

Saturday’s season finale waterfowl average dropped again over last Wednesday’s average loosing another bird off the average. Shovelers finished out the season as the number one bird taken Saturday with Gadwalls taking a distant second place. Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the waterfowl take for Saturday, 1/26/13, was as follows:

148 adult and 15 junior hunters checked in with 106 Northern Shovelers, 1 Wigeon, 13 Bufflehead, 10 Cinnamon Teal, 25 Gadwall, 22 Green Wing Teal, 1 Mallard, 13 Pintail, and 18 Ruddy Ducks. Again there were no geese taken at San Jacinto on Saturday. 10 coot were also bagged on Saturday. This worked out to an average of 1.34 waterfowl per hunter. Tom advised that out of 50 reservations issued 21 showed up on time.

So that’s it for the regular waterfowl season for 2012 / 2013. If you are a junior hunter, or you have a junior hunter in the family, there’s one more chance for them to waterfowl hunt this season at San Jacinto’s Annual Junior Waterfowl hunt, next Saturday, February 2nd. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

SoCalHunt San Jacinto Hunting Report 1/23/13

SoCalHunt, once again, headed back today to San Jacinto Wildlife Area to wind up the season with a solo afternoon refill hunt. Because it was the last Wednesday of the season I figured there might be a few extra hunters wanting to refill today so I left earlier then usual, hoping to get a good spot on the refill list.

When I arrived at good old SJ it was apparent that my prediction was true as there were more trucks in the check station lot then usual. When I signed in I was down on the bottom of the second page, further down the list then I thought I’d be. Well, good thing I came in early. At least it looked like I might still have a chance to get out. After signing in it was apparent that I wouldn’t be going out for a while so back to the truck for a nap.

About 10:00 I went back to the check station to see about the progress on the refill list and it looked like only a few refills had gone out. As I waited for a spot hunters would trickle in from the refuge and check in their birds and hunters on the refill list would go out to refill the blinds. It seemed that, probably because of it being the last Wednesday, the morning hunters were sticking it out and not coming in.

I usually try to get out to the refuge by noon when I’m doing a refill and finally, about 12:45 a decent blind checked in. No one ahead of me on the refill list wanted this blind and I figured this was probably the best I was going to be able to do, especially with only an hour and 15 minutes to go to refill, so I grabbed it.

I headed out to my blind, set up and was hunting by 1:35. While I was setting up a hen spoony came right in to the blind but, being that I was out in the open setting my decoys, and nowhere near my shotgun, she veered off unharmed. Once I was set up I began the wait for the ducks to come pouring in. The skies were cloudy and the snow caped mountains were a little less snow capped then last week as there hadn’t been any precipitation lately. The clouds made interesting patterns in the sky over the mountains.

About an hour later a nice drake Green Wing came in low towards the decoys. I stood up to shoot and the bird saw me and climbed for the clouds. I poked 3 holes in the clouds and the bird headed for parts unknown, untouched. Another successful catch and release…LOL.

As the hours ticked away an occasional bird would come into the area but most did not come within range. There were, of course, a couple that were in range, if I had seen them in time, but sometimes that’s the way it goes.

As the day wound down no other opportunities presented themselves and when quitting time rolled around I was minus 3 shells and plus no ducks. Again, that’s hunting sometimes. As they say, if you could get a limit every time it would be shooting not hunting. It was a unique day with the cloudy skies and its always nice to be out in the marsh.

So, with the cloudy skies, the sunset wasn’t as spectacular as it sometimes is but it was different.

Since I can’t go this Saturday thus ends my 2012 / 2013 waterfowl season. Not as good as last season but I wouldn’t have missed any of it as this is what I love to do. And, as I type this, it’s 268 days 7 hours 32 minutes until opening day. Maybe I’ll see you there?

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Wednesday – 1/23/13

The pre hunter average take of waterfowl at San Jacinto Wildlife Area this Wednesday dropped a full bird from Saturday’s average under cloudy skys. Shovelers remained in first place for number of birds taken and Green Wing Teal took second place on Wednesday. Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Wednesday, 1/23/13 were as follows:

142 adult and 4 junior hunters bagged 175 Northern Shovelers, 4 Bufflehead, 7 Cinnamon Teal, 50 Gadwall, 86 Green Wing Teal, 1 Mallard, 14 Pintail, 1 Redhead, 1 Goldeneye and 11 Ruddy Ducks. Again no geese were taken at San Jacinto on Wednesday. 7 coots were included in the count on Wednesday. This worked out to a per gun average of 2.45 waterfowl. Out of 50 reservations exactly half, 25, showed up on time.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. At this point in the season it is now too late to put in for reservations on-line through the DFG Automated License Data System (ALDS). You can still get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that.

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFG Office or a license agent before your arrive at the refuge. These can be purchased on-line via the ALDS system also, however, you may not get your pass in time to use it as they have to mail it to you which can take up to 15 days. At this point you need to purchase your license and passes in person at a DFG office or license agent so you will immediately get them without the wait for the mail. No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this year. You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Saturday – 1/19/13

The per hunter average take of waterfowl at San Jacinto Wildlife Area for this Saturday went up again from Wednesday’s average take. Shovelers, again, were in first place for number of birds bagged with Green Wing Teal coming in at second place. Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Saturday, 1/19/13 were as follows:

140 adult and 10 junior hunters bagged 283 Northern Shovelers, 3 Wigeon, 8 Bufflehead, 4 Cinnamon Teal, 40 Gadwall, 133 Green Wing Teal, 4 Mallards, 21 Pintail, 4 Redheads, and 14 Ruddy Ducks. No geese were harvested at San Jacinto on Saturday. 3 coots were checked in on Saturday. This resulted in a per hunter waterfowl average of 3.45 birds. There was no information provided about how many reservation holders showed up on time.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. At this point in the season it is now too late to put in for reservations on-line through the DFG Automated License Data System (ALDS). You can still get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that.

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFG Office or a license agent before your arrive at the refuge. These can be purchased on-line via the ALDS system also, however, you may not get your pass in time to use it as they have to mail it to you which can take up to 15 days. At this point you need to purchase your license and passes in person at a DFG office or license agent so you will immediately get them without the wait for the mail. No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this year. You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

SoCalHunt San Jacinto Hunting Report 1/16/13

SoCalHunt was back today at San Jacinto Wildlife Area for another solo afternoon refill hunt. I had planned to leave a little earlier but got delayed so I was a little dubious of my chances of even getting a spot to hunt.

When I arrived at the check station parking lot it appeared that there were only a few trucks standing by. When I signed in on the refill list I was pleasantly surprised to see I was only a little ways down on the second page. I was thinking that I would be on the third or forth page rolling in as late as I did. So, the waiting began. Fortunately I had a training manual I had to read for a class at work tomorrow so I got that out of the way.

It sounded like there was more shooting on the refuge today then I’ve heard in past weeks and I was anticipating a decent afternoon shoot.

It seemed today that the hunters out on the refuge were sticking it out today as only a few hunters trickled in to check in their birds. There were a few with limits, a few that had 3 or 4 birds and a few that had only 1 or even zero ducks. As I was down a little on the list, any blind that had scored more then two ducks was being snatched up by hunters that were ahead of me on the list.

I usually try to get out by noon when I’m doing a refill and about 11:45 a blind that usually does pretty good came in. The hunter that had occupied that blind came in with no birds and, of course, no one wanted to refill that blind. I decided that this might be my best bet, despite the poor morning shoot, and took a leap of faith, so to speak, and took the blind.

The wind was beginning to blow a little and I headed out to my blind to set up. I was set up and hunting by 12:30. The wind was blowing, but not really enough to affect things and the sun shone brightly on the snow capped mountains.

About ten minutes after I occupied the blind a sponny flew directly over about 30 yards up. I decided to try something different today and I actually connected with my first shot, splashing the bird about 25 yards out. He was swimming and I had to wait for him to clear some decoys before I could deliver the finishing shot. Once again, as in my last hunt, I initially thought that I had a hen in hand but on closer inspection it turned out to be a young drake.

After I put that bird on the strap I settled in to wait for the next opportunity. There was several birds flying in the area and I had several in range in short order, sort of. What I mean is, hunting solo, I got caught by the old looking-right-when-the-birds-come-in-from-the-left and vice-versa several times. There were several times I had birds within range but didn’t see them in time. I also missed a few that I did see in time. As I waited the wind increased, which usually helps get the birds moving. It wasn’t until about 4:00 that I bagged my second duck. A beautiful little Green Wing Teal drake came swooping in to the decoys with the landing gear down and I dropped him with one shot. Then, about 4:30 it seemed like someone turned on the duck spigot and there seemed to be birds all over the place for about 15 minutes. A nice mature Shoveler drake came in at about 25 yards and I nailed him, splashing him in the pond about 15 yards out from the blind. I had a couple other opportunities but didn’t connect and ended the day with 3 ducks, 2 drake Shovelers and a drake Green Wing.

So, as the season winds down, I have one more opportunity to get out there and bag some birds next Wednesday. Hopefully I’ll make it out there. So, as the sun sets on another hunt day I’ll look forward to one more try at the ducks.

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Wednesday – 1/16/13

San Jacinto Wildlife Area’s average waterfowl take for this Wednesday went back up some over Saturday’s average, matching last Wednesday’s average take exactly. Shovelers regained first place for number of birds taken with Green Wing Teal slipping back to second place on Wednesday. Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Wednesday, 1/16/13 were as follows:

133 adult and 5 junior hunters bagged 150 Northern Shovelers, 3 Wigeon, 6 Bufflehead, 2 Cinnamon Teal, 37 Gadwall, 138 Green Wing Teal, 6 Mallards, 37 Pintail, 5 Redhead, 1 Ring Neck and 14 Ruddy Ducks. There were no geese bagged at San Jacinto on Wednesday. 3 coots were also added to the count on Wednesday. This worked out to a per gun average of 2.91 waterfowl. There was no information provided on the number of reservations that showed up on time.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. At this point in the season it is now too late to put in for reservations on-line through the DFG Automated License Data System (ALDS). You can still get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that.

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFG Office or a license agent before your arrive at the refuge. These can be purchased on-line via the ALDS system also, however, you may not get your pass in time to use it as they have to mail it to you which can take up to 15 days. At this point you need to purchase your license and passes in person at a DFG office or license agent so you will immediately get them without the wait for the mail. No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this year. You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

2013 California Game Warden Stamp Now Available

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announces the 2013 edition of the Warden Stamp is now available.
The new Warden Stamp, for 2013 is now available for purchase in person from any CDFW regional or licensing offices or by filling out and sending in the CDFW Warden Stamp form with a check or credit card info to your closest CDFW office. You can also e-mail the completed form, if you prefer, as an attachment to an e-mail to:

lrb@wildlife.ca.gov

You may also purchase Warden Stamps via the CDFW online license services (ALDS) at:

www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/ols/

The addresses for the DFG offices are found on page two of the Warden Stamp pdf form. The form can be found at:

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wardenstamp/

(Click on “order by mail/e-mail (PDF)” below the picture of the stamp.)

The Game Warden Stamp isn’t really a “stamp” for your license, such as your federal duck stamp is, as the name might lead you to believe, but rather it’s a roughly 4” x 4” decal.

The new 2013 version has a gold background and a silhouette of a duck landing on it. (see picture below)

The 2010 version (which is still available, if you like that design better) is a green shield with an elk silhouette on it. The 2011 version (which is also still available, if you like that design better) is a light blue background with a silhouette of a trout or salmon on it. The new 2012 version (which is also still available, if you like that design better) has a dark brown background and a silhouette of a California quail on it. (see pictures below). If you like them all you could buy one, or more, of each if you want to.

The stamps are $5 each and the funds go into a special account. The money is used to provide our Game Wardens with additional equipment, training and new programs, such as new communications and surveillance devices, protective equipment, training in specialized areas, new law enforcement programs such as the DFG’s K-9 Program and to assist them in their duties.

Due to State budget cuts, non-hunting / fishing politicians feel that the DFG is a “painless” way to cut back on the budget by giving the DFG less to do more with.

Quoting the DFG web site on the Warden stamp:
“Game Wardens are responsible for protecting more than 1,000 native fish and wildlife species, 6,300 native plant species and 360 threatened or endangered species California’s 159,000 square miles of land (414 square miles per warden) 1,100 miles of coastline, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, 4,800 lakes and reservoirs and 80 major rivers. Game Wardens patrol on foot, by plane, boat, all-terrain vehicles, snow mobiles, and even on horseback There is one game warden for every 200,000 constituents.

Game Wardens work hard to educate those they encounter in the outdoors, as well as school children in the classroom, about the importance of resource conservation, pollution prevention, and the importance of a healthy natural environment. These men and women dedicate their lives to ensuring our resources are here for future generations. You do not have to be an outdoor enthusiast to help, just someone who cares about protecting California’s wildlife populations and conserving the habitats in which they live.” In recent years, CDFW’s budget has been significantly reduced due to the state’s economic downturn. These reductions have overwhelmed CDFW’s Law Enforcement Division. Recognizing the dire situation, an advocacy group proposed the idea of selling a “Game Warden Stamp” to raise additional funds to support Game Wardens critical work on behalf of California’s natural resources.

Game Wardens are responsible for protecting more than 1,000 native fish and wildlife species, 6,300 native plant species and 360 threatened or endangered species. California’s 159,000 square miles of land (414 square miles per warden), 1,100 miles of coastline, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, 4,800 lakes and reservoirs and 80 major rivers. Game Wardens patrol on foot, by plane, boat, all-terrain vehicles, snow mobiles, and even on horseback. There is one game warden for every 200,000 constituents.

Game Wardens work hard to educate those they encounter in the outdoors, as well as school children in the classroom, about the importance of resource conservation, pollution prevention, and the importance of a healthy natural environment. These men and women dedicate their lives to ensuring our resources are here for future generations. You do not have to be an outdoor enthusiast to help, just someone who cares about protecting California’s wildlife populations and conserving the habitats in which they live.”

Now – back to me…
The important point here, in my opinion, is getting the money to the “boots on the ground”. If your $5 (or more, if you can afford it) results in some equipment, training or what have you that helps catch a poacher in your area the payoff may be more game or more fish for you and yours to legally harvest. And, the bottom line is, that’s what’s important. As for the “stamp”, stick it on your truck, ammo box or tackle box, stick it in a drawer, throw it away if you want, do whatever you want with it. The important thing is to help give our Fish and Game Wardens the tools they need to protect our hunting and fishing heritage.

Now, excuse while I pull up the ALDS on my computer and order this year’s warden stamps.

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Saturday – 1/12/13

The average per person bag of waterfowl at San Jacinto Wildlife Area for this Saturday slipped slightly from Wednesday’s average take. Green Wing Teal took first place once again for number of birds bagged with Shovelers coming in a distant second. Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Saturday, 1/12/13 were as follows:

159 adult and 12 junior hunters bagged 71 Northern Shovelers, 10 Bufflehead, 1 Cinnamon Teal, 34 Gadwall, 238 Green Wing Teal, 2 Mallards, 19 Pintail, 2 Redheads, and 29 Ruddy Ducks. No geese were downed at San Jacinto on Saturday. 8 coots were included in for the take on Saturday. This resulted in a per hunter waterfowl average of 2.42 birds. There was no information provided about how many reservation holders showed up on time.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. At this point in the season it is now too late to put in for reservations on-line through the DFG Automated License Data System (ALDS). You can still get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that.

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFG Office or a license agent before your arrive at the refuge. These can be purchased on-line via the ALDS system also, however, you may not get your pass in time to use it as they have to mail it to you which can take up to 15 days. At this point you need to purchase your license and passes in person at a DFG office or license agent so you will immediately get them without the wait for the mail. No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this year. You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Wednesday – 1/9/13

The per hunter take of waterfowl at San Jacinto Wildlife Area for this Wednesday went down slightly from Saturday’s average. Green Wing Teal remained the most numerous bird taken with Shovelers taking second place on Wednesday. Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Wednesday, 1/9/13 were as follows:

135 adult and 3 junior hunters bagged 71 Northern Shovelers, 2 Wigeon, 13 Bufflehead, 1 Canvasback, 13 Cinnamon Teal, 26 Gadwall, 230 Green Wing Teal, 29 Pintail, 1 Redhead, and 14 Ruddy Ducks. There was a lone Canada Goose taken at San Jacinto on Wednesday. No coots were checked in for the count on Wednesday. This worked out to a 2.91 waterfowl average per hunter. Tom advised that out of 50 reservation cards 28 showed up on time.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. At this point in the season it is now too late to put in for reservations on-line through the DFG Automated License Data System (ALDS). You can still get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that.

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFG Office or a license agent before your arrive at the refuge. These can be purchased on-line via the ALDS system also, however, you may not get your pass in time to use it as they have to mail it to you which can take up to 15 days. At this point you need to purchase your license and passes in person at a DFG office or license agent so you will immediately get them without the wait for the mail. No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this year. You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Saturday – 1/5/13

The per gun average take of waterfowl at San Jacinto Wildlife Area for this Saturday rose significantly over Wednesday’s average. Green Wing Teal took over first place for number of birds bagged once again far outdistancing Shovelers, which were in second place. Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Saturday, 1/5/13 were as follows:

138 adult and 17 junior hunters bagged 125 Northern Shovelers, 4 Wigeon, 1 Blue Wing Teal, 7 Bufflehead, 5 Cinnamon Teal, 28 Gadwall, 265 Green Wing Teal, 4 Mallards, 15 Pintail, 2 Redheads, 3 Scaup and 20 Ruddy Ducks. Again no geese were taken at San Jacinto on Saturday. A lone coot was also checked in for the take on Saturday. This resulted in a per hunter waterfowl average of 3.10 birds. There was no information provided about how many reservation holders showed up on time.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. You can put in for reservations on-line through the DFG Automated License Data System (ALDS). Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFG web site at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales/

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFG Office or a license agent before your arrive at the refuge. These can be purchased on-line via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you’re the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days. If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFG office or license agent you immediately get them without the wait for the mail. No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations. You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

SoCalHunt San Jacinto Hunting Report 1/2/13

Once again SoCalHunt was in attendance at San Jacinto Wildlife Area, but this time for a chance at the sweatline bucket. Due to my work schedule this year I’ve only had one other opportunity at a morning hunt, so even though my usual hunting partners weren’t available, I decided to go for it solo since this might be my last chance for a morning hunt this season.

When I arrived there seemed to be quite a crowd at the check station, although, since it is still winter break for the school kids, this might account for some of the numbers. After Tom’s morning talk the reservation holders lined up to claim their spots and the rest of us waited for the bucket to come out. Once the reservation holders were taken care of Jesse brought out the bucket and my name went in, along with what looked like maybe 40 others.

Jesse began drawing the names and I was pleased to hear my name called in short order. I went inside and picked my blind from what was left and headed out. The wind was blowing hard, which usually bodes well for waterfowl hunting at San Jacinto.

When I got to my blind I set up and then settled in to wait for start time. The sky was totally clear but the wind was whipping at something like 25 to 30 miles per hour, bouncing the decoys all over the place.

As the predawn light began to grow brighter ducks could be seen flying in all directions, more then I’ve seen the entire season so far in just these first few minutes of light. To their credit today none of the SJ hunters shot early although that may have had a lot to do with the stern warning Tom gave the group about early shooting during his morning talk. Once start time hit though it was time for some long awaited action.

The first couple opportunities I had I missed, which seems like par for the course for me. Also, because of how strong the wind was I passed on several birds I would of normally shot at as I knew there was a good likelihood they would be lost if I managed to hit them because of the wind strength, direction and the low light of the first minutes of shooting. As I’ve often said I’d rather miss a bird, or not even take the shot, then to hit one and then loose it.

Another problem I seemed to have this morning was one of the hazards of hunting alone. There were many times that I was looking left and birds came in from the right and vice versa which resulted in ducks escaping that would have likely been downed had there been two pair of eyes in the blind.

After about a half hour of hunting, with a few teal and shoverlers having successfully escaped my shot string, another drake spoony headed into my decoys making a low pass over them. As he passed my blind I swung at him and hit him, splashing him in the pond behind the blind. I could see he was only winged and I quickly exited the blind to attempt to retrieve him. As soon as I crossed the short expanse of water from my blind to the dike separating my pond from the next, I lost sight of the bird and could not locate him. Very disappointing, as I’ve stated before, I’d rather just miss them then for this to happen.

Anyway, I went back to hunting and noted that I would re-check the area for him as soon as there was a little more daylight. A short time later another shoverler came in to the decoys with the landing gear down and I dropped him about 20 yards from the blind. This bird I at first mistook for a hen but on closer inspection it appeared to be a young drake, not yet in full plumage.

After unsuccessfully sending some steel after a few other birds that passed by, another spoony tried to set down in the decoys and I dropped this hen in about the same spot as the last one.

About 9:30 an unusual event occurred. The wind went from blowing at about 25 miles an hour to almost calm, just like someone had turned the fan off. This had the effect of slowing the flights of ducks way down, although there was still occasional ducks flying in the area. The decoys went from looking like “Victory at Sea” (if any of you remember that old TV show) to becalmed in a matter of minutes.

Around 10:30 the opposite happened and it was like someone turned the fan back on with the wind picking up to about 20 or so very quickly. Unfortunately this didn’t cause the ducks to fly the way they were in the early morning.

As I mentioned earlier I went back to the dike and checked for the lost shoveler after the sun was up and there was good light but was still unable to find it. Not long after the wind picked back up I noticed something in the duck grass in the pond behind my blind. I used my binos to check and, believe it or not, there sat my wounded spoony, not 40 yards from my blind. I quickly exited my blind and was able to close the range on the bird before he noticed me and was able to finish him with one more shot. So I was able to add bird number three to the strap, although I guess you might be able to argue that this one was actually bird number one since he was the first one I knocked down today.

After a short time I decided to call it a day as I had some family obligations for the late afternoon and I picked up my gear and my birds and headed in.

(Sorry for the out of focus picture – don’t know what happened there)

So, finally a pretty good hunt after what has seemed like a long “dry spell” this season. And although three birds isn’t a great strap I only have myself to blame that I wasn’t able to collect a limit. They were there today, I just couldn’t close the deal, but, getting a limit isn’t what its all about, it was just nice to see all the birds flying today. Much more interesting then staring at an empty sky.

As the season winds down SoCalHunt will be back for at least a couple more hunts before the season is over (hopefully) but next week is booked so look for the next hunt report in a couple weeks.

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Wednesday – 1/2/13

The per gun average take of waterfowl at San Jacinto Wildlife Area for this Wednesday went down slightly despite very windy conditions. Shovelers regained the number one spot for number of birds taken with Green Wing Teal dropping back to a close second on Wednesday. Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Wednesday, 1/2/13 were as follows:

125 adult and 17 junior hunters bagged 138 Northern Shovelers, 4 Wigeon, 6 Bufflehead, 2 Cinnamon Teal, 35 Gadwall, 123 Green Wing Teal, 4 Mallards, 15 Pintail, 1 Redhead, and 13 Ruddy Ducks. There were no geese taken at San Jacinto on Wednesday. 4 coots were also included in the count on Wednesday. This come out to a 2.43 waterfowl average per hunter. Tom advised that out of 50 reservation cards 26 showed up on time.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. You can put in for reservations on-line through the DFG Automated License Data System (ALDS). Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFG web site at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales/

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFG Office or a license agent before your arrive at the refuge. These can be purchased on-line via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you’re the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days. If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFG office or license agent you immediately get them without the wait for the mail. No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations. You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.