The coastal blacktail(buck only) season in Ca opens the 2nd Saturday of August and ends in late September. The rut usually starts in late Sept and continues through Oct. The Fall especially near the coast is very mild and the deer don't lose their antlers until Jan-Feb.
So from a management position why would you have the season before the rut and potentially take the best bucks out of the herd before they get a chance to pass on their genes? Seems like everything else in California- bass akwards!

because bucks in the rut are too stupid to run away from hunters? the harvest might be too high to sustain the herd...

if they are the best bucks this year,
they spread their genes last year.
whats the kill % of mature bucks?

California's seasons are all early. IMHO it is to limit the harvest.

Ohio's season well past the rut. They want does taken-- we do have an over population problem with deer.

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
Ohio's season well past the rut. They want does taken-- we do have an over population problem with deer.

California is bucks only so we have an over population of does. The last doe hunt in Ca was in the early 60's? Then they left it up to the county supervisors if they would allow doe hunts and guess what? No more doe hunts even though the DFG has proposed taking does many times.

In Arizona, our rut occurs in mid-winter. Some mule deer and most of our Coues deer don't start getting interested in romance until very late in December or early January.

Bill Quimby

I hate a lot of things about California hunting rules and regulations. I sent letters to two of the larger hunting magazines asking them if using their reach to get all the california hunters to get together and boycott hunting activity for a year. To force in this case the reversal of the lead free ban and changes in the pig hunting tag setup.

of course I never heard back. I too always have thought that the deer season was too early. I also think that we should have a doe season, maybe not every year but what's the good in having such an imbalance in the sexes of the deers?

Red

quote:

Originally posted by JBoutfishn:
California's seasons are all early. IMHO it is to limit the harvest.

Yup, if hunters kill too many deer the lions might go hungry. Can't have that.