Category Archives: Pets

Importing Exotics … Reindeer?

Posted on July 7, 2011 | 1 Comment

Reindeer (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo)

Question: I am planning to start a business within the next few years that will involve domesticated reindeer. I will likely need to import them into California from another state and am wondering what licenses, fees and requirements I will need to meet in order to do this. I do not plan to have more than five animals at any time and they will live on my property with me. I will not be using them for anything related to food or human/animal consumption. In other words, they will not be hunted or slaughtered.

I also want to know what areas are subject to zoning and other limitations. How can I know which geographical areas within Southern California will allow me to keep reindeer? I want to figure out which cities/towns I should look into, in terms of the real estate market, to meet these requirements. (Erica A.)

Answer: Reindeer are a restricted species and may not be imported as pets, so you must have a verified use or need. If your plan is to use the animals for exhibition or display purposes, you cannot do so without obtaining a restricted species permit (pursuant to CCR Title 14, section 671).

According to Kathi Kline from DFG’s Special Permits Unit, the importation of any deer to an authorized restricted species facility requires the applicant to submit a Cervidae Importation Application for approval by DFG Veterinarian Dr. Pam Swift at the Wildlife Investigations Lab. Zoning issues are not part of the restricted species permitting process. It is the applicant’s/permittee’s responsibility to comply with all city or county zoning requirements.

Under the Cervidae Importation Application that must be filed, importers seeking authorization to import approved hoofed animal species must verify the animals have been tested and cleared of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis before importation. Additional testing prior to importation may be required when there is reason to believe other diseases, parasites or other health risks are present.

Incidentally, California law also prohibits the importation of reindeer for meat production (aka “deer farming”). Only fallow deer may be possessed for this purpose (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 676).

Catching bait fish in a fish trap?
Question: Is it against the law to use a small (12 inch by 24 inch) fish trap on the shoreline of Huntington Beach for the purpose of catching bait fish (smelt and anchovies)? I’ve seen a lot of fisherman using them but was told by a kayak shop that they are illegal to use and could result in a hefty fine.  (Roy B.)

Answer:  Using traps to take bait fish south of Point Conception (Santa Barbara County) is not allowed. Generally, hook and line or a dip net not greater than six feet in diameter are the only methods allowed to take fin fish in the ocean waters south of Point Conception (See CCR Title 14, sections 28.65 through 29.00).

Catching crawdads just for fun?
Question: Do I have to have a license to take a piece of string and some liver and fish for crawdads for fun? I don’t want to keep them. I don’t want to eat them. I don’t want to use them for bait. I just want to catch them. (Jim M.)

Answer: Yes, a fishing license is required even if you don’t keep them. It’s the same premise as “catch and release” fishing for trout.

Doctor’s note for a Disabled Archer Permit?
Question: I have recently been advised by my doctor to discontinue shooting archery equipment due to my fourth reconstructive shoulder operation. As an avid archery hunter, I am really having a hard time with this! When I stopped into my local archery shop, they informed me of a device that locks the draw cycle back on a compound bow. What would I need to do to be able to use such a device during archery season? Is there a doctor’s note or something that I would need, and if so, what would I do with that note? (Tim S.)

Answer: You may qualify for a Disabled Archer Permit if you have written verification from a physician regarding your medical condition (check section 354(j) in the 2010-2011 Hunting Regulations available online at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/).

For more information and the Disabled Archer Permit application, please go to: http://dfg.ca.gov/licensing/pdffiles/fg537.pdf. There is no fee for this permit.

# # #

Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week. Please contact her at CalOutdoors@dfg.ca.gov.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Archery, Catch & Release, Import/Export, Licensing/Permits/Stamps/Report Cards, Methods Of Take, Pets, Recreation, Regulations

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Can a Disabled War Veteran Hunt with a Canine Companion?

Posted on May 19, 2011 | Leave a comment

Injured veteran Cpt. Leslie Smith US Army (ret). with her awesome seeing-eye companion dog, Isaac (photo by Carrie Wilson)

Question:I’m a 100 percent disabled war veteran and have a canine companion dog (yellow lab) that goes with me everywhere as my hearing dog. I lost most of my hearing in the war from enemy fire. Is it legal to take a companion dog turkey or deer hunting? Can my dog go turkey hunting on a leash, not as a hunting dog but as a hearing dog? My dog has never been trained to hunt and he won’t be part of that life. He wouldn’t be chasing game but because he is my second set of ears, can he be used for hearing? (Larry L.)

Answer: Yes, you can use your dog in the situations described. Generally, there’s no prohibition against using dogs (having them with you) while bird hunting, but there is a one dog per hunter limit during general deer season. No dogs are allowed during archery deer season or while hunting with an archery-only tag (California Code of Regulations, section 265).

Transferring a sturgeon tag to another person?
Question: While bank fishing in the Delta recently, I watched some people nearby land a legal-sized sturgeon. They took some pictures and were about to release the 63-incher when a family came running up and asked if they could keep it for dinner. It appeared to me that the catch-and-release fisherman felt compelled to give it to them, and he did. I could not tell if the sturgeon was properly tagged prior to the transfer of ownership because the family left pretty quickly. I thought I might offer one of my tags as I am also a catch-and-release fisherman who has never landed a sturgeon and would never need three tags, but I am wondering if this would be legal. Not knowing, I decided not to give up my tag. My question is, can someone donate a sturgeon tag to another fisherman? (Rob Grasso)

Answer: No, that is not legal. According to Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Lt. Scott Melvin, all fishing licenses, tags, permits and report cards are issued to a specific user and the Fish and Game Code expressly prohibits their transfer to another person. To emphasize this, “non-transferable” precedes the words “report card” in both the general report card requirements and the white sturgeon regulations in the Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations booklet.

Although the tags are removed from the card to tag a fish, sturgeon tags are uniquely correlated to one specific report card and may not be transferred to another user.

How to take two limits of horse neck clams?
Questions: My wife and I are heading to Dillion Beach for some camping and clamming for horse neck clams. I was told the limit is 10 clams per day per person. I was also told it would not be legal to dig clams for another person who is back at the campsite. I want to confirm that I can indeed do the digging for both my wife and myself as long as she is right there with me. Digging four feet or deeper into the wet sand would be difficult for her. This will be the first time we’ve done this. Please let me know if there are any other “gotchas” we should be aware of before we go. We don’t want to break any rules. (Bob D.)

Answers: No gotchas here. Horse neck clams are more correctly referred to as gaper clams. Gaper clams are often harvested with Washington clams so the limits are ten of each species. Due to the fact that their shells are often broken during harvest, the first ten of either species taken must be retained.

As with any other fish or shellfish you pursue and harvest in California, you may only take one bag/possession limit per day for yourself. Taking an additional limit for someone else is not permitted. One thing you can do is if you plan to be there for more than one day, you may take a bag limit the first day and give it to your wife. Then on the following day you can harvest another bag limit for yourself. By doing it this way, you and your wife can still have your maximum possession limits.

Importing cougars taken legally out-of-state?
Question: What do I need to do to legally bring into the state a cougar hide and meat that was legally taken in Nevada during the current 2011 season? (Peter Meyer)

Answer: You can’t. It is illegal to import any part of a mountain lion since the passage of Proposition 117 in 1990, which created section 4800 of the Fish and Game Code.

# # #

Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week. Please contact her at CalOutdoors@dfg.ca.gov.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Bag Limits/ Possession, Buy/Trade/Sell/Gift, Hunting, Import/Export, Pets, Regulations

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Can Trespassing Wildlife Be Trapped and Relocated?

Posted on March 10, 2011 | Leave a comment

(DFG file photo)

Question: Is it illegal to trap and relocate raccoons? I live at the base of Tauquitz Canyon Mountain in Palm Springs and we have a population of raccoons. One of the residents is determined to trap any and all animals that venture onto his property. The problem is he is not trained to trap and he often keeps the animal for three to five days with no food or water until he feels like getting rid of them. I’ve even released a cat from one of his traps in 110 degree heat! Most of the other residents have been educated on how to keep raccoons from doing any damage and how to keep them out of the trash. They are wild and beautiful and I don’t want anything more to happen to them. Can something be done? (Laurie S., Palm Springs)

Answer: The situation described is illegal, cruel and inhumane. When trapping wildlife, traps must be checked every 24 hours and the animals either dispatched or released in the immediate area.

According to Nicole Carion, the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) statewide coordinator for wildlife rehabilitation and restricted species, raccoons that have caused property damage can be trapped by legal means (Fish and Game Code, section 4180). The raccoon can either be humanely euthanized or released in the immediate area. “Immediate” is not defined in regulations but the immediate area means “near” and most importantly within the normal home range of the animal. The home range of a raccoon varies depending on habitat and other factors, but an example would be as follows: A person wishes to remove a raccoon from their attic and traps the offending raccoon. The person could then release the raccoon outside of the house or structure, and repair the area or hole where the raccoon enters so it cannot re-enter

Raccoons should not be “relocated” long distances from where they were trapped because of many reasons, the most important being to prevent the spread of disease.

People should be very cautious about trapping in the springtime because this is when wild animals have offspring. Trapped nuisance wildlife cannot be taken to wildlife rehabilitators. Although rehabilitation facilities can take in orphaned wildlife, the orphaned animals will have a much higher chance of survival if they are raised by their wild mothers. Often wild animals seeking shelter during the springtime are only there temporarily. There are many humane options available for keeping out animals seeking shelter in homes and structures on private property. For more information on preventing wildlife access to human food sources, please visit our website at www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/products.html .

Target shooting clay pigeons at sea?
Question:What are the rules and regulations for shooting firearms at sea? I have seen TV footage of people shooting clay pigeons at sea and so would like to know where along the California coast we can shoot, and what forms of firearms and ammunition can be used? (Steve N.)Answer: Target shooting in the ocean is not addressed in the Fish and Game Code, but littering in waters of the state is and may be an issue. According to FGC, section 5652, “It is unlawful to deposit, permit to pass into, or place where it can pass into the waters of the state, or to abandon, dispose of, or throw away, within 150 feet of the high water mark of the waters of the state, any cans, bottles, garbage, motor vehicle or parts thereof, rubbish, litter, refuse, waste, debris, or the viscera or carcass of any dead mammal, or the carcass of any dead bird.” Depending on the location, there may also be local, state and federal laws prohibiting the discharge of firearms.

Retrieving hoop nets with rod and reel?
Question: Is it legal to use a rod and reel as a retrieval device for a hoop net?
For instance, I would connect an 18-inch hoop net to the line of my rod and reel (without hooks) and this would allow me to cast the net in order to better fish for lobsters from a jetty. Is this OK? (Jeff C.)Answer: Yes, you may use a rod and reel as a retrieval device for your hoop net. You are not required to pull your net by hand, nor are you prohibited from pulling it using a rod and reel.

De-skunking formula?
Question:My dogs keep running into skunks. I always hear about using tomato juice to cut the smell. Do you have any suggestions for a natural method of de-stinking my dogs should this happen again?Answer: There are many recipes that people use, but here’s one from Assistant Chief Doug Huckins:

Take one quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (from a pharmacy), a quarter cup of baking soda and one teaspoon of liquid soap (I use Dawn).

Mix together and wash sprayed animal for five minutes, keeping mixture out of eyes, nose and mouth. Rinse with tap water.

Based on feedback from users, this recipe as listed is a suitable quantity for a small dog. Double it for medium-size dog, and triple it for large dogs.

#  #  #

Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week. Please contact her at CalOutdoors@dfg.ca.gov.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Firearms/Ammunition, Lobsters, Methods Of Take, Nuisance Animals & Pests, Pets, Regulations, Wildlife Encounters

Tagged , , , , , , ,