BRIEFLY : Dove Season Ends; Quail Poaching Continues
The first half of California’s dove season ended Tuesday. One thing lingers: poaching.
The state’s Department of Fish and Game tried new measures, including a toll-free poaching hot line, to combat hunters who kill quail during dove season around the Santa Clarita Valley.
The result was an unspecified number of citations--but no end to poaching.
“It’s not an increase in poaching,” said Patrick Moore, a fish and game spokesman. “If there was an increase, our wardens would have asked for assistance. They would be turning in more citations, and they haven’t been turning in any more than they did last season.
“We did get a few citations from the toll-free number, but it wasn’t a large number. But wardens are writing good citations out there (in the Santa Clarita Valley). It’s one of our busiest areas.”
Capt. Bill Sheslin, who patrols that area, agreed: “Quail poaching during dove season? It happens all the time. I can’t tell you how many citations I’ve issued, but I can tell you I do it frequently.”
The second half of California’s dove season opens Nov. 16.
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