AVALON — On a recent trip to Catalina Island, it was common for guides to point out the beautiful deer, especially their fawns, while trekking through Descanso Beach and Avalon. However, it seems the sight of so many deer on the island may not be such a marvelous thing after...
Menu
Menu
Menu
Menu
9 Responses
Hunting would be a good way to thin them down. Just do it during the week to minimise tourist interaction. Possibly in the off season.
make it easier for non residents to hunt also more affordable with higher limits per visit
Obviously, deer are not eating garbage. Deer are native to California. Even if there are 2,300 deer, for Catalina that would be about 30 per square mile. The state of Delaware targets 40 deer per square mile for management. The number is only slightly above a recent estimate for optimal deer population in a forest of 15 to 28 per square mile, see: https://www.deerfriendly.com/deer-density-and-forest-regeneration A suburban environment can support up to 100 deer per square mile, see: https://www.deerfriendly.com/deer-density
Catalina is not a forested area like Delaware. While forests can support 40 deer per square mile that not the same for Catalina, an area that did not evolve with deer.
Too bad people don’t realize that Catalina is not a forest and cannot support current numbers per square mile. All legal hunts require guides in order to manage the deer population explosion through normal CA hunting regulations.
Maybe if you guys would allow hunters to hunt the deer without paying outrageous prices there would be a lot less deer to cause problems. Or at least lower the price! Thousands of dollars for 1 deer. Get outta here.
Oh, but they are proposing helicopters to hunt them. As if southern California isn’t full of hunters that would jump at a free tag.
As an out of state hunter I here this problem all the time . O we have to many hogs or to many deer , I got an idea let’s charge 2 or 3 thousand dollars and let hunters kill them ! No deer is worth 2 or 3 thousand dollars to shoot, especially since they are in every state in the country . You watch to much TV as do a lot of other hunters. Here’s an idea ! Put together a vacation hunt for three thousand or so , and have and five hundred dollar and on hunt ! License and tags extra , but available at through the hotel. Guides work through the hotels and all hotels get the same allotment of tags . This would promote tourism and create jobs for guides, and game processors.
The fees are just way too high. Do a weekly hunts for 2 days, $1,000 and then charge for meals. Hunters are hearty bunch, have a raffle for the hunters every time they come in one year if they get drawn then one free trip for next year. Obviously they will bring a paying buddy. Folks its just too expensive and you would get more hunters to cull the overpopulation.