Stan McCuen of Lockwood Valley. This Department of Fish and Game hunting license for 2007 (inset) commemorates 100 years of conservation in California.
Editor’s Note:
September 22 is National Hunting and Fishing Day.
We have asked Lockwood Valley sportsman and artist Stan McCuen to write an occasional column for us called Hunting the Mountain.
In two Synergy Summits about the future of economic development on the mountain (November 2006 and February 2007), McCuen said he envisions this region can become a cordial ‘host community.’ He encourages thinking of this area as a gateway to the Los Padres National Forest.
His goal is to cultivate better understanding of hunter culture and to encourage the development of "hunter friendly" businesses, especially art galleries and craft shops.
McCuen works for BP Petrolum and is an artist/hobbyist. Some of his work will be shown here. He says, "No, I can’t fix the gasoline prices."
I started bow hunting two years ago. My neighbor, Larry Nicasio, talked me into trying archery to extend hunting season and to challenge my hunting skills. He told me that archery hunting was harder than anything I had tried and he was right.
Last year we archery hunted deer in Arizona and I’m hooked. I prepared for deer season this year the same as in years past. For a man of my age, I read, if seeing a legal deer did not give me a heart attack, trying to recover it could—so I start hiking and climbing hills six weeks before the season opens to be physically fit. I’ve also been shooting nearly everyday. Now-as long as it’s within 40 yards, is a 6" paper plate and doesn’t move-I might have a chance…not even factoring in buck fever.
Each year, purchasing the family hunting tags falls to me. I live in Lockwood Valley, but I work near the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) office in Los Alamitos and prefer to go direct to the district office.
Most our local hunters purchase their license at Ace Hardware or True Value. Depending on what they intend to hunt, they can also purchase game bird stamps. Game animals, deer, bear and wild boar require applications. The application is filled in and mailed to the DFG where the tags are mailed back in about six weeks.
I still have to fill out all the applications at the district office, but I don’t have to wait for my tags. Had I not gone to the DFG office this year, I would not have noticed the difference in the licenses. Normally they are made of durable paper that changes color each year. This year, the lady at the DFG counter took great pride in pointing out the artistry in the stamp to commemorate California’s 100-year anniversary of conservation.
It’s hard for me to believe I’ve participated for forty of those years. I’ll add the stamp to the rest of my memorabilia.
The trip to buy our tags marks another year having passed and allows me time to recall last season’s adventures—memories with family and friends that only hunting can evoke.
California’s archery deer season opened the first Saturday in September. I have a couple weekends before Arizona so I decided to hunt near home. Three a.m. came way too early and the drive to a favorite spot was longer than I needed. Several miles by truck, then another several by quad got me there well before the daylight hunting hours. At 5:00 a.m., a half moonlit bear came by to scare the wits out of me. At sixty yards, he was well out of my paper plate range even if I could have held still. My feet tried to leave the area a couple times before daylight. Meeting a bear on his own ground with a pointed stick will stand your hair on end; especially when you consider that a bear can cover a hundred yards faster than a horse.
The Department of Fish and Game is the only government office I look forward to visiting. This year was not much different than any other. Three hunting licenses, three deer tags, three upland game bird tags, two bear tags and the same old question: "Your wife hunts, too?"
Yes, Cindy hunts. The entire family has hunted together for several years. Cindy was an outstanding shooter when we met. Then, after a few hunting trips following me around, she earned her Hunter Safety card and bought her own license. I have trouble understanding why folks think hunting is an all male fraternity. I have met numerous lady hunters over the years and most are very skilled. Cindy hunts deer but prefers quail and routinely outshoots me. Anyway, there is always a myriad of people at the DFG office from all walks of life. I count the trip as one of the years’ hunting adventures.
Each year I get a reminder of just how unprepared I can be. I remember all those ‘perfect opportunities’ that we look back on as just pure stupid…the ones we laugh about and never forget. Around 10:00 a.m. after an hour-long stalk, only to find a doe, I was tired, thirsty and hungry, so I trekked back to the quad to relax. Well, sure as I hunt, with bow out of reach, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in one hand and cold tea in the other, two nice bucks walk in within my designated 40-yard range. I think we were equally surprised and stared at each other for what seemed like forever. They disappeared before the sandwich hit the ground and I was left with no deer and no lunch. Time to go home.
If I don’t see another deer this year, I have already accomplished more than most hunters will. The hunter success rate in California is about six percent with the majority never seeing a legal deer all season.
Sunday was equally fruitless. I overslept the 3:00 a.m. alarm, so I hunted Frazier Mountain for the afternoon. I ran into a gentleman and asked where the deer were. He had been there since Friday and had only seen does.
He did relay a few success stories he had heard. He was there alone and was using a brand new quad that had apparently gotten the best of him. He talked about the west end four wheel drive road and a damaged bow. I recommended a helmet, told him to visit the local motorcycle shop and gave him directions.
Next week, on National Hunting and Fishing Day, Stan McCuen’s Hunting Diary continues.
McCuen is a one-man campaign to invite the Mountain Communities to develop a spirit of welcoming hospitality toward the guests who come to hunt and fish in the Los Padres National Forest.
His goal is to acquaint readers with the culture of hunting,
As an artist himself, the Lockwood Valley resident says he notices that hunters are tourists who seek lodging, relaxed family dining and an opportunity to browse art galleries and crafts shops for gifts, T-shirts and souvenirs.
He argues that developing ecotourism in this region will benefit from making hunters and their families feel at home when they visit our shops and restaurants.
This is part of the September 14, 2007 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
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