California’s wild ring-necked pheasant season opened Saturday, Nov. 9. For the second consecutive year, the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife officials will use tongue clips to collect genetic tissue samples from hunter-harvested wild birds.
Officials will collect samples at the Shasta Valley Wildlife Area, Honey Lake Wildlife Area, Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area, North Grasslands Wildlife Area and Delevan, Sacramento and Tule Lake national wildlife refuges.
A tongue clip provides rich genetic material but does not damage the meat or the appearance of the bird. It also preserves the birds for hunters who want to mount them for display. The wild pheasant season, which runs through Dec. 22, only applies to male ring-necked pheasants.
“We’re hoping to sample as many birds as we can because we’d like to know the genetic composition of our wild pheasant populations,” said Ian Dwight, environmental scientist with CDFW’s Wildlife Branch. “We’re looking for evidence of inbreeding in some of these isolated populations and whether there is mixing of farm-raised and released pheasants with our wild population.”
Inbreeding makes pheasants more susceptible to disease and predation and lowers reproductive capability. CDFW uses the research to manage wild pheasant populations by moving birds to different areas. Such efforts increase genetic diversity and develops populations where abundant upland habitat exists.
Saturday, Nov. 9 also marked the fall season opening for turkey and the reopening of dove season. Duck, geese, quail, chukar, snipe, tree squirrel and limited deer seasons are underway.
Fall turkey hunters are limited to one bird per day of either sex, with a two-bird limit for the season, which closes Dec. 8.
Mourning, white-winged, spotted and ringed turtle dove season reopened Nov. 9. Bag limits are 15 doves per day, with no more than 10 white-winged doves. The season continues through Dec. 23. Eurasian collared doves are open to hunting year-round with no bag limits.
By law, hunters must use only nontoxic, lead-free ammunition when taking wildlife with a firearm anywhere in California.
Information courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife
