Shed Hunting?

Should California have a shed season like Nevada, Wyoming and Utah? With the increasing popularity of shed hunting it seems like our deer herds are sure being stressed on the winter ranges. I enjoy shed hunting myself but I think something needs to be done to ease the stress on our deer during the winter months. Maybe doing some seasonal closures on main roads like other states do to help protect the deer on the winter range might be an answer. What does everybody else think?

I've done a decent amount of shed hunting and I've never seen another person out doing the same. I usually pick up just as many while hunting, so that's telling me there's very little pressure for sheds in the areas I hunt. I don't see a need for it now but maybe some areas need it?

What Winter? We haven't had a serious Winter in Years. I also have little faith in getting our DF&W to do anything positive for our deer herds. Seems their main agenda is to import and sustain a healthy predator population and/or destroy the few sustaining deer herds that we have left. It's ass backwards as i see it!

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

Good question Brian. I think putting a season on shed hunting is ridiculous, in Inyo & Mono counties anyway. It won't stop the people who could care less if they get caught and it would be a joke for DFG to enforce it.
This area doesn't have the same issues like some of the other western states do. At least not yet anyway. Most guys/gals shed hunting here are doing it because they enjoy getting out for the exercise or they are nuts for shed antlers, or both. Not because they see a dollar sign behind it, which commercialized shed hunting has done. When the horn buyers start coming here, its going to be a sad day.
I do like the idea of seasonal road closures though. That would definitely take a bit of stress off the deer.
The late hunts that take place during the rut on winter ranges are not helping either.
I've said for years, I'm still surprised the state hasn't come up with some way to make money from it. Like requiring shed hunters to purchase a license. It's not a terrible idea though. I don't think it should cost anything to shed hunt but it wouldn't hurt to require hunters to obtain a free online permit, where each individual would have to read/pass a basic ethics course. There are many folks nowadays shed hunting that haven't a clue as to what their impact may be on deer herds during the winter months.