A12  PALO VERDE VALLeY TIMES, Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Ready for the hunt
In accordance to California directive,  Blythe officially welcomes the start of this year’s dove hunting season. From Sept. 1 —
15, the city’s will see visiting aficionados come and, once again, enjoy the tradition and leisure of the year’s first dove hunting season.
Local resident hoping for a promising hunt
By Cathyleen Rice
Times Reporter
Sept. 1 is the start of
another dove hunting
season, where hundreds
of people will flock to
Blythe in pursuit of Eur-
asian, mourning, ringed,
spotted and white-winged
doves.
Passionate about the
thrill of the hunt and
loving everything out-
doors, for Blythe native
Mike Ford, being able to
spend time with family
and friends and bringing
home free meat are just
two of the things he loves
most about opening sea-
son.
Educated through the
California Department
of Fish and Wildlife in
hunter safety courses,
Ford’s earliest memory
of joining the sport was
a year after receiving his
license.
“I was in the third or
fourth grade, and I had
always seen people doing
it. I’d always been inter-
ested in hunting. My dad
and my mom had done it
before, but they hadn’t
done it since my brother
and I were born, but I al-
ways knew that hunting
and fishing were things I
wanted to do. Just spend-
ing time outside and be-
ing a part of it is all the
same to me,” Ford shared.
Making early morning
trips to the desert with
his Aunt Addie Iwai, Ford
recalls that his aunt was
the only person who ever
wanted to go out and revel
in the chase for the hunt.
Ford said, “My mom and
dad would take me, but
my aunt was the only per-
son who would ever hunt
with me, and we would
always go up and spend
the night at her house
and then we’d all go out
the next morning.”
With his father, Steve,
passing the trade down
to him and teaching him
how to shoot early on,
from those lessons, Ford
knows how to exagger-
ate his lead, how to keep
the proper stance and a
watchful eye, as the birds
come in and go away.
“My dad was an auto
mechanic at the highway
patrol for years, and he
was always interested in
shooting, and we would
always go out in the des-
ert and shoot 22s and ev-
erything,” Ford said. “I
like to hunt, my biggest
thing is, I like to be out-
side. I’ve always liked to
Passionate about the thrill of the hunt  and loving everything outdoors, for Blythe native
Mike Ford, being able to spend time with family and friends and bringing home free meat are just
two of the things he loves most about opening season.
be outside. Whenever I
was out in nature, I al-
ways felt like I wanted to
do more. Going outside
and taking pictures are
great, but when you’re
hunting, it’s more like
you’re participating… I
get to play my part, and
bringing meat home is al-
ways a plus, because you
don’t have to buy it.”
Depending on what
type of shells he has left
over from the previous
season, Ford said that’s
how he selects his gun for
the two-week long hunt.
“But I have to say, my fa-
vorite gun is a 20-gauge
over and under my grand-
pa gave me for my birth-
day/Christmas/every-
thing else present,” Ford
remembered. “He got my
brother a side by side and
he got me an over and un-
der, and it’s a Emilio Rizz-
ini and it’s just a sweet
shooting gun. It’s prob-
ably my favorite. I still
use it. It’s a very high end
gun and it means a lot, be-
cause my grandpa gave it
to me.”
Not exactly picky about
what he bags after a day’s
hard work, Ford said, bag-
ging Eurasian doves is
always a bonus, because
the doves don’t count to-
ward his bag limit.
Although he doesn’t
get a lot of white-winged
doves, “because they can
only make up a percent-
age of your bag limit,” ac-
cording to Ford, he is still
looking forward to a great
hunt and having fun be-
ginning early morning
Friday.
Having no special tradi-
tions or routines he fol-
lows at the dawn of open-
ing day, Ford doesn’t rely
on good luck, but relies on
instinct, impulse and the
weight of the gun to bring
him good fortune.
As a man who spends
every waking moment
that he possibly can out-
doors, Ford said there
isn’t a particular spot or
revisiting locations he
goes to, but according to
the all American sports
hunter, he said, “Gener-
ally, I go out fishing in the
summertime and as a side
note, I’d say, ‘hey it’s a lot
of dove out here, maybe
we’ll come back a little
bit before season’ to make
sure they’re still there
and that’s where we’ll go.
I shoot with my brother
Matt and my friend Derek
Quiroz a lot. I actually got
Derek into hunting a few
years ago when I took him
deer hunting, so yes, I’m
really looking forward to
deer season too.”
Due to not much rain,
and not many doves
present last year, Ford
said last season was a
struggle. However, with
his kids liking the excite-
ment of going along with
him, and he enjoying the
ability to teach them, are
even more reasons to
head out again this year
and be hopeful.
When asked if hunting
is something he’ll pass
down to his three chil-
dren, without hesitation,
Ford said, “Oh yeah, if
they’re interested and
want to learn, I’m more
loaned photos
than willing to teach
them and pass this down
to them. They are very
skilled in archery, but I
think they’re kind of iffy
with the shotgun thing,
but last year she (his
daughter) saved me from
stepping on a rattlesnake.
Had I not listened to her I
would have got bitten.”
Ford said whatever he
shoots is food for his fam-
ily.
“We do everything
with them. We’ll fillet
the breast meat out, fry
it, make it up and eat it
as jalapeno poppers and
wrap it with bacon...You
can take the whole breast
and marinate it or wrap
it in bacon and put it on
the grill… I haven’t done
it yet, but I had it plucked
and deep fried just like a
turkey.”
As advice to everyone
heading out to enjoy an-
other dove season this
year, Ford said, “There’s
lot of doves, especially
this year, so be safe, have
fun and no rush. You
have plenty of time, so re-
member safety.” 
Blythe welcomes this
season’s dove hunters
California Department
of Fish & Wildlife
special to the times
In accordance to Cali-
fornia directive, Blythe
officially welcomes the
start of this year’s dove
hunting season.
From Sept. 1 — 15,
the city’s will see visit-
ing aficionados come
and, once again, enjoy
the tradition and lei-
sure of the year’s first
dove hunting season.
The below Q&A is
courtesy of the Califor-
nia Department Fish &
Wildlife’s (CDFW) “Cal-
ifornia Outdoor” pub-
lication, which high-
lights frequently asked
questions regarding
dove hunting. Marine
biologist Carrie Wil-
son, a 30-year CDFW
veteran, answered the
submitted questions
from a variety of hunt-
ers with inquiries on
regulations, miscon-
ceptions, and more.
For a more detailed
look at the Resident
and Migratory Upland
Game Bird Hunting
regulations (includ-
ing pheasant, quail,
spotted doves, ringed
turtle-doves, mourning
doves, white-winged
doves, etc.) please
visit: http://www.fgc.
ca.gov/regulations/
current/uplandgame-
birdregs.aspx
Is lead shot legal or illegal
for doves this season?
Question: I keep hearing
from tons of folks who are
saying that lead shot is
illegal for doves this season.
I can’t find anything in the
regs that say that, except
for when hunting on Califor-
nia Department of Fish and
Wildlife (CDFW) lands or in
the condor zone. The way I
read it, lead shot is OK for
doves until July 2, 2019. Am
I correct or wrong? (Bill K.)
Answer: You are correct.
Effective July 1, 2016, nonlead
shot is required when taking
upland game birds with a
shotgun. Exceptions include
when hunting dove, quail, snipe;
or any game birds taken on
licensed game bird clubs. In
addition, nonlead shot is now
required when using a shotgun
to take resident small game
mammals, nongame birds, and
any wildlife for depredation pur-
poses. For more on the nonlead
ammunition implementation,
please check our Nonlead Am-
munition in California website.
Possessing Steel and Lead
while Hunting Chukar and
Quail?
Question: The ban on
hunting with lead am-
munition is being phased
in. It now includes chukar,
while the use of lead will
continue to be allowed for
quail until the 2019 season.
My question is can hunters
carry both types of shells
(lead and steel) in the field
if they are hunting areas
where they might reason-
ably expect to find both
species, switching between
one and the other depend-
ing on what birds they
bump? Or must they only
possess steel (or bismuth or
tungsten or other certified
nonlead ammunition) while
hunting chukar, and then
have to use that ammuni-
tion if they run into quail?
(Jim M.)
Answer: No. When hunting
and targeting two different
species, and the possession of
lead ammunition is prohib-
ited for one of those regulated
species but not the other, you
are held to the confines of the
most restrictive regulation. In
this case, chukar fall under
the regulation that says, it is
“unlawful to use, or possess
with any shotgun capable of
firing, any projectile(s) not certi-
fied as nonlead…” (California
Code of Regulations, section
250.1(d)(2)).
Thus, if you are using your
trusty shotgun to hunt both
quail and chukar at the same
time, steel/nonlead ammo is
required.
Fully feathered dove wings
required in a permanent
camp?
Question: I have a dove
possession question that
my buddy and I argue about.
After a day of hunting doves
when we come back to
camp, must we leave the
wing on if we are spending
a week at camp and are go-
ing to eat some of the doves
that week? I know we must
leave the wings on while
transporting, but once we
are in a permanent camp
can the wings be removed?
By leaving the wing on, after
a couple days the birds
develop a foul taste (no
pun intended!). To me, they
stink, even in the cooler.
Last year a game warden
came into camp and I forgot
to ask him about it. My
buddy said, “See, we were
lucky!” But were we really?
(Jim M.)
Answer: Your doves must
retain a fully feathered wing
either until you return to your
home or until the bird(s) are
being prepared for immedi-
ate consumption. “All birds,
including migratory game
birds, possessed or transported
within California must have a
fully feathered wing or head
attached until placed into a
personal abode or commercial
preservation facility, or when
being prepared for immediate
consumption” (CCR Title 14,
section 251.7). Camps are NOT
considered to be your perma-
nent or personal abode.
Carrie Wilson is a 30-year CDFW
veteran and an avid outdoor
enthusiast, angler and hunter. She
is a marine biologist with a strong
background of professional experience
working in both fisheries and wildlife
management. An established award-
winning outdoor writer, Carrie enjoys
tackling the tough questions from the
public and will be regularly tapping
into the expertise of CDFW’s wildlife
officers and many fisheries, wildlife
and marine biologists to best cover
all the topics. If you have a question
you would like to see answered in the
California Outdoors Q and A column,
email it to CalOutdoors@wildlife.
ca.gov.