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California
Varmint Callers
The first varmint hunting site on the net! The Riverside Varmint Callers maintains this webpage for the benefit of all varmint and predator hunters.
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The coyote
is hunted from July
to February. During the denning season of March thru June the varmint clubs
do not hunt the the coyote. Although legal to hunt them during these months,
the clubs impose a "hunting moratorium" upon themselves as one means of
protecting and keeping the animals numbers high. The coyote is a very hardy
animal and, probably, could withstand being hunted during these months. The
coyote has expanded it's historical range from the desert southwest to as
far north as Alaska and as far east as Maine. A true modern day success story.
The badger is every bit as tough as the coyote. Some say it's tougher. Difficult to hunt (and not for a lack of trying) many people have not had much success with this animal. It's easily spooked and usually makes straight for it's burrow.
The bobcat
is another one of
those animals that are difficult to hunt. For every one that a hunter has
seen there have
As with any predatory animal, their numbers will fluctuate according to the available food supply. After the recent period of heavy rains, the animal's numbers exploded. It seemed like every time I turned around there was another one coming into my call. As a side note, the same thing holds true for the so called endangered kangaroo rat. Whoever conducted the population survey for this animal should try doing so a few months after the rainy period. Driving in the desert at night, I have seen so many you would think there's an infestation going on! The prairie dog isn't much hunted by the CVC as they are found in areas other than California. Occasionally, some of the guys will take a special trip to areas of the country where they can be found. I would really like to try it one of these days! Give us a holler if your organization has something scheduled! The ground squirrel is the prairie dog of California. After the rains, these animals are so numerous that you could spend your entire fortune on ammo and not put a dent in their populations. The clubs usually schedule one weekend per year to get together in areas where this critter can be found. If you are a farmer, rancher or landowner, then don't hesitate to contact us. We will gladly help you control their populations. And year after year to boot! The grey fox and kit fox are common to the southwest. The gray fox is hunted during the open season in California and other s. His response to calling is different from most predators. When he decides to "come-in" there isn't much going to stop him! "He'll make straight for the call. They've even run right over the well camouflaged hunter. The kit fox is not hunted by the CVC. The animal is protected and is included here only as a caution to the hunter. His looks are very similar to the grey fox. To the untrained eye the two can be easily confused. Interestingly, the desert kit fox isn't really endangered, but a subspecies known as the "San Joaquin Valley Kit Fox" is. The desert kit fox is so numerous that they can actually become a nuisance. I encounter them regularly and have had as many as four or five circling my stand. They'll even sit down within a few feet of the hunter and stare in amazement as you do your varmint calling! The crow can be found by the millions feeding around the numerous land fills and garbage dumps in the US. They have been implicated in the endangerment of the desert tortoise.
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probably been 10 that he didn't. Having spent at least 15
years in the field, I can say with certainty that this animal's population
numbers are high. Many anti-hunting groups have attempted to end hunting
for this animal thinking that their numbers are low and the animal near
extinction. The bobcat is a very secretive and stealthy animal and thus few
people have ever seen one in the wild. Just because you don't see him doesn't
mean he's not there.
