Placer County's deer herd is in such good shape that officials may consider expanding hunting in the region - especially a junior hunt that allows youngsters to take does - as a management tool.
The county Fish and Game Commission will begin a dialogue about the deer herd tonight with state Fish and Game officials and the public, Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Josh Huntsinger said Tuesday.
The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Planning Commission Hearing Room in the CDRA building, Bell Road and Richardson Drive, Auburn.
The commission, which advises the Board of Supervisors on fish and game matters, will hear a report on the deer herd from a state wildlife biologist, Huntsinger said. Discussion and public comment will follow.
County supervisors will not make official recommendations to the state about hunting regulations until next year, but tonight's meeting is designed to spur discussion on the topic.
In general, Huntsinger said, the county's deer herd may be so healthy that it is threatening to overtake the natural forage that is necessary to sustain it.
One possible tool could be expansion of a specialty youth hunt - for 12- to 16-year-olds - that allows the taking of does.
Such hunts are commonly used to control the size of the deer herds in other states, Huntsinger said. They are rare in California, where deer management focuses on forked-horn bucks and not does, the largest portion of the deer population.
Current regulations only provide for 25 deer to be taken in the special hunt, which covers portions of Placer, Nevada, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties.
Call The Bee's Bob Walter, (916) 773-7388.
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