In addition to approving the new elk hunt, the Commission voted to remove the 18,000-tag limit on bear tag sales. However, the bear hunting season will still be closed when the 1,500 bears are reported taken. The Commission also eliminated all doe pronghorn tags for the 2000-2001 season in response to survey data on California's northeastern pronghorn population. The 1999-2000 winter census counted 4,330 pronghorn, a decline from the previous year and the third consecutive year below 5,000 animals. The recent survey gives cause for concern, but not alarm.
Researchers are still optimistic for the long-term recovery of the state' s pronghorn.
In the meantime wildlife managers are recommending less hunting pressure. A change in the deer tag drawing system, approved by the Commission, will give deer hunters a better chance of hunting in the first-choice zone. The Fort Hunter Liggett Antlerless Hunt G8, canceled in 1999, has been brought back with a quota of 60 tags. Either-Sex Deer Hunt is extended, from 65 to 72 days. In addition, rifle hunting will be open the day after Thanksgiving.