As weekends go, the second Saturday in November always means great opportunities in the outdoors, but this year's Big Saturday takes it to another level.
Out in Imperial Valley, the second part of the dove season starts with shooting time a half hour before sunrise tomorrow. The limit is 10 doves per day, 20 in possession after the first day, no limit on Eurasian collared doves. The season goes to Dec. 22.
Leon Lesicka of Brawley and Desert Wildlife Unlimited said dove numbers are fair, with pockets of migrating flocks spread throughout Imperial Valley. Eurasian dove numbers are rapidly increasing, he said.
At 8 a.m., pheasant season kicks in, with hunters and their dogs chasing both native and planted pheasants. The season goes to Dec. 21, with a limit of two male birds per day the first two days, three male birds per day thereafter.
Lesicka said Desert Wildlife Unlimited members and volunteers will release 1,000 pheasants today in the Department of Fish and Game and Desert Wildlife Upland Game Fields between Calipatria and Niland.
Check DWU's Web site at desertwildlifeunlimited.com to see the map, or call Lesicka at (760) 344-2793 or (760) 485-8540.
Closer to home, San Diego County's first ever fall wild turkey hunt starts a half hour before sunrise tomorrow and goes to sunset. Hunters are permitted one bird during the Nov. 8-23 season. And unlike in the spring, when it's bearded birds only, hunters may shoot either sex – toms, jakes, hens or jennies.
On the fishing front, trout season moves into nearly full speed starting today with the opener at Lake Poway.
The lake opened today at 5:30 a.m., heavily stocked with 4,000 pounds of rainbow trout from the Chalk Mound Trout Ranch in Nebraska. Starting Wednesday, it will be open every Wednesday through Sunday.
Trout action continues at Santee Lakes tomorrow as Lakes 3 and 4 open at 6 a.m. for the big trout opener after getting 2,000 pounds of rainbow trout, with some weighing up to 12 pounds.
There will be a Kiwanis Club Pancake breakfast at Lake 4, and trout will be tagged for some great prizes, with a grand prize being a flat screen TV.
Up at Dixon Lake, the city of Escondido's 30th Annual Trout Derby starts tomorrow and goes to Tuesday. Prizes will be awarded for the largest trout of the derby, the largest in each age category (senior, adult and youth), the first-and second-largest trout each day, the smallest trout of the derby, and for the first 15 trout brought in that have a plastic clip on their dorsal fin.
Last year, the Grand Prize winner caught a 10-pound trout, and the winning trout in 18 of the past 23 derbies weighed in at 8 pounds or better. Call (760) 839-4680 or go to www.dixonlake.com. Lake Jennings has been good for bass and trout and received another 1,000 pounds of trout from Mount Lassen this week. And the Department of Fish and Game stocked Chollas, Cuyamaca, Lindo Lake in Lakeside, and Murray.
Deer hunters have been having good success in the D-16 (rifle for bucks, forked horn or better) zone in San Diego County. John Ogle of Descanso shot a fine 3x3 buck that had a 21-inch-wide spread, 15 inches tall and weighed an estimated 185 pounds. It was his best buck ever in San Diego County.
Mike Stevens of La Jolla downed a nontypical buck on top of Palomar Mountain.
Stevens said he was hunting the mountain on Opening Day, Oct. 25, when he spotted a 3x3 buck. He fired, but missed at more than 200 yards. Minutes later, another deer showed, this one with a forked eyeguard on the left side and a split rack at the base on the right side and the start of a drop tine. It looked like a 3x2x1, or spike, on the right side.
