Sonora’s Bob King recently returned from an annual hunting trip to North Dakota to join his Godfather, Bruce Bowerman. The weather was not conducive to waterfowl hunting, as the first few days were like California weather. They compensated by pheasant hunting which was good. On the last few days, the weather changed and they managed to bag a few geese. Bowerman bagged a deer to fill his freezer for the long winter which is coming to that area soon. A bit of history on Bowerman who is 91 years young. His father, Charles, homesteaded 160 acres of land in 1910 and the deed was signed by President Taft. Bruce and his brother rebuilt the house where they grew up and it is still standing today. The land provides hunting for deer, pheasant, and waterfowl.
At…show more content… Big Fish winner at Glory Hole Sports last week was Frank Curcura, of Sacramento, with a 3-pound, 12 ounce rainbow. As the water continues to cool, some of these big trout should start moving closer to shore for bait dunkers and lure casters. Bass fishing is improving and Josh Parris and John Leichty, of Xperience Guide Service, spent a whole day on the lake, using big lures in search of the "big" one. They caught and released several with the big one finally falling to Leichty, a 9-pound, 6 ounce largemouth.
There are still trout available at Pinecrest for shore anglers or those with small, light boats. Fly anglers in float tubes are also catching fish.
On the duck scene, things are still slow in the public shooting grounds, despite the last weather systems. In the Los Banos Complex, Merced was highest Saturday with 2.7 birds per hunter, Gadwall at 1.7, and San Luis and Volta at 1.2. Some private clubs are doing a little better, but some cold storms are needed to get more birds down from the north. I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and may those wild turkey hunters bag a bird for Christmas before the season ends
