Outdoor Notes : The Great Hatchery Caper in Arizona Is Almost Unbearable

The bear might have gone over the mountain to see what he could see, but Arizona Game and Fish Department officials still are puzzled as to exactly why he stopped in at the Canyon Creek fish hatchery late last summer.

Whatever the reason, he, or she, made a lasting impression.

According to Clovis Sturgeon, hatchery manager--what could be more fitting than a Sturgeon running a fish hatchery?--a small black bear of indeterminate sex was observed draining water from hatchery raceways containing thousands of fingerling rainbow trout. What helped get everyone’s attention was the very human way the bear went about the task.

The bear was first seen walking along the tops of the raceways, just as hatchery workers do, by Tom Puckett of the hatchery staff. Next, the young bear removed the six-inch PVC drain pipes and set them aside in a corner, again, just as the hatchery workers do when they are draining the raceways.

Altogether, the bear “pulled down” three raceways, leaving about 50,000 trout swimming in only two inches of water. Water in the raceways is normally 28 inches deep.

“If we hadn’t actually seen what the bear did, we’d probably have put the blame on vandals,” Sturgeon said.

Unfortunately for the curious, the hatchery staff couldn’t afford to wait and see what else the furry visitor had in mind, although it was presumed that he was merely hungry as a bear.

Workers frightened away the animal and restored the water flow to normal before any fish died, then tried to frustrate further bruin fishing trips by covering the drainpipes. They also tried to trap the bear.

The bear was much too wily for that, though. It returned twice, was never caught and was last observed at the hatchery’s No. 6 pond the week before the bear hunting season opened.

There is no truth to the rumor that he was carrying a fly rod.

A decision to close all or part of the Sacramento River to fishermen during the king salmon winter run will be made at the next meeting of the California Fish and Game Commission Jan. 9 at Monterey. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the City Council chambers and will be open to the public.

At its Dec. 5 meeting at Long Beach, the commission voted to close portions of the upper Sacramento but agreed to reconsider after further review and recommendations by the Department of Fish and Game.

Winter-run salmon have declined from about 18,000 in 1969 to fewer than 2,000 in 1985.

California waterfowl hunters had a slightly better season on state-managed wildlife areas in 1986 than they did in ‘85, according to the DFG.

The average number of birds shot was 1.69, up from the 1.4 figure in ’85. The highest average was at the Kern National Wildlife refuge, where 1,133 hunters had taken 2,991 birds, a 2.64 average, through Dec. 22.

The most birds were bagged at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, where 9,737 hunters shot 17,150, a 1.76 success rate.

Briefly Hunters are reminded to keep their 1986 hunting licenses and take them when buying their ’87 permits. This year, anyone applying for a California license must show proof of licensing the previous year, or a certificate of completion of a gun safety course or equivalency exam. Applicants who cannot show any of these will be required to take hunter safety courses. . . . The DFG reminds bear hunters, successful and unsuccessful, to return their tags before Feb. 1. Those who do not will not be eligible to apply for a bear license next season. . . . The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has classified bison in the national elk refuge near Jackson as wildlife, giving the Game and Fish Department jurisdiction over management of the herd. Bison on the refuge had been classified as livestock.

Jack Parnell, California’s state director of fish and game, reminds taxpayers that they have an opportunity to “help save endangered plants and animals” by using the Line 90 check-off on the California income tax form. . . . Boating safety courses are being offered throughout the Southland. For times and locations, contact Judy Niedzwiedz at the Department of Boating and Waterways, 1629 S St., Sacramento, 95814-7291. . . . A. Newell Garden of West Newton, Mass., has been awarded the August A. Busch Jr. Award for distinguished service to boating safety. Garden has served as chairman of the National Boating Safety Advisory Council since 1982. . . . Showtime: Anaheim Sports, Vacation and RV Show, Anaheim Convention Center, Jan. 3-11; San Francisco Sports & Boat Show, Cow Palace, Jan. 9-18.