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The influence of seasonal and other factors on the acceptability and food value of the meat of two subspecies of California deer and of antelope

1949; University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources; Volume: 19; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3733/hilg.v19n08p265

0073-2230

Bessie B. Cook, Lois E. Witham, Marion Olmstead, Agnes Fay Morgan,

Archaeology and Natural History

does not appear. First page follows. Introduction For many years there has been a controversy over the proper season for hunting deer in the central and southern coast ranges of California. The deer in question are the Columbian black-tailed deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus, which inhabits the north coast from the Oregon line south to San Luis Obispo County, and the California mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus californicus, which is found in the area extending from San Luis Obispo County south to Orange County. Deer in these coastal areas are considered “prime” in August when their antlers are hard and their coats are blue. They enter their breeding season late in September. One group of public officials and sportsmen believes that the open season should be declared from the time the antlers become hard until the start of the fall rut. The group contends that, from the standpoint of the condition and palatability of the venison and the trophy value of the heads, the deer are prime at this season, and that during the rut, the condition becomes poor and does not improve again until the following year.