It’s pheasant season

1919 Hunt
My great uncle Charley Tanner’s 1919 license.

The month of November means many things to many people. For hunters it is beginning of pheasant season in Lassen County. It was not until the 1930s when there was a major push by the California Department of Fish & Game to introduce pheasants into the Honey Lake Valley. Conditions for the birds were exceptional as a considerable amount of grain was being grown. In 1934, the agency with the aid of the Lassen County Fish and Game Conservation League released 572 birds. It was repeated again in 1935 and 1936. During the late 1930s, Fish & Game paid ranchers to raise the birds. That practice ended in 1941 when Fish & Game purchased the Fleming Ranch and turned it into a wildlife refuge.

It should be noted, however, in 1929, the Westwood Rod & Gun Club had 800 pheasants planted on various ranches in the Honey Lake Valley.

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