California Lake Topaz pre-meet scouting.

[Megapode]

I drove up to Lake topaz yesterday and did a little reconnaissance in advance of the CHC meet in January. It is a 2 hour drive each way so I did not have a lot of time, but I did see a cottontail right next to the road going to the lake. I saw what I am confidant was a Passage Golden Eagle flying over the same area. We walked around a small lake near there on the California side and there were only 3 ducks and no rabbits. I realize that is is summer and it will look different in the winter, but gun hunting is allowed there, so I suspected that is a factor in the lack of game. when we got around the back of the lake we saw a huge nest in the top of a ponderosa pine. There was a Juvenile but we were unable to identify it until the parent came back. Bald Eagle! That may be a reason for the scarcity of game perhaps. We found the other parent further around the lake on the ground, but I could not tell if it caught something. I tried to locate the area that he was sitting, but I never saw fur or feather, so either he picked up whatever it was intact or it was just sitting on the ground.


I was hoping to avoid getting a Nevada hunting license, but the only decent spots we found are on the Nevada side.

Is anybody from the forum going this year? I saw a few of you at the last meet.

[Greg]

Don't think I will make it this time as it's quite a long was to come from the UK. I had a great time the last time the meet was held there so I hope the game is in plentiful supply!

[Betelgeuse]

I've seen lots of eagles, RTs and ravens around that part of Nevada.

[Venomlust]

Nice work getting out there and scouting early, Eric! You're giving me an itch to do the same...

My girlfriend and I definitely plan to go to the meet, but haven't preregistered yet. The meet is the weekend just before my Spring 2014 semester will start, so we're good to go! So excited that it's a joint meet with NAFA, I hope we get some other Nafex members there.

[High Desert Hawker]

I drove thru Smith Valley (from Bridgeport to Holbrook junction) last week and saw more cottontails killed on the road than I ever have. A friend mentioned that she and her daughter also saw tons of squished bunnies the week before.