Public's help sought in recent bear poaching
Game wardens are asking for the public's help to provide any information on a poacher who shot and killed a female bear with a bow and arrow near the High Sierra Ranger Station on Aug. 20 and left her to die.

Forest Service officials discovered the carcass the following morning after responding to complaints from campers at the Bolsillo Campground who heard bear cubs crying all night.

Turns out the sow had two male cubs, each weighing about 33 pounds. It took Fish and Game personnel about 8 hours to capture the cubs, who were relocated to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, a nonprofit that helps raise and rehabilitate orphaned animals and birds.

Aug. 20 was the opening day of archery season in California deer zone D-7, which includes the Kaiser Pass area.

It is illegal to shoot a game animal and leave the carcass. Anyone with information is asked to call CalTIP at 1-888-DFG-CALTIP (888-334-2258).

News & notes

• The CalTIP number might come in handy this morning because it's the opening day of dove season, typically the busiest hunting day in the central San Joaquin Valley. Legal dove hunting begins 30 minutes before sunrise and ends at sunset. There is a no-shoot zone around Fresno and Clovis city limits, and hunters must be 150 yards away from occupied dwellings. Dove season ends Sept. 15 before picking up again in November. Go to dfg.ca.gov/hunting/ for a complete list of regulations.

• College of the Sequoias is offering a class called "Backcountry Backpacking in the Sierra" through its community education program. Weekly classes start Tuesday and include an Oct. 7-9 outing. Call (559) 737-4884 to register. Fees are $100.

• More than 150 tires were removed from the San Joaquin River near Camp Pashayan during a recent cleanup effort hosted by RiverTree Volunteers. Some of the tires were from heavy machinery like tractors.