Hunting Report: Tejon Ranch Hunting

Tejon Ranch hunt program suspended; mountain lion killings claimed BY BILL KARR/WON Staff WriterPublished: Jan 31, 2012

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LEBEC — The hunting program on Tejon Ranch has been suspended indefinitely following an investigation by the Department of Fish and Game over claims of killing up to 20 mountain lions on the ranch over the past number of years, apparently tipped off by a past guide on the ranch. At 270,000 acres, Tejon Ranch offers hunting for elk, deer, wild turkeys, bear and wild pigs. Being mostly uninhabited, wildlife management has been a part of their operation. The investigation apparently confirmed that an unknown number of mountain lions were illegally killed on the ranch, although some reports have the number at 20 or more. "I was appalled and outraged when I learned the results of the investigation," said Tejon Ranch Chief Executive Robert Stine in a recently-released statement. "Tejon Ranch did not then, and certainly does not now, condone such activity, and we sincerely regret that such activity took place on our ranch. Accordingly, we are taking every step necessary to ensure it won't happen again." Fish and Game officials gave the results of their investigation to Kern County prosecutors, who have not said whether they plan to pursue charges. The probe was brought on by a wrongful termination lawsuit filed in May by former ranch hunting guide Bron Sanders, who worked for the ranch for five years, but said he was fired in December 2010 for complaining about the mountain lion killings. Sanders said that ranch mangers were aware of the mountain lion killings, and even encouraged them. Barry Zoeller, the ranch's vice president of corporate communications and marketing, told the Bakersfield Californian at the time that the ranch had conducted an internal investigation and found that Sanders' allegations were "ridiculous and untrue." The hunting shutdown will likely last a few months.