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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2016)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 Outdoor Rec / Local Two bull elk shot, left to waste Man convicted The Oregon State Police (OSP) Fish & Wildlife Division is asking for the public’s help to identify the person(s) responsible for the unlawful killing of two bull elk in Union County. On November 16, 2016, OSP was notifi ed of two dead bull elk ap- proximately 60 yards off of Yarrington Road, which is located northeast of Elgin in Union County. An OSP Fish and Wild- life Trooper responded and found both bull elk had been shot and left to waste. Investigation revealed the elk were most likely shot in the late evening hours of November 15 or early morning hours of Novem- ber 16, 2016. Evidence was collected at the scene. A reward of up to $500 is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case. The reward is offered by the Oregon Hunters Associa- in hunting violation Submitted Photo. A $500 reward is offered for information leading the arrest of whomever shot and left two bull elk to waste. tion Turn-In-Poacher (TIP) program. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact OSP Senior Trooper Marcus McDowell through the TIP hotline at 1-800-452-7888 or email at marcus.mcdowell@state. or.us. Information may be kept anonymous. —ODFW Weekly Recreation Report— NE OREGON HUNTING BAKER COUNTY Chukar, Hun, and California Quail - The season ends Jan. 31. Hunters should expect a good season similar to last years. Chu- kar numbers were up for a second year in a row. Grouse season continues. Blue grouse can be found in the higher elevations while ruffed grouse are more common in wetter areas. Hunters should expect an average year for grouse. Cougars can be found throughout Baker County but hunters should target areas with high concentra- tions of deer and elk. Setting up on a fresh kill or using distress calls can all be productive techniques. Hunters are required to check in the hide of any cougar taken, with skull and proof of sex attached. Bear season ends November 30. Successful hunters, remember check-in of bear skull is manda- tory; see the regulations for details. Biologists recommend propping the bear’s mouth open with a stick after harvest; it makes for easier tooth collection and measuring. Coyote numbers are good throughout the district. Try calling in early morning and late afternoon. Remember to ask for permission before hunting on private proper- ties. GRANT COUNTY Elk and Deer –The Rail Creek Fire west of Unity is contained but area closure do to the fi re may limit access for hunts in portions the West Beulah unit. Hunters are encouraged to check inciweb. nwcg.gov for updated fi re informa- tion. The USFS is conducting some controlled burns throughout the forest so hunter should pay atten- tion to signed areas where burns are planned and avoid those areas. Elk are scattered because of mild and wet conditions and good feed throughout the county. Cougar hunting remains open. Successful hunters should remem- ber that check-in of the hide with skull and proof of sex attached is mandatory; see the regulations for details. Coyote numbers are good in most of the district. Coyotes may respond to distress calls. Try call- ing in the early morning and late evening. Bear population are doing well. Season closes Nov. 30. Upland Game Bird number a good this year as brood routes indicate a good production year. Chukars can be found is steep areas along the South Fork John Day River. Turkeys are doing well but are scattered because of mild and wet condition with good green up throughout the county. The birds have not concentrated on private land like most years. MORROW, GILLIAM AND WHEELER COUNTIES Cougar hunting is open. Cougar are well distributed in our forested areas. Calling with distress calls or cougar vocalizations can be ef- fective. However, locating a fresh, naturally made kill has the best chance of success. The Coyote population is healthy with good numbers of coyotes available for those who wish to pursue them. Watch wind direction to help prevent giving away your location. Calling with game distress calls can be very successful. UMATILLA COUNTY Cougar are well distributed in forested areas of the Walla Walla, Mt. Emily, and Ukiah units. Hunters will have best success by fi nding a fresh naturally made kill and sitting on it, or by using predator calls. Some success has come from following tracks until the cougar is located. Coyote are numerous throughout the County and hunters should have good success calling. Re- member to ask permission before hunting on private lands. early morning and late afternoon. Remember to ask for permission before hunting on private proper- ties. UNION COUNTY WALLOWA COUNTY Rifl e Elk hunters can expect to fi nd good numbers of animals in all Union County units. Spike hunters will fi nd yearling bulls with cows in herds. Bull hunters should focus efforts on areas of steep terrain and heavy cover adjacent to water and feed. Older bulls often seek solitude to recover from the rut. All general seasons have ended. Forest Grouse should be plentiful this season. Look for ruffs in moist canyon bottoms choked with Alder and Hawthorn trees. Blues can be found above 5000 feet elevation on ridge tops. Fall turkey season continues for those hunters who already have a tag; tags for 2 Eastern Oregon hunts have sold out. Birds are plentiful everywhere in Union County. Hunt around water sources and in areas with wild fruit trees. Black bears will be focused on fruit and berries in the early fall. Look for bears in riparian areas with Hawthorn trees or on slopes with Huckle or elder berries. Hunt- ers should concentrate hunting during the early morning and evening hours. All bears taken must be checked in within 10 days of harvest; call for an appointment before check in. Season closes Nov. 30. Cougars are common in Union County. Focus on game rich areas with long ridgelines or saddles that cats typically travel. Setting up downwind of a deer or elk killed by a cougar can be productive. Nonresident hunters can include a cougar tag with others tags for only $14.50. All cougars taken must be checked in within 10 days of harvest; call for an appointment before check in. Coyote numbers are high throughout the district. Try calling in Elk: Elk numbers are generally above management objectives with a good number of nice bulls taken during second bull elk season especially in units with any bull bag limit like Snake River and Chesn- imnus. Units with spike only bag limits like Sled Springs and Imnaha had lower success rates. A few antlerless elk season are running now or will start on Wednesday Nov. 16. Forest Grouse: Forest grouse in Wallowa County did not fare as well as grouse in other parts of the state this year because cold, wet weather in June when the eggs were hatching caused high chick mortality early on. Some ruffed grouse can still be found in draw bottoms with dense brush. Blue grouse are found higher on the slopes and on ridgetops near the edge of timber stands, but will soon be moving up high into conifer trees to fi nd buds to eat for the winter and so will be harder to fi nd. Black Bear: Bear hunting has been good, but most bears will be going into their dens in the next few weeks as the weather cools and we start getting some snow. Season closes Nov. 30. Cougar: Populations are moder- ate throughout Wallowa County. Most lions are taken incidental to other hunting; however, calling with fawn bleat, or locating a cougar kill and waiting for a cat to return are often successful techniques. Coyote: Good numbers of coyotes can be found throughout Wallowa County. Calling coyotes with rabbit distress type calls has been effective for hunters. It is important to choose areas with abundant coyote sign and little human activity. Why advertise with us? David Conn david@thebakercountypress.com or call 541.523.5524 Baker City, Haines • Low rates per column inch & promotional deals • Color at no additional charge as space permits • Friendly, professional sales staff Wendee Morrissey wendee@thebakercountypress. com or call 541.805.1688. Sumpter, Bates, Richland, Halfway, Medical Springs, Keating Family owned and operated. Packed with local news! • All display ads are also posted to our Facebook page, which means thousands of individuals see your ad from that source alone. We’re the only local paper that offers this service! On November 8, 2016 in Baker County Circuit Court, Todd Longgood (dob 11-16-1975) of 101 S.E. 3rd St. Pendleton, Oregon, pled guilty to one count of unlawful taking of a game mammal-a mule deer. Longgood was sentenced to three years bench probation. His hunting and fi shing privileges were suspended for three years. He was order to pay $7,500 in restitution to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and a $1,000 fi ne. A 180-day jail sentence was suspended upon successful completion of probation. He was also required to forfeit the antlers from the illegal kill. Longgood harvested a trophy mule deer buck in 2014 during archery season on private property near Daly Creek in Baker County. He then harvested another mule deer which was a tro- phy mule deer that was non- typical and reportedly scored 212 inches for the Pope and Young record book. Longgood was alleged to have held the antlers over to the 2015 archery season and applied his 2015 archery season tag to the illegally killed deer. The Oregon State Police served search warrants on August 9, 2016 in Baker, Morrow and Umatilla Counties. As a result of the search warrants, game offi cers came into possession of photographs that indicated the deer was killed in 2014. Longgood is a hunting guide and owner of Sheep Mountain Outfi tters. He is on the national board of the Mule Deer Foundation. Dain Gardner of the Oregon State Police game division was the lead investigator on the case. “Dain did an excel- lent job investigating the case and following all leads.” “This is an important case as these cases can be dif- fi cult to prove when the game crime is committed on private property,” said District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff. “Concerned citizens are always important in bringing incidents like this to light and were benefi cial to this case as well.” PRSC schedule announced The Powder River Sportsmen’s Club has announced its revised, upcoming schedule: The 2017 schedule for 1000-Yard will be last-Satur- days, March - August. The 2017 schedule for Cowboy Action shoots will be 2nd Saturdays, April - October. Check for the new Club Calendar online after Dec 31. Reminder: The Annual Club Turkey Shoot is scheduled for 10 a.m. -4 p.m. on November 20th. This will be the last match for 2016, and it's a fun match for the whole family. $20 will get you seven tickets. Each event costs one ticket and consists of six shooters. Each event winner receives a $10 prize. Approximate schedule for the day: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.. 50 Yard Chicken Silhouettes, any centerfi re pistol, any position. Also Lucky .22 Event. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.; 200 Yard Turkey Head Silhouettes, prone with sling, no other rest, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.; and Running Deer Event, any legal deer rifl e, two shots offhand at a life-size deer target that travels down a cable, 80 yards for iron sights, 200 yards for scope.