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Wednesday, November 22, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Playing in the band...
OSP trooper keeping hunting fair
By George Plaven
East Oregonian
PENDLETON (AP) —
Daylight broke one early
November morning over the
snow-dusted Blue Mountains
near Ukiah, where the distant
echo of rifle blasts signaled
the start of elk season across
eastern Oregon.
Dain Gardner, senior
trooper with the Oregon State
Police Fish and Wildlife
Division, began his day at 5
a.m., noting the perfect hunt-
ing conditions that included
below-freezing temperatures
and just enough white on the
ground to easily spy a well-
trodden game trail or herd of
elk.
“This is my office,”
Gardner said behind the
wheel of his patrol truck. “If
you can’t enjoy the job work-
ing out here, there’s some-
thing wrong with you.”
Nov. 4 marked the first
day of the second season for
rifle elk hunting in Oregon,
which runs through Sunday,
Nov. 12. The first rifle season
was Oct. 25-29, while archery
season for deer and elk went
from Aug. 26 through Sept.
24.
Elk season is a busy time
for Gardner, and can send
him anywhere around the
Pendleton area all the way
down to John Day, depend-
ing on the case. He spent
that Saturday in the Ukiah
Wildlife Management Area,
where hunting was open to
spike bulls only — bulls with
unbranched antlers.
No sooner than Gardner
arrived at the Bridge Creek
Wildlife Area south of
town did he encounter his
first dispute of the day, as
two hunters each claimed
they had shot the same elk.
Cameron Sponseller, with the
Oregon Department of Fish
& Wildlife, was already on
scene to assist with corrobo-
rating both men’s stories.
“This happens regularly
out here,” Gardner said, jok-
ing that he ought to swap his
uniform for a referee shirt.
“We’ll get it figured out.”
After examining the car-
cass, Gardner and Sponseller
determined that only one
bullet actually hit the elk,
making it a relatively open-
and-shut case. But by simply
taking the extra time and talk-
ing to hunters, Gardner said it
helps to keep level heads and
even tempers.
“We’re just out here trying
to keep things fair,” he said.
Gardner, who lives in
Hermiston and graduated
from Umatilla High School
in 1990, has 22 years of
experience in law enforce-
ment, including three years
with the Hermiston Police
Department. He joined
the OSP Fish and Wildlife
Division in 2003 and never
looked back.
“I always wanted to do
this job,” Gardner said. “As
far as police work goes, this
is where it’s at.”
Growing up, Gardner
spent plenty of time in the
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woods hunting and fishing
and has developed a remark-
able eye for spotting faint,
faraway wildlife. Even a sin-
gle prowling coyote cannot
escape his radar-like vision.
Gardner’s supervisor, Sgt.
Tim Brown, said that kind of
local knowledge of hunting
and fishing makes him a tre-
mendous asset to the team.
“He’s passionate about the
work he does, and it shows
as far as his tenacity,” Brown
said.
The dirt road through
Bridge Creek Wildlife Area
becomes increasingly rough
as Gardner drives down into
a draw, fog rolling off the
surrounding hillsides. The
radio is so far quiet, which is
a good sign though Gardner
knows how quickly that can
change.
“We’ve had years where
we’re salvaging double-digit
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on this week’s inserts in the Nugget:
Deschutes Public Library: Check out
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this December and January!
Bi-Mart #1: Enjoy the Open House
through November 22 to shop as a
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enjoy all the great Bi-Mart deals!
Bi-Mart #2: You knew it was coming!
Black Friday Deals start at 5 a.m. on
Friday, November 24. Two days of
specials! On Saturday, November 25,
Bi-Mart will stay open until 8 p.m.!
Two students of Tyler Cranor, Sisters Snhool Distrint Direntor of
Bands, were annepted into the Western International Band Clinin
in Seattle. Trumpeters Dalton Gonzales (right) and Max Springer
(left) joined hundreds of high snhool musinians in this annual
honor band for a weekend of rehearsals and performannes.
See HUNTING on page 37
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