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Friday, January 10, 2020
The Observer & Baker City Herald
RECREATION
REPORT
JANUARY 31
DEADLINE TO
REPORT ON 2019
HUNT RESULTS
Hunters have until
Jan. 31 to report their
2019 hunts. If you
purchased a tag, re-
porting is mandatory
even if you didn’t
hunt or harvest an
animal.
WAYS TO REPORT
• Go online – it’s
the fastest and easi-
est way to report. You
will need to verify or
look up your account
on the MyODFW.com
licensing page. (Click
on the Buy a License
button) to report 2019
hunts. Once you have
completed steps to
verify your account,
choose “Submit a
Hunting and Fishing
Outcome Report” or
“Outcome Reporting
/ Mandatory Report-
ing” to complete
your report. Be sure
to go to the online
licensing system, you
can’t report through
the MyODFW app.
• Visit an ODFW of-
fi ce with a computer
available for report-
ing: Adair Village/Cor-
vallis, Bend, Clacka-
mas, La Grande,
Portland-Sauvie
Island, Roseburg,
Salem Headquarters,
Springfi eld, Tilla-
mook.
• Call ODFW Li-
censing at 1-866-947-
6339 for assistance
reporting.
WILDLIFE
VIEWING
UNION COUNTY
Ladd Marsh Wild-
life Area: Hundreds
of waterfowl remain
in the area, includ-
ing Canada goose,
mallard, northern
pintail and American
green-winged teal.
Many wetlands and
portions of ponds are
frozen, limiting areas
for waterfowl.
BAKER COUNTY
Bighorn sheep can
be seen in the Burnt
River Canyon west
of Durkee or along
the Snake River Road
south of Richland.
The best viewing is
in the early morn-
ing and late in the
evening.
Take the Snake
River Road between
Richland and Hun-
tington to see bald
and golden eagles
along the Snake
River.
There are deer
throughout the
valley. Early in the
morning and late in
the afternoon are
good times to view
wildlife. A drive
through the foothills
of the Baker Valley
and through the Kea-
ting Valley can turn
up good numbers of
deer.
Viewers can see
hundreds of Rocky
Mountain elk at
times at the Elkhorn
Wildlife Area feed-
ing site south of
Old Auburn Road,
which takes off from
Highway 7 about 6
miles south of Baker
City. The feed site is
about 3.3 miles off
the highway.
An Accessible Winter View
Rock Creek Butte
tallest peak in the
Elkhorns
9,106 feet
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
The Elkhorn Mountains from a logging road south of the Powder River Recreation Area near Baker City.
I love snow except when my rig is
mired in the stuff up to the axles, as
helpless as a whale stranded above
the high-tide line.
(Albeit not so potentially aromatic
if the miring is permanent.)
A stand of snow-fl ocked fi rs, or a
mountain peak glistening white in
the sun, loses a fair amount of its
luster in such circumstances.
Being that both of my vehicles
move by way of conventional wheels
rather than by tracks, the seasonal
arrival of deep snow creates a conun-
drum of sorts.
At the same time I’m yearning to
tramp around in the mountains and
take in their inimitable icy splendor,
the very snow that so transforms oth-
erwise drab scenes severely confi nes
my ability to get where I want to go.
At least with anything approaching
alacrity.
I could of course just walk — or,
rather, snowshoe.
But as much as I would like it to
be otherwise, I haven’t an unlimited
amount of time for recreation (my
stamina isn’t what it used to be
either, come to that). My forays into
the snowy woods by necessity tend to
be brief jaunts rather than extended
expeditions.
Trouble is, most mountain roads
aren’t plowed.
As a result access is, well, limited
ON THE TRAIL
JAYSON JACOBY
for most of the Eagle Cap Wilderness
— and particularly the southern part
of that 365,000-acre area, the part
closest to my home in Baker City.
Even the nearby Elkhorns, with
their comparatively lavish comple-
ment of roads, are less than accom-
modating. Places I can reach during
summer within an hour or so on foot
require half a day’s travel during win-
ter — or more, if the snow is particu-
larly plentiful (and powdery, causing
snowshoes to plunge in as easily as a
spoon into a bowl of whipped cream).
These limitations naturally lead
me to appreciate the handful of excep-
tions — places I can expect to get to,
even on a whim, and that afford me a
rewarding view for a relatively mod-
est effort.
One of my favorites is the Forest
Service’s Powder River Recreation
Area, along Highway 7 about 14 miles
west of Baker City (between Mile-
posts 36 and 35).
More specifi cally the Recreation
Area along with a logging road that
starts just south of the river and
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
climbs gently to a vista of the Elk-
Beavers have constructed a partial
horns that on certain days is magnifi - a state highway, it’s usually possible
dam across the Powder River at
cent. Because the place is adjacent to to fi nd a place to park.
The Recreation
the U.S. Forest Service’s recreation
Area’s parking lot
area near Baker City.
isn’t plowed dur-
ing the winter but
there’s typically room in a nearby pullout.
If you’d prefer a shorter, and mainly fl at, walk, the riverside
trails are enticing, too. Two bridges connect the trails to make
a loop of a little more than a mile. The main attractions are
the ice-fringed river itself and potential wildlife sightings.
The most likely of those are avian — bald eagles occa-
sionally perch in ponderosa pines, and great blue herons
sometimes soar past, looking more like a pterodactyl than
anything relatively modern.
Although you probably won’t see a beaver — the animals
are mainly nocturnal — you’ll certainly fi nd evidence of their
presence. The prodigiously toothed rodents have built a few
dams here, most notably at the eastern bridge, the one near
the parking area.
But to get a look at the Elkhorns you’ll have to hike out of
the Powder’s canyon for a mile or so and gain a few hundred
feet of elevation.
To get to the road, cross the eastern bridge and instead of
veering to the right onto the riverside trail, continue straight
ahead and uphill. There’s usually boot, snowshoe or cross-
country ski tracks — and sometimes all three.
The road, which was used over the past couple of years
to haul logs as part of a Forest Service timber sale, winds
through the pines (and some fi rs), bearing generally west and
then south. After about a mile the road reaches the edge of
a large meadow and makes a sharp turn to the right (west).
Hike just a bit farther and, presuming the sky cooperates,
you’ll see the backbone of the Elkhorns near to the north.
The road continues for another mile and a half to the Black
Mountain Road, which also starts along Highway 7 and
crosses Mason Dam. The loop back to the Recreation Area
would be about 6 miles, including a quarter of a mile along
the highway.
Welcoming Woodpeckers
Photo and caption by Jim Ward
Bird feeder
enthusiasts and
wildlife photogra-
phers are always
looking for ways to
attract birds to the
backyard. Hard-core
operators have
found that “planting”
a small snag near
feeders will appeal
to birds that look for
these — woodpeck-
ers, chickadees and
nuthatches. Adding
a few holes fi lled
with suet makes the
offering even more
inviting — and can
provide for more
natural-looking
photos as well.