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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2020)
OUTDOORS & REC 2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD STEELHEAD Continued from Page 1B Yanke said the Grande Ronde and Wallowa rivers would likely see that 3:1 ratio of wild to hatchery steelhead, while the Imnaha River was likely to see roughly even numbers of each. Wild steelhead cannot be kept by anglers and, when caught, must be released to spawn and die in their home rivers, thus completing their salmonid life cycle and depos- iting nutrients into the local ecosystem. Yanke said those nutrients are important for local plant and animal life. Water from the Grande Ronde and Wallowa rivers is also used to irrigate farmland throughout the region. Yanke said that a driving factor for the low steelhead returns were poor ocean GROUSE Continued from Page 1B The success of the SGI equates to uplanders like me continuing to have opportuni- ties to hunt sage grouse where their remaining populations are strong. But wildfi re and invasive species like cheat- grass continue to threaten sage grouse habitat. As fi re SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020 conditions, which he described as being so complex that it “would be a days-long phone conversation to explain.” But he did note that warm ocean temperatures and a persistent El Nino weather pattern had contributed to poor survival rates for Pacifi c steelhead. “It’s good to talk about,” said Yanke. “If Northeast Oregon steelhead were the only steelhead population in the Columbia Basin that was doing poorly, you’d expect that there were some localized things going on here. But it kind of paints a picture across the Columbia Basin of what’s going on with anadromous fi sh stocks.” While hatchery fi sh might prove scarce for Northeastern Oregon anglers this year, Yanke said there would still be plenty of opportunity for steelhead enthusiasts to land one of the beauties, provided they were willing to be fl ex- ible. “The great thing about the Grande Ronde fi shery is that those fi sh will take anything, from nymphs, to swung fl ies, to spinners, to jigs under a bobber, to bait under a bob- ber,” Yanke said. “There’s so many ways you can catch steelhead, don’t get too en- grained in using one method. If you can, throw a variety of things at them, increase your odds that way. Move around a bunch, and just be willing to put your time in. I think that’s the most important thing.” Ever the challenge for the angler, patience and deter- mination might well prove to be the difference between Jeff Yanke/Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife success and failure for North- eastern Oregon steelheaders Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife fi sh biologist Jeff Yanke and his son, Brandon, pose with a native-born steelhead that Jeff caught on the Grande Ronde River. this winter. danger and smokey air from the Cascades region settled over eastern Washington and Oregon this past September, I canceled my bucket list hunt for which I had drawn an Oregon permit. Smoke settled thick, oozing through the window cracks on the homestead like pancake batter late on Sept. 11. Burn- ing tear ducts awakened me, urging me to tape off windows and doors. Burns, Oregon, was slated for the same air quality. I can only imagine how uncomfort- ably stuffy a camper, sealed tight, encapsulating myself and two setters might have been. Historic sagebrush-steppe fi res burned slow and cool, benefi cial to the ecosystem. But cheatgrass encroachments TURKEY etc. and asked me to smoke a turkey for her. I told her I didn’t know how. She told Continued from Page 1B me all that she needed was for me to So this year we will go back to me put it on my smoker for 3 to 4 hours and smoking the turkey. If you’ve never then she’d come by that night and grab smoked your own turkey don’t panic. It is it and take it home and fi nish cooking it. super easy and will turn out delicious. I was apprehensive but she told me to Most likely you will run to the store to just smoke it and quit worrying. (At the purchase your turkey but if you’re lucky, time I had a wood smoker. Now I use my you may be smoking a wild turkey that Camp Chef pellet smoker) you killed this spring. If so, realize that The next day she brought me a you will need to baby it a little bit more sample. Oh my gosh, it was the best than if you’re cooking a farm-raised fat turkey I’d ever had. I have since cooked Butterball turkey. A wild gobbler won’t them as she instructed. Here’s how you have as much fat as its farm-raised do it. If you have a regular smoker throw cousin so it won’t be as juicy. it on the smoker at low heat for 4 hours. I learned how easy it was to smoke Then put it in a black turkey-roasting turkeys over 40 years ago. A buddy at pan in the oven all night at about 190- work, her family raised turkeys and she 200 degrees. knew that I smoked deer meat, sausage Put a couple of cups of water in it to have changed fi re cycles to more frequent and hotter, roasting mature plants and damaging sagebrush regenera- tion. Additionally, sagebrush communities are slow-growing, requiring invasive species management and possibly replanting to reestablish deci- mated communities. Fortunately, wildlife is re- silient and persistent. Habitat keep it moist. You don’t want it to dry out. In the middle of the night check it out. If all of the liquid has evaporated add a couple of more cups of water. When you wake up, if it pretty much falls apart with a fork, it’s done. If not, turn up the heat to 325 and cook until done. When you put it in the oven sprinkle with spices. I’ve cooked it like this for the past 40 years. But this year, I’m going to deviate and use this recipe that I found on Hi Mountain Seasonings’ website: https://himtnjerky.com/bourbon-glazed- holiday-turkey/ It looks good. I’ve ordered their Game Bird and Poultry Brine Mix and their Poultry Rub Blend to use. I can’t wait! Happy Thanksgiving from the Clay- comb house to yours! and hunting opportunity to be restored through the efforts of dedicated partnerships like the SGI. And the 2021 prospects are looking good. I can see the covey nestled among the but- tery autumn grasses and milky sage. A setter tail wafts gently in the auburn glow of the sun peeking over the Owyhee; the location of the covey betrayed. Circling in for the flush, the covey materializes from the sagebrush sea. Heavy wing- beats trigger a swift mount. The bead aligns with my right eye as double barrels swing through. Next year ... Mobile Service Outstanding Computer Repair Dale Bogardus 541-297-5831 Call or Text 24/7 Helping you live your dream this Holiday Season! www.outstandingcomputerrepair.com Refurbished Desktop & Laptops For Sale House calls (let me come to you!) 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