B
Saturday, March 13, 2021
The Observer & Baker City Herald
H IGH
A BOVE
THE
H AWKS
■ Spring bear hunting in the
ancestral land of the Nez Perce
H
ere in the
breaks of
the Snake
and the Imnaha,
they passed down
their knowledge of
the land and the
animals in oral histories
illuminated by the orange
glow of 10,000 fi res.
The Nez Perce called it
the “land of winding waters.”
The names of the old ones
are written on the land:
Sacajawea Peak, Joseph
and Ollokot campgrounds.
Chesnimnus means “haw-
thorn encampment” and
Imnaha means “land ruled
by the Chief Imna.”
On a point of a west-facing
ridge, exposed to the winds
and the rains, a redoubt was
built on the edge of the cliff,
ON THE
TRAIL
Gary Lewis/Contributed Photo
Bryan Murphy hunting bear in the Snake River Unit with the arrowleaf balsamroot in bloom.
“We would leave the canyons of the Snake and
Imnaha without a bear that spring but we took with
us the memory of the hawks that soared above and
below us, riding afternoon thermals.”
For us this was a bear
hunt. In the next canyon, our
partners Lee and Matt were
leaning almost like a fi gure- at work with a FoxPro call.
head from the bow of a ship.
Fifty-two minutes into
Formed with rocks, carefully the distressed fawn wail,
fi tted together to conceal a
a coyote came bouncing in,
hunter and protect him from Lee said later, “Like it was
the elements, it was en-
fl oating along the tops of the
crusted with the lichen that bushes.” They let it pass and
had grown around it over
then saw the bear. “We could
decades or centuries.
see it every now and then,
Bryan pointed out where steadily coming on,” he said.
the hunter had gathered
“And we were ready to shoot
the rocks he had used to
when we heard an ATV. As
construct the one-man fort. soon as the bear heard the
We wondered what game or vehicle, it swapped ends and
enemies he had spotted in
headed the other direction.”
the canyon below — sheep
A hunter on a yellow ATV,
and elk certainly.
on a road closed to vehicle
GARY LEWIS
Gary Lewis/Contributed Photo
A sow and a cub spotted on the fi rst afternoon of a spring bear hunt.
travel, had blundered right
into their setup. Those are
the chances one takes on
public land. Rain, wind and
fog forced our group back
down the mountain.
That evening, we em-
ployed the FoxPro call
and after 43 minutes, a
cinnamon-colored black bear
stalked out of the tree line
across the canyon, sniffed
the air, caught our scent and
bolted into the bushes and
back up the creek.
We hunted the last day
on a hillside so steep I had
to brace my seat and heels
with rocks to keep from slid-
ing down the mountain.
We would leave the
canyons of the Snake and
Imnaha without a bear that
spring but we took with us
the memory of the hawks
that soared above and below
us, riding afternoon ther-
mals. We would remember
the arrowleaf, the Indian
paintbrush, purple asters
and trilliums, splashes of
color. We would remember
how, for a few minutes, the
clouds parted and the sun
warmed the green grass.
This is spring bear hunting
at its fi nest. And when we
look, we see the signs left
by ancient hunters who saw
these canyons the same way
we see them.
Gary Lewis/Contributed Photo
A hunter glasses for bear in a narrow canyon.
bear’s attention and bring
the animal within range.
The drawback to a mouth
call in this situation is that
the bear will pinpoint the
sound and come in head-on,
looking for food and a fi ght.
An electronic call, if it
can be put into play with a
minimum of trouble, can be
positioned away from the
hunter to allow for a cross-
ing or a broadside shot.
The predator call — elk
calf bleats, fawn bawls, deer
distress — heightens the
bear’s awareness and raises
the stakes.
If there’s one thing a
CALLING BLACK BEAR
hungry bear wants more
One of the most thrilling
than anything else, it’s an
ways to hunt black bears
easy meal. And it is used
in the spring is to call them to taking food away from
with a predator call.
smaller predators. But bears
When a stalk stalls be-
are easily distracted. On
cause the hunter has run out the way in, it may stumble
of cover, a call can attract the across something else it
wants to eat. Keep the sound
rolling to keep the bear on
the move.
Give the bear time, up
to an hour or more. Keep
the wind in your favor and
confi dence high. Commit to
spending at least an hour at
each call set.
Everything changes when
the call is used. The bear
may turn aggressive, go pas-
sive, be curious or turn tail,
depending on his hunger
and place in the local bear
hierarchy. But calling works
often enough that it is a
viable option that can bring
a bear into bow or handgun
range.
Gary Lewis is the author of
“John Nosler Going Ballistic,”
“Oregon Lake Maps and
Fishing Guide” and other titles.
To contact Gary, visit www.
garylewisoutdoors.com
Camping fees increasing
at some Oregon state parks
EO Media Group
Overnight camping fees for electric and full
hookup sites will increase by $3 at more than
a dozen Oregon state parks starting May 28,
including Wallowa Lake State Park.
Nightly camping fees will range from $24
to $35 for electric sites and $26 to $38 for full
hookup sites. The increased fees will be in effect
through Sept. 6.
Although offi cials from the Oregon Parks
and Recreation Department project revenue
from the Oregon Lottery and park visitor fees
will be down by more than $20 million when
the state’s two-year budget period ends June
30, almost all state parks are open, or will open
this spring.
“None of us imagined this time last year
that we would face a more than two-month
shutdown of Oregon state parks and then
reopen under pandemic and safety precautions,
followed by last September’s wildfi res that
damaged our local communities and several
state parks,” said Lisa Sumption, director of the
parks department. “Our park staff, operating
with fewer employees because of a revenue
Wallowa County Chieftain/File
shortfall that prevented us from hiring our
usual seasonal staff, have rallied and are look- Overnight camping fees will increase by $3 at some sites at Wallowa Lake State Park
starting May 28 and continuing through Sept. 6.
ing forward to the coming months.”