FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Outdoor Rec / Local
New wolf depredation confirmed Miller attends
Date Investigat-
ed: 3/25/2016
General Area: Upper
Swamp Creek area – pri-
vate land
General situation and
animal information: On
the morning of 3/25/2016
the range rider found a
dead sheep in a grassland
pasture near the county
road. Wolf depreda-
tion was suspected and
ODFW investigated that
morning. The adult ram
was examined and it was
estimated to have been
killed during the morning
of 3/25/2016.
Physical evidence
of attack by a preda-
tor: Though a significant
portion of this sheep had
been consumed, premor-
tem bite wounds with as-
sociated hemorrhaging and
tissue damage were clearly
observed on the ram’s hind
leg and neck indicating
the animal was alive when
attacked.
Running sheep tracks
were observed approxi-
mately six feet from the
initial kill site where
three pools of blood were
located at the beginning of
a drag path approximately
30 yards long continuing
to the carcass. These are
both indicators of predator
attack.
Evidence that the preda-
tor was a wolf: Multiple
large bite wounds and
severe tissue damage were
observed on the neck and
left hind leg. The loca-
tion of the bite wounds are
commonly observed attack
points for wolves. Premor-
tem hemorrhage to under-
lying tissue with limited
damage to the hide and
canine puncture holes of
1/4 -3/8 inches in the hide
is similar to other wolf
depredations.
Evidence of wolf
presence near the time
of the animal(s) death/
injury: GPS radio-collar
data of 2 Imnaha
Pack wolves indicated
that OR39 was 500 yards
from the carcass at 3:00am
and both OR4 and OR39
were 200 yards from the
carcass at 6:00 am on the
morning of 3/25/2016.
Recent wolf depreda-
tion in the same or nearby
area: ODFW confirmed
a calf depredation by four
Imnaha Pack wolves about
threee miles away on
3/9/2016.
Cause of death/injury:
Confirmed wolf
Summary: The location,
as well as the number, size
and severity of the bite
wounds are similar to those
observed on other con-
firmed sheep depredations
by wolves.
Combined with an ob-
served kill scene and direct
evidence of wolf presence
(at least two wolves) in
the immediate area of the
sheep at the time of this
incident were adequate to
confirm this incident as a
wolf depredation.
Wallowa-Whitman urges
caution during spring weather
Spring has sprung and
it’s time to get back into
the woods! Find your
favorite place, hike your
favorite trail and visit you
favorite lake. The roads
are thawing out and the
mud and erratic weather
changes can cause safety
concerns if visitors are
unprepared.
“It’s always a good idea
to prepare for a variety of
weather conditions this
time of year,” says Public
Affairs Officer Katy Gray.
“One minute the sun will
be shining brightly and
the next minute the clouds
will roll in and drench
you with a cold rain, so
please be prepared with
dry clothes and jackets.
Being prepared is key to a
safe and fun adventure into
the woods this spring,”
continued Gray.
The roads can also be a
little tricky to navigate in
the spring. Getting out and
seeing the spring wildflow-
ers and the snow melt off
into rushing creeks and riv-
ers is a ritual for many of
us in here eastern Oregon,
so we want to share a few
tips for planning your
spring time adventures.
General tips for spring
time driving and for more
information check out
www.treadlightly.org :
• Tread lightly with
your motor vehicle and be
cautious if conditions are
muddy.
• Stay on designated
trails and roads.
• Honor road and trail
closures.
• Please don’t build your
own trails, they cause dam-
age and are illegal.
• Where open riding is
allowed, learn to read the
terrain. Avoid low spots
and watercourses that
could lead to wetlands and
meadows.
• Avoid sensitive areas
like wetlands altogether.
• Be part of the solution.
Please report resource
damage to the Forest Ser-
vice office nearest you.
We would like to remind
forest visitors to take extra
precautions around streams
and rivers this spring.
“Rain falling on heavy
snow pack can cause rapid
snowmelt; flooding small
streams and larger rivers,”
said Public Affairs Special-
ist Matt Burks. “We want
to ensure our visitors have
the knowledge to act safely
in these upcoming spring
months when the risks of
floods increase,” continued
Burks.
To help prepare visi-
tors, two Safety Pages
titled Floods and Flash
Floods are available on the
Wallowa-Whitman Na-
tional Forest website and
can be viewed at: www.
fs.usda.gov/goto/WWOut-
doorSafety
Before visitors head out
to the forest it is beneficial
to be weather wise. “Keep
an eye on current and pre-
dicted weather conditions
as weather can change very
quickly,” said Burks.
Know the signs for ap-
proaching storms or chang-
ing weather conditions.
Stay away from fast rush-
ing waters and don’t try to
drive through washed out
roads.
For the most recent
information on roads and
trails or to purchase a map
please call or visit one of
our Forest Service offices
www.fs.usda.gov/detail/
wallowa-whitman/about-
forest/offices We would be
happy to chat with you and
offer hiking, biking and
motor vehicle recreation
suggestions.
Information is also
available on our website at
www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa-
whitman.
Spring turkey hunting tips
The essence of Oregon’s
spring wild turkey hunt
is to attract a tom to your
position by mimicking the
sounds of a hen.
Your hunting success
relies heavily on locating
a tom. For this reason, you
may want to scout your
hunting area before the
season begins. Look for
signs of recent wild turkey
activity, and locate suitable
calling locations.
Wild turkey sign includes
tracks and droppings. Hen
tracks rarely exceed four
and one half inches in
length, whereas gobblers
can have tracks up to six
inches long.
Droppings offer positive
evidence that wild turkeys
have been in the area. The
dropping’s shape indicates
the sex of the bird. Gob-
blers leave “J” shaped,
elongated droppings, while
hens leave rounded, piled
droppings.
Once the season opens,
arrive at your preselected
hunting area well before
sunup to be in position
before toms begin to stir
on the roost. Your calling
location should be at least
100 to 150 yards from
roosting wild turkeys. At-
tempts to get closer may
spook birds off the roost
and spoil your initial hunt-
ing efforts (this is where
pre-season scouting pays
off).
Wild turkeys are hesi-
tant to walk through thick
brush, so select a calling
position in relatively open
country. Also avoid cover
that restricts your sight
path; maintain at least 50
yards of visibility in all
directions.
Find a tree that is wider
than your shoulders and
taller than your head to sit
against. This will break up
your outline and protect
your back from a careless
hunter who may be stalk-
ing you.
Wild turkeys possess a
well-developed sense of
hearing and acute vi-
sion. For this reason, you
should remain motionless
while calling. You might
consider taking a cushion
to provide more comfort-
able sitting on cold or wet
ground. Dressing in cam-
ouflage from head to toe is
also recommended. Some
wild turkey hunters even
wrap their shotguns in
camouflage tape to prevent
gun barrel glint from giv-
ing away their position.
Once in place, sit
quietly for a few minutes
and listen for wild turkey
activity, including wing
flapping and soft calls.
Remain motionless and
begin calling softly and
infrequently. Loud, aggres-
sive calling may attract
a gobbler, but may also
cause him to avoid the
area. Only experience will
help you determine when,
how loudly and how often
to call. Good audio tapes
are commercially available
to help improve your call-
ing. If a tom responds, call
less often and watch for
the gobbler. Calls may also
attract a curious hen. If this
happens, do not frighten
her away; her presence will
give any incoming gobbler
more confidence.
The gobbler may call
from a distance, then ap-
proach quietly. Remain
still and be patient; the bird
may circle before coming
in from another direction.
Scan the area in front of
you, being careful to mini-
mize your movement.
During your hunt, you
may need to change calling
locations. Do not be too
eager to do this, particu-
larly if the wild turkey you
have called has been silent;
it may be coming your
way. If you do move, do
not attempt to stalk the
bird. Pick a new calling
location and proceed as
before. Be alert for other
hunters in your area.
Because wild turkeys
are tough to bring down,
call your bird to within 25
yards before attempting a
shot. Positively identify
your target, and be certain
you have a safe backstop.
Wait for the turkey to
extend its head and neck,
then aim for the base of
the head. Shooting for
the body will often only
wound the bird; dense
feathers and heavy muscle
and bone structure protect
vital organs. After fir-
ing, set your gun’s safety
and quickly approach the
downed turkey. Be cau-
tious of slashing spurs and
beating wings.
Tag your wild turkey im-
mediately and don’t delay
too long before dressing
it out. To do this, open the
body cavity from just be-
low the breast to the vent.
Remove internal organs
and allow blood to drain
from the body cavity.
For safety, place your
bird in a sack or cover with
hunter orange wrapping
when carrying it from the
woods.
Speedo
Sectional
Swim Meet
Submitted Photo.
Jared Miller.
Submitted by Noel Scott
Baker High School Swimming State Champion Jared
Miller(16), who competes for La Grande Swim Club, at-
tended the 2016 Speedo Sectional Swim Meet in Federal
Way, WA on March 17-20.
This meet required qualifying times to enter, and was a
highly competitive season culminating meet for the top
swimmers in the Western states.
Miller posted personal best times in almost every event,
and qualified for Winter Junior Nationals in backstroke.
This is an impressive and exciting accomplishment and
he has worked very hard to achieve this.
Below are his results for the meet.
Men 200 Meter Free 46 2:01.70 Miller, Jared
Men 400 Meter Free 24 4:19.86 Miller, Jared
Men 1500 Meter Free 20 17:13.07 Miller, Jared
Men 100 Meter Back 19 1:00.52 Miller, Jared
Men 200 Meter Back 13 2:09.42 Miller,Jared
Men 200 Meter IM 36 2:16.32 Miller, Jared
County warns
against Myrtle
Spurge
Baker County Weed
Supervisor Arnie Gram-
mon issued a statement last
week after a local business
owner reported that her
grandson had broken out in
a severe rash and blisters
after coming into contact
with a plant.
Submitted Photo.
Said Grammon, “This
Myrtle Spurge with white
plant was identified as
sap.
Myrtle Spurge, a plant that
is very toxic to people, causing severe rashes, temporary
blindness.” This plant is an early spring arrival, so this
is the time of year to patrol for the weed. “Use gloves
and take special precautions when removing the weed,”
Grammon said.
Myrtle Spurge is listed as a State Noxious Weed in Or-
egon. According to their site, “The sap of myrtle spurge
is casutic and creates rashes, swelling, and blistering of
the skin and is a human health concern.”
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