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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 2017)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 Outdoor Rec / Local HELP WANTED MayDay, Inc is hiring a part time, 20 hours a week, position for Program Coordinator. Taking applications till Sep- tember 22, 2017. Please go to the MayDay office to apply. 9.15 The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Baker City, Oregon is currently accepting applications for a full time, per- manent, Program Technician. Applications and materials are available online at www.usajobs.gov, and will be accepted beginning August 29, 2017 and closing September 19, 2017 11: 59 p.m. EDT. Salary begins $29,356 - $52,893 per year ($14.07 – $25.34 per hour) based on qualifications and experience. Applications must be submitted through USAJobs. For more information please contact the FSA Office at 3990 Mid- way Drive, Baker City, OR 97814 or (541)523-7121 x 106. FSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 9.15 One big, beautiful bull My misadventures in bow hunting Second, with the significant reduction in the number of tags the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) would issue this year for deer and antelope THE OUTDOOR COLUMN because of By Todd Arriola the previous winter, that On the day I wrote this translates to article, in the post-eclipse more of a crapshoot with and wildfire-caused hazy the drawings, which cause world of Baker Valley, I me great pain to begin with pulled my compound bow (I applied for nine tags last from its case, for some year and only drew one, more much-needed target though on the positive side, time. this can be considered a I’ve been spoiled for a small donation to ODFW). year, opting to carry my I just paid the archery tag trusty .30-06 rifle, rather fees this year, and I was than suffer through the tor- issued the tags—a simple ture of actually preparing process. for the big game seasons, Third, there are excep- the main focus of which is tions and restrictions, in- archery this time. cluding getting permission Bow hunting under- from private landowners, standably isn’t everyone’s but in general, the region cup of tea, but I had sev- is a wide open space to eral reasons for choosing bow hunting, without the this method this time, for limitation of one or a few deer and elk seasons. Wildlife Management First, the two simultane- Units (WMUs). ous seasons, which have Forth—and again, it’s already begun, are about understandable, consider- a month long in general, ing the increased difficul- which means more op- ty—there are generally less portunities for successful people bow hunting than hunts, thought I’ve made rifle hunting, which means the mistake before of wait- there’s less competition, ing until nearly the last and less crowded country, day. resulting in more chances for success. A spooked deer or elk can very quickly be out of bow range within very little time, and with my luck, they’d be in the next county before I could fig- ure out a new game plan. Being out of practice for a while didn’t hurt my shooting any, to my sur- prise, at either the roughly 30-yard or the 60-yard marks (I try to be modest with my expectations), but I appreciate, every time I do shoot the bow, that I don’t have any kind of issue with my shoulders. One of my buddies isn’t so lucky because of a shoul- der injury, and I think he silently (or not so silently) cursed at me, while he was texting about the wonders of fly fishing, which I’m light years away from mastering. My first article for this column included a story about a failed bowhunting adventure of mine, though I couldn’t blame any of my gear for the disappoint- ment. I have my father’s Pear- son Spoiler Plus, which had been updated by the Jensens of Bowen Valley, with a new sight, a string D-loop and string release, and six custom carbon arrows. The equipment worked well—the operator, well, not so much. The hunt didn’t go well, but I can’t really blame the doe that snorted and scat- tered the herd, either, be- cause I should have stayed put, in my semi-decent hiding spot above the draw, behind a small juniper tree (bush, really). The draw was a perfect bottleneck and ambush point, with me downwind and hidden, where I could catch a buck before it reached the alfalfa field. I wanted to move to a “better” spot, which is where I made a mistake, because I tried to sneak back toward the herd when I saw it move down the draw, and I might as well have been walking and waving a flag at them. I noticed posts on Facebook with already successful hunters, posing happily with their trophies, and while that prompted some feelings of jealousy, I haven’t been out to bow hunt (as of this writing), and I’m sure there’s a buck deer and bull elk still wait- ing for me to get my rear in gear. Even though I have sev- eral spots in mind, I don’t expect “easy” hunting this year, because there are numerous factors involved, including proper timing and location, and the need to bring my A-game. Or, at the very least, my B- game, or C-game. What- ever works. It might help to have some sort of mask, too, because this smoky valley is beginning to resemble a smog-filled city, and I’ve done plenty of rain dances, with very little response... Public urged to take care in the smoky air The Baker County Health Department would like to remind you how to recognize and protect yourself from poor air quality due to smoke from wildfires which can reduce air quality. “Wildfire smoke con- tains fine particles. When the particles in the air are concentrated, the air qual- ity decreases. When people breathe this air, it can make them sick. People at the highest risk of illness are those with chronic lung or heart conditions, the elderly and children,” said Dr. Eric Lamb, Health Officer. “People who have asthma or other lung conditions should follow their breathing manage- ment plans. They should keep medications available and contact their healthcare provider if necessary.” The change in air qual- ity can affect individuals differently. The Baker County Health Depart- ment reminds you to listen to your body and take the following precautions to avoid breathing problems or other symptoms when wildfire smoke is present: Be aware of the level of smoke in your area. Avoid areas with highest concen- trations. For Baker County we have one air monitor located in Baker City. However, the air quality can change from location to location based on sev- eral conditions including terrain and weather. These Submitted Photo. Of all the brag-worthy hunting photos The Baker County Press has seen this year, this one tops them all. Above, Wyn Lohner with a behemoth of a bull elk harvested in one excellent shot from an off-the- record location in the Eagle Cap Wilderness this week. Ladies golf and bridge scores Below are the scores from The Quail Ridge Ladies Golf and Bridge Ladies Day for August 2: Golf Winners: 1st Flight Myrna Evans, 2nd Flight (None), 3rd Flight Roxanne McAdams Bridge Winners: 1st Place Marlene Cross, 2nd place Kathy Eidson, 3rd Place Carol Arnstein August 9: Golf Winners: 1st Flight Judy Karstens, 2nd Flight Kathy Hopkins, 3rd Flight Carol Irvine. Birdies: Linda Taylor, Judy Karstens. Bridge Winners: 1st Shirley Dodson, 2nd Carol Arn- stein, 3rd Linda Triplett. August 16: Golf Winners: 1st flight Linda Taylor, 2nd flight Sam- mye Linzel, 3rd Flight Carol Irvine. Birdies: Sammye Linzel, Jennifer Godwin, Judy Karstens. Bridge Winners: 1st Janice Smull, 2nd Kathy Eidson, 3rd Della Steele 9-week Winners:(bridge) 1st Marlene Cross, 2nd Joan Colton, 3rd Carol Arstein, 4th Della Steele, 5th Martha Cassidy, 6th Carmen Ott August 23: Golf Winners: 1st Flight Linda Taylor, 2nd Flight Sam- mye Linzel, 3rd Flight Marianne Klinger Bridge Winners: 1st Della Steele, 2nd Lavelle Raley, 3rd Judy Karstens. Reduced bag limit in Snake River Bag limits for hatchery summer steelhead were reduced to one fish per day for the Grande Ronde and Imnaha Rivers when the season opened on Friday, Sept. 1. In ad- Submitted Photo. dition, there will be no harvest allowed in the mainstem How to use the 5-3-1 Visibility Index: Snake River but catch-and-release will be allowed. 1. Determine the limit of your visual range by looking for distant targets or fa- Fishery managers decided to reduce the bag limit to miliar landmarks such as mountains, hills, or buildings at known distances. The correspond with the historically low Columbia River visual range is that point at which these targets are no longer visible. steelhead counts observed in 2017. As of Aug. 28, only 2. Ideally, the viewing of any distant targets should be made with the sun behind 70,000 hatchery and 25,000 wild steelhead had passed you. Looking into the sun or at an angle increases the ability of sunlight to reflect Bonneville Dam, which is only 30 percent of the most off of the smoke, thus making the visibility estimate less reliable. recent 10-year average. The catch-and-release regulations 3. If you are using 24-hr. PM2.5 in addition to the Visibility 5-3-1 Index, use the in the Snake River mirror those implemented by the state more conservative of the two metrics found in the figure above. of Idaho on Aug. 17, which restricted steelhead fishing to catch-and-release statewide. Oregon officials expect the reduced bag limits to be changes might be better should always use caution from wildfire smoke. If temporary, but support a conservative start to the season or worse than those being and avoid going outside smoke is thick for a short when facing a hatchery and wild steelhead run this low. reported from the nearest if visibility is limited, espe- time, people in these sensi- “Despite the poor outlook, our current estimates suggest air monitor. cially if you are sensitive tive groups should stay enough fish will return to sustain hatchery programs and Check the current air to smoke. indoors. provide fish for recreational harvest,” said Jeff Yanke, quality and the latest for Avoid smoke by stay- If possible, they can use ODFW District Fish Biologist in Enterprise. “A one-fish fires across the state at Or- ing indoors when smoke an air filter to clean harm- limit allows for a small level of harvest, but also prevents egon Smoke blog at http:// is thickest. If you stay ful particles from the air. a situation where anglers are forced to put back an injured oregonsmoke.blogspot. indoors, close as many If smoke is likely to last hatchery fish.” com/. Avoid outdoor ac- windows and doors as for more than two days, Managers will hold off on further changes until more tivities when air quality is possible. leaving the area until the of the steelhead run arrives closer to home. So far, only unhealthy and hazardous. However, don’t let your smoke clears is the best 5 percent of Grande Ronde and Imnaha steelhead have You can also use the 5-3-1 home overheat. Use a filter way to avoid health prob- moved upstream of the Columbia River. Yanke expects to Visibility Index found in in your heating and cooling lems from smoke. have a much clearer picture by late October. the figure below. Making system that removes fine Avoid strenuous outdoor “This is the lowest run we’ve seen in decades, but I’d visual observations using particles. activity when smoke is encourage anglers not to panic and give up on fishing this the Visibility Index is a People with heart or lung heavy. Young children, the year. Coupled with the right river conditions, even in a simple way to estimate disease, the elderly and elderly, and people with low run year, we can still have a worthwhile steelhead smoke levels. While this children are more sensitive heart or lung problems are fishery,” Yanke added. method can be useful, you to serious health effects especially vulnerable.