Page 10C
OUTSIDE
East Oregonian
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Deer and elk act as buffer between wolves, livestock
By ERIC MORTENSON
EO Media Group
SALEM — They weren’t on the
agenda when the Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife Commis-
sion voted Nov. 9 to take wolves off
the state’s endangered species list,
but Oregon’s elk and deer population
likely will be key factors in wolf
management decisions in the years
ahead.
Mark Henjum, a retired wildlife
biologist who was ODFW’s original
wolf program coordinator, said
healthy deer and elk populations
are a buffer between livestock and
the state’s increasing number of
predators.
Oregon has 25,000 to 30,000
black bears, an estimated 6,200
cougars and a minimum of 82
wolves, according to ODFW.
Biologists fully expect the
state’s wolf population to continue
growing. Wolves occupy only 12
percent of their potential range in the
state, and continued dispersal from
Northeast Oregon will put them
in contact with elk and deer and
possibly in competition with other
predators. Bear and cougar are much
more widely dispersed in the state.
Sharp, localized drops in ungu-
late prey, as deer and elk are known,
could drive predators to attack sheep,
cattle or other domestic animals,
Henjum and other biologists say.
Bears are primarily omnivorous
but will take young deer and elk,
especially in the spring. Cougars,
meanwhile, are solitary ambush
hunters and can take just about
any animal at will, Henjum said.
“They’re amazingly good at what
they do,” he said.
Wolves travel in packs and
chase down prey. They can kill
solitary adult cougars, or females
and kittens, and chase cougars off
carcasses. Pressure from wolves can
force cougars into steeper, brushier
terrain. The competition for ungulate
prey could produce a bad turn for
livestock.
Biologists say wolves prefer elk,
but attacks on livestock are what
anger cattle and sheep producers
and gain media attention. From
2009 through June 2015, Oregon’s
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79 sheep, 37 cattle, two goats and
two herd protection dogs. Ranchers
believe wolves are responsible
for much more damage, saying
livestock often disappear in wolf
country. In addition, many livestock
attacks are written off as “probable”
or “possible” wolf depredations.
“This buffer thing is one of the
main reasons we haven’t seen so high
a rate of loss of livestock,” Henjum
said. “I think down the road, trying
to maintain the ungulate populations
is something that’s going to be more
important as we move on.”
Although wolves were taken off
the state endangered species list,
their existence in Oregon is still
governed by a wolf management
plan. Hunting and trapping are
not allowed, and there’s no sport
season for wolves. The plan does
allow “controlled take” of wolves in
cases of chronic livestock attacks or
decreases in prey.
Phase 3 of the wolf plan, the next
step after delisting, calls for wolves
to be managed “in concert with its
wild prey base,” a move strongly
supported by groups such as the
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
“Oregon’s wolf population is rapidly
approaching the point where human
tolerance and unacceptable impacts
upon the wolf’s deer and elk prey
base must be addressed,” the foun-
dation said in a letter to the ODFW
Commission.
Jerome Rosa, executive director
of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Associa-
tion, said his organization’s members
report seeing fewer deer and elk in
some areas, and more in others.
What’s ahead for wolves might be
found in Oregon’s cougar manage-
ment plan, which allows for targeted
killings to address problems.
In October, the ODFW Commis-
sion authorized killing 95 cougars
in four wildlife management units
during 2016. One area was chosen
because of human, livestock and
pet safety concerns, and three were
selected to help mule deer recover.
The kills, to be done by ODFW
employees, federal wildlife service
agents, or contractors, are in addition
to whatever other cougar deaths
occur.
Ski season is coming, time to tune your body
Jessica Christian/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP
Zander Richardson, 4, stares at deer hanging from a buck pole during the opening
day of deer hunting season in Michigan at Knutson’s Sporting Goods in Brooklyn,
Mich. on Nov. 15.
OSP hunting for poachers
on the High Desert
By KANDRA KENT
KTVZ.com
MADRAS — Down
a long gravel road east of
Madras, the headlights hit
the trail of blood, then shone
further, where the suspect
waited next to the body.
State Police say it happens
all the time in Central
Oregon. What’s more rare
is catching these poachers
in the act. But that’s exactly
what happened on Oct. 11,
just before dusk.
Jefferson County sher-
iff’s deputies and OSP Sgt.
Lowell Lea responded to
a call regarding a hunter
suspected of poaching an elk
on private land.
“The owner does want to
pursue the charges for tres-
pass,” Lea told the suspect.
“I really can’t let the shooting
from the roadway go either,
and I’m going to have to take
the elk.”
The suspect was crimi-
nally cited on both charges
and will have to appear
before a judge.
It’s just one of several
cases KTVZ witnessed on
a series of ride-alongs to
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life Division.
The program is rare, as
Oregon and Alaska are the
only states with a police
force dedicated strictly to
enforcing wildlife crimes.
The division has a $45
million biennial budget and
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troopers, a handful of which
are based in Central Oregon.
Last year, the agency inves-
tigated hundreds of poaching
cases around the state, the
majority deer and elk.
“Around here, for our big
game season, probably the
most poached species is the
mule deer,” Lea said.
On a forest road in La
Pine, Senior Trooper James
Hayes found a doe he
suspected was shot illegally
and left to rot.
Illegal kills, however,
are just a small part of the
troopers’ work. According
to data compiled by OSP, the
agency deals with thousands
of hunter violations each
year.
Police told KTVZ they
don’t even come close to
catching everyone breaking
the rules in the woods.
“It’s too big of an area,
and too few of us,” Lea said.
“We don’t catch most of the
poachers.”
“Our goal is really to ind the
serious wildlife violator, the
person who is really stealing
from the citizens of Oregon.”
— Lowell Lea,
Oregon State Police sergeant, Fish and Wildlife division
To maximize effective-
ness, troopers also take to the
skies. OSP operates a plane
with a pilot who looks for
people spotlighting wildlife
in the forests.
Police also spread out in
popular hunting areas around
the High Desert. They set up
decoys, then hide and wait.
In La Pine, a stuffed deer
was shot illegally within
minutes after police set up
the sting. The hunter took
the shot from the middle of
the road, which is against the
law.
“I’ve hunted all week, and
got all excited,” the suspect
told Trooper Hayes. “I totally
understand you’re just trying
to do your job — and I’m
wrong.”
In other decoy operations,
people shot at the deer after
dark and cast spotlights
while they were armed. Both
are illegal.
“Most poaching is the
crime of opportunity. The
opportunity presents itself
— and before the person has
really thought through their
action, they’ve committed a
crime,” Lea said.
There are serial poachers,
too. OSP keeps a reminder
in its Bend evidence room:
a big stack of elk and deer
antlers that were seized from
one poacher.
“This person did have to
pay $7,500 in restitution to
ODFW,” Lea said. “He also
lost his hunting license for
three years, and he had other
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But even those convicted
of more serious wildlife
crimes rarely go to jail.
Data released by the Crook
County Court shows the few
wildlife cases that were pros-
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years ended in plea deals.
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For biologists, the crimes
contribute to a troubling
trend. Deer numbers are
on the decline, in Central
Oregon and across the
Northwest.
ODFW biologist Corey
Heath in Bend estimated
there’s about 22,000 deer left
in Central Oregon. That’s
only half the number he
would like to see. Heath attri-
butes the decline to a variety
of reasons, including loss
of habitat, disease, vehicle
collisions and poaching.
A 2012 ODFW report
found at least 13 percent of
mule deer in its study were
poached. That’s slightly
more than the 11 percent that
were hunted legally. Almost
half of the deer died for
unknown reasons, and Heath
said it’s likely many of those
deer were also poached.
“It’s frustrating, because
we work very hard,” Heath
said. “And then you have this
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factor that’s a wild card that
we have no control over.”
Even those who consider
hunting more than just a
hobby were surprised by the
study results.
“That shocked me,” said
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dent of the Oregon Hunter’s
Association.
Police and ODFW say
there’s a variety of reasons
why people poach, and agree
it has become an industry.
“I think the price this
year got up to $12 to $15 a
pound for antlers,” Lea said.
“Commercialism of wildlife
is a big issue.”
Experts say it’s a miscon-
ception that hunters poach to
feed their families.
“Most of the animals that
are taken illegally, they’re
either left for waste or they’re
only taking the head,” Little-
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Heath also thinks some
motives could be more
sinister: “Whether they’re
doing it out of spite, or they
just want to shoot something
— they know it’s illegal, and
they know it has an impact
on populations.”
It’s these people state
game police hope to catch.
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the serious wildlife violator,
the person who is really
stealing from the citizens of
Oregon” Lea said.
Have an outdoors story you’d like to share? Email ttrainor@eastoregonian.com
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho
(AP) — When the snow
starts falling, people think of
tuning up their skis or snow-
board. You might check out
your boots and bindings to
make sure everything works
right for the coming season.
But tuning up your body
for the coming winter season
is probably more important.
Many major ski resorts
plan to open around the
Thanksgiving
holiday
weekend. There’s still time
to get yourself in shape to
enjoy the good snow when it
piles up by mid-December.
I’ve compiled a few good
reasons to get off your duff
and tune up your body.
Perhaps the best is to
prevent injuries. A body
that’s in shape is less likely
to suffer injuries from falls,
muscle tears and fatigue-re-
lated problems.
You might feel great after
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three miles into the back-
country on the trails, but on
that third run down the hill
when you need the extra
power to make a certain
technical turn or to avoid
someone or something, the
body just may not respond
when you need it to. Then
pow! You’ve twisted your
AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File
In this Oct. 29 photo, a skier goes airborne during
opening day at Arapahoe Basin in Dillon, Colo.
ankle or knee or slammed
down on a wrist or shoulder.
Another good reason
(my favorite) is that you’ll
enjoy your activity more
when you’re in shape. I like
being able to slap the skins
on my skis and chug up
hills away from the crowds
while cross-country or
backcountry skiing. Rather
than an out-of-breath grind
up and down the slope for
your fourth run of the day
— just to get your money’s
worth — in-shape skiers
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extra last run.
The simplest and fastest
way is to start running. If
you have a treadmill, use
it. If not, get outside or
to the gym. If your joints
don’t enjoy the pounding
of running (like mine), an
elliptical running machine
works great. Or you can join
a spinning class at a local
gym. These exercises tune
up the three most important
areas: heart, lungs and legs.
As for the rest of your
body, simple exercises such
as push-ups, sit-ups and
pull-ups will do wonders.
(Of course, there’s always
indoor rock climbing.)
Stretching and yoga exer-
cises also work wonders to
prevent injuries.