NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Oregon bowhunters bracing for elk limits
commission approved the
proposal to change buck deer
archery hunting from a general
season to a controlled season
starting in 2021.
ODFW proposing
major changes in
2022 for archery
elk hunters
SUBMIT COMMENTS
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking
hunters to submit comments on the proposed shift in the
archery season in 13 units and parts of three others, which
the Fish and Wildlife Commission is scheduled to discuss
during its June 18 meeting.
The commission will make a final decision on archery sea-
sons for 2022 during its September 2021 meeting.
More information is available online at myodfw.com/arti-
cles/big-game-hunting-season-review.
Comments should be emailed to odfw.wildlifeinfo@state.
or.us no later than April 15. There will be additional oppor-
tunities to comment before and during the commission’s
June 18 meeting.
Multiple reasons
proposed for the change
By JAYSON JACOBY
Baker City Herald
Oregon has had general
archery hunts in Eastern
Oregon, for buck deer and for
elk, since 1979. Since 1983, the
archery season for both species
has lasted for one month, start-
ing in late August.
ODFW officials have cited
multiple reasons for propos-
ing the shift from general to
controlled archery seasons.
One is the increasing
number of archery hunters over
the past few decades. ODFW
said the number of archers
hunting elk in Eastern Oregon
rose from about 12,300 in 1995
to about 18,500 in 2019.
And due in part to improve-
ments in technology, which
allow hunters to make longer
kill shots, archery hunters have
higher success rates.
But because the archery
seasons have remained general
seasons, with no limits on how
many tags are sold, ODFW’s
lone tool to limit hunting to
protect deer and elk herds
has been to cut the number of
tags for rifle hunts, which are
controlled hunts with limited
tags awarded through the
lottery system.
“Currently, the controlled
PENDLETON — A major
change to archery elk hunting
seasons in most of Northeast
Oregon could start in 2022.
The Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is
proposing to shift the archery
season in 13 units and parts of
three others from the current
general hunt — meaning
there’s no limit on the number
of tags sold — to a controlled
hunt, with a limited number of
tags.
In a controlled hunt, archers
would have to apply for a tag
through the state’s computer
lottery system.
In June 2020, ODFW
announced that the Oregon
Fish and Wildlife Commission
would consider changing the
archery season in all units east
of the Cascades from general
to controlled hunts, and for elk
as well as buck deer hunting.
But in August 2020, the
agency said the commission
would decide on changes to
buck deer archery seasons, but
that it would delay any decision
on elk seasons.
In September 2020, the
Gary Lewis/Contributed Photo
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is proposing
significant changes to elk-hunting rules for archers.
rifle season is the one place we
have the ability to adjust hunter
harvest, and they have taken
almost all the tag reductions in
the last 25 years,” said Jeremy
Thompson, district wildlife
biologist for ODFW’s Mid-Co-
lumbia area, who is managing
the review of elk archery hunts.
“The ultimate goal of this
proposal is to be able to make
management actions equitable
for all users.”
In choosing which units
to propose the change from
a general to a controlled
archery season, ODFW offi-
cials considered the current
Forecast for Pendleton Area
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elk populations in those units,
as well as hunter density and
hunter displacement, which
are based on a public survey of
hunters done in 2020.
Solving problems while
saving general season
Units where the bull ratio
— the number of bulls per
cows — has not met the state’s
goals in three out of five years
are proposed to change from
general to controlled archery
hunts in 2022.
“We have tried to craft a
solution that addresses the
problems we are seeing in
Increasing
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PRECIPITATION
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Aberdeen
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Tacoma
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Pendleton
NE 4-8
ENE 4-8
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
47/22
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Sunrise today
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ELGIN — The comeback
of Rylee Sandland, an Elgin
High School freshman seri-
ously injured in a snowmo-
bile crash in early February,
is picking up speed.
Sandland, who was
hospitalized at St. Alphon-
sus Medical Center in Boise,
Idaho, for a month after the
mishap, recently returned to
her home in Elgin.
“She is just so happy to
be back home,” said Mandi
Parsons, a teacher at Stella
Mayfield School who is
leading fundraising efforts
for Sandland and her family.
Parsons said one of the
best parts of being back
for Sandland is having the
chance to see her friends
again. Parsons explained
that at St. Alphonsus only
her family could visit
because of COVID -19
restrictions.
Sandland suffered a
broken pelvis, a broken rib
and a punctured lung in the
crash, which occurred east
of Union in the Catherine
High 90° in Zapata, Texas Low -5° in Antero Reservoir, Colo.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Creek area. An emergency
helicopter flew the teen from
the crash site to St. Alphon-
sus. Parsons said the heli-
copter made a big difference
in getting Sandland rescued
quickly.
If not for the air ambu-
lance, Parsons said, the situ-
ation would have been a lot
tougher.
She also said Sandland’s
recovery is ahead of sched-
ule and doctors anticipate
she will fully recover.
Sandland returned home
two weeks ago and still faces
significant challenges. The
broken pelvis, for example,
prevents her from walking.
But Parsons said Sandland
is not letting her health chal-
lenges get her down.
“Her spirits are very
high,” the educator said.
“She always positive.”
Sandland, who loves
farm animals and horse-
back riding, has been an
active member of Elgin
High School’s FFA chap-
ter and made friends with
chapter members soon after
her family moved to Elgin
from La Grande less than a
year ago.
“The students welcomed
her as if she had always been
here,” said Daniel Bolen,
Elgin High School’s agri-
cultural sciences teacher and
FFA chapter adviser.
Sandland’s personable
nature made it easier for her
to make quick connections.
“She is super caring and
sweet and thoughtful of
others,” Bolen said.
Parsons said Sandland,
15, has a special charisma
that reflects her Christian
faith.
“She has a wonderful
soul. Her smile lights up a
room,” Parsons said.
About $3,000 has been
raised to help Rylee Sand-
land and her family with
medical and other asso-
ciated expenses caused
by the snowmobile crash.
A big part of it has come
from the sale of sweatshirts
Parsons designed. All have
the outline of a heart and an
illustration of a girl riding
a horse on the left side and
a snowmobile on the right.
Above the heart are the
words “Rylee Rides Again.”
IN BRIEF
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
shop, disputes ODFW’s
contention that switching from
a general to a controlled season
for elk is necessary to deal with
declining elk populations and
bull ratios.
“I think a lot of this is about
the state mismanaging the
animals,” Reedy said.
He contends the state could
either temporarily ban hunt-
ers from killing bulls, whether
they use bows or rifles, or
change the bag limit to prohibit
hunters from shooting spike
bulls.
By restricting hunters
to harvesting only mature,
branch-antlered bulls, Reedy
believes the state could boost
bull ratios in units where
they’re below state objectives.
“If they want better bull
ratios, stop shooting so many
bulls,” he said.
Elgin student on comeback trail
By DICK MASON
La Grande Observer
Clouds giving way
to some sun
some units, while continu-
ing to retain as much general
season opportunity as possi-
ble,” Thompson said.
ODFW is proposing to
change from a general to a
controlled elk archery hunt
in some other units because
although those units are meet-
ing bull ratio goals, the bull elk
harvest is near what biologists
consider the unit’s capacity.
In some units, archery hunt-
ers have been taking as many
or more branch-antlered bulls
than rifle hunters have, accord-
ing to ODFW.
Two Baker County archery
hunters, Bob Reedy and
Keith Jensen, said they have
concerns about the potential
effects of ODFW’s proposed
changes.
Reedy, who lives in Baker
City and also owns an archery
Kathy Oliver to lead Eastern
Oregon region of Lions
SUMMERVILLE — Kathy Oliver does
not know what the future holds but she does
know this: Her 15th year as a member of the
Elgin Lions Club promises to be one of her
most memorable — and busiest.
The International Association of Lions
Clubs has named Oliver the next governor for
District 36G, which encompasses much of the
portion of Oregon east of the Cascades and
has about 20 clubs. Oliver said she is honored
and moved by the confidence the Lions orga-
nization has shown in her.
“People have been so supportive,’’ Oliver
said.
The Summerville resident will take the
reins of District 36G in June and serve one
year. She will succeed John Taylor of Pend-
leton, who is completing his one-year term
as governor.
Oliver has an upbeat vision for a district
that is part of an organization renowned for
saving sight.
She wants to help her district rebound after
being rattled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oliver noted that across the district, clubs
have been hurt by declining membership
caused by COVID-19 concerns. The Elgin
Lions Club, which Oliver is president of, for
example, has declined just under 10% in the
past year.
Oliver will be traveling throughout East-
ern Oregon to visit chapters to encourage
them to take steps to boost membership back
up to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. She
will be encouraging clubs to invite former
members back, and to arrange for them to
take part in club projects.
“The key is getting people involved,’’ said
Oliver, who was named first vice president of
District 36G in November 2020.
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