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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2019)
A10 NEWS Wallowa County Chieftain Wednesday, October 9, 2019 The Nature Conservancy off ers youth elk hunt The Nature Conser- vancy would like to offer a youth bull elk hunting opportunity to the youth of Wallowa County. Wallowa County youth between the ages of 12-17 with a valid elk tag for 258Y (Nov 2-10) are eligible to apply for per- mission to hunt the Zum- walt Preserve. One per- mission will be granted via random draw. Youth must be accompanied by an adult. Opportunity is for one bull elk with 5 points or less on each side. To sign up: Email Chad Dotson at chad.dot- son@tnc.org or sign up at the TNC Enterprise offi ce 906 S River st. Deadline to apply October 25. Major bird hunting seasons are opening in October Steelhead season Idaho Fish and Game Steelhead season may be limited to a single fi sh this year in Wallowa County streams. Bird hunters can opt for paper or electronic licenses, validations ODFW SALEM, Ore.—Sev- eral of Oregon’s major bird hunting seasons open in October, including duck (Oct. 5 for Zone 2 eastern Oregon, Oct. 12 for Zone 1 Western Oregon and the Columbia Basin) and chu- kar, gray partridge and pheasant plus remaining quail seasons (opening on Oct. 5). Bird hunters will be using ODFW’s new elec- tronic licensing system and have the choice of using either paper or elec- tronic licenses and valida- tions. SportsPac holders are reminded to redeem your 2019-20 Upland Game Bird and Waterfowl Vali- dations by logging in and “purchasing” (at zero cost) these documents before hunting. The free Migra- tory Game Bird HIP Val- idation survey can also be completed online in your account. Bird hunters can also purchase or redeem all these documents at license sale agents. Federal duck stamps (required for duck, goose, merganser, brant hunt- ing) are not sold through ODFW’s licensing system and will not appear on the MyODFW app or in your online account. Hunters need to carry their federal duck stamp in addition to their ODFW licenses. Pur- chase your stamp at a post offi ce or another location that sells them (such as an outdoor retailer or national wildlife refuge). Electronic Federal duck stamps can also be purchased from several vendors online, see https://www.fws.gov/birds/ get-involved/duck-stamp/ Stock photo Merriam’s Tom turkeys, like the one above, are one of two turkey species hunters can fi nd in Wallowa County. USFWS Mountain-Prairie A Canada goose gets some exercise before heading south. e-stamp.php for more information. More fall turkey tags are available for eastern Ore- gon this year. Fall turkey hunters who choose e-tag- ging need to use the same method as big game hunt- ers: Validate your turkey tag on the MyODFW app after you harvest it, and then attach fl agging tape or some other material to the turkey with Confi rmation number, ODFW ID and other infor- mation. See page 18 of the Game Bird Regulations for details. Below are some high- lights on what bird hunters should expect this season. Visit the 2019-20 Game Bird Hunting Forecast to fi nd out more. Duck: North Ameri- can duck populations are down from recent highs but still 10 percent above the long-term average. Closer to home, breeding mallard numbers in California, Ore- gon and Washington were down slightly from last year, though wetland condi- tions, especially in eastern Oregon, were excellent this spring. The only regulation change hunters should be aware of this season is that the bag limit for pintail has decreased to one per day. Pheasant: Eastern Ore- gon’s pheasant numbers have declined after last year’s peak. Production was positive, but overall hunters will fi nd fewer birds on the ground. The highest densi- ties were found in the Mal- heur, Umatilla, Heppner and Mid-Columbia, dis- tricts, respectively. Pheas- ant brood production was highest in the Heppner, Malheur, Umatilla and Mid-Columbia, districts, respectively. California quail: State- wide California (valley) quail populations continue on their upward trend, par- ticularly in the high des- ert. Of the areas surveyed, the highest production effort by California quail was in the Harney, Wal- lowa, and Mid-Columbia districts, respectively. Biol- ogists found the highest overall densities in the Har- ney, Malheur and Umatilla districts. Chukar: Known for their large annual popula- tion fl uctuations, chukar are down slightly statewide, but are on the increase in south- east Oregon. Overall, Mal- heur and Harney districts found the highest densities of chukar, followed by the Heppner District. The Mal- heur and Grant districts had the highest chukar produc- tion with an average of 4.5 chicks/adult, followed by Harney (3.6 chicks/adult). may be curtailed By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain Steelhead season is a cold-weather institution for Wallowa County fi shermen. But this year’s steelhead run is going to be small, accord- ing to ODFW fi shery biolo- gist Kyle Bratcher. “We’re well into the steelhead run this year and we’re getting a clearer picture of what returns will look like… It’s going to be a pretty tough year,” he said. So far this season, only about 3,700 steelhead that are bound for the Grande Ronde, Wallowa, and Imnaha Rivers have made it over Bonne- ville Dam. Usually the num- ber is about 10,000 by now. Ocean conditions have been adverse for steelhead— and most salmonids—on Bratcher said. Ocean waters have been warm, reduc- ing upwelling that provides nutrients and, ultimately, food for growing steelhead. Warmer ocean waters also mean that predatory spe- cies like mackerel, that often favor warmer water, hang around in steelhead terri- tory longer. They compete with steelhead for food— and also dine on the younger steelhead. And there just isn’t much food, Bratcher said. “NOAA and others do tawls in the ocean to moni- tor how the fi shery is doing,” he said. “The fi sh they found this year are not in good condition.” Because of overall low return numbers, the Colum- bia and Snake Rivers are shut down to angling for steelhead. Many of the steel- head bound for Wallowa County rivers are still mov- ing up through the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Oregon, Washington and Idaho biol- ogists are monitoring those movements as they make their way to Lower Granite Dam. “My projections suggest we can have a steelhead sea- son on our rivers in Oregon and still get enough fi sh back to the hatcheries to make broodstock goals,” Bratcher said. “Maintaining a one- fi sh limit on steelhead will help ensure this.” The one- fi sh limit provides a slight advantage for wild fi sh, Bratcher said. He estimates that about half the returning fi sh are hatchery-produced. So if fi shermen can keep just one fi sh, and it’s a hatchery broodstock, that will leave more wild fi sh to spawn. Fishing for steelhead is closed on the Clearwater and other Idaho rivers, Bratcher noted. That’s because those fi sh are part of the “B run” Snake River steelhead. Those fi sh remain in the ocean for two to three years, and return to their natal streams earlier than the “A” run fi sh that are native to Wallowa County’s streams. “Our” Wallowa County steelhead ply Pacifi c Ocean waters for only one to two years. The longer residence time in the ocean means that the Clearwater’s “B” run steelhead are larger— but also more vulnerable to ocean conditions. And that means that fi shing is closed for the “B” team fi sh. At present, there’s a tem- porary rule that ends steel- head season on December 31, with a bag limit of one fi sh. But Bratcher is opti- mistic that “our” Wallowa County and Grande Ronde “A” run steelhead, cur- rently crossing Lower Gran- ite Dam on the Snake River just below Lewiston and showing up in local rivers, will be abundant enough to allow for a one-catch steel- head fi shing season that will extend through April 1. Youth Wrestling Club begins its 15th year Troy L. Farwell Northeast Oregon Wrestling Club Contributed photo The Northeast Oregon Youth Wrestling Club, coached by Troy Farwell, begins its 15th year. The club is open to all boys and girls, ages 5 to 14. The Northeast Oregon Wrestling Club based in Wallowa County will again be hosting a Youth Wrestling Club. This is open to all boys and girls in the county ranging from ages 5 to 14. There will be fi ve different level pairings: 5 & 6, 7 & 8, 9 & 10, 11 & 12, and 13 & 14 year olds together for tournament competition. This will be our 15th year as a competing club. Wrestling practices will be held at Enterprise High School on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. There will possibly be an alternate Monday night practice from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. strictly for the fi rst year wrestlers in addition to the Tues- day and Thursday night practices, depending on numbers of kids. The kids will be taught all the basic tech- niques in wrestling, so they will be able to compete in tournament compe- tition if they wish to. Nature Conservancy BARGAINS OF THE MONTH ® While supplies last. Buck Hunt On the 33,000 acre Zumwalt Prairie YOUR CHOICE 24.99 First Alert® Battery-Operated Carbon Monoxide Alarm Easy-to-read digital LED display. Low battery warning. Includes AA batteries. E 248 181 B3 Photoelectric Smoke Alarm 10-year sealed lithium battery. E 210 431 B3 There will be a parent informa- tion meeting held at Enterprise High School Gymnasium on Tuesday, Octo- ber 15th, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Only par- ents need to attend this fi rst meeting. The fi rst practice will be held Tues- day, October 22nd at Enterprise High School. Come and meet the coaches. If you should have any questions, they can be answered at the parent meeting on the 15th, or you may also call Troy Farwell (Coach) at (541) 263-1555. The Nature Conservancy would like to offer a youth bull elk hunting opportunity to the youth of Wallowa County. Wallowa County youth between the age of 12-17 with a valid elk tag for 258Y (Nov 2-10) are eligible to apply for permission to hunt the Zumwalt Preserve. One permission will be granted via random draw. Youth must be accompanied by an adult. Opportunity is for one bull elk with 5 points or less on each side. M-F 8AM-6PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM G RAIN To sign up: Email Chad Dotson at chad.dotson@tnc.org or sign up at the TNC Enterprise office 906 S River st. Deadline to apply October 25 th. WALLOWA COUNTY Hurricane Creek Road Enterprise, Oregon 541 426-3116 G ROWERS Sale Ends10/31/19