2B | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS
COUGAR from page B1
field scouting for cougar the
same way an elk hunter scouts
for elk. Locate cougar sign
like tracks (be sure you know
what a cougar track looks
like), kills sites (cougars cover
their kill and return to it lat-
er) and even scent markers (a
scrape of leaves and twigs that
cougars use to mark their ter-
ritories with urine and poo).
Document what you find on a
map or GPS. As you begin to
collect data, you might start
seeing patterns in how a cou-
gar travels in their territory.
3. Set up trail cameras on
ridgelines and game trails to
see what’s happening when
you’re not there. Even better,
focus on canyon areas, where
cats like to spend time.
4. Use good quality
calls. Predator calling is the
best option for targeting cou-
gars and being successful. But
be prepared to spend money
on a good call. Consider both
the source of the sounds they
are recording and the quality
of the digital playback. Don’t
overlook using cat calls. Cou-
gars are very territorial and
are likely to investigate the
SAILORS from page B1
— but it was to no avail as
the Hornets won 25-12.
“We didn’t come to
play, and Camas was dis-
ciplined,” said Mapleton
Coach Vanessa Clemons.
“We played better in the
second half.”
The loss put them in a
match-up for the tourna-
ment’s third place trophy
against host Riddle on
Saturday.
Though winless com-
ing into Saturday’s game
FRIENDS from page B1
to support the Viks.
The rivalry between
Siuslaw and Mapleton
is a long and storied
one; in fact, no one can
say for sure when these
two schools first met on
a gymnasium floor or
playing field. Before the
late 1960s, the Viks and
Sailors would meet in al-
most every sport, every
year. These days the two
teams rarely compete, at
any level.
Credit should be giv-
en to Lou Burruss, Ma-
pleton coach, and Jere-
my Graybill and Ethan
Dougherty, the coaches
for Siuslaw, for helping
to keep the tradition
alive as this marks the
third consecutive season
the two middle school
basketball
programs
have faced off.
“It’s fun to play Siuslaw
— lots of friends and
even family on the differ-
ent teams,” said Burruss.
“I’m glad they came up
and played; I think it is a
really great tradition and
builds community across
the two programs.”
In a bit of an upset
because of the compar-
ative enrollments of the
two districts, the Sailors
came out on top in both
games. Mapleton beat
the Siuslaw Blue team in
the first game 27-10 and
in the second game the
Sailors doubled up the
Siuslaw Gold team 24-
12.
The Sailor sweep is in-
dicative of the outstand-
ing season they’ve had.
With the two wins ver-
sus Siuslaw Middle, Ma-
pleton improved to 11-2
on the season with their
league’s playoffs looming
next weekend in Crow.
“The girls are all work-
ing really hard and im-
proving every game,”
said Burruss. “Every
player has scored a bas-
sound of another cat in their
territory.
5. Call long and hard. Call
longer for cats – 45 minutes
of continuous calling or more.
20 minutes of calling now
and then may work for some
predators like coyote, but it’s
not the way to call cougar.
6. Call safely. Cats are quiet
and stealthy – you don’t want
one creeping up on you while
you’re calling. Here are a cou-
ple of techniques to stay safe.
Call while sitting back-to-
back with a buddy. You’ll have
a 360 degree view around you
and will be able to take turns
calling as loud and long as you
can. Set up with your back to
something like a tall canyon
wall that will keep a cougar
from creeping up behind you.
Stay still, especially when us-
ing mouth calls. Moving may
cause a cougar to think you’re
the prey.
7. Consider a moving de-
coy. They became legal at the
beginning of 2019. Set one up
and start calling at a kill site
or canyon entrance and watch
for cougar.
8. Don’t overlook the de-
tails. Sometimes it’s the small-
est things that can ruin your
hunt. Be quiet. Once you ar-
rive at your hunting site, try
to be as stealthy as the cats
you’re hunting. Don’t slam
the car doors, keep conversa-
tion to minimum, walk slow-
ly and quietly to your calling
site, etc. Manage your scent
-- cougars have a keen sense
of smell. Where possible, set
up downwind of the direc-
tion from which you expect
a cougar to approach, use
scent sprays to treat you and
your clothes. Take advantage
of shade and cover to make
yourself harder for a cat to
see.
9. Be ready, even if you ar-
en’t necessarily cougar hunt-
ing. Most cougars are seen
and taken by deer and elk
hunters. Have a cougar tag
with so you can take advan-
tage when a cougar opportu-
nity presents itself.
10. Consider cougar for
dinner. Most people don’t
know how good cougar meat
can be, so it’s worth taking
some back strap home and
giving it a try. (Although
you’re not legally required to
salvage cougar meat.)
For more information, visit
myodfw.com.
TREE from page B1
slaw National Forest and will be
available through Dec. 31, 2021.
Visit recreation.gov to purchase
a permit online or call one of the
district ranger offices to purchase
a permit over the phone.
Christmas tree permits cost $5
each with an additional $2.50 fee
per transaction when purchased
online. Cutting trees in some ar-
eas of the Siuslaw is prohibited;
tree hunters should check maps
provided with permits prior to se-
lecting their tree.
Fourth-graders with “Every Kid
Outdoors” passes are eligible for a
free Christmas tree permit. They
can apply for the permit through
recreation.gov and entering a
voucher or pass number when
prompted. A $2.50 registration fee
will also be applied for this trans-
action.
For more information about the
pass — which also provides stu-
dents and their families free ad-
mittance into some national for-
est recreation sites, national parks
and other federal public lands —
visit everykidoutdoors.gov.
Christmas Tree Guidance and
Safety Tips
• Determine which national
forest you want to visit and check
maps for potential locations.
• Purchase a permit at www.rec-
reation.gov, vendor or a national
forest office.
• Check the weather forecast
and road conditions before trav-
eling.
• Start tree hunting early in the
day to have plenty of daylight
hours.
• Bring emergency supplies and
a rope and tarp to move your tree
to your vehicle.
• Remember to tell someone
where you are going and when
you will return.
• Bring a map and compass.
Your cell phone may not work on
many forests.
• The tree you choose must
be at least 200 feet from main
roads, recreation sites, and camp-
grounds. Stay away from areas
along the sides of streams, rivers,
and lakes.
Visit the Siuslaw National For-
est online at www.fs.usda.gov/de-
tail/siuslaw/ for more information
on Christmas tree permits.
To purchase a permit by phone,
contact the Central Coast Ranger
District at 541-563-8400.
against the Irish, the Sail-
ors, as they have all sea-
son, kept hopes high. The
new coaching staff that
has come in this year has
helped to keep the team
from becoming discour-
aged, maybe because they
know things are headed
in the right direction.
“Coach Clemons is
very wise and believes
in us,” said Mapleton se-
nior Micayla Flansberg.
“Assistant Coach Tucker
Ford is young and learn-
ing, but knows basketball
well. The two of them to-
gether form a powerful
duo that has Mapleton
sports on the comeback.”
The Sailors’ hard work
finally came to fruition
on Saturday. All the prac-
tice the team has put in
on defense and specifi-
cally their full court press
paid off as Mapleton got
a huge road win 27-20
against Riddle.
“We worked hard de-
fensively and got some
good stops or forced
some turnovers,” said
Clemons. “Offensively,
we started to swing the
ball really well and got
some good looks inside.
Excited to see us start to
put some pieces together.”
The Sailors hope Satur-
day’s victory is a sign of
things to come.
“Our full-court press
has been giving teams
trouble,” said freshman
Helen Burruss. “I’m ex-
cited for when we are able
to really get it figured out.
I think teams will have
even more trouble with
it.”
A highlight of the win
over Riddle was the play
of Mapleton senior Jaha-
la Blake, who is usually
tasked with guarding the
opponent’s largest player.
“Blake has improved so
much this season,” said
Flansberg. “She was our
second leading scorer
versus Riddle and was so
aggressive on the court.
She played very strong in
the post position which
gave us an advantage all
game.”
The Sailors opened
league play on Tuesday
at Siletz Valley after press
deadlines. Both the boys
and girls teams will be
at home on Thursday,
Dec. 17, for their second
Mountain West League
games of the season ver-
sus Eddyville Charter
School. Girls team tips off
at 5:30 p.m., boys at 7 p.m.
ket this season.”
The Viking middle
school teams have not
joyed coaching such an
amazing group of young
ladies,” said Graybill.
“They don’t have a ton
of basketball knowledge,
but they worked hard,
tried their best and had
such a great attitude.
We would like to think
they got something out
of this season because we
both have noticed a great
deal of improvement
from the first day of bas-
ketball. The more expe-
rience they get by play-
ing basketball, they will
improve their knowledge
and they could be a very
successful team. As they
go off to high school, we
would love to see them
continue their basketball
career with Coach Truax
and Coach McNeil.”
Boys basketball, for
both Siuslaw and Ma-
pleton elementary and
middle schoolers, begins
after winter break.
accumulated as many
wins as the Sailors, but
they’ve been successful
in many other ways.
“Both Coach Dough-
erty and I have really en-
Proud supporters of our local
student athletes!
උඛඊඉඡ|ඍඝඏඍඖඍ|ඎඔකඍඖඋඍ|ඕඍඌඎකඌ|කඛඍඊඝකඏ
Not Your Ordinary Bank
member
On Siuslaw! Go Viks!
541-997-8474
3231 Hwy. 101 N, Florence
copeland.doitbest.com
The Siuslaw News Presents...
Christmas Tree Contest
ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER OF $50
Enter in the Siuslaw News
Christmas Tree Photo Contest
Online and vote for your favorite.
All you have to do is snap a
photo of your Christmas Tree and
enter by visiting:
thesiuslawnews.
secondstreetapp.com/
XmasTree2021
Enter until 12/23 @ Midnight
Online Voting 12/23 @ Midnight until
1/2/22 at Noon
Winner will be announced
1/5/22 in the Siuslaw News
SPONSORED BY:
Florence in Bloom
Full Service Flower Shop & Gifts
LES SCHWAB TIRE CENTERS
Tires • Brakes
Shocks • Alignment
4325 Highway 101, Florence
Locally
owned & operated
Happy
Holidays
Certified technicians
dedicated to professional
pest management.
541-997-7178
541-997-3781
HOME OF THE BEST TIRE VALUE PROMISE
509 Hwy 101
Florence, Oregon
www.pesttechinc.com
541-997-5391
Owners Gary and Sharon Cargill
1234 Rhododendron Dr.
Florence OR
Windermere
Real Estate/
Lane County
1625 12th Street
Florence, Oregon
541-997-5926
windermere.com
