B
Saturday, September 5, 2020
The Observer & Baker City Herald
RECREATION
REPORT
ODFW FIXES
BUG AFFECTING
MYODFW APP
The bug affecting
the MyODFW app
on Apple devices
announced last week
has been fi xed, the
Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife
announced this week.
Hunters and anglers
using an iPhone or
iPad should update
their MyODFW app to
the latest version by
visiting the App Store
and choosing Update
or Open as soon as
possible.
ODFW and Oregon
State Police recognize
that some hunters
and anglers may be
in a remote location
and unable to update
their app immedi-
ately. Hunters and
anglers who return
to cellular or Wi-Fi
service must update
their MyODFW app
as soon as they are
able in order to be in
compliance with laws
and regulations.
GROUSE, QUAIL
HUNTERS ASKED
TO LEAVE WINGS
The Oregon
Department of Fish
and Wildlife is asking
successful forest
grouse and moun-
tain quail hunters to
return a wing and a
tail from each bird
they harvest. Clip
the right wing close
to the bird’s body.
Submit the left wing
if the right wing is
damaged or missing
feathers. Biologists
use wings to learn
more about bird
populations.
To fi nd dropoff
locations go to https://
arcg.is/18uj5f
HIKING THE EAGLE CREEK TRAIL IN THE WALLOWA MOUNTAINS
Lisa Britton/For the EO
Media Group
The alpine
meadow along
Eagle Creek is a
classic mountain
fi eld, with tawny
grass, thickets
of spire-shaped
subalpine fi rs,
and a backdrop
of the granitic
peaks of the
Eagle Cap
Wilderness. The
tallest summit in
the area, in the
middle left of the
photo, is Needle
Point, elevation
9,018 feet.
M OUNTAINS & A M EADOW
■ Also lakes and streams and forests and a waterfall ... and a lost pair of sunglasses
E
agle Creek stole my
favorite sunglasses.
Sort of.
It wasn’t exactly larceny,
what happened beside the
limpid stream in the Eagle
Cap Wilderness the afternoon
of Aug. 29.
Nor do I want to give the
impression that Eagle Creek
was entirely to blame in the
incident which left my cor-
neas unprotected on a nearly
cloudless day.
The creek, which in late
summer is pretty placid,
didn’t conjure a rogue wave
What Causes ‘Cactus Buck
Syndrome’ In Deer?
5 miles to go, much of
the distance on a trail
through the deep and
JAYSON JACOBY
pleasantly shaded
woods.
that plucked the glasses from
I knew the tamaracks
my face.
and the Douglas-fi rs and the
Indeed I wasn’t even wear- Engelmann spruce, some of
ing them.
which in this unlogged area
Which was part of the
tower over 100 feet, would
problem.
shelter my eyes.
It could have been a worse
But I was still irked about
predicament, to be sure.
losing the glasses, which I
We were on the home-
have worn, quite happily, for
ward leg of a nearly 14-mile
several years. As can happen
round-trip hike to Culver
with a shirt or other gar-
Lake, with a little more than ment that fi ts perfectly, I had
ON THE TRAIL
Photo and caption by Jim Ward
and fi lled the bag that at-
taches to the fi lter.
Once the bottles were fi lled
with the refreshingly chilly
water I zipped my pack and
slung it over my shoulder.
Then I reached for my sun-
glasses, a gesture so common
it’s all but subconscious.
My fi ngers grasped only
cotton.
I knew immediately, in the
way you do when you’ve lost
something, what had hap-
pened.
See Eagle Creek/Page 6B
Scouting: secret to hunting success
I decided years ago that the people
who get a bull or buck every year
scout. And I don’t mean a little.
They scout a lot. And therein lies the
problem for most of us. The ones who
don’t scout enough usually fall into two
categories.
A mule deer buck displays his odd-looking antlers
north of La Grande. His appearance is often referred
to as the “cactus buck syndrome.” These animals
may never lose their antlers like normal bucks, never
rub their velvet off or even participate in the rut. Their
antlers grow year-round and will often get frostbite
during cold spells. This abnormality is often caused
by some sort of testicular trauma — an injury or
wound. Some scientists have even discovered a re-
lationship between this malady and a disease called
empizootic hemorrhagic disease. Reports of these
deer in Oregon have increased over recent years.
gotten so accustomed to the
sunglasses that I scarcely
noticed them.
Which has much to do with
why I no longer have them.
We paused beside Eagle
Creek to fi lter water to
replenish the two drained
bottles in my pack.
It was shady there so I took
off the sunglasses and tucked
one earpiece into the neck of
my T-shirt.
This is not a particular
secure tactic, especially when
the T-shirt has a loose fi t.
I knelt on the streambank
Uggh, it started off rough. Katy and
I were going to go scouting but the
BASE CAMP
four-wheeler wouldn’t start so I threw
TOM CLAYCOMB
a chain on it and had her pull me to
jump start it. Unfortunately, it locked
tion with your family. So unfortunately, up, threw me over the front, sliding on
for many of us the fi rst few days of our the asphalt and then fl ipped over on top
hunt (if you’re lucky enough to hunt for of me. Luckily, she was looking in the
LOVE TO DO IT ALL
one week solid) is spent scouting more mirror and stopped right fast or she’d
I’m defi nitely in this category. I’m not than hunting. The fi rst elk that I ever
have drug it over the top of me. Trip to
an expert at anything because I like to got we moved camp twice before we got the emergency room, broke rib, jerked
do it all. I have a buddy and all he does into them.
the skin loose from the knee to the hip,
is fl yfi sh. I love fl y-fi shing but I’ll never
And the above scenario is why a lot of thought I’d broke both legs etc. But
be as good as him because that is all he people hire guides. Guides are a great
despite the minor delay, we got out 24
does. Year round. Read my articles. You option — if you can afford them.
hours later.
see what I do. Spring it is mushroom,
So with all of the above said, there
It took me a couple of trips but I
bear, whistle pig and turkey hunting,
are a lot of underlying reasons as to
found a nice buck. Now I knew where to
bowfi shing and crappie fi shing.
why we don’t scout as much as we
go. BUT, you need to have two or three
Then it’s strictly crappie fi shing and should. I know. I get it. I live in the
spots checked out. What if you get there
then backpacking/fl y-fi shing and pick- same world that you do. All I’m saying opening morning and someone else is
ing huckleberries. Then bow hunting
is that the more you scout, the more
there? Or what if wolves have moved in
and on and on it goes. So if you’re like
successful you will be. If you can only
and run everything out of the country?
me, it’s hard to dedicate three or four
scout for a Saturday, then so be it. If
You’ll have to jump.
weekends to strictly scouting. I know
you’re lucky and can scout for 4 week-
Just like when hunting, scout at
that I should. But there’s too much to
ends prior to your hunt, that’s better.
daylight and dusk. Find out where the
do. I still want to do four to six more
But whatever boat you’re in, let’s get
herds are. Find a shootable buck. On
crappie trips, a couple more backpack- into scouting.
most draw hunts you’ll be hunting a
ing trips.... you get my drift. Due to all
First off, you don’t want to start
trophy animal so it is worth the time
of the opportunities there are just too
scouting in April, as the elk and deer
to scout. Use good optics. I use Riton
many voices screaming for our time. So, are still in their wintering grounds.
Optics and have had good luck with
this is one big reason we don’t scout as They may migrate out 5 to 15 miles by their 10x42 binoculars. You’ll also want
much as we should.
October. You probably ought to wait to
a good spotting scope. Your goal when
do your scouting until July and hitting scouting isn’t necessarily getting up
FAMILY & WORK
it hard in August is actually the best.
right on top of them, you just want to
There are rich people who have
If you draw a special tag, spend time know where they are and if there’s a
unlimited time off, but as a whole most scouting. Especially if it’s a once-in-a-
good one in the herd and pattern them.
of us have precious little free time. For lifetime draw. A moose is a once-in-a-
Also, pre-locate a spot to camp. You
the last 43 years I’ve worked 10.5 to 12 lifetime deal so you want to give it full
don’t want to camp in the meadow
hours a day. Most of you readers have
attention. The good deal on my moose
where the elk are at. A lot of hunters
one to 4 weeks of vacation per year. If
tag was, I had something like 2 to 3
throw up their tent the weekend before.
you have a growing family, you’re lucky months to hunt. So I could hunt while
It stakes out their spot plus, they can
if you get to take 1 week of vacation to scouting. But most hunts may only be a drive up and not have to take a day to
hunt. You sure can’t justify taking 1 or 2 week so you need to scout beforehand. set-up camp.
more weeks to go scouting.
So how do you scout? Let’s go over
Well, hopefully some of these tips
You have to (and want to) take vaca- one of my antelope scouting deals.
help. Good luck.