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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2018)
August 31, 2018 T he C olumbia P ress Hunter’s group provides big game preview B y J iM y uskaVitCh Oregon Hunter’s Association Hard winters can wreak hav- oc on big game herds, making forage harder to find and caus- ing deer and elk to be more vulnerable to predators as they struggle through deep snow. Hunters often are relieved when winters are mild. However, while deer do bet- ter in light winters, it doesn’t make much difference to elk, who thrive in both harsh and mild winters because of their size and strength. Deer stick to their traditional winter range even when con- ditions are poor, while prong- horns light out for new territo- ry. Despite the mild winter weather this year, some biol- ogists report decreased fawn survival and poor calving in some areas. Nevertheless, most predictions are for better big game hunting opportuni- ties this fall. Here’s what Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife bi- ologists had to say about big game prospects. d eer “Deer numbers are pretty good,” said Dave Nuzum, Til- lamook-based assistant dis- trict wildlife biologist. “The black-tailed deer population is at benchmark on all our units and my sense is that winter survival was pretty good.” The story is the same in the Cascades and Coast ranges with habitat conditions for ungulates declining due to the lack of logging and clear cuts on national forest land, driv- ing many animals onto private timberlands, where logging continues to create early ser- al stage vegetation conditions that help grow more deer and elk. “Our winter didn’t have any impact and the fawn ratios are similar to last year,” said Chris Yee, ODFW district wildlife bi- ologist in Springfield. 5 Warriors kick off fall season Road closures will benefit deer, elk The Oregon Department of For- estry will restrict access on some roads this fall in the western part of Tillamook State Forest to give deer and elk a better chance of es- caping during hunting season. Some roads will close during the general archery and rifle hunting seasons in September, October e lk The North Coast elk popu- lation is slowly building back after being a little on the low side a few years ago, according to biologist Nuzum. “We have a healthy elk popu- lation, although it’s slightly be- low management objectives,” he said. Bull ratios are robust on all his units, which includes Sad- dle Mountain, Wilson and Trask. Cascades elk continue to suf- fer from a lack of succulent new growth on public lands due to the significant cutback in logging over the years, al- though wildfires help make up some of the difference. As a rule, there will be more elk on private timberlands with active logging operations. “Most of the elk population on industrial forest land is good,” Yee said. B ear and Cougar There continue to be healthy -- and increasing -- popula- and November. Selected roads in the Trask, Wilson and Nehalem River areas will be gated and signed. The move is designed to reduce hunting pressure there. Hunters and other recreational users can access the gated areas by foot, mountain bike, horse or other nonmotorized means. tions of bears and cougars. There’s a good number of bear in the Cascades and Coast ranges, with the population going up as you move south, biologists said. The Applegate unit is the top bear producer in the state. Northeast and southwest Ore- gon still tend to have the larg- est cougar populations. Cougars have been docu- mented slowly expanding their populations into the northwestern part of the state, including into the outskirts of Astoria and Portland, with the biggest increase currently in the Alsea unit. Successful bear hunters lo- cate food sources, such as ber- ry patches, and are there when food ripens, because that’s when the bears show up. While some hunters spe- cifically target cougars using predator calls or snow track- ing, most of these secretive cats are taken opportunistical- ly. Above: Quarterback Jake Morrow takes down a Neah-Kah- Nie Pirates player during a scrimmage last Friday. Left: Warren- ton’s Kaleo Kapua works to stop a Pirates player while Mark Warren supports. Debbie Morrow for The Columbia Press
