Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 4, 1979)
The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday January 4, 1979 SEVEN Wildlife Commission ponders change in 1979 elk hunting regulations Elk hunting and its regula tion remains one of the Fish and Wildlife Commission's most perplexing problems, one considerably complicated by the fact there is little consensus among hunters about direction regulations should take. The n"h"- hnntpfg POUND TUB CASE OF 24, 11.64 6 CHOPPED or LEAF SPINACH, COOKED SQUASH Western Family, 10-12 oz Ifor I WESTERN FAMILY SHREDDED HASH BROWNS Pksi 29 APPLE or DUTCH APPLE PIE. 8-INCH 99 AG. 500 expressing dissatisfaction with elk hunting conditions has grown each year, yet Department biologists are unable to document any wide spread instances where hunt ing pressure is having a damaging effect on elk popu lations. The problem boils Hnwn to one that is more Mm WESTERN family: O BEEF, CHICKEN OR TURKEY 8-OZ. MIX OR MATCH CASEOF24-5.94 TOOTHPASTE REGULAR OR MINT, 7-OZ. ViTAMIW C MG, BOTTLE OF 100 AG. ASPIRIIH BOTTLE OF 250 sociological than biological. Hunters generally agree they would like to see less hunting pressure and a return to elk hunting as it was years ago when there were fewer people, fewer roads and more wild places in the state of Oregon. How this should be accomplished, however, is a FAM WESTERN FAMILY I, IEEW PEAS, 17-OZ.; CUT OR SLICED GREEN BEANS, 17-OZ.; OR WHOLE KERNEL OR CREAM STYLE CORN, 16-OZ. FOR asiwajitfiiiiiiRfeuinraa WESTERN FAMILY MEAT Pi CUCUEV1BEIRS GREAT JN SALADS AND SLICING FRESH BROCCOLI 49 JUMBO SATSUMAS ,639 GREEIM BELL PEPPERS, 4 . 1 matter of little agreement. Commissioners spent the better part of a day in Portland recently discussing elk management with Wildlife Division staff. Staff biologists wanted direction from the Commission since any major changes in elk tags or in regulations will require con AMILY WESTERN FAMILY WESTERN family; CORN OR BEANS CASE OF 24, $7.84 0 V( o 6 FOR LONG GREEN siderable advance time to set up. The Commission agreed it was time to do something about hunting pressure and crowding on opening weekend of the season. Commissioners also agreed that total hunting pressure had not yet reached a point where it was necessary mqtj... West STEWED MAXWELL HOUSE COFFEEa 3,,,. 7.39 FOLGER'S INSTANT COFFEE s. "... 42S FOLGER'S INSTANT COFFEEsx....'.' Z99 ALL POWDERED DETBHSEOTSSSgr-.. 195 DOVE BATH ,1 10-LB. BAG I) A TASTE OFTHE ISLANDS to eliminate anyone from elk hunting altogether. They rejected a proposal from the staff which called for two seperate bull . hunting seasons on each side of the Cascades with about 20 per cent of existing hunters elim inated from eligibility for the first season each year. The sassa flour FAM'ty ' ctf geiwt.. mm WESTERN FAMILY rur B"n"'-'t -,.. M 10 western iSSH ake MiXistr JL9 CHILI tonu TLY MAYONHAto & , WF,,vo'.4S.u. SOAP Pink or White. 4.75-oz. U.S. WO. LARGE HAWAIBAN PINEAPPLES restriction would havebeen based on the initial of the person's last name and no one excluded more often than once in five years. Those excluded from the first hunt would be eligible for the second hunt. The Commission approved the concept of two bull hunts for Rocky Mountain elk and 1.39 1.29 79, .......47 1 THRIFTIVAY two for Roosevelt elk. But they preferred to establish a quota for the first hunt and make first period tags available on a first come, first served basis. This would allow the hunters to sort themselves out with the most enthusiastic making the extra effort to get a first period tag before all were taken. There would be un limited number of second period tags available so no one would be excluded from elk hunting altogether. The Commission has sched uled further discussion of elk management and will conduct a public hearing at 9 a.m. on Friday, January 19, at its Portland headquarters, 506 SW Mill Street. At that time the staff will present its proposals for handling the system asked by the Commis sion. The Commission will consider those, what the quota should be for the first period, and other possible regulations relating to elk hunting in 1979. In addition, the Commission will be taking public com ments on opening dates for some 1979 hunting seasons and will set the beginning dates for a number of the more popular seasons. This enables those who must commit their vacation dates far in advance to plan them around a hunting trip. Staff recommendations will be for an antelope opening date of August 18, deer and elk bowhunting on August 25, general deer season on Sept ember 29, and pheasant on October 13. Dates proposed by the staff for Rocky Mountain elk are October 27 for the first period and November 10 for the second. For Roosevelt elk proposed opening dates are November 10 for the first and November 17 or 21 for the second period. Closing dates which deter mine the length of the season will not be set until next May when more data on winter survival and spring produc tion are available. Regulations governing bear pursuit and kill seasons will also be considered by the Commission and public com ments will be taken. Big game staff biologist Paul Ebert reviewed for the Commission trends in deer populations and deer hunting in three southeast Oregon units which have been under a 4-point buck rule since 1975. That year 1,133 hunters tried their luck in Steens Mountain Unit but took only 70 bucks under the new rule. Hunting pressure dropped to 790 participants the next year but harvest success jumped to 210 bucks as more legal bucks "became available. In 1977 hunters numbers increased to 1,600 as word began to spread and they took an estimated 300 bucks. But in 1978 hunter numbers increased again to an estimated 2,000 and the kill jumped to about 500 bucks. Unfortunately with this many hunters, some began taking a chance on antler points and the illegal kill of sub-legal bucks, which had been very low during the first three years, jumped to 80 or more. In view of the steadily building hunter numbers and this year's illegal kill prob lem, the staff recommended to the Commission a return to the same antler regulation (forked horn and better in recent years) used elsewhere in eastern Oregon. A limit of 800 hunters in the Steens Mountain Unit would maintain a high level of quality in hunting in this unique and open unit. The permits would be issued on a first come, first served basis and the hunter receiving one would be restricted to that unit for all deer hunting. Regulations for these south eastern deer hunting units will not be considered by the Commission, nor public com ments asked, until other big game regulations are consid ered in late May. printing 676-9228 YELLOW ONIONS 5,b, n Medium Size
