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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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.......47
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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
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