OREGON STATE GAME COMMISSION ULLETIN MAY 1961
GAME OREGON S T A TE COMMISSION ULLETIN MAY, 1961 Number 5, Volume 16 Published Monthly by the OREGON STATE GAME COMMISSION 1634 S.W. Alder StreetP. 0. Box 4136 Portland 8, Oregon MIRIAM KAUTTU SUHL, Editor H. C. SMITH, Staff Artist MEMBERS OF COMMISSION John P. Amacher, Chairman Winchester Rollin E. Bowles Portland Max Wilson Joseph Joseph W. Smith Klamath Falls J. H. Van Winkle Oregon City ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF P. W. Schneider Director C. B. Walsh Assistant Director John McKean Chief of Oper., Game Div. C. J. Campbell Chief of Oper., Fishery Div. R. C. Holloway Chief, Inf. and Educ. H. J. Rayner Chief, Research Division W. D. DeCew. Controller John B. Dimick.. Chief, Supply and Property William E. Pitney Chief, Basin Investigations A. V. Meyers Chief, Lands Section George Kernan Engineer H. R. Newcomb Personnel Officer Roy C. Atchison Attorney REGIONAL SUPERVISORS Leslie Zumwalt, Region I, Route 1, Box 325, Corvallis J. W. Vaughn, Region II Box 577, Roseburg L. M. Mathisen, Region III Parrell Road, Bend W. H. Brown, Region IV Box 742, La Grande W. V. Masson, Region V Box 8, Hines Entered as second-class matter September 30, 1947, at the post office at Portland, Oregon, under the act of August 24, 1912. Please report promptly any change of address. Send in address label from a recent issue with notice of change. At the present time the Bulletin is circulated free of charge to anyone forwarding a written request. APRIL MEETING OF THE GAME COMMISSION The Game Commission at its meeting on April 12 considered the following matters: Bids: Accepted bid of Jannsen Drilling Company of $830 for drilling at the Lint Slough project. Capital Outlay: Authorized expenditure of $10,000 for 68 automatic pellet feeding machines for use at the fish hatcheries; purchase of a heavy duty and a back pack fish shocker for survey work; installation of an electronic fish counter in Hood River fish ladder to tally salmon and steelhead; call for bids for construction of boat ramp at Floras Lake (contingent upon agreement with county for maintenance); construction of a fishway at Wallowa Hatchery; construction of additional fencing at Wenaha and White River management areas. Access: Authorized purchase of an easement providing for 114 mile of angling access and recreational use of an area of about 3 acres on Sherman County side of Deschutes River. Also accepted ease- BIG GAME REGULATIONS HEARING ON MAY 18 The annual hearing to consider big game regulations will start at 10 a.m., Thursday, May 18, at the Portland office of the Game Commission. At this time the Commission will hear recommendations in regard to hunting regulations for deer, elk, and antelope. Final regulations will be adopted at the second half of the hearing on June 1. Regulations for small game species will be considered later in the year, probably sometime in August. ment from Clackamas County providing access to Tualatin River. Keep Oregon Green: Authorized contribution of $250 to Keep Oregon Green Association. Seal control: Decided to initiate a seal control project in Alsea Bay and invite participation by the Fish Commission. Films: Authorized sale of film prints with restrictions on commercial use. Bullfrogs: Authorized hearing on May 18 to amend regulations permitting spearing of bullfrogs. Seeding Elk and Deer Range the cover Fisherman on Owyhee Reservoir in southeastern Oregon. Photo by Vic Masson. BULLETIN HUNTER SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAM Instructors Approved Month of March 95 Total to Date 1,503 Students Trained Month of March 811 Total to Date 7,862 Firearms Accidents Reported 1961 Fatal 1 Nonfatal 5 Page 2 Sportsmen seeding big game areas in Clatsop County, an annual function of the Astoria Rod and Gun Club for the last ten years. This year's event took place on March 19 when nearly three quarters of a ton of lotus major, burnet and clover seed were broadcast by hand on logged-off sites by twenty-nine club members and three Game Commission employees. Sites on Mail creek, the 300 line road, and one adjacent to the Astoria watershed were selected for seeding this year. The main purpose is to provide a winter food source in logged-off country to hold elk and deer away from the lowland agricultural areas. May, 1961
1960 BIG By I. D. Luman, Chief Biologist, Big Game THROUGH THE COOPERATION of Oregon hunters, the Game Commission secures an annual measure of the quantity of recreation enjoyed and number of game animals harvested by Oregon citizens. Hunter reports for the 1960 seasons indicate that the big game resources provided about 1,760,000 man days of healthy outdoor recreation and that approximately 168,800 big game animals were harvested. The 1960 deer and elk seasons exceeded all previous records in terms of number of persons participating and number of animals taken. Deer Season: A total of 259,738 deer hunters reported a harvest of 157,504 deer in 1960. The number of deer hunters increased by 11,038 or 4 per cent in 1960. The general deer season extended from October 1 through October 23, with antlerless permits becoming valid on October 15. A total of 126,900 antlerless permits was issued for 62 units and 11 controlled deer seasons offered 8,490 citizens an opportunity to take an extra deer. The 1960 deer season opened under generally poor conditions with hot and dry weather prevailing over most of the state. Portions of northeastern Oregon and the coastal areas reported good success on opening week end, but the harvest appeared only fair elsewhere until GAME BULLETIN the advent of fall storms during the second week of the season. The 1960 deer harvest was determined by mailing a hunting questionnaire to 20,000 randomly selected hunting license holders. The hunters reported their experience by game management units. This gives the Commission a direct measure of the influence of unit regulations. Harvest information is shown in Table I by unit. This year the extended season harvest (Table II) is separate from general season data to show the effect of late seasons in western Oregon. The total of 153,031 deer killed during the general and extended seasons shows the high hunter success of 58.9 per cent. Year TABLE The October general season harvest was 140,413 deer to which was added the extended season kill of 12,618 deer, giving the total of 153,031. The remote Lookout Mountain and Snake River units provided the highest success ratios with over 90 per cent of the participating hunters taking a deer. Additional information obtained from the questionnaire survey, and presented in Table I, shows the average amount of time expended per unit to bag a deer. This is shown under the heading of "Days Hunted Per Deer ed," and includes both successful and unsuccessful hunters. The buck harvest amounted to 69 per (Continued on Page 4) SUMMARY OF GENERAL DEER SEASONS Tags Issued III Mule Deer Black-tailed Deer Bucks Antler less Bucks Antler less Total Per Cent of Hunters Successful 1948 166,618 23,141 16,644 39,785 23.9 1949 163,628 36,865 20,395 57,260 35.0 1950 173,429 26,471 17,580 44,051 25.4 1951 171,252 37,850 19,312 57,162 33.4 1952 188,250 32,366 20,426 19,657 5,210 77,659 41.3 1953 204,808 39,916 24,652 27,623 13,045 105,236 51.4 1954 215,047 54,357 22,384 27,702 8,043 112,486 52.3 1955 230,585 51,933 35,570 30,203 13,385 131,091 56.9 1956 233,842 47,155 32,309 26,937 13,340 119,741 51.2 1957 221,960 54,829 26,044 25,282 8,360 114,515 51.6 1958 233,885 51,715 18,863 29,566 15,220 115,364 49.3 1959 248,701 65,179 22,190 36,562 20,000 143,931 57.9 *1960 259,739 67,569 24,445 41,117 19,900 153,031 58.9 *Data includes extended seasons in all cases. Page 3
Units by Region TABLE 1-1960 DEER SEASONS Antler less Permits Total Hunters Bucks Antlerless Total Days Hunted* Per Cent per Hunters Deer ed Successful Alsea 11,000 9,509 3,162 1,651 4,813 12.9 49.5 Clatsop 1,500 4,293 1,321 898 2,219 12.8 51.7 McKenzie 12,000 12,122 4,451 1,980 6,431 8.7 53.0 Nestucca 2,000 1,507 298 474 772 12.8 51.2 Polk 4,000 4,470 1,369 878 2,247 11.7 50.3 Santiam 10,000 12,536 3,513 1,668 5,181 15.8 41.3 Siuslaw 4,000 4,298 1,597 860 2,457 11.7 57.2 Trask 1,500 6,390 2,227 666 2,893 12.3 45.3 Willamette 7,000 3,798 724 582 1,306 18.6 34.4 Wilson 2,000 4,014 1,527 720 2,247 9.6 56.0 Northwest _ 55,000 62,937 20,189 10,377 30,566 13.0 48.6 Applegate 400 2,440 1,036 158 1,194 11.9 48.9 Butte Falls _ 500 2,157 1,033 175 1,208 11.4 56.0 Chetco 300 1,358 652 176 828 10.4 60.9 Coquille 700 1,830 860 263 1,123 10.6 61.4 Douglas 2,500 6,222 3,297 1,000 4,297 8.4 69.1 Evans Creek _ 600 1,427 474 88 562 17.4 39.4 Green Spr. 1,000 4,656 1,840 491 2,331 12.3 50.0 Powers 1,000 2,307 1,181 335 1,516 9.3 65.7 Sixes 1,000 2,111 1,018 386 1,404 10.0 66.5 Tenmile 400 360 103 52 155 15.2 43.0 Umpqua 1,500 2,597 1,372 369 1,741 9.2 67.0 Southwest 9,900 27,465 12,866 3,493 16,359 10.7 59.6 Deschutes 1,200 7,080 2,387 351 2,738 19.0 38.7 Fort Rock 2,500 5,056 2,108 1,107 3,215 10.2 63.6 Grizzly 1,000 3,386 1,497 792 2,289 8.2 67.6 Hood River 400 1,523 283 124 407 24.8 26.7 Klamath 1,500 6,445 3,463 862 4,325 8.7 67.1 Maupin 400 879 506 140 646 5.7 73.5 Maury 800 2,381 809 651 1,460 7.0 61.3 Metolius 1,200 3,577 809 722 1,531 12.5 42.8 Ochoco 1,000 8,601 3,879 825 4,704 10.1 54.7 Pau lina 1,800 6,676 2,738 1,194 3,932 11.6 58.9 Sherman 500 1,420 770 157 927 8.2 65.3 Wasco 500 2,843 962 105 1,067 15.8 37.5 Central 12,800 49,867 20,211 7,030 27,241 11.3 54.6 Baker 1,500 5,298 3,039 808 3,847 6.8 72.6 Catherine Cr. 1,000 1,836 1,073 317 1,390 7.2 75.7 Chesnimnus 500 1,113 857 70 927 6.7 83.3 Columbia Basin _ 400 337 125 72 197 8.7 58.4 Desolation 500 1,611 986 123 1,109 8.7 68.8 Heppner 2,500 5,902 2,179 1,528 3,707 8.9 62.8 Imnaha 1,500 2,361 1,565 387 1,952 6.8 82.7 Keating 1,500 2,856 1,630 631 2,261 7.1 79.1 Lookout Mtn. 1,000 1,235 790 333 1,123 5.0 90.9 Minam 1,500 1,594 1,183 123 1,306 14.1 81.9 Murderer's Cr. 3,000 5,704 2,635 1,423 4,058 3.7 71.1 Northside 4,500 6,128 2,635 1,493 4,128 8.8 57.9 Sled Springs 1,200 1,786 1,128 388 1,516 6.9 84.9 Snake River 1,500 1,455 1,176 158 1,334 5.7 91.7 Starkey 700 1,878 1,091 229 1,320 8.1 70.3 Ukiah 800 2,022 986 264 1,250 8.6 61.8 Umatilla 1,000 2,441 1,246 228 1,474 10.6 60.4 Walla Walla 500 374 90 107 197 10.6 52.7 Wenaha 800 747 336 139 505 8.0 67.6 Wheeler 3,000 6,839 3,262 1,596 4,858 7.4 71.0 Northeast _ 28,900 53,517 28,042 10,417 38,459 8.6 71.9 Beulah 3,500 5,655 2,986 1,423 4,409 5.5 77.9 Interstate 5,000 10,445 5,008 2,574 7,582 8.6 72.6 Juniper - 61 42-42 5.5 68.9 Malheur R. 4,000 5,130 2,490 1,105 3,595 7.2 70.1 Owyhee 800 751 313 122 435 6.4 57.9 Silver Lake - 5,056 2,963-2,963 10.4 58.6.Silvies 3,000 4,977 2,021 984 3,005 9.8 60.4 Steens Mtn. 2,000 3,454 2,352 386 2,738 6.9 79.3 Wagontire _ - 294 154 154 8.9 52.4 Warner 1,500 3,094 1,705 598 2,303 7.3 74.4 Whitehorse 500 711 527 35 562 6.5 79.0 Southeast 20,300 39,628 20,561 7,227 27,788 7.9 70.1 General Season 126,900 233,414 101,869 38,544 140,413 9.9 60.1 Extended Season - 26,325 6,817 5,801 12,618 6.0 47.9 Controlled Seasons (8,487) 431 4,042 4,473 3.9 52.7 Grand Totals 259,739 109,117 48,387 157,504 - - * Includes all hunters. ( ) Not included in Grand Total. Page 4 Big Game Harvest (Continued from Page 3) cent of the general season total, which is similar to the 1959 figure of 70 per cent. Black-tailed deer contributed 39 per cent of the kill, which is an increase of 3 per cent over the 1959 season. Table III is a summary of general deer seasons since 1948 when the first return cards made such information available. Antlerless deer have been harvested each year since 1952. Since 1953, the total kill has averaged 124,000 deer, with an average hunter success of 54 per cent. In addition to the general season, 4,473 deer were taken on 11 controlled hunts held last fall and results are shown in Table IV. Silver Lake: Four thousand antlerless tags were made available for the Silver Lake controlled deer season. They were valid for October 1 through 23 and November 19 and 20. In addition, the Silver Lake unit was open during the general season for buck hunting. Intensive field checks supplemented by a hunter questionnaire gave the following information: 1. The general season and extended week end kill amounted to a total of 4,395 deer by 8,841 hunters for a success of 50 per cent. The 8,179 hunters checking out reported seeing an average of 17 deer and shooting at 1.2. Hunter success was 58 per cent in 1959. 2. Hunter success for the two-day November extended season for antlerless permits was 91 per cent, with 604 antlerless deer harvested. 3. During the general season, 57 per cent of the deer harvested were antlerless, the same percentages for 1959 when buck hunting was restricted. 4. In 1960, 38 per cent of the total general season kill was taken during the first week end as compared to 41 per cent in 1959. Elk Season: Elk hunters also set a new record with 48,992 tag holders reporting a harvest of 10,865 elk. The general elk season extended from October 29 through November 9 on the coast and ended November 27 in the rest of the state. This (Continued on Page 5) May, 1961
Units by Region Alsea McKenzie Polk Santiam Siuslaw Trask - Willamette TABLE II EXTENDED DEER SEASONS Total Hunters 3,507 5,196 2,464 4,723 1,299 129 3,837 Bucks Does Total 1,085 1,645 441 1,356 441 34 526 780 1,407 475 1,102 356-543 1,865 3,052 916 2,458 797 34 1,069 Total Days Hunted Per Deer ed 5.2 4.4 8.8 5.4 3.6 11.5 11.4 Per Cent Hunter Success 53.2 58.7 37.2 52.0 61.3 26.3 27.9 Northwest 21,155 5,528 4,663 10,191 5.9 48.2 Applegate 1,341 272 322 594 6.5 44.3 Douglas 832 288 204 492 4.1 59.1 Evans Creek 518 169 119 288 6.7 55.6 Powers 137 68-68 6.0 49.6 Umpqua 998 322 255 577 4.0 57.8 Southwest 3,826 1,119 900 2,019 5.3 52.8 Hood River 872 102 119 221 11.4 25.3 Wasco 472 68 119 187 6.3 39.6 Central 1,344 170 238 408 18.2 30.4 Extended Season Totals 26,325 6,817 5,801 12,618 6.0 47.9 Areas by Region TABLE IV 1960 CONTROLLED DEER SEASONS Tags Issued Bag Limit Reporting Hunters Bucks Antlerless Total ti x- 0 S 7To u, =4 ZA re 7 a."a *Corvallis Watershed _ 300 deer 270 44 69 113 3.2 42.0 *North Fk. Siletz 150 1 deer 138 30 60 90 1.8 65.0 Waldport- Mapleton 640 1 deer 369 58 104 162 5.6 25.3 Northwest 1,090 777 132 233 365 6.8 33.5 Alfalfa 300 1 doe 201 165 165 2.0 55.0 Bly Area 300 1 doe 184 146 146 1.6 48.7 Central 600 385 311 311 1.8 51.8 Canyon Creek _ 300 1 deer 183 36 35 71 3 5.1 23.7 Snake River Pk. 500 deer 325 174 174 63 2.9 34.8 Wallowa Pack _1,200 2 deer 620 342 342 81 5.3 28.5 Northeast _2,000 1,128 36 551 587 147 4.5 29.3 *Hart Mtn. 300 1 deer 252 161 55 216 3.5 87.0 *Silver Lake _4,000 2 deer 4,000 2,772 2,772 544 3.7 69.3 Steens Mtn. 500 1 deer 212 102 120 222 10 3.9 44.4 Southeast 4,800 4,464 263 2,947 3,210 554 3.7 66.9 Controlled Total 8,490 6,754 431 4,042 4,473 3.9 52.7 Grand Total 109,117 48,387 157,504 * Checking Station data. (1) Includes deer taken with general tag in area. Big Game Harvest (Continued from Page 4) longer season in eastern Oregon carried through the Thanksgiving holiday, allowing more opportunity to take advantage of late November hunting conditions. Bag limit for the north coast specified one bull elk with three points two inches or more in length on one antler. Spikes were legal on the south coast, Cascade and northeastern areas, and elk of either sex could be taken during the general season in southeastern Oregon. The Clatsop County area opened at noon. In spite of the noon opening and an aggressive enforcement program, the GAME BULLETIN illegal kill was high with 40 known illegal elk killed in the Clatsop unit. Twenty-six arrests were made during the Clatsop season. The harvest data for elk was determined by combining the information obtained from hunter report cards and the questionnaire survey. Results of the general season are shown in Table V. Returns show that 48,992 hunters took 9,300 elk during the general season for a hunter success of 19 per cent. Management units and controlled hunts brought this total to 10,865, with a total hunter success of 22 per cent for all seasons. Hunting pressure increased. The 48,- 992 tags sold in 1960 are almost 5,000 more than the 1959 total. In western Oregon, Clatsop, Coos, and Douglas were the counties of highest kill in that order. Wallowa, Umatilla, and Union Counties produced the largest harvest in the eastern part of the state, with over 2,000 elk taken in Wallowa County. by date is shown in Figure 1. During the general season, 36 per cent of all bulls taken were spikes. This is under the 44 per cent indicated for 1959. Spikes taken in eastern Oregon amounted to 49 per cent, slightly below the 51 per cent for 1959. West side areas permitting spike kills averaged 45 per cent spikes, which is slightly above the 1959 average. Spike bulls have been taken in Coos County since 1957. A summary of kill data for Coos County since 1955 is shown below. COOS COUNTY HARVEST Three-Point Spikes Year Hunters Plus Spikes Per Cent Total 1955 1,618 233 233 1956 2,339 307 307 1957 3,882 517 287 35.8 804 1958 4,019 340 306 47.4 646 1959 3,577 355 330 48.5 685 1960 3,825 269 329 55.0 598 The above data indicates that the addition of spike bulls has more than doubled the annual harvest. The number of mature bulls harvested has declined but the ratio of 55 per cent spikes is no higher than indicated for some eastern Oregon counties, such as Wallowa, Morrow, Union, and Umatilla, where spikes have been legal for many years. In spite of heavy hunting pressure on bulls in Coos County, the calf crop has been as high as for other western counties where the shooting of spikes has been prohibited. Controlled and unit elk seasons are shown in Table VI. A total of 2,500 unit permit holders bagged 873 antlerless elk on 10 management units for an average of 35 per cent hunter success. Controlled seasons, with 1,870 permits issued, resulted in the harvest of 692 elk for a hunter success of 37 per cent. The number of elk taken by archers is not known; however, only 8 elk were reported in 1960. Antelope Season: The 1960 antelope season extended from August 20 through August 24, with a total of 900 tags available for six areas. Bag limit was one buck antelope having horns longer than the ears. Hunting was good on most areas, with a total of 845 reporting hunters harvesting 459 antelope for a success ratio of 54 per cent. Area III, which includes the Klamath, Interstate, and Warner units, had the (Continued on Page 7) Page 5
TABLE V-1960 ELK SEASONS TABLE VII ANTELOPE SEASON -1960 Area E,7,1 xu.7 a I I gr. I Ochoco, Maury, Silvies 100 96 50 52.1 II Paulina, Wagontire, Fort Rock, Silver Lake 150 133 59 44.4 III Klamath, Interstate, Warner 150 147 103 70.1 IV Juniper, Hart Mountain, Steens 250 229 106 46.3 V Beulah, Malheur, Owyhee 150 143 81 56.6 VI Whitehorse 100 97 60 61.8 TOTALS 900 845 459 54.3 Number of County Hunters Bulls Antlerless Total Per Cent of Hunters Successful Per Cent Spike Bulls Clackamas 27 3 3 11.1 Clatsop 6,244 683 683 10.9 Columbia 179 40 40 22.3 Coos 3,825 598 598 15.6 55.0 Curry 15 3 3 20.0 Deschutes 108 5 5 4.6 100.0 Douglas 2,084 330 330 15.8 34.7 Jackson 168 16 16 9.5 16.7 Lane 1,651 202 202 12.2 32.9 Lincoln 294 48 48 16.3 Marion 48 16 16 33.3 Wasco 122 11 11 9.0 25.0 Western Oregon Subtotals 14,765 1,955 1,955 13.2 44.9 Baker 3,104 425 210 635 20.4 36.0 Crook 520 29 64 93 17.5 45.4 Grant 5,457 732 430 1,162 21.3 38.0 Harney 530 27 140 167 32.1 40.0 Malheur 343 40 21 61 17.8 Morrow 1,868 213 213 11.4 68.7 Umatilla 8,088 1,606 1,606 19.8 57.4 Union 5,927 1,236 1,236 20.8 58.1 Wallowa 7,838 2,076 2,076 26.5 60.8 Wheeler 552 30 66 96 17.4 27.0 Eastern Oregon Subtotals 34,227 6,414 931 7,345 21.4 49.0 General Season 48,992 8,369 931 9,300 19.0 35.9 Management Unit (2,500 Permits) 873 873 35.0 Controlled Hunt (1,870 Permits) 132 560 692 37.0 Grand Totals 48,992 8,501 2,364 10,865 22.2 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 DAILY PERCENTAGES 1960 ELK KILL Bulls a OF Antler less i S I Oc t. 2 9 30 31 Nov.l 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14 Date of Season 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Page 6 May, 1961 7==-.-_-_ =- a RE s±1 I M
Big Game Harvest (Continued from Page 5) highest hunter success, with 70.1 per cent of the hunters bagging an antelope. Results are shown on Table VII. A total of 4,164 applications was received for the possible 900 permits, or approximately five applications for each permit. It is felt that the regulation requiring successful applicants to wait two years before reapplying will assure better tag distribution. Chances to obtain a tag were the best on Areas I and VI, and the lowest on Areas III and IV. Summary: The 1960 big game season provided Oregon hunters with approximately 1,- 760,000 man days of recreation in the pursuit of deer, elk, and antelope and nearly twenty million pounds of palatable game meat. That more persons are taking advantage of this recreational opportunity is shown by the increase in hunting license sales, from 295,474 in 1959 to 304, 568 in 1960. An all-time high of 157,504 deer, 10,- 865 elk, and 459 antelope was harvested in 1960 without jeopardizing the big game resources. Big game population trends have shown relatively little change in the past ten-year period in spite of continued heavy hunting pressures. TABLE VI 1960 UNIT AND CONTROLLED ELK SEASONS Unit Season Dates No. Permits Bulls Antler less Total Per Cent Success Unit Seasons: Chesnimnus Nov. 11-27 250 112 112 44.8 Desolation Nov. 11-27 300 88 88 29.3 Heppner Nov. 11-27 250 82 82 32.8 Imnaha Nov. 11-27 100 20 20 20.0 Minam 11-27 200 35 35 17.5 Sled Sprs. Nov. 11-27 300 124 124 41.3 Starkey Nov. 11-27 400 164 164 41.0 Ukiah _Nov. 11-27 250 93 93 37.2 Umatilla _Nov. 11-27 200 69 69 34.5 Walla Walla Nov. 11-27 250 86 86 34.4 General Season Unit Hunt Subtotals _ 2,500 873 873 35.0 Controlled Seasons: Clatsop Dec. 17-18 750 39 192 231 30.8 *Lake Creek Dec. 10-11 100 7 67 74 75.0 *Loon Lake Sept. 17-18 70 8 26 34 48.5 *Mill Creek Nov. 5-13 100 20 45 65 65.0 Shaw Mtn. Dec. 10-31 300 1 38 39 13.0 Troy Area Dec. 17-31 150 1 11 12 8.0 Wilson Unit Oct. 29-Nov. 9 400 Unit A 80 12 51 63 78.7 Unit B 140 23 44 67 47.8 Unit C 100 13 41 54 54.0 Unit D 80 8 45 53 66.2 Wilson Totals 400 56 181 237 59.2 Special Area Subtotals 1,870 132 560 692 37.0 Totals and Averages 4,370 132 1,433 1,565 35.8 *Checking station data. 1960 Small Game Harvest The 1960 small game hunting season results, obtained from a questionnaire sampling of hunters, indicate an approximate harvest of 635,000 upland game birds, 260,000 pigeons and doves, and 533,000 waterfowl. Upland game and waterfowl hunters declined in number and the harvest of most species of game birds was less than in 1959. The 54,673 waterfowl hunters, comprising 18 per cent of the total number of hunters, bagged a total of 454,257 ducks and 78,669 geese. Upland game hunters took fewer pheasants, quail, and doves than in 1959 but their harvest of other species was GAME BULLETIN comparable. Following is a summary of the 1960 upland game seasons based on the hunter survey: Birds per Species Hunters Hunter Pheasants 94,599 351,656 3.7 Quail 30,670 190,873 6.2 Chukar Partridge 9,442 37,683 4.0 Hungarian Partridge 5,543 16,765 3.0 Blue and Ruffed Grouse 17,208 36,586 2.1 Doves 14,893 173,108 11.6 Pigeons 13,096 86,956 6.6 The Game Commission's Bulletin of the Air with Ron Shay as host has gone to a weekly program now on the state's educational channels. The program may be seen at 6:45 p.m. on Fridays on both KOAC-TV, channel 7, in Corvallis and KOAP-TV, channel 10, in Portland. Ron tells of Game Commission activities and gives the latest fishing reports from field agents of the Commission. He also may be seen on KOIN- TV on the Red Dunning show on Saturdays. * * Hunters and anglers will benefit from the new policy announced by the Bureau of Land Management for a multiple use program on public domain, which will include hunting, angling and other forms of recreation as one of the principal uses. Of immediate interest to anglers is the declaration of recreation as the primary use on some 25,000 acres of public domain bordering the Deschutes River from Bend downstream. Since access to large blocks of public domain is still blocked by private holdings, the Game Commission under an agreement with BLM will continue its policy of acquiring and developing access points wherever possible. One such access project underway is the improvement of one mile of an old railroad bed on the east bank of the river downstream from Sherar's bridge. Further aiding in the retention of the lower Deschutes as a fishing stream is the policy of the State Water Resources Board reserving the water in the lower 100 miles of the river for recreational use. * * * The 41st annual conference of the Western Association of State Game and Fish Commissioners is scheduled for June 13, 14 and 15 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. * * * Deer trapping program at Silver Lake, concluded in March, resulted in 250 more deer being tagged and released. Page 7
LICENSE SALES INCREASED IN 1960 Hunting and fishing are increasing in popularity as revealed by the all-time high license sales for 1960. Sportsmen purchased a total of 643,724 general hunting and fishing licenses last year compared to 625,465 in 1959. The number of anglers licensed to fish in Oregon, including 111,898 combination license holders, totalled 346,400 compared to 337,000 in 1959. Not included in this figure are the purchasers of 104,500 daily angling permits since some anglers may have purchased more than one of these permits. The special license required of steelhead and salmon anglers for the first time in 1960 was issued to 172,270 fishermen. The number of hunters licensed totalled 304,600 (including combination licensees) compared to 295,000 the year before. Resident hunting license sales increased from 177,000 in 1959 to 185,000. Deer hunting attracted more interest than ever before as shown by the sale of deer tags, which rose by 15,000 to a total of 268,420. Elk tag holders also were higher by 5,000, climbing to a total of 49,116 for 1960. LIGHTNING STRIKES GEESE Snow geese face many hazards during their annual spring and fall migrations to and from their arctic breeding grounds. But the oddest tragedy to befall a flock of migrating geese occurred on March 27, high in the sky over the Frank Whipple farm, four miles south of Nyssa. Twenty-six snow geese were found scattered over a one-half mile area, apparently the victims of a lightning bolt. Most of the geese had singed strips along their wings and neck, and a few had lost their lower mandible or other portions of their heads. One of the geese wore a numbered federal band, evidence it had been captured previously on its breeding ground in the arctic or on its wintering ground in California. According to climatologists, lightning frequently passes between clouds, attracted by masses containing opposite electrical charges. It is conceivable, then, that this flight of birds contained an electrical charge that attracted the destructive bolt. Oregon State Game Commission Bulletin 1634 S.W. ALDER STREET P. 0. BOX 4136 PORTLAND 8, OREGON Cri 14ec0011110111 RING contrisutioils Or.WILSON ILVALLIS DAIMON LFARS or III Ana ite3ourcils ATE or OREGON *MO MUM HMO. 01111 At dedication ceremony of the E. E. Wilson Game Management Area in Game Commission members and personnel who knew E. E. "Ed" Wilson, former member and chairman of the Commission, felt a deep personal loss when they learned of his passing at Corvallis on April 3 at the age of 91. He served on the Commission from 1935 to 1949, acting as chairman the last 10 years. Back in the early '30s the Game Commission was still a small organization and had financial problems aggravated by the depression. As an attorney, banker, and owner of an abstract company, Ed Wilson brought with him a wealth of business experience with which to cope with the Commission's problems as well as a deep interest in the fish and wildlife resources of the state. A new system of budgetary control stabilized the financial situation and made it possible to gradually expand the activities of the department as more funds became available. In 1935 the Commission also entered into a cooperative arrangement with the State College, Wildlife Management Institute, and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which resulted in the beginning of a program for wildlife research in Oregon. As the years passed E. E. Wilson 1954. by the Commission's management program expanded in many directions. Ever concerned with the welfare of fish and wildlife resources as a whole, he still had some particular interests, such as the improvement of the status of the coastal cutthroat trout and the ring-necked pheasant. He was a young boy when the ring-necked pheasant was first introduced in Oregon in the Willamette Valley. When the Game Commission in 1953 acquired some of the Camp Adair lands for development as a game management area, it was considered fitting to name it after someone who had devoted so freely of his time for the benefit of the state's wildlife resources. So on April 29, 1954, the E. E. Wilson Game Management Area was dedicated. Development of the area, located near Corvallis, his birthplace and home, was a continuing source of interest for the remainder of his lifetime. Retirement from the Commission did not lessen his interest in its other problems. He was always ready and willing to help in any way he could and there were many ways he could. By his many friends in the game department he will always be remembered with deep respect and affection. oito 0 N STATE 4411.04 GAME COMMISSION