- A- 4- 1. A.

GAME COMMISSI011 BEHR]

Vol. III PORTLAND, OREGON, AUGUST, 1948 No. 8

1948 fame OcetleBy IL U. Mace and John McKean, Chief Biologists.

Each July the hunting regulations are established by the Game Com-mission for the ensuing fall. These regulations are based upon the bestavailable facts obtained from sportsmen, ranchers, land administrators,and commission field personnel. It is appropriate at this time to review theseasons as established, the magnitude of the state-wide picture involved,and the outlook for the hunter's success this fall.

For the past three years the Commis-sion has had a comprehensive field pro-gram underway with trained personneldevoting their entire efforts to game mat-ters over the state as a whole. This hasinvolved the accumulation of factual dataon each game species for the purpose ofestablishing sound management. All fact-ors involving game conditions are beingcontinuously evaluated. These factors in-clude population trends, sex ratios, pro-ductivity, mortality, effects of hunting,range conditions and conflicts with otherland uses.

Big GameAn important result of this work has

been recognition of the fact that each biggame herd is subject to a distinct set ofconditions. Such a realization is particu-larly important when considering the har-vest of these animals. An equitable re-moval of the surplus crop on all herdranges is impossible with a single state-wide season. Present numbers of hunterswill subject the more accessible rangesto over-shooting while the unattractiveareas will not receive a proportionateshare of hunter pressure.

The removal of males only in a poly-gamous species is sound management aslong as the ratio of males to females doesnot become too widespread, a balance ofgame numbers with available food sup-plies is maintained, and undue competi-tion with other land uses does not result.When one of these conditions becomescritical, effective hunting controls mustbe applied. In Oregon and the majorityof the other states this has taken theform of special seasons which are heldfrom time to time to maintain a desirablebalance between all important factors.

As a control measure, special hunts of-fer the most effective means of solutionyet devised. Participants in this hunt aredetermined democratically by means of alottery. Only enough tags are issued tocontrol the problem. The season is heldat a time when only the involved animals

are affected and when adequate patrolby law enforcement agencies can be pro-vided.

Past experience has proven the sound-ness of this procedure. Only a small frac-tion of total game numbers have been re-moved in this manner. The resultantrange and game herd improvement andalleviation of conflicts with other inter-ests have justified the means.

Deer SeasonsAs in 1947 the general deer season on

bucks with forked antlers will extend(Continued on Page 5)

SUMMARY OF 1948HUNTING REGULATIONS

ON PAGE 4

Fishing Stress HeavyIn Cascade Lakes

South Twin Lake, which opened on June15, in the first week of the season pro-duced 6,450 trout to anglers' creels. Incontrast, in 1946 over the same period,5,679 were taken and in 1947, 4,466. Fish-ing has remained good in this lake withonly a small drop in the catch per anglerbecause of increasing water temperatures.Through July 14, a total of about 8,000fish have been taken by roughly 3,000anglers. This is nearly as many fish aswere taken during all of the 1947 season.Good catches of rainbows from 10 to 16inches in length have been taken mostlyon single eggs. It is to be recalled thatSouth Twin Lake was stocked with 26,000legal-sized fish just before the seasonopened and this, of course, is why thecatches have been particularly heavy thisyear. This lake, as most anglers know,is being run as a test lake to determinesurvival of hatchery trout to anglers'creels and it is only through cooperationof the sportsmen in reporting the catchesthat this work is made possible.

Over 3,000 fish were checked in theopening day from Diamond Lake. It is es-timated that between 800 and 1,000 boatswere on the lake at that time. This take

(Continued on Page 3)

Herd of Roosevelt elk on Broken Top Mountain in western Deschutes county.

Page 2 AUGUST, 1948

* THIS AND THATFish planting by pack string has been

under way for several weeks although alate start was made because of snow con-ditions. A fourteen-horse pack string hasbeen contracted for the summer and isnow at work in the Cascade Mountains.The first area covered was that south ofCrater Lake. Some three hundred lakeswill be stocked this summer and fall withapproximately one million eastern brookand a million rainbow trout. The troutare being transported from the hatch-eries to the base camps of the pack stringin a new small size tank truck that hasbeen built expressly for this purpose.

Among the many recommendations re-ceived by the Commission at its July hear-ing was one urging that logging com-panies be asked not to leave their dis-carded wooden powder boxes in gameareas. The general feeling in the coastalarea, particularly in Coos and Currycounties, is that some, at least, of the elklosses that occurred in those counties thelast year or two were caused by the elkeating the mixture of sawdust and powderfound in the boxes. The suggestion ismade by the local sportsmen that thepowder monkeys remove or destroy suchboxes as soon as they are through withtheir operations.

Every effort is being made to have the1948 HUNTING SYNOPSIS available fordistribution soon after the middle of Aug-ust. The short time between determina-tion of the final regulations and the open-ing of the hunting seasons may seem poormanagement to many hunters; however,the Commission finds it advisable to de-lay the setting of the game seasons aslate as it does in order to obtain all factspossible as to game conditions for the cur-rent season. This applies particularly topheasants, as the results of the nestingseason have an important bearing on thefinal regulations adopted.

Field agents of the game departmenthave been collecting all fawns picked upby private individuals and sending themto the state game farms. Issuance of per-mits to hold fawns has been discontinuedas the Commission wants to discouragethe picking up of any young deer, even ifapparently deserted. Raising deer in cap-tivity provides a poor substitute for theirnatural life in the wild.

Two more contracts for hatchery im-provements were awarded last month bythe Game Commission, both to TellerConstruction Company, Portland.

One contract calls for improvements atthe Diamond Lake hatchery at a cost of$30,626. These include construction of aconcrete dam and filter, installation of aneight-inch galvanized iron pipe line andconstruction of a hatchery building.

The other award, in the amount of $30,-892, covers construction of a refrigerationbuilding and a concrete and steel fishladder and trap at the Alsea hatchery.

Hauling supplies over snow to the East Lakespawning station.

Spawning OperationsHampered By Late Spring

The late spring, with temperaturesfluctuating suddenly and extreme floodscontinuing almost to summer, made con-ditions very unfavorable for successfulspring rainbow spawning operations. As aresult the total take of eggs did not comeup to expectations. The number of eggscollected is as follows:

Crane PrairieDiamond Lake

975,0001,950,000

East-Paulina Lakes 1,322,900McKenzie 1 150,000Spencer Creek 925,230

Total 6,323,130In addition 9,280,677 fall rainbow eggs

were taken earlier from brood stock atthe hatcheries so that the total rainbowegg production for 1948 is 15,603,807.

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER CALENDAROpen season both months for:

TroutSalmon and SteelheadJack SalmonSpiny-rayed fishPredatory animals

Pigeon and Dove Season opens Sep-tember 1.

Note: For specific exceptions, consultofficial synopsis of hunting or anglingregulations.

The Hermiston game farm had amongits pheasant chicks this season one withthree legs. Attached to the knee joint onone side were two legs.

July Meeting of theGame Commission

The Game Commission transacted thefollowing routine business at its meetingJuly 8-10.

An opinion from the Attorney Generalwas read advising that the Commissionhad the authority to set up certain min-imum requirements as conditions prece-dent to the issuance of a guide's license.The Commission amended its existingregulations to provide that any applicantfor guide's license would be disqualifiedwho had been convicted of a violation ofeither the game laws or commercial fish-eries laws within a two-year period.

Payment of $450 was authorized to theOregon Cattle and Horse Raisers Asso-ciation for salt distributed on elk ranges.

A letter was read from the City ofReedsport reporting on financial arrange-ments being made to pay for Eel Lake.

A progress report on the weed controlproject was considered and the fisheriesstaff instructed to carry on the work.

The department was instructed to holdover next winter only that number oflegal sized fish that was deemed feasible.

Oregon State GameCommission BulletinPublished Monthly by the

Oregon State Game Commission1634 S. W. Alder StreetP. 0. Box 4136

Portland 8, OregonMIRIAM KAUTTU

EditorMembers of the Commission

E. E. Wilson, Chairman CorvallisTheodore R. Conn LakeviewKenneth S. Martin Grants PassR. D. McClallen EnterpriseLarry Hilaire Portland

Administrative StaffC. A. Lockwood .. State Game SupervisorF. B. Wire SecretaryF. C. Baker ControllerH. E. Bowers EngineerP. W. Schneider Director of Game

John McKean Upland GameA. V. Meyers ..Fed. Aid and WaterfowlR. U. Mace Big GameC. E. Kebbe FurbearersFrank Stanton . . Habitat Improvement

P. R. Needham Director of FisheriesR. C. Holloway Surveys and SalvageE. W. Goff HatcheriesH. J. Rayner ...Diseases and Nutrition

H. R. Mangold Director of SuppliesC. B. Walsh...Director, Public RelationsG. E. Howell ..Fishways, Screen, Stream

and Lake ImprovementEntered as second-class matter September

30, 1947 at the post office at Portland, Oregonunder the act of August 24, 1912.

At the present time the Bulletin is circulatedfree of charge to anyone forwarding a writtenrequest.Permission to reprint is granted provided

proper credit is given.

AUGUST, 1948 Page 3

Trout Liberations InClackamas River

In keeping with the policy formulatedin recent years of planting yearling troutof legal or near legal size in readily ac-cessible and heavily fished waters, theClackamas river has been stocked withsuch fish at intervals since before theopening of the season. All fish have aver-aged legal size or sufficiently close to sixinches that they should reach that sizethis season.

Plantings have been made in March,April, June and July. These plantingstotal over 69,000 trout that have beenscattered along the river and some of itstributaries from Estacada to Austin Hot-springs. Observations of planted fish inthis stream have indicated that the bestreturns are obtained from legal sized fishplanted prior to and during the open troutseason.

Fishing Stress HeavyIn Cascade Lakes

(Continued from Page 1)represents between one and two tons. TheState Police officers made a number ofarrests the opening day because of chum-ming, having over-limits, and catchingundersized fish. At the present rate oftake with the decreasing size of fish thatare being caught annually, it is obviousthat in order to maintain any kind of fish-ing in Diamond Lake, close regulation ofthe take will be necessary.

Pheasant Field-RearingProjects Underway

Seven field rearing projects for pheas-ants are now under way in Oregon. Sixof these projects are being operated bythe Oregon State Game Commissionwhile the seventh is being conducted bythe Oregon Co-operative Wildlife Re-search Unit.

Located near Culver in the new Mad-ras irrigation area, the project operatedby the Co-operative Wildlife Unit isheaded by La Verne Bruger. Three thou-sand young birds are now being heldthere. Field rearing is being carried onby the method that was tested by theGame Commission last year in Wascocounty. Hens are confined in coops thatallow free access for the small chicks.This gives the chicks night protectionand at the same time they are reared in asemi-wild state and can leave of theirown volition. The cold wet weather wascausing some losses in the young birds.

Only locally raised grain is being fedto the birds at this project. This is beingdone to guard against the possible spread

(C--- of weeds that might be shipped into thearea with grains from the outside.

Other field rearing projects are in op-eration near Wasco, Fern Ridge, CamasSwale, Harrisburg, Sumner Lake andEnterprise.

Roach Control InDiamond Lake

Approximately seven tons of roach hadbeen destroyed in Diamond Lake by themiddle of July, according to Fred Locke,Field Agent in charge of creel censusstudies at Diamond Lake. This is a reg-ular part of the Game Commission'smanagement operations on Diamond Lakeand the removal of these fish will do muchto aid trout production.

About one ton of mature roach between8 and 9 inches long were seined fromLake Creek in connection with troutspawning operations at the Diamond LakeHatchery. Another five tons were de-stroyed on June 25 by poisoning at thesouth end of the lake when a huge schoolmoved in shallow water. Again on July 11another ton was killed along the southand east shores. Because the roach wereleft in the lake, roach poisoning in thepast has led to belief by anglers thatthese were trout and false rumors haveoften started in this manner. These roachare purposely left in the lake as theyform a rich source of organic matterwhich, in turn, increases plant and animalgrowth which eventually leads to bettertrout production. Fish are one of the bestfertilizers available and are just as effec-tive in water as when used on land.

In Clatsop county this summer gamecommission field agents observed a cowelk nursing two offspring, one of whichwas this spring's calf and the other lastyear's, a yearling spike.

There are 10,000 miles of fishingstreams in our national forest.

Commission ConsidersGun Regulations ForFuture Seasons

The sportsmen of the state have longadvocated regulations to prohibit the useof some low-powered, ineffective calibersof rifles in taking big game animals. Thisis recognized as a conservation measurein order to reduce unnecessary cripplinglosses.

It is realized that more stringent reg-ulations are not in order until sportingarms again become available to the pub-lic. In order to clarify its position, how-ever, and afford the public an opportunityto purchase rifles in keeping with possiblefuture regulations, the Commission hasdecided to publish its proposed regula-tions. It is to be emphasized that theseregulations will not become effective thisyear but are being considered for somefuture season. The date depends upon theavailability of new rifles.

The following proposed regulationshave been formulated over a period oftime on the basis of recommendations bysportsmen and leading technical men inthe field. The Sporting Arms and Ammu-nition Manufacturers' Institute of NewYork, which represents the leading armsand ammunition manufacturers of theUnited States, provided the technicalballistic advice in establishing these pro-posals.

Lawful rifle calibers for the taking ofdeer should be those (a) with a caliberdesignation of .23 inch or larger, and (b)developing 975 foot pounds or more ofenergy at 100 yards. Under this rule, all

(Continued on Page 8)

Pheasant rearing project at Culver in the Madras area.

Page 4 AUGUST, 1948

1948 Hunting RegulationsPHEASANTS

From noon October 29 to November 7, in-clusive, in Malheur county. Bag limit, 2 cocksa day and 6 for entire season.

From noon October 29 to November 2, in-clusive, in all other counties except thoseclosed entire year and except Summer LakeValley. Bag limit, 2 cocks a day and 4 for en-tire season.

Closed entire year: Wallowa, Union, Baker,Jefferson, Curry, Lincoln, and Tillamook.

Special pheasant season in Summer LakeValley Pheasant Area will be open concurrentlywith waterfowl. Bag limit, two pheasants ofeither sex per day but not more than four inpossession.

Refuges: Multnomah-Clackamas game refugeto be open for pheasant hunting during openseason.

VALLEY QUAILSeason: Concurrent with pheasant season in

Coos, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, Lake,Deschutes, Crook, Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam,Wheeler, Morrow, Umatilla, Grant and Har-ney counties. Bag limit, 5 valley quail per daybut not more than 10 in possession.

BLUE GROUSESeason: October 1 to 20 (concurrent with

deer) in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, Lincoln,Coos, Curry, Josephine, and that part of Laneand Douglas counties west of U. S. Highway99. Bag limit, 2 grouse a day but not morethan 4 during the entire season.

SILVER GREY SQUIRRELSOpen season: October 1 to 20 in Benton, Linn,

Lane, Douglas, Josephine, Jackson, Coos andCurry counties. Bag limit, five in possession.

Open season entire year in Columbia, Wash-ington, Multnomah, Clackamas, Marion, Yam-hill and Polk counties. No bag limit.

MIGRATORY GAME BIRDSDoves: Season and limit to be set by federal

government. Open season in following countiesonly: Harney, Lake, Deschutes, Wheeler,Crook, Jackson and Josephine.

Bandtail Pigeon: Season to be set by federalgovernment. Bag limit, 8 birds a day or inpossession.

Waterfowl: Regulations to be as set by fed-eral government.

CLOSED TO WATERFOWL HUNTINGThat part of Coos Bay (Coos county) closed

last year.ANTELOPE

No open season.GENERAL DEER SEASON

Open season, October 1 to October 20, inclu-sive, for black-tail or mule deer having not lessthan forked antlers in all counties with excep-tion of Sherman and Gilliam counties, specifiedclosed areas and special open seasons. Baglimit, one deer having not less than forkedantlers.

ARCHERY DEER SEASONOpen season, September 18 to September 28,

inclusive, in Cove Area in Union county and inMt. Emily Game Refuge in Union and Umatillacounties.

Open season, September 18 to October 20, inthat portion of Canyon Creek refuge lyingnorth and east of Canyon Creek.

NOTE: All other sections of the CanyonCreek refuge will be open to rifle hunting dur-ing the regular open season for deer, and theentire area will be open during the elk season.

Bag limit, one deer of either sex; providedthat all animals must be taken by means oflong bow and barbless broad arrow only.

All archers required to apply to the GameCommission for a free permit to be in posses-sion while hunting in an archery area. Theform attached to this permit must be returnedto the Game Commission within thirty daysafter the close of the season. Checking in andout of areas not required.

SPECIAL DEER SEASONSSilver Lake AreaLake County:

Open season, December 18 to December 22,inclusive.

Number of permits, 600.Bag limit, one antlerless deer.All hunters required to check in and out of

area. Checking stations at Silver Lake andPicture Rock Pass.

Open Area: Beginning at the town of SilverLake; thence east and south along State High-way No. 31 to its junction with the Dead In-dian road at Picture Rock Pass ; thence southalong the Dead Indian road to Bagley Springs ;thence west along posted road to Foster Flat ;thence southwest from Foster Flat to the For-est Service trunk road near Milepost 77; thencenorthwest along the Forest Service trunk roadto the Thompson Reservoir road near Milepost83; thence west on the Thompson Reservoirroad to the Thompson Valley road; thencesouth along the Thompson Valley road to theGuyer Creek road ; thence west and north alongthe Guyer Creek-Rodman Rock road to PitcherRanch; thence west and north along the postedroad to Antelope Flat; thence east along theBear Flat-Silver Lake road to Silver Lake.Crooked Creek AreaLake County:

Open season, September 18 to September 21,inclusive. Checking station at Chandler Park.

200 permits authorized for the taking of deerof either sex in the following described area:Beginning at the junction of U. S. HighwayNo. 395 with the Dick's Creek road ; thencenorthwesterly along the Dick's Creek road tothe Anderson Mill road; thence west and southalong the Anderson Mill road to AndersonMill; thence due west along the posted town-ship line between townships 36 and 37 Southto the Cox Creek-Mill Flat road ; thence southalong the Cox Creek road to its junction withU. S. Highway 395 at Salt Creek ; thence eastand north to the Dick's Creek road.

GENERAL ELK SEASONSBag limit, one elk only by holder of a general

elk license. (Sex and age class determined byarea and season in which elk is killed). Openseasons and areas follow:Western Oregon:

October 25 to November 2, inclusive, for bullelk having antlers with three points or more,including the brow tine, in Clatsop, Columbia,Lincoln; Lane county with exception of thearea south and west of the Siuslaw River ;and in following described area in Coos andDouglas counties : Beginning at the junctionof the Umpqua River Highway No. 38 with U.S. Highway 101 at Reedsport; thence east alongHighway 38 to junction with U. S. Highway99 at Drain; thence south along U. S. Highway99 to junction with the State Highway No. 42near Dillard ; thence west along. State Highway42 to junction with U. S. Highway 101 at Co-quille; thence north along U. S. Highway 101to Reedsport and the point of beginning.Eastern Oregon:

Open season, October 25 to November 2, in-clusive, for bull elk having antlers with threepoints or more, including the brow tine, in thatpart of Deschutes and Klamath counties ly-ing north of Highway 58, west of Highway 97and south of U. S. Highway 28.

October 25 to November 11, inclusive, in thearea east of The Dalles-California Highway,U. S. No. 97, for elk of either sex except thatonly bull elk having antlers may be taken in thefollowing described area: Beginning at thetown of Boardman; thence southeast along U.S. Highway No. 30 to Pendleton; thence southalong U. S. Highway No. 395 to Dale; thencesoutheasterly along the Desolation Creek roadto its junction with the Indian Rock road ap-proximately 1 mile east of the DesolationGuard Station; thence south and east pastthe Red Boy Mine to Granite ; thence south-easterly to Sumpter ; thence southeasterlyalong the Sumpter Valley road to Salisbury;thence northeasterly along State Highway No.7 to Baker; thence north and west along U. S.Highway No. 30 to La Grande; thence northand east along State Highway No. 82 to Los-tine ; thence south along the Lostine Riverroad to its end ; thence south along posted trailto its junction with the Wallowa Forest bound-ary at a point approximately one-half milesouth of Minam Lake; thence east and northalong the forest boundary to the Snake River;thence following the State Line to the north

and west to the town of Boardman, the point ofbeginning.

SPECIAL ELK SEASONSTen Mile Lake AreaCoos County:

Open season, September 4 to September 7,inclusive. Number of permits, 75. Bag limit,one elk of either sex. All hunters required tocheck in and out of area. Checking stations atLakeside and Dean Mountain Powder House.

Open area near the town of Lakeside.Chesnhnnus AreaWallowa County:

Open season, October 25 to November 2, in-clusive. Number of permits, 200. Bag limit, oneantlerless elk. All hunters possessing antler-less elk tags required to check in and out ofarea. Checking stations at Chico Guard Stationand Zumwalt.

Open area described as follows: Beginningat the Chico Guard Station; thence north andeast along Joseph Creek to the Oregon-Wash-ington Line; thence east along the Oregon-Washington Line to the Snake River ; thencesoutheasterly along the Snake River to themouth of the Imnaha River ; thence southwest-erly along the Imnaha River to its intersectionwith the Wallowa National Forest boundary;thence north and west along the Wallowa Na-tional Forest boundary to Chico Guard Station,the point of beginning.Dora AreaCoos County:

Open season, November 20 to November 23,inclusive. Number of permits, 50. Bag limit,one elk of either sex. All hunters required tocheck in and out of area. Checking station atDora.

Open area near the town of Dora.Baker AreaBaker County:

Open season, December 4 to December 8,inclusive. Number of permits, 600. Bag limit,one elk of either sex. All hunters required tocheck in and out of area. Checking stations atBaker, North Powder and Salisbury.

Open area described as follows: Beginningat the city of Baker ; thence south along StateHighway No. 7 to junction of the Sumpter Val-ley road at Salisbury; thence west along theSumpter Valley road to Sumpter ; thence northalong the Fruit Creek road to the summit ofthe Blue Mountain; thence north along thesummit to posted junction with the AnthonyLake road ; thence north along the AnthonyButte road to Bear Wallow Spring in Unioncounty; thence north and east along the postedsummit and trails to the Forest Service bound-ary at Howard Meadow; thence east along thenorth line of Township 5 South to intersectionwith the Clover Creek road; thence south alongthe Clover Creek road to North Powder ; thencesouth along U. S. Highway 30 to the city ofBaker, the point of beginning; provided Bakercity watershed is excluded.Ukiah-Birch Creek AreaUmatilla County:

Open season, December 11 to December 14,inclusive. Number of permits, 1,000. Bag limit,one elk of either sex. All hunters required tocheck in and out of the area. Checking stationsat Ukiah and Pilot Rock.

Open area described as follows : Beginning atthe town of Pilot Rock; thence southeast alongthe Birch Creek road to the posted junctionwith the Bear Wallow road ; thence southeastto Bear Wallow Guard Station; thence southalong posted road to its junction with the Pear-son Guard Station road ; thence west along thePearson Guard Station road to Pearson GuardStation; thence south to the North Fork of theJohn Day River near the mouth of OrientalCreek ; thence west along the North Fork ofthe John Day River to its intersection with U.S. Highway No. 395; thence north along High-way No. 395 to Pilot Rock, the point of begin-ning.

Provided that the season shall be open fromDecember 11 to December 31, inclusive, in thefollowing described area: That portion of theCamas creek drainage described as follows:Beginning at the town of Ukiah; thence southalong the Bridge creek road to junction withthe Pearson Guard Station road ; thence eastalong said posted road past Pearson GuardStation to junction of the Hidaway Springsjunction; thence east and north along the

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AUGUST, 1948 Page 5

1948 Game Outlook(Continued from Page 1)

from October 1 through October 20. Theresults of last year's hunt support thesedates.

In setting a deer season, definite open-ing dates are imposed by forest fire haz-ards. An opening too early in the fallnecessitates forest closures in criticalareas. Although an earlier season, par-ticularly in the coastal areas, is recog-nized to be preferable from the hunter'sstandpoint, it is felt better to open theseason after the fire hazard is over. Thiswill allow unlimited access to all deerranges in the state and provide the neces-sary protection to valuable timber re-sources.

Two important reasons exist for clos-ing the hunting season byOctober 20. As most hunt-ers realize, deer begin rut-ting after the middle ofOctober and interferenceduring this period of theyear is undesirable.

At this time, also, manyof the herds begin migrat-ing to the winter ranges.Hunting the migrationroutes is not considered asound management pro-cedure.. The deer are mov-ing through unfamiliarterrain and are particular-ly vulnerable to the con-centrations of hunterswhich gather along theseroutes.

The season is judged suf-ficiently long in view ofthe kill which is becomingincreasingly heavier eachyear. On the basis ofchecks by field agents dur-ing the 1947 hunting sea-son, approximately 45 percent of all bucks baggedwere forked horns. This isan increase of 7 per centover the 1946 season. Sucha trend is indicative of theheavy drain being imposedand the shortage of moremature bucks in the herds.

Although information re-veals that the shortage ofbucks is becoming morecritical each year in east-ern Oregon, this is not asserious on blacktail deerranges. In fact, over-all averages in west-ern Oregon indicate that one buck existsfor every 21/2 does. This is a much betterratio than the 1 buck per 51/2 does aver-aged for all mule deer ranges. Such a sit-uation is expected due to the comparativeopen type of country involved east of theCascades and its attraction for hunters.

Two areas in western Oregon will beopen to deer hunting for the first time inseveral years. These are the Tillamookburn, with the exception of a small closure

north of the Wilson River Highway, andthe Siletz area in Lincoln county. Deerdensities and cover are now consideredadequate to support hunting. Althoughreasonable numbers of deer are present,the proximity of these sections to centersof population should urge the more dis-creet hunters to seek other territory. Al-though hunting pressure will be heavy,much of the area away from the roadsshould offer fair sport to the hardy in-dividual.

Many other sections in western Ore-gon, particularly the more open burnedand logged country, offer excellent op-portunities to the deer hunter. The foot-hills adjacent to the Willamette Valleyharbor a surprising number of deer with:in the sight of many towns. These deerare overlooked by the average hunter in-

As in the past, the best mule deer hunt-ing is expected on the browse ranges ofLake, Harney, and Deschutes counties.A particularly favorable area from thestandpoint of large numbers of bucksexists in the Bald Mountain section innorthern Lake county. For the hunterinterested in packing, the Wallowa areaeast of La Grande and the Snake Rivercountry should be good.

Three special areas will be open toarchery hunting for deer this fall fromSeptember 18 to September 28. These in-clude Canyon Creek and Cove, which wereopen last year, in addition to the Mt.Emily Refuge northwest of La Grande.The Canyon Creek area will remain opento archers through October 20. Checkingstations will not be maintained this yearon archery areas. In place of this, all

archers will be issued a

pyier,Av/

WKAT WE RAVE DONE TO THE 141,..TURAL BEAUTIESOF OUR LAND SCAPE

tent on escaping into remote sections.Needless to say, there are no longer manyremote sections in Oregon and it is ex-pected that an increasing number of hunt-ers will turn to western Oregon as theplace to bag a buck. Intense hunter con-centrations with the resulting scarcityof bucks east of the mountains will causethis shift of pressure. The higher ratio ofbucks and the opening up of western Ore-gon habitat by logging provide the in-centives for this movement.

free permit which must bein possession while in anarchery area. An informa-tion sheet attached to thepermit will be required tobe returned by the archerafter the season. A letterto the Game Commissionwith the name: address,and hunting license num-ber of the applicant will as-sure him of receiving apermit in plenty of time.

Two special deer sea-sons are scheduled for thisfall. An either sex seasonwith 200 permits is sched-uled for the Crooked Creekarea of Lake County. Thisis designed to reduce asummer deer herd causingserious damage to privateproperty and natural for-age supplies in the area.The anticipated effect isto reduce damage and as-sure maintenance of foragefor a sizeable winter deerherd which is utilizing therange. An area south ofSilver Lake in Lakecounty will be similarlytreated with an antlerlessdeer season in December.An excellent fawn survivalduring the past two yearshas resulted in a heavy in-crease of deer whichthreaten to jeopardize win-ter range browse supplies.In order to prevent exces-

sive mortality during a severe winter, cor-rective measures to bring the herd inbalance with the food supply are beingapplied.

A separate deer tag is in effect for the1948 hunting season. This medium offersan opportunity to acquire much informa-tion regarding deer herd conditions whichis now lacking. Such facts as total num-bers of deer hunters, hunter success, con-centrations of hunters by areas and by

(Continued on Page 6)

Page 6 AUGUST, 1948

7948 Game Outlook(Continued from Page 5)

time intervals, and age classes of buckskilled can be determined by such a tag.Success naturally depends upon the re-turn of the attached cards by every hunt-er, whether successful or not. This actionis required by law, with the stipulationthat a tag for the ensuing year will notbe issued if the hunter fails to return hiscard. Past cooperation in returning elkcards indicates that the Commission mayexpect excellent success with the deer taglaw.

Elk SeasonsA five day interval will be provided be-

tween the end of the deer season and theopening of the elk season. This will givedeer hunters ample time to get theirbucks out of the woods before elk sea-son starts.

As with deer, it is recognized that onegeneral season will not harvest the elkcrop uniformly. The conditions in someareas vary from those in others. To han-dle properly all of these situations andprevent excessive removal in sectionswhere it is not desirable, the general sea-son is supplemented with special con-trols in problem areas.

A season from October 25 through No-vember 2 is authorized in the same sec-tions of western Oregon as last year.Again, only mature bulls with three ormore points, including the brow tine, onat least one antler, are legal. This man-agement practice has proven successfulin previous years and allows an annualharvest on a sustained yield basis. Theprotection of immature bulls has resultedin saving sufficient males for breedingpurposes. A yearly hunt on elk in westernOregon also appears desirable from thestandpoint of dispersing herds so that ad-jacent ranges are utilized to a greaterdegree as the Roosevelt elk, unlike theRocky Mountain elk, is inclined to confineits range to a more limited extent. It alsoprevents taming up of the herds to theextent that they become vulnerable topoaching and excessive opening day killafter a closed season has been in effect.

The general elk season in eastern Ore-gon will extend from October 25 throughNovember 11. Past policy has called forholding elk numbers in check on thesoutheastern Oregon deer ranges as com-petition for critical browse species existsbetween deer and elk. Since there aremany times the number of deer huntersas elk hunters, deer are given the pref-erence on these ranges. Field work indi-cates wide dispersal of elk in the face ofeither-sex hunting in the past. In view ofthis, an either sex season will again beapplied in order to control the elk num-bers. Elk appear able to take care ofthemselves and fully utilize the naturalcover available under these hunting con-ditions.

Northeastern Oregon offers excellenthabitat for the production of elk wherenatural browse is scarce and the range is

not too suitable for deer. Protection of im-mature bulls during the 1947 season waseffective in increasing the percentage ofmales on these ranges. A bull with antlerswill be legal game during 1948 in parts ofWallowa, Union, and Umatilla counties.Although only bulls are legal in theseareas, success should be fair, based uponreports from preceding hunting seasons.

For those interested in packing and anexcellent chance of success, the Minamand Lostine area east of La Grande looksgood.

Two special seasons are in order forsmall sections of Coos county. These in-clude the Dora and Ten Mile Lake vicin-ities which are being subjected to inten-sive damage by localized herds of elk. Al-though the elk must be reduced and en-couraged to utilize adjacent ranges wheredamage will not occur, the job will be adifficult one for the hunter. The rugged,brushy type of country offers little oppor-tunities for success by hunters unfamiliarwith the locality. In view of these adverseconditions, it is strongly recommendedthat hunters who are not thoroughly fa-miliar with the areas involved do not ap-ply for permits. Heeding this advice willprevent discouragement on the part ofthose unaware of conditions.

A total of 200 tags will be issued for thetaking of antlerless elk on the Chesnim-nus area in northern Wallowa county.These tags will be good during the firstpart of the general elk season. This actionis designed to crop a limited number ofantlerless animals in order to bring theherd in balance with the carrying capa-city of key summer range forage supplies.From the hunter's standpoint, this offersan excellent chance of success.

A December hunt, with 500 tags to beissued, will again be held in the Bakerarea. This section offers no natural hab-itat suitable for carrying elk through thewinter. Action during the past two yearshas resulted in the removal of part of thisherd and forcing a large number of ani-mals to utilize suitable range adjacent tothe problem area. Continued control mustbe applied in order to solve the problem.Although only a limited number of elkremain, large numbers of hunters mustbe employed in order to hunt adequatelythe very rugged country involved. Fromthe standpoint of success for the uniniti-ated elk hunter this area holds littlepromise. For those unfamiliar with thesection and unwilling to exert a lot of ef-fort the advice is not to apply for apermit.

As with Baker, a third special hunt willbe applied to the Ukiah area in Umatillacounty. This problem concerns excessnumbers of elk on winter range with re-sultant damage to private ranching in-terests. The season is being held in De-cember when the involved animals are onthe range. A total of 1,000 permits will beissued for hunting on an area betweenPilot Rock and the North Fork of theJohn Day River from December 11through December 14. Unsuccessful per-

mit holders will be able to continue hunt-ing on a somewhat smaller area center-ing around Ukiah until December 31.

Closed AreasFour recently logged-off areas in west-

ern Oregon are closed to all hunting. The mpurpose of these closures is to protectbreeding stocks of deer and allow an in-crease until adequate escape coverbecomes available. These include theOnion Peak and Ecola Park areas in Clat-sop county, Santiam area in Marioncounty near Detroit, Molalla area inClackamas county, and a small portion ofthe Tillamook burn.

Two sections of mule deer habitat, theWanoga Butte area in Deschutes countyand McKay Creek area in Crook county,have again been closed to afford an in-crease in deer herds utilizing under-stocked winter ranges. These closuresfollow out the Commission's policy of in-creasing game numbers when range con-ditions permit.

Upland GameThe information provided by sportsmen

and other interested groups at the Com-mission's hearing indicated that manycounties recognized the fact that the 1948upland game crop would be very smalland most groups requested a closed sea-son or very conservative season to assuremaintenance of an adequate breedingstock.

A review of weather conditions duringthe 1948 nesting season shows that dur-ing the period from February 1 to May20 there were only nine clear days in theWillamette Valley and that cold rains andsnows continued throughout this periodin eastern Oregon. After May 20 the av-erage temperature rose substantially inboth eastern and western Oregon and,although intermittent rains were com-mon, they were not accompanied by se-vere cold or of long duration so that youngbroods were not seriously handicapped inthe western part. This sudden tempera-ture change resulted in a rapid run-off ofsnow water from mountainous areas,which flooded a substantial part of thepheasant habitat in Union and Bakercounties. In eastern Oregon a series ofsevere electrical storms, accompanied byheavy rains and hail are presumed tohave destroyed both nests and broods inthe areas hit. These storms were mostsevere in the Blue Mountain area andare believed responsible for an almosttotal loss of young broods in Union,Baker and Wallowa counties, where thechick-hen ratio averages .9 to 1.

Pheasants normally begin laying byApril 1 with the peak of hatching occur-ring between May 15 and June 15; how-ever, because of the retarded growingseason most eastern Oregon counties didnot have adequate nesting cover untilMay 15. To obtain a measure of nestmortality, 208 dummy pheasant nestswere planted in eastern Oregon countiesand 90 per cent of these nests were de-

(Continued on Page 7)

AUGUST, 1948 Page

1948 Game Outlook(Continued from Page 6)

stroyed during the first two weeks ofMay. This loss dropped to 37 per cent inearly June when good nesting cover be-came available.

Measurements of upland game densitiesin February and March of 1948 indicatedthat in spite of a poor nesting season in1947 (4.5 chicks per hen) an adequatebreeding population was present in near-ly all counties, and the Willamette Val-ley had made a substantial recovery ofpheasant numbers after two years of pro-tection, having increased from an averageof 8 birds per 100 acres in 1946 to 23 birdsper 100 acres in the spring of 1948. Theonly substantial reductions indicated werein the southwestern Oregon counties andMalheur county where the average den-sity dropped from 60 pheasants per 100acres in 1947 to 38 pheasants per 100acres in the spring of 1948. The closure ofthe Willamette Valley may have been acontributing cause of the reduction ofpheasant numbers in these counties be-cause they were the most popular andaccessible to hunters residing in the Wil-lamette Valley.

Although the state-wide average den-sity of pheasants was slightly higher inthe spring of 1948 than at any time since1945, game birds must be managed as anannual crop because, if more than the cur-rent year's production is harvested, therewill be less breeding stock for the follow-ing year.

To obtain a measure of the current cropall game agents conducted a brood countduring the 10 days immediately prior tothe July 9 meeting of the Commission.During this period a total of 543 henswere observed, only 292 or 53 per cent ofwhich had broods. The average size ofbroods was 6.04 chicks per brood or 3.25chicks per hen. Highest success was ob-served in southwestern Oregon where 82per cent of the hens had broods by July6, averaging 7.3 chicks per brood or 6,1chicks per hen, and a fair crop was in-dicated in the Willamette Valley where60 per cent of 107 hens observed hadbroods, averaging 6 chicks per brood.Brood counts in late June and early Julyindicated that 48 per cent of the hens hadbroods averaging 5.6 chicks per brood or2.3 chicks per hen in eastern Oregoncounties.

In view of these measurements indicat-ing a poor upland game crop in mostcounties, the Commission tentatively es-tablished a three day season with a seasonbag limit of 2 cocks and 10 valley quail.

During the two weeks interim betweenthe issuance of tentative regulations andadoption of final hunting laws for the 1948season, more complete brood counts wereobtained as forage and cereal crops wereharvested. The state-wide averages thenshowed that 65 per cent of the hens hadbroods averaging 5.7 chicks each, withthe greatest change in eastern Oregoncounties where broods were hatched dur-

ing the first two weeks of July.With this encouraging information the

Commission extended the season to fivedays and increased the pheasant bag limitto 2 cocks per day or 4 in the season, andmade the valley quail season concurrentwith a bag limit of 5 and possession limitof 10 in some counties.

Valley quail broods did not begin hatch-ing in numbers until after July 1. Theprospects for their survival appears goodat the present time.

At the time the tentative regulationswere established on July 10, prospects fora pheasant crop did not appear favorablein Malheur county as only 30 per cent ofthe hens observed had broods and thechick-hen ratio was 1.9 to 1. However,after the harvest of crops in early July,measurement indicated a crop equal tothat of 1947 (3.9 chicks per hen). Withthis information, the Commission auth-orized a five-day extension of the seasonin that area and provided for facilitiesto tag all pheasants to be transportedfrom Malheur county into or throughclosed areas.

With nearly all of the available pheas-ant habitat in the state open for huntingfor a five-day period this fall, nearlyeveryone should have an opportunity tohave at least one good hunt; if the cocklaw is respected, the carry-over of maturebirds should be ample to provide breedingstock for the 1949 season.

The Summer Lake Pheasant Study isbeing continued for the third year, witha special season provided to harvest asmany as possible of the marked pheasantsreleased on this isolated area. The objec-tive of this year's study is to determinethe survival of young pheasants rearedon the area as compared with previouslyreleased pheasants reared on game farms.

Migratory Game BirdsThe seasons and other regulations for

waterfowl and other migratory birds are,as usual, determined by the federal gov-ernment. However, in order to give eachsection of the state as much shooting aspossible, the Commission recommendedtwo split seasons for Oregon, one startingthe latter part of October and the otherin December. The same seasons and baglimits for doves and band-tailed pigeonswere recommended as were in effect lastyear, except that dove hunting will bepermitted in the following counties only:Harney, Lake, Deschutes, Wheeler, Crook,Jackson and Josephine.

Furbearing AnimalsNo changes were made in the regula-

tions affecting furbearing animals. Withcertain exceptions, most state refuges andclosed areas will be open to the trappingonly of furbearers and predators duringthe period November 15 to February 15.

Taking of raccoon will be allowed theyear around under special permit issuedon basis of damage.

Gun RegulationsVirtually the same gun regulations ex-

ist as were in effect last year. An import-ant addition is the regulation prohibiting

1948 Hunting Regulations(Continued from Page 4)

posted road to Bear Wallow Guard Station:thence west along the Yellow Jacket road tojunction with U. S. Highway No. 395, at a point2 miles south of Battle Mountain State Park ;thence south along Highway No. 395 to Ukiahjunction and east along the main traveled roadto Ukiah, the point of beginning.

FORBEARING ANIMALSMink, Muskrat, Otter and Raccoon: Open

season, November 15, 1948, to February 15,1949.

Marten, Fisher, Beaver and Ringtail Cat:Closed season entire year.

State refuges and closed areas will be opento trapping of furbearing and predatory ani-mals during November 15 to February 15, in-clusive, except the following areas are closedto all trapping the entire year: Summer LakeManagement area, Sturgeon Lake game ye-serve, Whitetail Deer Refuge, and all city andmunicipal watersheds now in refuges.

CLOSED AREASThe following areas are closed to all hunting

except as otherwise specified:Naval Blimp Base, Tillamook county.Camp Adair Area, Benton county.Game Commission owned lands on Sauvies

Island.That part of the property of the Chewaucan

Land and Cattle Company of Lake county inthe upper and lower Chewaucan marshes, ex-cept portions of the upper Chewaucan marshoperated as a public shooting ground by theGame Commission.

Certain portions of the Summer Lake GameManagement Area in Lake county.

Onion Peak AreaClatsop and TillamookCounties: Same area closed as last year.

Provided that the area shall be open topigeon hunting during the season.

Ecola Park AreaClatsop County: Beginningat the town of Cannon Beach; thence north andeast along U. S. Highway 101 to the CannonBeach junction; thence north along U. S. High-way 101 to Seaside; thence south along thePacific Coast line to Cannon Beach, the pointof beginning.

Santiam AreaMarion County: Same areaclosed as last year.

Molalla AreaClackamas County: Beginningat the Molalla River bridge at Shady Dell;thence south along the county road to DickeyPrairie; thence south and east along countyroad to its junction with Crown-Zellerbach No.100 road; thence east along the No. 100 road toits junction with the U. S. Forest Service Tim-othy Patch road; thence south and east alongthe Timothy Patch road to its junction withthe Range line between Ranges 4 east and 5east; thence south along the Range line to itsjunction with the South Fork of the MolallaRiver; thence west along the South Fork of theMolalla River to its confluence with the TableRock Fork of the Molalla River ; thence northand west along the main Molalla River to thebridge at Shady Dell, the point of beginning.

Tillamook BurnTillamook County: The fol-lowing described portion of the 1945 TillamookBurn area closed to hunting: Beginning at theGlenwood Junction on the Wilson River High-way No. 6; thence north along the Timber roadto Timber ; thence west along the posted roadto Cochran; thence west along the SouthernPacific railroad to Belding ; thence south andwest along the Brix logging road to its junc-tion with the Standard logging road near BlueLake; thence east along the Standard loggingroad to its junction with the Story Burn road ;thence south and east along the Story Burnroad to its junction with the Wilson RiverHighway No. 6 at Owl Camp; thence north

the use of pistols or revolvers to hunt orkill any big game or game birds. (NOTE:See Page 3 for story on gun regulationsproposed for some future season.,)

Oregon State GameCommission Bulletin

1634 S. W. ALDER STREETP. O. BOX 4136

PORTLAND 8. OREGON

1948 Hunting Regulations(Continued from Page 7)

and east along the Wilson River Highway tothe Glenwood Junction, the point of beginning.

Wanoga Butte Area Deschutes County:(This area closed to deer hunting only). Be-ginning at the junction of the Wanoga Butteroad with North Century Drive; thence south-easterly along the Wanoga Butte road to itsjunction with South Century Drive; thencenortheasterly along the South Century Driveto Harper Bridge on the Deschutes River;thence northerly along the Deschutes River toits junction with the Lava Island road; thencenorthwesterly along the Lava Island road toits junction with North Century Drive at apoint approximately 6 miles southwest ofBend; thence west along North Century Driveto the Wanoga Butte road, the point of begin-ning.

McKay Creek AreaCrook County: (Thisarea closed to deer hunting only). Same aslast year.

ALSO ALL STATE AND FEDERAL PARKSAND REFUGES ARE CLOSED TO ALLHUNTING, except those specifically opened tohunting as hereinafter listed.

GAME REFUGES OPEN TO HUNTINGThe following game reserves will be open to

hunting during the regular open seasons forgame birds and game animals except as other-wise specified:

SALT CREEK, GRASS MOUNTAIN, MYR-TLE PARK, STEENS MOUNTAIN, COWCREEK, MULE DEER, THREE SISTERS,MT. EMILY Game Refuge, WARNER GameRefuge outside the Federal Hart MountainReserve, and the following portions of otherState refuges:

All of Canyon Creek game refuge; provided,however, that the open season for deer of eithersex is from September 18 to October 20 inclu-sive, and hunting is restricted to the use of thelong bow and barbless broad arrow in a spe-cified section.

That part of the Oregon Caves refuge out-side the Lake and Cave Creek drainages, whichincludes the Oregon Caves Monument and isbounded by summits on the north, east, andsouth.

The Wallowa Mountain refuge which will beopen to hunting of migratory waterfowl onlyduring the regular open season therefor.

That poition of the Deschutes Game reser-vation lying south of the posted Stage Roadfrom Shevlin's Camp on Fremont Highway No.31, to the Cabin Lake Ranger Station shall beopen during regular season.

. The Ochoco refuge with the exception of thenorthwest corner, bounded on the south by theGerow Butte road and on the east by the Look-out Mountain road as posted.

GUN REGULATIONSIT IS UNLAWFUL:

To use .22 rim fire shells to hunt or kill anygame birds or big game.

To use shotguns loaded with buck or birdshot to hunt or kill any big game.

To use rifles to hunt or kill any migratoryor upland game birds.

To use shotguns capable of holding morethan three shells to hunt or kill any migratoryor upland game birds.

To use pistols or revolvers to hunt or killany big game or game birds.

To use any shotgun larger than 10 gauge tohunt or kill any game birds or animals.

To use any foreign or domestic semi-auto-matic military rifles, M-1 Military carbine, ormachine guns to hunt or kill any wild birds oranimals.

To use any full metal-jacketed, solid-nosedbullet to hunt or kill any big game.

To hunt or kill elk by means of guns smallerthan .30 caliber except when using cartridgeswith bullets that either have not less than 1400foot-pounds energy at 100 yards distance orweigh not less than 150 grains. Provided, longbows and barbless broadhead hunting arrowsmay be used.

TAGGING REGULATIONSAll game animals and birds taken during

special seasons must be tagged with a metalseal of the Game Commission.

All big game animals and birds in possessionin the field or forest or in transit more than 48hours after the close of the open season forsuch animals or birds must be tagged with themetal seal of the Game Commission.

Any portion of legally taken big game ani-mals or game birds in possession of other thanthe person who killed same must be taggedwith a metal seal provided by the Game Com-mission.

All big game animals or birds or portionsthereof shipped by common carrier must betagged with a metal seal provided by the GameCommission.

The counterfeiting or imitation of such tagor seal is hereby declared unlawful.

All pheasants transported into a closed areaor an area of lesser bag limit must be taggedin the county where legally taken.

Metal seals will be available without chargeat all State Police Patrol offices and GameCommission stations. During the pheasant sea-son special tagging stations will be operatedfrom 1 P. M. to 9 P. M. daily at Ontario, Valeand Nyssa in Malheur county.

Applications for SpecialElk and Deer Tags

Application for special deer and elktags may be made by obtaining a formfrom any license agent or the office ofthe Oregon State Game Commission,1634 S. W. Alder Street, P. 0. Box 4136,Portland 8; or by forwarding name, ad-dress and name of area for which tag isdesired.

While application may be made formore than one area, only one special biggame tag can be issued to any one per-son. Parties of not more than four per-sons may apply as a unit, provided thateach member of the party signs the ap-plication.

NO MONEY IS TO BE FORWARDEDWITH APPLICATION. If an applicantis notified that he can have a tag, hethen must forward the fee, his personal

description and number of and type of1948 hunting license.

To be included in the drawings (heldonly if the number of applications exceedthe number of tags authorized) appli-cations must be in the Game Commissionoffice by 5 P. M. on the date specifiedbelow for each of the special areas:

August 13Ten Mile Lake Elk Area.August 13Crooked Creek Deer Area.October 1Chesnimnus Elk Area.October 27Dora Elk Area.October 27Baker Elk Area.November 12Ukiah-Birch Elk Area.November 12Silver Lake Deer Area.For information as to season dates,

open area and number of tags see "1948Hunting Regulations," on Page 4.

Commission Considers

(Continued from Page 3)rifles with a caliber designation of lessthan .23 inch, and the following listed cal-ibers, are among those which may not beused for hunting deer:

25-20 38-5532-20 38-5632 Winchester S. L. 40-6532-40 40-8235 Winchester S. L. 41 Swiss38-40 44-40

Lawful rifle calibers for the taking ofantelope and/or elk should be those (a)with a caliber designation of .25 inch orlarger, and (b) developing 1375 footpounds; a caliber designation of less than.25 inch, and the following listed calibers,are among those which may not be usedfor hunting antelope and/or elk:25-20 38-5525-35 38-5625 Remington 38-736.5 m/m Mannlicher-

Schoenauer 40-65303 Savage 40-8232-20 401 Winchester S. L.32-40 41 Swiss32 Winchester S. L. 44-4035 Winchester S. L. 45-70351 Winchester S. L. 45-9038-40

It is again emphasized that these arerecommended gun regulations merelyunder consideration at this time and arenot in effect this season.