[ODFW-News] ODFW News: ODFW Publishes 2002 Fall Hunting Forecast

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife =09
Contact: 	Anne Pressentin Young (503) 872-5264 x5356=09
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us  Fax: (503) 872-5700
=09
For Immediate Release	August 29, 2002
ODFW Publishes 2002 Fall Hunting Forecast

PORTLAND - The annual fall hunting forecast prepared by the Oregon =
Department of Fish and Wildlife predicts that hunters will have good =
upland bird and elk hunting opportunities. Deer hunters, however, may find =
hunting more difficult in many areas this year.=20

The forecast will be posted to the ODFW website at: http://www.dfw.state.or=
.us/public/NewsArc/2002News/2002News.html . Readers may also request an =
electronic or printed version by calling (503) 872-5264 ext. 5528.

The annual fall hunting forecast provides reports from each wildlife =
district on big game and bird hunting opportunities. In addition, =
information is presented this year on wildlife disease tracking, hunting =
during fire season, and efforts to re-write deer and elk management =
plans.=20

A sampling of the stories included in the forecast follows here:

ODFW Asks Hunters to Help with Disease Research
Hunter help is needed this fall to gather up to 500 biological samples =
from mule deer and elk as part of a disease surveillance effort. =20

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) biologists will need the =
trachea, heart, and lungs for tuberculosis (TB) testing and a small =
section from the base of the brain stem for chronic wasting disease (CWD) =
testing. The sample collection will not harm taxidermy mounts or game meat =
processing.

Deer and elk hunters in some Northside and Heppner unit hunts will receive =
a letter asking them to bring samples to a collection site where ODFW =
staff will collect necessary samples. Throughout the rest of the state, =
hunters may be contacted in the field and asked to assist by providing =
samples. Biologists are asking hunters to make the harvested animal =
available for sample collection within 24 hours. The head, trachea, heart, =
and lungs should be kept cool and stored in a clean plastic bag to help =
maintain sample integrity.=20

Last November, bovine TB was confirmed in a single domestically raised elk =
at a ranch near Monument, Oregon. CWD has recently been identified in wild =
and privately held deer and elk in as many as eight states and two =
Canadian provinces. Due to the seriousness of these diseases, ODFW is =
monitoring for these diseases in Oregon's wild deer and elk. TB sampling =
will focus on the area around Monument. CWD sampling will occur statewide. =
=20

Hunters Leaving State to Hunt Must Follow New Rules
Oregonians who hunt deer, elk or moose in other states or countries may =
bring their game meat home, but they cannot import any part of the head or =
spinal column, according to new rules adopted to prevent the spread of =
chronic wasting disease.=20

The rules apply to all animals in the Cervidae or deer family, except =
reindeer. Caribou are the wild version of reindeer and also are not =
governed by the new rules. Affected species include, but are not limited =
to, mule deer, white tailed deer, black tailed deer, axis deer, fallow =
deer, sika deer, Roosevelt elk, Rocky Mountain elk and moose.=20

Hunters may bring harvested game into Oregon in one of the following =
forms:=20
=B7	Quarters or other cuts of meat with no part of the spinal column =
or head;
=B7	Cut and wrapped meat;
=B7	Boned out meat;
=B7	Clean skull plate with antlers attached;
=B7	Antlers with no tissue attached;
=B7	Hides with no head attached;
=B7	Finished taxidermy heads; and
=B7	Upper canine teeth (buglers, whistlers, ivories).

Hunters may bring untanned hides home for taxidermy in Oregon. Bucks and =
bulls must be "caped," and the antlers and skull plate must be cleaned =
before coming into Oregon.=20

Public Input Sought on Oregon's Deer and Elk Management
State wildlife officials are looking for public input through October to =
update existing mule deer and elk plans, and to develop management =
strategies for black-tailed deer. The final plans will guide deer and elk =
management for the next 10 years in Oregon. =20

The draft plans identify concerns and strategies to address:
=B7	Loss of deer and elk habitat;=20
=B7	Relations with private landowners;
=B7	Access to hunting lands;
=B7	Damage to agricultural crops;
=B7	Population size in some areas (too big or too small);
=B7	Predation and competition;
=B7	Hunting methods (e.g., bow, rifle) and hunter crowding;
=B7	Off-road vehicle use;
=B7	Disease;
=B7	Cervid ranching operations;
=B7	Scientific methods to inventory populations;
=B7	Enforcement; and
=B7	Hunter management and ethics.

Biologists from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife worked for =
several months with three working groups composed of wildlife conservation =
organizations, sportsmen groups, tribes, land management agencies and =
other constituents to update current population data and identify concerns =
with management of mule deer, black-tailed deer, Rocky Mountain elk and =
Roosevelt elk. =20

Copies of each plan may be found on the ODFW Web site at: http://www.dfw.st=
ate.or.us/ODFWhtml/InfoCntrWild/draft_deer_elk.html . Draft plans also may =
be obtained by calling (503) 872-5260.


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