Shane Ullrich
As we embarked on our adventure of Labor Day camping, our reservations made and Suburban packed, we left a day early to get a jump on traffic. We traveled at night with kids to make things easier but still got a few “are we there yet?” from the back seat. We arrived at our camping destination, Winchester Bay, finally at midnight, got set up and we were officially camping.
With a weekend of events planned, it seemed that time was the most precious. I planned on getting some good riding done but several things kept us to just a little bit of riding. We did do some crabbing off the pier – only caught three keepers though. Also threw in a hook for some coastal salmon fishing but no luck there. By Monday the rescue vehicles stopped going out to the dunes about every hour so we did most of our riding after everyone else went home. All in all, we had a great time.
A camping trip with your kids is something that once its here its history. A camping trip is a story that gets told again and again but for me there’s one other thing that is special about it. It’s like stepping into a time wormhole because five days of camping seems to fly by so fast that you almost get confused about where the time went. In the end all you can remember are the stories your kids tell you about what was the best.
On our way home from camping I realized that through our wormhole in time of us leaving a day early to beat traffic we had caught right back up with it coming home. Once relieved by finally getting back home comes the unpacking. That’s when the real mind-puzzler hits you. For “vacation” you’ve worked at loading and unloading, packing and unpacking, getting dirty and cleaning up. Do you ever feel like you need a vacation after your “vacation?” If there was just a way to slow down the clock!
I highly recommend everyone to take a trip to visit Winchester Bay. The people are the friendliest around and there is plenty to do for everyone of all ages. From riding on the sand dunes or exploring the beach to fishing, crabbing, diving, or shopping. We had a great time and can’t wait to get back over and hit “Banshee Hill” on the quads again.
Labor Day weekend is a very eventful weekend for most but it also is a turning point or change of seasons if you will. The end of summer and beginning of fall. Kids go back to school and the retired head south to their winter homes. For some of us men it’s the signal of “Man Season.” With chilly nights and hot days football and hunting seasons begin. Outings that get you out in the frosty mornings or in the chilly evenings remind you that it is still O.K. to be outdoors with the change of weather, you just have to “man up” about it!
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Remember, if you’re fortunate (or skilled) and get a nice deer or elk (bear/antelope/turkey/etc.) or a great fish, we’d like a photo to share with other readers. If you’ve got something to share, send it to us at [email protected] or P.O. Box 39, Sweet Home, OR 97386 or drop it off at The New Era, 1313 Main St. Although we can usually give photos back, it is wise not to give us something that’s irreplaceable. We’ll run as many as we can and if you don’t see any on today’s page, either nobody’s getting anything out there in the smoke or we’re waiting for photos!
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Here’s some of the outdoor news from around the state.
The Albany Chapter, Association of Northwest Steelheaders, will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. tonight, Sept. 6, at the Albany Senior Center. As usual the public is invited to attend.
The program this month will be a presentation by Wayne Parker from Salem. Wayne’s company, Good Day Fishing, manufacturers a line of salmon spinners that are really producing.
Reports from the Buoy 10 fishery are outstanding as well as reports from other river systems. There are a lot of salmon spinners out there but Wayne’s are really producing! If you fish for salmon with spinners then this is a don’t miss meeting!
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The Build Lebanon Trails (BLT) group will lead a public hike on the Gill’s Landing Loop Trail at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9.
The hike will begin at Gill’s Landing and proceed westward to proposed trails nos. 6 and 7, which connect Booth and Ralston Parks. The group will continue on to the Oak Street Pedway trail and Trail Numbe 8, which skirts Jaycee Park, and then return eastward to Gill’s Landing for a picnic.
The hike will showcase four of the 63 trail segments of the 45 miles of interconnected trails planned in Lebanon and will offer everyone a chance to experience some of the “in town” trails.
The group will meet promptly at 10 a.m. in the Gill’s Landing parking lot at 1400 East Grant Street. Plan to wear comfortable shoes and bring a sack lunch to enjoy at the end of the hike. Chilled water will be available for the hike, courtesy of Samaritan Health Services (SHS). The hike is expected to cover three miles, take roughly two hours and is rated as easy.
For more information, contact Nancy Kirks of Community Health Improvement Partnership (CHIP) at (541) 451-6425.
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State and federal fishery managers have expanded ocean salmon fishing north of Cape Falcon.
The area between Cape Falcon and Tillamook Head will open to the retention of chinook and adipose fin-clipped coho through Sept. 30 or when the 36,600 coho catch quota is filled.
“We reviewed the fishery performance to date and our conservation objectives and felt there was sufficient quota remaining to provide this opportunity” said Curt Melcher, Assistant Fish Division Administrator with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The season is open seven days a week with a two-fish-daily bag limit. All retained coho must have a healed adipose fin-clip and the minimum size is 24 inches for chinook and 16 inches for coho.
Additional information on ocean salmon fishing regulations can be found in the 2006 Oregon Ocean Salmon and Halibut Sport Fishing Regulation booklet. The red pamphlets are available at license agents and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife offices.
Information is also posted on the ODFW Web site at: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/salmon/
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Continued hot weather, dry forest conditions and concerns about availability of firefighting crews have prompted most western Oregon private forest landowners to close their lands as an added prevention measure against wildfires.
Nearly 4 million acres of private lands in the following counties are affected by the access closures: Coos, Curry, Josephine, Jackson, Douglas, Lane, Linn, Benton, Polk, Marion, Yamhill, Lincoln, Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, Washington and Clackamas counties.
“Limiting access has proven to be an effective prevention tool in reducing the number of fire starts during high fire danger,” said Mike Dykzeul of the Oregon Forest Industries Council (OFIC). “Damage from accidental or careless activities can have devastating effects on growing forests, clean air, clean water, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities – all important assets to Oregonians.”
The closure comes during a 2006 fire season that had seen 627 human-caused fires on state and private lands to-date, the highest on record since 1992, as of last week.
Forestland managers said the closures will remain in effect until western Oregon receives adequate rainfall to relieve the high fire danger risk. Unfortunately, any relief from spotty rains earlier in the week will be short-lived as forecasters expect Labor Day weekend temperatures in the 90s, along with east winds that will create exceptionally high fire danger over the holiday weekend.
The restrictions and closures affect many public activities including fishing, hiking, hunting, mountain biking and other traditional outdoor activities, “The restrictions are not intended to single out any one specific interest or activity,” Dykzeul noted. “They are general public closures designed to reduce the risks of resource damage. Additionally the high number of significant fires currently burning in Oregon and Washington have stretched firefighting resources thin across the region leaving any new starts potentially short for assistance.”
Ron Anglin, Wildlife Division Administrator with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, noted that many of these lands are typically open to hunters. “Landowners and hunters in these counties have enjoyed a long and positive relationship,” Anglin said. “In many cases hunter dollars have been invested to help to keep these lands open.” While similar closures in previous years have impacted some traditional hunting sites, hunters still have many access opportunities on forest service lands and, depending on the area, some private forest lands.
Information regarding current access status for industrial forestlands is coordinated by OFIC and posted on the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Web site at: http://oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/corporate_closure.shtml. Forest visitors should comply with any posted forest signs and call the local Department of Forestry office for specific current requirements and information before heading out to visit industrial forestlands. A list of those local offices is available at http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/offices.shtml.
Landowners currently restricting access include: Giustina Land & Timber, Giustina Resources, Seneca Jones Timber Company, Hancock Forest Management, Davidson Industries, Inc., Longview Fibre Company., Menasha Forest Products Corp., Swanson Group Inc., Stimson Lumber, Starker Forests, Green Diamond Resource Company, C & D Lumber Company, Silver Butte Timber Company, Plum Creek Timber Co., Moore Mill & Lumber Co., Forest Capital Partners LLC., and Weyerhaeuser Company.
For further information, call the Oregon Department of Forestry at (503) 945-7420, or the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at (503) 947-6400.
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State wildlife managers are reminding bow hunters to check with land managers for any fire closures or restrictions that could affect access.
Active fires burning in some areas, as well as high fire danger in other areas, has led to some road closures and other closures could be implemented with little warning.
Hunters and others planning trips into Oregon’s wild areas should be prepared to be flexible with their plans if they encounter access restrictions.
ODFW does not close hunting seasons due to fire danger. However, hunters may need to hunt in a different area if their favorite hunting spot is the site of an active fire or if a private landowner has closed access due to fire danger.
Specific information about restrictions can be found at the Oregon Department of Forestry’s web site listed above.
Hunters heading into remote areas, particularly in northeast Oregon, should also be on the lookout for wolves. Though none have been confirmed, several recent wolf reports have been investigated by state and federal wildlife managers. Any wolf sightings should be promptly reported to the nearest ODFW or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office.
Wolves are not currently established in Oregon but are expected to disperse into the state from Idaho. Wolves are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act, making them illegal to hunt. Hunters should be aware of how wolves differ from coyotes, which are legal to hunt.
Wolves weigh 70-100 pounds, stand 2.5 feet at the shoulder, have large and blocky snouts and muzzles, and short and rounded ears.
Coyotes weigh 25-30 pounds, stand 1.5 feet at shoulder, have long and pointed snouts and muzzles and long and pointed ears.
Shane Ullrich writes about the Outdoors every other week in The New Era. Contact him at The American Barbershop, 1121 Main St., or call him at 367-8086.