Shane Ullrich of The New Era
With a bad case of buck fever I headed out Friday morning before opening day to my favorite camp.
I arrived late afternoon and quickly began unloading my gear and setting up camp. I planned on just an overnight stay, so my Suburban and quad trailer became my “hunting cabin.”
I wasn’t planning on spending much time in camp anyways. Once I was set up, I headed out to scout the trails. Seeing very little sign, I started to get discouraged. Then just before dark I spotted two cow elk and the fever was re-ignited. I sneaked up to a clear spot and to take a stand. Once glassed over I saw only a doe and two yearlings. After a short bike ride back to camp I fired up my generator to get some power going so I could watch a hunting DVD on my 13-inch TV and plan my hunt for the next morning.
After dinner I met up with a buddy many of you might know as “Mountain Man” to talk about the spots the animals were in and decide where we wanted to hunt. Once the sun came out the next day, it got real hot – too hot for the deer to be very active.
Mountain Man mentioned helping his nephew, Chad VonCannon, do some bear hunting. I had deer fever real bad so I opted to continue on for a buck. After still seeing only does Sunday morning I thought I would go home emptyhanded this time around. Boy was I wrong!
Once I got back at camp there were Mountain Man and Chad, both with a grin 10 miles wide. I knew right away they got something.
Mountain Man said, “Yogi got into one of my picnic baskets today.”
Chad followed up with, “I got a bear from 400 yards away! The trusty 340 Weatherby does the trick.”
After hearing their story, here was the punch line: “We were wondering if you would help us pack it out.” I’ve been on a pack-out with Mountain Man before so I asked him how bad it was. Chad immediately replied, “I’m not gonna BS you. It’s gonna be a hard pack but three men will make it a lot easier than two.” I had to agree so I said I would help. We headed off to the stand from which he had shot. We looked off to the ridge across the canyon and Chad said, “It’s 400 yards across to the log with no bark. That’s where I shot him and he went into the canyon.”
We traveled up the road to where the ridge comes out and headed deep into the canyon. Once at the bottom, after a rapid descent, we spotted some blood. We started on the trail like hounds. After 100 yards, Mountain Man asked, “Did you bring your pistol Shane?” I checked my day pack only to discover it must still be in my bike bag. Mountain Man had forgotten his too.
Chad said, “Don’t worry, guys, I got a great shot on him. But just in case, get out your pocket knifes.”
I then realize there wasn’t much of my 5 P’s (Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance) involved today! After the first 100 yards, then 200 and 300 down the drainage, still tracking blood, I began to doubt Chad’s great shot. Then the blood finally ended at a pile of rocks. We cautiously looked around when Chad spotted the bear right behind him.
“He’s really big and he’s definitely dead!”
We skinned, cut, quartered and tagged the animal as quick as possible so we can begin the long pack back out. I looked at the terrain and recommended straight up to the road would be the shortest way. I tell you, it isn’t until you’re climbing the mountain on hands and knees that you realize 400 yards up hill is a mile with a heavy pack full of meat. With the last of daylight leaving the sky, we were escaping the confines of the canyon and heading back to camp.
My help was greatly appreciated and my efforts we paid off with a shoulder and back strap which I will share with my family and friends, most of whom have never had bear meat before. I didn’t come home with a buck but I didn’t come home empty handed either. It was an experience I will never forget.
All in all, opening weekend was a success. Congratulations to all the hunters who were able to fill their tags. For those of you like me who didn’t get lucky, get out there and get a big one!
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The regular monthly meeting of the Albany Chapter, Association of Northwest Steelheaders, will be held Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center. The meeting is open to the public and all interested people are encouraged to attend.
The program for the October meeting will be fishing guide Pat Abel from Beaverton. Abel has been guiding for over 27 years and fishes the ocean, North Coast streams as well as the Columbia and Willametter river systems for salmon, steelhead and sturgeon.
Abel has developed a new method of plug cutting herring that according to reports has been very successful. If you fish with herring then don’t miss this meeting.
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Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff began applying rotenone to Diamond Lake on Sept. 14 to kill the invasive tui chub that have drastically degraded water quality and destroyed one of the state’s most popular fisheries.
The tui chub, a species of minnow, are native to the Klamath Basin but not to Diamond Lake. They were likely brought to the lake by anglers as live bait, which is illegal in Oregon’s freshwater fisheries. Since the fish were discovered in the lake in the 1990s, they have rapidly proliferated, impacting water quality and upsetting the lake’s ecosystem.
“We are pleased to be actively working on restoring Diamond Lake’s water quality,” said Steve Denney, ODFW southwest regional manager. “It will take one or two days to get the rotenone into the lake. We have a well-trained crew on the ground and are confident the plan we have in place is 100 percent safe and effective.”
Rotenone, a plant substance, has been approved as a fish toxicant by the Environmental Protection Agency. At the concentrations used to kill fish, rotenone is not toxic to humans, other mammals and birds. It completely breaks down in the environment and will not be detectable within weeks of treatment.
“This is an important day for Oregonians. The recovery of Diamond Lake is good news for the boaters, anglers and vacationers who come to the lake year after year to enjoy the beauty of the area,” said state Rep. Susan Morgan. “It is also critically important to the economy of Douglas County.”
ODFW, Umpqua National Forest, Douglas County and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality conducted extensive public meetings and an environmental impact study before the current course of action was decided upon. It is supported by the Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation and numerous clubs, organizations, businesses and individuals.
In spring 2007, ODFW will stock Diamond Lake with about 75,000 catchable trout and 75,000 fingerlings.
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Not tired of salmon fishing yet? Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials have opened Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes south of Florence for wild coho salmon angling, possibly through Dec. 15.
Healthy populations in both lakes resulted in more abundant returns than necessary to sustain the populations. Biologists will monitor and evaluate the season along with spawning numbers to ensure that coho salmon recovery efforts are not compromised. Each year the coho return will be re-evaluated to determine if the run is strong enough to supply surplus fish for harvest.
The fishery provides anglers and local communities the opportunity to benefit from coho salmon recovery efforts implemented under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. The Oregon Plan, a volunteer-driven initiative, is committed to restoring native fish populations and developing healthy watersheds.
The waters of Siltcoos Lake open for coho angling are defined as that area upstream from the Highway 101 Bridge and downstream of the railroad trestle on the Maple Creek arm and the Fivemile Road crossing on the Fiddle Creek arm.
The waters of Tahkenitch Lake open for coho angling are defined as that area upstream from the Highway 101 Bridge and downstream of the first road crossing on the Leitel Creek arm and the ODFW Marker at the bridge on the 059 Road just west of Douglas County Road 49.
The daily bag limit is one adult coho salmon and one jack coho salmon. Anglers are limited to retaining five adult coho, in combination, from Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes during the season.
This year’s quota has been set at 400 fish for Siltcoos Lake and 200 fish for Tahkenitch Lake. The fishery for either lake will close before Dec. 15 if the specific lake quota is met.
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The 2007 Old Farmer’s Almanac, which has recenlty hit the bookstores, has a few whoppers to tell, and they’re all true.Learn about some real-life battles with monsters of the sea.
Here are some samples:
– The hardest record to beat: Because yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are so abundant in rivers, ponds, and lakes, they are one of the species most often caught in North America-especially by young anglers. It is somewhat ironic, then, that yellow perch is also the category for the longest-standing world record. In May 1865, Dr. C. Abbott landed a 4-pound, 3-ounce yellow perch in Bordentown, New Jersey. It has never been topped.
– The youngest record holder: David White landed the all-tackle record for sea-run rainbow trout (steelhead) on June 22, 1970, on Bell Island, Alaska. His fish weighed 42 pounds, 2 ounces. He was 8 years old.
– The lightest record: In December 2005, Dr. Mark Everard of Great Somerford, England, set the British record for catching the largest minnow. His 4-1/2-inch-long, 1/2-ounce monster bested the previous record holder by about 1/10 of an ounce.
Shane Ullrich writes every other week about the outdoors for The New Era. You can contact him at the American Barber Shop, 1121 Main St., in Sweet Home, or by calling 367-8086.