The Fish and Wildlife Commission met today in Florence and adopted 2016 big game hunting regulations.
Major changes for 2016 regulations are:
n Archery hunters may use lighted nocks which have no other function other than to increase visibility of the arrow and help hunters track wounded game.
nAn auction tag for Rocky Mountain goat will be available in 2016.
n A new Premium Hunt series will offer an opportunity to draw an additional deer, elk, or pronghorn tag with a longer season. These tags will be very limited but available in most areas. Tags will be allocated through the regular controlled hunt draw process but will not use preference points.
n 2016 regulations will define “drones” and prohibit their use for activities related to hunting, trapping, and fishing.
n General archery elk hunters will be able to take either sex in Desolation and Minam units. Saddle Mtn and Scappoose, Wilson archery elk bag limit will go to bull only for all hunters (including Disabled Permit holders).
The commission also discussed cougar target areas, where ODFW reduces the cougar population to reduce conflicts with livestock, public safety issues and impacts on ungulate populations (deer, elk, bighorn sheep). ODFW will begin cougar target areas in the East Umpqua and Interstate wildlife management units and continue target areas in Steens Mountain and Warner units in 2016.
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Foster Lake may be one of the better fishing spots in the Willamette Valley right now, since some 12,000 legal-sized hatchery trout have been stocked since the beginning of October –the most recent 7,000 just last week that were originally bound for Detroit.
Falling water levels will force fishermen to the banks, but access is much improved from the shore, so plan on some casting practice.
Smallmouth bass and yellow perch fishing is also very good at the moment. Best places for these fish are near underwater structure and drop-offs.
Water levels at Green Peter are also well below boat ramps, and expected to remain so until Dec. 1, but there are a lot of holdover trout in the lake.
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A 20-year-old climber from Bend was rescued Monday, Oct. 12, from Mt. Washington by Linn County searchers after spending the night in temperatures drobelow freezing, Sheriff Bruce Riley said.
On Sunday night, Oct. 11, at 11:23 p.m., the Deschutes County 9-1-1 center received a cell phone call from Sarah Ford reporting that she had been hit in the head by a falling rock while rappelling down from the 7,700 foot elevation level of Mt. Washington, on the Linn/ Deschutes County line.
The Deschutes County 9-1-1 center was able to capture Ford’s cell phone location accurate to within half a mile. Ford’s cell phone was at 1 percent battery charge when she called 9-1-1 and attempts to re-contact her by phone were unsuccessful.
The rescue information was relayed to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office 9-1-1 center just after midnight. Deputies, 14 LCSO Search and Rescue members, six members of the Corvallis Mountain Rescue Team and three LCSO Posse members responded to the area and searched throughout the night, locating Ford at 6:49 a.m. Monday morning.
Rescuers learned that Ford had been climbing alone and entered the Mt. Washington wilderness area from the Pacific Crest Trailhead on the Old Santiam Wagon Road at approximately 1 p.m. While rappelling from the summit at approximately 7:30 p.m., she was hit in the left temple with a falling rock. After she was struck, she fell approximately 15 feet and received a serious injury to her left knee.
Ford hiked approximately three quarters of a mile down to the 6,200 foot level and was unable to continue to walk any longer; she called 9-1-1 for help.
Due to the extent of her injuries and very remote rugged terrain, the Oregon Army National Guard flew a helicopter to Mt. Washington and was able to transport Ford to River Bend hospital in Springfield.