Spacemen Become Woodsmen
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Spacem.en becoine Woodsm.en Four astronauts pursue the wily 'Wapiti on the Millicoma Tree Farm Ouie Coleman outlines the first day's hunt on Friday night by the light of a gas lantern in one of the camp tents. Rocks rattled in the clearing be rifle, trying to "put horns" on at ELK WERE EDGY low, and everyone's pulse jumped. least one of the animals. The rattle of rocks grew louder Stu Roosa and Ovie Coleman, For just because it was legal as the herd, seeming to sense it was rifles ready, tip-toed carefully to shooting time on the opening day of being observed, started moving to the edge of the steep bank and elk season that didn't mean there ward a stand of old-growth timber searched the brush in a clearing was enough light to see. nearby. below for what had to be elk on the T ents on an oW landing were home for three days. In the picture on the move. right, Harry Morgan (left) , senior vice president- wood products, and Coos The sky was overcast, and it was Bay area manager Oscar W eed laugh at one of many camp jokes. still so dark one would have had trouble reading. Fog drifted back and forth through the valley, fur ther obscuring sight. Then the fog parted briefly and they could be seen, a herd of eight or 10 elk, their brown sides visible against the surrounding brush. Stu, one of America's astronauts, whose eyesight is superior to most, put his binoculars to his eyes but even with those, it was impossible to see if any of the animals had antlers. Ovie, logging foreman for Weyerhaeuser at Coos Bay, and a long-time elk hunter, peered in tently through the scope of his 4 Merlin Freeman ( by pickup) slips a clip into his rifle as one part of the group gets ready to head into the woods. Others ( left to right) are Charlie Duke, Rex Allison and Gordon Cooper. Without a word, Stu and Ovie light of dawn in the Western Ore disappeared into the timber. The slipped over the side of the steep, gon brush is not easy, for the season was only minutes old and wooded hillside into the thick brush ground is covered with twigs and the hunt was a success. in an attempt to get closer for a branches. It's also easy to slip and For with 210,000 acres of the better look. slide noisily or kick loose a rock as Millicoma Tree Farm being combed Trying to keep quiet in the dim the elk were doing. thoroughly by something like 5,000 hunters, any hunting party consid STALK CONTINUES ers the trip a success if only one Ovie and Stu continued stalking member brings down an elk. the herd, which was getting more As they moved through the brush restless with each passing moment. to their prize, Stu remarked, "This There's a lot of blind luck in an is amazing. Shooting an elk before elk hunt. If the animals zig one daylight. I just can't get over it." way, the man on the left gets the P ART Y S U CCESSF UL shot; if they move the other way, a hunter on the right gets the good But this hunting party was to be view. As luck would have it, when even more of a success- in every the elk were only a few steps from thing that makes hunting one of the the tall timber, they took the turn toughest yet most satisfying sports. which put them in front of Ovie The party itself centered around and at the same time he saw the four of America's astronauts, who spike. had been invited to the Coos Bay area by two Coos Bay businessmen. OVIE BAGS ELK The astronauts, in addition to Stu "I knew Stu couldn't get a Roosa, were Charlie Duke, Joe shot," Ovie said. H e fired and down Engle and Gordon Cooper. the elk went as the rest of the herd Gordon has been out into space Weyerhaeuser Magazine/ December Several of the group examine a herd of elk on a distant hillside looking for a bull. Left to right, Charli.e Duke, Merlin Freeman, Rex Alli son and Gordon Cooper. local 3-261 of the International Woodworkers of America; and Rex Allison, forest engineer. ELK HUNTERS ARE AVID Elk hunting is a rugged sport. The hunting conditions, the diffi culty of outsmarting an elk in its own habitat, plus the value of the prize when the hunter wins, are some of the things that make elk hunters so rabid about their sport. "This is one thing that made us all so excited about taking some of the astronauts out," said Rex Alli twice, piloting MA-9 spacecraft on acquaintance of several of these son. "Elk hunting is a tremendous a 22-orbit mission in 1963 and was younger men who were so much challenge. It's the type of thing command pilot for Gemini V in like them in their outlook on life. that men such as the astronauts 1965. This was followed by the Coos would take on." Stu, J oe and Cha rlie were amon g Bay businessmen taking the astro the 19 astronauts selected by NASA nau ls on waterfowl hunts in the OVIE ORGANIZED HUNT in April, 1966. Klamath Falls, Ore., a rea, a hunt in Ovie was given the job of organ CURRENT MISSION - ELK Eastern Oregon, and finally the izing the hunt. expedition after elk on the Milli "Now there's a five-point bull up To them, just about the greatest coma Tree Fa rm. this draw," Ovie had said Friday thing in the world will be the day night as several of the group when they blast off on one of this SPECIAL CAPE GUEST gathered around one of the com country's missions into space. But Just prior to the hunt, Bob had pany's hunter maps by the light of for three days on the company's returned from Cape K ennedy, the gasoline lantern. Millicoma Tree Farm, the big sub where he had been a guest at this "There's a herd of about a dozen ject was elk and how to get a shot coun try's latest space shot. The with two spike bulls over here," at one. letter inviting him to the Cape was he said, making a series of circles, The C'oos Bay businessmen who sign ed by Wally chirra, Walter lines and dots on the map. set up the trip were Bob P erkins Cunningham and D on Eisele. and Phil Waters. Bob owns the ELK WERE LOCATED Since Weyerhaeuser's Millicoma Timber Inn R estaurant and Phil Tree Farm has one of the largest As logging foreman, he travels owns radio station KYNG. The two herds of Roosevelt elk on the Pa the roads of the tree farm every have several things in common, in cific Coast, it was natural for the day. In anticipation of the hunt, he cluding a great curiosity about the two businessmen to con tact the had made special notes where elk world and a tremendous zest for company. had been seen. living. "During the year, the elk get so Several years ago when a number GUIDES SECURED used to the logging trucks they of the astronauts were going through don't even look up when one goes Area ma na~er Oscar Weed work simulated moon scape walking on by," Ovie said. ing with area woods manager Jack some rugged lava beds in Central So all hands paid close attention Wolff handled the job of getting Oregon, Bob and Phil decided to go to the battle plans, for the entire four "guides" or partners to go over and see what was happening. tree farm is open each year to the along. public; and come shooting hours in SIMILAR PERSONALITIES Each partner-guide was an ex the morning, they knew competi perienced elk hunter and even more This same curiosity, a zest for tion would be intense. living and the desire and willing important, knew the Millicoma ness to take on the toughest of jobs about as well as his own back yard. ASTRONAUTS HAD are part of the basic makeup of the In addition to Ovie Coleman, COMPETITION type who become astronauts. So it they were John Eggers, woods Nor did the astronauts and their wasn't a bit surprising that before safety engineer; M erlin Freeman, a four partner-guides have too big a long Bob and Phil had made the shovel loader and also president of jump on many of the 5,000 other 6 hunters who would be out on the LOTS OF LAUGHS living down his timing after Satur tree farm come opening morning. Harry responded with his own day morning when he roused every For a hundred or more were Wey share of stories and friendly insults one out at 3:30 a.m., since no one erhaeuser woods employes on the as laughter boomed out across the left camp until 6. Millicoma who also knew where hills from the old logging landing The shock of the early reveille many of the elk were. where camp was set up. Charlie was eased as soon as anyone The group left camp at six a.m. Bingham, manager of areas, took stepped into the cook tent. There in pitch black darkness and drove his share of abuse and countered in was a choice of several kinds of carefully to the area where the hunt kind.