OREGON STATE GAME COMMISSION ULLETIN SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1964 OREGON STATE Bird Hunting Prospects GAME COMMISSION Bird hunters may expect a good sea- change evident in Malheur County. Adult son although production generally is be- birds make up a large percentage of the low that of 1958 and 1963. The prospects population in all areas this year. in eastern Oregon this spring were dim A good hatch of pheasants was pro- ULLETIN duetodry conditions on the lower duced in the Willamette Valley and in ranges but June rains improved the out- Malheur County. Umatilla County also look and some late nesting occurred, par- appears fair but elsewhere production is ticularly in the case of valley quail and below the bumper crop available last September-October 1964 chukars. year. Morrow County is particularly poor. Number 5, Volume 19 Commission biologists completed in- Although good habitat is limited, the tensive brood counts during the period grain and diversified farming sections from July 27 through August 14. Results of the Willamette Valley should offer Published Bimonthly by the of these studies, along with the stated some of the best hunting in the state. OREGON STATE GAME COMMISSION desires of landowners and the hunting 1634 S.W. Alder StreetP.O. Box 3503 Stay clear of the rye grass areas since Portland, Oregon 97208 public, served as the basis for the regula- these are unproductive. tions adopted at the August 21 hearing. MEMBERS OF COMMISSION This should be another good year for Tallant Greenough, Chairman Coquille Following is a brief run-down on what Joseph W. Smith, Vice-Chairman_Klamath Falls valley quail and the extended season John P. Amacher Winchester may be expected this fall. through December will offer unlimited Wayne E. Phillips Baker J. Pat Metke Bend Upland Game opportunities for the shotgun enthusiast P. W. SCHNEIDER, Director interestedinsport.Wasco,Umatilla, MIRIAM KAUTTU SUHL, Editor Dove and pigeon seasons open Sep- Grant, Lake, and Malheur Counties look H. C. SMITH, Staff Artist tember 1 and extend through the month. like the best bets. Mountain quail produc- Second-classpostagepaidatPortland, A good supply of both species is avail- Oregon. tion is similar to last year although the Please report promptly any change of ad- able and should offer excellent sport birds are widely scattered and much of dress. Send in address label from a recent for the shotgun enthusiast. Doves in issue with notice of change. Bulletin is circu- the range is inaccessible. lated free of charge. particular are numerous and the daily bag limit has been increased from 10 to The outlook for chukars does not 12 in order to crop the surplus of birds. compare with last year. There was a good Hunting success will depend on weather carry-over of adult birds from 1963 but The Cover the cold, dry spring resulted in poor Cock of the Walk. (Photo by Ron Shay ) conditions before the season since rains or a cold spell will encourage doves to productionthisyear. June rainsen- move southward. Hot spots at the first couraged some late nesting. In view of poor production and late broods, the BULLETIN of the season are expected to include grasslands and stubble fields in central Septemberseasonincludesonlythe HUNTER SAFETY and northeastern Oregon. Good hunting Labor Day week end followed by a sec- TRAINING PROGRAM also is anticipated along the river bars ond opening with deer season on Octo- and in harvested grain fields in western ber 3rd. This will provide some early Instructors Approved Oregon. Water holes in southeastern Ore- recreationbuthuntersshouldselect Month of June 10 gon offer excellent shooting later as the adult birds which represent a large part Month of July 15 birds begin to migrate. of the population. The season will close with waterfowl hunting on January 7 Total to Date 3,193 Band-tailed pigeon hunting is fairly well confined to the vicinity of mineral to provide as much recreation as possible. Students Trained springs and tidal mud flats areas. Con- Brood production varies considerably Month of June 406 centrations of birds around such areas between areas. The best opportunities Month of July 363 depend on weather, and a warm spell appear to include the entire Snake and Malheur River drainages and the upper Total to Date 68,389 immediately prior to the season will re- sult in heavy use. Excellent hunting is John Day River system. Production is Firearms Accidents Reported 1964 available at times along the Coast Range poor in the Steens Mountains, lower John Fatal 0 and the west slope of the Cascades as Day, and Deschutes areas which have been popular in the past. Adult birds, Nonfatal 13 migrant flocks feed southward through cut and burned over areas which produce wise to the ways of hunters, make up a huckleberriesandotherfruits.Few large percentage of the chukar popula- tion this year which will reduce success. BIG GAME SEASONS hunters have taken advantage of these opportunities in the past. Little change is evident in Hungarian Oct. 3.25General deer season. Short September seasons are sched- (Continued on Page 8) Oct. 17-25Deer unit permit hunts. uled this year for grouse. Numbers con- tinue to fluctuate irrespective of hunting Oct. 31-Nov. 22Roosevelt Elk W. Ore. and it is felt that some recreation can be GAME BULLETIN provided despite the limited supply of PUBLISHED BIMONTHLY Oct. 31-Nov. 29Rocky Mt. Elk E. Ore. birds. The best prospects for blue and The Game Commission Bulletin is be- Nov. 14-29Elk permit hunts N.E. Ore. ruffed grouse appear to be in Wallowa County and along the west slope of the ing issued every other month instead NOTE: Check official synopsis of big game of monthly because of lacks of funds. regulations for detailed information on sea- Cascades. Sage grouse production is down sons, limits, and open areas. in Lake and Harney Counties with little Page 2 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER PRINCIPLES OF UPLAND BIRD MANAGEMENT 1111 /911111111 4,00 I 40, By R. U. Mace, Chief Biologist, Upland Game IN 1963, approximately 100,000 Oregon agement. We will evaluate the current the Willamette Valley, Columbia Basin, hunters spent 818,000 days afield in the upland game management program and and Malheur County. process of bagging 1,285,000 upland game offer some predictions as to the future. Hungarian partridge from the plains birds. For simplicity, the following dis- Such an evaluation must include an in- of central Europe were first introduced cussion will be limited to the resident ventory of what is available, how the in 1900 and have become established on species of pheasants, quail, partridge, and supply can be increased, and what bene- the rolling grasslands and wheat fields grouse, although migratory doves and fits the public can expect. of northeastern Oregon. Releases of pigeons also are classed as upland game. Inventory chukar partridge, a native of India, were The pioneers who settled the Oregon Currently, Oregon supports 12 forms started in 1951 and have resulted in phe- country were familiar only with grouse of resident upland game. The ring-necked nomenal success throughout the steep, and quail, the remaining species being in- pheasant was introduced from China in rocky areas of eastern Oregon. The De- troduced at a later date. Such introduc- 1881 and remains the most important schutes, John Day, Snake, and Malheur tions continue to be made today in an from the standpoint of hunting. Pheasants River drainages support sizable popula- attempt to establish populations of value are confined primarily to agricultural tions and hunting has been permitted for hunting. areas. Grain is almost a "must" for these since 1956. The importance of upland game was birds and the riche], .ne land, the more Five species of grouse are native to recognized as early as 1872, the date of numerous the pheasants. Oregon. Since these birds are scattered Oregon's first game law which prohibited Three species of quail are present. and fluctuate in abundance, grouse hunt- hunting during the nesting season. Closed Valley quail originally were found only ing is not of major importance. Blue and seasons and bag limits became more re- in southern Oregon but have since been ruffed grouse occupy the mountainous strictive during the early 1900s and such transplanted to much of the farmland areas of the state, ranging into the brushy restrictions,along with stocking pro- and range areas of the state. Mountain foothills and valleyedges.Franklin's grams, were the major forms of manage- quail were native to timbered areas and grouse, or "fool hens," are confined to ment practiced until recent times. distribution has changed little with the the higher areas of the Wallowa Moun- Times and values change, and today passing years. Bobwhites were introduced tains. A remnant of sharp-tailed grouse the interest and demands of the hunting from the Midwest as early as 1879 but exists in Baker County, while sage grouse public require refined and orderly man- persist today only in limited numbers in (Continued on Page 4) GAME BULLETIN Page 3 Principles of Upland Bird Management (Continued from Page 3) occupy the sagebrush areas of southeast- ern Oregon. Wild turkeys are the most recent game birds to be introduced successfully. Planting turkeys from game farms dates back to 1899 but such efforts failed to establish wild flocks. Birds were trapped from the wild in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico in 1961 and released in Was- co, Jefferson, and Wallowa Counties. Re- sults to date have been encouraging. The above review of upland game birds in Oregon reveals that nearly every portion of the state supports one or more forms. One of the Game Commission's most important jobs in managing these resources is acquiring up-to-date knowl- edge on what we have.