March 2016 - Oregon FNAWS

OREGON CHAPTER OF
FNAWS NEWSLETTER
1
www.OregonFNAWS.org
Volume 15
March 2016
Issue 4
President’s Message
Here we are- well into the new year already. At our winter board meeting on Jan. 9th we elected new board members
and officers. I would like to introduce Shane Byerly and Richard Weier as new board members. The new slate of officers are: Jane Hunts- secretary, Alan Day- treasurer, Walter Chuck- 2nd vice president, Dave Geelan- 1st vice president and myself- Larry Jacobs- president. George Houston is the immediate past president and certainly leaves some
mighty big shoes to fill. Thank You George for the tremendous amount of time you put into filling the office of president
the last 2 years.
OR-FNAWS manned a booth at the WSF convention in Reno in Jan. and at the Portland Sportsman's Show in Feb.
Our Juniper Cut weekend at Philip Schnieder Wildlife Area happened on Feb. 20-21 this year. We had 11 chain saw
cutting for 8 hours on Sat. managed to get between 15 and 20 more acres cut. I believe this was year number 8 for this
project. It sure is good to see the progress we have made since the start of this project. Thank You to all that took the
time to help.
Our next big event will be the Banquet/Fundraiser on April 16th. Plans are well under way to try and top our record
breaking banquet from last year. Thanks to all the great donations and super support last year, we netted nearly
$60,000 to put and keep sheep on the mountain. Those full donations and excellent participation at the banquet are
critical to its success. Let's hope we can do it again this year!
Larry Jacobs
In This Issue
WSF National Show

Brendan’s Elk

Sheep Show 2016

Juniper Cut 2016

2015 Grant In-Aid

2016 Sportsman's
Show

Wallowa County
Moose

2015 Sheep Scores

Important Dates
2
happy with having their house
squashed and started to come out
to investigate who had done this.
Seeing and hearing the unhappy
swarm coming out of the nest,
both of us grabbed her front legs
and quickly pulled her downhill and
away from the hornets.
Brendan and his elk
Brendan’s Elk by Walter Chuck
I was lucky to have been able to accompany and take part in my son's first successful elk hunt the other day. One of our family friends had a damage tag available with a 30 day window in which to harvest an elk. We had been hunting on the
property for the last few weeks, hoping to catch them in the right place. We had
some close calls but no really good opportunities. School was back in session and
our season was quickly coming to an end. He and I had been out to the property
during the weekend and the herd was back but just not when we were there.
Once we got her to a safe spot we
started getting her cleaned out and
cavity propped open. We hustled
back and told the landowner that
we had an elk down. Brendan
wanted to stay and finish dressing
her but I didn't want him to miss
too much class so I took him back
to school. He had brought a
change of clothes just in case but
he was so proud that he kept on
his bloody hunting stuff so he
could show his buddies. When I
dropped him off I could not think of
a better reason to miss a little
school, or a better outfit that he
could have worn.
With only a couple of days left, we decided that we would give it a shot early in the
morning with the cooler weather and rain on the way. 5am wake up, quick breakfast and quick drive out to the property. We had an idea of where they had been
from our previous tries and we headed in that direction. As we approached the
clear cut, our anticipation grew as well as our hope that this would be the day.
There were a few extra noises as we approached and when Brendan looked at
the road he pointed out fresh elk tracks that were not there on our last visit. We
slowly crept up to the clear cut and looked, took a few steps, looked some more
and listened. I caught a movement in the upper part of the cut. It was a couple of
cows and calves. We had both seen them and I made sure they were all antlerless
and said that they were all good and to pick one. Thinking back I maybe should
have told him which one, but it really didn't matter. His rifle went off, a big thwack
and one of the big cows hunched up and took a few steps up the hill. She started
to wobble and I told him to put another round in her. The second shot hit home
and she went down. He cycled another round in the chamber in case she wasn't
down for good, but she was. Big swell of pride in me and an unexpected full hug
from a 16 year old that doesn't usually do that to his dad anymore.
We made our way up to her and shared the events that had just unfolded. It is
unfortunately too common these days that we hear of kids who are disconnected
or indifferent but there was none of that this morning. He was excited and eager to
get up the hill and see what he had accomplished. When we got to her she was
just about gone when Brendan noticed that she had rolled over a small tree and
bush and inside the bush was volleyball sized hornet’s nest. They were not too
Brendan and Walter Chuck
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Larry’s Wolf
After hunting for 24 years,
in Idaho, I have seen 6
wolves. This is the first
time I have had a shot at
one. If you are hunting in
a state where it is legal to
hunt wolves, make sure
you have wolf tags in
your pocket. The fees
are minor in comparison
to the good you are doing.” Larry Sides
The OR FNAWS Booth at the 2016 Sheep Show
2016 Sheep Show by Walter Chuck
The OR-FNAWS trailer made its way down to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center for the 2016 Wild Sheep Foundation
(WSF) “Sheep Show” (January 21-23). Board President Larry Jacobs, along with board members Don South and Alan Day,
set up the booth on the 20th and attended a few meetings prior to the doors opening for the Show on Thursday. This year
ODFW was able to attend for the first time in a few years and their booth was right next to ours. It was good to have them
back. The Dinners, Breakfasts, Ceremonies, after Show events and entertainment are held at the Pepper Mill Inn and Casino. The Wednesday night Welcome Back Dinner Party was a good time to visit and spend time with friends that you had not
seen since last year’s show. It is always a good idea to get to bed early the first night because the Show just gets busier as
the weekend gets nearer.
Thursday is usually one of the slower days but when I got there from the Hotel there was already a good sized crowd waiting
to get in. We had heard in advance that registration was up quite a bit from past shows and if the crowd waiting to get in the
first day was any indication, that was true. If you are planning on attending, this is probably the best day if you want to talk to
outfitters about their area and talk about booking a hunt in the future. You would be hard pressed to find a better place with
this much sheep hunting knowledge under one roof. On the conservation side nearly every WSF affiliate from the US and
Canadian Provinces were in attendance and had information on their chapters and what they are doing to help sheep in their
area. There were representatives from the Game Departments of the US and Canada to answer questions about their
sheep herds and what is being done to maintain healthy populations of sheep in their States or Provinces. The Chapter and
Affiliates meeting was also held on Thursday and one of the big discussion items was disease prevention and next steps
forward. Disease from domestic sheep is the biggest hurdle to expanding the range and increasing populations of wild
sheep. We had a steady stream of people to the booth for pretty much the whole day. Thursday night’s Banquet theme was
(Continued on page 4)
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Sheep Show Floor
(Continued from page 3)
Conservation Night and OR-FNAWS President Larry Jacobs was presented with
an Outstanding Achievement Award for his many years of active and strong support of wild sheep. Big Congratulations and Thank you to Larry for your dedication
and leadership!
Friday morning was the Awards Breakfast, with some of our board members in
attendance to support and congratulate Don South for the medal his Chugach Dall
Ram received. Well done Don on a great ram and who knew what other luck
would be coming your way. Once we arrived at the Convention Center, there was
a larger queue outside the doors than the previous day. Traffic was pretty steady
for the first hour and then slowed a bit, giving me time to walk the floor and take a
few pictures. There was some really world class taxidermy and the variety of species and mounts was truly incredible. The artists that were at the show this year
had some very nice items too. Many of the top gear makers were also in attendance and had some good deals that warranted a purchase or two. We had people
at the booth all day and answered tons of questions about sheep in Oregon.
Some of the other activities that occur on all the days of the show are various
seminars, book signings and special events. One of those is the <1 Club Reception where the club members get a chance to be drawn for 3 separate sheep
hunts and get kicked out of the Club. The best part of the evening is watching and
hearing the people that get their name called and their dream come true. One
catch is that for 2 of the hunts, you have to be present to win, and watching people
call the persons whose names are drawn but not in attendance in a close second,
entertainment-wise. Friday night’s Banquet was another great meal but the big
excitement was the last item in the live auction, Montana’s Governors’ tag for Bighorn Sheep. The bidding was pretty active and the amount went up pretty quickly
with the final price of over $300,000.
Saturday is the biggest day attendance and event wise. The WSF Life Member
breakfast is well attended and offers another opportunity to be drawn for a sheep
hunt; however, none of the Oregon contingent got lucky though. The crowd waiting to get in was the biggest yet and the flow of people past the booth was constant but not overwhelming. Everyone who stopped by to talk was great and very
interested in Oregon sheep and our
work. The seminar schedule was full
with some great subjects and the
rooms were full of attendees. Today is
the last chance to talk to other chapters, exchange contact information,
and set up possible areas of collaboration and support. During a break, I
made a few final trips down the aisles
to see if I missed anything that needed
to come home with me. The last drawing for the floor raffles are late in the
day, and the room pretty much comes
to a standstill as names of the lucky
ones are called. One of the first hunts
to be drawn was for a Marco Polo
Sheep Hunt in Tajikistan. The name
called was a familiar and lucky one,
Don South. Needless to say he was
pretty excited. Congratulations Don!
Dress warmly! As the clock was winding down on the day we started to
break down the booth and get our stuff
ready to load into the trailer. We were
able to get the trailer staged close to
the exit, loaded in short order and back
to the hotel to get ready for the Grand
Finale Banquet. The Oregon Governor’s Bighorn Sheep Tag was up for
auction tonight so it was a big deal for
us. The proceeds from the sale of the
tag go directly to fund bighorn sheep
management in Oregon. The sheep
tag went for $95,000.00. Sadly not as
high an amount as in the past few
years but the funds will still benefit
sheep in Oregon.
Sunday morning was an early wake up
and departure for the drive home. After
a couple of stops for fuel and a bucket
of KFC the trailer and board members
made it back home to Oregon. We
already have our booth confirmed for
2017!
If you are considering attending please
talk to us at our Banquet, at the Sheep
and Goat Workshop, or contact us
through our Facebook page.
5
JANUARY SHEEP
CAPTURE
In January 2016, ODFW biologists with help from volunteers captured 26 Bighorn
Sheep from
the I-84 Columbia Gorge
herd. To read more about
this capture/transplant
please go
to www.OREGONFNAWS.or
g or ODFW's website.
Crew Picture; L to R Alyn Vail, Mike Vail, Ricky Know, Tom Van Grunsven, Steve Van
Grunsven, Walter Chuck, Larry Jacobs, Shane Byerly, Travis Byerly, Brendan Chuck
2016 Juniper Cut by Walter Chuck
OR-FNAWS has been working with Ryan Torland of ODF&W's John Day Office
on Juniper eradication for wildlife habitat improvement in the Phillip W. Schneider
Wildlife Area near Aldrich Mountain for 8 years. These improvements will benefit
many different species in the Wildlife Area, especially the Big Horn Sheep. The
cutting of the junipers allows for the re-establishment of essential habitat for wildlife and lessens the amount of water used from the junipers. A mature juniper can
use 30 gallons of water a day. These cut areas also open up the area for sheep
and other wildlife to access the meadows and water sources, and lessen the
chance of predation. Ryan has provided oversight to contractors cutting juniper,
some of which was funded in the past by Grant in Aid (GIA) requests to ORFNAWS. Our members have also spent time on this project by showing up and
running a chainsaw for a day or two. Hands-on projects are a great excuse to get
out to Sheep Country, spend time with good people and do some good for wildlife.
We had 10 participants for this year’s juniper cut and it just so happened that there
were 4 father and son teams. (Daughters are encouraged and more than welcome
too.)
The crew made its way to Dayville on Friday night and spent the night at ODFW’s
facility in town. After breakfast, coffee and a short safety talk we jumped in the rigs
and drove out to the Wildlife Area. We were going to continue cutting in an area
(Continued on page 6)
6
Larry and Brendan
(Continued from page 5)
that we had been working on for the last few years. After a quick group photo we spread out
and started falling junipers. It was a perfect morning, just warm enough that you could work
comfortably and cool enough that you did not get too hot. The hills were alive with the
sounds of chainsaws and the smell of fresh cut juniper. After a good lunch the teams headed back out and cut for a few more hours. As the day was winding down, Ryan did a quick
survey of our handiwork and he determined that we had cut about 16 acres of junipers. Not a
bad day. We loaded everything back in the rigs and went back to the shop for quick showers
and change of clothes. Dinner that night was provided by ODFW at the Dayville Café. The
food, company and conversation were great.
Sunday morning we all packed up our gear and made our way home. Some of us took advantage of the extra time and stopped at the John Day Fossil Beds and Painted Hills. ORFNAWS will continue doing this project and could always use a hand. This project usually
occurs in February and we will usually have the dates available on our website or Facebook
page in early January.
Tom
Larry
7
9th CIRCUIT
COURT OF APPEALS AFFIRMS
THE PAYETTE NATIONAL FOREST'S
DECISION TO PROTECT BIGHORN
SHEEP
by Vic Coggins 3/7/2016
A recent ruling by a panel of
judges with the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals upheld the
district court's decision in
favor of the U.S. Forest Service. That decision supported the reduction of domestic
sheep grazing on the
Payette National Forest to
prevent spread of disease
between domestic and wild
bighorn sheep. In order to
reduce these threats, domestic sheep were removed
from 70% of the public land
allotments.
This decision significantly
benefits Hells Canyons bighorns in Oregon, Idaho, and
Washington. Members of
the Oregon Chapter of
FNAWS have been involved
in this important issue since
2001.
The three-judge panel affirmed that the Forest Service's methods and procedures were proper. The
Payette Forest developed a
"Risk of Contact" model
based on telemetry data
from bighorn populations
that utilize habitat on the
PNF. Now other Forests can
apply the same models to
evaluate risk of contactbenefiting bighorn sheep
across the west.
Brian Hounshell from S. Central, taken on 9/7/2015
2015 Grant In-Aid
The Oregon FNAWS Grant-in-Aid committee received one application requesting
funds in 2015.
Project #15-112 was a request from Washington State University for $5,000 to be
used in the investigation of the role of super-shedders in respiratory disease persistence and transmission in bighorn sheep. Bighorn sheep are susceptible to allage pneumonia outbreaks during which 30% or more of the population may die.
Following these outbreaks, surviving ewes continue to conceive and bear lambs
but many of these lambs succumb to pneumonia. These funds would be used to
study periodic or annual disease outbreaks in lambs, which prevents population
recovery.
The committee recommended, and the board agreed to fund this project in the full
amount requested. This project was partially funded by Oregon FNAWS in conjunction with other organizations and agencies, which helps to stretch our dollars.
Don South
8
Wallowa County Survey Finds Fewer
Moose
By Vic Coggins
A January, 2016 survey conducted in the Wenaha
and Sled Spring Units by ODFW biologists found
moose numbers lower than last year. Although the
R-44 helicopter survey was conducted under good
census conditions with adequate snow cover, only
eight moose were located. The animals were classified as 4 cows, 3 calves, and 1 bull. In 2015, 19
moose were seen during the survey. Helicopter
surveys have been conducted since 2012 and this
Photo by Karen Smilth
is the lowest count on record. A summary of counts is included in the table below:
Table 1 Moose Observed During Annual Survey 2012-2016
Year
Moose Observed
Cows
Calves
Bulls
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
8
19
20
25
27
4
8
8
12
13
3
6
6
6
8
1
5
6
7
6
The low count is worrisome; especially with the thriving Wenaha wolf pack
using the area. Moose became established in northeast Oregon about ten
years ago. In 2006, reports from the public and ODFW sightings confirmed 19 moose including 9 cows, 8 calves, and 2 bulls. A breeding population was documented after years of sightings had been reported. Biologists believe Oregon moose moved in from the southeast Washington
population.
So what is happening to them? Is the growing wolf population in northeast Oregon preying on moose? Idaho biologists have reported that
moose populations in some locations have virtually disappeared after
wolves increased. The time has come for ODFW to initiate a moose study
to determine the population status and if the herd is declining, why.
Moose are found only in northeast Oregon and the 2015 population was
estimated to be only 70 animals. Most Oregonians would agree that
moose are one of our unique native mammals and would support an increase in the population.
Terry Luther from E. Deschutes, taken on
11/2/2015, and rough scored 163 3/8. Look for
Terry’s story in an upcoming issue.
9
Wanted:
2015 Ram
and Goat
Mounts or
Pictures
OR-FNAWS would like to
see you and your trophy
from last year’s Sheep
and Goat Seasons at our
2016 Banquet Fundraiser
at the Best Western Hood
River Inn on April 16.
Your success is one of
the ways that our members can see the results
of their fundraising, habitat projects and hard
work.
If you would like to attend
please go to our website
www.oregonfnaws.org
for more information.
If you can bring your
mount or some photos
please Call Don South
503-647-5954 or Nick
Berg 503-755-2274 for
arrangements.
Congratulations again
and we hope to see you
in April!
Trophy Mounts from 2015 Banquet
Pacific Northwest Sportsman’s Show 2016
10
by Walter Chuck
OR-FNAWS once again had a booth at the Sportsman’s Show and took that opportunity to educate the attendees on our mission and talk about the state of wild
sheep in Oregon. Unfortunately one of the topics of discussion was the bad news
about our Southeastern populations of California Bighorn Sheep. There was an
outbreak of pneumonia in the Owyhees and low sheep counts during the winter,
which led to the cancelling of all 10 Owyhee sheep hunts for this year. Most of the
people had gotten the bad news but for those who had not yet heard, it gave us a
good opportunity to educate people on the obstacles that are keeping both species of Oregon sheep from making an even more successful return to their native
habitats.
Our members that were in the booth were kept busy selling Raffle Tickets for our
Swarovski Optics package and passing out banquet flyers, membership applications and information on our projects. This was also the first time the new
mount of #44 was at the show. He has always been a good attention
getter but his new look seemed to really catch people’s eye. We had a
good number of prior years successful tag holders come by and share
their stories. There were also a good many attendees that came by looking for information on where they might want to apply for or how the
sheep are doing in the units they are dreaming of drawing a tag in.
Another benefit of have a presence at the show is that most of the
Sportsman’s organizations from Oregon and Washington are also in
attendance. We visited and had visitors from many of them and took
advantage of that time to compare notes and see where partnerships
and collaboration might be possible. Whether they represent fish, fowl or
fur we all have the same desire to ensure future opportunities for sports-
men, promote sound game management, protect public access
and further conservation.
OR-FNAWS would like to thank all
those who stopped by our booth. A
big thanks also goes to the board
members and helpers who set up,
staffed and took down the booth.
See you all next year!
11
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Membership Info
OREGON CHAPTER - FOUNDATION FOR NORTH AMERICAN WILD SHEEP
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13
JUST A REMINDER
TH
THE 2016 FNAWS BANQUET IS APRIL 16
DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION
APRIL 6TH, 2016
IF YOU HAVEN’T RECEIVED YOUR
REGISTRATION, PLEASE GO TO OUR WEBSITE
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO
DOWNLOAD YOUR REGISTRATION FORM OR
USE PAGE 11 IN THIS NEWSLETTER
OREGONFNAWS.ORG
HOPE TO SEE YOU
THERE!!
Black Point Bighorn Guzzler Project
14
June 3 – 5, 2016
Fields, Oregon – Fields BLM Station
June 3: Arrive at Fields, set up camp – Dinner on your own
June 4: Old guzzler removal and new guzzler installation (Boss tank, tin apron,
drinker and maybe fence) (1 mile hike) – Breakfast, Sack Lunch, and Dinner Provided
June 5: Take down camp and head home – Breakfast provided
We are looking for volunteers to replace a guzzler on Black Point for the benefit of
bighorn sheep and other wildlife. If you are interested or know someone who may
be interested please pass this information along. To ensure we have enough food
please RSVP by Friday May 27th.
Volunteers should show up on June 3rd. There will be a short briefing around 7
PM to discuss the weekend’s activities. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided Saturday and breakfast Sunday. You will need to bring good boots, gloves, day
pack, water, camping gear and personal effects. Be prepared for variable weather
conditions.
RSVP by May 27th
IMPORTANT UPCOMING
DATES
2016 FNAWS Auction, Best Western,
Hood River: April 16, 2016
Spring Board Meeting, Best Western,
Hood River: April 17, 2016
Northern Wild Sheep + Goat Council,
Pulman WA/ Moscow ID: May 9-12, 2016
Crystal Strobl Memorial Grizzly Ridge
Spring Improvement Project, Imnaha,
OR: May 14-15, 2016
Thistle Chop, Deschutes River: May 21,
2016
Youth Outdoor Day, EE Wilson Wildlife
Area near Corvallis, OR: May 21, 2016
WSF Chapter Summit, Fort Robinson,
Nebraska: June 23-24, 2016
Tom Segal Wildlife Habitat Biologist 3814 Clark Boulevard Ontario, OR 97914
(541) 889-6975 [email protected]
Judge Protects Idaho Wild Bighorn Sheep,
Restricts Domestic Grazing
Sheep and Goat Orientation, Columbia
Gorge Community College, The Dalles,
OR: July 23, 2016
Summer Board Meeting, Lower
Deschutes State Park near Biggs, OR:
July 24, 2016
A federal judge upheld a U.S. Forest Service decision to restrict domestic sheep grazing in order
to protect wild bighorn sheep from disease.
(Craig Gehrke/The Wilderness Society)
Read more at http://
www.publicnewsservice.org/2016-03-09/
endangered-species-and-wildlife/judge-protectsidaho-wild-bighorn-sheep-restricts-domesticgrazing/a50768-1
Sides girls have a successful elk hunting season. Jennie (left) with her 5 point elk
taken in Northwest Washington. Jodie, with Dad Larry, took her first cow elk in
Joseph Oregon. A special thanks goes out to Vic Coggins for arranging the hunt
and the landowner Tim Roberts.
15
2015 California Bighorn Sheep Scores
Primary Business Address
Address Line 2
Address Line 3
Address Line 4
Please check the mailing label for your membership
expiration date. Please use enclosed form to renew
FIND US AT WWW.OREGONFNAWS.ORG
VISIT US ON FACEBOOK
Important Contact Information
President, Larry Jacobs
Treasurer, Alan Day
Brent Tannock
Jeremy Thompson
[email protected]
[email protected]
Jim Torland
Walt Van Dyke
1st Vice President, Dave Geelan
Past President, George Houston
Andy Weibel
Robert Welsh
[email protected]
[email protected]
Richard Weier
2nd Vice President, Walter Chuck
Board Members
[email protected]
Nicholas Berg
Dale Campbell
Secretary, Jane Hunts
Ellen Campbell
Vic Coggins
[email protected]
Shane Byerly
Tom Peterson
Don South
Linda South