The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Legions of hunters clad in blaze orange will soon take to the woods around Sisters as the regular Oregon deer hunting season opens September 30.

Oregon Fish & Wildlife department biologist Steve George said the prognosis is for a good season in local

units.

"The best opportunities are going to be in the Metolius and Upper Deschutes units," George reported. He said the deer are widely scattered and if conditions remain hot and dry hunters will have their best chances in the early morning and late in the day when deer leave the heavy cover.

George noted that forage and water conditions are good throughout the Metolius and Upper Deschutes units.

The regular rifle hunting season will run for 12 days after September 30. The eastern Oregon season is controlled, which means that hunters must have a license and a controlled buck tag for the unit they wish to hunt. The drawing for the tags is over, so hunters without tags cannot hunt in the eastern part of the state.

In western Oregon, the season is open and only a general hunting license is required.

The regular season will be followed by a special season in the Metolius unit for hunters who use muzzleloading rifles running from October 21 through October 27.

The bowhunting season is underway, with mixed results reported, according to George. Hunters are finding hot, dry conditions which makes for noisy stalking conditions, he said.