The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

By Jim Cornelius

The regular deer hunting season starts September 30 and it appears that, while there are plenty of deer out there, hunters are going to have to work pretty hard to fill their tags.

Jim Whitney, owner of Whitney's Sporting Goods in Sisters and an avid hunter, said that hunters are going to have to leave the roads if they expect to harvest their

deer.

"The only way they're going to see any deer is to get out into the brush because they're not going to see any from roads," Whitney said.

This season is a bucks-only hunt; there will be no doe season this year in Central Oregon. Whitney, as well as Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife officials, reported that those bucks are widely scattered this year, taking advantage of abundant forage and water. They are not moving much except very early and late in the day and they are likely to be found in heavy cover below the 6,000 foot level.

According to Whitney, a slow, careful stalk is probably the most productive method given the conditions, although the dry forest floor makes silent stalking a challenge. He said he expects 95 percent of the shots on deer to come at under 50 yards.

The dry conditions make forest fires a real danger. Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Chief Don Mouser advised hunters to smoke only in their vehicles and not to build warming fires in the morning.

Whitney also cautioned hunters to respect private property in the areas where residential property borders on the forest.

"There is no exception to the rule for trespass," Whitney said. "They have to remember to respect the private property owner's property rights."

Hikers and hunters who encounter each other in the forest should communicate with each other so hikers understand what the hunters are doing, Whitney noted. Hikers should be aware that "most of the hunters are just as concerned about safety as the hikers are," he said. As an added safety precaution, Whitney strongly advised hunters to wear blaze orange. The wearing of blaze orange is mandated in most states, but Oregon has yet to make it a legal requirement.

With safety in mind, and a willingness to get out into the brush to find the deer, hunters should have a successful season.

"It should be an interesting season," Whitney predicted. "There's a lot of deer; a lot of big deer out there."