Hunting conditions signal slow opener

It's too hot, too dry and too dusty. Deer hunters, over opening weekend October 2-3, paid the price of Indian Summer.

Success rates were low in the Metolius Unit near Sisters, with only 9 percent of tags being filled. That's down from 15 percent last year, according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) biologist Steven George.

But those figures need to be kept in perspective, George noted. Last year, cool temperatures and high country snow just before the opener combined to create exceptional hunting conditions. Those don't happen every year.

"That 9 percent is actually about average," George said.

According to George, a lot of hunters don't bother to get out in the woods in the heat of the warm October days, confining their activity to the early morning and evening hours.

The deer can hear hunters coming a long way when the sage and pine needles are dry and crunchy and deer seemed to be moving out away from those stalking them.

"A lot of people were seeing deer, a lot of people were hearing deer, they just couldn't get into the right place, the right position," George said.

According to George, 57 percent of the deer taken were spikes or forked horns (young bucks) while 43 percent qualified as mature bucks. No exceptional trophy racks were reported.

ODFW checked 970 tags over the weekend, a similar number to those checked last year. However, since ODFW had fewer people in the woods checking tags, George believes that "actually,

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Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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