News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The B&B Complex Fire area remains closed. graphic courtesy USFS
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The B&B Complex burned across some of the finest hunting grounds in Central Oregon.
Mule deer general hunting season, which opens Saturday, October 4, will be affected by road closures and off-limits areas this fall, but wildlife experts don't expect much long-term negative affect.
"It's affecting about 30 percent of the (Metolius) Unit and about 45 percent of the better hunting area," said Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Steven George. "There's still some pretty good areas, that being primarily Green Ridge."
Closures will tend to concentrate hunters in smaller areas.
"If all the hunters end up on Green Ridge, it'll be really super crowded," George said.
The Forest Service lifted some road closures as hunting season approached (see sidebar). Hunters will still have access to some good hunting grounds in the Metolius Basin and south of Suttle Lake, according to Kris Martinson of the Sisters Ranger District.
George said he's been getting lots of calls from concerned hunters and some won't come out this year.
"There's probably quite a few that have exchanged their Metolius Unit tags for Western Oregon tags," George said.
Bowhunters have already been out in the woods for a couple of weeks.
"Bowhunters have seen a lot of deer," George said. "Harvest levels haven't been high."
ODFW issues 1,200 Metolius Unit tags for the rifle hunting season. "Success rate averages 18 percent," George said.
The biologist said that recent hot days haven't posed too much of a problem as the ground is retaining moisture so that it's not too dry and crackly for stalking.
Overall, he rated the conditions as "decent."
While the Forest Service is opening some roads, hunters "will still not be able to go west (from the Metolius) directly into the general fire area," Martinson told The Nugget.
"We'd like to open up as much area as possible, but we don't want to be irresponsible and open up any areas that aren't safe," she said.
The primary safety concern is snags, trees that have been undermined or burned to sticks by the fire. They can fall at any time and being hit by a falling snag could easily prove fatal.
"A lot of it is by surprise," Martinson said. "You can't always tell when a tree is going to come down."
In addition to snags, there are hundreds of stump holes where smoldering stumps have caved in. The holes are often covered with soft dirt or ash and aren't readily visible.
Much of the fire area will remain closed through the winter, when winds and snowfall will take care of many snags.
"The winter is going to be our test; that's what's going to shake those trees down," Martinson said.
The fire left plenty of green areas within its boundaries and areas that burned with light to moderate severity will make good habitat for large animals.
That bodes well for future hunting seasons.
"We haven't seen any mass exodus of animals," George said. "Over time... (the fire) is probably going to be beneficial to big game."
The blaze opened up dense stands and will spur the growth of new forage, making the burned area a haven for mule deer and elk.
For more information visit www.or.blm.gov/nwfire/closures/restrict.htm.
Roads reopened for hunting
Roads and areas to be re-opened within the B&B Complex Fire area closure:
1. Metolius Basin area:
2. Suttle Lake Area:
3. Mt. Washington Wilderness:
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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