News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The terrain was rocky and rugged -- classic chukar country.
The rimrock ledge dropped off hundreds of feet into the canyon below. A hunter standing on that rim could look down on the Deschutes River and west forever across the tawny hills.
The hunting had been spotty, a couple of birds here and there; lots of hiking. But what better way to spend a Saturday morning in the fall?
We were about to pack it in and head for the truck when the chukar began to talk. This wasn't the chatter of a couple of bird holed up in the rocks and sage. It was a cacophony.
We turned toward the sound and saw dozens of birds seep down from a bluff above, down to the very edge of the canyon rim.
We were about 300 yards away across a rocky flat.
As we made our approach, the birds began to drop into the canyon two-by-two, then by the dozen.
My hunting partner, Todd Williver, was able to snap off one quick shot, folding a bird up on the wing.
We watched it plunge into the canyon.
It was a long climb down and a long climb back out, but we enjoyed the boulder-hopping, securing Todd's bird and getting fleeting shots at a couple more.
It wasn't the most successful expedition, but it was fun hunting -- and it all took place on private land.
The Bitterbrush Ranch, run by Darrell Ceciliani, is located at 10 Juniper Lane, 10 miles north of Madras.
It has 1,200 deeded acres, but grazing permits make the spread total out at about 17,000 acres.
Ceciliani has allowed hunters access to the property for the past 10 years. Over the past couple of years, he has also been offering guided hunts, including deer hunts.
Last year, at the behest of the Oregon Hunters Association, Ceciliani offered up a landowner's preference tag to a 16-year-old disabled youth and set him up on a guided deer hunt.
Access to private land has become increasingly critical for hunters as the wilds of central and eastern Oregon begin to fill up.
Jim Yuskavitch of Sisters does public relations work with the Access and Habitat program of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
"It's really important to get hunters and private landowners together," Yuskavitch said.
The Access and Habitat program works through grants to help landowners provide good habitat for big game and bird populations that landowners will allow the public to hunt.
The program has funded patrols by cadets and retired law enforcement personnel to prevent damage on commercial timberlands in western Oregon.
"That's literally resulted in millions of timberland acres opened to hunters," Yuskavitch said.
The Access and Habitat program has a seven-member board of directors that reviews projects.
It is funded through the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission by surcharges on hunting licenses.
The Bitterbrush Ranch goes up for auction on Saturday, December 13. Its future as a hunting ground is uncertain, though Ceciliani says it has preserve status through Jefferson County, which has some value for a landowner who wants to operate fee hunting there.
Fee hunting is a separate issue from simple hunter access. But it is an increasingly prevalent trend as public lands become more crowded and agriculture gets tougher to make pay.
"From my perspective, it's better than turning (land) into a subdivision," said Yuskavitch.
For more information on Bitterbrush Ranch and the December 13 auction, call 541-475-0163.
For information on ODFW's Access and Habitat program call 503-872-5260, ext. 5439.
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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