| Winter 2007 | Volume 7~
Issue 1 |
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| Three
Desert Bighorn Hunts
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| President's
Message I would like to thank all that made the trek to Salt Lake City, Utah, to the National FNAWS/ Mule Deer Foundation get together. I was unable to attend this year but understand that it was an enjoyable and valuable event, with many interesting activities. I especially want to thank the volunteers who readily and unselfishly remained behind and manned the Oregon FNAWS booth! While on that subject, I would also like to thank the volunteers who manned the Oregon FNAWS booth at the Portland and Redmond Sports shows inclusively. Great job! I want to thank the folks on the ’07 Leadership Team, the individuals that The Board of Directors elected at the Winter Meeting and will lead the way and effectively manage the Chapter’s business. I very much appreciate your “stepping up” to the many challenges that we as an organization, face. “Stepping Up”, is the action of putting away the excuses like, “I’m too busy”, “I don’t have time”, or “My schedule won’t allow it”, and moving ahead with the task, project, or detail, and finishing the chore ahead of schedule and in a manner in which we can all be proud of!! We have a number of folks in the organization that have in the past and are currently “Stepping Up”, for the good of the organization, for all of us! I thank you for your work ethic, your vision, and your enthusiasm! Larry Jacobs has done a superb job in bringing all of the stakeholders together in the Payette Forest Plan appeal process. Meetings in Lewiston, Id. over the past six months have been really valuable to a successful outcome! I would like to encourage all of you to participate in the “Hands On Projects”, scheduled this year. I would also like to encourage each of you to actively recruit one new friend or acquaintance, to OR-FNAWS, by introducing them to our newsletter, bringing them to our banquet, or sponsoring their membership! Recruiting new members must be a top priority for 2007. We need more folks that are really interested in hunting, actively participating in our programs, and actively supporting our mission of “putting sheep on the mountain.” When the Leadership Team contacts you for input or assistance, please cooperate with us! Thanks to all of you who have been and continue to be an active part of the solutions! -George |
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Stew's
3/4 Slam Hunt Stew Stone
is no quitter. It took him five hunts over seven years and 81 actual
hunt days to finally get his Rocky Mountain Bighorn. That gave Stew
three of the four subspecies necessary for the sheep Grand Slam. He
shot the animal in the wilderness area above Salmon, Idaho near the
Bighorn Crags. (After 80 days a normal person wouldtake up knitting.) Stew purchased the Idaho Governor’s Tag and after only seven days’ hunting he had a 12½ year-old ram that measured 34 inches with 14 inch bases. He’s a beauty! For Stew’s full story on bagging a Rocky Mountain Bighorn plus a few more pictures, please go to www.oregonfnaws.org. Also in this issue is “Three Desert Bighorn Hunts,” Stew’s story about sheep hunting in Baja. |
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The
2007 Convention at Salt Lake City
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Mike
Boethin Performs Transplant
 No,
Mike is not a surgeon. But he was on a sheep transplant on both the
Deschutes River and John Day River drainages that captured sheep and
transplanted them to near French Glen in Harney County. He was one of
30 or so workers that were putting sheep on a “new” mountain
last December 5th.After eating way too much at the Moro Café, Mike and a team led by ODFW’s Rod Klus set up base camp about 10 miles from town. Their job was to receive sheep coming in with the helicopter, draw blood, vaccinate, put on radio collars and look at their teeth and mouths. While doing this Mike and the team were to keep the sheep as calm as possible, maintain low body temperatures and report to a vet if a sheep’s temp rose. And they had to remain quiet by using hand signals if possible. Not exactly like branding calves. As a first-timer Mike said he was in awe of the whole process. “As we await the helicopter I think about our mission and what it’s like to be part of a transplant project. I’ll never forget the experience just like I’ll never forget my first sheep hunt in 1993. But now I get to give something back to the wild sheep thanks to the ODFW, Oregon FNAWS, OHA and the other organizations involved. Get involved and help put sheep on the mountain.” Well said, Mike. Look for the next project, a guzzler installation in the Owyhee/Leslie Gulch area. Called the Doe Island Project, the installation will occur May 4, 5, 6 of this year. Contact Mike at 541-385-8808 or mikebo@bendbroadband.com. |
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| Hell's
Canyon Sheep Restoration From Francis Cassirer and Vic Coggins, ODFW  The
Hell's Canyon Initiative is attempting to restoreself-sustaining bighorn
populationsto suitable habitat in the Hell's Canyon area. As of the
end of 2005, there were apporximately 900 sheep spread over 8900 sq.
mi. in Hell's Canyon.From 1997 to 2005, 224 sheep were radio collared and monitored twice a month, all in an effort to document ewe productivity and causes and rates of adult/lamb morality. The major causes of mortality? Pneumonia and cougar predation.  In
fact, pneumonia is the single factor most limiting population growth.
The disease is sporadic but chronic and can cause population growth
to be highly variable among various herds. The total number of sheep
in Hell's Canyon experienced a substantial die-off in the mid 90's.
The disease-caused reduction is shown in the line graph below.The future direction of the Hell's Canyon Initiative will include increased emphasis on disease research and management and an integration of laboratory and field studies. (Note: The above was taken from the Hell's canyon Bighorn Shepp Restoration file.) |
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Oregon
FNAWS Balance Sheet
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| Some
Things Are Not Right By Tom Thomsen In 1996 I was lucky enough to draw a sheep tag on my first try. I didn’t know sheep from hockey pucks but my son talked me into applying so I did. I was actually irritated when I found out I had drawn a tag in the Steens; I didn’t have the time. I hired a guide (Not a very good one, it turned out.) and went hunting. Long story short, I shot a ram that I would not have shot knowing what I know now. It was not huge. It scores 1341st amongst all California Bighorns shot in Oregon. But that one hunt did give me sheep fever. Six years later my wife Connie put in for a tag at my urging. She was reluctant but went ahead anyway. Well, she also drew a tag the first time she applied. She hunted the West John Day Unit and shot one that is currently 22nd on the all-time California Bighorn list. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for her. But I wish people would quit telling me how much bigger hers is. To see the list of successful hunters in 2006 as well as the long-term lists for both Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep and California Bighorn Sheep please go to the website www.oregonfnaws.org and click on Hunt Records. The information was provided by ODFW. |
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| An
Update on Goats From Vic Coggins Mountain goat restoration in Oregon began in 1950 with five goats from Washington. The goats were released into the Wallowa Mountains of Eastern Oregon. In the 1980’s 33 more goats were released into the Wallowas and another 21 were released into the Elkhorn Mountains.  Since
2000, 102 goats have been released to five different sites—Hat
Point, Cornucopia, PO Saddle, Eagle Creek and Menaha. All of these transplants
seem to have been successfulbecause Oregon now has an estimated population of 690 animals, which includes a small but very important herd of 15 in the Strawberry Mountains of Grant County. Through the years, hunters have harvested 60 animals. Because of the difficulty in differentiating males and females, 13 were nannies. Future objectives for mountain goats are to establish populations of goats in all suitable habitats, to monitor those herds and their health and to focus research on the needs of local populations. |
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| A
Great Year For Sheep Hunters Sheep hunters in Oregon had a good year in 2006. Eighty-eight hunters had tags and the right to hunt either California Bighorn or Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. Of the 88 tag holders, 81 were successful. Four of the successful hunters were members of either the Umatilla or Warm Springs Indian tribes. Successful hunters included John Amistoso, the Auction Tag Holder, who bagged a 171 4/8 California Bighorn, a very nice trophy. As noted in the last issue of this newsletter, Alan Brown killed a huge 179 4/8 California Bighorn in the Aldrich Mountains near Dayville in Grant County. A second hunter in the Aldrich Mountains, Greg Marshall, connected on a 174 4/8 ram. Bet that area doesn’t get ignored in the future.  The
lower John Day River area continues to produce nice rams. Ralph Thomas,
Phil Sherrel and Kim Woodward all nailed rams in the 174 plus range.Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep produce higher scoring trophies and 2006 was no exception. Although there were no monster 200 plus rams scored this year there were definitely some nice ones. J Simmons hunted in the Wenaha unit and bagged the biggest, a ram that was 7 ½ years old and scored 183 3/8. M. Pettit and E. Hoffman also brought home some nice trophies at 181 3/8 and 178 4/8 respectively. Congratulations to all successful hunters. What a great experience. More extensive records can be found on the Oregon FNAWS website. Just go to www.oregonfnaws.org and click on Hunt Records. While you’re at it, join both Oregon FNAWS and the National FNAWS, www.fnaws.org, and help put more sheep in the mountains where they belong. |
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| Poacher
Strikes Leslie Gulch
The Oregon State Police is looking forward to catching some idiot who killed a bighorn ram, took the head and left the carcass to rot. The sheep in Leslie Gulch and the Owyhees have enough problems without illegal hunters taking a toll. Even one sheep lost can have an impact on a struggling herd. Oregon FNAWS and OHA have added funds to the Oregon State Police TIP reward program in an effort to bring the culprit to justice. The reward for information leading to an arrest should be as high as $10,000. String ‘em up, I say. Remember the sheep that was poached in Lake County? As I understand it, a warrant has been issued but the *@#% has fled the country. |
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Tim
Lawton Bags a Bighorn
 Tim
Lawton shot a beautiful bighorn, his first, in Eastern Oregon. It is
always a thrill to “win the lottery” and get a tag and Tim
was definitely thrilled. We don’t know the score of the ram but
he’s a perfect example of a dark old ram. To read the full story
about Tim’s hunt and what it meant to him, please go to our website,
www.oregonfnaws.org and click on News and then Member Hunts. With any
luck this story and others will be available by the time the newsletter
is out. |
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| Membership
Drive
Share your SHEEP FEVER JOURNAL newsletter with friends, and encourage them to become members of Oregon FNAWS. For every 3 new members who mention your name when signing up for any type of membership, you will receive a one year membership extension FREE! or a golf shirt with the FNAWS logo or $35 in raffle tickets at the next fundraiser, your choice. This offer will end at the 8th annual banquet and fundraiser in April or May of 2007. Take this opportunity to help Oregon FNAWS grow. Click here to download the membership application. |
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| 2007
Banquet Information
The Oregon Chapter of Foundation for North American Wild Sheep 8th Annual Banquet & Fundraiser is Saturday April 21, 2007 at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in Redmond ~ Live Auctions ~ Silent Auctions ~ Rack of Guns ~ Raffles for all ages Oregon’s Access & Habitat statewide Elk Hunt. Need not be present to bid. Bidding to start at 7 p.m., April 21, 2007. Hunt anywhere in the state from September 1st to November 30th. 8 p.m. Live Auction - Our 2nd annual Desert Sheep permit for the Mexico Vizcaino Biosphere. Hunting on the Baja. Contact Larry Jacobs for all the details at (503) 784-1358. More information can be found on our Banquet page |
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Last
year Stew Stone bought the Vizcaino Biosphere Desert Sheep Hunt in
Baja California. He was excited, yes, very excited about buying that
tag and now, after the hunt is over, we know why. Three friends, Stew
and fellow member Dennis Pahlisch of Bend plus Scott Limmer each bought
Biosphere Tags in 2006. Dennis purchased his at the National FNAWS
The
intent was for all three hunters to go to Mexico and hunt together.
As it turned out, each hunter finished his Grand Slam by getting a
Desert Bighorn, although Stew started out 2006 with a half slam and
had to bag his Rocky Mountain Bighorn in the fall of 2006 to make
that possible. (See the story on Stew’s Rocky Mountain Bighorn
elsewhere in this newsletter.)
For
the complete story, please go to the Oregon FNAWS website, www.oregonfnaws.org.
In Stew’s own words you can read about a truly wonderful hunt
with two friends and his son. And there’s a bunch more pictures
as well.
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