OREGON STATE GAME COMMISSION UILETIN SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, 1965

Transcription

1 OREGON STATE GAME COMMSSON ULETN SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, 1965

2 OREGON STATE GAME COMMSSON ULETN September-October, 1965 Number 5, Volume 20 Publshed Bmonthly by the OREGON STATE GAME COMMSSON 1634 S.W. Alder Street P.O. Box 3503 Portland, Oregon MEMBERS OF COMMSSON Wayne E. Phllps, Charman.... Baker Tallant Greenough, Vce-Charman. Coqulle John P. Amacher Wnchester Joseph W. Smth Klamath Falls J. Pat Metke Bend P. W. SCHNEDER, Drector MRAM KAUTTU SUHL, Edtor H. C. SMTH, Staff Artst Second-class postage pad at Portland, Oregon. Please report promptly any change of address. Send n address label from a recent ssue wth notce of change. nclude zp code number. Bulletn s crculated free of charge. The Cover Wld turkey releases n Oregon HUNTER SAFETY TRANNG PROGRAM nstructors Approved Month of July 22 Total to Date 3,456 Students Traned Month of July 595 Total to Date 81,401 Frearms Casualtes Reported n 1965 Fatal 1 Nonfatal 14 CONSERVATON GROUPS MEET SEPTEMBER N PORTLAND The nternatonal Assocaton of Game, Fsh and Conservaton Commssoners and the Amercan Fsheres Socety ths year are holdng ther annual meetngs for the frst tme n Oregon. The sessons wll start at the Hlton Hotel wth the nternatonal Assocaton meetng September The Amercan Fsheres Socety wll meet September 23-24, and both groups wll take part n feld trps on September 22. The jont banquet wll be held that evenng. The publc s welcome to attend both conferences. Page 2 Outlook for Game Brds ANEW HUNTNG opportunty wll become avalable ths fall wth the schedulng of Oregon's frst turkey season. Successful tag holders wll be able to try ther skll durng Thanksgvng week and agan the frst week n May. Experence ganed ths frst year wll be useful n plannng future regulatons. A close check of hunters s planned. The outlook for most upland game huntng s not optmstc. A scarcty of grouse has prompted closed seasons for all speces. Fewer pheasants n western Oregon and a declne n chukars have resulted n some curtalment of huntng opportuntes. The general pheasant season wll begn on October 23, a week later than last year. Bag and possesson lmts n most of eastern Oregon are dentcal to a year ago but the daly bag n western Oregon and Klamath County has been reduced to two roosters wth a maxmum of eght n possesson. Malheur County pheasants show lttle declne from 1964 and potental crop damage prompted the contnued provson for a hen n the bag durng the latter part of the season UPLAND GAME AND Open Season Bobwhte qual reman on the protected lst whle huntng opportuntes for valley and mountan qual are smlar to last year. The late season should prove successful, partcularly n the extreme southeastern porton of the State. Chukar hunters wll fnd fewer brds n such popular localtes as the Steens Mountans, upper Malheur dranage, and the entre John Day Rver system. Although populatons vary from far to good n some areas and the rato of young brds s up, the overall declne has necesstated more conservatve bag lmts. The Commsson contnued the popular Labor Day weekend season to provde pre-school huntng opportuntes but reduced the daly bag to three brds. The regular season, whch opens wth deer huntng and extends through the waterfowl season, wll permt sx brds daly and twelve n possesson. Abundant water supples n the states and provnces of the Pacfc Flyway substantally ncreased nestng habtat but resulted n a dspersal of breedng pars whch made t dffcult to compare cur- Contnued on Page 8 WATERFOWL SEASONS Daly Bag Possesson Open Area Lmt Lmt Upland Game: Mournng Dove Sept Entre State Band-taled Pgeon Sept Entre State 8 8 Slver Gray Squrrel Sept. 1 Oct. 31 Hood Rver and Wasco Countes 4 4 Southwest Area Entre year Northwest Area No lmt No lmt Blue and Ruffled Grouse No season Sage Grouse No season Chukar and Hungaran Partrdge Cock Pheasants Valley and Mountan Qual Turkey (300 tags) Sept. 4, 5, and 6 Oct. 2 Jan. 6 8 a.m. Oct. 23 Nov a.m. Oct Nov a.m. Oct Jan. 6 Nov Aprl 30 May 8 Eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon Except Klamath County Western Oregon & Klamath County Western Oregon Eastern Oregon Wasco Unt (d) 12 (d) turkey 1 femaleturkey Waterfowl: Duck Oct. 9 - Jan. 6 (a) Entre State (a) 4 (a) 8 (a) Goose Oct. 9 - Jan. 6 Entre State 3 (b) 6 (b) Coot Oct. 9 - Jan. 6 (a) Entre State (a) Black Brant rec. 1 Feb. 13 Entre State 3 3 Snpe Oct Dec. 11 Entre State 8 16 Merganser Oct. 9 - Jan. 6 Entre State 5 (c) 10 (0 (a) The bag lmt may nclude not more than 2 wood ducks or 2 canvasbac:s, daly or n possesson. The daly bag lmt may nclude not more than 3 mallards or pntals, sngly or collectvely. The possesson lmt may nclude not more than 6 mallards or pntals sngly or collectvely. EXCEPT THAT n Baker, Gllam, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatlla, Unon, 1Aallowa and Wasco Countes, the bag lmt may nclude 3 addtonal mallards daly and 6 addtonal mallards n possesson, and the season for ducks and coots s extended through January 16, (b) Daly bag may be ncreased to 6 provdng 3 or more are snow geese. One Ross's goose allowed n daly bag or n possesson. (c) ncludes not more than 1 hooded merganser daly and 2 n possesson. (d) One hen pheasant may be ncluded n the daly bag or possesson lmt n Malheur County from November 20 through November 28. NOTE: Consult offcal Synopss of Upland Game and Waterfowl Regul;tons for more detaled nformaton. SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, 1965

3 t 411,4 Al By Robert Mace, Chef Bologst, Upland Game THE POSSBLTY OF HUNTNG wld turkeys for the frst tme n Oregon generates a lot of enthusasm. Few Oregonans have had the opportunty to pursue ths magnfcent game brd except those people mmgratng from eastern states, and fewer stll have hunted the Merram's turkey whch orgnates n the southwest. Snce turkeys are new on the scene, a revew of the brd and ts characterstcs s n order. Hstory and Dstrbuton of Turkeys Wld turkeys are natve to North Amerca and orgnally ranged from the Atlantc coast to the Dakotas and from southern Ontaro to southern Mexco. Sx races are recognzed at present, two of these beng found only n Mexco. The four races n the Unted States nclude the eastern wld turkey whch ranges from northern Texas throughout the eastern states, the Florda turkey n southern Florda, the Ro Grande turkey n central and north Texas, and the Merram's turkey n western Texas, New Mexco, Arzona, and Colorado. Oregon's experence wth turkeys dates back to 1899 when releases were made by prvate ndvduals. The Game Commsson rased and released 1,504 brds between 1926 and 1933 but dscontnued the program due to poor results. Ether the turkeys faled to survve or became sem-domestcated. Several flocks orgnatng from the early releases exst today n the vcnty of Roseburg, but these brds lack truly wld characterstcs. Whle the exact orgn of the turkeys s unknown, the eastern and Merram's strans apparently predomnated, along wth varous mxtures of domestc stock. The development of all potental wldlfe resources, ncludng the ntroducton of new speces, remans an mportant functon of the Game Commsson. nterest n transplantng turkeys has contnued despte past dscouragement, whetted by GAME BULLETN the success acheved wth such upland game speces as the pheasant and chukar partrdge. Experence and new knowledge may change the outlook at any tme and the Commsson remans determned to take advantage of every opportunty. Successful transplantng attempts elsewhere prompted renewed nterest n stockng turkeys here n Oregon. Such states as Utah, Wyomng, Montana, Nebraska, and the Dakotas have experenced spectacular results from recent releases of wld-trapped Merram's turkeys. The transplanted brds have demonstrated an ablty to adjust and to reman wld, both characterstcs beng essental to establshment. n the face of such evdence, the Game Commsson launched an nvestgaton n 1960 to determne transplantng possbltes n Oregon. Clmate, food supples, and other characterstcs of eastern Oregon ranges were compared wth condtons where recent transplants had been successful. Correspondence and conferences wth the other states provded much helpful nformaton, resultng n the fnal selecton of three areas for transplantng. Arrangements to obtan stock were then made wth Colorado, Arzona, and New Mexco. n February and March 1961, 58 turkeys were receved from the three states and released as follows: 38 brds on the Whte Rver Game Management Area west of Wamc n Wasco County, 13 brds at Garrson Butte east of the Metolus Rver n Jefferson County, and 7 on the Wenaha Game Management Area near Troy n Wallowa County. Results, partcularly n Wasco County, have been encouragng. The brds have multpled and extended ther range over tmbered areas from west of The Dalles southward nto the Warm Sprngs ndan Reservaton. Wnterng flocks numberng 60 or more brds have been observed and bg game hunters report numerous sghtngs durng the deer and elk seasons. Trappng has been conducted n the vcnty of the Whte Rver Game Management Area each wnter snce 1962, resultng n the capture of brds for transplantng on such new areas as Murderer's Creek n Grant County, Brdge Creek Flats n Umatlla County, and Pokegama n Klamath County. Further stockng s planned, dependent on weather condtons whch nfluence trappng possbltes. Reports of turkeys have been receved from the vcnty of all transplant areas, although not to the same degree as experenced n Wasco County. The Sled Sprngs range n Wallowa County looks partcularly promsng. t s possble that hunters n the future may encounter turkeys over much of the yellow pne tmbered sectons of eastern Oregon as the brds ncrease and scatter naturally or as the result of transplantng efforts. Descrpton The Merram's turkey s smlar to the tame brd n colorng and general appearance. Two outstandng characterstcs are the rosy shns found on all mature brds and the gray-colored stockng over the upper leg or drumstck. Wld brds are taller, ranger, and more streamlned n appearance than the domestc varety and the head s about half the sze of a tame one Ṫal feathers of Merram's turkeys are tpped wth a lght tan band whch appears almost whte on some brds. Feathers coverng the base of the tal are whte-tpped and the flght feathers on the wngs are crossbarred wth whte. These whte markngs contrast sharply wth the dark appearance of the brd durng flght. Several features permt ready determnaton of sex and age, ncludng: Contnued on Page 4 Page 3

4 Turkey Talk Contnued from Page 3 Breast featherstps of the breast feathers are whte on hens and jet black on toms or gobblers. The tps are narrow on juvenle brds (less than a year old) and grow progressvely wder wth age. Ths markng s the most relable method of determnng sex. Beards All mature gobblers have beards whch may reach a length of 8 to 10 nches. Many juvenle males taken durng the fall huntng season have beards whch generally wll be less than 2 nches n length. Juvenle hens rarely possess beards, whle a fourth of the adult females may be bearded. These beards seldom exceed 5 nches n length and are sparse compared wth the beard of the mature torn. Heads Hens and juvenle gobblers have a small, dark head covered wth black hars and mnature black feathers. The dewlap and wattles are dark and uncolored. Gobblers have a larger head wth more wattles and less featherng. The head s pnk to pale red when the brd s relaxed, changng to varous hues of red and purple whle struttng. Spurs Hens and juvenle toms have rudmentary spurs only. Mature toms have spurs whch become longer and more ponted wth age, reachng an nch n length on an old brd. Outer prmary or flght feathersthe outer two prmary feathers on each wng are retaned for a year. The tps of these feathers on juvenle brds are sharp ponted and gray, whle the ends of outer prmares on adult brds are rounded and barred wth whte to the tp. Tal feathersthe center two feathers are longer than other tal feathers on a juvenle brd. Tal feathers of adults are equal n length. WeghtsWeghts vary substantally, dependng on age and condton. A general average n November would be 18 pounds for mature toms and 11 pounds Wld turkeys n ther natve habtat. 4 for mature hens. Juvenle toms would wegh 12 to 13 pounds at ths tme, whle young hens would average 8 to 9 pounds. SgnsThe mddle toe on a gobbler wll leave a track at least four and onehalf nches long, whle the track of hens or juvenle toms wll be shorter. Droppngs of a gobbler are about the sze of the lttle fnger, wth a slght crook at one end. Hen droppngs are much smaller and shaped lke a corkscrew. Requrements and Habts Range Requrements A descrpton of the Wasco County range outlnes the habtat requrements of Merram's turkeys. n addton to yellow pne, some fr and whte oak are present. The man shrubs are btterbrush and manzanta, whle many speces of annual and perennal grasses and weeds exst at all elevatons. rrgated pastures and dryland wheat felds are nterspersed throughout the area. Annual precptaton averages 9 to 15 nches and falls manly n the form of snow. Elevatons occuped by turkeys range from 2,000 to 4,000 feet. Areas meetng the above specfcatons would offer the best opportuntes to establsh turkeys by transplantng. Oak apparently s not an essental source of food snce the acorn crop s nconsstent between years. mportant requrements to look for are heavy patches of pne and fr wth a good understory of shrubs and grasses. Tall, over-mature yellow pnes are necessary for roostng and should be avalable at scattered locatons. The same trees wll be used year after year. Wnter range s crtcal and the brds must have access to low elevatons relatvely free of snow. Tmbered canyons leadng nto such areas are essental to provde safe travel routes. Stubble felds would be valuable as a wnter source of food, but such felds should adjon dense escape cover. Sparsely settled areas are preferred snce wld turkeys tend to jon domestc flocks or succumb to poultry dseases when rangng n the vcnty of farmsteads. Predators, partcularly bob- V*3, Mk*. "'ems..., 149Settqfr'f'-' cats, should be controlled on newly transplanted range. Food Habts Grasses provde much of the yeararound det, and the green leaves and seed heads of most speces are taken. The mportance of ths food source cannot be overemphaszed, and heavly grazed ranges would be unproductve for turkeys. Grasshoppers furnsh an mportant part of the summer det, supplemented wth the leaves and flowers of the many grass and weed speces present. The Merram's turkey s an excellent scrounger and can survve rugged weather condtons. Yellow pne seeds are favored n wnter and the brds spend consderable tme searchng ltter beneath the larger trees. Almost any seed head protrudng above the snow s eaten as well as hawthorn, snowberry, and wld rose fruts. Although oats are preferred among cultvated grans, wheat s more common and stubble felds may furnsh some feed durng severe weather. Seasonal Habts Dscusson of the daly and seasonal routne wll begn wth wnter when both sexes have gathered nto large flocks. Frst lght wll fnd the brds leavng the roost, usually flyng down slope to alght, then movng to the frst of many feedng locatons. Daly movement s generally on the ground, and the brds may travel as much as 10 mles before completng ther feedng crcut and returnng to the roost. Favorte locatons such as the ground underneath large pnes may be vsted for several days n a row, and t s often possble to ntercept the brds once these locatons are determned. Older brds generally move n advance, followed by the juvenles. Turkeys are quarrelsome and have a defnte "peckng order," the domnant brds exercsng ther authorty at every opportunty. The flock talks on the move but remans farly quet whle feedng. Some brds are always alert, and danger seldom escapes the unmatched eyesght of these lookouts. nstant attenton s pad to the alarm call and brds generally escape by runnng, takng to the wng only when hard pressed. A turkey n brush could gve any halfback some lessons n brokenfeld runnng. Feedng crcuts change perodcally through the wnter, probably n response to food condtons. Wth ths shft comes a change n roostng trees. Wnter flocks break up nto courtshp groups durng the early sprng, and the pre-matng actvtes of February are followed by the establshment of struttng grounds n March and Aprl. Gobblng s Contnued on Page 5 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, 1965

5 MERRAM'S TURKEY (Meleagrs gallopavo merram) Hen To m Scalerng of short black velvety harlke feathers. Head bald wth narrow band of feathers up back of neck. Co/ors brght reddsh-blue n sprng. Head of hen smaller and blacker than toms. Block tp k.\\ ;'Very p Spurs on ton-s. t,,.. 7 Very small or absent- on hens. 111 t To m B rea st Feathers Hen Turkey Talk Contnued from Page 4 partcpated n by all toms usng the area, and hens may vst one or more struttng grounds at rregular ntervals. Nestng may start as early as the frst of Aprl, dependent on weather condtons. A well-concealed locaton generally s chosen for the nest and an average clutch of 10 to 11 eggs s lad. ncubaton requres 28 days and most of the hatchng occurs n late May or early June. The young poults are ready to leave the nest as soon as dry. Only one brood s rased per year, although the hen may re-nest f the frst attempt s unsuccessful pror to hatchng. The hen and her brood reman soltary durng the early weeks of lfe, but two or more hens may jon forces as the summer advances. Young poults requre a hgh proten ntake and nsects, partcularly grasshoppers, make up a large share of the det. The young brds are able to fly and begn roostng n trees at four to fve weeks of age. Young turkeys lack cauton and do not acqure the alert characterstcs of adult brds untl late fall. At tmes outrght stupdty would best descrbe ther actons. Toms form bachelor groups durng the brood rearng season. The older gob- GAME BULLETN blers may be joned by some juvenle males whch leave the famly groups n early fall. Ths fall movement or shuffle probably s nfluenced by such factors as fghtng, dsturbance by hunters, and changes n the weather. Wnter flocks begn to form n late fall, wth the toms tendng to gather n separate groups from the hens and poults at the outset. Consderable ntermnglng and changes n flockng patterns take place as wnter advances. Maxmum flock sze s reached n January and February pror to breakng up nto courtshp groups. The formaton of wnter flocks completes the dscusson of seasonal movements throughout the year. Huntng Although turkey huntng sklls may be acqured only n the feld, experence ganed from seasons held n other western states wll prove helpful. A startng pont must be analyss of the turkey's characterstcs whch wll nfluence strategy. These nclude: 1. Possesson of excellent eyesght, probably unmatched n the anmal kngdom. Turkeys can dstngush color and outlne and become alarmed at potental danger regardless of movement. Hearng also s acute, placng the hunter at a double dsadvantage. Beards up to /0" n length present on breast of mature toms. Short n length or absent on hens. 2. Turkeys spend most of the daylght hours on the ground and prefer to escape by runnng rather than flyng. Stalkng close enough to afford a shot under such condtons would be extremely dffcult. 3. Turkeys are socal brds and rejon the flock when scattered. The hunter can take advantage of ths trat by callng brds to hm. Snce the opportunty to approach a turkey unannounced s lmted, learnng to call brds becomes mportant. We wll dscuss ths technque. Calls are ether the mouth or frcton type. Mouth calls are most versatle but requre more practce. The frcton type depends on sound created by a scrapng acton such as movng a chalked ld across the tp of a wooden box, or rubbng a hardened peg aganst a pece of slate. "Talkng turkey" wth any type of call requres practce, and one of the best ways to begn s by lstenng to domestc brds. Pennng a brd separately and then attemptng to duplcate ts plantve calls for company s the quckest way to acqure skll. No amount of explanaton wll substtute for actual practce. Although domestc brds call louder and more often than those n the wld, the technque, once learned, can be adjusted n the feld. Contnued on Page 6 Page 5

6 Turkey Talk Contnued from Page 5 Experts descrbe many calls used by wld turkeys. We wll lst the three man ones needed for fall huntng, all of whch can be learned n the barnyard. The cluck s used for close conversaton. t s a short, soft call whch may be repeated once or twce to gan the attenton of another brd close by. A yelp s used for conversng at medum-to-long range and ndcates lonelness. Yelps may be repeated up to a dozen tmes. The "kee kee" call of juvenle brds s descrbed as a cryng or pleadng whne repeated several tmes and s often preceded by a couple of yelps. Ths call s used by a young turkey to ndcate beng lost or n dstress. Another call whch would prove partcularly useful durng the sprng s one gven by the young hen. Ths s a matng call consstng of three soft yelps delvered at half-second ntervals. Anyone who has mastered the above calls can qualfy as an accomplshed turkey hunter, partcularly f ths skll s accompaned by nfnte patence and woods savvy. Assumng we are qualfed, let's plan a typcal fall hunt. We approach ths wth the understandng that we have a lot to learn and our chance of success s very lmted. Attemptng to outwt a brd s our sole nterest and we wll be satsfed wth ths achevement whether a kll results or not. Scoutng beforehand has revealed the general area where turkeys are expected to be but we know nothng as to daly coos 7,-,7l _ ( ) r ). S.72 A R,'r(''-- -! --4 V' -: 1. \,,., e r-,----\------,...,"! N 5/.4 r { l NN _._...1-.' %..._..1." routne or roostng locatons. Outftted wth sutable soft-weave clothng whch blends wth the surroundngs and permts quet travel, a par of bnoculars, and the rest of our huntng paraphernala, we arrve at an elevated locaton before daylght. Our objectve s to locate brds on the roost, and we try a sngle cluck on the call, lstenng for an answer. We wat untl daylght n hopes of hearng brds fly down from the roost. Assumng the brds are located, we settle n a blnd, gve an nvtng cluck or two, and wat for results. n a few mnutes, our huntng should be over. But that's too easy, so let's do t the hard way by settng out to locate a group of feedng brds. We move quetly uphll, keepng well below the top of the rdge, because we know ths to be a favored travel route for turkeys. Our eyes are constantly searchng the ground ahead for sgn of feedng brdsscratchngs, droppngs, tracks, a dslodged feather. Fnally, we locate fresh evdence of feedng brds and our pulse quckens. Our best chance s to have the brds move to us, so we work uphll from the estmated locaton of the flock. Wth our back to the sun and wnd, we select a stump or rock to break our outlne and quetly construct a good blnd. Before takng poston we set markers at a dstance of 40 yards n several drectons. Our full choke 12-gauge groups 70 percent of a No. 4 Magnum load wthn a 30-nch crcle at ths dstance. Snce a turkey's head and neck occupy only about 25 of the 700 square nches represented wthn ths crcle, the pattern must be dense to be effectve, and we vow PROW U M A \.1 - L._..... u L_._L., 1 L.-1..._,.., J ea... 1 L..NE. 7155[ f )? Lp.. j j., -.. F DOUG as.,./4 3.! l.1 E Page 6 j)t,..."...:-1, fe.. KLAMATH 1 r 71, K._. Turkey Release Stes never to fre at a range greater than 40 yards. After settlng n the blnd, we gve a couple of yelps, followed by the kee kee whne of a young brd. We are lost and cryng for drectons. A hen answers and we ncrease our pleas as the entre flock responds. The brds move closer and we soften up on the call, creatng the lluson of wanderng off. Ths clnches the nal, and we take a young gobbler as the flock moves rapdly nto range. Stll too easy? O.K., so they don't answer. Our only chance s to actually see the brds. We contnue our careful stalk, movng to the top of the rdge perodcally to search the adjonng slope. We expect to be spotted frst and aren't dsapponted as a dark flash ahead tells us they're on the run. No need for cauton now, so we move fast, let out a war whoop, and attempt to flush the brds. Fortunately, we break nto the mddle of the flock and they flush n dfferent drectons. We quckly estmate the number, make-up, and drectons flown and keep our eye peeled for a brd overheadbut no luck. Anyway, we've seen turkeys, but whether they reassemble wll depend on how often they have been dsturbed and how badly frghtened they are. We are optmstc and have patence, so move uphll a hundred yards or so and construct a blnd. Then we lsten for the sound of callng brds. Any turkey we hear s answered n the same tone. f no calls are heard, we wat at least an hour before tryng our frst yelp. Ths s repeated n ten mnutes, but we avod overcallng. Turkeys may move to the assembly pont wthout answerng, and we don't want them to become suspcous. Patence and cauton pay off as we hear a low-ptched cluck off to our rght. We answer softly and move the gun nto poston. Suddenly we catch a fleetng glmpse, wat for a better look, and catch the brd wth a head shot well wthn our 40-yard range. Skll and patence fnally pay off. f we thnk fall huntng s a challenge, wat untl we get a chance to try for a gobbler n the sprng. Sprng seasons are held after the hens are nestng, and calls generally are answered only by the mature toms. The trck s to locate one and then convnce hm to approach wthn shotgun range. Our best bet s to locate a torn n the late evenng as he goes to roost. Callng at perodc ntervals n lkely turkey range may get a response. Assumng a brd s located, we return before daylght next mornng and prepare a blnd as close to the roost tree as possble Contnued on Page 8 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, 1965

7 CARELESSNESS CAUSES CASUALTES By far and away the largest cause of huntng accdents each year s smple carelessness. Despte many deas to the contrary, the mstaken for game category s qute small as s that of the number of true huntng accdents that can be classfed as unpreventable. f accdents caused by carelessness could be elmnated, we would reduce the toll by 80 percent! The photos on ths page were posed by two safe hunters, Dck Nelson and Dean Beard, to help show accdents n the makng. How often have you been n the stuatons shown? Loaded guns n vehcles cause almost one-fourth of the accdents each year. n 1964, 14 persons fell to ths fate. Crossng fences s a perpetual setup for dsaster. Ths could be a double statstc. Double jeopardy agan. Every year you can see both of these poses n the woods and felds. Partners n dsaster. Here agan s short range carelessness. Sx persons fell to lne of fre and rcochet last year. Close to home but they may never make t. Sxty percent of all accdents occur at ranges of less than 10 feet.

8 A Way to Better Venson By Grace J. Smth, Ethelwyn B. Wlcox, Jessop B. Low Tenderness, jucness, and flavor and acceptablty of venson are not affected by the washng and coolng of the meat f careful feld care s taken after the anmal s klled. Studes were frst conducted on the meat from three deer, two rased n captvty snce fawns and the thrd klled n the wld durng a late November hunt. The frst two deer were klled at the abattor and handled the same as domestc anmals. The thrd was cleaned, dressed, cooled and transported home, but t receved no specal treatment such as washng or mmedate sknnng. All anmals were aged approxmately two weeks before the meat was frozen. n a later study, the meat of 31 yearlng deer from the Cache deer herd was carefully cleaned and dressed. Varatons were then made n treatment of the carcass: (1) mmedate coolng n the feld compared to later coolng after transportng the warm carcass; (2) washng carcass n the feld compared to nonwashng; and (3) varaton n the agng perod. Cookng Procedures Because venson has lttle fat n the muscle tssue, a most heat method of cookng was used n preparng the meat for judgng. Unseasoned roasts were n pans contanng heavy alumnum fol, whch was left open n a 425 F. oven for 20 mnutes. The fol was then wrapped frmly around the meat and the oven turned to 325 F. untl an nternal temperature of 175 F. was reached. Meat was cooled for a half hour before openng and cuttng. Tests were made on rump, shoulder, lon, and leg roasts. When compared wth beef roast, judges were unable to dstngush whch samples were beef. Restrcted actvty and controlled det of the two deer n the frst study dd not appear to mprove the meat. Agng of the venson for two weeks resulted n more tender meat from all roasts except the lon whch was most tender when aged for one week. Agng for a perod longer than two weeks produced a fne texture whch judges found not as desrable as meat aged for two weeks. Flavor preference was shown for female over male deer for all except leg Oregon State Game Commsson Bulletn 1634 S.W. ALDER STREET P.O. BOX 3503 PORTLAND, OREGON roasts. Tenderness scores were best for roasts from the female deer wth the excepton of shoulder roasts. Qualty of Venson Fat Qualtes of venson fat were nvestgated by makng a comparson of three fats, beef suet, pork fat and venson fat, each combned at three levels wth ground lean venson. One half pound, one pound and one and one half pounds of fat were used to fve pounds of lean meat. The ground meat was frozen and stored for two dfferent perods, eght weeks, and sx months. The meat was then tested for tenderness, jucness, flavor and acceptablty, and rancdty of fat. Tenderness was mproved by the addton of each knd of fat and ths ncreased as the level of fat ncreased. The longer perod of frozen storage ncreased the tenderness. Pork fat gave more jucness to the meat but showed a hgher rancdty test. However, n sx months of storage the rancdty had not reached the level where all judges could detect t. Beef and venson fat had much lower rancdty numbers than pork. Beef showed the most rapd ncrease n rancdty durng the tme the meat was n frozen storage. Flavor scores were close for each knd of fat and lean meat mxture at both perods of storage. Ths showed that venson fat dd not contrbute an undesrable flavor to the meat. Ths study dd not support the noton that venson fat s objectonable and must be dscarded. t made lttle dfference whether the meat was frozen, refrgerator-thawed, or thawed to room temperature at the tme t was placed n the oven. Degree of Doneness Dryness n venson s related to overcookng. Thck round steaks were cooked to a rare, medum well-done, and welldone stage to observe the effect on the palatablty of the meat. As the nternal temperature of the meat ncreased, tenderness and jucness decreased sharply. Flavor Combnatons Chops, steaks, roasts, ground venson and stew meat were used n varous venson dshes. Recpes were chosen whch would gve a broad selecton of flavors and a varety of methods n preparaton. n all dshes the venson combned wth other flavors effectvely. How the Tests Were Made n these studes tenderness tests were made on the Warner-Bratzler shearng machne and on the Orchard Press. A panel of nne judges scored samples of meat for tenderness, texture, jucness, and flavor on a scale from 1 to 9. A hgh score showed the best acceptablty. Jucness was determned on the succulometer by the amount of juce t was possble to express from a sample. Rancdty was measured by change n peroxde value. Reprnted from: Farm and Home Scence, Utah State Unversty, Agrcultural Experment Staton, Logan, Utah. OUTLOOK FOR GAME BRDS Contnued from Page 2 rent producton wth former years. t s forecast that the fall waterfowl populaton n the Pacfc Flyway wll be comparable to that of 1964 and the regulatons provde smlar huntng opportuntes. Evdence of a declne n mallard and pntal populatons resulted n reducton of the bag lmt for these speces. Shootng ground prospects appear very favorable and huntng on the popular Malheur Refuge south of Burns wll be permtted for the frst tme snce Turkey Talk Contnued from Page 6 wthout dsturbng the occupant. Often, a tom wll gobble before leavng the roost and agan shortly after reachng the ground. Whether we hear hm or not, we try three quck yelps to duplcate the call of the young hen. The response s nstantaneous, and we hold up on the call as the old boy tres to entce us to the struttng ground. t's a watng game, and we try another call after the suspense bulds up. He begns to move and we wat hm out as hs bult-n radar gudes hm unerrngly to our blnd. Wth patence and some luck, we bag our trophy, whch many sportsmen consder to be the ultmate achevement n huntng. f you thnk you have the skll and patence to qualfy as a turkey hunter, good luck. Ths new challenge has become avalable n Oregon and you are nvted to try for a permt. The turkey promses to meet you on even ground, askng n return only good sportsmanshp on your part. OREGON STATE GAME COMMSSON