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ODFW looks to nail down seasons By Mark Freeman State wildlife biologists are proposing to take the guesswork away from upland game-bird hunters� seasons and adopt specific frameworks that will set and stabilize hunting dates for the next five years. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife wants to declare specific hunting seasons for pheasant, quail, turkey and other game birds for this fall through August 2005. The frameworks are based on the principle that annual fluctuations in upland bird populations, which can vary greatly, should not be the basis for setting hunting seasons year by year. "The framework will give hunters more certainty about what the agency will do for upcoming seasons," says Brad Bales, ODFW game bird program manager. Under the guidelines, hunters will know this fall what days they can hunt Sichuan pheasants and valley quail in 2003, instead of waiting until late summer of that year for the seasons to be set. The proposal is up for review Friday by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in Portland. The seven-member commission is scheduled to vote on the framework after a public hearing. Bales encourages public input before or during Friday�s meeting because the commission�s vote is expected to be final. Here is a summary of some of the proposed guidelines. They include season dates for this year. RING-NECKED AND SICHUAN PHEASANT � Establish a statewide season that extends into mid-December. Also, keep the current bag limits and allow only rooster harvest. For 2000, the season would be Oct. 14-Dec. 10. VALLEY QUAIL � Establish frameworks that expand current seasons, with western Oregon season running concurrent to the expanded pheasant season. In eastern Oregon, the season would be concurrent with proposed partridge seasons, ending in late December or early January. In 2000, the western Oregon season would be Oct. 14-Dec. 10; in most of Eastern Oregon, the 2000 season would be Oct. 7-Jan. 31, but ending Dec. 31 in Wallowa, Union, Umatilla and Morrow counties. MOUNTAIN QUAIL � No significant changes. In western Oregon, this year�s season would be Sept. 1-Jan. 7, except in Klamath and Wallowa counties, where it would be Oct. 7-Dec. 31. FOREST GROUSE � No significant changes for blue, ruffed and spruce grouse. This year, the seasons would be Sept. 1-Jan. 7 in western Oregon, and Sept. 1-Nov. 26 in most of eastern Oregon. SAGE GROUSE � No significant changes, with hunting allowed only by limited-entry permits set annually by new population assessments. This year�s proposed season would be Sept. 9-13. SHARP-TAILED GROUSE � The proposal is to continue a hunting ban on sharp-tailed grouse. The ODFW proposal also calls for the dropping the use of limited-entry tags for fall turkey hunting in southwest Oregon beginning next year. The agency has required hunters apply for fall turkey tags, but there consistently have been fewer applicants than tags. The agency will drop the permit application and create a general fall season with a set number of tags to be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. This year�s proposal calls for a controlled-hunt season of Oct. 15-Nov. 15 with 900 permits total for 10 Oregon counties, including all of southwest Oregon. The agency is not recommending a change to the spring turkey season, except to loosen the definition of a legal bird. The proposed new definition as any turkey with a visible beard. While biologists are tinkering with the season dates and lengths, the proposed frameworks maintain current shooting hours and still allow shotguns and bows as the only legal weapons for hunting upland game birds. To comment today, telephone Bales at 503-872-5260 or e-mail [email protected]. Staff writer Mark Freeman covers the outdoors for the Mail Tribune. Call him at 776-4470, or e-mail him at [email protected] ) Outdoor Journal Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA