GRIM commission Bunino
Vol. V
PORTLAND, OREGON, JULY, 1950
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By C. B. WALSH, Chief, Information and Education
In the recently published program of the Oregon State Game Commission under the heading, Game Resources, the first item is, "Management
shall be based upon facts." Directly following this statement the program
reads as follows, "The program will utilize the following procedures : 1.
Field agents to maintain continuous vigilance on all available habitat to determine population trends, carrying capacities and limiting factors for all
game species
These comparatively simple statements,
in reality, are far-reaching and complex
when it comes to execution. The men
whose duty it is to secure these facts and
to carry out many phases of the management programs that are developed from
these facts are Oregon's District Game
/..^' Agents.
In 1940 the Game Commission started
a program of securing information concerning the game of the state on a systematic basis, but before the plan was
well under way the war took nearly all
of the men that were working for the department. With the close of the war and
the return of the employees a careful
study of methods was made. As a result
of this work the game district plan was
adopted and set into operation as of January, 1946. The original plan divided the
state into eleven game districts. Two of
these districts were later discovered to
be too large for successful operation and
ers and other minor game species. With
each species it is necessary to make continuous observations in order that there
may be a flow of accurate information.
This material is then used by the section
chiefs, the Director and the Commission
to form management programs and regulations. Then it is the duty of the district
game agent to put into effect many of
No.
Western Game and Fish Com-
missions to Meet in Oregon
The Oregon State Game Commission
will be host this year to the Western Association of State Game and Fish Commissioners, whose annual conference is
scheduled for August 14, 15 and 16 at the
Multnomah Hotel in Portland. Membership of the organization includes the fish
and game commissions of the eleven
western states and British Columbia.
C. A. Lockwood, state game director for
Oregon, is president for 1950. Vice-President is Thomas L. Kimball, director for
the Arizona Game and Fish Commission,
and secretary is Ben Glading of the California Fish and Game Commission.
Following past policy, the program for
the 1950 conference will be divided into
general and technical sessions. The general sessions will be confined to several
confronting fish and
these management programs.
Information on the various game species is accumulated systematically each
year. With most game animals and game
birds it is impossible or impractical to get
game departments today. Subjects select-
(Continued on Page 7)
(Continued on Page 2)
an accurate total count. However, if
ed are :
Water as a Public Resource
Pollution
Game Depredations and Methods
of Control
they were divided, making a total of
thirteen game districts. This is the num-
ber of districts at the present time, al-
though future adjustments may be made
from time to time. In each of these districts there is a district game agent. In
a few of the larger ones there is also an
assistant game agent. These men are in
reality the key that makes it possible for
Oregon to have a sound game management program.
In each one of the thirteen game dis-
tricts there is a great variety of game
present. This in itself makes the game
agent's job a big one. For example, one
district may have populations of mule
deer, pronghorn antelope, ringneck pheas-
ants, valley quail, hungarian partridge,
sage grouse, waterfowl and a variety of
fur-bearers. In another district there are
Roosevelt elk, black-tail deer, pheasants,
valley quail, mountain quail, blue grouse,
waterfowl, band-tailed pigeons, fur-bear-
7
District agents and Forest Service men co-operating in a spring game survey.
Page 2
JULY, 1950
* THIS AND THAT
Camp Adair Lands Acquired
Western Game and Fish Com-
Annual reports of the fisheries and
The Oregon State Game Commission
has received title to 1,975 acres on the
Camp Adair tract north of Corvallis from
the U. S. General Services Administration. The land is to be used for wildlife
restoration work.
missions to Meet in Oregon
former army camp building area which
is strewn with concrete foundations,
streets, and car pool sites. Because of
these obstructions, the land was rated
topic, to be followed by a discussion
game divisions have recently been completed. Each report gives a detailed account of the activities of its division for
the past year. As the supply of copies is
too limited for general distribution, copies
have been furnished the public libraries
so that the information will be available
to anyone interested in current information on the fishery and game resources.
*
*
*
Work has been started on a fishway
over Valsetz Falls by crews of the Fish
and Game Commissions. This is an extensive job and will take two or three months
to complete.
*
*
*
About 350 pack lakes in the high mountains will be stocked with some 2,240,000
trout this summer according to plans
made by the fish liberation department.
The fish will be transported by pack
string and by airplane.
*
*
*
Trash fish control in lakes again will
be a major activity this summer. Particular attention is being given to Diamond
Lake where a crew of four men has been
assigned to carry on operations. Rotenone
will be used to kill the roach as concentrations appear along the shoreline.
*
*
*
When Waverly Lake near Albany was
drawn down to an extremely low level for
repairs to the outlet structures
weeks ago, a good opportunity was
presented to the Game Commission to
remove the trash fish present. These included mostly carp, suckers and gold fish
although there were also a few undersized spiny-rayed species. The lake will
be stocked by the Game Commission with
spiny-rayed fish later this summer.
*
*
*
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been selected as the site of the 16th North American
Wildlife Conference on March 5, 6 and 7,
1951, according to recent announcement
by the Wildlife Management Institute.
*
*
*
Sixty-five new species have been added
to the protected list of migratory birds
by the Fish and Wildlife Service so that
now practically every song-bird, shorebird and waterfowl is included. Among
birds not appearing on the list are the
bluejay, crow, starling, common sparrow
and hawks and owls, as well as non-
migratory upland game birds which are
protected by state law.
*
*
*
The President's Water Resources Com-
mission hearing in Spokane on June 16
and 17 was attended by several representatives of the Governor's Natural Resources Advisory Committee, including
C. A. Lockwood, state game director;
Arne Suomela, master fish warden; Ivan
Oakes, secretary of Willamette Basin
Commission, and Charles Stricklin, state
engineer.
The land acquired is located on the
low in agricultural value, but deemed excellent for game production.
Equipment and 20,000 pheasant chicks
were recently transferred to the Adair
tract from the Eugene Game Farm which
is to be disposed of. The pheasant chicks
will be reared in a semi-wild state by using the open field pheasant rearing sys-
tem. The system allows the pheasant
chicks to run free in the fields during the
day. At night, the young pheasants return
to a brood hen in a coop. When seven
weeks old, the pheasants will be trapped
and released in western Oregon pheasant
coverts. Roy Dickinson, superintendent of
(Continued on Page 8)
Oregon State Game
Commission Bulletin
Published Monthly by the
OREGON STATE GAME COMMISSION
(Continued from Page 1)
Fish Propagation and Stocking Policies
Waterfowl Management
The panel discussion method will be
followed. Assignments have been made
for presentation of formal papers for each
period. The general sessions will be held
during the forenoon of each day.
Guest speakers on the program include
Mayor Dorothy McCullough Lee, Governor Douglas McKay, Ira N. Gabrielson,
president of the Wildlife Management Institute; Albert N. Day, director of the U.
S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Lloyd
Swift, chief of the Division of Wildlife
Management, U. S. Forest Service.
Technical sessions, to be held in the afternoons, will be devoted to papers and
discussions on wildlife management developments, fur resources management,
big game and upland game. Concurrent
sessions on the technical aspects of the
fisheries management field will be held
under the sponsorship of the Western Division of the American Fisheries Society.
New this year is the symposium slated
for Commission members. Mr. Virgil Bennington, member of the Washington State
Game Commission, has been asked to act
as leader to discuss the subject, "The
Duties and Responsibilities of a Game
1634 S. W. Alder Street P. 0. Box 4136
Portland 8, Oregon
MIRIAM KAUTTU
Commissioner."
Members of Commission
Carl G. Hill, Chairman
Days Creek
Taft
Donald Mitchell
Baker
Delbert Gildersleeve.
J. H. Van Winkle
Oregon City
Loyde S. Blakley.
Bend
Administrative Staff
C. A. Lockwood... . State Game Director
P. W. Schneider . . . Asst. State Game Dir.
F. B. Wire
Secretary
F. C. Baker.
Controller
H. R. Mangold . . Chief, Supply & Property
Arthur Higgs
Attorney
C. B. Walsh
Chief, Information and
Education
Stuart J. Couper
Assistant Chief
C. J. Campbell
Chief, Basin
Investigations
John McKean
Chief of Operations,
Game Division
A. V. Meyers
Federal Aid
R. U. Mace.
Big Game
C. E. Kebbe.
Furbearers
Frank Stanton. . Habitat Improvement
W. B. Morse
Migratory Birds
H. J. Rayner
Chief of Operations,
Fisheries Division
R. C. Holloway . .. Stream & Lake Mgt.
E. W. Goff
Hatcheries
George Kernan
Engineer
G. E. Howell. . .Fishways and Screens
Consultant for the California Wildlife
Editor
Entered as second-class matter September 30,
1947, at the post office at Portland, Oregon,
under the act of August 24, 1912.
At the present time the Bulletin is circulated
free of charge to anyone forwarding a written
request.
Permission to reprint is granted provided
proper credit is given.
The annual banquet will be held on the
evening of August 15 and Mr. Seth Gordon, formerly executive director of the
Pennsylvania Game Commission and now
Conservation Board, has been invited to
act as master of ceremonies.
The meeting is open to the public and a
large local attendance of sportsmen and
others interested in fish and wildlife man-
agement is expected in addition to the
official delegates from the member states.
Oregon Wildlife
Program for Youth
The first of the 4-H Club summer camp
sessions was held at Camp Magruder in
Tillamook county on June 1, 2 and 3 with
approximately 75 youngsters attending.
In co-operation with 4-H Club activities,
the Oregon State Game Commission presented the first of its summer camp programs on wildlife conservation.
On the first day, class periods were devoted to a discussion of the big game ani-
mals, game birds, furbearers and fish,
with mounted specimens, antlers and
pelts being displayed. An afternoon field
trip into surrounding country to point out
game foods and the differences between
good and poor habitat highlighted the
first day's program. During the second
day emphasis was placed on management
practices, the need for factual evidence
upon which to build sound management
programs, the aims of management, the
(Continued on Page 6)
Page 3
JULY, 1950
HUNTING SEASONS
TO BE SET IN JULY
The Oregon Game Commission will
meet at its Portland office on July 14 for
the purpose of receiving information from
all interested persons, and groups pre-
paratory to establishing the 1950 hunting
and trapping regulations. Tentative regulations will then be announced and for-
mally accepted after a second public
hearing on July 28.
A report of the findings of the Commission's field agents has recently been
completed and indicates that adequate
breeding populations of nearly all game
species are present and with the normal
annual production, substantial surpluses
should be available for harvest in the fall
of 1950.
It is anticipated that big game seasons
will be the subject of greatest controversy
this year because many conspicuous big
game range and damage problems have
arisen during the past year which will demand consideration.
In western Oregon counties, blacktailed
deer have increased substantially during
the past five years and complaints of
damage are so common at the edge of
rs`
blacktail habitat that it is impossible to
define any one particular problem area.
Aggressive clearing of cut-over lands in
the foothills of the Cascade and Coast
ranges for production of berries and or-
chards has added many new damage
problems and although the Commission
has obligated $26,877.10 for fencing of
crops, applied many kinds of physical and
chemical repellents, and issued scores of
permits for removal of offending animals,
the problem continues. It appears that
heavy hunting pressure has contributed
to the problem in many areas because
most hunters prefer to hunt on higher
ranges and deer soon learn that brush
slopes adjacent to farm lands provide the
best protection. In some sections, growth
of conifers and alders are shading out
deer forage and forcing the animals down
onto farm lands in search of food. Al-
though blacktails have increased during
the past five years, numbers are still far
below the maximum that could be produced on the many recently logged and
burned-over ranges in western Oregon.
It would be desirable to harvest the
problem deer on and immediately adja-
cent to agricultural lands throughout
western Oregon and such a program
would require the co-operation and support of both sportsmen and landowners.
Winter concentrations of blacktailed
deer on farm lands in the vicinity of Wap-
initia and Wamic on the east slope of
Mount Hood also demand some type of
control.
Another serious western Oregon problem which will demand consideration in
July is that of Roosevelt elk invading
farm lands in Clatsop county. A general
increase in elk numbers combined with
shading of foothill lands by conifers and
alders is largely responsible for the current serious damage problem in Clatsop
county and it appears that a late "hunter's choice" elk season on and immediately adjacent to problem farm lands in
that area would provide for harvest of
most of the offending animals without
jeopardizing herds remaining on higher
ranges.
In eastern Oregon many major mule
deer winter ranges were overused by
game last winter and a heavy loss of
fawns occurred on
several problem
ranges. Excellent fawn crops in eastern
Oregon during the past two years have
resulted in a substantial increase in many
herds. Consistent increases have occurred
in all Lake county herds since 1946 with
a 25 per cent increase occurring during
the past year in spite of heavy hunting
pressure. Nearly all Lake county herds
have exceeded the carrying capacity of
winter ranges and substantial damage to
preferred deer forage species occurred
this winter.
In Crook, Grant and Baker counties
heavy livestock and game use, combined
with dry seasons, and infestations of
grasshoppers and mice have resulted in
loss of a high percentage of shrub forage
species on winter ranges, and winter losses can be expected any year that crusted
snows prohibit use of ground forage for a
long period. However, deer numbers have
now exceeded compatible levels on many
of these ranges. For example, measurement of blue grass utilization on the privately owned winter range on the north
side of the John Day Valley in Grant
county revealed that in late March, deer
had consumed 48 per cent of the current
growth of that species. This heavy use of
perennial grass is believed greater than
normal because continued cold weather
prevented early growth of annual grasses
and weeds and shrub forage was not
available in adequate quantities.
An exceptionally dry growing season in
eastern Oregon counties in 1949, combined
with invasions of grasshoppers and mice,
contributed substantially to winter food
problems encountered by big game animals last winter. Forage production was
approximately 50 per cent of normal last
year on most ranges and early prospects
for the 1950 season do not appear much
better because most of the lower ranges
dried up early in May.
The liberal "hunter's choice" elk season
in 1949 resulted in the harvest of 8,685
Rocky Mountain Elk or nearly twice as
Two small but popular and accessible
elk ranges were not included in the gen-
eral "hunter's choice" season last year
because it was possible that a concentration of hunters in those areas might have
harvested an excessive number of ani-
mals. These were the Grande Ronde and
Chesnimnus ranges in Union and Wallowa counties. A substantial increase in
elk hunters on these ranges during the
past year has given cause for concern and
a carefully controlled harvest will be required to hold these herds at compatible
levels without jeopardizing breeding populations.
Hunting of buck antelope in August,
1949, did not prevent a modest increase in
antelope herds and it appears that a lim-
ited number of hunters can seek buck
antelope again this year.
Small game species are an annual crop
and seasons should be based upon a
knowledge of this year's production. Satisfactory breeding populations of pheas-
ants and quail are available in most
counties and with normal production surpluses will be available for harvest in the
fall. Brood counts will be obtained by the
Commission's field agents in late June and
early July and information on this year's
small game crop will be available for consideration by the Commission on July 14.
Most hunters find it extremely difficult
to concede that game animals or birds can
ever exceed compatible levels and are
quick to recommend such heroics as
winter feeding, trapping and transplanting and land acquisition as alternative
solutions. In some instances such measures can be practically applied; however, if the Commission is to attain its
objective of producing and maintaining
the maximum compatible number of
game animals and birds upon all of the
available habitat, it is mandatory that
controls be exercised to protect basic forage resources and prevent excessive damage to private properties.
July-August Calendar
Trout
Open both months.
Open both
Salmon and Steelhead
months.
Spiny-rayed Fish
Open bothmonths.
Note : For exceptions consult official
hunting and fishing regulations.
While the rhino's defective sight can
hardly make out a motionless man at a
distance more than 40 or 50 yards, the
animal's sense of smell is so keen that it
can detect the presence of man a quarter
of a mile or more away.
Do you want to receive this
many as on the previous year. Census
BULLETIN each month ? If so,
send in your name and address
included in the "hunter's choice" season
last year; however, substantial breeding
and you will be placed on the
mailing list free of charge.
data indicates a general decline on ranges
populations remain on all ranges.
Page 4
JULY, 1950
A plane piloted by Game Commission personnel was on hand to take up
those who wanted an aerial view of the area.
Boat being launched to take sightseers to the islands in the marsh. Site of
proposed dike is in the back.
WARNER VALLEY TOUR
The Warner Valley show-me trip, arranged early in June by
the Game Commission for the State Land Board and other
groups concerned to demonstrate the high wildlife value of the
area, attracted approximately 100 persons on the main day of
the event. Recent proposals to reclaim the state-owned lands for
agricultural use has created considerable interest in the future
of the Valley.
Party climbs to a higher level to get a better view of Petri Marsh. This point
is just north of the narrows and is considered to be one of the key waterfowl
nesting areas in the valley.
A camp was set up at Hart Mountain to take care of those
who wished to spend more than a day looking over the area.
Groups represented, in addition to the Land Board and the Game
Commission, were the Izaak Walton League, Oregon Wildlife
Federation, Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, Fish and Wild-
life Service, Bureau of Land Management as well as ranchers
and other private individuals.
Members of the State Land Board and Game Commission, right to left:
Governor McKay, State Treasurer Pearson, Secretary of State Newbry, and
Commissioners Hill, Van Winkle, Gildersleeve and Mitchell.
Page 5
JULY, 1950
Petri Marsh with Hart Mountain in the background. Secretary of State Newbry looks through field glasses while Game
Director Lockwood and Field Agent Cummings direct attention to points of interest.
Pelicans and gulls amuse the visitors with their antics.
A mallard duck nest on one of the islands in Crump Lake.
Page 6
JULY, 1950
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mals, most of which are predatory by
nature, has resulted in greatly increased
numbers and more frequent predator
problems, while over-trapping of mink
has resulted in less production.
Large imports of foreign furs, mostly
duty free from Russia, and the twenty pei
cent federal excise tax on manufactured
fur garments have also had influential effects toward lower fur prices to the commercial trapper.
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67,361 animals which had a commercial
fur value of $123,702.63. Ninety-seven per
cent of the revenue realized was from the
combined sale of 4,520 mink for $68,611.91
and 59,144 muskrats for $51,233.84.
Wildlife Program for Youth
(Continued from Page 2)
orderly harvesting of surpluses, and the
inter-relationship of wildlife resources
with all other natural resources and land
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the summer months, Boy Scouts, Girl
Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, Y.M.C.A. and
denominational youth camps have re-
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overcome in order to show a profit for the
season.
In addition to the dozen or so 4-H Club
summer camps which will participate in
the wildlife education program, during
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uses.
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harvesting of the available crop of other
fur is neglected. Because of this unbal-
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geared to the production of mink garments only; buyers have orders mainly
for mink and buy other fur only at very
low prices. Trappers, therefore, find it
profitable to trap mink only and thus
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modity is detrimental to the fur industry,
including manufacturers, buyers and
trappers and even to the various species
of fur animals. Manufacturers have been
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Despite low prices and bad weather
1,490 trappers reported having caught
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realized were near depression-day values
despite the nation's post war prosperity.
Long-haired furs, such as raccoon, skunk,
wildcat, fox and coyote were less valuable
than they were in 1932.
Since the termination of the war, fash-
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The past winter produced nearly a
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during the three-month season and was
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The 1949-1950 trapping season again
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trapped.
Under-trapping of long-haired fur ani-
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TI:EF
The chikarah, an antelope found in India and Tibet, has four horns instead of
the conventional two.
JULY, 1950
Page 7
stake. Each plant in the plot is measured
during November and December and then
again in the spring. In many cases wire
cones are placed over some of the plants.
This protects them from browsing by animals. These protected plants then act as
control plants and are used for comparison. By this method the agent can make
determinations as to the annual growth
as well as use during various seasons of
the year. Information obtained by differ-
ent methods is also gathered on other
shrub species, as well as grasses and
weeds.
Varying in some aspects, the informational work on elk in general follows the
same pattern that has been described for
mule deer. Space does not allow a detailed
description of the measurement methods
on all the game animals and game birds
with which a district agent is concerned
or of the technique itself. Although the
methods are not exactly the same with
An electric fence is one of several methods used by the district agent in control of damage by game.
DISTRICT GAME AGENT
(Continued from Page 1)
trends in population can be established
from year to year this information is just
as valuable as a total count. This work is
done in many ways depending upon the
species and the type of country in the
/area. As an example, let's follow a typigame agent as he acquires information on a representative
mule deer herd.
It has been found that, in general, mule
deer remain pretty much in herds, spend-
ing the summer and fall on certain
ranges, then migrating in the late fall to
present. This material is recorded by ratios. Observations to determine herd composition are made in late November and
December after the migration to winter
ranges and before the bucks have shed
their antlers. Late spring work is also
ranges year after year and generation
after generation. These units are called
herd ranges and they are the ones upon
winter. Whenever possible these losses
are classified as to the cause of loss, malnutrition, predators, illegal kill, etc. The
game agent must also be on the lookout
for any possible outbreaks of disease or
other unusual conditions that may be affecting his various deer herds.
All of this information is necessary to
good deer management, but study of the
which mule deer management is based. A
game agent will have several herd ranges
in his district and he must do his work
individually on each one. Major observations of established samples to determine
population trends are made in February
and March during the time that the deer
herd is concentrated on the winter range.
Summer samples are taken from June
through September to determine the distribution and the success of the fawning
season.
There are several methods employed
for determining deer population trends,
but basically they are made by the use
of strips or routes of travel. These routes
are permanent and are used year after
year. The method of travel may vary on
different strips. It may be on foot, snowshoes, or skis. Then again, it may be by
horseback, car, or in some cases, by air-
plane. The important fact is that each
strip is sampled in the same manner each
year and as nearly as possible at the same
time and under the same conditions. Rec-
ularly each week throughout the year
with an intensive one being made usually
just following the close of the hunting
season. In the case of waterfowl and up-
land birds, such as the pheasant and
quail, one of the most important deter-
minations is the average number of young
per brood. The figures obtained in this
work are of great importance for they in(Continued on Page 8)
percentage of bucks, does, and fawns
winter ranges. With a few exceptions
these patterns are well established and
the deer use the same summer and winter
r
ords are maintained on the basis of deer
observed per mile of travel. After several
years of observation it can be established
with a good deal of accuracy as to whether the herd is increasing, decreasing, or
remaining static.
In addition to establishing the trend in
numbers, herd compositions must be determined. Herd composition refers to the
different game species the types of information gathered follow the same formula.
Waterfowl censuses are conducted reg-
done to determine as nearly as possible
the losses experienced during the previous
animals provides but a portion of the total
picture. All animals are dependent upon
food for survival and the district agent
must secure accurate information on forage supplies at all seasons of the year.
The U. S. Forest Service has fenced many
plots on game ranges in the national forests. Some of these plots bar all use, both
domestic stock and game. Others bar
only domestic stock but allow game use.
By regular checking of these plots the
district agent can determine the effect of
game and livestock use on the various
species of forage plants. In addition to
this, plots of bitterbrush, which is one of
the chief shrub plants on some of the mule
deer ranges, have been established. Each
of these plots includes twenty bitterbrush
plants that are marked by a permanent
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clark B. Walsh,
chief of the depart-
ment of information and education,
has served in that
capacity since
April, 1948, when
the department
was first organized.
Under his direction
during the past two
years the education
and information
program of the
Commission has expanded considerably.
Walsh also worked for the Commission
in the fishery department from 1936 to
1943, particularly in the field of fish liberations. This activity brought him in personal contact with most of the fishing and
recreational areas of the state. At one
time he also conducted an outfitting and
packing enterprise in the Cascades.
Born in Nebraska, he came to Oregon
during his youth and attended school in
Portland. He is a graduate of Depauw
University where he majored in journalism and biology. He has had varied experience in newspaper and radio work, is
the author of the fishing guide, "Fishing
in Oregon," and was acting as editor of
"Western Outdoors" at the time he accepted his present position with the Game
Commission.
Oregon State Game
Commission Bulletin
1634 S. W. ALDER STREET
P. O. BOX 4136
PORTLAND 8. OREGON
agents are graduates of the fine Fish and
DISTRICT GAME AGENT
Game Management School of Oregon
State College. Formal training is of the
(Continued from Page 7)
dicate the year's production in the wild
greatest importance for this type of work,
but an efficient district game agent must
and are necessary for intelligent planning
of seasons.
So far we have mentioned only some of
also have an additional training. This
training is that which is gained only
the points that have to do with the information gathering activities of these men.
This is only a part of their work. Posting
of refuges, assisting hunters and co-operative work with other agencies come all
in the day's work.
Much of the work is in the carrying out
of the actual management practices. In
nearly every district pheasants, that have
been raised at the state game farms, are
released annually. Much of the success of
this program depends upon the selection
of sites for these liberations. Cover, food
and water must be readily available and
the landowner must be contacted. This is
a part of the work of the district game
agent. In that food, cover and water are
so vital for game birds, the Oregon Game
Commission has embarked upon an ambitious habitat improvement program.
Selection of sites and preliminary con-
tacts for this work are also part of the
general routine of these very busy men.
One phase of this program is the construction of watering devices in many of
the areas that would be good habitat if
only water can be provided. Also, in areas
where winter food is lacking, strips of
grain are often purchased. The grain is
then left standing through the winter to
provide an emergency source of supply
for game birds. Here again the game
agent is the man who does the ground
work. Under emergency conditions this
food is not sufficient and feed hoppers are
also set out to provide food for the birds
during periods of extremely bad weather.
The game agents are usually assisted in
this work by many willing co-operating
sportsmen and farmers.
Banding of waterfowl, building crow
and magpie traps, distributing salt on
big game ranges, checking hunter success
all are routine procedures, but one of the
biggest reasons that these men have little
spare time on their hands is that they are
the ones who must investigate the many
complaints that are received by the Game
Commission. Complaints that come down
to the district game men are numerous
and varied. Smile come from ranchers
whose hay stacks are being attacked by
marauding elk, some come from the fellow whose little garden plot in his back
yard has become exceedingly attractive
through practical experience in the field.
Before a man can qualify for a responsible position that has so manifold responsibilities he must be well schooled in both
phases. The men that are employed in
this category at the present time average
five and one-half years of service with the
Oregon State Game Commission and sev-
eral of them have had field experience
with other comparable organizations be-
fore going to work for Oregon's Commission.
As a science and a profession fish and
game management is but an infant and
Construction of water developments for game is
but one of the varied jobs the district agent is
expected to perform.
to a visiting pheasant. Again a farmer
may find that his irrigation ditches are
being dammed up by beaver who have
decided to establish themselves far from
the places where they are needed, or a
cranberry bog may have become the
favorite rendezvous for a small herd of
deer. Although these complaints are nu-
merous, the district agent investigates
each one of these situations and also does
his best to supply a remedy if it is humanly possible. If the complainant feels that
he is not contacted soon enough, it is
usually because there are only twentyfour hours in the game agent's day. Incidental law enforcement work, writing
reports and meeting with local sportsmen's groups pretty well round out the
year for these men. The recent creation
of five supervisory districts by the Game
Commission will provide a better use of
manpower and the game agents will receive assistance from other Game Com-
mission employees during their peak
seasons. They in turn will aid fisheries and
in spite of the fact that a tremendous
amount of research has been put in on
the subject, the surface is just being
scratched. New developments are appear-
ing every day. To keep abreast of these
new findings and to exchange findings of
their own concerning methods and techniques an annual conference of game division men is held. This yearly three-day
get-together is a combination of refresher
course and a look into the future.
If there is one characteristic that is
pronounced among these men, it is their
keen interest in their jobs. Whenever two
or more of them meet it is a certain bet
that there will be just one main topic of
conversation and that topic will be game
management work.
Camp Adair Lands Acquired
(Continued from Page 2)
the Eugene Game Farm, heads the Adair
pheasant project.
Propagation of game birds is only one
of many planned activities for developmental use of the area, according to John
McKean, head of game division activities
for the Game Commission. The Adair site
will be used as a field laboratory by the
Fish and Game Department of Oregon
other workers when peak load periods
State College. Public recreational values
and wildlife production on the area will
be stressed.
this important work must possess the
ment crews have already made extensive
arise in other fields.
It is obvious that the men who carry out
highest qualifications and unusual ability.
Selection is through civil service lists that
are made up from the results of competi-
tive examinations. At the present time,
the great majority of Oregon's game
Game Commission habitat improve-
plantings of multiflora rose to providt
food and cover for the valley quail, bob-white, and pheasants which now inhabit
the area. Grain crops have also been
sown on the tract.