Wildlife Close-up:

Canada Geese

The western Canada goose is found all over Oregon all year long. There is a large population of these geese. Watch for them during the summer, since they will probably be in the same area in the fall. They have a black neck and head with a large white cheek patch. The large body is gray-brown with a black tail. The underside is white at the rump.
There are six other subspecies of Canada geese which winter in Oregon, mostly in the northwest portion of the state. They are named cackling, lesser, dusky, Taverner’s, Aleutian and Vancouver geese.
The dusky Canada goose has a fairly small population, and in order to protect the dusky there are special hunting regulations in northwest Oregon.

Quail

Quail are upland game birds. They have topknots (feathers on the head) which make it easy to identify the two kinds native to Oregon. Quail stay together in groups called coveys, and tend to run to cover rather than fly away from danger.
The valley quail is by far the most common quail in Oregon. It is among Oregon’s most widely distributed game birds, preferring to live around farmlands. Valley quail have a well-known call you’ve probably heard, and a topknot plume that curls forward. Their average weight is four to five ounces. Males have a longer plume and a black throat patch; the throat patch on females is gray.
A native of brushy hills and mountains, the mountain quail is found in most areas of the state, but mainly southwest Oregon. The bird is the larger of the two native quail, with an average weight of about nine ounces. Its topknot has two straight plume feathers pointing up and back. It has bright bars on the lower body. Mountain quail usually live in widely separated family groups rather than large coveys like valley quail.

VARMINTS

Ever hear hunters talking about varmint hunting? Ever wonder what varmints look like, where they live or even how they taste?
So just what the heck is a varmint, anyway? Varmints are animals that are thought of as pests - usually ones that you wouldn't want running around your home. Game animals are those that are good to eat, like ducks or deer, for example. Varmints are not what you'd want to find on your dinner plate, unless you're hungry for porcupine chops or a chunk of skunk. Although the meat of most varmints isn't worth eating, the hides - called pelts - are prized by some people. Some folks even sell them. Landowners often are very willing to allow you to hunt varmints on their property, because they do so much damage to the land and crops, and some even harm farm animals and pets.
Most varmints are unprotected, meaning you can hunt them as much as you want. Examples of varmints are coyotes, badgers, jackrabbits, rock chucks and some ground squirrels. For a list of unprotected mammals and birds, see the Oregon hunting regulations.
 

Wildlife Profile: ELK

The American elk, also called wapiti, is the second-largest member of the deer family; only moose are bigger. Cows usually bear only one calf each year, in late spring. The calves can run within a few hours. They also can be motionless, when signaled by the mother. In September, during the rut or mating season, bull elk make a loud., unique sound to impress cows and scare offotherbulls. The sound is called bugling. Elk need large areas of woodland where they can forage for grasses,  twigs, leaves and other plant food. They migrate down from mountains in the winter to lower terrain in the foothills and valleys. This is their winter range. Elk feeding sometimes causes damage to crops. Groups like the Oregon Hunters Association work with farmers, ranchers and the Oregon Fish and Wildlife department to find ways to provide for elk and protect farmland at the same time.

Mourning doves are migratory birds, although some live in the milder climates of Oregon year-round. They are most commonly found in Oregon during the spring and summer months. They are gray/tan with a few dark spots on their sides. Most migrate south at the first sign of frost or stormy weather, so it is wise to plan your hunting trip as early as possible in the September season.
Doves are often found in roost trees and brushy areas near water, especially along the major Oregon rivers (the Columbia, Deschutes, Snake and Willamette). They are most common near farm lands, but large numbers can also be found in sagebrush areas around permanent water sources.

WILDLIFE CLOSE-UP: Western Gray Squirrel

The western gray squirrel is Oregon's smallest game mammal. The squirrels make dens in tree cavities, or make nests of twigs, bark and leaves built far out on the branch of a large tree. They grow up to 24 inches, including the long bushy tail. The squirrels are gray with a white underside. Tree squirrels do not have cheek pouches like ground squirrels, but have the usual squirrel toe pattern - four toes on the front feet and five larger toes on the hind feet.
The squirrels feed mostly on pinecones, acorns, and other nuts. They also will eat fungi, berries, and insects, and in the spring, new leaf buds.
Gray squirrels are arboreal, meaning they live in trees. When young are in the nest or out playing, the female stands guard as a sentry. At any sign of danger she calls for the young to sit still or retreat to the nest. Families may have multiple nests scattered throughout an area for quick retreat.

WILDLIFE CLOSE-UP: Chukar

The chukar is a game bird found in eastern Oregon. Chukars were brought to Oregon from India in 1951.
These birds, which are relatives of partridges, are larger than quail, but smaller than pheasants. They have plump bodies, short tails and short, red beaks for picking up seeds. Their bodies are often gray with black and white patches on their faces and wings.
Chukars have round wings and large breast muscles that help them to escape predators with short, fast bursts of flight.
Hunters find that chukars are difficult to hunt because they run uphill and then fly down quickly.
Even though chukars are hard to hunt, they are Oregon's most harvested upland game bird.
Water is usually not a problem for these high desert dwellers, because they get a lot of water they need from the food they eat. Their favorite food is cheatgrass, but they can be seen feeding on waste grain at the edges of planted fields near their habitat.

Mule deer are large deer. Their bodies are usually bigger than blacktails. Mule deer get their name from their ears, which are big, like a mule’s. Those big ears, which they can move around like radar dishes, help them listen for dangerous predators like hunters, bears or cougars that might be coming near.

Male deer are called bucks, and they grow antlers that can get very large. A young buck, called a yearling, might only have a spike antler (one point) or a forked-horn (two points). But older bucks can grow huge antler racks. A female, called a doe, usually gives birth to twin fawns each spring.

Mule deer numbers have gone down in recent years. There are many reasons for this, but the biggest problems are that people are taking away their habitat and there may be too many predators eating them.

WILDLIFE CLOSE-UP: Black-Tailed Deer

Black-tailed deer live in western Oregon, while mule deer live on the east side of the Cascade Mountains. Blacktails are smaller deer than mule deer, both in body size and in antler size. How can you tell a blacktail from a mule deer? The easiest way is by looking at their tails. A mule deer has a big white patch on its rump, with a tail that is white on the top part and a big black spot on the end. A blacktail has a tail that's black from top to bottom, but it's white on the underside. While mule deer like the big, open country found in eastern Oregon, blacktails like to hide in thick, brushy cover. Big blacktail bucks are mostly nocturnal, meaning they usually only come out at night. That makes them hard to hunt. The best times to hunt blacktails are early in the morning and just before dark. Blacktails like to eat broadleaf plants that grow in openings, such as areas that have been logged. But they also love to eat vegetables and flowers that grow in your gardens. For that reason, deer can cause a lot of damage where people live.

WILDLIFE CLOSE-UP:  Black Bear

The shaggy hair of black bears ranges in color from blonde through many browns to black, but most black bears really are black or dark brown. Cubs are usually born as twins, each weighing less than a pound. They grow to be adults that are about five feet long and weigh from 125 to 400 pounds, with small eyes, rounded ears, a long snout, a large body, and a short tail.  While black bears can stand and walk on their hind legs, usually they use all fours. Each paw has five strong claws used for tearing, digging, and climbing. One blow from a powerful front paw is enough to kill an adult
deer. In addition to their size and strength, black bears can move very fast. Black bears are omnivores, which means they eat all kinds of food. While they prefer berries, insects, nuts, grass, and other plants, they also eat carrion (dead animals they find rather than kill themselves), small animals, and fish. Bears are known for hibernating, or sleeping through the cold winter months, so they must eat large amounts of food in the fall. If the winter weather turns warm, they may wake up and spend some time outside. In warmer places, like the coastal areas of Oregon, they do not always truly hibernate. (Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Bighorn sheep live mainly in the highest, steepest mountains of eastern Oregon. They eat grass and plants that grow in steep, rocky areas where other animals like deer and elk won’t go. The bighorns also feel safer from predators on steep canyon walls.
Male bighorns, called rams, have the big, curly horns. Sometimes they fight each other by butting their heads together. Females are called ewes, and the babies are
called lambs.
Many bighorns once lived in Oregon, but they were all killed by the settlers and the diseases carried by tame
sheep that settlers brought to Oregon.
Bighorns were brought back to Oregon about 50 years ago with money from hunters. They were brought in from other states and released into Oregon. They survived, and more were brought in. Their numbers have grown steadily over the past 40 years, and now there are many bighorns in
Oregon again. Each year about 100 tags are allowed for hunters who are lucky enough to draw them.

Sage grouse are the second-largest of all Oregon game birds. Only wild turkeys are bigger. Mature males may weigh six or more pounds. As with most animals, females and younger birds are smaller. Sage grouse live in southeast Oregon. They used to be in most of eastern Oregon, but died out in most of the north as their habitat became farms and ranches. There were times when people thought sage grouse would become extinct, but that did not happen. The sage grouse population went way up and down in the earlier 1900s, but has stayed pretty much the same since the 1970s.
Oregon’s hunting season is by permit. The number of permits is based  on how many birds there are and how hard it may be to find them. When the weather has been dry, they can often be found near water, especially in the early morning. If it has been rainy, sage grouse can be more spread out and harder to find.
The sage grouse pictured here is a rooster trying to attract a mate on an area called a “lek,” which is a place sage grouse use for a dance floor. He usually doesn’t look like this, but here he’s all puffed up, trying to look big and bad for the ladies.