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Turkey hunters using a shotgun face a very small target – the head and neck of a turkey. Combine that with today’s specialized turkey loads shooting very tight patterns, and making a clean kill shot might depend on a steady shooting rest. Turkeys are nervous-looking birds that seem to never stop moving. Because of their monocular vision and eyes set on the side of their skull, turkeys are often moving and bobbing their heads to try to decipher what they’re seeing. Consider a shooting rest If you’ve got your gun in a ready position, and are waiting for a turkey…

SALEM, Ore.— The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats has been detected in Clatsop County. White-nose syndrome is an infection in bats caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans that disrupts hibernation, causing dehydration and starvation.   Samples analyzed by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the presence of the fungus in…

There's more than one way to pluck a turkey. Whatever method you choose, don’t just grab a handful of feathers and start yanking. This could rip the very thin skin, and once you’ve ripped the skin it’s difficult to finish plucking. In fact, at that point you may need to resort to skinning the bird. Keep the feet attached to while turkey while plucking it. They’ll give something to hold on to as you rotate and move the carcass around for thorough plucking. Dry plucking a bird – simple but time consuming To dry pluck a turkey, hang it up…

To be an accurate shooter, it’s important to develop a consistent grip and draw. One of the most common mistakes bowhunters make is tensing up and gripping the bow too firmly. A firm grip will torque the bow, or send it out of alignment, resulting in a poor shot and perhaps a painful slap on your arm from the bow string. Develop a consistent grip The grip of the bow should rest on the pad of your thumb and should not cross the lifeline of your hand. With the bow in this position, your fingers will be off to the…

A black bear tried its best to get into a Neskowin homeowner's bear resistant trash can. The homeowner then built a small shed to enclose the trash can. The persistent bear left its prints and claw marks on the shed but did not succeed in breaking into it. This resident…

SALEM, Ore.—Oregon's Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet Friday, Aug. 15 in Salem at ODFW Headquarters, 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE. The meeting will be livestreamed from the Commission page. See the agenda here. (Note that Commission materials have moved to myodfw.com while ODFW's older website odfw.com is transitioned to…

OTIS, Ore.—ODFW's recent legislatively adopted budget did not include funding to continue the operation of Salmon River Hatchery, one of more than 30 hatcheries that ODFW maintains in the State. The cost of operating and maintaining the hatchery exceeded available revenue, but funding is just one of the issues facing…

Chris Kern, Region Manager Fisher research in southern Oregon Fisher are a Species of Greatest Conservaion Need in Oregon's State Wildlife Action Plan, and ODFW is actively conducting research to understand fisher occupancy and distribution east of I-5, as well as that of their competitors and predators. Wildlife Research staff maintained 30 baited camera traps in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and Southern Cascades. The cameras were deployed in mid-September on U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands in areas with proposed habitat management efforts. The goal is to evaluate how these land alterations influence changes in mesocarnivore occupancy…