2018 SWOCC Elliott State Forest Draft Recreation Plan

Chapter 10. Hunting and Trapping

Fig. 10.1. 890-Pound Elk Shot by William Morgan (on right), 1941 (Youst 2011: 62).

Hunting and Trapping
By Abigail Richards, Cody Harkins, and Matt Hofenbredl

Introduction

“Hunting is the activity or sport of pursuing game (wild animals).” Hunting is one of the most important aspects of recreation. It is often viewed as being part of family traditions and has been around since the start of human-kind. Hunting and trapping is a family tradition that needs to be recognized as being an important aspect of recreation. Small communities whom live near timber/ wildlife areas tend to hunt to provide for their families. Hunting and trapping is a tool used by people to sustain themselves, provide enjoyment, create important traditions, and cultural values. Families have hunted in the Elliott State forest for many decades, and plan on continuing to do so (David Gould, personal communication, April 2018: verbal communication). Elk and deer (big game) are the primary focus of these hunts, because of their abundance in the Elliott. Other big game animals such as bear and cougars are hunted, but it is more difficult. Trapping is a practice that has slowly declined in popularity within the past several years (Bob Zybach, personal communication, May 2018).

Map 10.1. Elliott Forest in Relation to Tioga Hunting Unit (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 2018).

Hunting

The Elliott is referred as being one of the most complex and difficult places to hunt because of how vast the area is. The dense timber makes it difficult to spot game, which hinders hunters and possibly causes them to not hunt within the Elliott (Craig Richards, personal communication, 2018). The public hunts in the other wildlife/forested areas within the Tioga unit, which may be an underlying cause of big game overpopulation within the Elliott. Because of how large the area is, the public tends to hunt in the smaller areas of the Tioga unit. The lack of clear cuts, dense timber, and extensive miles of roads, make hunting in the Elliott difficult.

Table 10.1. Tioga Unit Hunting Seasons, January, 2017 to February, 2018 (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 2017: 18, 21; ODFW 2018: 26-28, 40-52, 61, 46-65). 

Trapping

The public uses the Elliott for commercial trapping—the public traps and sells the furs for money. ODFW states that trapping is prohibited in federal, state, and school lands. (ODFW {a}, 2018: 7) If this is true, then trapping is illegal within the Elliott since it is classified as a State Forest. To resolve the possible issue of illegal trapping, a permit should be issued to those whom trap within the Elliott. Government trapping isn’t occurring. The number of hunters in the Elliott is low (less than 200) because of the amount of ground coverage, access, and hunt difficulty. (Craig Richards, personal communication, 2018).

Table 10.2. Oregon Furbearer Trapping Seasons, January 2017 to February 2018 (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 2016: 4). 
 

Potential for School Trust Advantage

The sole purpose of the Elliott State Forest was to provide money for the School Trust Fund. Hunting and trapping can possibly bring money in for this fund. This would allow further enhancements in the forest such as creating or vehicle accessible roads, hiring experts for private/ controlled hunts, and ultimately creating revenue. Building hunting/trapping camps for the public will help create even more revenue. By charging the public to use these places, such as a campground, it will hopefully put money into the school fund. In Coos County, there are several successful campgrounds (ex. Laverne or Tenmile County Park) that charge the public for use, and run it based off of those funds.

Barriers to Development  

There are issues that have arisen within the Elliott in terms of hunting. The Elliott state Forest currently lies within the Tioga Unit (unit twenty-four), which covers from “Beginning at Coquille; north on State Hwy 42 and US Hwy 101 to south shoreline of Coos Bay; southwest on south shoreline of Coos Bay to Pacific Ocean; north on Pacific Ocean coastline to south shoreline of Winchester Bay; east on south shoreline of Winchester Bay and Umpqua River to Umpqua; south on Umpqua-Melrose Rd to Melrose; south on Flournoy Valley and Reston Rds. to Ten mile; west on State Hwy 42 to Coquille, point of beginning (ODFW 2018).In terms of hunting, the Elliott is said to be one of the best options for hunting areas in the Tioga Unit. This isn’t necessarily true; vehicle access can be extremely tricky. The Elliot State Forest is extremely vast (93,000 acres), which makes big game hunting difficult. The lack of clear cuts somewhat hinders the amount of big game (such as elk) from traveling or growing in numbers. Hunters have a difficult time finding the animals, which could be caused by the thick brush, lack of clear-cuts, and vast area with little access.

Recommendations for/against development/use

A common issue for hunting and trapping within the Elliott is the lack of information being given to the public. Recreationists are unaware of which areas are the best to hunt/ trap which causes confusion and potentially explains a low success rate. There are several solutions to which this issue can be solved. Access and signage is lacking within the Elliott, which explains why the number of visitors is low. The solution to this would be to have more signs and create better vehicle access for recreationists so they will be more willing/keen to use the area again.

Set up guided/controlled hunts, led by locals or experts: “Special” tags/ hunts

Consider logging certain areas for wildlife survival: Commercial thinning will generate funds and will create habitat for the game animals.

Consider commercially spraying: This will help minimize the unnecessary amount of brush, invasive plant species, and timber damage within the forest.

Clearing out trails to increase the amount of recreational hiking/hunting (game, hiking, or Indian)

Installing gates to help control damages to the roads: Steel Gates: Keys

Access permits for specific areas (hunting area): Similar to Weyerhaeuser

© 2017, 2018 Oregon Websites & Watersheds Project, Inc. & NW Maps Co.