With a success rate of 12 percent, Daarla Klages of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife characterized the opening weekend for buck deer season in the Wallowa District as “dismal.”

Deer season opened Saturday, Sept. 30, with temperatures above normal.

Four ODFW officers and three Oregon State Police Troopers worked the opening weekend checking hunters.

Out of 721 hunters checked by wildlife officials, there were only 88 bucks shot, a success rate of 12 percent, which is down from 2005 when there was a success rate of 25 percent, according to ODFW.

“Mostly, there’s quite a bit of drought and predation from cougars,” Klages said Friday.

The East Sled Springs District was the most successful with 216 hunters getting 44 bucks, for a 20 percent success rate.

Both the West Sled Springs and Wenaha districts had a success rate of 13 percent, while the Chesnimnus and Snake River districts came in with six and five percent success rates, successively.

The Imnaha district had one of the worst rates, with 86 hunters getting only one buck, for a success rate of less-than one percent. Statistically, the worst district was the Minam district, where the one hunter checked didn’t get anything.

One bear was shot in the Snake River district. No cougars have been shot.

The deer checked appeared to be in good body condition.

One person was cited for hunting deer with no tag. Two were cited for hunting in a road closure area. There was also one pending case of hunting on enclosed lands.

All-terrain-vehicles were increasing in areas and increased violations in road management areas, especially in the Whiskey Creek closure, Klages said.