FOG Waterfowl and Upland Bird hunting forecast, Fall, 2019

Published 6:00 am Monday, September 23, 2019

BAKER CITY — Another fall of diverse upland bird and waterfowl hunting opportunities awaits Oregon hunters. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has released its annual Hunting Prospects, which provide guidance and hunting information for each district. Here is a look at what upland game bird hunters can expect in northeast Oregon.

UPLAND GAME BIRD FORECAST

Baker County

Upland game bird hunters should see an average year in Baker County. A mild winter and favorable spring conditions led to good chick production. Birds had good reproduction, chicks were of good size, and broods were generally large.

Quail seem to be still trying to recover from the hard winter of 2016-17 and their numbers have been down the last couple of years. Chukar are making a quicker comeback; numbers seem to be about average. Hunters should expect to see birds scattered in pockets of good habitat. Access and Habitat properties offer good upland hunting and access to public land.

Union County

Quail counts suggest a better year than last year and pheasant counts are down. Hunters can expect to work a little harder to fill game bags with roosters this season. The best hunting opportunities are pheasant on the Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area and forest grouse on national forests. Hunters should work ridge tops above 5,000 feet for blue grouse and stream corridors with heavy cover and water for ruffed grouse.

Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area

The 2019 hunting season will be challenging for hunters. Although spring weather conditions looked promising, the number of pheasant broods as well as the brood sizes observed have been significantly lower than previous years. Quail, however, seem to have done better with strong brood sizes.

Dove numbers on the area look good. Hunters can find success hunting tree rows, and harvested farm fields. Pass shooting may also be good where hunters can get between water and these areas in the morning and evening.

Hungarian partridge, ruffed and blue grouse were not seen during the brood routes but can still be found in low numbers on the Glass Hill unit. Overall, hunters should be able to find birds but may have to hunt in non-traditional habitats to find them.

Upland game birds can be located throughout Ladd Marsh providing ample hunting opportunity for all. Grassland, fencerows, brush, and areas adjacent to agricultural fields are good locations to key on but do not overlook dry and receding wetlands. The wetland habitat provides more opportunity for pheasants than all the rest combined.

All visitors, including hunters, must have in their possession a free daily permit to access the wildlife area. Permits will be available at several self-check-in stations at entry points and parking lots. All visitors are required to have an ODFW Wildlife Area Parking Permit to park on the wildlife area. Hunters receive a free parking permit with their hunting license. Parking permits are to be displayed on the vehicle dash. Learn more about ODFW’s Wildlife Area Parking Permit Program.

Wallowa County

Surveys for blue (dusky) and ruffed grouse indicate that blue grouse populations are still below the long-term average. The number of blue grouse broods observed this summer is below normal as well. Nevertheless, these species should provide fair opportunity during September and early October.

Forest grouse hunters should be aware that there are vehicle restrictions and no camping allowed on Hancock forestlands during fire season.

Chukar numbers are doing well and hunting should be good this fall.

WATERFOWL FORECAST

Baker County

Duck and goose hunting is expected to be similar to past years with a few resident birds available early in the season. More migrant birds will arrive later in the season and hunting should improve, especially in the Baker and Keating valleys. Almost all hunting is on private property, so be sure to ask permission before hunting. The Powder River from Baker City to Brownlee Reservoir offers the best waterfowl hunting.

Union County

Duck and goose hunting is expected to be similar to last year.

Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area

The 2019 year was another good production year for waterfowl, especially Canada geese. Nest success appears to be similar to past years with lots of mallard, gadwall and teal broods. Water levels in the marsh as of the end of August are looking very promising. Most wetlands still have a small amount of huntable water. Hunters should call the office at 541-963-4954 to get a current update on water levels or plan to make a trip out on one of the open days prior to the hunting season to scout out potential locations.

All visitors including hunters must have in their possession a free daily permit to access the wildlife area. Permits are available at several self-check-in stations at entry points and parking lots. The Wildlife Area is closed 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily. There is no camping on the wildlife area.

Wallowa County

Waterfowl hunting should be similar to previous few years. Expect good hunting opportunities later in the fall and early winter when migrating birds arrive. The few resident geese Canada geese in the district have fared well, too. Most hunting is decoy hunting in agricultural fields, and jump shooting irrigation ditches so be sure to get landowner permission before hunting.