Field Reports: Harvest reporting delayed

Washington hunters still are unable to file mandatory turkey and big-game harvest reports because of ongoing computer software problems with a new contractor, state Fish and Wildlife Department officials said last week.

Normally, hunters who report harvesting an animal within 10 days – and unsuccessful hunters who report by Jan. 10 – are eligible for a drawing for one of nine special deer or elk permits. This year, the 10-day period won’t start until the new reporting system is operating, said Frank Hawley, department licensing manager.

The online harvest-reporting system and the automated phone line are expected to be working around the end of October. All hunters will be required to report their hunting activity for deer, elk, bear and turkey by Jan. 31 to avoid a $10 fine.

Rich Landers

FISH MANAGEMENT

Fishery advisers sought

Nominations are being accepted through Dec. 1 for steelhead-cutthroat and inland fish policy advisory groups that make recommendations to Washington Fish and Wildlife Department officials.

Advisors should have a broad statewide interest in their particular species and the ability to communicate effectively.

Info: Bob Gibbons, state freshwater fish manager, (360) 902-2329.

Rich Landers

WILDLIFE

Bear sick, not drunk

A bear recently shown stumbling on a national television news segment and described as drunk was actually sick and has been euthanized in Colorado.

A necropsy on the bear found no trace of alcohol, The Denver Post reported.

“People want to associate wild animals with human behavior,” said Colorado Division of Wildlife veterinarian Laurie Baeten, who was with the young bear when it was euthanized. “And so they said she was drunk. It made a good clip. They wanted to look at this cute bear and see something that wasn’t there. They wanted to see a circus bear. It’s kind of sad.”

In the footage, the bear was shown staggering and trying to get up in downtown Lyons, north of Boulder. Viewers were told the bear was sloshed from eating fermented apples. A wildlife official was shown tranquilizing the bear with a dart and moving it to a wild area.

Baeten said she has never verified stories of bears getting drunk from eating fruit.

The bear was taken to a Division of Wildlife facility near Loveland, where Baeten examined it.

“She was breathing heavily, which is not normal for a bear coming out of anesthesia,” Baeten said. “By Wednesday morning, we didn’t see any improvement. She didn’t seem to be able to see.”

The bear, which hadn’t eaten, tried but was unable to eat grapes put in its cage. Baeten decided to euthanize the animal.

“It’s a tough thing to do,” she said.

Tests will be conducted to try to determine how the animal became ill. Some of the likely causes include rabies, West Nile Virus and toxic exposure from eating fertilizer.

“That’s common in bears,” Baeten said. “We have no idea why they eat it, but they do.”

Associated Press

HUNTING

Oregon license sales decline

Applications for special hunting tags continue to decline in Oregon, where hunters have few opportunities to buy an over-the-counter tag and hunt species such mule deer or elk.

Applications for the recently concluded deer season were at their lowest since 1998. Applications for elk drawings are the lowest since 1997.

“The baby boom generation is aging and they hunt in greater numbers than the following age groups,” said Harry Upton, an economist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The average age of hunters has increased from 37 to 40 over the past 10 years, Upton said.

A declining interest in hunting throughout the West has been noted for several years, with much of it traced to a lack of free time and competition from other forms of recreation.

Associated Press

MARINE MAMMALS

Humans hinder dolphins

Federal wildlife officials are concerned about the increasing human interaction with spinner dolphins off Hawaii.

“A lot of the things going on out there are going beyond the bounds of responsible wildlife viewing,” said Chris Yates of the National Ocean Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service.

Spinner dolphins feed for much of the night, then come into bays to rest and play during the day. Their rest time is sometimes interrupted by swimmers, kayakers, and boats filled with tourists.

NOAA biologist Dave Johnston said there is increasing evidence worldwide that spinners need their rest during the day. If the dolphins do not get their required rest, their behavior and rest cycles may change and possibly affect their reproductive rates, he said.

The Honolulu Advertiser