Field Reports: Euthanasia slated for hoof rot elk

GAME – Volunteers will be asked to help count limping elk this spring as the research continues on the hoof disease issue in Southwest Washington.

In the worst cases, emaciated elk suffering from the disease will be euthanized under a procedure announced by the Fish and Wildlife Department.

Biologists also will fit cow elk with radio collars and track them for years to see what happens to those with and without hoof disease.

Despite widespread reports of southwest elk that are limping with misshapen hooves, biologists don’t know what percentage are affected.

A major survey is planned for March and April. Volunteers will be asked to drive roads throughout Southwest Washington and count limping and non-limping elk. During a small trial last summer, 13 percent of the elk were limping. Results of the larger study could be different, officials say.

Statewide, hunting license sales were up last year but no breakdown by county is available until hunter surveys are processed. Resort owners in the area said hunting business was signficantly down last fall.

Duck blind dog guards dead hunter

HUNTING – A yellow Labrador retriever protecting its owner wouldn’t let a manager at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, near Longview, Washington, approach the duck blind where the hunter had fatally collapsed last week.

The Clark County sheriff’s office says the aggressive dog was stopped using a catch pole Tuesday evening. Medics confirmed the 54-year-old man was dead, presumably of natural causes.

The man went hunting at 5 a.m. but didn’t check out at dusk, so the manager checked on him.

The yellow Lab was held for a family member to retrieve.

Poll: Idaho supports public lands grazing

HABITAT – About 90 percent of Idaho residents approve of livestock grazing as a legitimate use of public lands, according to a statewide poll completed in December.

That’s about the same percentage of acceptance as guided recreation and mountain biking according to the survey of 585 residents conducted by the University of Idaho Social Science Research Unit.

The telephone poll, commissioned by the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission also found that regarding public lands:

• 98 percent approve of hiking and camping.

• 71 percent approved of logging.

• 65 percent approve of the use of motorized recreation, such as ATVs and motorbikes.

• 62 percent approve of energy development and transmission lines.

Eagles still at Lake CdA

BIRDS – Bald eagles at Lake Coeur d’Alene for their annual gathering to feed on spawning kokanee are dispersing, a U.S. Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist says.

Carrie Hugo, who has surveyed eagles in Wolf Lodge Bay since early November, counted 28 eagles Friday – 27 adults and one juvenile.

The peak count this winter was 140 on Dec. 23. A record 273 bald eagles were counted at Lake Coeur d’Alene on 

Dec. 29, 2011.