Managing Wildlife Populations
Dusky Canada Goose Surveys: Biologist Wickhem conducted two dusky Canada goose surveys on the Shillapoo Wildlife Area and surrounding lowlands of Clark County this month. Biologists Stephens and Holman conducted the twice-monthly surveys in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties. Dusky geese are a sub-species of Canada goose that spend summers in Alaska and migrate through and/or overwinter in the lower Columbia River. Duskys are closed to recreational harvest due to low population levels. The purpose of the surveys is to count dusky geese observed and read alphanumeric codes on any red-collared duskys. Wildlife managers survey the geese multiple times across their primary wintering grounds and use the data to generate survival estimates.
During her second February survey, Wickhem recorded 288 dusky geese and read eight red neck collars. Surprisingly, only two collars were repeats from the previous week and the rest were new records for this season. That makes a total of 20 individual collars recorded so far at Shillapoo Wildlife Area for the 2023-2024 season.
Other notable sightings included the first swans of the season, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, bald eagles, great blue herons, egrets, sandhill cranes, snow geese, many species of waterfowl, and coyotes. Thanks to retired Biologist Miller for assisting on the Cowlitz County survey during this time period.
Cougar Pelt Seal: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen sealed the pelt of an adult female cougar for a successful cougar hunter in GMU 388.
Bobcat Pelt Seals: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen sealed four adult bobcat pelts for a bobcat trapper/hunter. The bobcats were harvested in GMUs 578, 388, and 382. The Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) regulations require that pelts of certain species legally harvested (such as bobcats and river otters) be tagged with a department-issued federal CITES tag.
CITES is an international agreement between governments which aims to ensure that trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Many wildlife species that are subject to trade are not endangered, but the existence of an agreement to ensure the sustainability of the trade is important in order to safeguard these resources for the future. The pelts of the bobcats harvested by this individual will be sold to the fur market in the upcoming months.
Deceased Deer: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen helped a landowner dispose of a dead deer in his yard in an urban area of Klickitat County. It is unknown how the deer died.
First Injured Deer: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen responded to a report of an injured deer on the side of the road in Klickitat County. The deer ended up expiring before Jacobsen arrived at the scene. Jacobsen moved the deceased deer out of the roadway.
Second Injured Deer: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen responded to a report of an injured deer that had been unable to get up for the past 24 hours. Jacobsen assessed the deer and determined that she was unable to use her back legs and needed to be euthanized. Jacobsen euthanized the deer and the landowner disposed of the carcass.
Deceased Bald Eagle: Employees at The Dalles Dam contacted Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen regarding a dead bald eagle near a popular eagle roosting spot on dam property. Jacobsen responded to the scene and took possession of the eagle. Jacobsen will send the eagle in for testing of avian influenza (HPAI) and lead poisoning.
Providing Recreation Opportunities
Massey Bar Access Area: Access area staff members were pleased to see that the Capital Asset Management Program (CAMP) promptly started grading Region 5 access areas as soon as they received the road and parking grading list. In the past, Region 5 has been the last region to be visited. This is a much-appreciated change and is great for our staff and anyone who uses these sites.
Providing Conflict Prevention and Education
District 9 Livestock Carcass Disposal: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen received a report of a dead cow at a livestock producer’s operation. To help prevent wolf scavenging on livestock carcasses near active calving operations, Jacobsen hauled the carcass away from the operation and disposed of it at a regional landfill.
District 9 Chicken Depredations: A concerned landowner contacted Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen regarding hawks depredating on his chickens in Clark County. After talking to the landowner, Jacobsen learned that the landowner had several hundred chickens that he allows to free-range on his property. Jacobsen discussed the predation risks of having free-ranging fowl (especially that many) and offered several suggestions of ways to help reduce the chicken losses, though free-ranging chickens will likely always experience some level of raptor or mammalian carnivore predation.
District 9 “Poisoned” Coyotes: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen worked with Officer Bolton to respond to a complaint about someone “poisoning” coyotes in the neighborhood. The reporting party had found three deceased coyotes in her barn and thought she had seen two more that appeared to be in very poor condition. The reporting party believed that a nearby ranch had been poisoning the coyotes. After talking to the reporting party, who described the coyotes’ plight as “looking like Wiley Coyote, the cartoon,” Jacobsen deduced that the reporting party had been seeing coyotes with severe mange infections caused by a microscopic mite. Jacobsen advised the reporting party that the now-hairless coyotes likely died during the sub-zero temperature cold snap due to their inability to stay warm. Jacobsen and Officer Bolton agreed that poisoning was not a likely scenario given the circumstances.
District 9 Cougar Concerns: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen fielded several reports of cougar sightings in GMUs 574 and 578. Jacobsen provided advice on living in cougar country to the reporting parties.
Tree Damage from Squirrels: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen received a report of western gray squirrels damaging Douglas fir trees in Klickitat County. Jacobsen provided advice, including advising the reporting party to stop feeding the squirrels in their yard.
Sheep Depredation: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen responded to a report of a cougar depredation on a sheep in Clark County. Jacobsen conducted a necropsy of the carcass and determined that the sheep was killed by coyotes. Jacobsen provided advice to the producer on locking his livestock up at night and purchasing a livestock guardian dog to protect his remaining livestock in the heavily-wooded pasture where they were kept.
Elk Damage to Crops: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen met with a producer who had been incurring elk damage to her commercial organic herb farm. Jacobsen discussed enrolling the producer in a Damage Prevention Cooperative Agreement to help mitigate elk damage to the crops. Jacobsen inspected the damage and documented extensive elk trampling and compaction of the producer’s high-value skullcap crop. While examining the damage, Jacobsen and the producer observed approximately 75 to 80 head of elk in the field. Jacobsen hazed the elk out of the field using 12-gauge cracker shells launched from his shotgun.
“Bear” Tracks on the Beach: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen responded to a report of bear tracks along a popular Columbia River beach. The reporting party sent photos of the tracks to Jacobsen, who confirmed the tracks to be from a domestic dog or coyote.
Deer Hoof Damage: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen was first notified of a deer with a hoof abnormality in early fall of 2023 in the Carson area. Around mid-spring 2023, the deer had stepped on some sort of plastic ring or cap and it had gotten caught on the deer’s hoof. Over time, the ring worked its way up one of the deer’s toes and began to impede the deer’s movement. Jacobsen made several attempts to catch the deer in the fall and winter of 2023 to no avail.
On March 1, the deer hung around its favorite residence long enough for Jacobsen to make the hour-long trek there, prepare his immobilization equipment, and successfully chemically immobilize the deer. At that point, the deer had ceased to use its rear leg with the plastic ring and its toes had become elongated. The hoof and lower leg tissue also began growing over and encasing the plastic ring to the point where the ring was almost completely concealed. Jacobsen performed field surgery on the deer and carefully removed the ring and some of the necrotic tissue around the lower leg.
The reporting party confirmed the following day that the deer was back to her normal routine and appeared to be using her leg a little more than before. Due to the extent of the injury, it will be quite some time before the deer recovers enough to bear weight on the rear leg.
Conserving Natural Landscapes
A Not-So-Happy Valentine’s Day Balloon: Balloons can be a fun way to celebrate a special occasion with loved ones but are not fun for wildlife! On Feb. 15, Technician Crane found this Valentine’s Day balloon at the Vancouver Lake Unit of the Shillapoo Wildlife Area. Thankfully, this balloon was removed and properly disposed of before it could cause any harm. When a balloon floats away, it must eventually come down, often miles from where it was released, and becomes litter. Littered balloons pose a threat to wildlife either when consumed or when animals become entangled in the balloon string. Properly dispose of all balloons or consider other options for celebrations such as eco-friendly confetti or a banner made from recycled material.
Wildlife Conflict Specialist Jacobsen also found a deceased Valentine’s Day balloon on March 1 along the Lewis River. It appeared to have died without much suffering.
Providing Education and Outreach
Sportsman’s Show: Region 5 staff members from Wildlife, Fish, Habitat, Customer Service, Enforcement, and Hunter Education worked shifts at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) booth at the Northwest Sportsman’s Show in Portland in mid-February. The crew answered questions from show attendees, handed out WDFW swag and informational pamphlets, and had a spinning wheel of trivia questions and a shooting video game for kids.
The show was well-attended and had many relevant vendors and programs. Popular questions fielded by WDFW staff members included dates for release of 2024 hunting and fishing pamphlets, cost and license structure for non-residents, the recently held smelt dipping season, 2024 salmon run forecasts, and inquiries regarding the future of hunting season structure in Washington.
Other
Not the Wildlife We Had in Mind: The annual “fence rip-out and replace” has begun at Shillapoo Wildlife Area which requires many hands and many hours. Unfortunately, work on the first section of fencing had barely begun when it was stalled by a lost visitor. A rather sad looking non-native canine species was found wandering on the wildlife area, presumably dumped by owners that no longer wanted to care for him.
Nicknamed Franklin by wildlife area staff members, this little dog was deaf, blind, and covered from head to toe with a severe case of mange. Franklin was fed some delectable dog biscuits and kept safe by wildlife area staff members until Clark County Animal Control Services could arrive and transport him to the SW Washington Humane Society.
Sadly, finding abandoned pets is NOT an uncommon thing for wildlife area staff members. Franklin is the fifth dog found on the wildlife area this month. There are a variety of options offered in southwest Washington that help owners find new and loving homes for their pets. Dumping pets should never be an option.