Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

Outdoors briefs: Fishing guide to speak to Richland group

Compiled by Herald staff

RICHLAND -- Fishing guide Mark Shear will talk about bank and boat fishing for steelhead at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the November meeting of the Richland Rod and Gun Club.

The meeting is at the city of Richland's maintenace facility room off exit 3 from Interstate 182 to Queensgate Drive, across from Wal-Mart.

Sturgeon focus of meeting at McNary

UMATILLA -- Fishery managers plan a public meeting Nov. 12 to discuss proposed fishing rule changes for sturgeon populations in the McNary Reservoir (Lake Wallula) and the John Day Reservoir (Lake Umatilla).

The proposed rule changes for McNary include reducing the number of months that sturgeon can be harvested, and establishing new sanctuary zones below Ice Harbor and Priest Rapids dams.

The meeting is from 6 to 8 p.m. in the conference room near the visitor center at McNary Dam.

Fishery managers from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will present information on the McNary Reservoir rule changes.

New conservation measures have been proposed to prevent overfishing that sturgeon population and to protect its broodstock.

Oregon to use robotic deer to nab poachers

PORTLAND -- Oregon wildlife officials will use a donated robotic elk to help catch poachers.

The decoy donated by the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust will help fish and wildlife agents target nighttime or closed-season poachers.

Officials say many poachers are wary of possible decoys and check for movement before shooting, making the robot a valuable resource.

The anti-poaching decoy program already has some robotic deer.

In 2008, agents reported that 1,206 vehicles drove by decoys and more than half saw them.