Grant County businesses want their deer and elk herds back.

All businesses in the county depend on hunters to some degree, coming here every year to pursue the game animals that our areas produce. We talked to hunters last year that never saw an animal; they will not be coming back.

The loss of our game animals is horrific. For example, an average of 400 documented deer fatalities occur on Highway 395 between Seneca and Long Creek, and on Highway 26 from Prairie City to Dayville. This number is down from a year or two ago only because the deer aren’t here anymore.

Making people aware that slowing down to 45 mph, may not only prevent a fatal accident, but would save the lives of many of our dwindling deer herd. The 400 plus deer that are killed by vehicles, coupled with predator kills, add up to a huge economic loss to our area.

Recent cougar sightings have documented 11 animals in various parts of Grant County. In the course of a year, these cats will kill 572 deer or possibly more. There are more cats that haven’t been documented. Add these in and it becomes insurmountable.

Yesterday coyotes were observed, first hand, chasing a yearling doe. This happens every day.

Adding the 572 plus cougar kills with the 400 plus highway fatalities and god knows how many coyote kills, we have lost over 1,000 deer. We need to put the brakes on all this.

Signs at regular intervals on our highways calling attention to our problem would go a long way toward helping slow down the slaughter. We are not talking about speed limits, just an educational program making people aware that using too much speed at the wrong time of day has this result. No one wants to see their vehicle or their bodies smashed up, so if we can keep that from happening, our deer herd will benefit also.

Some method must be used to return the use of dogs to control our burgeoning cougar population. Removal of coyotes has got to happen by whatever means it takes.

Give the ODFW back the tools to manage these problems. Multnomah County voters should not be allowed to control common sense.

The forest service needs to temper the drastic removal of game habitat in the name of fire suppression. It can be accomplished with out laying to waste thousands of acres of habitat.

The Grant County Chapter of Oregon Hunters Association needs the help of everyone to try to bring back our deer and elk.

Dean Elliott

Canyon City