JOHN DAY — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold a public meeting to discuss road closures during next year’s archery season to promote elk security on Tuesday, July 12, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Oregon Department of Forestry Office, 415 Patterson Bridge Road in John Day.

The U.S. Forest Service and ODFW are proposing to close some roads under the Camp Creek Travel Management Area Cooperative Agreement to motorized vehicles during archery season for deer and elk in 2023.

The idea is to protect elk that are susceptible to human disturbance — especially during hunting season, when elk often retreat to private land, ODFW wildlife biologist Ryan Torland said. The Forest Service and ODFW, Torland noted, want to minimize the disturbances to keep the animals in the forest and on public land, given the growing body of research they have been reviewing.

Torland said the Forest Service and ODFW have been discussing the cooperative agreement for many years. Better enforcement from the Oregon State Police coupled with increased staffing has allowed ODFW to enforce the plan and keep up with it administratively. Torland said the two agencies want to get the proposal out to the public and get feedback.

Torland said he would share deer and elk population numbers from the March 2022 census. Generally, he noted, elk populations are somewhat steady. However, he said, the calf-to-bull ratio — 11 calves for every 100 bulls — was abnormally low due to the severe drought conditions last year. He said deer fared better last year, but overall the numbers are going down.

The 2022 archery hunting season is changing from a general hunt — meaning there would be an unlimited number of number of tags sold — to a controlled hunt, with a limited number of tags. Now, archery hunters must apply for a tag through the state’s computer lottery system.

Other than that, Torland said, there are no other changes, and wildlife managers are waiting to see the effects on population counts for deer and elk as the state moves to a controlled archery hunting season.

Archery season for both deer and elk goes for one month, starting in late August. Torland said with this being the first season of controlled hunts, ODFW would not be proposing many changes. However, he said, ODFW would be increasing the East Northside Hunting Unit’s tag numbers to 25 due to a slight increase in bull elk.