>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

EASY RIDE: Visitors to the Elkhorn Wildlife Area near North Powder can climb aboard a horse-drawn wagon to see elk up close. (Submitted photo).

North Powder - The 15th season of the T&T Wildlife Tours starts Saturday when Susan Triplett and Alice Trindle hitch up horses to a wagon to offer wagon rides through a herd of Rocky Mountain elk munching on hay.

Trindle and Triplett started these tours in 1991. The elk they visit each year feed at the Elkhorn Wildlife Area, located on Anthony Creek about seven miles west of North Powder.

To get there, take the North Powder exit off I-84, and drive west following the wildlife viewing signs.

The tours begin at 10:30 a.m., and run every half hour until 2:30 p.m.

Sean Lee's two Belgian draft horses named Jeff and Rye pull the wagon — and the riders — to within 10 yards of 100 to 150 head of Rocky Mountain Elk.

"I think the elk look forward to seeing (the horses) every weekend," Trindle said. "It's a change of pace from the motorized pickup trucks that feed them during the week."

Triplett and Trindle provide the narration and discuss the life cycles of the elk and the reason for the feeding program.

"Every year we have gathered more information about the elk from watching, observing and listening to the stories of our passengers. The experience is different every time you take the excursion," Trindle said.

This is the only horse-drawn elk viewing opportunity in Oregon, she said.

Tours are offered every weekend through Feb. 26. Special holiday tours will be held Dec. 26 through Dec. 31.

Cost of the tour is $4 for children and $6 for adults. The wagon is fully accessible with a wheelchair lift.

Group tours are available by pre-arrangement. For information, call T&T Wildlife Tours at 856-3356, the Baker County Visitors Bureau at 800-523-1235, the La Grande/Union County Visitors Bureau at 800-848-9969. You can also visit the Web site at www.tnthorsemanship.com.

History of feed sites

In the 1970s, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with area ranchers, set out a system of 10 feed sites along the base of the Elkhorn Mountains in Eastern Oregon to keep elk away from haystacks.

In early 1980, ODFW opened a viewing area at the Anthony Creek site, which allowed visitors to watch the elk from approximately one-eighth of a mile. Now T&T Wildlife Tours take people even closer to see the animals.