RITA CAMPBELL photo Ron Campbell of Pendleton landed this 27 3/4-inch state record kokanee June 13 at about 5:30 a.m. at Wallowa Lake.

Wallowa Lake is producing huge kokanee for a fundamental reason — mysis shrimp, according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Biologist Bill Knox of Enterprise. Mysis shrimp were planted in the lake in the mid-1960s to give the kokanee more to feed on and increase their numbers.

Still, soon they will be creating a buzz of excitement in Northeast Oregon.

Oregon is just one of 10 states that does not have some type of mandatory orange law for hunters. Observer file photo

Should Oregon hunters be required to wear orange?

The Fish and Wildlife Commission is considering making the wearing of hunter orange mandatory in Oregon beginning in 2011 to prevent vision related hunting mishaps.

JOSEPH — I chose the killdeer as my bird of the month mostly because they are the most widely spread North American shorebird.

Killdeer can be found from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Gulf of Mexico to a large part of Canada. Although a few killdeer can be seen in the northern states in winter, most of them migrate to the southern states.

When Old Man Winter delivers his most potent blows early, wildlife is less likely to go down for the count.

Such was the case this past winter.

Northeast Oregon experienced close to two weeks of snow and sub-freezing weather in mid to late December. A mild winter followed.

MEDFORD  (AP) — A decade after the first geocache was stashed outside the Oregon community of Beavercreek, enthusiasts of this high-tech scavenger hunt have multiplied the game by more than a million.

Geocaching’s 10th anniversary couldn’t be observed without adding to the 1,049,636 active caches recorded worldwide.

Geocachers in southern Oregon have planted at least a half-dozen new ones near Ruch alone to tempt participants in their Saturday celebration at McKee Bridge, where the most prolific geocachers will be honored and everyone can relive the best ‘’finds.’’

The time when all Morgan Lake basically had was perch and catfish.

Lots of perch and catfish.

Anglers fish for trout along the banks of Thief Valley Reservoir.

The 1.3-mile road to the dam, once often tougher to drive than reeling in a steelhead with light tackle, is dramatically better this spring.

Put down the television remote, take off that baseball cap, look upon snow as an opportunity and be on the lookout for elk.

Northeast Oregon hunters should embrace this advice as the turkey season April 15 opening day nears.

Knowledge-filled La Grande outdoorsmen Jim Ward and Phil Gillette explained why during a April 1 turkey hunting seminar conducted by the Union/Wallowa county chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association at Cook Memorial Library.

8.23 pounds: Wan Teece caught her mammoth kokanee while trolling near the middle of Wallowa Lake using a Jack Lloyd blade, a Double-Whammy lure and two ounces of lead. Photo / Jack Teece, Alpine Exposures

The kokanee Teece caught weighed 8.23 pounds, was 26.25 inches in length with a girth of 16 inches.

“From what we currently know, this kokanee is the largest ever caught in the United States,” said Bill Knox, assistant district fish biologist with the ODFW in Enterprise. “Only the current world record kokanee from Lake Okanogan in British Columbia is bigger.” (That fish weighed 9 pounds 6 ounces.)