A hunting zone in an area southwest of Sunriver, along the upper Deschutes River, continues to worry residents who live in the nearby neighborhoods. The group, Big River Safety Corridor, has been working with city and county officials since before 2019 to get the hunting area closed, citing safety issues due to the close proximity to houses. Today, as more people move to the area, residents are becoming increasingly worried.
Sue Abilein, a resident in the neighborhood, has lived in the area full-time since 2017. “I was home one day and I heard shots. I looked out and there was a guy, a hunter, right across from our house. He was out of bounds,” said Abilein. When she went out to tell him he was out of bounds, he fired again, right in front of her. “That’s how this whole thing started.”
The hunting zone, from Maxwell Bridge to Forest Acres, is a popular waterfowl hunting spot right along the river. The hunting boundaries, according to several residents, are very small, making it very easy for hunters to go out of bounds and closer to their homes.
I found a BB [last] Saturday on my deck. They are hitting our homes, they’ve hit our homes for years,” said Karyl Gothe, a resident and member of BRSC.
The group brought the issue to Deschutes County Commissioners in 2019. Commissioners told BRSC that the hunting zone fell under the U.S. Forest Services jurisdiction. BRSC sent the USFS a 50-page report, stating their issues, including images and testimonies from neighbors.
Since then, the Forest Service visited the site several times, according to Gothe, and put signs up, alerting hunters to be aware of nearby homes.
“There are a couple of bends in the Deschutes River that are open to waterfowl hunting,” said Kevin Larkin, the deputy forest supervisor of the Deschutes National Forest who has worked with BRSC members. “A number of homes have gone up in that area over the years that are close, so what we’ve done is gone out to make sure that we have proper signage posted,” said Larkin.
USFS regulations allow for shooting no closer than 150 yards from any structure. The signs act as a caution to hunters, letting them know the boundaries, and that they are approaching homes. The signs are posted throughout the boundaries of that zone.
Abilein mentioned, since the hunting zone is small, there are several people who end up going out of bounds, illegally hunting in areas too close to homes.
“I don’t dispute that there have been either accidents or bad actors,” said Larkin, adding that the USFS, along with its partners, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, have a regular presence there.
However, to close the area, Larkin said they would need to see a large community support toward restricting hunting. “It’s still a place that hunting can be done safely,” said Larkin. “We don’t want to punish the people who are following the rules and are doing things safely.”
Abilein noted the growth in the neighborhood and in the surrounding population, bringing more people living and recreating near the hunting zone.
“We still see people in kayaks going up and down the river and if they don’t know there a hunting area, they could be injured very easily,” said Abilein.
A law passed in 2019, the Dingle Act, encouraging the expansion and continuation of hunting and recreational shooting. “There are clauses for how to go about doing shooting closures; they are extraordinarily complicated,” said Larkin. These clauses are designed to make sure that an area is only closed if there is a broad community consensus. Larkin said it almost requires unanimity, making putting in those closures a very difficult process to work through.
“We will continue to stay open to those conversations, but we just haven’t found that level of community support that would cause us to think it’s time to really move a more formal proposal forward,” said Larkin.
While the process may be difficult, BRSC members plan to continue to fight to close this hunting zone. “It’s not about the right to bear arms, it’s about being responsible and doing the right thing, which is to go a little bit further away,” said Gothe. “Like I said back in 2019, it’s truly an accident waiting to happen. Why are we waiting?”
This article appears in Dec 13, 2023 – Dec 25, 2024.
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Yes, why are they waiting Kevin? And these residents should be concerned. The US Forest Service needs to be held accountable for not enforcing the rules of the forest. I always thought of the US Forest Service as an organization that helps protect the forest, wildlife and keeping it preserved so recreational users, residents living near by and animals could enjoy these lands and be safe. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case. The US National Forest lands are being destroyed (China Hat, Phil’s Trail) and are creating unsafe environments in many situations like in this article. Kevin Larkin and Holly Jewkes are supposed to be leaders for the US Deschutes National Forest. I feel like there needs to be accountability here and less excuses and lip service. I have been trying to work with Kevin Larkin on trying to keep Phil’s Trail a place where the forest is protected by requesting the gates to be closed year round until they will actually enforce their rules out there because currently when the gates are open it is full on destruction of the forest floor with no enforcement happening. It won’t be long until it’s China Hat. What the US Forest Service has allowed to happen at China Hat is unfathomable to me. I have been an advocate for creating a safe environment at Phil’s Trail. He still won’t do anything about it despite letters of concern, meetings, media outreach and a petition signed by 3500 local residents who feel as I do about preserving this land. So I read this article and see the same thing happening. It’s simply not safe and at some point Kevin Larkin needs to work with our community, county and city and come up with a plan that not only protects the forests but protects people who live around and recreate in the forest. I am really perplexed by this lack of leadership and making sure that our forests are indeed safe. Why is he not being held accountable????