Stalking game in extremely dry conditions, deer hunters in Central Oregon over the past two weeks endured some of the lowest success rates in years.

Elk hunters are hoping for a significant change in weather in time for the start of the general Cascade bull elk season this Saturday. The season runs through Oct. 19 and includes the Metolius, Upper Deschutes and western Fort Rock units in Central Oregon.

“Rain or snow would help tremendously,” said Steven George, a Bend-based wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Precipitation would help quiet the noise that hunters make as they walk through the woods, reducing the chance of spooking the elk.

George said last week that elk populations are stable in the Metolius, Upper Deschutes and western Fort Rock units, and that the animals are scattered throughout the Cascade Range.

“Generally speaking, it looks like it could be an OK season, but again, it will be really weather dependent,” George said.

Hunters who participate in the Cascade bull elk season can hunt in any or all of the 10 units. George said the Cascade units with the highest populations of elk are in southwestern Oregon and include the Rogue, Dixon and Indigo units.

Those Central Oregon elk hunters who prefer to stay closer to home should consider hunting the western portion of the Metolius Unit on the eastern slope of the Cascades, George noted.

“If they do want to stay local, there’s more elk in the Metolius than in the Upper Deschutes,” George said. “In the Upper Deschutes unit, the better areas are the south portion of the unit, and the west side of the Fort Rock unit — the Mount Bachelor area south.”

According to ODFW statistics, 2,554 hunters took part in the General Cascade Bull Elk season in the Upper Deschutes, Metolius and west Fort Rock units in 2011, and about 6 percent of those hunters killed a bull.

The Paulina and east Fort Rock units offer controlled rifle hunting for bull elk Oct. 24-28 and Nov. 3-11. But according to George, elk are scarce in those areas southeast of Bend.

“The success rate there has been really poor the last few years,” George said. “I don’t expect that to change. There’s just not a lot of elk there.”

Few tags are offered for the controlled bull elk hunting in the Ochoco District, which includes the Ochoco, Grizzly and Maury units. According to the ODFW, only 855 hunters took part in the 2011 controlled bull elk rifle seasons in the Ochoco District, and 29 percent of those hunters bagged a bull. This year, the bull elk seasons for that district are Oct. 24-28 and Nov. 3-11.

Elk populations are holding steady in the Ochoco District, according to Prineville-based wildlife biologist Steve Niemela. But again, weather could be a factor.

“The weather hasn’t really been our friend,” Niemela said. “The deer-hunter success was around 5 percent in the Ochoco District on opening weekend. That’s a historic low.”

While deer populations are down in the Ochoco District — which includes the Ochoco, Grizzly and Maury units — elk populations remain stable with good bull-to-cow ratios. The problem, Niemela said, is that the elk are showing up in greater numbers on private property and in fewer numbers in the Ochoco National Forest.

“That makes managing them a little bit tricky,” Niemela said. “In general, we have kind of a growing elk population, but a lot of them are on private property. We do, however, have some pretty good bull ratios going into the hunt. Last year, during our composition surveys, we found a lot of bulls in the Ochoco and Grizzly (units). The population is doing fine, it’s just more of a distribution issue.”

Hunters must receive landowner permission before hunting on private lands.

“The problem is that there isn’t necessarily a lot of landowners looking to offer that up,” Niemela said. “So it gets a little challenging. It’s a little bit problematic.”

Fire danger remains extreme, and campfires are still not allowed in Oregon. Perhaps by late October and early November, snow and rain will arrive in Central Oregon, improving conditions for those elk hunters in the controlled Ochoco District.

“I sure hope so,” Niemela said. “We should have some (rain) by then.”