I have been to Burns on a number of occasions and did some bird watching in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Burns, a small town in the middle of nowhere, has more quail than any place I have ever been to. I'm involved in the Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) held throughout America. They have one in Burns, at Malheur. The number of quail counted in the 15-mile diameter circle each year on the Burns CBC is phenomenal. I always wanted to participate in the Burns CBC.
You couldn't find nicer people than in Burns but the last time I was there some individuals were pretty angry with the government, angry about the suppressed logging and the shutdown of the local sawmill, among other things.
Boy, after doing some bird-watching at Malheur I put the bird refuge on my bucket list of places to bird hunt. I wonder if the militia is gonna let the hunters in the refuge? It goes without saying they'll stop the Pinko Commie birdwatchers from getting in.
Hey, a public service announcement: If any of you fellas go up there to protest, and do a little duck hunting on the side, remember that the Malheur Refuge is not open for the extended White Front and White Geese season.
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/malheur/visit/visitor_activities/hunting.html