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Sportsman Northwest

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

Volume 7 • ISSUE 11 PUBLISHER James R. Baker ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw

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EDITOR Andy Walgamott LEAD WRITERS Jeff Holmes, Andy Schneider CONTRIBUTORS Ralph Bartholdt, Jason Brooks, Chris Cocoles (sportsball), Tyler Dungannon, Chris Gregersen, Zac Holmes, Doug Huddle, John Keizer, Randy King, Leroy Ledeboer, Terry Otto, Buzz Ramsey, Troy Rodakowski, Scott Staats, Todd Switzer, Richard Thompson (cartography), Dave Workman, Mike Wright SALES MANAGER Brian Lull ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Michelle Carpinelli , Becca Ellingsworth, Mamie Griffin, Mike Nelson, Mike Smith, Vanesa Sax, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS Dawn Carlson, Beth Harrison, Sonjia Kells

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PRODUCTION MANAGER John Rusnak PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTING Audra Higgins ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Sauro INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn WEBMASTER/INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines CIRCULATION MANAGER Heidi Belew DISTRIBUTION Tony Sorrentino, Gary Bickford ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@nwsportsmanmag.com CORRESPONDENCE Email letters, articles/queries, photos, etc., to awalgamott@ media-inc.com, or snail mail them to the address below. ON THE COVER Seattle Seahawk, linebacker, special teams captain, 12th Man flag carrier, Minnesota Viking, Pro Bowler, avid outdoorsman, coho killer – just some of the titles Heath Farwell, here with a pair of Alaskan silvers, can claim. (HEATH FARWELL) DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS Reader Troy Henne of Boise points out that last issue’s Northwest Record Game Fish Caught This Month (p. 30) listing for where the Idaho state-record tilapia was caught should have said that it was landed at Swan Falls Dam, not Swan Falls Reservoir. Also, the August cover should have been attributed to Brian Lull, who was fishing with Jim and Jen Stahl of Northwest Fishing Guides and whom were credited with the image. Get daily updates at nwsportsmanmag.com, follow us on Twitter and like us (please, please, we’re so needy, we’ll be your BFF!) on Facebook.

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8 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

CONTENTS

VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 11

COLUMNS 69

CENTRAL OREGON With big game on our mind, Scott gets us up to speed on ODFW’s research into the impacts of wolves.

113 THE KAYAK GUYS Kayaks are “an ideal platform” for river kings and coho, and Todd has tips on how to fish for ’em.

CHEF IN THE WILD Randy’s recipe is equal parts venison and your own veggies!

121 BUZZ RAMSEY Buoy 10 Chinook fishing may be done for the season, but Buzz says they’re still plenty catchable just above Tongue Point.

ON TARGET Now’s the time for a “vision” check, says Dave, who has some tips for selecting a good pair of binoculars.

137 STUMPTOWN On the rocks in recent years, coho action could be surprisingly good near Portland this fall, Terry reports.

THE LONG HAUL Grouse, argues Jeff, are best earned, not blasted off some logging road.

NORTH SOUND From lowland loafers – blacktails and honkers in the farm fields – to salmon in the Samish, Doug has you covered.

145 INLAND NORTHWEST It’s the start of steelie season on the Clearwater, and local legend Poppy has some spey-tacular advice.

107 WESTSIDER September’s shiny with silvers, and few anglers know as much about catching ’em as guest columnist John Keizer.

DEPARTMENTS 13 15 16 25

The Editor’s Note Correspondence Big Pic: The year of wild game People: Heath Farwell, Seahawks’ outdoorsman 28 News: Carlton Complex fire 31 Dishonor Roll; Jackass of the Month 32 Outdoor Calender 34 Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw Photo Contest winner 34 Browning Photo Contest winner 117 Jig of the Month: Coho twitching jig 134 Rig of the Month: Wobbler rig for upriver brights 178 Product Feature: Wheels for fall

159 BASIN BEACON How does a guy from the island of Palau end up as one of the best crappie and walleye anglers on Moses Lake? Leroy has his story.

FEATURES 47 55 61 125 141 149 163

Become a better backcountry hunter Central, Eastern Oregon deer prospects Oregon elk preview Lower Columbia upriver brights – 2 MAPS! Deschutes mouth Chinook – MAP! Bayley Lake, Wash., trout Peak-season albacore

BIG GAME SEASONS BEGIN

We head for the hills in search of bucks and bulls this month, and nobody goes deeper in than Washington’s High Hunters. Veteran hike-in hunter Jason Brooks outlines the best wilderness areas for bagging muleys and blacktails! (JASON BROOKS)

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Go to nwsportsmanmag.com for details. NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Avenue South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Periodical Postage Paid at Seattle, WA and at additional mailing offices. (USPS 025-251) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northwest Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues are available at Media Index Publishing Group offices at the cost of $5 plus tax. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2014 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.

10 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

12 Northwest Sportsman

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THEEDITOR’SNOTE

he hot seat will soon be ready for a new backside. Last month, Phil Anderson, director of Washington’s Department of Fish & Wildlife, announced he will be easing out of the chair he’s held practically since we began this magazine six years ago this fall. It’s been an interesting time, one with notable downs such as the loss of much of this year’s release of Puget Sound steelhead smolts, but which has also produced all sorts of benefits for anglers, hunters and wildlife – increased crab, shrimp, spring Chinook, and Grays Harbor salmon allocations; massive land buys preserving big game and fish habitat as well as recreational access; holding the line on wolves versus what the wolfies want, anyone? And yet for the reaction, it was as if the Antichrist himself had gotten the pink slip. Such is the nature of managing a state’s critters, the challenges of which were perhaps best described in a letter to the editor from way back in 1967. Wrote famed hunter Jack O’Conner, he of the .270 and Hunting Heritage and Education Center in Lewiston: “In my day I have been in a fair number of states and I have yet to be in one where the game department was not under fire and where there was not a strong movement underway to get rid of the director, to hang the biologists, to have the head of the law enforcement division torn asunder by wild horses, and the chairman of the commission beheaded, drawn and quartered, and his head exhibited in front of the state Capitol on a spike. “I long ago found out that if I wanted to get all the correct answers to the problems of game management I was wasting my time if I went to see the game department biologist. These poor slobs have only studied the various aspects of game management in universities for from four to eight years. They only spend about 250 days a year or so in the field and in the laboratory. They only know something about ecology, biology, chemistry, and various worthless subjects. As a consequence these biologists are all fatheads and their opinions are without value.” “If I want to get all the answers but quick I just go to any bar, barber shop, or sporting goods store. I quickly find out that many people know exactly how all the problems should be dealt with, and that all this wisdom comes to them through a sort of osmosis – through having bought a hunting license, having spent two weekends hunting deer, or having talked to old Hi Jenkins, who used to be a market hunter and who came here in 1908.” O’Conner would probably add “forums” between bars and barber shops were he alive today, but actually we hunters and anglers are a smart, sharp but also very diverse group, making fish and game management a pretty darn thankless job. But somebody’s gotta do it. Let’s hope that the next director is someone who knows the way out to the halibut and salmon grounds and back, who can be found in fall blinded up in our duck marshes, and who cares so deeply about the resources and the opportunities that, as one observer quipped of Anderson, “The few times he’s home, he has to wear a name tag.” –Andy Walgamott

SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

CORRESPONDENCE TREE FARM ACCESS After reading last issue’s inaugural edition of our letters to the editor page, which featured a lot of unhappiness over Weyerhaeuser’s new fee-access policy that went into effect on much of its lands in Western Oregon and Western Washington on Aug. 1, Robert Coty of Raymond, Wash., lent his two cents: “I’m just as upset as most sportsmen about Weyerhaeuser and other timber companies locking their gates and charging a access fee. That doesn’t seem any different than other private landowners closing their lands and charging an outrageous fee to hunt deer, elk and ducks on their land. So if Weyerhaeuser and other timber companies are forced to leave their land open, then every private landowner should have do the same. So stop whining; it is like anything you buy: If you don’t like the price, don’t buy it.”

SAN ODD ISLANDS? Our blog on the seemingly unusual catch off Orcas Island by Gary Lundquist of a tanner crab – relative to the opilios hauled in by the Deadlist Catch fleet on the Bering Sea – got a couple wait-a-minutes from readers, including Jeff Whitehead who wrote on Facebook, “Tanner been around for a while. Natives can fish for them but we can’t ‘officially.’ They are thick out by West Beach 150-180’.” And our post “These 4 Anglers Are A Little Dinghy, Er, In A Little Dinghy” which showed a quartet of salmon fishers crammed into a 10-foot inflatable with a 30-hp outboard, two rods and a fresh king off Friday Harbor, drew a headshake from Rob Dekker: “Whoever took the pic should have called the Coast Guard and got them escorted off the water instead of driving away with a funny Internet picture, they may have saved their lives.” Teddy Schmitt, however, was amused by one more piece of gear somehow strapped to the boat: “The downrigger really makes the shot.” It really did.

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16 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

The Year Of Wild Meat One man’s journey down the ‘Huntitarian’ trail to physical and mental fitness. By Randy King

paw came up and grabbed a handful of berry-rich brush, lowering it down and obscuring the large black bear. My son, Noah, and I were hunting bruins, but all we could see was a rustle in the bushes and faint patches of black. Then the idea came; I instructed my son to whistle.

“What should I whistle?” Noah said. “I’m not sure it matters,” I replied. My boy whistled the tune from The Hunger Games, that creepy four-note tune sung by the mockingjays. The bear stood up, I shot, the bear fell dead and my stomach grumbled. I needed this meat. By this time I was six months into a crazy dietary move. Basically, if I wanted to eat meat, I needed to shoot it, catch it, fish it, gig it or otherwise capture it myself. I had changed from full omnivore to – what I like to call – a huntitarian. By the time I shot the bear my freezer was running on fumes.

WHY THE DIET? For my health. At only 32 years old I was overweight and had high cholesterol. My driver’s license had 195 pounds on it, but the scale read more like 230. As a professional chef in the Boise area I was living on a diet of three distinct

food groups – coffee, deep-fried meat and carbs. I ate the fast and easy things in my kitchen. Stairs had become obstacles to be avoided. I could no longer touch my toes and was the proud owner of a nice new spare tire. I had to wash my nether regions on assumption; I could no longer see my own genitals in the shower. I had let myself go. With three young boys and a wife at home, I needed to get healthy. The mantra of the era is diet and exercise. It seemed clear to me then, as a lifelong hunter and outdoorsy sort of person, that I would combine my diet with my exercise. If I wanted meat, I would have to earn it. Burn calories to get calories. I would have to hike for it, run for it, swim for it and shoot for it. My meat acquisitions would actually have to involve work, not just selecting a chunk of cow out of the walk-in cooler shelf. I started on my 32nd birthday and allowed myself the use of my current inventory of frozen wild meat. Unfortunately, it was nearly empty – only a few ducks, a rabbit, a little elk and some catfish. My birthday also marks the end of most hunting in Idaho. Only fringe or unprotected species remained open. Basically, I picked the worst possible time of year – hunting’s off season.

AS FOR EXERCISE, my fitness regime stemmed from an unforgettable moment of personal failure. I was guilty of a terrible hunting sin: I had lost a wounded animal. SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

MIXED BAG

The author hunts the rugged Salmon River breaks for deer. (RANDY KING) Why? Because I was too out of shape to shoot accurately. On a weeklong hunt in the canyon lands of Southeast Idaho I had spooked a buck out of thick cover. Instinctively I pulled up my gun and took a shot. I watched as the deer stumbled but continued to run. I searched the remainder of the day for that deer, never finding a trace of blood. But it was clear: I had wounded him. Five days later I saw the same buck several hundred yards away. He had a slight limp, but was feeding with a herd of deer. The buck was way too far for my shooting skills. The deer were heading toward brush-covered canyons; if they made it, they would be gone forever. With no better options I set off in a mad dash down into the sage and rocks. I had to harvest that deer. I had wounded him and needed to finish what I started. As I ran I could feel my lungs burn and my legs ache. I was getting tired, but adrenaline and visions of bourbon-glazed venison loin had me motivated. This buck had transformed into walking food at this point. Then the buck came into view, broadside at about 100 yards. It should have been chip shot, as easy as they come with a modern high-power rifle. I pulled up the gun, tried to place the scope on the buck and watched my 18 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

crosshairs weave on and off his chest. As my heart pounded and lungs heaved I tried to stable my breathing to actually shoot at the buck. Hunters often get a big dose of adrenaline known as buck fever, and that combined with my out-of-shape run left me hopeless. My heart raced and my chest hurt. I looked for something to use as a rest to stabilize my aim, but nothing was around. Trying my best I fired at the deer. It was a clean miss. I would not risk shooting again. It looked like he could survive my first wounding; I was not going to make him suffer more. The choice was made – a clean kill or no kill at all. The buck disappeared over the hill and into the canyons and scrub. It was clear: I was no longer the apex predator. I was Elmer Fudd, the gun-toting bumbler. Even worse than Fudd, I had wounded an animal. I was bested by my own inability, weight and physical fitness, leaving my freezer meatless. If this was survival, my family would have starved. Hat in hand I begged deer meat off Dad that winter.

IT’S NOT LIKE I am the first human hunter. Several scientific theories’ postulate that humans evolved as hunting animals, sans high-powered rifles, further compounding my failure.

The human brain size exploded about 2 million years ago, primarily from eating protein (meat) as best scientists can tell. That meat did not just drop dead and let humans consume it. Neither did early humans fight the lions for dead gazelles. We have no claws, no fangs, aren’t strong and basically lack the death-dealing physical capabilities of other natural predators. But we humans are remarkably good at running long distances. Christopher McDougal, author of Born to Run, said in a 2010 TED talk that “Maybe we evolved as nothing more than a pack of hunting dogs … The only thing that we do really, really well is sweat. We are really good at being sweaty and smelly. Better than any other mammal on earth … when it comes to running under hot heat for long distances we are superb, we are the best on the planet.” This idea, that humans can chase down game and then dispatch it, is called the persistence hunting theory. As my case clearly points out, most modern hunters no longer chase down game. In fact, a few hundred yards of running after that buck is exactly why I could not shoot it. To be a modern hunter, blessed with so many advantages and to perform so poorly, was completely unacceptable. Armed with the knowledge that my hunting ancestors had actually run down their dinner, I started to jog. I kept that buck in the back of my mind as I put one flatfooted step in front of the other. I started with my subdivision’s stop sign – one mile there and back. It took me 15 minutes and I was exhausted. I had kicked my half pack a day of smokes the year before, so I figured my lungs were all sorts of healthy. No – more like just no longer covered in as much tar. My body wanted nothing to do with fitness, my shins ached, my bones rattled. I even asked a doctor how much aspirin I could take before I started running to kill the pain. One foot in front of the other I plodded along for four months. I made progress, my body not hating me as much anymore during runs. Obsessing over meat, I often hunted

MIXED BAG during my lunch breaks. I would pick the steepest hill I could find and go bird hunting. When I didn’t hunt, I would run. Stashing the game meat on the floorboard of my Ford, I felt like I had my own little secret, until after work when I could process the meat for dinner. I started lugging around a plastic tote in my SUV’s trunk; it had all the necessary equipment for hunting: my boots, waterproof pants, shells, shotgun, and hunting vest – the basics that would allow me to get meat in short order. For some it might seem impractical to hunt during lunch. I’ll be the first to admit I might have taken a few too many long lunches in support of my habit. Fortunately, I work on the outskirts of Boise. I could reach a wildlife management area in seven minutes. I would dash out and back, no one the wiser of my actions. Especially not HR.

I FELT LIKE Thomas Keller in his classic cookbook The French Laundry. The book has a formative chapter for me as a chef. Keller spoke about requesting and receiving a delivery of rabbits, alive, from the farmer. He was shown how to properly dispatch a rabbit and then the farmer simply drove off, leaving Keller to kill and butcher the remainder. He had to kill those rabbits for that week’s menu. Killing those rabbits made Keller respect every aspect of their meat. Now when I see a jackrabbit running through the sagebrush I get a rumble in my belly. The rabbits had transformed to sustenance, the way to feed my family. The further I went into my wild meat diet the more time I spent on butchery. My “it’s just a jackrabbit” attitude was replaced with what Dr. James Swan, in his book In Defense of Hunting, calls the “sacrament of wild game meat” approach. I would make more creative dishes, stewing rabbit with curry and coconut milk. I had taken a life for dinner; I would respect the dead. As a chef I kept exploring the culinary boundaries of game. I delved further into classical French cuisine and noted that the foundation of Western cooking is rooted in wild game. Escoffier gives as many recipes 20 Northwest Sportsman

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that call for bear fat as they do olive oil – not to mention all the wild birds (fowl or otherwise) that are used on his table. The “king of chefs and chef of kings” was obsessed with wild game. The number of things he stuffs into kidneys of wild animals is simply amazing. Steven Rinella even wrote a whole book, Scavengers’ Guide to Haute Cuisine, on preparing one of Escoffier’s 45-course wild game menus.

WITH MY FREEZER so low, my diet consisted mostly of rabbits and pigeons. Luckily, early in the spring of 2013 my work shipped me off to Tampa, Fla. I had five hours of free time one evening, so I booked myself a hog hunt. Pork was thus far nonexistent in my diet and I wanted nothing more than a nice breakfast sausage with the kids on a Saturday morning. Florida has a huge hog problem. The estimated population is about 500,000. They are harsh on the environment and a toxic invasive species. They eat nesting bird eggs, destroy farmers’ crops (it actually looks like a rototiller went through any area a pig has rooted), and are common causes of car crashes. The state of Florida wants them gone, and to promote the hunt, has removed all the usual restrictions. You don’t need a license, tag or permit. Essentially, as long as the gun or bow that you are shooting is legal to fire, and the land you are on allows it, a person can kill a hog. With such a high population it is not uncommon to find guide operations within minutes of major cities. I went to an alligator farm for my hog hunt and they wanted to know if I was interested in the meat – I said yes, of course. Otherwise, they were going to feed the dead hog to his gators. Essentially, the guide was charging me to kill his gator food. Talk about a winwin-win for the farmer. My guide’s name was Bit. He was rail thin, had a lip full of chewing tobacco and talked with a Southern drawl. At the hunting location I was informed of two things: Don’t shoot the dogs, and the swamp buggy’s brakes were broken. As we drove through the back section of the property the hog dogs seemed to

bark nonstop. Then, with the subtle shift in their tone – more a whine than a bark – Bit took his foot off the gas and rolled to a stop. “They smell a hog,” he said and let two of the three go. The hounds made concentrically larger circles around the buggy, eventually stopping at a small patch of 10-foot-high grass about 100 feet from us. I grabbed my bow and started to dismount. “Hold up” Bit said, pushing the gas pedal and smiling as we plowed into the grass with abandon. Two dogs and a black pig squirted out. “Shoooot!” he yelled. As a Western hunter I am not inclined to take shots that I find unethical. I was especially worried since I had left that wounded buck the prior fall. But to Bit, and many other hog hunters, I was overthinking. A pig to them is a big rat – a pest. They would not flinch at killing a rat in a trap. But to me, a pig is still a big game animal that needs my attention and respectful shot. I dismounted and jogged over to the hog, a small young boar that started clamping his teeth together and put his head down ready to charge. The dogs backed off, I shot and the pig went about 30 yards and fell dead. In a matter of moments it was skinned. Carcass in hand, or in a black plastic bag, I headed off to the nearest gas station for ice and drove back to Tampa to debone the meat. With a quick Dexter-inspired trip to a grocery store I bought Ziploc bags and plastic wrap. Walking through Marriott’s lobby in full hunting garb, a little dirt and blood under my fingernails, arrows sticking out the top of my bag, and the big black bag, I tried to be cool; easy jazz was on the radio, and it was only a 100-pound problem. On my room’s ironing board I layered some towels on top and then plastic wrapped the whole thing. Then I fabricated the pig in the bathroom, cutting off hams, loins, ribs and hocks, neatly labeling each part on the gallon-sized baggies. Back home, I made all the things that most eaters take for granted. Things like honey ham – I

MIXED BAG made a simple ham-and-cheese sandwich and it was amazing. Breakfast sausage – thank you, Alton Brown and Google, never have I had had better biscuits and gravy.

AFTER THE HOG I kept hunting in Idaho, harvesting two turkeys that spring. I made it through the summer on pig, bullfrogs and crayfish. Luckily, I then I got my bear. The whole time I kept running, more and more, trying to shed pounds. As the year ran on I began to openly crave other, nonwild meat. Chef buddies would offer me platters of kobe, taunt me with sushi. A Smash Burger called my name – loudly. I questioned my Huntitarain ethic more and more. But my weight was dropping, thanks to the diet and running. First 5 pounds, then 10 and finally I was 30 pounds lower than when I started. I was at 199 pounds when I ran in my first 12-mile race, the Stanley Relay. I paced at 8:42 per mile, broke no records, but I finished.

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SEPTEMBER 2014

The real test, the Alaskan tundra, came shortly after the bear. It had always been a dream to hunt the Last Frontier – it is even wilder than Idaho – and I’d booked with the intent of being fit enough to do it. Plus Alaska has one creature that I will never be allowed to hunt in Idaho, the caribou. Being a working-class hunter I was unable to afford one of the legendarily expensive outings, commonly about $7,000 before airfare. I had a budget of about $2,000. We flew to Fairbanks and drove north in a rented pickup. The physical challenge was hiking across the tundra – think walking on a sponge for 5 miles just to get to legal ground off the pipeline. I’d read how others had failed for lack of conditioning or wished they’d trained harder. I did not want to be one other those people. On the second day I shot a caribou. I proceeded to cut it into manageable sections and pack roughly 110 pounds meat out on my back, what would have

been a completely unfathomable feat with my prior body and fitness level. Now I felt powerful. I could feel my body and how it benefited from my lifestyle change. I was a hunter and I was alive. I stopped questioning my choice of diet. I felt as if I could chase down antelope. I had become a predator. It’s the old adage that diet and exercise are the keys to health. I needed a way to make me earn what I craved and I needed a way to burn calories in pursuit of them. Hunting for my own meat connected me to an understanding of the world that few ever know. A grumbling in my belly would tell me to go out and hunt, to be selfreliant in a world lacking that skill. I needed to hunt for food. Hunt for exercise. Hunt to get back my soul and body. It was my year of the meat. NS Editor’s note: The author is our Chef in the Wild columnist.

24 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

MIXED BAG

The Fishing (And Hunting) Hawk Fan fave and 12th Man flag carrier Heath Farwell loves the outdoors.

Growing up fishing the Southern California saltchuck with his “Gramps,” Heath Farwell, second from left, felt right at home during a fishing trip off Seward this past July with fellow linebacker Mike Morgan (right) and former Seahawk Matt McCoy. (HEATH FARWELL)

By Chris Cocoles

resh off the franchise’s first NFL title and still in celebration mode, the Seahawks sent a contingent of players north to Alaska on a goodwill tour this past July. Not only are there deep ties between Seattle and the Last Frontier, but Alaska is known as Seahawks’ country, and it was only fitting that linebacker Heath Farwell was one of the players who joined the meet-and-greet caravan. As comfortable in cleats and shoulder pads as Grundens and camo, Farwell was

in his element catching salmon and halibut out of Seward as part of the experience. Yes, he may not be as well known around the Northwest as Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, running back Marshawn Lynch, cornerback Richard Sherman or safety Earl Thomas, all established or budding superstars, and key players in that 43-8 thrashing of the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. In fact, Farwell, a California native, wasn’t even drafted after playing collegiately at San Diego State. But the 32-year-old has made himself into a solid NFL player.

Farwell has played linebacker for Seattle, as well as special teams captain and carried the 12th Man flag onto the field during home games. (JEFFREY BEALL, WIKIMEDIA)

SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

on Lake Minnetonka, so I did a ton of fishing during the summer and ice fishing during the winter. Minnetonka is known for walleye and smallmouth bass. I became good friends in Minnesota with Jeff Traxler who owns Traxler’s Hunting Preserve, and some of my buddies on the team and I would hunt deer and pheasant on his land. Since I have been with the Seahawks, I haven’t had much time to fish and hunt. My wife and I have two boys – Brock, 3, and Beau, 1. My days off are spent with them, and in the offseason we head to our home in Newport Beach, Calif. I try to go out fishing with Gramps as much as possible when I am there. He goes hunting in Arizona for javelina every February, and I am hoping to join him one of these years. If there’s an NFL franchise that’s as rich in local fishing and hunting opportunities as Seattle, it might just be the Minnesota Vikings, where Farwell played linebacker before coming over to the Hawks. While there he enjoyed fishing the lake he lived on for bass and walleye, as well as hunting whitetail at a preserve. (HEATH FARWELL)

Farwell’s specialty is, well, special teams. He just happens to be one of the NFL’s premier players on kickoffs and punts. So skilled in this aspect of the game, the backup linebacker was the National Football Conference’s one and only special teams coverage representative in the 2009-10 Pro Bowl for his original team, the Minnesota Vikings (he signed a free-agent contract with the Seahawks in 2012). He’s also well respected in the locker room, is the team’s special teams captain and has led the Seahawks out onto their home turf while carrying the 12th Man flag that salutes Seattle’s rabid fan base. So deep are the Seahawks at linebacker that at press time Farwell was fighting to preserve his roster spot. But he doesn’t figure to have any regrets after clutching the Vince Lombardi Trophy that chilly, thrilling night last February. We chatted with Farwell about his recent appearance with the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch skippers, growing up as an avid sportsman and what it means to represent Seattle’s “12s” on Sundays.

Chris Cocoles So growing up in Corona, Calif., did you get into fishing right away, or was that a passion that developed over time? 26 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

Heath Farwell We were outdoors a lot as a family growing up. For as long as I can remember, we were spending summers and weekends at the lake going fishing, shooting BB guns with my brother and cousins, riding quads and just being boys. My grandfather – Gramps – had a big part of introducing me to fishing and hunting. It’s a huge part of his life and he has helped me find my passion for it.

CC What’s one of your earliest memories fishing or being outdoors?

HF Gramps used to take us fishing in his boat out of Long Beach Harbor. We would go on both day and night trips. On the day trips, we would go out to deep water towards Catalina Island and catch yellowtail, baracuda, mackerel and many more. The night trips – which were way past our bedtime – would be right at the breakwater of the jetty and we would catch calico bass and sand bass.

CC You arguably have played in the NFL’s two most outdoors-friendly cities, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seattle, the Land of 10,000 Lakes and a city that’s almost surrounded by water. How much have you taken advantage of that? HF When I played for the Vikings, we lived

CC You and some teammates got to spend some time in Alaska doing promotional work, and got in some fishing in up there, which must have been a treat for you? HF The past couple of summers here in Seattle, I’ve been a part of the 12th Man Tour that does charity events like NFL Play 60 and children’s hospital visits in the great state of Alaska. During both trips, we had the opportunity to stay a few extra days and fish at Kodiak Island and Seward. This past trip, me, fellow linebacker Mike Morgan, and former Seahawk Matt McCoy went out with the Saltwater Safari Fishing Co. and we came back with 73 silver salmon and a handful of halibut. We had a blast. The chef at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, Stu, didn’t find it too amusing when we had all of our catch sent to him to have him store it in the walk-in freezer at the facility for us.

CC Did you enjoy appearing on Deadliest Catch’s segment, The Bait, with the Discovery Channel crabbers? Those guys are big Seahawks fans and have incorporated the Hawks into a lot of their shows. Are you a big fan of the show too? HF I am such a huge fan of the show and can honestly say that I have never missed an episode. When I was asked to be on the show, I jumped at the chance. I had a blast getting to know the captains of boats. They were so fun to be around and

Continued on page 174

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MIXED BAG

2 Views Into Carlton Fire The Carlton Complex fire descends upon Pateros, as seen over guide Austin Moser’s boat. (AUSTIN’S NORTHWEST ADVENTURES)

The ‘Doorway To Hell’ PATEROS, Wash.—Mid-July’s staggeringly fast blow-up of the Carlton Complex of fires gave salmon anglers working the upper Columbia’s Brewster Pool a big scare, and Rob Phillips, a longtime outdoors columnist for the Yakima Herald-Republic, had a frontrow seat. After filling a six-sockeye limit that smoky afternoon, Phillips motored back to the dock with plans to grab dinner, hit the hay at a local hotel and do it all over again the next day. But just as the heat that week held the fish in the cool reservoir, making them more accessible to anglers, so too did it help to merge the French Creek, Cougar Flats and another two fires into a hell-roarer that, pushed by strong winds, would burn a reported 3.8 acres a second over a nine-hour period that day. “We went into a restaurant to grab a bite of dinner around 6 with no concerns of the fire getting anywhere near Pateros,” Phillips recalls. “About 7 we noticed that they were closing off Highway 97 into town. We couldn’t see out the building to the north, but I guess the wind shifted and all of a sudden here came the fire. We still weren’t too concerned, but by the time I walked out of the restaurant, the fire had jumped the highway and one small grass field in town was in flames.” Nearby, along the shores of the Brewster Pool, fishing guide Austin Moser worried about his boat. It was moored to a private dock on what had otherwise been a fairly calm lake. But as the hillside over the town of Pateros blew up, that changed. “There were 40-mile-an-hour winds, big whitecaps,” Moser says. “It was pretty crazy; everything was burning.” In town, Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers was ordering everyone to get out. “The sheriff came through with the bullhorn and was ordering evacuation,” recalls Phillips. “A three-block walk back to the motel was like walking through the doorway to hell. Hot ashes and dust blowing into my eyes, and very loud. It got scary real fast. You could hear transformers blowing and the power went out. I grabbed my stuff out of the hotel, threw it into my rig and hauled ass outta there.” Over 300 homes and hundreds of cattle were lost in the 256,108-acre fire, and a retired state trooper suffered a fatal heart attack fighting to keep it away from his house. –Andy Walgamott 28 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

The Carlton Complex fire, which burned where an estimated 10,000 resident and migratory muleys will winter, had the full attention of state wildlife managers. This image of a deer in burnedover habitat came from the director’s Aug. 7 report to the commission. (WDFW)

Deer Winter Range Ravaged The four bucks pick their way through an utterly charred landscape, their brown coats the only color in a world of ash-gray. With the grass and scrub completely burned off, the shadow of their antlers stand out starkly against the barren ground. Their hoofsteps leave little puffs of ash and dust as they head between the trunks of a pair of Douglas firs that now offer hardly any shade at all. That was the scene captured by a video-equipped drone flown over the Carlton Complex by Chelan HD Productions in the days after the blaze passed, an early indication that the fire was a beast unknown in Washington history. In its wake and expecting something like 10,000 deer to winter in the burned areas, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife officials announced that they were considering offering extra antlerless deer permits this fall, and possibly feeding the herd. “Frankly, there are too many deer that survived for the habitat – not just the resident deer, but the migratory ones that will show up unaware of the fire,” says fish and wildlife manager Jim Brown. Tags would first go to youths, seniors and hunters with disabilities, and/or hunters who’d already applied for permits here but weren’t drawn, WDFW says. Brown stresses there are still a ton of unknowns – Will late summer and fall rains produce sufficient green-up? How harsh will winter be? How will the deer react? But of particular worry is the loss of so much bitterbrush. In past fires, it’s taken decades for the key winter muley forage to recover. WDFW said it plans to reseed on its lands, but in the short term, may have to resort to feeding, a much-loathed fix amongst wildlife managers because of disease, predators, and landscape damage. But this much is clear: The largest fire in state history ran over the winter range of the largest deer herd in Washington, and the fire won. As one biologist told us, the burn zone’s deer-carrying capacity has been lowered for a fair time to come. If there are reasons for hope, it’s that after the nearby Tripod Burn, ceanothus, another key deer forage, did really well; there were signs of resprouting plants just three weeks after the fire; to the south, Chelan County’s deer herd is doing well largely without bitterbrush; and Brown thinks that national forest lands closed because of fire danger will be reopened by rifle season. –AW

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MIXED BAG

Game Laws Hamstrung By Court Decision By Andy Walgamott

n important story in the Yakima Herald-Republic last month highlighted the disappointing results of a court ruling that has some county prosecutors dismissing fish and wildlife violations. Reporter Scott Sandsberry says that following the Washington Supreme Court’s July 2012 amendment of bail forfeiture rules, which otherwise allowed defendants to pay a fine and be done with it, charges are now up to overworked county prosecutors. He found that since the change went into effect, two-thirds of Yakima

County misdemeanor-level wildlife cases have been dismissed, with much of the rest settled through lower fines and/or promises to stay out of trouble. It’s troubling for wardens like Capt. Rich Mann, who has to balance working with South-central Washington prosecutors and getting people to comply with the law. “From a law enforcement standpoint, I’d like for people to understand that if you break the rules, there’s a penalty that you’re going to have to pay – or, at least, that more often than not, there’s some repercussions when you break the law,” Mann told Sandsberry. Some counties almost seem like wastelands for prosecuting wildlife offenses – “King County is absolutely the worst in the state,” one retired officer was quoted as saying, and several years ago now WDFW officials complained about

ILLEGAL OREGON GUIDE FINED, JAILED Alan R. Aronson, 43, of Bend was sentenced to 30 days in jail and will lose $66,000 in fines, restitution and forfeitures after he pled guilty earlier this summer to three counts (OSP) of failing to register as a guide, a misdemeanor, and two felony counts of first-degree theft as part of a big illegal guiding operation in Central Oregon. According to the state police, Aronson sold guided elk and bison hunting trips between 2010 and 2012 in which “dozens of elk, including several large trophy elk … and at least nine buffalo” were taken on a Wheeler County ranch – without the owner’s consent. OSP says that so far over 200 charges have been brought against 23 people, 10 of whom have plead guilty and face fines, restitution and forfeiture losses of over $150,000, 34 years of hunting license revocation – Aronson lost his for life – and 140 hours of community service.

Spokane County. But recently, two Eastern Washington prosecutors have come down hard on defendants. Karl Sloan and Angus Lee of Okanogan and Grant Counties took on the cases of the infamous buck beheader and illegal gillnetting and got good results, including five years and $24,000 in fines for the former defendant, and three months of jail time for Michail Mitsevich, the Westside man who drove a getaway van at a game warden trying to make a stop at Banks Lake last December. “I think this resolution sends a strong message to the community. Fish and wildlife are important resources that we all share,” said Lee. “My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting cases involving poaching.” Now, if only more counties cared and had the resources to prosecute.

JACKASS OF THE MONTH An Oregon man and his boss gave hunters and guides a black eye. In midsummer, Nicholaus J. Rodgers, 31, of Shady Cove, admitted to trapping cougars and bobcats and placing them where clients of Colorado-based outfitter Christopher Loncarich would find them. According to news reports, he, Loncarich and several other guides purposefully wounded some cats or held them in cages to keep them from wandering before customers paying anywhere from $700 to $7,500 could take a shot. The incidents occurred between 2007 and 2009 and mostly involved out-of-staters, but also an undercover federal officer. The U.S. Department of Justice said that Rodgers also admitted to guiding hunters who did not have the correct tags. He pled guilty to violating the Lacey Act and faces over 40 months in jail as well as fines and restitution when he is sentenced in November. While Loncarich’s plea is still outstanding, three more of his assistant guides have already pled guilty to Lacey Act violations. Andrew McKean, the editor of Outdoor Life magazine, said it best: “I hope Christopher Loncarich and Nicholaus Rodgers are visited by scores of sharp-clawed mountain lions and bobcats in their afterlives.” Jackasses. SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

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Sept. 1 Washington statewide deer (bow), Northeast A, Blue Mountains, Long Island bear, and mourning dove and grouse openers; Grouse opener in Oregon; Parts of several Northeast Oregon streams open for retention of fin-clipped steelhead Sept. 2 Bow elk season begins in Washington Sept. 5 Women’s pheasant hunting clinic ($62) at Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, Ore.; info: dfw.state.or.us Sept. 6 Edmonds Coho Derby; info: (206) 920-2468; Northwest Kayak Anglers Coho Derby, held out of Ballard Elks Club and benefiting Heroes On The Water; info: northwestkayakanglers.com; CAST for Kids event on Lake Washington at Coulon Park; info: Jessica Sept. 2 03:11 First quarter Kelly (425-251-3202); Adult pheasant hunt clinic Sept. 8 17:38 Full moon at Fern Ridge WA ($62); info: dfw.state.or.us Sept. 15 18:05 Last quarter Sept. 7 CAST For Kids event on Hagg Lake; Sept. 23 22:14 New moon info: Shelly Bolopue (503-357-0987) *Data courtesy NASA; all times PST Sept. 11-14 31st Annual Portland Fall RV & Van Show at the Expo Center; info: otshows.com Sept. 12 Adult pheasant hunting clinic ($62) at Sauvie Island WA; info: dfw.state.or.us Sept. 13 2nd Annual Salmon For Soldiers fishing event out of Port of Everett Marina; info: salmonforsoldiers.com; Family pheasant hunt workshop at Sauvie Island WA ($62 adult, $12 youth 9 and older); info: dfw.state.or.us Sept. 13-14 Cabela’s Waterfowl Classic at Lacey, Tulalip outlets; info: cabelas.com Sept. 15 Westport Boat Basin Salmon Derby begins and runs through Oct. 31; info: westportgrayland-chamber.org Sept. 15 High Buck Hunt opens in several Washington Cascades and Olympics wilderness areas, Lake Chelan NRA; Bandtail pigeon hunt begins in Oregon, Washington Sept. 20 General fall turkey hunt opens in Northeast, Southeast Washington units Sept. 20-21 Everett Coho Derby, featuring Northwest Salmon Derby Series’ grandprize raffles, 21- and 14-foot River Hawks for adults, kids; info: everettcohoderby.com, northwestsalmonderbyseries.com; Youth bird hunt weekend in Washington Sept. 25 1st Annual Pierce Co. CCA Banquet & Auction; info: wayne.jordan@ccapnw.org Sept. 27-28 3rd Annual Salmon Tales Festival & Fishing Derby at Westport Maritime Museum, harbor; info: salmontales.info Sept. 27 42nd Annual National Hunting & Fishing Day; info: nhfday.org

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SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

High Buck hunters head into a Washington wilderness bowl. The Sept. 15-25 season in select areas of the Cascades and Olympics gives riflemen and muzzleloaders their first shot of the year at mule deer and blacktail bucks. (JASON BROOKS) 38 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

HUNTING

Such Great Heights September’s High Hunt a chance at top-of-the-world, low-pressured deer in Washington’s Cascades, Olympics. By Jason Brooks

HOLDEN, Wash.—For many Washington deer hunters season is crammed into a nine-day October window. Some will haunt the backcountry for that mature muley while more will patrol the winter range in search of fall’s first migrants and local bucks. Yes, October is a great time to be in the mountains, sometimes getting to hunt in a soft blanket of fresh snow, but it’s hard to beat mid-September for glassing high bowls in mild midday temperatures and under clear skies. If this is something you have always envisioned, Washington’s annual High Buck Hunt provides an increasingly popular opportunity wrapped around an 11-day season with just a smidgen of the pressure next month sees. With its physical demands, it’s not for everyone, but for those with access to horses or outfitters, or are willing to put in the sweat equity of a good hike under a well-thought-out backpack, the rewards can be rich. This month also marks the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, which through the years has set millions of acres of mountains and forests aside under the idea that man’s presence would be fleeting. In Washington, 31 wildernesses totaling 4.46 million acres have been created, fourth most in the Lower 48, and 10 of those in the Central and North Cascades, and Olympics are part of the High Hunt. Along with the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, they are open for deer hunting with a rifle or muzzleloader, and a general tag from Sept. 15-25. Wilderness areas have special

Though success rates are generally low, the hunt is as much about solitude and enjoying nature’s beauty at a stunning time of year as it is about the chance at tagging a whopper buck. On his third High Hunt in as many years, Greg Eklund (right) downed this whopper muley. Packed in by Icicle Outfitters, he was hunting the Glacier Peak Wilderness last September with friend John Langston. (WRIGHT & McGILL/EAGLE CLAW PHOTO CONTEST)

protections and rules can vary, so when you decide to check one out for a hunt, make sure to either research it through Forest Service websites or a visit to a local ranger station. One thing that is common with almost all wildernesses is heavy use by nonhunters. September is prime hiking season, so don’t expect to be all alone. Most folks you run into won’t be clad in orange and toting a gun, and while many won’t bother you, some may be anti-hunters. A few years ago I was hunting the Glacier Peak Wilderness and we were almost back to our rigs when we passed a guy on the side of the trail. He was picking huckleberries and had a small child in a backpack kid carrier. At the sight of our rifles and antlers sticking out of our packs he made a rude comment about how he hoped we took more than the racks and didn’t leave any meat to rot. I so badly wanted to reply something about murdering those huckleberries, SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

HUNTING but instead I just smiled and said, “That’s why our packs are so heavy.” Fires are another tricky topic. You could be in the middle of a serious snowstorm, yet some wildernesses don’t allow fires, or have restrictions if they are within a certain distance of a trail or waterbody. The Alpine Lakes has restrictions on staying overnight and parts of it are controlled by a permit system. In other words, make sure you do a lot of research for the specific area you are going to hunt.

Access to the Lake Chelan NRA is mostly done by boat or float plane to Stehekin where you can use a myriad of trails. Those on the lake’s north shore face south and are very hot and dry in September, but where slopes, forests and sun angle align, their upper reaches can be bucky. Straddling the Cascade Crest from Lake Chelan’s top end south to Stevens Pass, and including the upper reaches of the Entiat, Suiattle, Chiwawa, Napeequa, White and

Little Wenatchee Rivers, the Glacier Peak Wilderness encompasses 566,057 acres. Well-trailed, access is available on just about every side, while the Pacific Crest Trail slices through the heart of it. The alpine slopes of Glacier Peak are chock-full of huckleberries and thimbleberries, and as you can imagine, are good for bears. Water is plentiful – almost too plentiful; bring the bug spray – and while a frost normally occurs around Labor Day, during 2012’s High Hunt

UNTIL RECENTLY, ONLY nine wilderness areas were open during the High Hunt, but new this fall the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife included the Mount Baker Wilderness. Wrapped around the iconic volcano, it is very popular with backcountry hikers and climbers. To give them a head’s up, WDFW has been hanging trail signs about the hunting season. We’ll be the “new guys” here this month, and we have a unique opportunity to show that we are stewards of the land and its wildlife. Because much of the 119,989-acre wilderness is rock, glacier, permanent snowfield and steep mountainsides, hunters will generally be squeezed into the same meadows and bowls that attract hikers. Also beware that the wilderness abuts Canada and the North Cascades National Park, hunting forbidden. But on the eastern side of the park is the Pasayten, the second largest wilderness in the state at 531,539 acres. While semi-arid compared to other backcountry open during the High Hunt, it is the summer range for the Okanogan’s famed migratory mule deer herds. Rich in high meadows and lakes, it’s also laced with trails – Boundary extends for 50 miles – but as of this writing, access to the wilderness’s southeastern side was closed due to the Upper Falls Fire. Barring any more burns, that still leaves Horseshoe Basin and Harts Pass open. 40 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

(JASON BROOKS)

GIMME SHELTER I use the High Hunt to my measure my hunting gear. A coworker once told me, “Buy cheap, buy twice,” meaning you will have to replace poor-quality stuff before having to replace good equipment. This doesn’t mean you have to purchase all new gear and tell the kids they can’t go to college because you want to hunt the backcountry, but in these parts the motto could be “Buy cheap, and be miserable or die.” The basics – good boots, decent clothing, a sleeping bag that will stay dry and warm and a pack that can handle it all – are important, but shelters are probably the most debated item on forums and amongst those in hunting camps. My first time on the High Hunt my partner and I decided

to share a tarp. It’s probably the lightest way to keep the rain and snow off you, but it does little to hold in warmth and is prone to failing if not pitched in the right spot. Due to a communication breakdown – I still swear Chad said he would pack in a spare air pad if I packed in the stove – I got to sleep on the hard ground. The tarp worked but Chad never used it again and I always make sure to carry my own pad. The following season I again used the tarp, but Chad and his brother Kyle slept in a small tent. The rain wasn’t an issue for me – until the wind kicked up and it started blowing in under the tarp. I now use a small, oneperson tent or a bivy bag if the weather forecast shows no rain for several days before and after my hunt. –JB

HUNTING Jackson while across Highway 2 to the south is the Alpine Lakes. The latter wilderness is 391,988 acres and stretches from Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass. Access to both could be affected by lingering fire closures. Though the Alpine Lakes is large, it is extremely popular yearround. Many of its trails are day hikes, and from midspring through Oct. 1 some access points require a permit for overnight camping. There are also campfire restrictions above 5,000 feet, so beware, you could find yourself in an early-season storm without a warming fire. But the wilderness is well-named – with its 700-plus lakes, make sure to pack in a fishing rod: this is one place you could catch a rare golden trout.

Yes, you have to hike to get up there, but in the high country, you find deer by looking not hiking. Find a vantage point and glass, tips the author. (JASON BROOKS)

here we had temperatures in the mid-80s almost as soon as the sun came up. At nighttime the bugs were almost unbearable. If you’ve ever wondered where those big Entiat bucks are before the late November special draw hunts, this is the place. Unfortunately, the Duncan Fire near the river’s forks 42 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

might cause some access problems, but if you can get to the Cottonwood Campground and head up the trail, Spider Meadows is a great place to establish camp. You can also drive the road towards Junior Point and hike towards Pyramid Peak as well. Sharing a border with Glacier Peak is the 103,297-acre Henry M.

TO THE WEST of Puget Sound are five more wilderness areas open during the High Hunt. Surrounding Olympic National Park, you may find yourself hunting blacktail habitat ranging from temperate rain forest to rain-shadowed slopes that resemble Eastern Washington. Ferns and thimbleberries are just about everywhere and can produce big bucks, as well as some giant bears. These hunts are a bit more remote than the others and should have less pressure, but the wildernesses are also a lot smaller too. (There are proposals in Washington, D.C., to pad them by 125,000 acres, which with the approval of the Fish & Wildlife Commission, could increase the area open to Olympic Peninsula High Buck hunters, but at the same time reduce the amount of land open for bowhunters.) If you find a buck nest, keep it a secret. While I have no problem telling people I hunt Glacier Peak, good luck finding which drainages I’m in – you won’t have that luxury when it comes to the Olympics’ wildernesses. The furthest from any major city is the Colonel Bob, above the Quinault River drainage. At 11,855 acres this is steep, thick and remote country that receives over 120 inches of rain

HUNTING a year. You can find access near Lake Quinault on the Colonel Bob trail, which will lead you to the Petes Creek trail and out of the opposite end of the wilderness. But the Colonel Bob isn’t the most remote. That distinction goes to the Wonder Mountain Wilderness, which at only 2,200 acres, is also the smallest of all of the open areas. No maintained trails lead to its boundaries, and only a few roads come close, so you’ll be doing a little cross-country hiking. But at least it won’t be as wet as the Bob. Sitting on the southeastern corner of the Olympics, it only gets about 60 inches of rain a year. Also on the eastern side of the range are the remaining three wildernesses. Mount Skokomish towers above Lake Cushman, with primary trails leading to some of the highest and most jagged peaks of the Olympics. This wilderness is popular with day hikers and rock climbers.

Just to the north is the 16,337-acre Brothers Wilderness. Somewhat rainshadowed, it gets about 80 inches of rain each year. The Duckabush River flows through the middle of the wilderness, named after the mountain with the two close-together peaks on Seattle’s western skyline. Upper slopes are steep, but open to glassing, or you can still-hunt the old-growth forest in the river valleys. New this year, these two wildernesses also feature a permit mountain goat hunt at the same time as the High Hunt. This will increase their popularity for hunting and could lead to new sources of information, but also usually means more people will utilize this hunt once word gets out about the game that can be found and access points. And finally, the 44,319 acres of the Buckhorn Wilderness is divided by the Dungeness River and a road that goes up to towards the headwaters.

The northern portion, which contains the Gray Wolf River drainage, is less utilized and you will find more solitude but also fewer maintained trails. The southern part has over 60 miles of maintained trails and includes the headwaters of the Quilcene River. Whether you hit the Cascades or Olympics wildernesses, finding deer really isn’t that hard, but you need to know that they will be in their summertime habit of feeding early and late, and bedding during the day. These bucks are the ones that have survived several hunting seasons, the ones that you dream about all year long, the same deer that those who draw a coveted November late tag will be picking over in the lowerelevation breeding grounds. In the high country, however, you find deer by looking not hiking. Find a vantage point and glass. Enjoy September’s backcountry and give the High Hunt a try. NS

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HUNTING

So, You Want To Be A Hunter? Freedom to hunt the hills comes with physical, mental challenges. By Zac Holmes

s I tugged on my frozen boots and slurped bitter instant coffee in the predawn freeze, I was struck by the harshness of the situation. Just an hour later would bring a six-point bull, but the process was infinitely more difficult and perilous than I’d imagined while planning two months before. I look back on that hunt fondly, but summon those memories whenever coordinating an excursion to the high country. The mountains of the West offer a bounty of game, but these hunts are not cake walks, and can quickly deteriorate into absolute disasters. As an ol’ boy once advised me, “Assume the mountains are trying to kill you.”

ROUGH COUNTRY Effectively hunting the backcountry of the Northern Rockies, Cascades, Blues, Olympics and our other ranges generally involves semi-masochistic hill climbing and copious amounts of heavy breathing. The difficulties of steep mountain slopes are only magnified when floundering through jackstraw jungles, slippery stream crossings, and knee-deep snows. There is no substitute for good physical conditioning in high-mountain hunts, and those who want to regularly harvest public lands animals must be in good shape. In my experience, elk and mule deer are frequently found in the top third of a mountainside, where the hillsides are steep, and feel even steeper with quarters strapped to our backs. Sure, scores of elk and

Deep snow and cold temperatures kept this bull lingering in the open just above the author’s camp. If you take common-sense care while afield, you should return enriched by the backcountry hunting experience – and maybe even come out with some venison as well. (ZAC HOLMES)

SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

HUNTING deer are shot from roadside clearcuts and meadows every season, but those who put miles between themselves and roads generally fair far better than the road-hunting crowd. Physical fitness will not only increase your odds of harvesting an elk or deer, it will also increase your enjoyment of the experience. And though I believe that physical conditioning is very important to backcountry hunts, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe that we have to be hopped up on supplements and futuristic workouts to fill our tags. For me, the most effective and enjoyable training is being in the mountains throughout the year, from skiing to backpacking to shed hunting and more.

PLENTY OF PREDATORS Hunting in areas with high densities of bears and other predators deserves special caution. The odds of being attacked by a bruin, lion, or other

48 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

This radio-collared boar has been in trouble before. While far more wolves roam the Northern Rockies, grizzlies and black bear are more problematic for backcountry hunters. (ZAC HOLMES)

predator are quite low, but are increased when creeping through game-rich terrain at dawn and dusk, making animal sounds, and slathered in elk piss. Such a situation nearly led to my demise a few years ago near Cody, Wyo., when I called in a large grizzly bear using a Hoochie Mama Cow Call. Fortunately, a friend saw the bear approaching at a good speed from several hundred yards away,

and instructed me to run over to him. I did as told, and seconds later I turned back to see a large black grizzly go directly to the tree that I had been sitting under for the past hour. As if this werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough, the next day, about a quarter mile away, my friend missed a 350-yard shot at a nice bull. The elk fled. Before we could cuss, the same big, black griz burst over the rocks from above where the elk had

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Northwest Sportsman

HUNTING been feeding! It stuck its nose to the ground, and followed the elk like a bird dog on a running pheasant. I have resolved to be more vigilant, and advise you to do the same when hunting in bear country. I look over my shoulder more often, and, regretfully, I’ve quit taking midday naps in the sun. When tent camping, I religiously hang anything with an odor from a tree, and sleep a minimum of 200 yards from my fire/eating area. I’m a firm believer of bear spray. Decade’s worth of data regarding human-bear encounters has illustrated that fresh bear spray canisters offer better outcomes than firearms. For nighttime use, however, bear spray is limited, so I sleep beside a .44 magnum. I have zero tolerance for night bears, and take nocturnal invasions very seriously. Predatory attacks against humans are rare, but these precautions help me rest easier.

50 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

EXTREME WEATHER Last fall’s devastating rains in Colorado were a brutal illustration of the weather patterns that can hit the West. Eight people lost their lives, and nearly 2,000 homes were destroyed, as torrential rains ripped apart the Central Rockies. Weather patterns such as these are uncommon, but remind us how nasty mountain weather can be. We can’t control it, but we can mitigate its effects. Rain showers in the high country are likely in September, and violent thunderstorms with strong winds can shred tents, and chill us to the bone. Rain quickly turns to snow at high elevation. It is vital to our comfort and survival to have the right gear. My essential pieces of clothing are noncotton-based underlayers, a warm fleece or wool sweater, a “shell” made from Gore-Tex or one of its competitors, quick-dry pants when it’s warmer, and wool pants, a down

coat, and warm boots when it’s cold. A warm hat, gloves, and balaclavas are essentials for late-season hunts. Before any trip to the high country, I advise watching the weather to avoid bringing too much clothing when it’s warm and not enough clothing when it’s cold. Sometimes weather forces us to change our plans due to dangerously cold temperatures – or high temperatures that might cause meat spoilage. I love hunting in cold and snowy conditions because of the effects on wildlife behavior. Deer and elk feed throughout the day and sometimes linger in the openings longer than normal. Heavy, late-season snows also trigger migrations of deer and elk from the backcountry to their winter range. We enjoy these conditions, but they come with a cost. Spending all day exposed to the elements makes us vulnerable to hypothermia. In Montana and Wyoming where I

SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

HUNTING

A LITTLE CASTING WITH THE BLASTING

Every autumn presents the same dilemma: hunt or fish? Hunting season offers a short window to fill my freezer and stalk the woods, but when the “magic” of first light gives way to the doldrums of late morning and early afternoon, I don’t take a siesta back at camp, I go fishing. Autumn offers us our last chance to catch trout without resorting to cutting a hole in the ice. Fall spawners, such as

browns, brookies, and Mackinaw, move from their summer haunts into shallow water and tributaries to do their business, while rainbows and cutthroats spend the autumn packing on pounds for the impending darkness and lethargy of the winter. After sitting in a tree stand or checking out a wallow in the morning, why not hop into your truck and check out a nearby stream or mountain lake, and

then return to your honey hole later in the afternoon? For those who pack into the mountains, positioning camp near a fishfilled lake or tarn offers easy access and sizzling trout fillets. So, skip the nap and rip some lips instead. For fly fishermen, many of the same patterns employed during the summer will work just fine in the fall. Dry flies, such as the Parachute Adams, Elk-hair Caddis, Royal Wulff, and Griffith’s Gnat will consistently bring fish to the surface. Wet flies, such as Woolly Buggers, leeches, Prince, Pheasant Tail and Hare’s Ear Nymphs, San Juan Worms, and egg patterns are consistent subsurface patterns that hungry trout find hard to pass by. Bait and hardware fisherman don’t need to invest in special tackle either. Standard lures such as Mepps Aglias, Vibrax Blue Foxes, Dardevles, Rapalas, and jigs will elicit strikes from hungry late-season trout, as will standard baits, such as worms, salmon eggs, shrimp, and dough baits. –ZH

usually hunt, it is normal to see temperatures get well below zero, with a steady wind to boot. Thick fog and storms makes finding your camp, vehicle, or hunting partners very difficult. I’ve been in mountain storms where the visibility was 10 feet or less, and it was frightening. Only my GPS saved me from getting lost or stumbling over a cliff. Heavy precipitation degrades footing when the trails and hillsides become sloppy. On the eastern side of the Rockies, exposed dirt can become a “gumbo” that mires and strands vehicles for several days. In these same areas, heavy rains can conjure up flash floods and gully washers that turn even modest depressions into raging, coffee-colored torrents that can drown, pulverize, and wash out major roads.

trips. When miles of rugged country separates an injured person from professional medical attention, even the most fundamental care can save life and limb. Common injuries include sprained knees and ankles, dehydration, heat stroke, eye irritations, lacerations from sharp instruments, and blunt-force trauma from trees, rocks, and horse hooves. Make sure that your friends and family know where you are going, in the event that you don’t return. Satellite phones and other rescue devices are heavy, but they offer a lifeline in the event of disaster. An adequate survival kit is another must for the backcountry. Contending with high altitude can be a major issue in the backcountry. For instance, my honey hole in northwestern Wyoming is 9,600 feet above sea level, and I’ve observed bulls above 10,000 feet nearby. With altitudes such as this, it’s important to

take precautions. Serious conditions such as acute mountain sickness and high-altitude edemas await visitors from lower elevations who fail to properly acclimate themselves. To ensure your well being, spend a day or two in the foothills taking it easy prior to entering the high country. Another high-altitude danger is overexposure to the sun. When bluebird weather comes to high altitudes, it is easy to overlook sunburn. Exposure to cancer-causing ultraviolet rays occurs far faster at elevations above 8,500 feet, and though hunters may not be in the high country long enough to develop cancer, serious sunburn to the skin, eyes, and lips are a real threats. Yes, the mountains truly don’t care, but if you take common-sense care while afield, you should return enriched by the backcountry hunting experience – and maybe even come out with some venison as well. NS

This cutthroat took a big Prince Nymph in the same backcountry meadow where many big bulls have met their fates. (ZAC HOLMES)

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HUNTING An Eastern Oregon mule deer takes a drink from a small creek. Hunting near water sources will be key this dry year. (TROY RODAKOWSKI)

Not Bad Despite fires, lack of rain, muley prospects look good in Eastern Oregon this season. By Troy Rodakowski

JORDAN VALLEY, Ore.—Eastern Oregon is dry this year, and it looks as if many animals will be concentrated near remaining water sources well into October. But other than the lack of rain and numerous fires, herd numbers are looking good for this season and hunters should be anticipating some great opportunities during the general bow and permit rifle hunts that begin in late August and early October, respectively.

WEST-, NORTHCENTRAL The Deschutes, Metolius, Fort Rock, White River and Maupin Units have recorded some of the best harvest numbers over the past few seasons. Buck ratios look good throughout the district, with several units showing promise for 2014. Some of the largest bucks in the state reside in and near Bend – seen the video of ol’ sleepyhead Norris? – as the genetics here are phenomenal. According to district biologist Corey Heath in Bend (541-338-6363), “Deer numbers seem to be slightly up

in the Upper Deschutes and Metolius, with depressed numbers in units east of Highway 97.” That doesn’t necessarily mean no muleys on that side of the street, but deer may be more spread out as the region is a bit more open. The Upper Deschutes has some of the highest hunter numbers in this region, with 2,200 harvesting 535 bucks in 2013. Last season in the Metolius 403 hunters harvested 266 bucks, which equated to a 66 percent success rate. Of those deer, 100 were 4-point-or-better bucks. The Fort Rock Unit east of Bend is probably one of the most popular choices for hunters, and last fall’s stats back that up. A total of 424 bucks SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

HUNTING were harvested here by the nearly 2,300 hunters sneaking through the sage and pines. With some of the largest amounts of private property, the Columbia Basin Unit boasted a 63 percent harvest ratio last season, with hunters harvesting a whopping 1,046 bucks. The same sort of success has occurred in Maupin with several private ranches and CRP lands available to hunters. However the White River Unit is giving them a good run for their money, so to speak, with 818 bucks harvested last year. If you happen to be one of the lucky folks who drew a permit in this part of the state, I suggest trying to find some good private access or scout public land access near where you plan on hunting. Many of the deer here can be found in fringes of timber or thicker sage, with some of the biggest bucks seeking out secluded draws in the open desert of the

56 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

Columbia and Maupin Units. In the Deschutes and Metolius, deer will be in heavier buckbrush or pine thickets. Some of the largest numbers of deer can also be found near old burns around Green Ridge and Black Butte toward the base of the Cascades.

EASTCENTRAL The Grizzly, Ochoco, Paulina and Maury Units hold good numbers of growing deer populations with harvest rates over 33 percent. Tag numbers here have remained nearly the same as managers continue to carefully watch statistics. Grizzly and Ochoco had a combined 3,855 hunters working the woods last season with slightly fewer than 400 hunters in the Maury. Paulina showed a harvest of 510 bucks last year, which is pretty good. Fires in the region could restrict access, and folks should keep in mind various closures may be in affect across the region.

That could be offset by a rifle season opener that’s nearly a week later than last year’s. “The shift in the calendar this year with the season beginning six days later may have a positive impact for hunters,” says Greg Jackle, a biologist in Prineville (541-447-5111). That will increase the chances for better weather and deer movement. Aug. 30 marks the bow season opener while Oct. 4 is go-time for Oregon riflemen with permits. “Hunters should scout freshly burned areas and utilize them to their advantage as deer will oftentimes remain near for freshly sprouted forage,” Jackle tips.

SOUTHCENTRAL With a very mild winter but below-average precipitation, herds remain fairly strong in the Klamath watershed. ODFW has maintained most tag levels from previous seasons

HUNTING throughout the region as they are at or above all the buck ratios in most units, with fawn numbers ranging from 20 to 40 per 100 does as well. “In the desert units toward the southeast, forage qualities decreased early in the season due to dry weather, and with several wildfires this summer hunters should focus their efforts in locations with ample feed,” says Craig Foster, longtime biologist in Lakeview (541-947-2950). Preseason scouting is a must for hunters with permits in this region especially, since finding pockets of deer will be more difficult this season. “Forested areas seem to be in better shape heading into fall,” tips Foster. In the Malheur River Unit 689 bucks were harvested last year, with 189 of them being 4 points or bigger. Antler growth can be quite impressive here as the region’s herd has good genetics. In the Owyhee Unit, 296 bucks

were taken last year, with almost a 50 percent success rate for hunters. Drawing one of these tags is not easy but often well worth the wait. Warner and Beatys Butte Units both had harvest rates over 50 percent in 2013. Beulah, which is 57 percent public land, came in with 786 bucks taken by the 1,659 hunters who worked it.

NORTHEAST The vast expanse of the Snake River Divide, Wallowas, Eagle Caps, Strawberries and Blue Mountains hold strong deer numbers. Spring in the high country was good despite below-average snowpacks, and hunters should continue to harvest plenty of animals. The Sled Springs Unit had the highest number of hunters last year, with 1,602 able to harvest 750 bucks. Pine Creek, Keating, Lookout Mountain, Chesnimnus, Wenaha and

West Mt. Emily all had harvest rates above 50 percent. In the Walla Walla Unit 214 hunters harvested 54 4-pointor-larger bucks. A good number of the units in the region have fewer tags available to hunters. However, the quality of deer can be exceptional. There is also a good number of whitetail mixed in as the populations have expanded their range here over the last 10 to 15 years (Northwest Sportsman, February 2014). Hunters should be aware of this when hunting for mule deer. Mild winters and good fawn recruitment have improved deer numbers here and hunters should be excited about the future. Many deer were not forced as far into the lowlands in 2012 and 2013 due to higher snowlines. That means that, barring largescale land closures due to wildfires, Eastern Oregon deer hunters should have a good season. NS

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Northwest Sportsman

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HUNTING

A Few More Elk This Year

Oregon wildlife managers say a slightly larger herd will greet hunters this season.

By Tyler Dungannon

or Oregon hunters pursuing elk across the state’s diverse landscapes, opportunity for success is all about location. While some areas of the state struggle to keep herds under control and out of trouble, other regions are fighting to build wapiti numbers and bull ratios up to management objectives. Further complicating the issue for wildlife managers, the areas with the greatest numbers of elk are those with the highest concentrations of private land, where directives to optimize game numbers clash with obligations to control their damage. For hunters with access to private land, this offers

a win-win scenario, but it means little to those hunting public land where elk may be few and far between. Oregon wildlife managers believe hunters can expect slightly more elk than last year in most units. For those lucky enough to have drawn a trophy hunt, biologists say those hunts are managed for great success year after year. Here is a preview of the prospects for Oregon elk hunting this fall.

NORTHWEST

below management objective by a considerable margin. Herman Biederbeck, Department of Fish and Wildlife district wildlife biologist in Tillamook, says, “The primary reason is the high rate of antlerless elk harvest.” While the Wilson Unit is only slightly below management objective, the Trask Unit is an estimated 1,500 below its management objective of 5,200 elk. Worse yet, the Saddle Mountain

Elk populations in the state’s extreme northwest corner are

State wildlife biologist Pat Mathews says bull ratios in Northeast Oregon have improved considerably from a decade ago, and should provide good elk hunting this season. Rachel Smith killed this bull elk in the Snake River Unit last season. (COURTESY OREGON HUNTERS ASSOCIATION) SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

HUNTING Unit is far below its management objective of 7,800 elk with only an estimated 5,400 elk residing in the unit. Biederbeck mentions that it is difficult to control the number of cow elk taken during general seasons. Antlerless elk hunts are being reduced to prevent a further depletion of the district’s elk numbers. On a more positive note, bull ratios and calf recruitment are doing well. All of the units in this district are recording calf ratios in the range of 35 to 40 calves per 100 cows. Bull ratios are above 10 bulls per 100 cows in the Wilson and Trask Units. Fewer spikes being taken has resulted in Saddle Mountain tallying over 20 bulls per 100 cows.

WILLAMETTE VALLEY Brian Wolfer, district wildlife biologist in Springfield, recommends a substantial amount of scouting to be successful in the Indigo and McKenzie Units. “Our forest is getting pretty thick and it’s hard to observe elk, so you really need to scout to be successful,” he says. These units are only surveyed every other year due to flight-time expense, but last year McKenzie bull ratios were extremely high at 40 per 100 cows. However, Wolfer warned that these numbers were not realistic because, at the time of the survey, it was cold and the cows were huddled under cover while the bulky bulls braved the clearings. Calf ratios in the McKenzie Unit showed 35:100. The Indigo Unit is usually a little lower that the McKenzie when it comes to bull ratios, but the Indigo typically has more elk.

SOUTHWEST According to Mark Vargas, Rogue Watershed district biologist in Central Point, the distribution of elk in this district is not favorable to hunter success. “We have a lot of elk, but people just can’t get to them,” he explains. 62 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR LIMPING ELK Though wildlife managers have not yet seen or documented any signs of hoof rot in elk in Northwest Oregon, right across the Columbia from where it’s become a serious problem in Southwest Washington, they are intensively looking for it. “Hunters should be on the look out for it as well,” says state biologist Herman Biederbeck. “We are interested in animals that are limping or that have deformed hoofs, but it’s important to understand that deformed hooves can occur for a variety of reasons.” Washington officials say it looks like a contagious sheep-hoof ailment, and they plan to cull the worst-off animals. And the Fish & Wildlife Commission passed a rule requiring hunters to leave hooves in the field where elk are shot, to try and contain the disease. –TD, NWS

“Elk are smart animals.” Many herds desert national forest land and move into low-elevation areas, such as vineyards and farmland where they’re usually safe from hunters, but not from landowners, and this is usually where they find themselves in trouble. Biologists in this district would love for elk to reside on public land, but that’s just not the way they operate. Vargas says national forest lands are “not an ideal forage situation” due to the lack of logging. He tells hunters that they just have to deal with what they have. If you find a pocket on public land that produces good forage, there’s a good chance that the elk in the area will find it too. Hunter success rates in the general Cascade elk season were awful last year, and really for the last few years, producing success rates of only a 3 to 5 percent over the last few years, with the Dixon Unit yielding only 2 percent in 2013. However, 2014 ratios have shown 36 bulls and 39 calves per 100

cows in the Rogue Unit. More large bulls were counted than small- and medium-sized bulls combined here. The Dixon Unit boasts a bull ratio of 20 per 100 cows and a good calf ratio of 43:100.

HIGH DESERT Just south of the Columbia Basin, elk hunting opportunities look abundant this year. Populations are healthy and doing well in the Heppner and Fossil Units, says Travis Schultz, ODFW assistant wildlife biologist in Heppner.. “We’re not a trophy unit by any means,” he acknowledges, “but we’re an opportunity unit.” Bull ratios in the Heppner are slightly above management objective at 12 bulls per 100 cows, while the Fossil is very similar. But calf recruitment in both units surveyed a little lower than wildlife managers would have liked, with only 24 and 20 cows in the Heppner Unit and the Fossil units, respectively. Only a few years after vehicle travel restrictions were implemented on national forest lands, biologists in this district are very pleased to see that there are more elk residing on the federal lands. “It used to be that these hunts lasted about 30 minutes,” Schultz says, because cross-country vehicle traffic pushed the elk out of the area in a hurry. “Elk will respond very quickly to disturbance.” The animals need cover to put on the pounds for winter, but they will quickly react to commotion if they have to. The Klamath Falls district has fairly healthy elk populations, but they just aren’t very dense, according to John Muir, ODFW assistant wildlife biologist in the district’s namesake town. Still, one could find hope that this year may be a good hunting season, because last season was decent. Last year’s weather gave hunters the opportunity to track elk, and this probably led to higher success rates. The mandatory harvest survey is

HUNTING this district’s best information when it comes to elk numbers, Muir says. “We just don’t have enough elk to effectively survey.” His best guess as to why this district doesn’t hold dense elk herds is a toxin. Clostridium toxin occurs naturally, and it can be fatal to elk populations. Cattlemen vaccinate for this toxin to ensure their livestock are healthy. To be successful hunting Southeast Oregon’s high desert units, Rod Klus in Hines advises scouting new country until you find elk. “They will be looking for thicker cover where they’re undisturbed, and if they’re undisturbed, they’ll stay there,” he tips. Hunters should be mobile and try new areas, because the elk may not be where they were the day before. From an elk’s standpoint, the Silvies and Malheur River Units are similar country, and they boast about an 18 percent hunter success rate for their

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respective bull seasons. Klus says calf recruitment is down slightly, but the elk populations are stable. These units provide good public access, but the Silvies does contain some private land where the elk typically seek refuge after being hunted hard. Elk numbers in the units surrounding Bend are stable and may be slightly increasing. Corey Heath, ODFW district wildlife biologist stationed in Bend, says somewhat good calf recruitment has led to a stable to slightly increasing elk population in this district. The district average calf recruitment ranged in the 30s per 100 adults. Although this is a low-density unit and bull ratios are in the single digits, hunters manage to take bulls every year.

NORTHEAST Elk herds are doing well in the units managed by Pat Matthews, district

wildlife biologist in Enterprise. “Overall, all of our units are at or above management objective. except the Wenaha Unit, but that’s been for 25 years.” While not meeting that benchmark, the wilderness unit boasts the highest bull ratios in the district, with a good number of branch-antlered animals. The 35-tag, any-bull hunt is one of the premier draws in the state and is one of the lengthiest waits to get. As for the other units, Mathews believes there are good hunting opportunities to be had in all. Bull ratios, overall, tallied 14 per 100 cows, which have improved considerably from a decade ago when it was 8: or 9:100. “We continue to have low calf survival, but we still have good populations,” he says. Asked if wolves are having an impact on calf survival, Mathews says, “We know the wolves are

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Northwest Sportsman

HUNTING feeding on elk pretty regularly, but we haven’t been able to detect any drop in the populations.” In addition to the Snake, Wenaha, Imnaha and Minam Packs, ODFW announced that a previously unknown group of wolves turned up in the Chesnimnus Unit, east of Flora. But if this season is anything like last year’s, hunters should be able to find elk in Northeast Oregon. Spike success rates averaged close to 14 percent, and any-bull hunts averaged about 35 percent success across the district. Elk herds in the Catherine Creek Unit are hovering just slightly below management objective for bull ratios. Overall numbers in this unit remain high, but Leonard Erickson, district wildlife biologist in La Grande, says those animals are not necessarily available to hunters because they tend to reside on private land. However, he believes hunters heading to the Starkey Unit should

as Aug. 30, when the monthlong bow hunt opens on units on both sides of the state, followed by the Oct. 18 Cascade bull season and Oct. 29 opener of several general and numerous permit hunts. While predation, fire suppression and reduced logging have created challenges to maintaining elk herds across Oregon, hunters still enjoy good opportunities in prized limitedentry areas, and can still purchase over-the-counter tags right up until the day before the opener. And while elk gravitate toward private land where food is plentiful and predators fewer, elk get hunted on private land as well and may get run back onto public ground where they become available to hunters. So while the news is not all good, it’s not all bad either. And besides, the worst day elk hunting is better than the best day of yard work. NS

have good opportunities this season. The Mt. Emily Unit is producing some nice bulls, and hunters should enjoy great success despite some lowerthan-average calf ratios. A little further south, Ryan Torland, district wildlife biologist for ODFW in John Day, says bull surveys tallied a little low this year, but that’s not reflective of the good numbers in this district. Also, Torland mentioned that only 20 calves per 100 cows were counted on average for the district, which can probably be attributed to cougars. Despite all that, most of the units in this district are at or above management objective for bulls and calves. In this district, Torland says, elk seek refuge from human disturbance. “For elk it’s pretty simple,” he says. “Find places that are away from roads.” The backcountry should be your best bet to find elk this in this area. Oregon’s seasons begin as early

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COLUMN

ODFW Begins Wolf Study

University researchers are studying the impact wolf re-establishment will have on cougars in game-rich Northeast Oregon, and how the two species will affect deer and elk numbers and their use of habitat. (ODFW, BOTH)

ith the presence of CENTRAL OREGEON wolves now BY Scott Statts well established in Oregon and more of them likely on the way, there’s concern about what effect these large predators will have not only on deer and elk populations, but cougars as well. Oregon’s wolf plan specifies that research be undertaken by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife in collaboration with other research institutions to understand the effects of wolf re-establishment and inform conservation and management actions. The plan also recommends that ODFW investigate possible changes in deer and elk populations as a result of “wolf prey preferences across a variety of ungulate assemblages in Northeast Oregon, wolf competition with cougars and shifts in ungulate habitat utilization.”

So, to that end, last October, ODFW initiated a partnership with Oregon State University to provide a Ph.D. student to study wolf-cougar interactions, and wolf predation rates on Northeast Oregon ungulates. Specific objectives of this project are: 1) Determine prey selection of wolves in multiple packs in Oregon where prey availability differs among packs; 2) Determine effects of presence of wolf pack(s) on population dynamics and habitat use of cougar in the Mt. Emily Wildlife Management Unit; and 3) Evaluate factors which may influence elk and deer populations and their habitat utilization in a mixed carnivore system with wolves. The project will be conducted over four years and begin with capturing and collaring wolves and cougars, and is expected to be done by the end of 2018. “Previous ODFW research has shown

that cougars can have a significant impact on elk calf survival in Northeast Oregon,” notes Roblyn Brown, an assistant wolf biologist with the agency. “This new research, which is a collaboration between OSU and ODFW, will investigate the effects of the re-establishing wolves on the cougar population. The study will also look at how this wolf-cougar competition affects the ungulate population and habitat use. This information will inform conservation and management decisions.”

WHILE SOME HUNTERS may be concerned that wolves are, or will be, reducing hunting opportunities for big game, ODFW says that wolf numbers are low right now and big game hunting tags have not been reduced due to wolves. Whether wolves will add to elk and deer mortality or simply replace cougarSEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

caused mortalities is unknown. Wolfcougar competition could relieve some of the predatory pressure experienced by elk and mule deer. Some studies have shown that wolves scavenge cougar kills and actually kill the big cats. Since wolves are socially cooperative, they tend to dominate solitary cougars despite the similar body mass of the two carnivores. (At least three Washington wolves, however, have been killed by cougars, probably when they were away from their packs.) So the big question, at least for now, in Northeast Oregon is, Will wolves displace cougars or influence their abundance? Hopefully, this ODFW/OSU project will determine if wolves will add to or abate the currently high cougar predation on elk and deer in some wildlife management units. The state has an abundance of prewolf data on cougars in the Wenaha, Sled Springs, Catherine Creek and Mt. Emily WMUs against which any changes in cougar habitat selection, productivity, predation, and abundance can be measured.

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The latest estimate by ODFW puts the state’s cougar population at 5,500, but carnivore groups such as Big Wildlife and others argue that that number is too high. ODFW’s minimum population level it is managing for under the new cougar management plan is 3,000. If their primary preferred food source is deer and on the average a cougar will eat a deer a week, that equates to 286,000 deer killed by cougars per year. This number is obviously way too high since, according to ODFW’s website, there are about 300,000 mule deer in Oregon. A recent study documented that as many deer are taken illegally as legally in Central Oregon. The Oregon wolf population is officially documented at the end of each year. The 2013 minimum count was 64 wolves in eight packs. It is likely that there are more wolves in the state, but it can be difficult to document every single one, especially lone wolves. Of course most of those wolves are in the northeastern part of the state, but OR7 found a mate and had pups in the exact opposite corner of Oregon.

Although research in the Rockies provides insight into potential effects of wolf re-establishment in Oregon, several factors set the state apart from other areas where wolves have been studied. For example, Northeast Oregon is unique in its nearly singular importance of cougar predation on elk populations. Also, the role of alternative prey, differing antlerless harvest levels and the relatively mild climate here all may influence the relationship between wolves and big game. Oregon’s wolf program funding comes from a variety of sources, including the federal State Wildlife Grant program, Pittman-Robertson funds and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grants. Two fulltime employees are associated with the program and the total budget allocation for the 2013-2015 biennium is $641,004. As the wolf population in Oregon expands in number and distribution, both hunters and conservationists are paying very close attention to how ODFW handles the social, political and ecological issues pertaining to wolf re-establishment. NS

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COLUMN

On Ethical Late-summer Hunting T he dirt two-track was dusty and headed southeast toward a rock outcropping known as the Rooster Comb. Under the shade of a few junipers and desert sage was the flicker of ears.

Dad and I froze. We had been gabbing it up for most of the walk and now were busted. This was an unexpected place to find a group of four feeding does in the middle of the day, but hunting is all about broken expectations. The does pulled the classic mule deer move – if I don’t move, they won’t see me. Well, it wasn’t working out for them. We both nocked arrows and began to position ourselves for shots. Keeping one eye on the deer and the other on the dusty road, I placed each step carefully to limit sound and keep the deer as calm as possible. Dad found a shot before I did; I watched him pull back on a large doe. With quick aim, he let fly. An audible crack came after the shot. I wasn’t sure if it was deer bone or stick. I was focused on my animals. A yearling and a doe had started to circle back on our position. I shadowed them through the head-tall sage. The deer finally

Pan-roasted venison steak with watermelon, corn and zucchini salad and brown butter sage vinaigrette. (RANDY KING)

SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

took note of me and stopped – they were at 12 yards. I pulled up my longbow looking for a shot, but all the deer gave me were butts and heads. They were pulling that other classic mule deer move that so many archers hate – the I’ll-look-over-my-back one. I momentarily considered a Texas heart shot on the big doe, wondering just how far my arrow would travel. Hunting ethics took over, a blessing from my father and other hunting role models in my life. I didn’t shoot, but my hands were shaking like a 13-year-old boy at a junior

high dance, just hoping and waiting for things to work out in my favor. I let my bow down and watched as the deer wandered out to 35 yards before turning broadside. At that range, I just stood and admired the pair. My effective range is 25 yards. The deer then simply vanished into the cover. As for Dad, he had cleanly killed a small juniper with his arrow. I found him, Leatherman in hand, digging his broadhead out of the tree, his wooden arrow shaft in several sections on the ground. The cracking noise was the shaft

breaking, apparently. We laughed, sat down in the shade and began to glass the hill over for more deer. A few draws over my older brother had arrowed a little forked horn buck and was making his way back to camp. His 6-year-old daughter had spotted the deer off the trail and selected the one for my brother to shoot. “That one, Daddy!” she’d whispered. We had the deer tracked, gutted and hung in an hour.

THAT BOW SEASON I didn’t fling a single

PAN-ROASTED VENISON STEAK The crazy part about September archery season is that it is still summer! We’re hunting while the garden is still growing like crazy. Tomatoes, watermelon and corn are all in large supply, and like they say, if it grows together, it goes together. That same principle applies for hunting and harvesting of produce. This recipe uses fall flavors on summer ingredients, to a surprising effect, in my opinion. Butter and sage, staples for butternut squash and halibut, are added to watermelon and zucchini. It is a combination of sweet and savory that works great. Feel free to kick it up a notch with a little red chili flake if desired. Then you have the trifecta of flavor – sweet, heat and savory.

Brown Butter and Sage Vinaigrette ¼ cup unsalted butter 20 sage leaves 1 garlic clove, crushed ¼ cup balsamic vinegar ½ cup canola oil ¼ cup parmesan cheese, shredded Salt and pepper Add the cold butter to a medium-sized saute pan. Heat pan on medium until all the butter is melted. Add the sage and turn heat to medium high; the pan will spit a little oil out on you, so be careful. Wait and watch the butter; it should be turning brown in about a minute. 74 Northwest Sportsman

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Add the crushed garlic when the butter is brown in color and has a nutty smell. Next, add the balsamic and the canola oil to the hot pan. This will cause some aggressive boiling – do not inhale the fumes. It will be a vinegar bomb like none other. Next add the parmesan to the pan, then add all to a blender and puree until smooth, for about one minute. Season and reserve but do not chill

The Meat and Veg 2 each large venison steaks, about 8 ounces each Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon butter 1 small zucchini, cut into large chunks 1.5 cups cubed watermelon 1 ear of corn, removed from cob 2 cups lambs quarter, or spinach Rinse and wipe out the same medium pan you made the brown butter dressing in. Season the venison steaks with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the pan and return to medium heat. When butter is melted but not yet brown add the steaks to the pan. Cook until dark brown on one side, then flip over and cook until blood begins to rise to the surface of the steak. This should be about medium rare. Remove the meat from the pan and

add the zucchini chunks. Cook until golden on one side, flip and add the watermelon and corn. While those are cooking add the lambs quarter or spinach to a medium salad bowl. Add three tablespoons brown butter sage dressing. Cook the watermelon and corn for one more minute and then add to the mixing bowl. Toss all the vegetables. Next, slice the steak. Pile the salad and gently dump onto a plate. Place the sliced steak on the top. Eat and enjoy! For more wild game recipes, please see chefrandyking.com.

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COLUMN arrow – but I still feel successful. Archery hunting feeds the soul, not necessarily the stomach. Each year archery season tunes me back into the inner workings of terrestrial nature. I get the hunter’s eye that I lost, often because of a fishing line, in full force. I’m almost never successful (I can only count three wild pigs and a few rabbits over the course of 20 years), but often my best campfire stories come from ones that got away while I had my bow in hand. I have shot only three arrows at deer in my adult life. All have been clean misses, and in my world, that is as good as a clean hit. My shots provided a little education for a small buck and a few does. When rifle season finally arrives I feel like a superhero. I have an unfathomable amount of power and effective range at my control. Finally, deer are within my reach! Sure, my selections and opportunities are much more limited (bucks only, normally), but I can shoot out to several hundred yards! The feeling

of supremacy is overwhelming. But the thrill of stalking game is lessened – the difference between getting within 20 yards and 200 yards is huge. In some ways, archery season is more natural and spiritual hunting while rifle season is more about meat collection.

BUT MORE IMPORTANT than taking clean, smart shots during archery season is what you do afterwards. September is still a warm month for the Northwest, averaging in the 70s for daytime highs – I’ve hunted on the opener for mule deer in 101-degree temperatures – with lows averaging in the upper 40s. That’s key because above about 55 degrees meat is no longer being aged, it is rotting. Several precautions should be taken to help stop rot. The first one is ethics – don’t shoot unless you are certain of a clean kill. Now, I know that sh*t and bad shots happen. Choose carefully and find the deer quickly after the shot, if possible. The longer an animal has its guts on the inside of it, the

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more likely it is to turn bad. Remember that temperature is the issue: Waiting the animal out is perfectly fine – if it is cold out! But November this is not. In late summer, it is just a bad idea to try and find the animal “in the morning.” Even after a quick recovery getting the meat cool is vital. Skin and gut the animal immediately. Get the meat onto ice if possible. If not on ice, then get it to the coldest place you can manage – down by a creek, in the shade or even in a cave if possible. Don’t stay an extra day in camp and skip out on the ice – get the meat cold, then kick back and drink a brew around the fire. Citric acid, the stuff you use for canning tomatoes, will help prevent rot. Basically it changes the pH of the outside of the meat, making it less hospitable for bacterial growth. I have only used this one time on a backcountry hunt, and it seemed to help, but I made sure to cut away all the meat I treated before butchering. I much prefer to get meat cold. NS

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SEPTEMBER 2014

COLUMN The Swarovski binoculars on the right is a roof-prism model. The Leupold model on the left is a porro-prism binocular. (DAVE WORKMAN)

Now Is The Time To Be Having ‘Visions’ S

eptember is the time of year when serious modern firearm hunters go to work scouting, and getting their rifles or hunting ON TARGET handguns zeroed, and By Dave Workman the cornerstone of those efforts is good binoculars. In the wake of devastating forest and range fires across the Northwest, especially in Washington’s Okanogan County, a lot of people may be looking for new places to

hunt. At this writing, the monster Carlton Complex fire has burned over a quarter of a million acres of state, federal and private lands primarily east of Highways 20 and 153. This could take some hard looking; finding where game has moved requires time, patience and good optics. This could shift a lot of hunting pressure north and east toward Conconully and the Sinlahekin, Toats Coulee and even farther east toward Bonaparte Lake. Or people might head south into Chelan and Kittitas Counties, looking for deer in the ridge country above Manson or much farther

south in the Teanaway west of Highway 97.

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Brian Lull rode along on a little scouting trek to Washington’s Central Cascades, where we saw seven healthy mule deer bucks, including four that we’re sure were legal. Presumably, by the end of October, someone will have proven our observations with a notched tag and meat in the cooler. Watching those bucks and getting a good look at their antler points required good binoculars, and we had them along. SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

more light and a better image, but advances in optics over the years have – in my opinion, anyway – improved to the point that any difference is negligible. Swarovski, Nikon, Bushnell, Leupold, Weaver – you pick a brand and they will have a binocular model to fit the budget and your needs. I have both types, and have used them to personal Another good example of a roof-prism binocular is Lull’s Nikon, satisfaction, although deer that have fallen to my rifles might which he has carried on many a deer hunt. (DAVE WORKMAN) argue! Binoculars should be Whether you have a pair of porro- or roofpaired with your riflescope; that is, they prism binoculars, it’s important that they ought to be of approximately the same be adjusted to your eyes for quick use, magnification power. Thanks to today’s whether you wear eyeglasses or contacts, variable-power scopes – the most popular or are blessed with 20/20 vision. being the 3-9X because that provides a Roof-prism binoculars have straight magnification range that can be adjusted tubes with the eyepieces in direct line down for hunting heavy brush and timber, with the objective lenses. Porro-prism and up for hunting on the plains and binoculars are those on which the prairies – you can pretty much cover all the eyepieces are offset from the objective bases with binoculars. lenses. Years ago, it was generally My personal choice is an 8X binocular, considered that porro models delivered

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SEPTEMBER 2014

because it offers the same image I can find by cranking up my scopes to 8X. Many folks like 10X binoculars for glassing at longer ranges, and that will work too. It’s ultimately a matter of choice. Field binoculars need some kind of rubber armoring because they are going to get bumped and banged, and maybe dragged through the mud. Been there, done that, got the soiled T-shirt to prove it! Last October, I conked a buck over on the Snake River south of Pullman from a prone position, and in the excitement I was laying on my binoculars. Your binoculars should also be as lightweight as possible, since you could be walking around with them hanging from your neck for a long time. It also helps when you have to hold them up to your eyes for extended periods.

ON OUR SCOUTING trek, Lull and I took along a couple of rifles to zero. He had his .30-06 Model 70 and I hauled out my .257 Roberts. I’ve had that rifle for nearly

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SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

COLUMN 30 years, and (gasp!) swapped a guy for it at a Puyallup gun show, trading a .38 Special Smith & Wesson revolver straight across. The rifle came with a heavy wood stock and original 4X Weaver K-4 steel tube scope with a dot reticle. Nowadays, it wears a 3-9X Burris scope, and it shot to point-of-aim after sitting in the corner for a few seasons. What this little trek proved is that if you sight in a rifle and carefully store it during the off-season, it will retain its zero if you use the same ammunition, which I do, of course, because they’re my personal handloads utilizing a charge of IMR 4895 under a 100-grain Nosler Partition or Speer boattail bullet. We shot using either a sitting position, or resting our rifles on a Caldwell DeadShot Field Pod, a lightweight portable rifle rest that sits atop a tripod. This is a handy accessory, providing a stable shooting platform that literally goes anywhere and sets up in a couple of minutes. One of my two ’06 rifles has a 3-10x42 Swarovski scope on top, and I’ve shot some

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BE SURE YOU REGISTER Be sure you’re registered to vote. The November election in Washington includes two ballot measures, one that is supported by hunters, target shooters, gun collectors and two major law enforcement groups. The other is an 18-page guncontrol measure supported by urban elitists and anti-gun New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Initiative 591 is backed by “Protect Our Gun Rights.” It says background checks conducted in Washington must comply with a uniform national standard. I-594 is backed by the Seattle-based Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility and Bloomberg’s “Everytown for Gun Safety.” It requires so-called “universal background checks,” including any time you merely loan a gun to a friend for a weekend hunting trip. If you don’t, it’s a gross misdemeanor. Any subsequent “transfer” of the gun is a felony. It also greatly expands the state pistol registry, and many experts insist it is a precursor to state gun registration. –DW

nice bucks with that gun, in Wyoming, Utah and Eastern Washington. This scope delivers a sharp image from edge to edge, which is the benchmark for any riflescope, and every time I’ve settled the crosshairs on a buck, I could just about smell the deer chops sizzling in the pan. It’s imperative to have a good scope, and check the mounts for tightness. Then

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retire to the range and find a consistent load, whether factory ammunition or your home-brewed cartridges. Stick with it, because consistent accuracy is more important than “knockdown power.” After all, all the energy of every bullet on the map is inconsequential if you can’t hit what you’re shooting at. It is equally important to stick with

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COLUMN an accurate load. Once you’ve found it, and zeroed your rifle, don’t start messing around with different ammunition. The ammunition you use at the range to punch quarter-sized, three-shot groups at 100 yards should be the same stuff you take on a hunt. For example, I use a 180-grain Nosler AccuBond in my ’06 over 57 grains of Hodgdon Hybrid 100V powder. I’d be nuts to suddenly decide, the night before a hunt, to switch to a 165- or 200-grain bullet over a completely different powder charge, and just hope for the best.

MAINTAINING BINOCULARS AND scopes is important. Even though they are sealed to keep dust out, it can accumulate on the outer lens surfaces, mucking things up. You might also get a smudge or some other crud on the glass. Keep a soft cloth handy and use it to wipe off your outer lenses, then use a good scope cover. Lull has added flip-up lens covers on his scope, while I prefer the stretchable bikinitype covers from Butler Creek that come off

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in an instant. I keep a spare pair wrapped around the gearshift lever in my truck, just in case. Whatever scope cover you use, same as any lens cover for your binoculars, keep the covers clean. You’d be surprised at the junk that can accumulate on these covers, and when you use them, that stuff can easily wind up on the lens surface. Now, last but not least, a riflescope is not a spotting scope or a binocular. Never, ever use a riflescope for just glassing the countryside. I’ve seen people do this, and have had them aim guns at me in the process. Use binoculars or a spotting scope to visually cruise the countryside. Use a riflescope only for what it’s designed for: sighting on game.

IF YOU’RE THINKING about buying new binoculars for the hunting season and beyond, here are some important features you will want on those new spyglasses: Center focus: Nothing is so frustrating as having to monkey with the focus on your

binoculars. The focus knob should be userfriendly and easily controlled. Adjustable eyecups: With these, people who wear eyeglasses can use their binoculars without having to endure eyestrain, or take off your glasses and play the focus game. These eyecups either pull out or twist out, and some are designed with stopping points. Lens caps and covers: It’s important to protect your binoculars from the elements when they’re not in use. Padded neck strap: Remember, you’ll be wearing these binoculars around your neck, sometimes for hours, and in order to reduce neck strain and even chafing, you want to spread that weight over a wide area. But also consider the material they’re made of – is it quiet when the strap moves against your clothes? A good pair of binos is an investment, not an expense. They will last through many seasons, and come in handy for chores other than hunting. Take care of them, and they will serve you well. NS

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GET YOUR HUNTING RIG READY FOR FALL Whatever else you’re going to be doing to get from your front porch to where that big buck or bull is waiting to match his wits with yours, it’s a dead cinch you’re not going to beam over to that hunting spot. Many a hunting trip has been ruined by a breakdown, sometimes in the woods, or by poor performance of someone’s hunting rig. Now’s the time to prepare your ride for the season. Start with the easy stuff. Check your tires. Make sure the air pressure is up to snuff in all four plus your spare. I have changed, or helped change, tires in some of the worst spots one could imagine. Tires don’t fail in good spots. If you need new ones, get new ones. I check my hydraulic jack before the season, and keep a 2x4 or 2x6 board in the truck to serve as a base just in case! Check your oil. Is it time for a change? It’s best to do that now instead of the night before you head off on a 200-mile

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trip to some hunting camp. Lube your U-joints and ball joints, unless you have factory-sealed specimens. I shoot a bit of grease into my U-joints every 4,500 miles, at the same time I change oil, which is a synthetic blend. My used oil gets recycled. My brother built a pair of ramps using 2x8-inch treated lumber a few years ago, and I added front pieces that stop the tires from rolling over the fronts. I also use a large piece of cardboard to crawl around under my rig, to keep from laying on bare cement or gravel. If you own a four-wheel drive, at least once a month you really should find an unpaved road somewhere and lock in those hubs, as we once said, for a few miles just to make sure everything works up to snuff. Consult your owner’s manual to see if you’re due for a new set of spark plugs. Good plugs assure good gas mileage and

A clean air filter makes for a happy, fuel-efficient engine. (DAVE WORKMAN) engine performance. Make sure all of your engine fluids are good; I also make sure my windshield wiper fluid reservoir is full. And check the air filter, headlights and tail lights, and battery. –DW

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Blue grouse is a term used broadly to describe the two species most of us just call blues. Dusky grouse live in the Rocky Mountains, and sooty grouse live in the coastal ranges and Sierra Nevadas. Unless you’re some sort of biologist, you’re safe calling them all blues. (JEFF HOLMES)

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few years ago on day two of an overnight hike-in bear hunt in Northeast Washington’s Selkirk THE LONG HAUL Mountains, a friend By Jeff Holmes and I had struck out on calling in any bruins but located a bachelor group of four mule deer bucks all stretching over 26 inches by our estimation. They were still in full velvet in the second week of September, and one would go 30, easily, we thought. It’s still the biggest mule deer I’ve seen in Washington while holding a gun of any kind, and as a blue grouse and upland bird hunter, I had encountered lots of nice muleys over the

years on long walks off roads and behind gates. But I had never seen one this big and insisted to my archery-deer-hunting partner that we sneak the hell out of there so I could come back two weeks later for early muzzleloader deer season. We hiked down the mountain on old closed roads at a good clip, jumping blue grouse and walking by a brood of idiot spruce grouse taking shade from the September heat. Later that fall on a stupid solo elk hunt in that same backcountry spot – a day when I also almost fell off of a rain-slicked, house-sized boulder – I would throw out my back attempting to behead one of those spruce grouse with my muzzleloader ramrod. While hiking down the mountain

through a very special place for game of all kinds, we stopped dead in our tracks at the sound of heavy, clumsy crashing in the brush below us along a small subalpine creek. We hit the dirt, and I extracted a bear call that had worked the year prior the first time I ever blew it in the mountains. The kill site of that berry-eating bear was maybe 400 yards from our location, and I had similarly called at crashing to bring that 200-pounder to within 15 yards. With hearts pounding, I bleated horribly like a dying fawn or calf for 20 seconds as my friend readied his .270. My muzzleloader and Counter Assault bear spray were also at the ready. I paused briefly, rustled the grass, and listened, readying my call and weapon. Most successful bear callers keep up a nearly constant racket, but I stopped since the crashing animal was pushing our way, and it was close, 40 yards and closing. My friend and I looked wide-eyed at each SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

COLUMN other and rose to our knees to address the advance of a very large animal. Its grunt gave it away before we saw it, and then it came into view: the ragged red crown of a bull moose shedding velvet from a broad, salad-bowl-shaped rack. The bull swung its antlers from side to side and walked parallel and past us, back up the hill through the small stream, menacing us with sounds and posture. We slipped down the hill toward the truck and a trip to Sullivan Lake. Rounding a corner on a Forest Service road on the way to the lake that afternoon, feeling high from the challenge of that hunt and the game we saw, a shotgun blast ripped out and peppered the ground 20 feet in front of my truck. Two dipsh*ts were holding shotguns in front of an idling Ford Ranger with their mouths open as we rounded the bend. A spruce grouse was doing its death dance on the road. My rage flashed for a moment and then withdrew to severe anger. I accelerated forward, seeing quickly as I drew close that these were boys barely old enough to drive. My anger turned to regret, and I felt my

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own hypocrisy in the back of my mind, but I nonetheless gave those boys some things to think about. We talked about fair chase, the law, hard work, respecting animals, and, most importantly, knowing your backstop. I told them about our hunt and that we hadn’t killed anything but that neither of us would ever forget it because we did it the right way and worked our asses off for it. “Where are you boys from? Ione? Maybe you should go home before I decide to call the game warden for the grouse, or the sheriff for almost shooting our truck.” Those boys will likely never forget that grouse, and neither will I, nor my hypocrisy.

The public-land-rich hills and mountains surrounding Republic, in Northeast Washington, are among the best places to hunt grouse in the Inland Northwest, as this snapshot from the front porch of Jeff Keen’s cabin will attest. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)

FOR MANY YEARS I followed the example of a huge and silent percentage of the hunters I grew up with. I whacked birds on dirt roads and saw plenty of my brethren doing the same. I was never stupid enough to risk shooting someone over killing a road-strutting spruce grouse like those boys, but that wasn’t the first dying spruce, ruffed or blue grouse I’d seen fluttering on a road, and I’m far from alone. The practice of

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6 TIPS FOR SEPTEMBER GROUSE

September is hot and dry in the Inland Northwest, and grouse, ruffs especially, won’t be far from water. From the Selway to spring-fed mud puddles, any reliable water will draw birds. Blues like water sources too but are more adept at consuming water from dew and food sources. Still, look for them near stock ponds, springs, and mountain creeks. Blues generally occupy higher elevations than ruffs and live in drier, more open places like ridgetops. Blue grouse and mountain goats are the only North American wildlife that actually move uphill in winter. They ride out the coldest months eating pine and fir needles high in trees. Prior to taking to the trees, blues taste great and can be extremely concentrated on ridgetops late in the month and into October as more blues move uphill from lower elevations.

Ruffs can be found next to blues on dry ridges, but are far more common lower on the mountain near creeks, rivers, lakes, and open forest and meadows with reliable water. They are the most common grouse in North America and here in the Northwest. They can be as dumb as spruce grouse or so cagey that they never present a hunter with a viable shot, season after season.

Find food, find birds. Both species eat clover and small forbs, along with insects, berries, and seeds. Berries ripen at different rates throughout the region, but to generalize, most of the birds I shoot have snowberries, elderberries, huckleberries or wild raspberries in their crops when I find berries. You’ll find far more small, succulent plants in the crops of both than berries. Once you figure out what they’re eating, targeting them becomes easier.

Birds are still in broods in September, but late in the month or in early October will disperse, some sooner than others, especially if they’re disturbed by hunters. Locating broods provides clues for later in the season when brush and trees drop their leaves and make overland travel and seeing birds easier. Many times brooded grouse erupt from heavy cover, and all that a hunter hears is their powerful wingbeats. Paying attention to these places allows a tactical return in October when leaves have fallen, arguably the best time of year to hunt grouse.

Covering lots of ground during a day helps to identify concentrations of birds. It’s generally possible and often very easy to concentrate future attention on areas where you find good numbers of birds. Often, the same places produce year after year. Grouse are very keyed into their desired habitats, and the right blend of food, water, and cover will hold birds every season. –JH

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sniping forest grouse sitting on roadways is so ubiquitous that I’ve even seen it discussed explicitly in articles and hinted at unintentionally in many others. I remember a few of those birds I whacked on roads with .22s and shotguns, but it’s the ones I worked for and the many tough grouse hunts I went on with family and friends as a kid and an adult that cemented me as a lifelong hunter. It’s easy to see a different path I could have taken, easier yet to see why so many hunters – even young ones in good shape – drive endless loops looking for game. They learned the wrong way and were presented no alternative. Luckily, my old man is a walker who insisted that we spend most of our time in the field hiking and working for our birds. The taste of pan-fried ruffed grouse or blue grouse enchiladas will invariably taste better after a day of hiking in the field than after smelling road-hunter farts in the cab of a truck all day. ______, this means you. Working hard yields sights and experiences not to be found in a truck cab or on a quad or trailbike. Grouse live in

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beautiful places and are accessible, relatively plentiful, and, in some cases, stupid enough to assist young hunters in making first kills, like the ruffed grouse I shot in the neck on my sixth shot with a Ruger Single Six when I was a kid. I hiked that bird out to the truck and cleaned it perfectly before taking it home and roasting it for show and tell and my lunch the next day. Grouse are delicious to goony kids and adults alike, and they’re a delicate prize best earned, not blasted while pecking gravel or eating clover on a road edge. There are few targets in the Northwest better suited to young hunters and those of all ages than ruffed and blue grouse. Spruce grouse – the peaceful “fool hen” cousin to ruffs and blues – are fair game to hunters, and the young ones are pretty tasty. But like the dates you don’t want to marry, spruce grouse are way too easy, don’t stack up in quality and leave you aching with regret. Blues and ruffs offer far better targets and are relatively abundant across major portions of Washington Oregon, and Idaho, including west of the Cascades.

IT’S THE EAST, however, in the drier, more open Inland Northwest, that grouse hunting really shines. Abundant public land, excellent habitat, strong populations, long seasons, more penetrable vegetation, and affordable out-of-state licenses make all three states grouse hunting destinations. The places that follow are excellent grouse hunting spots where I have personally hunted and harvested good numbers of birds. A September trip for grouse is a great opportunity to condition yourself further for big game seasons, camp in beautiful places, and pursue one of the tastiest wild treats in the Northwest. Republic, Wash.: The seat of Ferry County may have fallen on hard economic times over the past few decades, but the riches of the surrounding landscape are still intact. Blues, ruffs and spruce grouse are abundant in Ferry County and even more so to the south on the Colville Indian Reservation. The tribe has almost no tradition of pursuing abundant blues nor ruffs, and hunting permits are reasonable. But you needn’t buy a tribal permit here. The town is literally surrounded by hills and Continued on page 172 SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

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COLUMN Blacktail bucks graze in a Skagit County farmfield earlier this summer. (BRAD OTTO, WDFW)

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eptember h u n t i n g and fishing options in Whatcom By Doug Huddle and Skagit Counties, though now traditional in their own right, are on the fringe because of their somewhat offbeat venues and tinges of contentiousness surrounding them. Still, for upstanding sportsmen willing to abide by both written and unwritten rules, these opportunities are among the first from which they can start restocking their larders. From the big kings in the tiny Samish River to blacktail deer skulking in rows of ripening berries and Canada geese that have given up their wandering ways, pursuing them takes a blend of preparation, discretion and persistence that make them challenging. And if you succeed in getting your venison, smoker and barbecue-grade salmon together with a Thanksgiving and Christmas goose in September, that’ll free up more time to pursue other quarry later in this fall.

DOWN-ON-THE-FARM DEER Just as their city-living cousins are flourishing, Whatcom County’s farm-dwelling deer numbers are burgeoning too. Though they have to dodge cars, dogs and the occasional irate gardener, urban ungulates are essentially safe at home within the pale of municipal nonhunted grounds. Not so the ag-land squatters that are well on the way to completely wearing out their welcome by eating crops that generate money. Berry farmers in particular are growing more exasperated with the damage deer are doing with relative impunity. Complaints have been filed with the Department of Fish & Wildlife that could lead to formal damage claims. Enriched by annual fertilization, the crops and even weeds as well as neighboring woodlots provide lush browse growth, and with little to disturb or push them around, the deer thrive. In fact, one mark of enhanced range nutritional quality in deer populations is the incidence of twins or triplets in an area. An interesting facet to these deer is that

they’re not traveling very far from cover to food and back. Would-be hunters should scout for cultivated fields with creeks running through them or look for forest stands adjacent to farm fields. This also can be done via Google Earth or Bing. The next step is looking up ownership and making contact. Do be considerate of growers’ work schedules. Harvest time from late summer through fall is a busy time for farmers. Don’t show up opening day with blaze orange or camo paint with an expectation they’ll let you on. Before seeking to meet with them, develop a solid, reasonably detailed plan of how you will hunt depicted on aerial photos. Listen carefully when farmers lay out their concerns and ground rules for your hunt, especially the need to ensure the safety of farm employees, and avoid interference with harvest or planting prep operations. This meeting will be like a job interview in that the landowner or grower needs to develop confidence in you. Once you receive permission, scout the SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

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property with an eye toward finding animal transitions from cover to crop that have good sight corridors and safe backdrops for shots (with firearms). Look for good spots to set up shooting blinds or perhaps put up tree stands. Also, pay attention to how the air is moving or may move under different weather conditions. Learn the property lines of the land you have permission to hunt, and know which neighbors to contact for permission to retrieve an animal if it falls outside your hunting area. Check back with the landowner on the details of your plans as well as proposed comings and goings for final approval.

SEPTEMBER HONKERS Finding Canada geese in Whatcom County for the September resident honker hunt is even less of a problem this year. This spring, in almost all locales harboring these now nonmigratory waterfowl, crèches of goslings were bigger. Almost any location with reasonably undisturbed waters here is now a hangout for them, and we’re also benefitting from the overflow of the lower British Columbia mainland’s surfeit of these park and golf-course geese. Given that gunners have just six days to bag their birds, advance preparations such as scouting and arranging access with landowners are a must. The two key elements of this puzzle hunters need to divine are the locations of the birds’ watery night roosts and their daytime forage areas. Hunting night roosts is more problematic because many of these idling places such as Lake Whatcom, Wiser Lake, and Birch Bay are either well-developed human settlements or designated county no-shooting zones. We’re lucky here in that Whatcom Wildlife Area’s Lake Terrell Unit is an exception and can be hunted on its upland ground as well as the nonreserve portion of the lake itself. Field-hunt scenarios, setting up under flight paths or at destination feeding sites, are easier options to make happen. Arranging for multiple blind set-up locations will increase the likelihood you can make a good hunt on any given day. Flights are most often at dawn and dusk for these field-feeding birds, and there is far less movement during full daylight hours so

there’s much less percentage in staying out all day. These birds can be stalked even in a bald-faced manner as long as it’s the first day or two of the season and hunters as pedestrians are otherwise part of the daily dynamic in the avian neighborhood. One year I watched two casually dressed persons leave a golf-course clubhouse with wheeled golf bags in tow – sans the usual set of irons and drivers. They obliquely approached a gaggle of 25 or so birds on the edge of a fairway near a green, some with heads tucked under wings, others just sitting and a few feeding. The fowlers feigning to be duffers stopped upwind about 40 yards opposite the birds, pulled shotguns from the bags, yelled and dropped four of the fairway-fattened Canadas outright on the jump. Seconds later they dispatched two cripples, on a reload, to fill their limits. Their “No. 12” irons and dead honkers stuffed into the golf bags, the two ambled back to the 19th Hole. As easy as that hunt was, these birds are more often hard targets, quite finicky and headstrong. Being year-round dwellers they know the landscape and where they want to go and it’s more difficult to get them to break well-established patterns. These are family or extended family groups that tend to stick to themselves, and they are used to returning to the same locales day after day. Calling, if employed, must be spot-on in tone and stop when you get a turn, and decoy strings should be in the range of no more than a couple dozen with a short upwind approach leg so the in-flight group does not land short. Among places to look for resident Canadas are the Custer area (Birch Bay night roosters), southeast of Lake Terrell (Terrell night dwellers), the south Mission Road area (Squalicum Lake roosters), Aldrich/Axton Roads area (Bellingham Bay roosters), Pangborn area (Boundary Lake roosters) and the Kendall area (Sprague Lake roosters).

SAMISH KINGS Satisfactory behavior last season has taken some of the guess work out of this year’s Samish River fall Chinook fishery. The regs restore a straight-through, August-to-November opportunity with no

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first-half break for an instant-replay review of angler adherence to etiquette, as was the case last September. Besides reprising their change in angling technique to avoid being accused of practicing dental hygiene with a fishing license, anglers will continue to have to contend with the limited bank access and therefore closed-ranks fishing in the tight, tidally influenced lower 8 miles of river channel. At the height of the run, this fishery for kings running anywhere from 3-pound jacks up to 25-pound 5-year-olds attracts crowds of anglers. More than 4.5 million smolts are released at the river’s salmon production facility at river mile 10.5 each spring. And while significant numbers are caught in marine waters in treaty and nontreaty fisheries, actual returns to the river can number from around 9,000 to upwards of 18,000 fish. To do it right, this is a highly challenging angling endeavor. Shoulder-parking space along county roads is limited, public land along the Chinook reach is scarce, assured river access can cost extra money, and trespass on private property otherwise is a real risk. Outright foul-hooking of these fish and the temptation to do it is the fifth test of Samish angler consciences. In the stream’s narrow confines it’s inevitable that some kings will get snagged. But it’s not an absolute certainty and all of those fish hooked outside their mouths must be released. It’s entirely possible to rig, operate and fair-hook these fish inside the mouth so

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COLUMN they can be kept, and it is WDFW’s aim that all anglers put their best foot forward when traipsing into the mucky channel. Last year in response to a growing chorus of complaints, the agency put the fishery and fishers on probation, warning that unless the violation rates were reduced dramatically, salmon fishing would be closed. To educate anglers on the right stuff, WDFW biologists Brett Barkdull and Danny Garrett shot a video on the correct approach to lower Samish salmon fishing (youtube.com/ watch?v=xopiBcC-JLQ). If you head here, take cured egg clusters, single hooks and bobbers at a minimum in your tackle arsenal. Most successful – and law-abiding – anglers say they’re the top strike inducer. An egg gob is also the easiest terminal tackle rig to “short line” in tight quarters. The key for these and other offerings is elbow/backcast room plus depth of water. Being a stone’s throw from the saltchuck, the singular influence on water

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depth is Samish Bay’s tide. A tide guide is a must to plan trips here; the best time is the middle of a high/low tide cycle. Come equipped with at least hip boots if not chest waders, but do not try to float these reaches. Some anglers prefer the slack ebb when there’s the least amount of water, but low tide restricts gear selection and increases the likelihood of snagging, both deliberate and inadvertent. The main stream point of entry is Bayview-Edison Road Bridge where the pay-for-access private land is. The contact for the $20 per day and $100 per season permits is Samish River Services, LLC, P.O. Box 277, Bow, WA 98323. That location near the mouth also is where the left-bank (west side) stretch of WDFW land is. The Farm-to-Market Road bridge 2 miles south of the town of Edison is the second possible entry; however, all high ground here is privately owned. Vehicle parking is tolerated on the nearby Boe Road (a block south of the bridge) if one of the landowners there allows access down

his fenceline to the dike. The third angler crossroads for the lower Samish is Thomas Road Bridge about a mile and half west of Allen. The landholders downstream of that bridge have in the past allowed anglers to walk the dike and fish, but not so the upstream owners who typically post their property against entry. From this point upstream to I-5 access is much more difficult. The aforementioned Allen crossing where Chuckanut Drive (State Route 11) arches over the narrow stream is hard to enter and the channel is iffy to walk. Above there, Burlington Northern-Santa Fe enforces the trespass ban on its right-of-way and bridge as well.

NEXT ISSUE General deer hunt; Skagit coho; early waterfowl options. NS Editor’s note: The author lives in Bellingham, is retired from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, and has written about hunting and fishing in the Northwest for more than 30 years.

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oho are berserk. They jump, they jerk, they run circles around your boat, and WESTSIDER best of all, this looks like a banner year to By John Keizer Guest Columnist catch them. The fall run into Washington’s coastal bays, through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and into Puget Sound is about to start. If you’re an avid coho angler like me, now is the time to reserve a spot at your favorite location to take part in this exciting fishery. Here are some of mine:

Fall Coho HOT Spots

GRAYS HARBOR Grays Harbor won’t open for coho until Sept. 16 and kings must be released, but the good news is that you’ll be able to keep three silvers a day, and they can run up into the teens. This is shallow-water fishing, 10 to 15 feet average, with a deep spot being 20 feet. You don’t need downriggers here; a 2- to 4-ounce sliding dropper weight is all it takes to reach the bottom. Motor mooching or slow trolling is the key to targeting these fish. Over the years I have had the best luck trolling the middle water depth, or just off bottom. Rig up with a Fish Flash with a green-label cutplug herring. I rig this with 4/0 Mustad octopus hooks on a 7-foot, 25-pound leader attached to the Fish Flash. Troll 1.5 to 2.5 mph; if you start hitting dogfish or bottom feeders, pick up the speed. The bite usually happens just before or just after a tide change here. Launching out of the Johns River ramp, just south of the Ocean Spray Company, will put you out in front of one of the top areas, or you can run east from Westport. However, the former can be tricky, so make sure you stay in the channel, not on the sandbars.

WILLAPA BAY About half an hour south of Westport is Willapa Bay, which is open for coho and hatchery kings. The best fishing is typically near the North River, between buoys 13 and 19, but beware of this year’s closure off the mouth of the river. To have a shot at these fish you need to motor mooch in

With Puget Sound and Willapa Bay coho forecasts on par with last year’s returns, this should be a good year for Westside silver slayers. These six fell for Corey Guild of Tacoma and three friends who were fishing off Seattle and Edmonds last September with red racer flashers and Silver Horde’s Ace Hi Needlefish tipped with herring strips. (WRIGHT & McGILL/EAGLE CLAW PHOTO CONTEST) SEPTEMBER 2014

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COLUMN 10 to 25 feet water. Cutplug herring rigged on super-sharp 3/0-4/0 hooks and long, 7to 8-foot leaders dominate here. Keep your bait near bottom; 2- to 6-ounce sinkers will usually do the trick. Best fishing happens on the flood tide and slack. The Tokeland Marina is the nearest launch to the action, but expect delays when the fishery is peaking. There’s a city ramp off Highway 105 west of South Bend. Also note that this is a two-rod endorsement area.

STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA Heading into the straits out of Sekiu, start looking for tide rips, which look like slicks and rough areas, kind of like percolating water, about 1 to 3 miles offshore. Baitfish gets trapped in them and that’s where you will find the most silvers. Other things to look for include diving birds, floating debris caught in the rips, and jumping fish. But even with salmon focusing on tidal structures, per se, time of day is more important when it comes to coho. Cutplugs are easier to fish when the coho are up

shallower, so if you don’t have downriggers, plan on being on the water at sunrise. They will bite all day, but the morning hours are usually the most productive. Many anglers’ biggest mistake is trolling too slow. Silvers are vicious strikers and love a fast-trolled bait. For a herring setup, go with 3/0-4/0 hooks as they tend to stick better with the required trolling speeds. Make sure your bait spins well. Almost everything works – squids in green and blue, spoons with and without flashers – but one of my favorites is a ProTroll flasher off my downrigger weights and then fish a Silver Horde Kingfisher spoon off the release clip a few feet above it. This way I get the attraction of the flasher, but can run ultralight rods to enhance my fishing fun. Fly rods can also be great fun early in the morning or longer on overcast days. Take an 8-weight and let out 30 to 50 feet of line and wake a bushy coho fly on top of the water. You want to go fast enough to see it form a V-wake in the water. Just watching silvers clear the water trying to hit it is fun by itself.

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Flies tied bushy and with lots of pink, green and blue produce well.

SAN JUAN ISLANDS The west side of San Juan Island in late summer can get red-hot for coho, but wise ol’ Area 7 anglers target kings in the same area as the fishing can be all right for big Chinook. If you want coho, all you have to do is fish the upper water column and you will have all you can handle. A top setup is a small cutplug with 3 ounces of lead and trolled to 3 mph. For hardware I like a Pro-Troll flasher with 38 inches of leader to a green spatterback squid or Kingfisher.

POSSESSION BAR I would fish the west side of Possession Bar and up towards Double Bluff, where migratory coho will first begin appearing in Puget Sound proper. The deep water around the bar is typically better than the bar itself as fish will suspend out toward the shipping lanes. I like to start on the east side and troll

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COLUMN the deep-water edge out to the west, concentrating on the rips that form there. One of the best is on the southwest side of the bar. Experiment with your fishing depth. Start early in the morning at the 20to 30-foot depths, and then go deeper as the sun gets brighter. I have taken plenty of coho trolling downriggers at 120 to 150 feet later in the day. Top-producing tackle is a flasher with a green spatterback or all-white squid. Trolling a cutplug herring also works well. Later in the season try trolling the shipping lanes right down the center of Puget Sound south of Possession.

TACOMA Some of the top choices to target silvers nearing their final destination will be off the Slag Pile, Browns Point and near the mouth of the Puyallup River. The Slag Pile, located just around the corner from the Pt. Defiance boat ramp, is one of the top holding and final feeding areas for these fish. Trolling circular patterns off the steep drop-off here can

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SILVER MINES Late summer features a handful of derbies that silver slayers can enter. The biggest of them all is the twoday Everett Coho Derby, now in its 21st year, and appropriately wrapping up on the 21st. It features $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500 prizes for first, second and third, a mystery weight prize for a Dodge pickup, and is also when the Northwest Salmon Derby Series will award a 21-foot River Hawk powered by a 150-horse Mercury four-stroke engine. Tickets are $30 for adults and available at numerous sporting goods stores in the region. For more, see everettcohoderby.com. Sept. 6 features a pair of events on Puget Sound, the Edmonds Coho Derby (info: 206-920-2468), and the Northwest Kayak Anglers Coho Derby. The former features a $5,000 top prize while the latter is held out of Ballard Elks Club and benefits Heroes On The Water. For more, see northwestkayakanglers.com.

produce spectacular results. Early in the morning, the top 20 to 30 feet will be the best, and again, as the sun gets brighter, keep going deeper. It’s not at all unusual to be down 120 to 140 feet by midday. If you want to run hardware, try small spoons like a Coho Killer. Browns Point, across Commencement Bay from the Slag Pile, is another good fall silver haunt. The water from the lighthouse east towards Cliff House Restaurant on the hill is all productive. Last but not least are the home waters of Tacoma’s silver run, the Puyallup River. Trolling off the mouth can be very productive. Best action will be one hour before to two hours after the tide change. Keep the boat speed up; 3 mph is about as slow as I go for these fish. The length of these saltwater fisheries depends on the rain: The more we get, the faster the fish will hit the river. NS Editor’s note: The author has written about salmon fishing for decades and operates the website SaltPatrol.com.

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Following Salmon Upstream

A kayaker prepares a plug for fishing the Snoqualmie River, east of Seattle. (TODD SWITZER)

D KAYAK GUYS

By Todd Switzer

uring late summer and early fall, everything from small rafts to large yachts can be seen targeting salmon on Puget Sound. The fishery can get

crowded. When these same fish enter the river systems, we generally see drift boats and the occasional sled while many kayaks have been put away for the year. But in many ways a kayak is an ideal platform for fishing fall salmon on the rivers, as long as one pays attention to a few basic safety

rules and details.

IF YOUR IMAGE of kayaks on rivers is the white-water kayaker in full battle gear, spinning and rolling down the rapids, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not getting an adequate representation of the vast majority of conditions on Northwest streams. While there are rivers that have sections with rapids and even waterfalls, many have long stretches that meander through flat plains and present very little danger to the average kayak fisherman. The trick is finding floats that are calm enough to fish but still offer enough current and features to hold fish. Often, if there is too much slackwater, salmon and other fish will just

move through quickly. But when there is an area where the river narrows through a slot or some other structure that offers an eddy, the fish will often congregate in this water. Once you learn to read the river and find these areas where salmon and other fish congregate, the fishing can be better than what the saltwater has to offer. Another challenge is finding the river access that allows a kayak to move through a section of river which does not involve major obstructions like rapids or waterfalls. There are several ways to find these sections, including consulting maps of the area or, my favorite, Google Earth. While these are good places to start researching possible river routes, there is SEPTEMBER 2014

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no substitute for first-hand knowledge, so whenever possible, scout the area on foot and ask someone who has run through the section. If the section of river has good fishing conditions, chances are good that drift boats are already fishing it.

THE NEXT STEP in the process is figuring out how to fish a particular stretch of the river. The safest way to get started is to find a launch site with conditions you are comfortable with and move upstream, fishing the structure and eddies along the way. If you make it upstream to a section of rapids, turn around and work back to the launch. In this method you’re not putting a section of rapids between yourself and your take-out point. This is also an excellent way to explore rivers if you only have a single vehicle. I don’t recommend moving downstream and then going back upstream to your vehicle as you might encounter more current than you expected when you turn around. If you have experience running rivers and feel comfortable moving through rapids, leave one vehicle at the takeout

and use the shuttle method. I find that 5 to 7 miles of river is about all I want to cover in a day of fishing. If you’re uncertain at all about running through rapids in your fishing kayak, take a whitewater kayaking course to build your skills up, and then practice them in your kayak without fishing gear. By learning a few basic whitewater techniques you’ll find that moving around a river in a fishing kayak is not that difficult.

RIGGING A KAYAK for river fishing is not much different than you might for targeting salmon in the saltwater. A good rodholder is the key, and one that can hold the rod at an angle of about 45 degrees from the bow of the kayak is ideal. With the rod tip held at this angle, it’s possible to pull a plug or spoon and peddle or paddle the kayak to hold position in a current or move slowly up the river. Good holding water in a river will have around 2 knots of current, and keeping your presentation in this water while letting the current activate the action of the plug or spoon is a good way to trigger a strike. Side-

drifting is another method and a great way to cover a lot of water quickly. While pulling plugs and side-drifting are great ways to find fish on the river, don’t leave the light spinning rod at home. One of my favorite ways to fish rivers is with a 7- to 8-foot light-action rod strung with 10- to 12-pound test for casting twitching jigs. While it is possible to anchor in a slight current and work jigs at a set location I prefer to move around the river, casting into eddies and around structure as I drift by. If I find a good area, I’ll move through, making casts, then stow the rod and move back upstream and drift the area again. Not being anchored down when the fish hits makes for an exciting fight as even a small fish has the capacity to move a kayak around – the big ones will take you for a ride. When using an anchor it’s best to bring a float that can be clipped to the anchor line, and if a big fish takes off, the anchor line can be buoyed off and dropped, allowing you to chase down your fish. Another option for fishing rivers is to beach the kayak and fish from shore. Slower sections of river often have sandbars or sandy beaches which make ideal fishing areas. Most are formed immediately after a sharp bend in the river. During times of higher flow erosion brings sediments through the sharp bends in the river but quickly settles out downstream as the river grows wider and slows, forming sandbars. If you find a sharp bend in the river, chances are you’ll find a sandbar just downstream. Don’t forget that river flow (waterdata. usgs.gov/nwis) dictates this tactic. When planning a trip, watch the weather for days in advance. Fishing a river a few days after a moderate amount of rain as water levels are dropping to near average is ideal. Heading out on a river when the rain is coming down in buckets can invite disaster – even if the river looks normal early on, it can surge a few feet in hours during a major storm. Pay attention to the conditions and get some great salmon fishing on the rivers this fall. NS Editor’s note: The author has been kayak fishing since you were in diapers, or roughly 1971.

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Get Your Twitch On! With fall’s runs poised to enter Northwest rivers, tips for tying, twitching coho jigs. Article and photos by Chris Gregersen

f you’ve done it successfully, you love it, and if you haven’t, you will. Once considered a secret, twitching jigs has become a staple for coho. Jigs have a completely different action from hardware and drift gear, giving them the ability to evoke fierce reaction strikes out of any silver, whether they’re fresh tidewater fish or lockjawed holders upstream. Twitching is a great tactic as a first approach, or as a backup after you’ve tried everything. Many tend to overthink jigs, as they’re so different from the more traditional baits. But with a bit of guidance and a few materials, you can put together some dynamite jigs that coho won’t be able to resist.

SPECIALTY GEAR ISN’T required, per se, for twitching, but when it comes to a rod, there’s no doubt that the more sensitive, the better. Sensitivity is key because most of the time coho will grab a jig on the drop, meaning the only indication of a strike is the change in the sink rate of your line. Length isn’t crucial, but I prefer a spinning rod around 9 feet. This size gives good line control and casting range but still has the precision benefit of a shorter rod. Spinning rods are my first choice, since coho jigs tend to be bulky and catch wind – that, coupled with a lightweight jig means trouble for baitcasters. A mediumaction rod is appropriate for this, as long as it has enough backbone to pull coho out

from the logs they like to lurk under. Since twitching also means you’ll usually be around some debris, run braid on your reel. This will give you great sensitivity and hooksets, along with abrasion resistance when the fish try to wrap you up. In low, clear water add a 5- to 10-foot piece of mono between your braid and jig. The great thing about twitching is that it works in any type of water, including those that are often difficult for other gear to fish. Jigs can be fished at varying depths, speeds, and bottom contours, all in the same cast, making it easy to get and stay on fish. While jigs can be fished almost anywhere, there are a few conditions where they’re absolutely deadly. Whether it’s a deep hole, a slow eddy, or a stagnant backwater, coho love to hold in slow water that is deep enough for them to feel safe. This is the first thing to look for when reading jig water. In conjunction with this, keep an eye out for cover. Coho and cover are synonymous, so key in on downed logs, rootwads, or overhanging rocks within areas of slow and deep water. This is where jigs shine, since the twitching presentation allows you to fish very close to these pockets of habitat, and fish directly underneath them right where the fish are at.

ONCE YOU’VE FOUND a likely place to start, you’ll need to select a jig that’s right for the job. Coho jigs are some of the simplest patterns to tie, and this month’s jig of the month (following page) is no exception. Just in time for fresh feisty coho, the rabbit jig is a bold jig with great action that is a proven killer for fresh chrome. While coho aren’t always picky on the type of jig you throw, there are a few

JIG OF THE MONTH

The author with a twitched-jig coho. choices you can make to put yourself in the best position to catch fish. Start by picking the right size leadhead for the water you’re fishing. Jigs between ¼ and ½ ounce will cover most water you’ll see. For low and clear water, opt for a ¼- or 3⁄8-ounce jighead. For bigger rivers with a bit more color, start with the ½ ounce. As for color, I’ve found that as fish spend more time in the river, the more I need to tone down my presentation to more subdued colors like dark red, purple, and black. Tidewater fish are generally the least picky and will happily devour the brighter colors, like pink, orange, chartreuse, or white. Remember to use the heaviest jig hooks you can find!

NOW IT’S TIME to put that jig to work. Make your cast to likely coho-holding water, and let your jig sink. If it’s deep water, feed some slack to the jig to make sure it falls SEPTEMBER 2014

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even with the upper rabbit strip, you’ll have to run the hook through the center of the strip and slide it up to the shank. Tie this in, then tie in another piece of rabbit strip by the tip for the body.

1 Start Heavy

Begin with a heavy-shanked hook. Cut a 3to 4-inch rabbit strip for the tail. You’ll want to tie this in over the whole shank and wrap liberally – this jig is going to take a beating. Once in, trim the rabbit strip so that the tail extends about 2 to 2½ inches back from the last wrap.

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Optionally, rather than rabbit fur, wrap marabou feathers up the shank for a look similar to the April issue’s Jig of the Month, the Schlappen Jig.

vertically as close to the cover as you can. Pay close attention because sometimes this is all it takes! Coho will readily grab a falling jig, so watch the speed at which your line sinks, and if you notice any abrupt change or stop before the bottom, set the hook fast. Coho will also suspend beneath cover, so don’t be afraid to try varying depths to start jigging – fish bite literally from the surface to the bottom. Once your jig has settled into its targeted depth, start twitchin’. I like to make a 2-foot sweep up with the rod tip, then drop it back down just fast enough to allow the jig to nearly free fall. While the jig is falling and you’re dropping the rod tip, reel in the slack enough so that

you’re always close enough to the jig to set the hook if a fish grabs it. Pay attention on the drop, as you’ll usually notice a change in the drop when a fish grabs the jig. The line might speed up a tad, or just stop middrop, but either way, set the hook. I catch most fish at the bottom of the drop. It’s quite obvious when you lift your rod tip back up and find your jig in a fish’s mouth! If you don’t get fish right away, don’t be discouraged. It can take some time to find the right water and willing fish. I’ve had great success with jigs after bait and spinners have pounded a hole to no end, so keep at it and you’ll find the excitement of twitchin’ in no time. NS

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Buoy 10 King Fleet Shifts Just Upstream A BUZZ RAMSEY

n imaginary line extending from Rocky Point in Washington through Red Buoy 44 to the navigation light at Tongue Point, near Astoria marks the eastern boundary of the salmon management zone known as Buoy 10. For fall Chinook, that line also represents the western boundary of the management zone encompassing the Lower Columbia from Tongue Point all the way east to the Warrior Rock/Bachelor Island line, near the mouth of the Lewis River.

And while salmon and steelhead are available throughout that latter zone during the entire fall season, when the fishing can be sizzling hot for many miles upstream from Tongue Point is during the first few weeks of September. This is the time a massive wad of fish seem to stage in this area. The fishing can become so hot, in fact, that much of the Buoy 10 fleet can be found here. After all, it’s the larger Chinook that everyone is after, and the Buoy 10 management zone is scheduled to close to their retention after Sept. 1, so all you need do is move east of Tongue Point.

ACCORDING TO GUIDE Eric Linde (360-607-6421) it’s during a soft tide sequence at the end of August or first week of September, when the difference between high and low tide is 6 feet or less, that anglers see the fish slowly move through this area. “It’s on about the third or fourth day into a soft series of tides that a huge mass of fish that has been holding in the estuary move above Tongue Point,” he says. And while the bite seems best during the first half of the outgoing, less dramatic tide swings can make it last all day long. A downstream troll is what works best when the current is

The author and David Jackson nabbed this nice Chinook just upstream of Tongue Point, the wooded peninsula in the background and just above Astoria. King retention continues in these waters and all the way up to Warrior Rock and the mouth of the Lewis River for the first half of September. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

TULES CONSTRAIN FISHERY Despite the forecasted record run of upriver brights, the low abundance of wild tule Chinook this year is the reason anglers can only keep one king for much of the fall season on the Columbia River west of Warrior Rock. A “constraining” stock that fishery managers are trying to protect, these salmon are edible but often have pale flesh and are considered by many to be

of lower eating quality than the other Columbia Chinook available at the same time. For these reasons you are encouraged to release them, which will help this stock native to the Lewis and other rivers recover more quickly and help extend the sport season for the healthier races of kings, like those headed for the Hanford Reach. In addition to checking the Washington

and Oregon Departments of Fish & Wildlife websites for inseason updates, here’s a look at the regs for the Columbia between Tongue Point and Warrior Rock: During the entire fall season the river in this area is open to the taking of up to two fin-clipped steelhead and/or coho. Sept. 1-6: no more that one of your two-fish limit can be a Chinook, fin clipped or not; Sept. 7-14: only one of your two-fish limit can be a Chinook and it must be fin-clipped; Sept. 15-30: open for steelhead and coho, but Chinook retention prohibited. –BR SEPTEMBER 2014

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running due to an outgoing tide, with most fish holding within 10 feet of the bottom. On the flood tide, an upstream troll might work better, and it’s during this portion of the tide that fish may be found holding higher in the water column. The same gear and strategies used at Buoy 10 last month apply when trolling east of Tongue Point. Anglers and guides alike employ a diver or cannonball sinker rigged in combination with a spinning flasher, such as a Fish Flash or other local brand, and either a salmon-sized spinner or herring extended 4 to 6 feet behind their flasher. And while a herring rigged to spin might draw more strikes, especially from smaller salmon, those bites might not add up to landed Chinook by day’s end, which is why trolling salmon-sized spinners has gained popularity when trolling above and below Tongue Point. While salmon can go for spinners in a big way, it’s not always the same spinner size and color that produces best. For example, there have been years when I’ve had the old-standby red-and-white spinner on every rod and others when other colors produced best. Last year, the most consistent one for me and many of my friends was a pearl/ red “dot” and the red racer-colored squid spinner. How good those colors will be this season is anybody’s guess, but you can bet I’ll have more than a couple in my tackle box. When the herring bite is too good to ignore, we’ll fish spinners on the front rods and bait out the back of the boat. The reason is that the most aggressive fish bite the front rods while salmon that don’t bite initially represent fish that are following the gear and that’s when I want herring and the scent they emit positioned behind the boat. As for new things to try, for me it’s going to be trailing 5.0 Mag Lip plugs 50 to 70 feet back. We’ve had good luck doing this for spring Chinook and I’m thinking it’s worth a go whatever side of Tongue Point we might be fishing. NS Editor’s note: Buzz is a brand manager and part of the management team at Yakima Bait. You can find him on Facebook.

122 Northwest Sportsman

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2014 Derby Update

he Westport Charterboat Association has been sponsoring fishing derbies for over 50 years now. In the early years they covered a weekend. Today, the derby is on every day of the season! Before and after salmon season, the derby is operated on a weekly basis. A cash prize up to $500, equivalent to half the derby ticket sales proceeds for the week, is paid out for the biggest lingcod, blackcod, or cabezon of the week. During the halibut directed season, the halibut prize is a $500 daily prize with a $10 ticket. The

Jeremy ss Hagene

Steve Ryan

lingcod derby continues weekly. During the salmon season the derby is operated on a daily basis with prizes up to $500 for the largest salmon and a weekly prize of up to $500 for the largest lingcod of the week. An annual prize of $2,500 is paid out for the largest Chinook salmon, $1,500 for the largest coho salmon and lingcod, $1,000 each is paid out for the largest halibut, and albacore tuna. There is also a $1,000 prize for the largest Chinook in July and a $1,000 prize for the largest Chinook in August. Derby entry is only $5 and tickets are sold at every charter service and at the derby booth. When you check in, ask for more specific details. Derby ticket purchases are limited to people fishing on licensed charter boats. Derby proceeds are split between prizes and funding the association. Northwest Sportsman will profile all of the Westport derby winners throughout the season here in the magazine and on nwsportsmanmag.com. When you fish at Westport this summer, be sure to enter so you have a chance at prizes and seeing yourself profiled here in the magazine!

Bill Phegley

Mindee Rawson

Upper right: With only two full days of fishing left in July, Steve Ryan laid claim to the Westport Charterboat Association’s $1,000 pot for biggest Chinook of the month with this 30-pound, 10-ounce king. It took nearly an hour for the Gig Harbor angler to bring the slab over the rails of Capt. Ken Culver’s Tequila Too. Above, top to bottom: It’s a long way from Libby to the lingcod lairs, but Jeremy Hageness’s journey west was a lucky one. The Montana angler caught this 42-pounder in early August, winning him the weekly prize of $500 and put him in the driver’s seat for the $1,500 that will go to king ling of the year in the Westport Charterboat Association’s derby for the species. In the friendly competition between the Ms. Magoo and the Rampage, the former boat put anglers into three of the first four weeks’ top tuna in the Westport Charterboat Association’s weekly albacore derby, including this 33-pound, 12-ouncer brought in by Bill Phegley of Granite Falls. The derby has a $1,000 prize for biggest tuna of the year. Mindee Rawson took Advantage of her time aboard Capt. Geoff Grillo’s boat in early August, nabbing this 29-pound, 13-ounce Chinook that at press time was leading the Westport Charterboat Association’s king derby for the month. Rawson hails from Bonney Lake, Wash. (WESTPORT CHARTERBOAT ASSOCIATION, ALL)

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FISHING

Wobbler Gobblers Upriver-bound kings love them some bent metal, but the key is how you play the Columbia. By Andy Schneider

“

hy would any sane person be out here at this time of morning?” So asked a crewmember’s wife – let’s just call her Sara – who had been wanting to go fishing

when the weather was nice and she had a good opportunity to catch a fish. Sara’s half questions/ half complaints hadn’t stopped on the 40-minute drive north from Portland, and only as the truck drove over the Longview Bridge into the sleeping town of Rainier

did the backseat finally grow quiet. A glance at the river revealed hundreds – thousands? – of green, red and white lights bobbing in the wakes of newly arriving boats. Seeing the fleet jockeying for anchor locations shifted Sara’s concern from being the only insane angler on the

Testing out top-secret wobbler patterns for Brad’s last season, Bob Spaur picked up this nice big upriver bright off Longview. (BOB SPAUR)

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FISHING water to being able to find a spot to anchor up amongst a veritable small city of boaters all looking for the same promising water. While Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” Lovecraft says “insane can become

the new sane, if enough people believe...” Upriver bright fishing is a perfect blend of these two quotes, though Einstein must not have been much of a fisherman, since you most definitely have different results doing the exact same thing day after day –

the upriver movement of salmon is such a tough variable to predict. And Lovecraft must have been an angler and seen what fish can do to us – though he might still have had a hard time believing the sanity of the thousands of fishermen flocking to the rivers when good tides, weather and fishing reports coincide. Just as downstream at Buoy 10 the action is switching from Chinook to coho, upriver bright fishing is heating up on the rest of the Columbia. While there are some special regulations to work around, mainly below Warrior Rock, the fishing this year should be incomparable on the river this month and well into October. URBs have a long journey to the Hanford Reach of the Columbia as well as Hells Canyon on the Snake. These Chinook are on a mission to get to their spawning grounds in a hurry, spending as little time in the 70-degree waters of the Lower Columbia as possible. That means these salmon are not going to stack up, stage or even hold overnight in the waters off Longview, St. Helens, Portland and Vancouver like their spring-running cousins do. Waiting is also the biggest mistake an angler can make when pursuing URBs. Waiting for dam counts to peak, good morning tides, or even the weekend could put you behind the bulk of the run – and this year’s forecast is nothing less than, well, insane.

URB TACKLE The most popular lure that URB anglers utilize is the wobbler. A wobbler is simply a slightly bent piece of painted, vinyl-wrapped or chrome-, bronze- or brass-plated metal of varying thickness, size and weight. Most wobblers are designed to swing in a U-shaped flop from a 3 o’clock to a 9 o’clock position, but some swing side to side, like a fish’s tail. Wobblers are so good because they offer light resistance when fished in the Columbia’s deeper, 126 Northwest Sportsman

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FISHING current is doing. There is no single cooler waters, which are also affected wobbler that will fish effectively in by heavy currents and tides. slow current at the start or end of the Indeed, during fall’s lower-flow tide and through fast current during months, the river is affected by the the max ebb. This requires switching pull of the moon all the way up to wobblers throughout the tide. Match Bonneville Dam. As high as the lighter gauge and lighter weight Washington town of Camas, you will wobblers to softer currents, and find the Columbia’s current reversed heavier gauge and heavier weight on a strong incoming tide, making wobblers with stronger currents. it a must to anchor fish wobblers What you want to avoid is a on the outgoing. Just like in the wobbler that will “blow out” and spin estuary, different stages of the tide unproductively in heavy currents. A create different currents throughout wobbler that just lays dead or just the ebb. Tidal and river currents will barely flutters during light currents is gradually increase to a point where useless as well. they will reach max ebb before Some anglers choose to tune their starting to gradually slow down wobblers for the current they are again as it gets closer to low tide. fishing. Tuning a wobbler usually Paying attention to the fluctuating means bending or flattening the flow of the Columbia is important if wobbler to make it work properly for you want to catch URBs through the the current. But tuning your favorite entire tide. wobbler is a slippery slope, one that Knowing what the tide and Ol’ Fish Killer may not recover from, current is doing is important so you forcing you 1 to buy another. Once cancountry match your wobbler1 to7/18/14 what the 12:37 boat ad:Layout PM Page

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you start bending your wobblers, you will have to keep bending them to keep them working. As river currents are rarely the same as the last time you fished your lure, pretty soon you will have a tackle box full of slightly bent wobblers and you may not remember which ones worked for which current – and many may not work in any flow. If you make an investment in an assortment of different wobblers and use them for their designed flows, you will have lures that will last for decades, rather than a season. If a feisty URB bends a wobbler out of shape, you can simply use another of the same ones as a template to gently bend it back to its original shape. Many wobblers come stock with single siwash hook, and it’s popular to switch them out for trebles. But keep in mind that a large treble could weigh considerably more than the stock single hook, affecting the

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SEPTEMBER 2014

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FISHING

action of the wobbler. (As always, remember to pinch your barbs.) When adding scents to your

wobbler, make sure to utilize a gel or jelly so it adheres and doesn’t wash off. Herring, sardine, bloody tuna,

krill, anise, garlic and anchovy are all good options, but sometimes a freshly washed, unscented wobbler

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SEPTEMBER 2014

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FISHING can be just as productive as ones that smell of licorice or an Italian dinner.

RIGGING UP Having the proper rod, reel, line and tackle to handle the fast currents, hard-fighting fish and lots of anchored obstacles is a must if you want to land these prized salmon. Since most URB fishing takes place in deep and fast waters, make sure you use a rod that can handle 12 to 20 ounces of lead plus an angry 30-pound salmon. An 8½ to 9-foot heavy-action-rated rod mated with a low-geared linecounter reel is a good start. Fifty- to 65-pound braided line is ideal for fishing in these waters, allowing you to use lighter leads than with mono. Forty- to 50-pound leaders are not overkill and will ensure that your line will not fail if it has an accidental encounter with the chine of the boat. For years, the 5x5 setup – a 5-foot

132 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

leader and 5-foot dropper – has been preached as the standard rigging for URBs. While this is a good place to start, it’s not the only way to go. Since every angler on the river is using it, change things up and target fish that are swimming deeper or shallower. Four-, 6- or even a 12-foot dropper will all catch fish. Sometimes it’s important to locate the thermocline in the river and target URBs at these temperature breaks. Your fishing electronics should be able to see it – slight feedback at a consistent depth. And pay attention to what depth you are marking fish. Sometimes kings will suspend higher or lower at different stages of the tide.

FISHING THE INCOMING Speaking of the tides, the incoming is usually the signal for most URB anglers to pull anchor and head to the ramp. But there’s no reason to

abandon fishing just because of a tide change – it’s not like all those URBs magically disappeared. Trolling spinners or herring can produce results just as impressive as sitting on anchor with wobblers. No. 5-, 6- and 7-sized spinner blades can be very productive for anglers willing to explore away from the hoglines, or at least just outside them. While spinners in the same colors as popular wobblers are productive, those in bronze/brass with red/flame highlights or with hoochie skirts seem to be slightly more so. As the tide starts flooding, expect URBs to begin to suspend off bottom. Since the incoming will disrupt the thermocline, the fish will move throughout the water column. This requires paying attention to your electronics. Look for large fisharches suspended from 10 to 20 feet

Continued on page 170

SEPTEMBER 2014

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RIG MONTH

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NOTES Wobblers are responsible for more barbecue flare-ups than any other lure used by Columbia River salmon anglers to catch upriver brights. So productive and popular are the big, brilliantly colored pieces of plated metal that these days over a dozen different companies manufacture them. Instead of bending your favorite wobbler to “tune” it, just use the right one for the water you are fishing. Use lighter gauge/ weighted wobblers for lighter current and heavier gauge/ weighted ones for heavy current. Not bending your wobblers will keep them in service for years to come – not just one season. That is, unless you just really like buying them over and over. –Andy Schneider

No. 7 barrel swivel

8mm bead

5-foot, 40-pound leader Large duolock swivel

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Tee bead Small duolock swivel

Weight slider

5-foot, 30-pound dropper line

1/0 barbless treble hooks Small duolock swivel 8- to 20-ounce cannonball

(ANDY SCHNEIDER)

134 Northwest Sportsman

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SEPTEMBER 2014

136 Northwest Sportsman

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COLUMN Rick Swart, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as avid angler, fishes for coho on the Clackamas. (ODFW)

Sandy, Clack May Click For Coho By Terry Otto

A ON TARGET

By Dave Workman

fter bleak coho runs the last four years it looks like Portland-area anglers may finally catch a break.

Huge numbers of coho are entering the Columbia right now, but does that mean the Sandy and Clackamas will turn on? And how will the run above the Willamette Falls come in? Will this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flood tide of 600,000 coho past Buoy 10 lift all boats? The moon and stars appear to be aligned, so while it may not quite be a

return to the glory years, it might be the best coho fishing local anglers have seen in long years. Old favorites such as the Sandy River should get strong returns, and the run above the Willamette Falls could be really exciting. In this two-part series weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll take a look at the best options for finding local silver, and cover where you need to be, and when, to fill your freezer with salmon over the next two months.

BIG RUNS IN THE TRIBS Cuts to local hatchery coho programs have almost halved the number of smolts planted into the Sandy as well as Eagle SEPTEMBER 2014

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137

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Creek, on the Clackamas, and the last four years have seen poor returns. However, good ocean conditions have meant good survival for the smolts that were released, so the best returns possible could be the case this year. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife does not break out projections for these two streams’ runs, but according to district biologist Todd Alsbury, they can make some rough estimations. “We could see a return of about 9,000 to 10,000 adults to the Sandy this year,” says Alsbury. Juvenile coho survive well in the Sandy’s glacial waters, and when ocean conditions are good, the return on the 300,000 smolts planted is about 3 percent. Eagle Creek coho do not survive as well, and that run will probably return at a rate of about 1½ percent. Since the river receives 325,000 smolts a year, this return should come in at about 6,000 adults. While not huge, it could be the best in years. Still, Alsbury is quick to point out that harvest in the Sandy and Clack often has more to do with river conditions than numbers. “If we have cool water, the harvest rate in the Clackamas is much, much better,” he says. If the rivers stay low, the fishing could be poor, even if there are tons of coho around. A few late-summer and early-fall rains could turn the bite on strong. The timing of both runs is very much the same, with a few fish showing up as early as mid-September, if there are sufficient rains. By the end of this month, coho should be in all the systems in good numbers.

LINING THE BANK WITH SILVER Anglers do best when conditions allow the coho to stack up as they migrate. One of the first places this happens is at the mouth of the Clackamas. Numbers will build there until rains lift the Willamette trib, and then the fish move quickly up to the mouth of Eagle Creek. There again, the numbers will build in front of the rains before fish actually enter the creek. Bonnie Lure State Park at the mouth of the creek can be very good when the

Continued on page 170 138 Northwest Sportsman

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FISHING

Deschutes Should By Dynamite Anglers salivate over prospects for great salmon fishing at the mouth of the Oregon river this month.

A recipe for great fall Chinook fishing: Add two great rivers, the Columbia and the Deschutes, and add record and near-record returns. Guide Lance Fisher quips that the bite here last year was “carnage asada,” and this year looks even better. (LANCE FISHER FISHING)

By Terry Otto

ake two rivers, add two potential record-breaking king salmon runs, mix well, and what do you get? Fishermen will find out this September where the Deschutes meets the Columbia. This confluence is about to receive one serious jolt of fall Chinook. According to Lance Fisher, one of Northwest Oregon’s best known and respected guides (503-680-6809) and a Portland radio show host, it’s a recipe for fantastic fishing. “Last year it was ‘carnage asada,’” he says, and the potential is there for better fishing this year. With the Columbia expected to get well over 1 million fall Chinook, and a possible 20,000 of those kings headed back to the Deschutes River, it’s no wonder anglers like Fisher are salivating. “It was the best fishing I’ve ever seen at the mouth of the Deschutes in the last 20 years,” says Rod French, the district biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in The Dalles. “I see no reason why it should not be as good this year.” French says anglers catch a mix of Columbia upriver brights and Deschutes-stock Chinook that are headed up the latter river. The estimated return of fall Chinook in

the Oregon river last year was over 20,000, and was surpassed only by the run in 1997. Daily limit in the Columbia is as many as three adult Chinook. Fisher is excited about this year’s prospects, especially considering how well he did there last fall, when limits were the rule, and often came quickly. However, he adds that to do well you need to know how. “There are some tricks to it,” says Fisher. “There was a lot of fish being caught by a few people.”

GREAT OCEAN CONDITIONS have meant some fantastic Columbia River salmon returns in recent years, and this year could be the best since record-keeping began in 1938. A few runs have already come in over expectations, such as the record sockeye run earlier this summer. Ocean conditions have also helped fall king returns to the Deschutes, but

that is only half of the story. “Conditions for fall Chinook have greatly improved the last 20 years in the Deschutes,” says French. “The shoreline cover is much better than it used to be. Chinook outmigrate while very small, and they slip along the shoreline. If there is more cover, they survive better.” He says Deschutes falls are big and chunky. “They are mainstem spawners,” explains French, “and they have to be a big fish to spawn in the big gravels. They average about 20 pounds with lots of fish into the 40-pound range.” Fisher agrees. “They are nice-sized fish,” he says, “some real hogs!”

RUNS IN THE Deschutes have risen steadily for the last 20 years, generating an instream fall fishery, and it continues to grow below Sherars Falls. However, the mouth is where the real SEPTEMBER 2014

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FISHING 0

1/ 4

1/ 2

scale in miles

Wishram

N O GT N GO RE

N HI

AS W O

Miller Island 84

206

Miller Deschutes Mouth Fall Chinook LEGEND

206

Deep-water hover fishing Good for hover fishing, jigging, trolling Boat launch

action is. And it is there that the big kings of the Deschutes mix and mingle with fish of equal size or better headed to the Columbia’s Hanford Reach. No hatchery fall Chinook are planted into the Deschutes. This is entirely a wild-production fishery driven by the 100 miles of river habitat available below the Pelton regulating dam. Basically, the fishery takes place on a huge flat that stretches across the Columbia from the mouth of the Deschutes to Miller Island. The schools of Chinook congregate and hold here before continuing their journey. However, even though it is big, it is still very busy. This fishery is too good to be kept a secret. There are no “spots,” per se, where the fish bottle up. “They are here one day, over there the next,” says Fisher. That said, it lends itself to trolling, and that’s what most people do. “That’s the traditional method at the mouth of the Deschutes River,” Fisher confirms. However, a few anglers like Fisher 142 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

Mapped Area

go about it differently. Some jig for the kings, and others hover fish with eggs. This latter technique is what the guide excels at. Long known for his egg cures and finesse techniques, when Fisher puts those eggs on the noses of the kings, they bite! Most trolling centers near the mouth of the Deschutes, while those who jig tend to work more toward the middle of the river, away from the concentrated boats. Trolling is mostly done by flat-lining plugs, while some anglers use a little extra weight to get the plug deeper. Wiggle Warts, FlatFish and other popular plugs do well, and the deep-running Mag Lip is gaining popularity. The Mag Lips can be run while sardine-wrapped too. Fisher tips that the most successful anglers who troll pay close attention to details. “You can’t go out and just troll a Mag Wart and get them,” he says. Pay close attention to your depth and trolling speed. Watch the successful fishermen closely, and try to learn from them. Popular plug colors include orange,

fire tiger, fluorescent red, and orange with herring bone. Jigging Krocodile spoons while drifting the main river can be an effective way to catch kings, and the same colors can work too. When jigging or fishing bait it is important to feather your trolling motor to keep the lines running straight down as you drift downstream. One of the best reasons for choosing hover fishing is that you can use lighter gear. Fisher prefers G.Loomis IMX rods that are only one step heavier than steelhead sticks, and he fishes with what might be considered small hooks by other anglers. However, finesse techniques allow the use of such sensitive gear, and you get a better battle from the kings. Most hover fishermen are running about 3 feet of leader and a 1- or 2-ounce cannonball sinker, depending on the depth and current. With both jigging and hover fishing it is important to be at the right depth, and good electronics will help with finding that depth. Fisher targets a lot of water that is 28 to 30 feet deep. Try fishing the bait a couple cranks off the bottom to start.

FOR BANK FISHERMEN, the Deschutes itself should be a good bet this year. According to French, it was once purely a bait fishery in the water just below Sherars Falls, up at river mile 43. However, that is changing. Anglers are learning to fish spinners where Chinook congregate and hold in tailouts and the heads of pools. Just remember that you can’t fish from a boat in the Deschutes. You can use one to reach the best spots, but you must get out to fish. Nearby boat ramps include the Celilo Park ramp and the Deschutes River Ramp, right at the mouth. Both are off I-84. On the Washington side, the closest ramps include the one at Mayhill and the Avery Ramp, which has limited parking. Look for the fishing to continue into early October. NS

144 Northwest Sportsman

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COLUMN

The Wisdom Of Poppy T

his morning before sunrise when Poppy woke up, a cross breeze danced across the Clearwater River INLAND NORTHWEST near his home in Peck, By Ralph Bartholdt Idaho. It was the first time since spring that he threaded line through the eyes of his spey rod and stepped to the water. “I caught a fish.” He stands behind his rig by the Red Shed fly shop (redshedflyshop.com) he operates upriver from Lewiston. The tailgate opens to a jumble of fly gear. “This stuff is a mess,” he says. Then he makes a leader, 11 feet of 15-pound test and a 3-foot tippet. His beard spills over the front of a gray T-shirt that matches, somehow, the cut-off sweats he wears with a pair of Croc knock-offs. Into the brow of his stained baseball cap is pinned a Green-butt Skunk steelhead fly. He lumbers towards the shop and a mutt sleeping in the sun by a wooden rack made for two-handed rods. “That dog has slept in the very same spot since I got it,” he says.

His name doesn’t matter, but his advice on fishing Clearwater steelhead is something to pay attention to. Poppy, a former log truck driver and owner of the Red Shed fly shop, shows off a handful of flies the river’s A- and B-runs will chase. (RALPH BARTHOLDT)

THE HEAT OF the day brought a change in the wind, blowing smoke from the Big Cougar burn along the Snake River into his valley near the highway where the pastures are brown stubble of this year’s hay crop and weeds. “We need a rain,” he says. “It’s getting pretty dry.” But the Clearwater is running full and cooler than the Snake it pours into at the Washington border. Down there, 33 miles away, spey casters have been fishing since August, or late July when the first A-run steelhead nosed their way upstream from the Columbia on their way home. Since then, the bigger B-run chromers have found their way into the system.

“They’re catching fish,” Poppy says. “They are about this big.” Two to 3 feet long, he says, and “some of them are pretty hot. Good fighters.” The cadre of local two-handed fly casters will continue to work their way upstream this month until Sept. 27, when they will all be here, gathered in a nearby campsite for the annual Spey Clave hosted by Poppy and the Red Shed. It will include casting instructions, gear reps and spey throwers from all over the country and Europe. The steelhead chasers spend the warmer of the steelhead months on the

Clearwater chasing the chromers whose genes are indigenous to the water, and bagging the hatchery fish, if they are lucky enough to catch them. Usually 300 to 350 people attend the annual one-day event that starts at 9 a.m. and includes free food, demonstrations, sales talk, raffles and drawings and a bunch of people painting the sky with long rods. “Mrs. Red Shed is baking cookies,” a lot of cookies, Poppy says. Steelheaders – like the fish – are just starting to press up the river. They tromp up the steps of his small fly shop with the SEPTEMBER 2014

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aged wooden sign along the road, to ask what color, or what are they biting on? “Green wakers,” he says, as if in answer. Most of the fishing here is with topwater flies that are skated across the river’s surface, leaving a small wake as they spool across runs. “Like a jet ski,” he says. “That’s what they key in on.” He likes the Green-butt Skunk and the Purple Peril. Other people like Muddler Minnows. It doesn’t really matter, he says, in the same growly no-worries tone he uses to describe himself as a wham-andbam caster, someone with too many bad spey habits to ever conform. “Íf you have a fly and like how it looks, you’ll probably fish it better,” he says. And that’s all there is to it.

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The former logging truck driver has been going by the handle for years, even before he turned a small tack shed on his property along the Clearwater into one of the most recognized and prolific spey haunts in the region. Stop by after a long day of hunting steelhead and he’ll drop the wisdom to you from a plastic chair in his small shop with the air conditioner – or the heater, depending on the month – quietly blowing: “This is all floating-line fishing,” he will say. “A few people fish sink tips in the heat of the day.” Or, “If the water’s off color, you might try a black marabou.” “A spey cast is just a roll cast with a change of direction and a little bit of power,” Poppy says. “You can reach a little farther, a little easier.” “You don’t have to have a spey rod,” he says. “A lot of fish have been caught on this river with single-handed rods.” Around Thanksgiving, a few more people switch to sink tips, but most anglers skate flies on the surface, or no more than 6 inches under the river’s slick top, most of the year. To find the Red Shed’s spey gathering later this month, drive east on Highway 12 from Lewiston, 28 miles to the Lenore rest stop and picnic area exit. NS

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FISHING

A Late-summer Treat Though shrunken, Northeast Washington’s Bayley Lake can provide good fly fishing for large trout. By Mike Wright

Sparingly planted with trout fry and rich with aquatic life, Bayley Lake on Northeast Washington’s Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge can grow big ’bows. (MIKE WRIGHT)

COLVILLE, Wash.— On a warm summer day we made our way down a narrow, rough, dusty road in Northeast Washington. For a number of years it has been a tradition of mine to fish Bayley Lake shortly after I return from working the lakes and streams of Montana. My partner on this trip was a young lady who had only recently taken up the sport of fly fishing. Just over a year before Desiree had called and asked if she could tag along next time I went out. Since I had an extra float tube, fins and rods, and she had her own waders, I readily agreed. We decided to fish West Medical Lake, just east of Spokane. The lake is heavily stocked just prior to late April’s opener, which should have given us an excellent opportunity to catch fish, but the day ended up being chilly and blustery, making it very challenging for even experienced fly fishermen. Since much of the time we needed to cast into the wind, I would make the cast then hand her the rod. She did hook several, but after several hours of cold and wind knots, we agreed the rewards really weren’t matching the effort. Packing our gear into my pickup I couldn’t help but think this would be the end of her fly fishing quest and possibly our 20-year friendship. I definitely underestimated Desiree’s determination. Shortly afterwards, she bought a new rod, a new reel, line and assorted accessories. She bought books, did online research and accompanied me on weekly fly-tying sessions. She learned to identify different insects and tie the patterns best matching the hatch. She also had extensive casting lessons from two rod company representatives and, during a trip to Argentina, a lodge owner who spent several hours working with her on various fishing techniques. We have fished together on numerous occasions since, and I have never seen anyone progress as rapidly in the sport as she has. For this reason, I felt Des was ready for a more demanding challenge. BAYLEY LAKE IS located in a narrow, heavily wooded canyon on the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge SEPTEMBER 2014

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FISHING fairly large. Still, fishing at Bayley can be characterized as “feast or famine.” There are days when you can be rewarded with 15 to 20 fish, including several in the 20-inch range. And you can return a week later and leave convinced the lake is barren. Strong winds can make it difficult, if not impossible to remain on the water, and in late summer, a heavy algae bloom usually occurs, slowing the action considerably. There is some surface action, but for the most part it is not considered a good dry fly lake. The vast majority of the fishing is done subsurface using two distinctly different approaches. One is to use intermediate or sink-tip line, employing a retrieve varying from relatively fast to mindnumbingly slow, depending on the appetite of the fish. Another popular method is to use floating line with a strike indicator. Suspend the fly anywhere from 4 to 8 feet under the surface and retrieve it very slowly. Midge hatches occur throughout season, making chironomids a favorite fly pattern from April to The author’s companion, Des, works a fly rod. (MIKE WRIGHT) October. Since chironomids move very slowly to the surface, this is the brookies, but I’ve neither caught nor primary pattern used by those who heard of anyone catching one. anchor and use the strike indicator Bayley is restricted to fly fishing method. only, with catch and release In May and June the damsels mandated July 5-Oct. 31. The regs, and dragonflies start appearing, along with the abundant insect followed quickly by the callibaetis. life, have conspired to create an A marabou damsel, Carey Special or environment where more fish in the a green Kauffman Mini Leech are 16- to 20-inch range are available. very productive during this period. A WDFW periodically stocks the lake Sheep Creek is also effective during sparingly with fry to retain the size and after the damsel hatch. For the integrity of the resident inhabitants. callibaetis mayfly hatch, gold-ribbed As a result, any trout that bite have a Hare’s Ears or Pheasant Tails are the better-than-average chance of being about 20 miles east of Colville via Highway 20, Kitt-Narcisse and Bear Creek Roads. In spring, it covers the canyon floor, just over 16 acres, but in summer, the water dissipates rapidly. In most years, by August the lake recedes so much that only the middle is fishable. It’s rumored that in the past, certain individuals employed “DuPont Lures” to harvest fish, thus damaging the bottom of the lake. Whether this is true or just an urban legend is debatable. The lake is rich in aquatic vegetation and produces prolific hatches of chironomids, callibaetis mayflies and damsels, plus a multitude of other food sources. Its redband rainbows, arguably one of the most colorful and hardest fighting of the trout species, are well fed and grow rapidly. At one time, there were also a number of 12- to 15-inch

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preferred choices. Since damsel, dragonfly and callibaetis nymphs move far more rapidly to the surface, placing the line between the index and middle finger and employing short, firm strips is a very effective technique. Even without the fishing, the Little Pend Oreille NWR is a destination in itself for hunters and wildlife watchers. It is home to deer, elk, moose, wild turkey, grouse – a popular species to hunt, and season opens this month – and a wide variety of other species. Bayley and two other impoundments here, McDowell Lake and Potters Pond, provide temporary stopovers for migratory waterfowl. And the lake is home to adult bald eagles – which cause considerable distress for the ducks and geese that wing in.

AS DES AND I passed Bayley’s camping area that late summer day there were no campers or vehicles, a reassuring sign. While April’s opener can take on all the characteristics of a Black Friday sale at Wal-Mart, as season progresses, enthusiasm tends to diminish until by fall, it is quite possible to be the only fisherman present. This is one of the reasons I enjoy late-season fishing on Bayley. Indeed, making the sharp right into the parking lot, we realized we had the lake to ourselves. Walking down to the water it was obvious this was not a normal year. By this time almost every season, a single-lane, primitive road leads to the center portion of the lake, the only part available to fish in late summer and early fall. This year the source of the road was inundated and impassable. The unusually wet and cool spring and early summer had evidently affected the lake level. Otherwise this part of the lake is a gently sloping meadow filled with tall grasses and weeds. Since it would be relatively shallow this trip, we took great care to avoid getting hung up in the obstacles. I

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FISHING Looking south from the boat ramp at Bayley’s northern end. (MIKE WRIGHT)

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rigged our rods with floating line and the same dropper setup that had been so successful for me earlier in the season: a red and a black chironomid. Although Bayley’s fish are not particularly leader shy, I attached 3X fluorocarbon tippet to our lines. It’s nearly invisible in the water and provides extra strength for bringing in larger specimens. There was approximately 300 yards of this weedy stretch to maneuver through before we reached the relative depths of Bayley’s center section, but it can be worth fishing too as past trips have revealed numerous fish there. Protruding out of the dark, murky water 200 yards away was a small sliver of muddy earth we could use as a landmark. Carefully easing our float tubes into brownish water, the game plan was to separate and work our way out to the island on opposite sides. We would then cast to the edges, strip back, fishing our way to the tip of the outcropping. On my last excursion I had landed several very nice-sized redbands near these edges. Des’s bright yellow fly line gently straightened behind her then she brought it smoothly forward into a tight graceful loop, depositing her dual flies softly onto the surface, causing only the slightest ripple as they entered the water. Her casts were angled off to the side of the float tube to avoid alerting the fish. Kicking slowly backwards and with a fluid, rhythmic retrieve, she gathered line onto the apron of the tube and the

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FISHING casting process began again. It was amazing to watch her and remember her flailing of just a year ago. She was living proof that with tenacity and dedication it is possible to progress rapidly in the sport. As we approached our landmark we noticed what appeared to a large number of stumps. But it was actually a group of 30 or more turtles using the sliver of dry land to warm themselves. Periodically, one or more would scurry from the sanctuary and swim off. While we worried the commotion might spook the trout, making fishing more difficult, we stuck to our plan. Working my way out to the tip I felt a sharp tug on the end of my line. It turned out to be just a 13-incher, but at least it was a start. After reaching the tip of the island I moved into the deeper recesses while Des preferred to move parallel to the tip of the outcropping, remaining in

relatively shallow water. She decided to continue with the floating line and the same flies while I changed to an intermediate line with a leech and callibaetis combination. Shortly after we separated, I looked around and noticed she was making her way back to the launch for a potty break. Afterwards, she sat down by her tube and did not come back out, despite my urging. As we talked, there was a solid, violent strike putting strong pressure on my 5-weight rod, one of the larger trout in the lake. It stripped out 10 to 12 yards of line before I could stop its initial run. Easing the fish closer to the tube, it made two more powerful runs before I could net and measure him. The fish covered a little over 18 squares of the measuring tape on my apron. Surely this would coax Des back out, but only congratulations were forth coming. It seemed obvious she considered it a lost cause.

After I landed a smaller fish, the nearly inevitable wind began to come up. Realizing that this was probably only the beginning, and the fact that the trout had not been overly cooperative, I figured it might be time to end the day, at least on Bayley. On our way home we took a slight detour and tried another fly-fishingonly destination, Browns Lake north of Newport (Northwest Sportsman, June 2014). Our timing was excellent with the evening midge hatch just coming off. We put on a couple Griffith’s Gnats, cast to the risers, skittered the fly across the ripple left by the feeding fish, and managed to catch a dozen or so small cutthroat apiece. Not really what I had hoped for, but those are the chances you take when you fish Bayley Lake, and the cutts salvaged the day.

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once more before season ended, this time by myself. Conditions were very similar to the week before with the exception that there was a little more cloud cover and it was slightly cooler. Algae had also started to appear, but it was still not a problem. There was not a noticeable difference in the water level, but there were considerably more callibaetis mayflies in the air and on the surface. I decided to try what I had used before, a leech and a callibaetis imitation. As I moved through the shallow area I began to think this might have been a mistake. Not even a hit. As I worked my way past the tip of the island I had my first hit. It was a quick, light strike without time to set the hook, but it at least gave me an indication the fish would bite one of my flies. After reaching what I felt was the edge of the deeper water I switched to intermediate line. When you

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reach the center section of the lake there is a rather fast drop-off into water that can reach up to 24 feet in depth. My plan was to stay near the drop-off, casting toward the weeds and lily pads while working my way up the lake. As my line straightened behind my float tube there was a sharp, heavy strike that stripped off several feet of gathered line from my tube. Carefully easing the fish closer to my net I noticed that it had taken the lead fly, the leech. This was somewhat of a surprise considering the large number of callibaetis on the water. The fat rainbow measured 16 inches and featured brilliant scarlet stripes along the sides and on the gill plates. In short succession, I hooked two more fish, a 15-incher and a 17. The smaller took the callibaetis, the larger a leech. As with many lakes, the edge between the lilies and weeds and the drop-off is very productive at Bayley. Casting toward the pads and stripping back out I was able to catch two more, 14- and 16-inchers. Just a short distance from where I caught the last fish there was a small gap in the lily pads where I noticed a ripple on the surface, a sure sign of a hungry rainbow. I moved in and on my first cast to the ripple managed to catch the tip of a weed with my dropper. On my next cast, I took two strips and my line tightened again. “Man, not another weed,” I thought to myself – and then the weed started moving. It turned out to be a near-25-incher. Knowing I had a two-hour drive to get home, I worked my way back to the put-in, catching one more small fish which gave me a total of seven for the day. Not exactly a great day, but definitely better than the last outing. Now, if I would have only had Desiree along on this trip, but with Bayley you never know. NS

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is equipment has changed radically from the bamboo spears he used as a youngster on the Micronesian island By Leroy Ledeboer of Palau to the rods and reels he employs here in the Columbia Basin, but after 70 years and counting, Felix Ramarui’s passion for the sport hasn’t waned. “On Palau it was subsistence fishing, something we did year-round to put food on our table and bring in a bit of income,” recalls the Moses Lake resident. “As a kid I enjoyed it, sometimes diving underwater maybe 5 or 6 feet, sometimes spearing from a raft, but fish made up a big part of our daily diet, so it was important work too.” “The women did gardening and much of the farm work, the men and boys fished just about every day. We had several kinds of bamboo spears, some with single points, others with two or three, and got snappers, sea perch, small sharks, some barracuda. Palau was only 6 miles wide by 36 miles long, with lots of good fishing bays and reefs. When we fished at night, we used torches we made out of coconut leaves.” A youngster’s daily ocean bay outings may have been enjoyable, but overall life was primitive and tough on this little island. “Yeah, the weather was always warm, so the women tended big gardens yearround,” Ramarui adds. “In fact, when I came along, Mom was out working in her sweet-potato patch and had me right there between the rows. No doctor, no midwife, no medical care

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whatsoever, and not even the luxury of staying inside.”

“BACK THEN, ALL the islands were under the control of the Japanese. They’d taken over from the Germans after World War I, and they definitely ruled, giving us only enough education to be able to serve them. We got very little meat, maybe chicken once a month, pork no more than twice a year, and no beef. My dad raised some tobacco and had to sell it through them, getting whatever he could.” Fortunately, as Ramarui moved into his teens, Japanese occupation and World War II were both drawing to a close, and his life was about to change dramatically. “The Japanese told us awful things about Americans, how they’d put rings in our noses and lead us around like cattle if they invaded,” he recalls. “Not knowing any better we believed them. And when I saw the first sailors who came ashore I was really scared. They looked like giants, had such white skin and some had blue eyes, which I thought meant they couldn’t see a thing.” Fortunately these were friendly giants, quick to win over the kids with smiles, candy bars and chewing gum. “We’d never seen any of this, but we liked everything, including the gum, which we simply ate,” Ramarui laughs, “and then their first relief ship arrived, lowered its front end and truck after truck full of food, clothes and medical supplies came out. I couldn’t believe there was so much food anywhere in the world. We got rice, meat, dried milk, dried eggs, peanut butter, sugar – all real treats for us.” Better yet was the American attitude.

It’s a long way from Palau to Moses Lake, and they fish for much different species there, but the author’s friend Felix Ramarui fits right in in Washington’s Columbia Basin. (LEROY LEDEBOER) Those Yanks wanted the islanders to be as self sufficient as possible, to eventually take care of their own needs, so they built a school in Guam, 750 miles away, available to qualifying youngsters, including Ramarui, who soon entered a four-year dental technician program.

HIS NEXT BIG break came when a visiting professor from the University of Idaho saw his potential and offered to pay all his expenses to a 10-year university program, no reimbursement necessary. “So, early on, I was convinced that Americans are the best people anywhere, something I still believe,” he now says. “Oh, in Idaho and later in Washington I did run into a few incidents of prejudice, was denied service in restaurants, that sort of thing. But I figure, that was their problem, not mine. I knew who I was SEPTEMBER 2014

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COLUMN and it didn’t change my attitude about Americans one bit. Most, I knew, were good people.” Idaho weather was more than a bit of a shock for this hot-weather islander, who thought the first white ground frost in September was actually snow, and once real winter hit, had a hard time believing anyone wanted to permanently live in this frigid country. But then came periodic invitations to go fishing in nearby lakes or streams – a weekend foray up to Lake Pend Oreille for kokanee, a short summer vacation on the wheat ranch of his benefactor’s family that included fly fishing. These were more real positives, teaching him about a whole new way to enjoy the sport and reaffirming his faith in his hosts. Unfortunately, his early lack of English skills and formal education made the university coursework difficult, so his grades didn’t qualify him for medical or dental school. Instead he opted for a lab and X-ray tech program in Spokane. “Overall, that was another very positive experience,” he recalls. “My intention was to get my credentials, then go back to Palau to practice. But just as I was finishing up, the new hospital in Moses Lake had an opening, so I applied and got the job. I figured I’d save some money, then return to my island.” Ah, but once again a young man’s well-crafted plans were diverted by a pretty face, a casual acquaintance, then courtship, then wedding bells and finally family life. Francis, a young nurses’ aide when they met, became Ramarui’s lifelong companion, and mother to their three girls. “I quickly realized there was no way I could ask them to live on Palau,” he admits with a laugh. “We all visited it twice when the girls were growing up, and they hated it – the heat, humidity, the bugs, some of the local foods. My girls were fine with their shrimp and fish dishes, but when they saw wild birds being cooked heads and all, no way were they eating anything like that. But even before those trips I knew that Moses Lake was now my home.” FOR A GUY who enjoyed the outdoors as 160 Northwest Sportsman

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much as Ramarui did, the Moses Lake of the late 1950s, ’60s and ’70s was a fine place to call home. He quickly took up bird hunting with a new pointing dog, getting in on this region’s pheasant bonanza, but it was his crappie fishing that eventually made him almost a household name with area anglers. In fact, when I first heard of him, he was putting on an annual crappie feed for friends and coworkers, an event that became so popular it had to be held in a local Catholic church’s recreational hall. “Yeah, there were so many crappie back then you could catch them all over the lake all through the year, and out on the Potholes too,” he reminisces. “Unfortunately, with no limits guys started showing up with huge barrels, then selling them over on the Westside.” No doubt angler greed played a role, but Mt. St. Helens ash covering their traditional spawning beds was perhaps a bigger factor in the lake’s almost total demise. Then, when walleye emerged as this region’s top predators in the late ’80s, a major comeback became far more difficult, even with the new size and numbers restrictions. And Ramarui was quick to adapt, going from casting crappie jigs under bobbers to trolling spinner-crawler rigs for this larger but equally tasty species. Perch, trout, an occasional smallmouth or two, these were all on his angler radar, but walleye became his main target. A little more than a decade ago I became more than aware of his big red tri-hull, one of about ten Moses Lake walleye boats that regularly worked the south end. As part of this little cadre, we’d share information, lament our slow days, revel in that occasional red-hot bite, even wave a nearby fellow angler over when we’d located a particularly productive channel or flat. We’d learned the hard way that most of this lake’s fast and furious walleye bites had a short span, so why not let your nearby pals in on it? For most of us, our daily or at least weekly techniques varied quite a bit, from trolling spinner-crawlers or small plugs to flipping baited leadhead jigs to still-fishing

a straight ’crawler or red wiggler behind a slip sinker, much of this depending on the day, fellow anglers’ reports, or, at times, nothing more than frustration. But Ramarui stuck with his kickermotor slow-troll, usually using his favorite Wally Pops ’crawler harnesses, and more often than not this consistency paid dividends. No, he didn’t always limit out, but week in and week out he’d put plenty of walleye fillets in his freezer.

THIS LAST YEAR, however, a series of health and just plain aging issues made it all but impossible for him to take out his own craft, so he became a regular in my boat. He’s been an enjoyable companion, with a good sense of humor, a fair hand at netting my fish, and shown plenty of patience on our slow days and real jubilation on our good ones. Oh, he does have that one fault, something I’ve had to live with in so many of my fishing companions over the years. Ramarui still refuses to admit I’m the better angler. And yes, he retains at least one real bit of his Palauan heritage: He abhors the cold. Try and get him out on January’s ice for a day of spinyray jigging? Forget it. If the chill of the day didn’t keep him home, his fear of that unnatural stuff called hard water definitely would. Even a low-40s morning has him begging off from any trip in my wide-open Lund. Still, Ramarui’s passion runs deep, so even in midwinter you’ll often find him out there, wherever he can find open water along a stretch of drive-in beach, a spot where he can cast in his bait, prop up his rod, then crawl back in the cab to stay warm until a solid bite stirs him to action. No, this still isn’t sunny Palau, but then Felix admits a bamboo spear would be now pretty worthless in his hands, no matter how warm the weather or water temp. And this newer method does pay off with some dandy trout, as well as an occasional smallmouth or walleye. Plus, this gets him out of the house for a few hours five or six days a week, giving his sweet Francis some much deserved alone time. NS

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FISHING

The Call Of The Haul Don’t turn your back on the ocean! Just as deer hunting and river fishing begins, tuna action peaks. By Jeff Holmes

n the opening weekend of Washington’s modern rifle buck season, I returned home bloody, sweaty, sore and dragging a cooler loaded with well over 100 pounds of boned-out meat. Why would a diehard muzzleloader fill his tag on the second Saturday in October? I wouldn’t, but because the ocean was flat calm and the albacore were a ridiculous 27 miles off Westport, I took the funboat to tuna town. Especially when there is live bait available, there is no time like the autumn to catch tuna in Northwest waters, and there is simply no fish that fights as hard in our waters as these 50mph iridescent bullets.

Tuna showed up to the coast in big numbers early in July, probably due to warmer-than-usual ocean temps caused by El Niño as well as the well-documented effects of climate change and resulting rising ocean temperatures. Captains were plugging boats in July and all of August, but that fishing will only get better after Labor Day. Tuna gorge and grow noticeably on anchovies and whatever else they can grab throughout summer and are at their very largest when the crowds leave the coast and tuna push closer to shore. Many trolled, jigged and cast lures will slay tuna in fall, but live bait shines in both effectiveness and thrills for anglers late in the season. Free

Tuna fishing and carnage are inseparable, and so is the lingering smell of albacore in clothes, even after many washings. High-quality Grundens or other rain gear repels the smell and is a must-have on the ocean – especially for tuna fishing, which heats up off our coast this time of year, as evidenced by this fall 2013 haul wallowed in by Capt. Ian Winder of the All Rivers and Saltwater Charters fleet. (DAVE ANDERSON)

spooling an anchovy and feeling the slam and sizzle of a running albacore is without equal for me, and Westport is one of the Northwest’s few live-bait ports.

MOST OF TOWN’S excellent charter fleet (charterwestport.com) had already called it quits and were out deer hunting when I made that trip. For years, conventional wisdom led every skipper to bag it weeks earlier due to the notoriously unpredictable and often rough October weather, but more operators are now cashing in on the many successive banner tuna years we’ve enjoyed. One of those captains always looking to chase albacore into autumn is All Rivers

and Saltwater Charters’ Capt. Mark Coleman (allwashingtonfishing.com). Once the albacore show up, he and his co-owner wife, Merry, operate a tuna-exclusive Westport guide service featuring two 29-foot superfast Defiance Guadalupes. Prior to the arrival of tuna, Coleman and his other tuna skipper, Ian Winder, run rockfish, lingcod, halibut, salmon, and combo trips. All of that gear gets stored for the year as soon as Coleman sniffs tuna. A third skipper runs another Guadalupe in Puget Sound, but with Coleman’s love of tuna, it’s easy to envision a third boat in his Westport fleet in the seasons to come. Having fast, reliable boats allows SEPTEMBER 2014

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FISHING October with Coleman was most certainly that, and a lot more. It is the grandest spectacle of fish and predation I’ve ever experienced.

DAYLIGHT

COMES

LATE

in October, and legal shooting light is about the same time Coleman and our crew pulled up to get a load of ice and two big scoops of live anchovies dumped into the bait tank. Hundreds of small shimmering anchovies acclimated to the tank and began coursing in circles with the aerating flow.

Albacore are soooo delicious, but the two rare visitors to Northwest waters on this page may be the finest-tasting fish in the Pacific. Yellowtail and opah, as well as other pelagic fish, have become more common here this year with the El Niño effect and rising sea temps worldwide. The yellowtail was caught out of Westport in mid-July while the opah bit a swimbait about 30 miles out of Charleston for Linda McDonough early last month. (ALL RIVERS AND SALTWATER CHARTERS; WRIGHT & McGILL/EAGLE CLAW PHOTO CONTEST)

captains tactical access to the tuna grounds between weather windows. If you read Northwest Sportsman regularly, it will come as no surprise that I’d make my way onto Coleman’s boat again in 2014. He specializes in tuna, runs a tight but very fun ship, and gets me to the fish and back home – really fast. Since traditional West Coast albacore trips are often overnight affairs on larger boats, the under-twelve-hour adventures are “express” trips. My Sunday last 164 Northwest Sportsman

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Less than an hour after leaving the Westport Harbor, Coleman and deckhand Mike were feverishly throwing those little baitfish into the ocean after cutting the engine at the sight of surface-slashing tuna. “Jumpers,” they are called, although albacore rarely jump. Instead they slash and porpoise and break the surface with their saillike fins while gobbling anchovies. Whereas an average run for tuna here is 40 miles, these first jumpers were 26 miles from shore, and not even in subtropical “blue” water currents where they’re normally found. On this day the albacore were in the green mixing water because that’s where the schools of bait were. On Coleman’s excited holler, I grabbed my live-bait rod and allowed

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FISHING the deckhand to bait me up. I like to do it myself when he’s not looking, but everyday tuna fishermen are far faster at the practice of hooking a super-strong size 1 or 2 Mustad tuna hook into the delicate back or nose of a ’chovy. My five fellow fishermen and I freespooled our baits as we watched tuna on both sides of us. Somehow, nothing bit us in 10 minutes, so Coleman gave the order to put out the troll rods with Rapala X-Raps and traditional cedar plug “clones.” We trolled at 7 knots for no more than a half mile before Coleman hollered again: “Bait stop!” Why, I wondered, is Mark stopping? We hadn’t hooked up a fish on the troll, and normal practice is to troll up fish to locate them and then to do a bait stop. Then an angler shouted “Jumpers!” and pointed to the starboard side. Then another angler made the same call while pointing to the port side. We were surrounded

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and couldn’t get baits in the water fast enough to suit anyone’s tastes. But once in, it took only seconds for the albacore to find the fresh chum trail and seconds more to find our struggling little baits. My spool erupted into frenetic song as a tuna grabbed my anchovy and took off with it at 20-plus mph. I let it run for a slow three-count and engaged the drag. When a 20-pound fish loads up a rod at neighborhood driving speeds, the strain and thrill are hard to convey in words. Harder yet to explain is a tuna’s reaction to being hooked. They sprint to amazing speeds and bulldog down deep and away from the boat, rotating their struggle in circles. This one was a whopper, and it severely tested my Okuma tuna rod and reel. After 10 minutes of arm strain, deckhand Mike gaffed a 25-pounder and brought it aboard to slap out its staccato rhythm along with several

other fish already in the boat. As I rebaited, another angler broke off a fish, and the school went bye-bye. Coleman was very nice about it, but he reminded us to take our time to avoid break-offs, which invariably send away the tuna. Later in the day I would break off a few myself, as did others, but on this day it didn’t matter. There were so many big albacore around us that even straight tuna googans like my friend Larry were on the grounds filling up the boat. Coleman never again asked us to deploy a troll rod throughout the day. Instead we would hit school after school, breaking off fish often enough to have to move, but moving very little throughout the day. It may have been the lowest gas bill of the year. All morning the seas around us boiled with anchovies, tuna, and feeding birds. Whereas a normal tuna day involves lots of scanning the horizon looking for jumpers and

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Bonner says, “The huge population of A-run steelhead will first migrate into the river followed by the world-famous and world-recordsized B-run of steelhead shortly after.” “In my opinion, all you need to catch these fish is your typical side-drifting setup, which is one barrel swivel, one crane swivel, size No. 4 octopus style hooks, weight (lead or slinkies), 10-pound high viz. mainline and an 8- to 10-pound-test leader. For bait try eggs, coon shrimp or prawns. Beads or yarn flies will also work in conjunction with your side drifting presentation.” Bonner prefers Fetha Styx 940 ultra-light spinning rods for side drifting, but if the weather gets too cold and windy, he’ll switch to pulling diver-and-bait setups using a Fetha Styx 963 casting rod. Just make sure to have fresh coon shrimp on hand. All in all, if you have the right gear, the fish will typically come easy! Typical limits allow anglers to keep three hatchery fin-clipped steelhead per day. This is a multiple license fishery (WA, ID, OR), so be sure to know state boundaries before heading out. Idaho licenses will cover the entire Snake River; however, be sure to always check for changes and updates online. To experience this incredible fishery first hand, you can reach Bonner Daniels at (425) 281-8772 or at his website bonnersoutdoorjournal.com. Be safe and have fun out there!

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FISHING birds, all three were so omnipresent on this flat-calm October Sunday that we began to take the spectacle for granted as we filled the boat, plugging the fish holds and a huge cooler with albies that deckhand Mike packed carefully in salted slush ice. On the short run to port, Mike began loining out our tuna, and I gladly helped him sort and bag fish. In less than an hour we were back at the dock with lots of loin left for Mike, so I went to the Islander Resort’s Half Moon Bar and Grill for delicious, ornate Bloody Marys and first-half Seahawks action. If only we could have joined the tuna fishing, booze and football simultaneously, but as Richard Sherman says, “If ifs were fifths, we’d all be drunk.”

TUNA FISHING AIN’T deer hunting, and vice versa, and I thought longingly about the deer woods as I do every deer opener I don’t hunt. But as we pulled up to the dock well in time for the game with a plugged boat full of tuna, the spectacle I’d seen began to resonate, and the almost unliftable weight of my Costco cooler told the story. We didn’t get to fire any weapons, so that could have been cooler, but not a buck in the state yielded close to as much boneless meat as my eight porker albacore. One 12-pounder and a 15 were dwarfed by six fish all over 20, and one well over 30. I give Wesport tuna fishing my highest recommendation, and if you haven’t been, this September and October are shaping up to be just as good or better than last year. NS

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Take a good look at this albacore because you may not see a larger one in this part of the Pacific. Caught aboard Mark Coleman’s boat in mid-August, this monster taped out to be potentially well over 50 pounds – a possible new state record. But once on the scale, it didn’t quite hit 50. Still, it’s representative of the quality of late-season tuna: The Washington record is a 52-pounder that was caught Oct. 1, 1997. (ALL RIVERS AND SALTWATER CHARTERS

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Continued from page 132

Continued from page 138

GET TO KNOW ‘MRBS’ Bonneville Dam doesn’t get that much attention from upriver bright fishermen. Most of these Chinook push through the fish ladders without slowing down much. But midriver brights, or MRBs, start staging just below the dam beginning in early September. No, they don’t usually run quite as large as their upstream cousins, but they are excellent biters, hard fighters, and quality tablefare. The biggest advantage of fishing below Bonneville is that you don’t have to arrive hours before daylight to guarantee an anchor spot. Since back-trolling is the most effective way of targeting MRBs, if you arrive after first light, you should still find plenty of room to run plugs. Most anglers start fishing right at the boater deadline below the dam and just above the Hamilton Island boat ramp. Another popular back-troll is along the Washington shore in the 30- to 35-foot water from the fishing platforms to the top of Ives Island. No matter where you are back-trolling, if you are not seeing fish being caught, keep moving until you find them holding in a specific spot. Rigging begins with a weight slider on your mainline. Attach a Jumbo Jet Diver on a 12- to 16-inch dropper. Then tie your mainline to one end of a No. 7 barrel

off bottom, but don’t expect to see schools. More than likely it will be lots of single fish spread out on the incoming tide. Drop your herring or spinner down to the last fish you marked and keep adjusting your depth as you continue to mark fish. Don’t be surprised if you encounter a midriver bright or a coho while trolling. They seem to be slightly more aggressive than URBs on incoming tides. While wobblers are the most popular piece of tackle in the lower river, running Kwikfish and FlatFish can be very productive on the start and end of the tide, when the current is softest. Running a K15 170 Northwest Sportsman

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On a stormy day late last September, Brenda Skinner and Tony Bryant enjoyed really good fishing with the author for bright Chinook below Bonneville Dam. (ANDY SCHNEIDER) swivel and on the other attach 6 feet of 40-pound leader, with a large duo-lock snap at the end of your leader. K16s, K15s, K15Xs and K14Xs and MagLip 4.5s and 5.0s are popular options. No matter which you use, make sure to attach a sardine or tuna-belly wrap to the bottom of the plug, replacing it often. Deploy your plugs 75 to 100 feet behind the boat. Make sure to keep a slow but constant speed while back-trolling; hovering too long in one spot may entice an oversized sturgeon to bite, which can be a challenge to land on standard salmon tackle. While Bonneville doesn’t get the attention Longview does, it’s a nice change of scenery and pace, and with a generous three-fish limit, the dam just may be the place to be this year! –AS

or M2 with a fresh sardine, herring or tuna belly wrap can give you a jump-start before your wobblers start, er, wobbling again. URB fishing takes place in some of the most scenic spots in the Northwest, all during arguably the year’s most pleasant month. And this year promises to be one for the record books, giving anglers a phenomenal opportunity to catch many salmon. What better time to bring family, friends, coworkers and neighbors and introduce them to the bounty we have running right through our backyards? It’ll be worth it, even if you have to question your sanity just a bit. NS

coho are holding in the Clack, and once the silvers start to enter the creek. As they move up, look for them at the Eagle Fern Park, taking care to stay off private property. These coho will eventually stack up below the national fish hatchery on Eagle Creek, but they’ve come a long ways by then and are usually getting dark. In the Sandy, coho will collect where the river dumps into the Columbia and slowly start to enter the lower river in September. Once in the Sandy they will bite well the first two hours of light, but then sulk the rest of the day. When the rains come, they quickly move up and collect between the confluence of the Bull Run and Cedar Creek. If there is a good run, the hatchery reach below Cedar can be phenomenal, but expect plenty of company if the fish show well. Silvers stay bright longer in the Sandy’s glacial waters, and they bite very well all day once they enter the upper river. Look for them from Dodge Park up to Cedar Creek. Most anglers throw bobber and eggs in deep pools, or drift a Corky and yarn in the fast water, but spinners take a good share of the fish when they are on the move. Plugs will also catch silvers in the lower sections of the Clackamas and Sandy. These rivers should continue to fish well until the end of October. While the limit is two adipose-fin-clipped adults per day on all the streams, limits could increase if the runs show strong. Most coho will run from 6 to 12 pounds.

NEXT MONTH: THE STEALTH RUN Yes, Sandy and Clackamas coho do get picked off well before they reach their natal rivers. Alsbury says harvest in the ocean and Columbia can be as high as 25 percent. However, there is one local run that will be neither whacked nor stacked until it arrives in Portland, and that is the unclipped coho headed for the Willamette above the falls. That return could be a real barn-burner and come in substantially larger than any other this year too. Anglers are beginning to figure this new fishery out, and in next month’s issue we’ll examine the booming upper Willamette coho fishery. NS

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COLUMN Continued from page 96 birds. The Kettle Range and Okanogan Highlands foothills flank the Curlew Valley north of town, and many drainages empty into the valley. Use your map to identify public land before you go, and pretty much count on finding birds if you put in some effort. State land, accessible private timber ground, and the Colville National Forest present more hunting options than you’ll ever hunt. Don’t overlook the Kettle Range and roads off Washington’s highest paved mountain-pass highway, Sherman. The creeks and other water sources on both sides of the pass hold lots of ruffs, and the iconic ridges hold good numbers of blues. The Republic area is also home to abundant snowshoe hares, which make the finest pot pie in the mountains. Blue Mountains: This WashingtonOregon border range is more well known for elk and deer than small game, but both the Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests harbor lots of ruffs and blues. Ruffs are plentiful around the scarce

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water sources and blues tend to spread out on the landscape as broods disperse and as fall rains come. In September you’ll find good numbers of blue grouse up high, but their abundance on the mountains’ trademark 5,000-foot ridges and plateaus increases exponentially as birds move uphill later in the month. You won’t find birds everywhere in this dry range, but you’ll find plenty around stock ponds, springs and scarce creeks. The remote mountains above and on both sides of Oregon’s Imnaha River valley are loaded with birds, and the ridges above Hells Canyon are my favorite place to hunt grouse. In Washington, those would include Lick and Asotin Creeks, Mt. Misery, and the upper Tucannon River. Ruffs range from the rim of the Blues all the way to the major river bottoms that drain the mountains. I’ve shot ruffs on the lower Tucannon while pheasant hunting and along the Grande Ronde while steelheading. Clearwater River: This Idaho basin is one of the least populated and most grouserich places in the West. Vast roadless and

roaded chunks of public land encompass the Lochsa, Selway and North and South Fork Clearwater Rivers. You could hunt grouse here for the rest of your life and still have new honey holes to discover. Ruffs are extremely common along rivers and their tributaries here and can be found throughout the mountains wherever you find water. Blues are far more likely to be found at higher elevations near open forests and meadows in the presence of mature timber – ridgetops especially. It’s tough to go wrong here in terms of finding places to hunt, but great options include the west side of Lolo Pass, the area around the small mountain town of Pierce, the Black Canyon and upper reaches of the North Fork Clearwater, Kelly Creek, and the mountains around Elk City, the gateway to the Magruder Corridor and upper Selway. By the way, the very remote Selway is the setting for an excellent novel, Indian Creek Chronicles, by Pete Fromm. The lead character lives in a tent for seven months of winter, subsisting partly on plentiful grouse – and a poached moose. NS

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Continued from page 26 very welcoming to me. I left with shirts, sweatshirts, and hats from each of their boats. I think what made it so cool is because the majority of them live in Seattle and are huge fans of ours as we are fans of them. And to see the 12th Man flags of the front of their boats in support is so exciting. I still feel for the deckhand on the Time Bandit who got his hand destroyed by a firework in celebration of a win in a playoff game.

CC You played with Brett Favre in Minnesota, and he’s quite the outdoorsman. Did you ever talk fishing or hunting with Brett? HF We talked hunting and fishing all the time. We had a great group of fishers and hunters in Minnesota, including Jared Allen, Chad Greenway and Cullen Loeffler. There was a lot of conversations on that topic in the cafeteria.

CC Are you the best fisherman on the Seahawks? Who else among teammates loves to get outside?

your

HF The only decent fisherman on the team was Golden Tate. But now he is in Detroit so I’d challenge anyone to a fish off! CC How special has it been to carry out the 12th Man flag at Seahawks home games and lead the team into that insane atmosphere at CenturyLink Field? HF It means so much to me to represent the Pacific Northwest and all the 12s leading the team out of the tunnel with the 12th Man flag. There is no feeling like it. The fans are so incredible and it is the biggest rush of adrenaline you can imagine. And then to do it on the biggest stage at the Super Bowl was one of those moments you can never forget. It was such an honor.

CC Winning the Super Bowl means a lot to all the players who win one, but for a guy like you who has been a grinder in the NFL and came so close to getting there with the Vikings in 2009, was it something you covet? HF Our team here is so young that I always said that I’m not sure they even realized

the magnitude of that game or the playoff games leading up to it. Being one of the oldest guys on the team, I knew how hard it was to not only make it to the Super Bowl, but just to even make it to the playoffs. There are so many legendary players who ended their career without a Super Bowl ring. I was scared that the NFC Championship game I lost with the Vikings was going to haunt me for the rest of my life. Luckily, it won’t.

CC Do you expect your kids will be outdoors lovers like yourself?

HF My boys are still young, but for both of their first birthdays, I gave them each a Browning shotgun to get them started. Gramps gave each of his grandsons a shotgun engraved with our names when we were little. I figured it was a good tradition to carry on. I can’t wait for them to be old enough to introduce them to all the great outdoor sports that I’ve been fortunate enough to be exposed to. I hope they will have a childhood full of great memories in the outdoors like I have. NS

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WASHINGTON ANACORTES Sebo’s Hardware 1102 Commercial Ave (360) 293-4575 www.sebos.com ARLINGTON Rex’s Rentals 525 N West Ave (360) 435-5553 www.rexsrentals.com ISSAQUAH Issaquah Honda-Kubota 1745 NW Mall St (425) 392-5182 www.issaquahhondakubota.com

HOQUIAM Harbor Saw & Supply Inc. 3102 Simpson Ave (360) 532-4600 www.harborsawandsupply.com KIRKLAND Goodsell Power Equipment 11414 120th Ave NE (425) 820-6168 www.goodsellequipment.com MONROE Town & Country Tractor 449 Railroad Ave (360) 794-5426 www.mrtractor.com

EU6500 • 6500 Watts (54.1/27.1 A) 120/240V of Honda Inverter Power • Eco-Throttle – Runs up to 14 hrs on 4.5 gallons of fuel

RENTON Bryant’s Tractor and Mower, Inc. 501 SW 12th St (425) 228-6454 www.bryantstractorandmower.com SPOKANE Spokane Power Tool 801 E Spokane Falls Blvd (509) 489-4202 www.spokanepowertool.com WENATCHEE Wenatchee Honda 3013 GS Center Rd (509) 663-0075 www.doghouse-motorsports.com

SEPTEMBER 2014

Northwest Sportsman

175

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PRODUCT FEATURE

WHEELS for FALL Trucks and Cars

Northwest Motorsports No stranger to Northwest Sportsman readers, Northwest Motorsports in Puyallup is the home of ‘trucks, trucks, and more trucks!” Like their no-nonsense spokesman, Jay Buhner, they are hunters and fishermen themselves and know that you’re not there to buy a compact electrical car. You’re there to buy a truck that will take you where you need to go. Just remember: “Tell ‘em The Bone sent ya!” nwmsrocks.com

Chaplin’s North Bend Chevrolet Chaplin’s Automotive is a family-run business led by Kent and Barbara Chaplin, and sons Brandon, Nick and Tyson. Kent started in the Western Washington automotive business in 1973 when he opened up Kompact Kar Korner in Lynnwood, between Seattle and Everett. In January 1992 Kent decided a change was needed, selling Kompact to longtime friend and associate Louis Lamb, who is still going strong on the “Korner”, and purchased Bellevue Mazda from Jerry Kenny in April 1993. In May 1994 Volkswagen and Subaru were added, purchased from another Bellevue dealer. In 1999, Kent decided to move forward with just the Volkswagen and Subaru lines, and was granted a release from Mazda Motors. In May of that same year, the historic North Bend Chevrolet was added to the group. Kent has always been and always will be active in the daily operations of the dealership. Barbara works on marketing and advertising, community outreach and special projects for the dealership. Sons Brandon, Nick and Tyson each work for the group, rotating through service, sales and parts to learn the business from the inside. As Seattle-area natives – well, Kent moved here from Massachusetts when he was 11 years old – the Chaplin family appreciate the diverse needs of Western Washington residents. That is why Chaplin’s Automotive Group is so proud to offer three distinctive lines of vehicles Volkswagen and Subaru in Bellevue, and Chevrolet in North Bend - in order to offer something for everyone. chaplinschevrolet.com

Jerry Smith Chevrolet The grandparent dealership that fostered the Smith Automotive group of today was founded in Anacortes, Wash., in 1917. Family-owned and -operated then, that tradition continues today. The Jerry Smith group has grown to include to include Kia and incorporates three dealerships in two counties in Western Washington jerrysmithchevrolet.com

Mid Valley Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram The knowledgeable and friendly staff at Mid Valley 178 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2014

Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in the Yakima Valley have been performing top-notch customer service for years. They have a skilled and knowledgeable sales staff with many years of experience satisfying customers’ needs. Located in Grandview, the new Chrysler, Jeep, Ram or Dodge or quality used car you have been dreaming of owning is conveniently close to Kennewick, Franklin County, Yakima and Richland. midvalleyauto.com

Funtime RV

As a family-owned business for over 30 years, CPS RV & Marine is more than just another RV or marine dealer. They are proud to be one of Salem’s few RV and marine dealers, and the only Raider boats dealer! For over 30 years, they have earned their customers’ repeat business by offering the area’s highest quality products and the best service, coupled with unbeatable prices right in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. cpsrvmarine.com

Funtime RV takes pride in matching customers with just the right recreational vehicle to make their vacation experience a really fun time! Located in Tualatin, Ore., just outside Portland, they make the buying process even easier by offering their own financing options so that you can get into the RV that you have always dreamed of. Not only does Funtime have a large inventory for all your needs from small to large trailers, fifth wheels, toy haulers and all classes of motorhomes, if you are looking for new, pre-owned or wanting to consign a vehicle you don’t need to look any further. All their RVs are delivered “road ready,” and the outstanding service team will conduct a thorough predelivery inspection and then conduct a personal walk through with you. Funtime RV also offers Class A , Class B+ and Class C motor home rentals, and a wide variety of travel trailers, including pop-ups. All their rentals – 80 units which range from tent trailers to diesel pushers – are safe, clean and comfortable. funtimervinc.com

South Hill RV

RV Northwest

RVs

CPS RV & Marine

Lon and Lisa Tatum decided after 27 years in this and related industries that opening up a family-operated RV dealership would benefit Western Washington. People who want to enjoy the RV lifestyle can get a fair, honest deal on quality RVs from RVers themselves. Lon and Lisa have six adult children, and three are taking care of the family business. Lisa, Taryn, Ted and Dell Tatum understand the RV needs of sportsmen and are active hunters and anglers themselves. southhillrv.com

RV Northwest has competitive rates for every budget, and offers a variety of new, fairly new and older but still nice economy models. Why endure the lines and long waits at the airport when you can travel at your own pace? Set your own schedule and see all the places you miss when you fly. If you own an RV that you only use a few weeks out of the year, you may be interested in RV Northwest’s rental management program. Or if you are looking for temporary housing or a great deal on a used model, RV Northwest, located in Beaverton, has solutions for you. rv-northwest.com

U-Neek RV

Carports and Shelters

When you ask a U-Neek Recreation Vehicle customer why they bought from the Kelso, Wash., dealer, the answer will be because of their customer service. U-Neek Recreation Vehicles has been building customer relationships on trust, integrity and value since 1978. They are the RV dealer you’re looking for! No matter what type of RV you’re in the market for, U-Neek has it. Whether it’s a trailer, fifth wheel, park model, cargo trailer, camper, toy hauler, or even a used motorhome, they’ve got it. U-Neek also has trailers, RV parts, hitches and accessories, plus they’re the the largest RV service center in Cowlitz County. Along the I-5 corridor and centrally located for Longview and Kelso, Vancouver and Portland, and Washington and Oregon residents, no matter how you spell unique, U-Neek Recreation Vehicles is there for you. uneekrv.com

Cover your Toys Cover Your Toys sells portable yet permanent all-steel shelters, carports and buildings. Their structures will give you many years of maintenance-free service and lasting protection from the elements. Located on Fox Island, Wash., outside Tacoma, the company now offers an optional 6/12 roof pitch with vertical roofing that is ideal for higher elevations and snow areas. Most Cover Your Toys shelters can be built in one day or less on your level accessible site usually within two weeks of placing your order. They’re built to fit your needs. Whether fully open, partially open or fully enclosed with doors and windows, it’s up to you – tell them what you want and it will be built to fit your needs, from covering RVs, cars and boats to animals or anything that comes to mind. They will also meet or beat any competitor’s prices. coveryourtoys.com