LATE WHITETAIL BEST HUNTING PRACTICES

from Northwest Sportsman Magazine - November 2022

Northeast Washington’s rut season offers a great chance to bag a buck – if you work it correctly.

By Jeff Holmes

Rifle hunters will get a generalseason crack at rutting whitetails in Northeast Washington’s Game Management Units 105, 108, 111, 113, 117, 121 and 124 this November 5-19. Archers, muzzleloaders and special tag holders elsewhere in Washington’s whitetail country will also get a chance to hunt bucks when they are at their most vulnerable, but more rifle hunters will take the field than any other group, and their odds of harvesting a deer under “any buck” regulations will go up dramatically during the breeding season.

Just as human males driven by hormones chase females and lose their minds, subjecting themselves to empty wallets, DUIs, heartbreak, beatings by other males and the many hilarious but all-too-real lessons of the hot-tocrazy matrix (search it on Google or YouTube), rut-crazed bucks also risk it all in their search for hot does and a chance to pass on their genes.

By the time a whitetail buck makes it to November, they’ve hardened their antlers, sparred with rivals, hidden from people and predators, and gorged on food sources at night to go into battle in peak physical condition. By the time they emerge from the rut into post-rut recovery, they are a total wreck. They lose lots of weight, suffer battle wounds and

No doubt that there will be fewer whitetails across Northeast Washington during the late rifle hunt because of last fall’s big disease dieoff and October’s harvests, but more than a few rutty but careless bucks will end up at state game check stations this month. (WDFW)

The odds of encountering predators such as cougars, wolves and bruins are increasing for hunters pursuing deer, elk, moose and other prey species. (WDFW)

WELCOME TO PREDATOR CENTRAL

Historically, prior to agriculture and timber cutting, Northeast Washington was not rich with ungulates, and it was home to lots of predators. Most of us with a few winters behind us thought that lots of whitetails, some muleys, decent elk numbers and lots of moose was the way it always was. In reality, though, with no agriculture, no cutting or thinning of forests, poor winter range, and lots of snow, deer numbers were historically low as were moose from aboriginal overhunting, and there were few to no elk, which were translocated to Pend Oreille County decades ago.

But from our grandfathers’ eras through our own, we had it pretty great in Northeast Washington –and still pretty much do. However, ungulate numbers have undeniably declined in the wake of ballot box biology banning hound hunting for cougars and black bears and with many wolf packs staking territories across the northeast corner. Ungulates have also changed their habits, spreading out of the backcountry to avoid wolves and into populated areas and parts of Eastern Washington that previously held few to no elk or moose.

Things may be swinging back closer to the way things were historically, but that history might as well be ancient history to most hunters, including me. I’m no predator hater, quite the opposite, but my own experiences in Game Management Unit 113, Selkirk, in not really that much time afield have been shocking. Along with seeing four cougars over the past 15 years – one very close and on foot following me in the dark on an elk hunt – I’ve had three extremely close calls, one each with a bear, a cougar and a wolf pack.

I’VE WRITTEN ABOUT the bear encounter, as has a friend of mine (Google “bear elk holmes landers” to read about it), but I’ve not yet written about the cougar and wolf encounters I’ve had over the past several years, but I will briefly here.

While rattling antlers solo in a sparsely populated whitetail spot on winter range near the Canadian border late in the rut in almost a foot of snow and trudging back to my rig in the cold after two hours, I had a large pack of wolves light up howling behind me right where I had been sitting. As if that wasn’t cool and chilling enough, a second pack also hunting that postagestamp-sized chunk of elk, moose and deer winter range lit up less than a mile away in response to pack number one. I wasn’t in any danger, probably, but the fact my rattling called in seven or eight 80- to 100-pound wild dogs made a believer out of me, and I found a new hunting spot away from at least the dozen wolves on two sides of me, all within a mile.

The next year, after seeing and not getting a shot at the buck of a lifetime near Usk and settling a short time later for a very dumb and plump spike a short drag to a road, I had a bizarre cougar encounter. I had rolled that little buck onto my tailgate once I got it down to a road and drove to a nice turnout on a Forest Service road above the Kalispel Reservation. Within feet of my rig I began field dressing that buck. After just a couple minutes, I heard what I swore was a cougar screaming and mewing at me from maybe a couple hundred yards away, and it was joined by what sounded like a second cougar! The wind was at my back strongly, carrying the deer’s scent, my scent and the scent of the truck and gear straight at the screaming cats, which were hidden behind thick doghair timber

that lined the road.

As I continued to spill that little buck’s guts, the screaming got far closer over 10 minutes, very close, well inside of 100 yards, perhaps 50. I was muzzleloader hunting and had not reloaded, so I grabbed my 870 12-gauge I had along for grouse and rabbits and recorded the screaming on my phone for 90 seconds until the cold drained my battery. They didn’t come any closer, and I got my deer finished and loaded and went on my way, but it was for sure weird. After consulting cougar biologist Bart George and sending him the audio, he confirmed that lions locked down mating act like impish teens traveling in packs looking for trouble.

I’ve also seen scores of cougar tracks of all sizes in Northeast Washington, whereas I saw only two tracks in hundred of miles of hiking and looking for tracks in my youth from age 11 to my early 20s. I’ve also seen many more bear tracks in recent years, including a couple sets of grizzly tracks. And in recent years I’ve been close party to four different howling wolf packs in GMU 113.

I think it’s kind of cool to hunt around predators, but my own experiences – not mere rumors on hunting forums or in sporting goods stores – tell me it’s unwise to sneak around without bear spray or a handgun, or both, in the Northeast Washington woods while trying not to be seen, smelled or heard – especially while making sounds prey animals make. Have fun out there, don’t worry too much, but be wise and on alert and equipped with predator deterrent on the off chance you might need it. –JH

have a terrible case of deer insomnia and depressed immune systems just as they enter the harshest weather of the year. Many die for their labors. But for almost an entire month a buck thinks about one thing and remains forever on the move in search of receptive does. A buck’s downfall – and the reason for the majority of bucks harvested in these late-rifle GMUs – is their tendency to be on their feet at all times of day, making appearances in places they’d never dream of wandering in daylight the other 11 months of the year.

The biggest key to rifle hunter success this November is staying out and alert in the field for a maximum amount of time near where there are does. And likely the second biggest key is being lucky enough to have a rut-crazed whitetail stumble across your path with its nose to the ground or breathing heavily for its labors.

That said, there are some other keys to success that November rifle hunters should consider in the woods. I’ve followed the advice that I offer here to some success, but much of this information was gleaned from interviewing experts across the West as I acted as Field & Stream’s Western whitetail rut reporter for three years. There are many fanatics who live, breathe and eat whitetails year-round, but for those like me who prefer to think whitetails when they’re up on their feet 22 hours a day looking for does, their advice is golden. FIND AND SIT or still-hunt around does. For fairweather whitetail hunters looking for a rutting buck, there’s scarcely a better approach than hunting over what amounts to bait. Bucks are seeking does and constantly checking for them coming into estrus. I have shot bucks sitting on does and areas I know they are bedded. Never do I have more confidence than when I know I’m essentially outside the bar on a Friday night wanting for a horny dude to show up looking for females.

GRIND ALL DAY. Not only is it wise to stay alert during the rut and be in the field as much as possible, hiking in and out of whitetail country spreads scent and jumps deer that might otherwise wander into shooting range of a patient hunter who dresses warm and stays focused all day during the short days of November. If there are deer nearby, stay put. It’s not a 100 percent rule to stay put, but when there are deer in the area, especially late in the season, you should like your chances.

RATTLE ANTLERS AND use a grunt tube. Lots of curious, combative, sex-crazed bucks will die this fall in Northeast Washington because hunters rattled or grunted them in. The internet is full of rattling and grunting demonstrations, and I recommend watching or reading a whole bunch in advance if you’re new to rattling or using a grunt tube.

Definitely avoid overcalling, try to mimic a deer’s natural sounds and stay put for a good while after a couple of rattling sequences spaced 10 minutes apart. If you rattle, use natural antlers not synthetic, cut off the eye guards for safety, use a decent-sized rack to attract mature bucks, and drill a hole in the base of the antlers and attach them with parachute cord or other cordage. Losing both antlers is less likely and less frustrating than losing just one. Call less and more lightly earlier in the rut than you do later in November.

FIND SCRAPES BUT don’t fixate on any one unless you are experienced and know some voodoo. If you know it’s a major, blown-up community scrape or a big scrape on an obvious and active scrape line that offers protection, maybe sit or still-hunt that scrape or scrape line if there are ample lines of sight. Scrapes laid down on field edges or in open areas are unlikely to be visited during the day.

Finding an active scrape or a scrape line is definitely a good sign, but don’t assume a buck is for sure going to revisit the same scrape or that he’ll do it in daylight. Hunting on or around scrapes can pay off, but fixating on one you’ve dumped a bottle of doe piss on is not necessarily going to pay off. It might, though. There is vast knowledge to be gained from scrapes and licking branches, but most of us, me included, remain ignorant to that knowledge.

PLAY THE WIND but be ready for approaches from any direction. As

the rut moves along, deer become less wary, more worn out and more apt to make a big mistake. Always play it smart and hunt into the wind or focus your attention on areas where deer won’t smell you, but also be aware of bucks popping out as total surprises in places you might not believe they would.

As the rut progresses, bucks chase and seek more and more does and become dumber and dumber. That said, whitetails depend on their sense of smell more than any other sense.

GET AWAY FROM people and pressure. Overall, whitetails thrive in the presence of humans, but big bucks spend most of their lives avoiding people like the plague and staying mostly nocturnal. Walking far behind gates away from the average lazy hunter often puts you in a zone where deer are less on edge, provided the area you’re hiking to offers good habitat and hunting lines of sight. If you find does far from people during the rut, your odds go up dramatically.

STAY OFF YOUR four-wheeler and remember that ATV hunters drive right by lots of deer. Deer don’t like engines, and the slower you go and quieter you are, the more in line you are with whitetail hunting best practices. ATVs can be great tools for accessing hunting areas or hauling out game, but those who hunt off of them don’t do nearly so well as those who don’t.

If you’re a boot hunter, don’t be discouraged by ATV traffic. Think about where deer might go to avoid traffic, or trust that ATVs will drive past tons of deer and that bucks will wander around during the rut seeking does that freeze as ATVs go by.

DON’T OVERTHINK THE rut unless you

really know your stuff. I for one do not know my stuff like a true whitetail expert, but from interviewing so many, I am sometimes guilty of thinking too much and psyching myself out. Staying still and slow and quiet, playing the wind, hunting around does, seeking a good balance between hunting good cover and seeking clear lines of sight, avoiding people, and rattling and grunting minimally and naturally are the keys I think about most while afield. I’ll never be a whitetail whispering expert, but I know I have a good chance of killing a buck when I stick to best practice basics like these.

Oh, and one more thing to never forget: There are rutting bucks and estrous does throughout November and well into December. Hunt with confidence anytime you’re in the field. I’ve hunted whitetails most of my life despite my ADD and the need to sit still or walk a quarter mile of an hour in most whitetail habitats, and I can thank the rut and advice like this for most of the bucks I’ve killed. NS

November Bucks And Birds

November is one of those months I dread – and gleefully anticipate. On the one hand, Northwest skies are dreary and often wet, daylight hours are shrinking rapidly and my personal favorite hunting seasons – deer and grouse – are winding down.

On the other hand, the late buck hunts in many Westside counties and the units of Stevens, Pend Oreille and northern Spokane Counties are beckoning. If you haven’t notched a tag so far, these late seasons provide possibly the best odds of success. You’re not going to encounter crowds of other hunters, leaves have dropped and forests open up a bit, the

ground can be quieter and whitetail bucks are at the front end of the rut, which peaks around the 19 and 20th, so they may be a little more careless than usual. Foul weather is also fowl weather, and my pals who are devoted duck and goose ON TARGET gunners will be at the top of their game By Dave Workman for the next several weeks. Remember to study the hunting regulations carefully, because even a cursory glance at the

2022-23 regs pamphlet can be somewhat confusing. Check pages 20-21 and 26-27 of the pamphlet, which summarize season dates and bag limits.

I was scrounging around the office recently and came across a couple of boxes of 12-gauge bismuth shells I’d forgotten about. While steel is the dominant nontoxic choice for most wingshooters of my acquaintance, I’ve used bismuth (bismuthtin) in the past and I guarantee the stuff is lethal. Of course, there are several other choices, and you can find them all listed in the regs pamphlet on page 52. Tom Roster’s nontoxic shot lethality table can be found on page 53, and it’s worth some study.

Since my wingshooting preference is for upland birds, those bismuth shells may come in handy if I get over to the Columbia Basin sometime over the next few weeks to look for pheasants or chukars, and maybe quail if I’m lucky. I can still use lead for grouse along the east slope of the Cascades, as that season now continues into mid-January.

NEW FROM RUGER

FOR BUCKS, HUNT THE SCRAPES

Some years ago, I was lucky to stumble upon a very busy scrape on a ridgetop overlooking some property owned by a pal who allowed me to hunt there. This was in the mountains east of Chewelah in Stevens County, and the next morning found me in a downpour, huddled under

New offerings from Ruger include the Ruger LC Carbine (top) and SFAR (left), while in late-breaking news, the company also recently reintroduced the Marlin Model 1895 Guide Gun, chambered in .45-70 Govt. (RUGER)

The guys at Ruger have done it again, times two. Recently, Ruger announced the introduction of the Lightweight Ruger LC Carbine in 5.7x28mm, which is a sizzling little cartridge pushing a 31-grain bullet at a reported 2,350 feet per second, while the lighter 23-grain pill warps out of the muzzle at a reported 2,800 fps.

There is not a rabbit, grouse, coyote or other small game that can walk away from being hit with a bullet smoking along at that velocity.

The Ruger LC features a full 16.25-inch nitride-coated alloy steel barrel (threaded for accessories), reversible side-folding stock, which is adjustable for length of pull, and it is compatible with Picatinny railmounted accessory stocks, according to a company news release. It utilizes the same magazines Ruger uses in its 5.7 pistol.

According to Ruger literature, “the LC Carbine utilizes Ruger’s safe, reliable and proven Secure Action fire-control mechanism that combines a protected internal hammer with a bladed-safety trigger that has a short, smooth pull, clean break and positive reset.”

Then there’s Ruger’s new Small-Frame Autoloading Rifle, chambered for a serious big game hunting cartridge, the 7.62mm NATO/.308 Winchester. Ruger calls this rifle the SFAR, and it is offered in two configurations.

There’s a carbine version with a 16inch barrel and that weighs 6.8 pounds (empty), and rifle version with a 20-inch tube. (Who says you can’t hunt with a semiauto rifle?) Barrels on both guns are cold hammer forged with 5R rifling and a 5/8-24 muzzle thread.

The SFAR design utilizes Mil-Speccompatible components and is fitted with Ruger’s Elite 452 trigger. The upper and lower receivers are CNC-machined from 7075-T6 forgings and feature an oversize mag well, according to a company press release.

The bolt and barrel extension are CNCmachined from “high-strength super alloy steel”; the extension features tapered lugs.

SFAR rifles feature a four-position regulated gas block, and the rifle comes with a 3/16-inch ball-end wrench for adjusting the regulator. It has a two-port Boomer muzzle brake.

Both models come with a single 20-round Magpul PMag magazine (standard capacity!) and they feature a Magpul MOE SL stock and MOE grip. –DW

a couple of low-branch fir trees.

While trying to keep my glasses clear, I watched as one, two, no, three deer materialized almost out of nowhere. One of them was a buck, but they must have spotted my bright orange and started moving away fast. My only shot missed.

This taught me something valuable. Look for fresh scrapes and find a spot within easy rifle range where you can watch to see whether deer show up. Mornings and evenings are best, and pray for better weather, because sitting in a downpour is not my definition of enjoyment.

If you’re lucky, there will be snow on the ground. Light, powdery snow makes for very quiet stalking, and if you’re on a stand, you’ll notice how quiet the forest gets with a blanket of white. Watch for any movement, because it is rare you see a whole deer right away. More often you’ll notice a part of the deer, and then be able to pick out the whole animal.

Last fall, I was walking down an old logging road and spotted just a flash off in the brush about 150 yards away. I was out in the open, so I very carefully raised my binoculars to find myself staring into the eyes of a very large doe. When that happens, you know you’ve been had.

If there was a buck nearby – and I think there was, based on tracks I found – he beat feet along with the doe. I never actually saw antlers, but experience dictates there were some nearby, and the big boy wearing them was pretty savvy. (That’s why it’s called “hunting” and not “shooting.”)

HUNT THE TRAILS

Snow makes for good hunting because it reveals instantly whether deer are using game trails. Deer tracks in fresh snow don’t lie.

If you find such a trail, don’t walk in it; walk parallel to it from several yards away, and do it slowly. My dad and grandfather taught me decades ago to take three or four steps and stop, listen and look around. This still-hunting strategy has paid off with notched tags more than once for me during the general season, but with improved conditions in November, the same tactic can pay off this month.

Colder temperatures will require deer to be feeding and moving more just to stay warm, and with the rut coming on, mature bucks will have romance on their minds. If you can find a good spot to watch a busy trail, look for does to come along and if they glance back down the trail, sit still. Romeo might be hoofing along in your direction, looking for love in the wrong place. Be patient. Good things come to those who wait.

Even without snow, it will likely be wet, and fresh tracks in muddy trails say deer are in the neighborhood.

In the blacktail woods, wet leaves will quiet the forest floor, and you’ll be able to see better through bare branches.

Oh, and remember, grouse season is still in progress, so it’s smart to have a .22-caliber pistol handy. NS

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November means elk hunting in Western Washington, where author Jason Brooks bagged this bull a few seasons back. Rifle seasons lead off the 11th month of the year, but there’s late archery and muzzleloader opportunity at the

back end too. (JASON BROOKS)

Eleven’s For Elk

November is known as the month when winter begins and autumn’s brightcolored leaves turn to white snow by the end of the month. Family and friends often gather on the fourth Thursday to celebrate the harvest of the fall, and that includes wild game that hunters have taken. For Washington and Oregon riflemen, that means elk harvested earlier in the month, but muzzleloaders and archers rejoice because the Thanksgiving holiday kicks off many of their late seasons. An Evergreen State elk hunter looks forward to November, as it is the only month when all of the elk tags have an open, over-the-counter season. But it is the Westsider who really looks forward to the 11th month of the year. The first Saturday

in November is the opener of the modern firearms elk season and you can still pursue mature bulls, unlike the Eastside, where hunters are restricted to only spike bulls in most units. The month often starts out wet NW PURSUITS By Jason Brooks due to fall rains, but higher elevations can see snow and that means elk will be on the move down to lower hills.

WESTSIDE HUNTERS HAVE a few options,

Here you will find elk moving out of the various parks and peaks and making their way to the wintering grounds. Areas near the small towns of Packwood and Randle are very popular. But they might not be the best option this year. Looking at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s 2022 Hunting Prospects, the forecast for District 10, comprised of units that make up the eastern portion of Lewis County and the foothills below Mount Rainier and the Goat Rocks Wilderness, shows elk numbers are low compared to the mid-2000s.

“Available data points toward an elk population that is below objectives and well below historic highs,” it states. “Therefore, hunters should expect a generally less productive elk hunting season during the 2022 hunt.”

Antlerless permits were reduced this fall to reflect this.

One of the better options is to head to Southwest Washington’s Willapa Hills. WDFW’s prospects point out that Game Management Unit 506 has seen an average of 119 bulls taken by rifle hunters over the past five years, making it one of the better units. This area is also largely tied up with private timberlands, so be sure to look and see if a pass is needed and available. There are several public parcels here, including Department of Natural Resources lands, that offer elk good forage, thanks to reoccurring timber harvest.

Keep in mind that both areas, along with southern Puget Sound, Grays Harbor and the South Cascades, have hoof rot issues. Be sure to look into the hoof rot collection program and help WDFW conduct studies of this disease.

Back to the good news. In District 17, the South Coast, WDFW’s minimum bull:cow ratio is 12:100, but during a 2019 survey, they found the western Willapa Hills herd to have 23 bulls for every 100 cows, making it way above objective. This means you are likely to find that mature bull when you find the elk. WDFW’s prospects point out that elk in this area don’t migrate and the population is stable, and hunter numbers rarely change. The key to filling tag here is to get behind locked gates, either by purchasing a private timber company pass

If there’s snow on the ground after Thanksgiving, when primitive hunts reopen, archers and muzzleloaders should use Eastside hunting tactics. Glass from ridges, searching for perches where snowless patches may indicate a fresh elk bed. (JASON BROOKS)

or finding public lands with gated roads and start hiking. Most hunters here utilize the many logging roads, so if you can get away from the motorized vehicle access areas, you are more likely to find elk.

THE FAR NORTHWEST tip of Washington, where rain falls just about every day of the year, is home to the largest of the elk subspecies, the Roosevelt. Before they were renamed for former President Theodore Roosevelt, they were known as the Olympic elk, so called because of their home in the Olympic Mountains. Today, mountainous Olympic National Park is home to some of these elk, but once the snows come in November, they migrate down. In the clearcuts and thick rain forest, you will find a mix of local herds and migrating elk. Success here is low but so are hunter numbers. This is the one place where you can find a true giant of the Northwest and not run into too many other hunters. The mix of private timber and a lot of DNR and Forest Service lands makes this a good place to find a few mountains and clearcuts to hunt.

Closer to the bulk of the Westside’s population, look no further than eastern portions of Pierce and King Counties. The biggest problem here is finding a place to actually hunt. Most of these elk are on private timberlands or farms, even local subdivisions (ask fellow columnist Dave Workman about the bulls hanging out in his North Bend neighborhood). There are pockets of elk on public land, but be sure to use a good mapping application like onX or BaseMaps. The foothills below Mount Rainier near Ashford do hold elk and you will find migrating bulls and cows coming out of the park, but you will also find a lot of hunters.

WHILE RIFLEMEN GET the first crack at

Westside elk this month, archers and muzzleloaders get the last opportunity to chase wapiti. These late seasons are some of the most overlooked hunts of the year, as those who do choose to use these weapons mostly concentrate on the rut.

This year those hunters found out what it was like to hunt in 80-degree weather during a full moon. It sucked, plain and simple, as the elk were active mostly at night. Some days they would bugle and other days not make a sound.

My son and I headed deep into the elk woods for the archery season; he hunted and I packed. The first weekend we were drenched in sweat by midmorning and had an opportunity at a nice bear munching on overripe huckleberries. The next weekend the temperatures dropped for one day, and on that particular day we called in two bulls in two sets. Both hung up and didn’t offer a shot, but we also had a cow come in to just 35 yards. Unfortunately, we were hunting a unit where cows were not open.

Now that it’s the late season on the Westside, and hopefully with some snow on the ground, archers and muzzleloaders should use some Eastside tactics. Find open ridges and glass; look for elk beds and know they like to rest on a perch where they can see and also stay cool in the snow. Elk have thick hides and are often warm in very cold temperatures.

Some of the aforementioned units have higher altitudes that see deep snows; it is these units that I like most because conditions concentrate the elk, which get pushed down from the heights. For the other units, hunters need to keep doing what rifle hunters did earlier in the month, which is to get away from well-traveled roads. Elk simply do not like traffic, as studies have shown.

Unlike earlier in the season, November and December mean less daylight and more elk movement. Be sure to look over clearcuts even in the middle of the day, as elk will often be out feeding. Snow will really help, as you can find fresh sign, including bedding areas.

On Thanksgiving Weekend 2018 we found ourselves inching along a ridgeline in 6 inches of fresh snow. We noticed areas void of snow, meaning elk had bedded there during the night and we weren’t far behind them. Slowly still-hunting down the ridge, I noticed a dark brown patch between two fir trees; it was a cow standing and feeding. She didn’t even know we were there. Snow really helps your hunt when you use it correctly. Other times it can really suck, such as when you’re packing out a bull and end up getting soaked, or too much of it falls overnight, pushing the elk down past where you are hunting.

WHEN IT COMES to Westside elk hunting, November is the month we all look forward to. Be ready to make some adjustments and know that you won’t be alone. Elk numbers throughout the Willapa Hills, from the ocean to I-5, are stable and the big bulls of the Olympics roam the rainforest. Pack some good raingear and go find an elk. NS

COLUMN

Backup Plans For Big Game

Your alarm goes off, waking you up early – or what you might perceive as early – to BECOMING hit the hills. It is still A HUNTER dark outside when By Dave Anderson you jump in your truck and drive to the spot you planned to hunt for the morning. But two other trucks are already parked there when you arrive.

This happens often and makes it easy to get discouraged and upset. However, there are ways around this; I can tell you the above scenario very rarely happens to me. The simple solution: Wake up earlier, especially when hunting public land. I am usually up and getting to the trailhead or side of the road at 3 a.m. Most people I hunt with think I am nuts, but my time is limited, as I have family at home that includes two young boys who are now 3 and 4 years old. I want to make the most of my time in the mountains and so I suck up every minute I can. ALSO, IF SOMEONE is in your spot upon arrival, pull up onX Maps on your phone to see whether there may be another area to check out nearby. In that scenario, the number one thing I look for is a spot that doesn’t have road access and takes some effort to get into. This is why almost every big game animal we harvest comes out in a backpack. There are very few times I have had the luxury of packing out a deer or elk whole.

The next tip in my game plan for hunting big game animals is to pack a lunch and put in the time on the hill. Do not go back to camp. I can’t tell you how many times I have found deer and elk at 1 in the afternoon. Deer and elk don’t go back to the hotel and disappear in the

If October didn’t pan out and you’ve still got a live deer and/ or elk tag in your pocket, try out author Dave Anderson’s advice. It includes being the first into the woods, staying out all day and being dressed for the conditions.

COLUMN WASH. DEER HUNTERS SURVEYED; SOME PREDATOR-PREY RESEARCH OUT

Try as I might, there were a couple deer-related items that I couldn’t quite jam into last issue’s huge Washington buck hunting prospects.

Over the summer, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife quietly posted the 2022 Washington Hunters’ Attitudes Toward Wildlife and Hunting Management report, while in September an intriguing paper titled “Interactive effects of wildfires, season and predator activity shape mule deer movements” came out from Predator-Prey Project researchers.

Both are enlightening, yielding insights into the mindset of Evergreen State riflemen, archers and muzzleloaders over the short and longer term, and how mule deer, wolves and cougars are navigating Northcentral Washington’s wildfire-singed landscapes, some of the state’s premier hunting areas.

Every seven years or so, Responsive Management surveys both residents and hunters for WDFW. This latest hunter survey was performed via telephone and online in June and July and it found that 75 percent of the 1,154 sportsmen queried said they were deer hunters, 44 percent chased elk, 29 percent waterfowl, 25 percent small game, 23 percent bear, 22 percent migratory birds and 13 percent cougars.

Last year, 78 percent of those deer hunters used a rifle, 19 percent a bow and 12 percent a muzzleloader. The survey did record slight shifts over time in terms of weapon type used, with rifle declining from 80 percent in 2007 to 78 percent in both 2014 and 2022, archery growing from 16 to 18 to 19 percent and muzzleloader also increasing from 8 to 11 to 12 percent. Shotgun use also ticked up, from 5 percent in 2007 to 6 percent in both 2014 and 2022. (Multiple responses were allowed.)

Ninety percent of all hunters reported hunting on public ground in the previous three seasons, with 66 percent saying they’d done so on U.S. Forest Service lands.

Speaking of, the northern OkanoganWenatchee National Forest was host to the aforementioned wildlife work done for the Predator-Prey Project – a joint WDFWUniversity of Washington study. It involved capturing and collaring 150 Methow Valley mule deer does, as well as a number of local cougars and wolves, and then matching the GPS data with wildfire mapping to develop a better understanding of how the animals used burned areas throughout the year.

According to lead author Taylor Ganz, a UW Ph.D. student, some 40 percent of Okanogan County has burned since 1985, and much of that has occurred in the upper Methow around Winthrop and Twisp via the Farewell, Fawn Peak, Tripod, Carlton Complex, Okanogan Complex, Cedar Creek and Cub Creek 2 Fires, among others.

It’s been a boon for deer, creating plentiful, rich browse at all elevations, and Ganz et al noted that muleys really do key in on burned areas in summer.

The other good news if you’re a deer is that those areas – with their fallen trees and tangles of branches and willows – also generally provide protection from wolves as the packs recolonize the region. Wolves are born to chase their prey, preferably over landscapes with few hurdles, and so burn scars act as something of a refuge for deer from the long-legged lopers. The researchers found “deer increased use of burned areas when and where wolf activity was high.”

HOWEVER, THE SAME conditions that grade against wolves work quite well for cougars to ambush deer. Where the big cats were most active, deer tended to stay away.

And while deer were overall attracted to regenerating burns in the high season, come winter, they tended to avoid them, Ganz and crew found. Without needled-out tree limbs to intercept falling white stuff, it piles up and up and up, 1) blocking deer access to forage and 2) making them much more vulnerable to predation because they can more easily get caught in deep snow. They especially “avoided burns when and where cougar use was high in winter,” the researchers stated.

For a deer hunter who has spent more than a little time gazing at the Okanogan’s terrain, burned and unburned alike, wondering how building wolf numbers will affect the herd, it all kind of makes intuitive sense. The same deadfalls and underbrush that keep me from moving very fast (and,

An alert mule deer doe scans a regenerating burn scar in Northcentral Washington for danger. A study shows that wolves tend to avoid these typically tangled landscapes, but cougars not so much. (SARAH BASSING, WASHINGTON

PREDATOR-PREY PROJECT)

needless to say, very quietly) work against wolves, but more than once the hair on the back of my neck has wanted to stand up as I’ve waded into them.

Ganz reported that how muleys related to cougars lurking in burned areas was also dependent on how hot the woods had originally burned and how long it had been since fire swept through, but overall the deer were able to manage the risk and reward of foraging there.

“We did not find that deer were any more likely to die in a burned area versus an unburned area. In other words, their movement response and other antipredator behaviors are adequate to balance changes in predation risk associated with burns,” Ganz told me.

SPEAKING OF PREDATORS, they are

Washington deer hunters’ topline concern, according to the Responsive Management survey, with 26 percent calling wolves, cougars, bears, coyotes and other furry fangers the most important issue facing the state’s mule deer, whitetail and blacktail.

Not far behind at 24 percent was habitat loss, followed distantly by disease/ herd health at 14 percent. (Elk hunters felt similarly, with 30 percent saying predators were the most important factor, followed by disease/ health at 22 percent, habitat loss at 17 percent and management at 12 percent.)

Ganz and fellow researchers report 52 of their collared Methow deer died during the study, and 22 of those were confirmed to have perished at the claws and teeth of predators, with another nine dying from unknown causes but likely predation. Of the confirmed deaths, 15 were attributed to cougars, three to coyotes, one to bears and one to wolves.

That last one did and did not surprise me. As Ganz pointed out, there just weren’t a lot of wolves around when the research was being done.

“Based on WDFW estimates, there may have been as few as 10 to 15 wolves in the study region, which is just not that many relative to the amount of deer out there,” she told me. “As you mention, moose, white-tailed deer, and other critters contribute to wolf diets (and even grasses and berries – wolves are omnivorous). That’s one reason we don’t have many documented wolf mortalities.”

But she cautioned that there was also a fair percentage of deaths from unknown causes and pointed out some of the difficulties in reaching carcasses after collars give off mortality signals.

“That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t predation, just that we don’t know how they died. Some of these could have been from predation. When a deer dies far back in the wilderness, it can take some time for us to get there to investigate, not to mention complications from washed-out roads, avalanche conditions, etc. Sometimes the GPS collars malfunction, too – another delay in getting to the mortality site (an issue in all collaring studies). These factors contribute to the high number of unknown mortalities,” Ganz stated.

She also suspects that some causes of death are just easier to confirm than others.

“For instance, because cougars cache their prey, it tends to be pretty easy to find a tidy mortality scene and determine who was responsible. On the other hand, a pack of wolves can consume a deer in a single feeding bout and widely disperse the carcass, which makes it very difficult to identify the cause. It would be nearly impossible to distinguish that evidence from a deer that died of disease, say, and was dispersed by scavengers. Our genetic methods help, but there’s still a lot unknown about such sites,” she said.

So what are Okanogan wolves eating? Ganz said that another UW Ph.D. candidate, Lauren Satterfield, has been looking into their diets and will be analyzing what’s on the menu. Needless to say, I eagerly await a chance to chew on that information.

OTHER HUNTER SURVEY results show

WDFW’s management of deer “was not rated very well,” with two-thirds of deer hunters putting it in the “bottom half of the scale (35 percent fair; 28 percent poor)” and one-third in the top half (6 percent excellent, 25 percent good).

“Lower ratings were often the result of hunters’ disagreement with management decisions,” Responsive Management wrote.

Reading this story online, a longtime local hunting writer could only agree: “Deer management. It sucks. I said so.”

In the background, some hunters want WDFW to return to a four-point minimum for Northeast Washington whitetails, while others would like later seasons better timed to the rut. Recent years have also seen doe tags sharply cut back for all user groups, even youths – an effort to help rebuild disease-stricken herds.

A slim plurality of hunters were more satisfied than dissatisfied (47 to 40 percent) with their 2021 deer season, which saw the lowest general season harvest of the millennium. Twenty-eight percent reported tagging out. (WDFW’s 2021 harvest report shows a 24 percent statewide success percentage.)

The survey gave mule deer hunters three ideas for increasing their success and decreasing hunter density. A split season – early or late – found support from 30 percent, an Oregon-style controlled (special permit) season 14 percent, and a mule deer-, blacktail- or whitetail-only license 10 percent. Of note, the largest cohort, 32 percent, chose none of the above. Muleys are open under a general rifle season in Eastern Washington, with a three-point minimum everywhere.

The survey also provided a glimpse of long-term hunter trends, though Responsive Management said the results “should be interpreted cautiously” due to methodology changes that included using an online survey in addition to phone, which was only used in 2007 and 2014 editions.

Where the 2014 survey saw 56 percent of hunters “very satisfied” coming out of the 2013 season (overall success rate: 28 percent), the latest found 18 percent of online and 44 percent of telephone surveyees rated 2021’s hunt that highly. Where 18 percent were “somewhat satisfied” in 2014, 29 percent of online and 31 percent of telephone respondents were in 2022. And where 11 percent were “very dissatisfied” eight years ago, 21 and 20 percent, respectively, were this year.

And while the combination of phone and internet surveying makes comparing 2022 to 2007 and 2014 reports difficult, in general, the proportion of hunters who rate WDFW deer management as good has declined from 2007, while those giving the agency only a fair rating has increased.

“WDFW staff are reviewing these results, similarly to the other survey (of state residents on hunting),” stated agency spokeswoman Samantha Montgomery. “We intend to use the results of this survey to inform some sections of the game management plans, where applicable.” –Andy Walgamott

afternoon. In late morning and early afternoon, I tend to hunt the timber. When hunting timber in the afternoons, I prefer to hunt the shaded side of the hill or mountain. I move slow and use the take-a-step-and-glass approach. With each step you take, you get a totally different perspective of what’s in front of you. Be stealthy and always be cautious of thermals and your wind. Like we say in tuna fishing, when the wind is in your face, you’re in the right place. Using a Windicator or other wind detector is the easiest way to keep track of your wind while hunting.

My next piece of advice to throw into your game plan is to use maps and different tools that show all the public lands we have available to us. We are incredibly lucky to have the ability to use innovative technologies and apps that provide us with offline hunting maps that identify the many different public areas to hunt. There are a lot of small pieces of public land that get overlooked by people. I have found that these little pockets will hold deer, as they get zero hunting pressure. Indeed, just because it is small does not mean it will not hold a deer or two.

For instance, a couple of years ago my wife and I ran to town to grab propane for our trailer, and on our way back to deer camp we decided to pull off and check out a small chunk of land that I had been wanting to look at. We walked up at 2 p.m. in the afternoon and she notched her tag on a three-by-four mule deer within an hour of getting into the small section of public land. My friend, who was back at camp, was shocked and thought I was joking when I told him we would be back at camp with the deer we had just harvested. It just so happened there were three other bucks with that one, so I told him to go to the same spot in the morning. I’m pretty sure he thought I was nuts, but he ended up going there and harvested his first buck.

MY ELK HUNTING tactics are quite different than deer. Most elk that I have hunted in Washington tend to hang out in deep and nasty hellholes. Trying to find animals in small pieces of land is not something I would attempt to do.

One tactic I used during the late archery hunt in Eastern Washington was to hunt right above and below roads that most hunters blow on up in their trucks. Doing so, we enjoyed success multiple years in a row on late-season cows. While that particular hunt is no longer offered by state hunting managers, it amazed me how close these elk would hang out by the roads and not be bothered by the traffic.

MY BIGGEST PIECE of advice and the number one tactic in my game plan is to spend all day on the mountain. Enjoy every minute you can out there. If you find a pumpkin patch, back out of the area and try a new one where there is not a sea of orange vests. In addition, always be prepared to walk in and out of an area in the dark. Pack a headlamp, flashlight and extra batteries.

Utilize apps like onX and BaseMap to track your day and save offline maps before you go hunting. I set a tracker immediately upon starting my hike into an area so I can always get back to my start destination. The tracker is great for getting out in the dark as well. It’s not hard to get turned around in the dark – it’s easy to during the day as well.

I also am prepared to spend the night on the mountain if I have to. In addition to extra clothes and raingear, I carry a battery pack to plug my phone into. I have yet to run out of battery life between my phone and backup battery. I do still carry an extra battery-powered GPS in my backpack just in case. I am confident in my phone and battery backup, so the extra GPS is added weight that could easily be dropped.

Hopefully you can plug these tactics into your game plan for hunting lateseason deer and elk. Best of luck to every one of you this fall! NS

Anderson likes hunting in spots that others overlook or avoid because of access issues, or the conventional wisdom is that they won’t yield game. Despite reports showing that elk avoid roads, he’s had success hunting right off of them. (DAVE ANDERSON)

Be kind and don’t grind! Your tummy will appreciate braising the tough lower legs of deer and elk instead of turning them into burger. Using low and slow cooking methods and plenty of moisture to break down connective tissue will make for a delicious

dinner. (RANDY KING)

Give Shanks For Braising

“Randy!” my brother yelled from across the room. “What?!” I replied, fighting with my vacuum sealer and marking “Mule Deer 10/22” on a package of ground meat.

“You want my shanks?”

“Of course! If you grind those, I’ll disown you!” I spit back to him, drawing a smiley face on the next package of hamburger slid my direction.

“Promise?” he said, grabbing for a knife and pretending to debone the shank off his little buck.

I chuckled and went back to my work. He wouldn’t debone them; he knows I love shanks. Soon I could see four neatly trimmed shanks headed my way for the vacuum sealer. Visions of meals in the future surrounded me.

CHEF IN THE WILD By Randy King

ODE TO SHANKS

In my past life as a chef, when lamb shanks were on the menu, they were one of the top-dollar items I sold. A lamb only has four legs, after all, so the demand/supply side of the equation always benefitted the producer. Then there’s the fact that the hind shank and the fore shank are different sizes and can’t really be interchanged on the menu. Basically, the awesome velvety texture of a perfectly braised lamb shank is expensive because very few shanks exist and cooking them is a long process.

It amazed me when I eventually found out that most hunters debone their deer and elk shanks and send them to the grind pile. I was aghast. Then I remembered doing this myself as a child. When I started asking that the shanks be saved from this fate – my family usually helps one another in the butcher process – I generally ended up with four shanks in my truck for the ride home. I was OK with this arrangement.

I totally understand why shanks are not well loved. They take forever to cook and if undercooked, they can be something like a dog chew toy. No worries on this – let me explain the braising process and why it works so well and why you should never grind your shanks again.

WHY BRAISING WORKS

“Braise – (brayz) – Braising is basically a slow-cooking method for tough cuts of meat or poultry and even stringy vegetables. They are cooked slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pan … In all the moistheat methods of cooking, the moisture or liquid not only conducts heat to a product, but it interacts with the food being cooked and can influence the final taste and texture of a product.” –whatscookingamerica.net

COLUMN SAUCY SPICY SHANKS

In “Mexican food,” the word mole has a strangely ubiquitous usage. (I use quotation marks on “Mexican food” because that is like saying “American food” – we both have so much regionalism that the term fails to describe the depth of the food culture.) norms of certain regions. Oaxaca mole is nearly black. Many describe mole as a “peanut butter and chocolate” sauce, and that is sometimes true. The sauce has huge flavor and adds depth to quite a few dishes.

Not being of Mexican/Spanish heritage, I tend to make a gringo mole at home. Just as you can make a decent red sauce with a jar of Prego, you can also make a decent mole with prepared mole sauce. Why this sacrilege? Because I do not regularly have the necessary ingredients on hand to make a traditional mole. Nevertheless, I do usually have the items to make a faux mole. One of my faux moles involves prepared mole sauce and rotel tomatoes.

Traditional? Absolutely not. Delicious? Absolutely.

I use the combination with things that need a long cooking time, like big game shanks and turkey drumsticks. The flavors of the prepared mole really saturate the meat over time.

I equate mole to gravy or sauce in the English vernacular. Mole can be green, red, brown and black – with all sorts of shades of “Grandma’s favorite” (los favoritos de la abuela) tossed in. It is usually a mix of chilies pureed with onion, garlic and corn tortillas. Endless varieties exist, per the flavors and

ELK SHANK FAUX MOLE

1 elk shank, or two mule deer shanks 2 tablespoons of canola oil 1 can (10 ounces) Rotel Tomatoes and Chilies 1 pouch (10 ounces) Doña Maria prepared mole sauce 20 ounces of water 2 tablespoons beef base (paste) 2 jalapeños, sliced in half lengthwise 1 small bunch of thyme 2 bay leaves Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss shanks in the canola oil and place in roasting tray. Roast in oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove shanks from oven and add the Rotel, prepared mole and water. Place roasting tray on a burner and heat on medium. Bring roasting tray to a simmer and mix in beef base, sliced jalapeños, thyme and bay leaves. Cover tray with foil and add a lid if possible. Lower oven to 350 degrees and cook shanks for 31/2 hours.

For more wild game recipes, see chefrandyking.com. –RK

We have all been there – the seemingly perfect cut of meat completely ruined by connective tissue. Some sort of gristle or silver skin was not cleaned off the meat, and now a wad of chewy white goo is between your molars. Not good, but what the heck is that stuff and what can you do about it?

Several types of connective tissues are present in all meat. Some are obvious – things like tendons and ligaments. Tendons connect muscle to bone; ligaments connect bone to bone. Other types – the more often eaten ones – are things like silver skin that surrounds entire muscle groups and intermuscular collagen.

Elastin and collagen are the two main types of connective tissue. They are made up of different materials and behave very differently when cooked. Elastin, the stuff that makes silver skin and ligaments, is usually removed from cuts of game before cooking. Strangely, no matter how much you cook elastin, it will be chewy and not very good. It’s weird that way. Collagen is the other type of connective tissue and, thankfully, we can make it delicious.

Collagen has an interesting function with muscles. The individual muscle fibers are wrapped in collagen, and the whole unit is wrapped again in collagen. This allows the muscles to be independent units while working as a whole. The direction the muscle is oriented is called the “grain” of the meat. You can tell the grain of the meat by looking at what direction the bundles are going. Cutting against the grain gives you more tender meat, for the most part. (This is also why taking apart animals carefully and not making multi-muscle steaks or cuts is so important – the grains can change from muscle to muscle, therefore the eating experience can change too.)

How much use a muscle gets also has a direct effect on the amount of collagen. A backstrap or a tenderloin will not have the amount of collagen that a shank does. The leg muscles do more than the back muscles. This is why the best steaks (ribeye, New York, tenderloin) all come off the back and the “cheaper” steaks (sirloin) come off the leg. The amount of collagen affects the tenderness and fat buildup.

Thankfully, collagen can be cooked into something delicious. The trick, not surprisingly, is steady heat over time. Collagen will melt at temperatures above 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and when it does it turns soft and delicious – the stuff of dreams. This is counterintuitive at first glance, as meat cooked above 160 degrees tends to be tough and dry – think of a well-done steak: dry and bad. But this is the lowest temp that collagen will melt.

Shanks are a great example of heat and time being needed to create something delicious. Elk and deer shanks have lots of collagen – large tendons and heavily worked leg muscles. If cooked for a small amount of time, the meat will be dry and tough. But if you give the large tendons enough time to cook, they will coat the muscle fibers with gelatin, making the meat moist and awesome.

I say, braise away – shanks deserve more than the grinder. NS

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Guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing holds a pair of Chetco River kings caught in November 2021 on

Mag Lip plugs. (WILDRIVERSFISHING.COM)

Plugging River Chinook

Yes, I know, Pro-Troll flashers are all the rage when trolling for salmon, but when it comes to catching BUZZ Chinook from tribRAMSEY utary streams like Washington’s Lewis or Quinault, or Oregon’s Nestucca, Siletz or Chetco, one method you should not overlook is to back-troll a salmon-size plug with a fillet of sardine or other bait strapped to its belly. There is just something about a big, intrusive, bait-smelling, high-vibration, in-their-face plug that fall Chinook will seldom pass up.

This fishing method started on California’s Sacramento River 40 years ago by anglers and fishing guides using large FlatFish (M-2 and larger) and Kwikfish (K-14 through K-16) to entice Chinook. Since then other manufactures have entered the market, like Brad’s with its nearly identical Killer Fish offering. In addition, there are now salmon-size plugs that dive deep without having to add additional weight to get down; a favorite is Yakima Bait’s Mag Lip. And while you can plunk/ still-fish these plugs from an anchored boat, back-trolling is what most anglers do in rivers during the fall season.

IN CASE YOU don’t know, back-trolling is accomplished by maneuvering your boat above/upstream from the area you wish to fish by rowing or by using a trolling motor. While holding your boat steady (as if you were anchored), let the river current take your diving plug out behind your boat. When you stop letting out line, the current will cause your lure to wiggle

An old Luhr Jensen graphic offers advice on fishing salmon-size plugs. While you can find success fishing water less than 10 feet deep by back-trolling on a flat line (no additional weight added), to get your lure down where the water is slow moving or deeper than 10 feet there are two options. For starters, try adding a Jet Diver to your setup. But in the deep holes where the water might be swirling or slow moving, a sinker may be required to get your plug down near bottom. (LUHR JENSEN)

and dive. Back-trolling is the process of allowing your boat and trailing lure to then slowly slip downstream while resisting the current enough to cause your lure(s) to dive down to near bottom and into the areas salmon hold. The right distance out varies depending on current speed and depth, but 30 to 60 feet is usually right.

The strike of a Chinook taking a salmon-size plug equipped with a fillet of sardine or other bait may be the hardest you will ever feel, but don’t set the hook until Mr. Salmon is holding your rod tip down steadily, peeling line from your reel, or until your rod tip pulsates violently up and down three times. Under most conditions waiting on the bite will increase your chance of a solid hookup, while yanking too soon can result in a miss or later losing your fish. When using a baitcaster reel, realize that it’s important to have your thumb firmly planted on the reel spool when you do finally set the hook. After the hookset, you can let the reel drag take over.

Providing the water is straight running, of reasonable current speed and less than 10 feet deep, you can get your plug near bottom by just running it out on a flat line; that is, with no additional weight added. If the current is slow moving and/or deeper than 10 feet, as opposed to swirling, you can make your FlatFish, Kwikfish or KillerFish plug dive extra deep by rigging a Jet Diver where your main line and leader meet. The rigging is identical to a free-sliding back-bouncing setup (see illustration above), except you replace the sinker with a Jet Diver.

What size Jet Diver you use just depends on how deep the water is. For example, these buoyant river divers come in different sizes, with a size 20 capable of adding 50 percent more dive to your plug, while a size 50 diver can add twice the diving depth to your wiggler. In most cases these plugs, depending on size and buoyancy, will dive 8 to 12 feet when used without a weight or diver. Keep in mind that the exact depth achieved will vary a lot depending on current speed, the amount of line let out and line diameter.

For example, slow current or positioning your lure a short distance away (30 feet) will produce a shallow dive, while a strong current or greater distance away from your boat (60 feet) will produce a deep dive. A Mag Lip plug will go deeper than other salmon-size plugs, and it features an enticing “skip-beat” action that teases fish into striking, similar to how a cat responds when teased with a ball and string.

Many anglers like to use a Mag Lip when back-trolling because in most situations, at least if the water runs straight, they will dive nearly to the bottom without the need to add weight or a diver.

WHILE CHINOOK CAN be found in areas of straight-running water, especially when migrating, they are known to accumulate in the deeper holes (10 feet deep or more) where the current might be slow moving or swirling. In this case your plug will not get down unless you use a sinker. Back-bouncing with a weight attached to a 12-inch dropper line is the most productive way to fish salmon-size plugs in deep (even roily) salmon holes that lack enough or the proper current to take your lure down to near the bottom.

The technique is much like back-bouncing bait, but with one important difference: you will need to hold your rod steady once your weight and trailing lure is in position. The amount of weight you use is critical; too much and your lure won’t bounce out in the current from your boat. Not enough and you may not feel it hit bottom or may not be sure where the bottom is in relationship to your plug.

Once you’ve selected the right size sinker, you’ll need to back-bounce or walk your outfit downstream from your boat until your mainline is at a 45-degree angle. Given the right size weight, the pull of your plug working in the current should hold your weight 6 to 12 inches above the bottom. Now, hold your rod steady while back-trolling your boat through areas likely to hold fish. Since the depth can change, you will need to check for bottom occasionally.

THE BEST WAY to make your salmon-size plug even more deadly is to add a scent-dispersing fillet of sardine to its belly. It’s just a fact that you’ll get more strikes and better hookups if you keep a bait strip strapped to the belly of your plug.

Although you can use herring, anchovy, tuna, smelt or sardine as your bait wrapper, sardine is most popular and available in most sporting goods stores. Start by filleting both sides off your baitfish and cut-

Here is a selection of plugs wrapped with fillets of sardine and ready to go. Remember to keep your wraps centered around the belly eyelet, which is the balance point of the lure, and to wrap them with plenty of thread so your fillets conform to the shape of the lure. (NICK POPOV, 503-484-4860)

ting them into rectangular pieces: 7/8 inch by 11/2 inches for the K14/M-2 plug size; 1 inch by 13/4 inches for the K15/T-50; and 11/8 inches by 21/2 inches for the K16/T-55.

A pair of scissors works great for cutting your fillets to size and notching them so they fit around the belly eyelet of your lure. Your bait fillet doesn’t have to be exact – about a third of the length of your lure is about right – but you’ll find the above measurements handy when starting out.

When wrapping a bait fillet to the underside of your plug, you should center it around the belly eyelet, which is the balance point of the lure, with the skin next to the lure body. You can use 2- or 4-poundtest mono, Magic Thread, thimble sewing thread or elastic thread as a wrapping material. By making 20 to 30 wraps, your fillet will conform to the shape of the lure body and not dampen the plug action. You should secure your wrap with two or three half-hitch knots.

For best results, your fillet should be changed often, at least once every hour. Tip: Wrap several lures the night before or – better yet – the morning of your trip and keep them fresh in a small bait cooler.

MY FAVORITE SETUP for fishing salmon while using big plugs is an 8-foot-6 extra-heavy-action rod combined with a salmon-size baitcasting reel filled with 50- to 65-pound-test super braid fishing line tipped with a 40- to 60-pound-test leader.

The standard Kwikfish, FlatFish and KillerFish feature screw-eye connectors, while the Extreme series Kwikfish, Hawg Nose FlatFish and Mag Lip feature fixed eyelets. And while it’s likely you won’t need to tune the plugs with fixed eyelets, those having screw eyelets should be checked to ensure they are diving straight; if not, they may require tuning to achieve the best possible action.

When pulling your plug next to the boat, recognize that it should yield a sideto-side wobbling motion. However, if it dives to the left, turn the line-attachment screw eye slightly to the right (clockwise). If it dives to the right, turn the eyelet a small amount to the left (counterclockwise). The idea here is to center the pullpoint eyelet such that your plug will draw equal amounts of water on each side of its diving lip and dive straight.

A lopsided sardine fillet can throw your plug out of tune too. You can rewrap a crooked fillet or try tuning your bait wrapper by flattening any lopsidedness with your thumb.

Realize that the Mag Lip and other plugs equipped with fixed eyelets mostly run straight from factory when using the included round-eyed connector snap. However, they can be fine-tuned by slightly bending the pull-point eyelet the opposite way the plug is running.

And also know that the erratic, skipbeat, darting Mag Lip action should not be confused with it being out of tune. Rather than pulling this lure beside your boat to check its action, place the plug in the current behind your boat with your rod tip pointed downstream and observe its wiggle and how it tracks before attempting to adjust the pull-point eyelet. A pair of needle-nose pliers works best for making these adjustments.

HERE ARE MORE tips and thoughts on fishing plugs for fall Chinook 1) Remember to always use the roundeyed connector snap that comes with each plug. And, yes, you can use two snaps in tandem. 2) If the salmon are being stubborn, try switching to another plug color and/ or different bait wrap. I’ve had stubborn fish respond to plugs having a scent-filled worm trailing behind. You would think they would short strike this presentation, but that has not been my experience. 3) Some anglers will wrap their plug with a sardine fillet and add additional smell via prepared scents like those offered by Pro-Cure. Realize, too, that salmon will sometimes respond better to baits other than the classic sardine or other baitfish fillet. For example, you might wrap the belly of your plug with a sand shrimp, salmon eggs or fillet of tuna belly. Some anglers will capture a ball of tuna in netting and attach it to the belly hook on their plug. 4) Adding an extra split ring to each hook can keep hooks from tearing out when fish twist and turn during the fight. 5) Some rivers require the use of single hooks. Keep in mind that plugs are de-

Martin, here trying to net a client’s fall Chinook, uses smaller salmon plugs (like an M-2 FlatFish) when the water is low and clear. Under normal river flows he will switch to a medium-size plug and likes the Mag Lip because it will go deep without having to add a diver or additional weight. When the river first drops after being unfishable due to fall rains but is still transitioning from brown to green, he goes big with the 5.5-inch Hawg Nose FlatFish. The Hawg Nose is his favorite high-water lure. (JERRY HAN)

signed and balanced for certain hook sizes and altering them can throw your plug off balance. For example, a size 4.0 Mag Lip will become far less speed tolerant if you remove the belly hook; compensating for that might require you to add an extra split ring (total of two) to the belly eyelet when only having one hook on the tail of the lure. 6) Keep in mind that you can only keep hatchery Chinook on Tillamook Bay and its tributaries this season. The Elk is also only open for fin-clipped kings, but the limit was boosted to three a day through December 1. Other popular rivers such as the Chetco, Coos and Sixes have some Chinook restrictions, while the Siuslaw, Coquille and Floras Creek/New River are closed. NS

If you’ve read author Buzz Ramsey’s Buoy 10 articles over the years, you know he will sometimes tip his coho spinners. He’ll also try the same thing with his fall king plugs. “I’ve had stubborn fish respond to plugs having a scent-filled worm trailing behind,” he states. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

Editor’s note: Buzz Ramsey is regarded as a sport fishing authority, outdoor writer and proficient lure and fishing rod designer.