Northwest Sportsmanmag - September 2021 by Media Index Publishing Group

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Sportsman Northwest

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

Volume 13 • Issue 12 PUBLISHER James R. Baker

Your Complete Hunting, Boating, Fishing and Repair Destination Since 1948.

ALUMAWELD STRYKER

EDITOR Andy Walgamott THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Dave Anderson, Jason Brooks, Scott Haugen, Sara Ichtertz, MD Johnson, Randy King, Buzz Ramsey, Troy Rodakowski, Dave Workman, Mark Yuasa EDITORIAL FIELD SUPPORT Jason Brooks GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak SALES MANAGER Paul Yarnold ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Jim Klark, Kelley Miller, Mike Smith DESIGNER Lesley-Anne Slisko-Cooper PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker OFFICE MANAGER Katie Aumann INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER Lois Sanborn WEBMASTER/DIGITAL STRATEGIST Jon Hines

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CONTENTS VOLUME 13 • ISSUE 12

More than a building... it’s a solution! PRE-ENGINEERED STEEL FRAME STRUCTURES

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ALSO INSIDE 77

TIPS FOR EARLY SEASON ELK Archery elk hunters face tough conditions east of the Cascade crest in September, but they’re not insurmountable, as Dave Anderson knows. Find out his game plan for tagging out in the early season.

109 NORTHWEST GROUSE PROSPECTS MD Johnson chats with Oregon’s and Washington’s upland bird specialists for this season’s ruffed, sooty and dusky grouse outlook, as well as what’s up with the latter state’s new mid-September opener. 119 ENJOY DOVE DAYS OF SUMMER, FALL Migratory bird season kicks off this month with mourning doves and Troy Rodakowski knows how to hunt them and invasive European collared doves in the Willamette Valley – plus he serves up a tasty dove poppers recipe! 139 RAZOR CLAM OUTLOOK: ‘A LOT OF DIGGING DAYS AHEAD OF US’ Stop us if you’ve read this before – looking at you, October 2020 issue – but razor clam season on the Northwest Coast is primed to be spectacular, and this time the !$@%$# toxins that halted digging last fall, winter and early spring are well below action levels. 155 MID-COLUMBIA SALMON ‘HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION’ Not only are the big river’s fall Chinook and coho forecasts up, but the fish are arriving now in the eastern Columbia Gorge and Hanford Reach. Just in time, Mark Yuasa shares angling tips from guides Aaron Peterson and Austin Moser.

HOW TO HUNT MOUNTAIN MULEYS

167 PUGET SOUND SALMON SEASON SHADES TO SILVER September brings ocean coho back to Puget Sound and this year’s forecast looks better than 2020’s actual return. Mark Yuasa details the “many ways to have a successful day on the water” with snappy, scrappy silvers.

Mule deer occupy a wide range of habitats and it might just be in the high country that our Jason Brooks likes hunting them most. He offers up three tried-and-true tactics for bagging a buck this fall.

(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 mail offices. (USPS 025-251) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northwest Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $49.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Index Publishing Group offices at the cost of $5 plus shipping. 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 © 2021 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.

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Kratzer’s Columbia Fall Salmon Trolling Setups So how does Bob Kratzer put his clients into upriver brights as the fish make their way up the Lower Columbia in September? Buzz Ramsey tapped into the guide’s brain and tackle box.

COLUMNS 28

FOR THE LOVE OF THE TUG When A Given Is Gone On the one-year anniversary of the Oregon Cascade’s devastating Labor Day wildfire outbreak, Sara reflects on the loss of her sacred waters, Oregon’s North Umppua, and the surrounding forest, and her worries for their summer steelhead.

CHEF IN THE WILD How To Prep, Cook The Perfect Venison Steak Take it from Chef Randy, a lot of prep work goes into the perfectly grilled venison steak – and it starts with how you cut your deer or elk up. He walks you through the process, from butchering and freezing to four tasty wet rub marinades, and from slapping steaks on the barbie to the concept of carryover cooking.

ON TARGET Should You Zero For Deer At 100, 200 Or 300 Yards? Take it from someone who was witness to “some disturbingly bad shooting” at his local shooting range as deer season approached, now is the time to zero your rifle. And Dave is just the guy to help you not only get on paper, but shoot a tight group.

127 GUN DOG Bad Master! 15 Dog Owner Don’ts Avoid making these 15 mistakes with your gun dog and not only will you get the most out of your relationship with it, counsels Scott, but also help it live a better, healthier life. So what are the errors to watch out for? 175 NORTHWEST PURSUITS Introducing River Salmon Fishing Troy and Lijah Brooks were river salmon fishing newbs when they jumped aboard Troy’s brother Jason’s drift boat last fall, but not for long! Our man on the sticks shares the lessons they – and anyone – can learn from a day chasing September Chinook.

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49 THE DISHONOR ROLL

Shellfish swine continue overharvesting clams, crabs; Feds sentence fourth man for poaching bull trout; Central Oregon teens fined for illegal deer kills

DEPARTMENTS

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THE EDITOR’S NOTE New Clackamas spring Chinook program approved

THE BIG PIC: WHEN A GIVEN IS GONE Sara Ichtertz on the loss of sacred waters, surrounding forest from Oregon’s devastating Labor Day wildfire outbreak.

READER PHOTOS Salmon from sea to sky, small-stream trout, big river bites and more!

PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS Coast, Fishing monthly prizes

DERBY WATCH Silver sign-off for Derby Series; Umpqua STEP derby back on; Upcoming events; Recent results

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THEEDITOR’SNOTE

ortland-area spring Chinook anglers and state fishery managers got some great news last month as federal overseers finally signed off on a new integrated broodstock program for a local river. The hatchery genetic management plan for the Clackamas allows the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to collect 120 wild springers annually for three years, starting in 2021, to reinvigorate a fishery that’s been “dead on arrival” in recent years. Returns of the old Trey Carskadon works to release a hardsegregated hatchery stock, fighting wild spring Chinook caught by which used upper Willamette the editor on the lower Willamette earlier this summer. Oregon managers have been Basin kings, have petered out, greenlighted to begin collecting similar fish with zero retained in the river for a new integrated broodstock program on by bank and boat anglers the Clackamas River. (ANDY WALGAMOTT) during 2019’s entire season. Some years in the early 2000s saw 1,000-plus-fish catches. True, as elsewhere, hatchery releases on the Clack have declined over time, from as many as 1.6 million young clipped springers in 2006 to 738,000 in 2014. But critically, smolt-to-adult return percentages also tanked, from as much as 1.5 percent in 2006 to lows of .04 and .02 percent in 2013 and 2014, per the HGMP.

ON THE FLIP side, literally, Clackamas wild spring Chinook are doing notably better than the early 2000s, when as few as 941 were counted at a fish trap one year. In 2020, just under 4,000 did, a “record (that) reflects decades of hard work from many stakeholders in the basin,” Portland General Electric said online. The utility has spent some $90 million the past 15 years on fish passage at its Clackamas dams, along with habitat restoration and improvement throughout the basin. ODFW’s plan is to collect 80 wild females and 40 wild males in 2021 and again in 2022 and 2023 to “jumpstart” the new program, and then keep the natural-origin run’s genetics as close to wild as possible by mixing in eggs and milt from 21 to 45 native fish, depending on run size, in subsequent years. Just over 1 million smolts can be released annually. Under the HGMP, ODFW also aims to test its “genetic rescue” hypothesis – that using wild spring Chinook for broodstock will increase smolt-to-adult returns of hatchery salmon. BIOLOGISTS AND ANGLERS wished the feds had OKed the plan sooner so they could have begun trapping wild springers in mid-July, ensuring a nice wide run-timing and genetic distribution with the first year’s batch. But with August 11’s approval in hand, they at least were able to tap into part of it and not have to wait till 2022 either. With all Willamette springers listed as federally threatened, a lengthy National Marine Fisheries Service review was required for the program permit. Longtime guide Bob Rees told me that rebuilding the springer fishery around native Clackamas kings will be “a game-changer for the consumptive angling public in the Portland area.” I can’t say for certain that the wild one I fought and released on the lower Willamette in early July was in fact headed to the upper Clack, but if it was, it was a stud and this could be a great program! –Andy Walgamott nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

Northwest Sportsman 25

When A Given I

Before and after shots show how last September’s Archie Creek Fire burned over one of author Sara Ichtertz’s favorite places. Fueled by an extraordinary east wind, hot weather and tinder-dry conditions, the wildfire scorched 205 square miles, mostly in the North Umpqua watershed and primarily in the first two days it burned. (SARA ICHTERTZ) 28 Northwest Sportsman

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n Is Gone A steelheader reflects on the loss of sacred waters, forest on the one-year anniversary of the Oregon Cascades’ devastating Labor Day wildfire outbreak.

PICTURE

here are things in life we can’t help but stop and pause for. They’re so impressive that we FOR THE LOVE halt dead in our tracks OF THE TUG in total awe of what By Sara Ichtertz we are experiencing. These things are different for each of us, of course, but everyone has something that truly calls their name. When we find what it is that challenges us and rewards us in this one-of-kind way, we find great purpose and happiness waiting for us. Before we know it, that amazing, somewhat foreign place feels a lot like home, and we begin to feel comfortable there. Next thing we know, it is home and we are nice and cozy in our little life. There are both pros and cons in finding comfort in what we love. The former agoraphobe in me can willingly admit I find joy in comfort. It is safe and since childhood I have always liked it. I am safe, I am good. The only thing about being too safe is there is not a lot of growth. A fair balance of both is needed in life. I do believe that feeling of nervous adrenaline that at times borders on gagging when leaving my comfort zone is completely necessary. I have learned how to manage my fears and believe a certain amount of the right kind of fear is good for me. I realized deep down it is OK if it scares me a bit, but chances are it will not hurt me. I have found the most incredible of moments, places, creatures and people because I embraced my fears by living my life. Living your life is so very important. Anyone can just exist, but to live – what a gift! Then sometimes life crashes apart.

NOTHING ASIDE FROM losing my dad and grandmothers has hit me as hard as the Archie Creek Fire of September 2020. Here in that former landscape I had found love and incredible growth, and within that growth I eventually found comfort. I believed this place and all its joys would always be there for me. I thought this luscious forest and the stunning river

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PICTURE

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As Ichtertz battles a steelhead, son Nate prepares to net it. The family enjoyed many a summer day fishing, playing and growing along the banks of the river. (SARA ICHTERTZ)

and her one-of-a-kind tributaries would always be a given, so the loss of it has been a hard reality to face. I truly feel happiest when I am out in nature and so as a young stay-at-home mom free from schedules, we could go hike the waterfalls or catch tiny trout off the banks of our favorite little high mountain lakes. That comfort and growth allowed me to believe in us and eventually led us down to the banks of the river for more than just a picnic and frolic. It was time to see if I could find myself some of those beauties beneath the surface, all while having my sweet young babes in tow. I wholeheartedly raised my young in the heart of this place; run after run, season after season, we grew. I found where I belonged and embraced motherhood and this forest to the best of my ability. I took a million pictures and am thankful I did. I have always paused long enough to try and capture this beautiful place and now more so than ever, I am happy I took that time. The feelings these places have left on my heart will be with me forever,

PICTURE

The Archie Creek Fire burns on September 14. It would go on to destroy most of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Rock Creek Hatchery, though crews were able to salvage some of its salmon and steelhead. All totalled, approximately 750,000 acres burned in the North Umpqua as well as Clackamas, North Fork Molalla, North Fork Santiam and McKenzie River valleys late last summer. (INCIWEB)

to see only remnants of her former forest oasis. She lost everything but her and her family’s lives. The forest. Oh, the forest. It was hit with a beyond-massive blow. In some places it is simply unrecognizable, even though I know the spots quite well. What truly terrifies me a year later, though, is what might come of this incredible place’s fish? It scares me more than the 300-foot wall of flames that was raging through our forest so hot and fast. At sunset our little mountain that looks down over the town of Glide was fully engulfed, trees literally blowing up as that massive wall of fire on both sides of the river thrashed its way through our woods and downriver in less than 24 hours. As it raged closer to my house, it began to rain fire, burning pine needles and maple leaves falling from the sky in an unbelievable way. Terrifying! You could hear it, you could feel it, and it literally made me sick to my core, a pain I had not felt in a very long time. It was almost comparable to the loss of someone we love, and being at the one-year mark of such a loss is never easy, I know. Seeing the creeks in total ruin leaves me with this feeling of fear that the loss in this region is only truly beginning.

THE NORTH UMPQUA system is shut down

just like my dad. I remember being asked years ago, “What if they told you that you could no longer fish?” I instantly thought of the pool of summers up the creek and how much they mean to me. I believed it when I replied, “Then I wouldn’t fish.”

AS WE REACH the one-year mark of the start of the Archie Creek Fire – September 8, 2020 – the loss feels truly monumental. 32 Northwest Sportsman

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Living in this tiny place all my life, I have never seen anything on this scale – 131,542 acres of heaven on Earth destroyed. Forest fires have always been a part of our lives, but not like this. I had never felt that kind of fear until the night we evacuated. While I didn’t lose my home, over 100 houses were lost, including my sweet friend’s. To this day she is hit by deep waves of emotion from such a traumatic loss. It is quite heartbreaking

right now to all angling all the way up to Soda Springs. It went from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s initial hoot owl restrictions – no fishing for steelhead and salmon from 2 p.m. until an hour before sunrise – to closed through November 30 due to “historically low” summer-run returns. I shut it down to myself before ODFW put the first restrictions in place. She was already in summer steelhead shape during springer season and once it was time to fish for them, I told my babes, nope, she’s not healthy. She was so low even in June that she was just not like herself at all. If there are any fish lying in our holes, I told Nate and Ava, we best let them rest. As this drought-ridden summer has unfolded, the number of summer steelhead I last heard up at the pool where they rest was lower than it has ever been since I began keeping a faithful eye on them. And as I type this up, there is

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PICTURE

34 Northwest Sportsman

Ichtertz’s grandmother Nina fries trout at the family’s Idaho cabin. Losing beloved family members taught the author how fragile life is, to cherish the memories all the more and embrace her own life harder. (SARA ICHTERTZ)

SEPTEMBER 2021 | nwsportsmanmag.com

another fire burning in the region, in a place I was thankful the Archie Creek Fire did not touch. My hope is that the summer steelhead do not lose their entire habitat like the spring salmon have. Without their environment, how will they survive? How can the creeks stay cold enough to safehouse these magnificent creatures if there is no habitat? No timber, no maples, no luscious forest floor, few ferns, no healthy root systems along the banks. So much loss! Completely changed. I am no biologist, but I do understand how the fish live. With major tributaries like Rock Creek being completely decimated of habitat, the smaller streams are so vital but sadly they are completely packed full of rubble left over from last year’s disaster too. I wish mankind cared about our planet the way we care about the almighty dollar. True, our mills and timber industry are booming because of this fire. And coming from and being part of the timber industry, this does make me feel thankful they can at least harvest the trees and keep our families working. We should not just leave them there to be fuel for next time. But I just wish there was a way to restore the creeks to give these most resilient creatures a fighting chance. I truly believe that’s all they need. Maybe the day is fast approaching that we cannot target the fish, but that doesn’t mean I can accept them being gone completely. We have taken so much, and it is time to help them; I think they need it. I personally believe cleaning out the creeks should be as big of a priority as any! Time does matter; the salmon need to get up their streams. I am willing to

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Northwest Sportsman 35

PICTURE bet there are loggers who care about these fish too and would be willing to use their equipment and their knowledge to help. If we could just come together. Yeah, we might not make money (though I would think this should or could be part of the disaster cleanup budget), but we would be doing something that truly matters. The fish need the forest almost as much as the forest needs the fish. When I am overwhelmed in these deepest of thoughts, I sadly fear greed will be the death of this planet.

I’VE TOLD MYSELF – and I am pretty sure my readers as well – that “a world without steelhead wouldn’t be much of a world at all.” It’s more of a metaphor, not as a true fear that it could happen in my lifetime. I know parts of this region are forever changed for my lifetime. I am even OK with the fact that I will not be hooking a

single summer steelhead this year (in my head I had planned to target them once the fog was back on the river). Might it possibly be in the years to come as well? I do not know. I just always envisioned being able to go sit with the fish up the creek, even when the day comes that I cannot pursue them. I want my grandchildren to know this forest and these fish, and I realize parts of it will need to live on exactly the way I keep my dad alive for my children, by sharing the memories. Not all is lost here. It’s not as permanent as losing my dad. It remains; the river, she is still alive, as the fish are resilient and the forest has not given up. Let us not give up on them as well. As I am sure you can tell through these words, the loss is still quite fresh but I do have faith actions will be taken, and I trust that time heals most things. I try not to let the worst ever get the best of me and so through this loss, I will cling to my memories and never stop believing in those I have yet to make. Loss is not an easy venture in life, though it undoubtedly

With low numbers of steelhead returning this summer to the North Umpqua – a troubling development for a traditionally strong stock – state managers closed fishing. That was a decision Ichtertz had reached beforehand with how low and “not healthy” the river was in late spring, and she would later hear of few chromers in a calm upstream pool. She worries about the long-term impact of the wildfire on fish habitat and hopes efforts can be made to restore the waters. (SARA ICHTERTZ) 36 Northwest Sportsman

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is part of it. Losing my amazing dad at 21 forced me to learn a lot. It has been 17 years this month since he left us and in a lot of ways I believe only because I lost him have I strived so hard to make him proud. Losing him taught me how brief and fragile life truly is and had a huge impact on me embracing my life the way I have. And so even though my heart still aches for the despair our forest has found itself in, I haven’t lost all hope. I fear the lessons we have yet to learn here, but I must remember to trust in my journey. I have learned how to tell myself to live for today. I tell myself that even though it hurts, loss is necessary. And no matter the loss, be thankful for all the love and all the memories. Just like with my dad and just like with my grandmas. I would have much rather felt their love and known it like I do than to have never known their love at all. This love has made me who I am, and I realize they are never really gone when they are a part of you, like the forest and river and its fish. My heart is on the river and I couldn’t change it, even if I tried. NS

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READER PHOTOS

Kiran Walgamott beams over his resident coho, caught on a late July evening while mooching off of Jeff Head with his father and Chase Gunnell. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

Crick fishing might be something of a lost art around the Northwest, but we know a few folks keeping the tradition going! After learning that fish live in small mountain streams, Jo Jewett asked her dad, Brandon, if they could go catch some. There she used a purple and pink Rooster Tail to catch this trout, then had her “Papa” cook it over the fire, eating everything but the tail! “Kids are spending more time inside instead of riding their bikes to the creek and fishing all day. Needless to say, she won’t be one of those kids,” says Brandon. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

Colson Young and his dad Cody admire a beautiful wild spring Chinook caught and released during a 14-mile hike deep in the Olympic Peninsula. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

Austin Han impressed cousins Maija, Kellan and Annika with his big Mid-Columbia catfish, but they also got into a nice mix of walleye and smallmouth before taking some cooling-off dives into the big river. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

After the Baker Lake sockeye run blew the top off this year’s forecast and allowed state managers to open the reservoir below the North Cascades volcano, Vincent Galvani, 11, trolled up one of the delicious salmon in late July. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

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READER PHOTOS

Fishing might’ve been a little slow that spring day on a Spokane-area lake, but Elizabeth Swopes still managed to catch this 3 1/4-pound rainbow. Friend Les Logsdon sent the pic. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

Trishana Israel is super stoked with this crackof-dawn Puget Sound hatchery Chinook, caught out of her little boat in late July while trolling über-slow with a glow Ace Hi Fly behind a blinking Pro-Troll in green hornet. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

It might not have been the world’s best spring Chinook season this year, but Dylan Smith still managed to catch and keep a couple, including this one. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST) Paula Corcoran kicked off a midsummer vacation exactly the right way, jigging up this Deep South Sound Chinook on a white Grim Reefer taped with Hyper Vis in solar flare. Hubbie Kelly Corcoran looks on as Dan Doty snapped the pic. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

If the young lass elsewhere in these reader photo pages represents the future of creek fishing, Carl Lewallen is its old guard. He beat late June’s heat by heading into Oregon’s Cascades to chase cutthroat. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

For your shot at winning great fishing and hunting products from Northwest Sportsman and Coast, respectively, send your full-resolution, original images with all the pertinent details – who’s in the pic; when and where they were; what they caught their fish on/weapon they used to bag the game; and any other details you’d like to reveal (the more, the merrier!) – to awalgamott@media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave S, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for use in our print and Internet publications. 42 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2021 | nwsportsmanmag.com

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Northwest Sportsman 43

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PHOTO

CONTEST

WINNERS!

Laura Johnson is the winner of our monthly Fishing Photo Contest, thanks to this shot she sent of Cody Young, their son Colson and the Olympic Peninsula spring Chinook Cody caught. It wins her gear from various tackle manufacturers!

Troy Wilder is our monthly Coast Hunting Photo Contest winner, thanks to this pic of son Jayce and his Southern Oregon blacktail. It wins him a knife and light from Coast!

For your shot at winning a Coast knife and light, as well as fishing products from various manufacturers, send your photos and pertinent (who, what, when, where) details to awalgamott@media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave S., Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or Internet publications. nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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Feds Sentence Fourth Man For Poaching Bull Trout

n the latest chapter of a story covered on this page last January, another Central Oregon resident has been sentenced for illegally keeping at least four bull trout from the Metolius River west of Madras. Tyler Glenn Chance Warren, 31, of Pendleton was fined $1,000, ordered to perform 40 hours of community service, banned from fishing for three years and put on federal probation for three years as the fourth Oregonian convicted in federal court as a result of Operation No Bull. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Oregon, in early December 2017 Warren and fellow defendant Thomas R. Campbell, 30, of Culver kept several bull trout from the Metolius above Lake Billy Chinook, posting pics of their catches to Instagram and texting each other images of the fish. Warren’s photos showed him along the river holding a dead bull with a beer can in its mouth and cooking fish meat in a cast iron pan, and Ziploc bags of fillets believed to be bull trout at his home. Warren’s sentencing follows Federal prosecutors say that Tyler Glenn Chance Warren illegally on Campbell’s, which included kept at least four bull trout from Central Oregon’s Metolius River. This disrespectful image was included in the court case against the paying nearly $6,650 in fines and Pendleton 31-year-old. (US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE) restitution, fishing and hunting bans for half a decade, federal probation for five years and 300 hours of community service, either with local tribes or a conservation-focused nonprofit. Bull trout are not only an iconic fish for anglers to catch but are culturally significant to the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs. And the Metolius, which borders the tribes’ reservation, serves as a sanctuary of sorts for the species, as the fish help to rebuild other populations of the Endangered Species Act-listed stock. While they can be kept on a few Northwest waters, including nearby Lake Billy Chinook, the Metolius is not one of them; they can only be caught and released on the river. Others mentioned by the federal attorney’s office include Tyrone T. Wacker, 42, also of Culver, who in December was handed down a $1,000 fine, three-year fish-hunt ban, five years of probation and 90 hours of community service; and Albany’s Joshua Alan Hanslovan, 29, who was sentenced in June to three years of federal probation, three-year angling ban and 125 hours of community service. Operation No Bull has led to more than 30 people being criminally charged, penalized civilly or cited in federal, state and tribal courts, according to the feds. The investigation team included officers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division, Warm Springs Tribes and U.S. Forest Service, with prosecution by Will McLaren and Pam Paaso, assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Oregon District.

JACKASSES OF THE MONTH

ust as with the pandemic, the wanton overharvesting of shellfish we saw last year during Covid-19 never really went away, as cases from the Oregon Coast An Oregon state fish and wildlife trooper takes clams back to the bay after poachers tried to overharvest them this summer. (OSP)

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MIXED BAG

Central Oregon Teens Fined For Poaching Deer

urns out that driving 30 miles an hour over the speed limit with blood on your jacket and in the bed of your pickup and a bogus explanation of how the fluid got there when you’re pulled over by the inevitable state trooper can result in north of $8,500 in restitution and court fines. Justin Borchert, 19, of Bend and Tyra Stevens, hometown unlisted, learned that lesson after being convicted on May 25 by Lake County Judge David Vandenburg on one count each of poaching wildlife. Their case began last October when Oregon State Police Trooper James Hayes spotted Borchert doing 95 mph in a 65 zone near La Pine and pulled him over. Per the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Hayes spotted blood on Borchert’s coat and in the back of his truck. Asked how it got there, Borchert said that Stevens had killed a deer near Blue River, which is east of Eugene. Stevens, who was with him during the traffic stop, confirmed it, adding she’d used a Western Oregon tag, according to ODFW. Only problem with the story: the Blue River area burned during last September’s Holiday Farm fire and was closed afterwards. Upon further questioning, the pair admitted to taking not just one buck but two out of season, the agency reported. “Additional investigative work by the OSP Fish and Wildlife Division revealed the two had also poached a pronghorn and three Canada geese,” ODFW stated. Borchert was ordered to pay the bulk of the restitution and fines, $7,500, but Stevens is also on the hook for $1,000. “Poachers remove opportunities for true sportsmen and -women who purchase licenses and tags, and follow the rules,” said a frustrated Bernadette Graham Hudson, ODFW Wildlife Division Administrator. “Hunters may wait years for the opportunity to legally take a mule deer or pronghorn.” Neither Borchert nor Stevens will be able to hunt for three years as a result of their sentence, which also includes 40 hours of community service and a year of probation.

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Three coolers containing mostly female Dungeness, which are illegal to retain, were seized from crabbers on a pier in Waldport on Oregon’s Central Coast. (OSP) and northern Puget Sound this summer illustrate. In the first, Senior Trooper Bryan Fitch of the Oregon State Police’s Fish and Wildlife Division investigated a complaint from the Newport area and found a guy who had gathered around 280 more mussels than his daily limit of 72 allowed – in other words, nearly four times too many! He and an accomplice were both cited criminally for shellfishing violations, OSP reported. Because mussels can’t be returned to the water like crabs or clams, they were donated to a local charity. In another case, Senior Trooper David Herman found three groups of clam diggers near Garibaldi to be a cumulative total of 851 clams above and way the hell beyond their daily limits. How way the hell beyond? That figure represents “more than 46 personal daily limits of bay clams,” OSP reported. The shellfish pigs were cited criminally and all the clams were returned to Tillamook Bay. But not to be outdone, in June three guys were cited criminally after being found on the Waldport crabbing dock in possession of three coolers loaded with 77 female and 13 undersized male Dungeness, all illegal to keep. “Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife sets season and bag limits for fish and wildlife to protect these species from

overharvesting so that they are available for future generations,” OSP stated, noting that its troopers are tasked with “(ensuring) compliance with the laws and regulations that protect and enhance the long-term health and equitable use of Oregon’s fish and wildlife resources and the habitats upon which they depend.” Meanwhile in Washington, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Sergeant Kit Rosenberger and Officer Brandon Baldwin were on a night patrol near Port Townsend just after the July Dungeness opener when they found a trio on a pier who claimed they’d only caught one crab. “However, Officer Baldwin noted a discrepancy in their story. He dug deeper and found the group had concealed 12 female and three undersized Dungeness crab away from the pier on land,” reported WDFW Police on their Facebook page. Criminal charges were expected to be referred to county prosecutors, as the attempted poaching of female Dungies is considered “an egregious violation” because each is capable of laying as many as 2.5 million eggs each year and parts of Puget Sound have been dealing with low populations in recent years. The cases are a good reminder to the general public that our natural resources do have harvest restrictions and for good reasons – you can’t just go out and vacuum up everything.

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Silver Sign-off For Series

s the Northwest Fishing Derby Series comes to a shimmery silver end this month, it’s going out with a bang – a $75,000 boat package. I know I’ll be floating my trusty kayak onto Puget Sound with entry tickets for the Edmonds and Everett Coho Derbies in hand in hopes of upgrading to the KingFisher 2025 Escape HT. It’s the final grand prize for the series, which is being retired into the organizer’s “Hall of Fame” afterwards, and will be raffled off at the end of the latter event on Sunday afternoon, September 26. I had a chance to fish out of the boat back in July with George Harris and Karsten McIntosh, both of the Northwest Marine Trade Association. With its Yamaha 200- and 9.9-horsepower motors, Shoxs seats, Scotty downriggers and Raymarine Electronics, it was a joy to troll for kings and silvers off the southwest side of Whidbey Island. And those same waters will be prime for coho in September, but note that this year Area 9 is only open for hatchery fish, and due to an early closure, southern Area 8-2 will only be available during the Edmonds

derby. Wild coho can be retained in Area 10. While 2020’s Everett winner, reader Adam Perez, caught his 11.86-pounder on a local river, this year’s freshwater ops are much more restricted, with the Snohomish and Skykomish both closed during that derby’s timeframe. Alternatives include the Skagit and Duwamish-Green.

STEP Umpqua Derby Back On

By Andy Walgamott

fter a one-year hiatus, the three-day GardinerReedsport-Winchester Bay STEP Annual Salmon Derby is back in business over the long Labor Day weekend. Anglers will be working the lower Umpqua for fall Chinook, including an estimated 2,000 returning fish credited to the efforts of the local Salmon Trout Enhancement Program. Organizers say the Chinook linger in the estuary to acclimate to the warmer river temperatures and while working their way through that thermal block, they will bite trolled spinners and baits. Last year’s derby was cancelled due to the pandemic. Tickets to the September 4-6 event ($10 for adults, $25 for a boat with three-plus anglers) are available at fishing tackle outlets and local markets in the Reedsport and Winchester Bay area, from local STEP members and on derby mornings at the East Boat and Rainbow Plaza ramps. Prize for the biggest salmon is $500, while the daily award for largest is $150. There will also be raffle drawings for $1,350 worth of gear from Sportsman’s Warehouse, a kayak, guided trips, gift certificates and products from local businesses. For info, call Debbi at (360) 270-1686.

Adam Perez shows off last year’s winning fish at the Everett Coho Derby, an 11.86-pounder. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

NORTHWEST FISHING DERBY SERIES EVENTS*  Sept. 11: Edmonds Coho Derby  Sept. 25-26: Everett Coho Derby * See nwfishingderbyseries.com for more. The derby series has been around since 2004 and during its 17-year run the lineup expanded from six to 20 by early last year, with 100,000 anglers participating over the seasons. Entry into any one put you in the running for the annual grand prize boat – till last year. With Covid-19 impacting the schedule, those who fished early 2020 derbies and this summer’s events will all be eligible for this month’s final drawing. To be clear, even as the series sails into the sunset, most derbies that have been a part of it will still be held, and they offer pretty handsome prizes in their own right – $5,000 and $10,000, respectively, for biggest coho weighed at Edmonds and Everett. For more, see edmondscohoderby.com and everettcohoderby.com.

MORE UPCOMING EVENTS*

 Now through end of various seasons: Westport Charterboat Association Fishing Derby; charterwestport.com  Now through Oct. 31: WDFW 2021 Trout Derby, select lakes across Washington; wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests/trout-derby  Sept. 4-6: Gardiner-Reedsport-Winchester Bay STEP Annual Salmon Derby, Lower Umpqua; Gardiner-Reedsport-Winchester Bay STEP Annual Salmon Derby on Facebook * Covid-19 restrictions have eased, but always confirm events before attending.

RECENT RESULTS  Lake Coeur d’Alene Big One Fishing Derby, North Idaho’s Lake Coeur d’Alene, July 21-25: First place: John Perez, 28.73-pound Chinook, $6,000  Brewster Salmon Derby, Upper Columbia’s Brewster Pool, Aug. 6-8: King of the Pool: Matt Safransky, 18.85-pound Chinook, $2,000; first place adult division: Wes Gano, 18.78-pound Chinook, $1,500; youth 9-14 winner: Alex Davis, 18.25-pound Chinook, $550  South King County Puget Sound Anglers Derby, South Sound, Aug. 7: First place: Justin Wolff, 19.40-pound Chinook, $2,500; second: Bill Combs, 19.20-pound Chinook, $1,500; third: Larry Bower, 17.95-pound Chinook, $750  Washington Tuna Classic, Pacific off Westport, Aug. 13-14: First place (heaviest five fish): Team Usual Suspects, 122.56 pounds, $1,500; second: Team Sea-Ya-Later, 121.42 pounds, $750; third: Team Chic Clique, 120.30 pounds, $500  Gig Harbor Puget Sound Anglers Derby, South Sound, Aug. 14: First place: Bill Combs, 18.93-pound Chinook, $2,500; second: John Aiken, 17.83-pound Chinook, $1,000; third: Jerry Foss, 16.64-pound Chinook nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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OUTDOOR

CALENDAR* SEPTEMBER

Washington deer (bow), cougar, dove and various small game openers; Fall turkey opener in most Eastern Washington units; Oregon statewide grouse, dove openers; Fall turkey opener in select Northcentral Oregon units; Western Oregon mountain and California quail openers; Northeast Oregon steelhead opener; Columbia steelhead closures begin from Dalles Dam to Highway 395 4 CAST for Kids event at Clear Lake (Spokane, registration) – info: castforkids.org 4-9/12 Washington September Canada goose season dates (vary by area) 6 Last scheduled day Columbia’s Buoy 10 fishery open for Chinook retention 7 Buoy 10 hatchery coho limit increases to three a day 10-12 Oregon Central, South Coast nonselective ocean coho opener and following Fridays through Sundays through Sept. 30 or until 14,000-fish quota met 11 Washington bow elk hunt opens; CAST for Kids event on Lake Washington (Renton, registration) – info: see above 11-12 Fern Ridge Wildlife Area youth upland bird hunt weekend; ODFW Adult Pheasant Hunting Workshops ($, registration), Sauvie Island Wildlife Area – info: myodfw.com/workshops-and-events 11-15/19 Oregon September Canada goose season dates (vary by zone) 12 CAST for Kids event on Hagg Lake (registration) – info: see above 13 Opening of fee pheasant hunting at Fern Ridge Wildlife Area 15 New date Washington statewide grouse opener 15-23 Bandtail pigeon season in Oregon, Washington 15-25 High Buck Hunt in several Washington Cascades and Olympics wilderness areas, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area 16-19 2021 Seattle Boats Afloat Show, Lake Union – info: boatsafloatshow.com; 37th Annual Portland Fall RV & Van Show, Expo Center – info: otshows.com 18-19 Denman, Klamath, Ladd Marsh and Sauvie Island Wildlife Areas and Madras and John Day youth upland bird hunting weekend; ODFW Adult, Ladies Pheasant Hunting Workshops ($, registration), Monmouth – info: see above; Washington youth pheasant and Eastside youth quail and partridge hunting weekend 20 Opening of fee pheasant hunting at Denman, Sauvie Island Wildlife Areas 20-24 Washington senior and disabled hunter pheasant hunting week 25 50th Annual National Hunting & Fishing Day – info: nhfday.org; Washington statewide muzzleloader deer hunt opens; Western Washington youth duck and coot hunting day 25-26 Coquille Valley, EE Wilson, Irrigon and White River Wildlife Areas youth upland bird hunting weekend 27 Opening of fee pheasant hunting at EE Wilson Wildlife Area

OCTOBER 1

Salmon, steelhead opener on numerous Oregon streams; Coho opener on Oregon Coast’s Siltcoos, Tahkenitch and Tenmile Lakes 2 Western Oregon (formerly Coast and Cascade) and most controlled rifle buck openers; Washington muzzleloader elk opener; Eastern Washington youth waterfowl hunting day; Eastern Washington quail, partridge openers 9 Oregon quail, pheasant, partridge, fall turkey, Zone 2 snipe and early duck, and High Desert and Blue Mountains Zones Canada, whitefronted goose openers 10 Deer, elk rifle openers in many Idaho units 15 Last day of Oregon ocean crab season 16 Washington general rifle deer season opener; Last day of bottomfish retention off Washington Coast 16-17 ODFW Youth Pheasant Hunts, Ontario (free, registration) – info: see above 16-24 Washington early general duck season dates 16-26 Youth three-point-minimum or antlerless whitetail deer hunt dates in select far Eastern Washington units * Covid-19 restrictions were easing at press time, but always confirm events before attending. nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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NEW FROM TODD A. VANDIVERT FOR YOUR PROTECTION Wildlife Justice Series, Book 6

FOR YOUR PROTECTION is retired Fish and Wildlife Detective Todd Vandivert’s sixth book of his Wildlife Justice Series. In this book, Washington Fish and Wildlife Officer Mike Fetisov works to apprehend a serial poacher who has been killing, mutilating, and leaving big game animals to rot. While Officer Fetisov tirelessly works to identify and apprehend the poacher, other fish and wildlife officers in Okanogan County attempt to determine the true intentions of a group of heavily armed right-wing extremists living and operating a business in Okanogan County. Todd began his career with the Washington Department of Game in 1979. Todd served as the editor of the Washington Game Warden Association magazine, the editor of International Game Warden Magazine. Todd served with the WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife for 34-years, the last eight of which he worked undercover.

Check out the other books from the series. Available at amazon.com

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Western Range Camps has roots building sheepherder shelters, but these days offers ‘fully customizable state-of-the-art RVs and camps’ to the public and drovers alike. PHOTOS BY WESTERN RANGE CAMPS

hat began as a sheep company building shelters for their herders has evolved over the past two decades into a full-service operation offering fully customizable state-of-theart RVs and camps. Here is the story of Western Range Camps. In 2003, when Mickel Brothers Sheep Company of Utah needed more camps for their herders, they took it upon themselves to build their own. “They also thought about it and realized how practical these camps could be for the general public if they added in a few of the RV amenities,” explains Heidi Anderson of Western Range Camps. “Sheep camps normally were smaller

and did not have bathrooms or running water. Mickel started Timberline Range Camps and began building camps for the general public about that time.”

Anderson began working for the company in 2010, and she and her

husband purchased it shortly thereafter, rebranding themselves as Western

The Toy Hauler/Cargo Trailer features 16 feet of living space and room to fit a side-by-side ATV.

nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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A look inside Western Range Camps’ RV shows a comfy bed, dining table, bench, sink, oven and more.

Range Camps. “We have a couple of the original workers still working here and still associate a lot with Mickel Brothers,” she says. “We still build many of the camps used by sheep herders, but we have continued to advance the build process, and design and construct camps that work great for the general public and hunters specifically.” Western Range Camps offers a wide variety of camps and RVs for the outdoor enthusiast, each with its own unique amenities. The Heritage, for example, is great for families since it features pull-out trundle beds and roomy accommodations. The Zion is smaller and lighter for the sportsman who wants to visit those hard-to-reach, out-of-the-way places. Anderson says the Survivalist model is becoming their most popular floor plan because it can sleep the most people. But one of the most remarkable aspects of Western Range Camps is their ability to customize their camps to suit the unique requirements of each customer. 58 Northwest Sportsman

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“We can change out the size, width, color scheme and floor plan to meet the customer’s individual needs,” says Anderson. “We have staff that will sit down with our customers, either in person, over the phone or by email, and design the floor plan right with the customer. We build from the ground up and do almost the entire camp in-house. We use the most quality and durable material we have available and work tirelessly to get the customer a camp that will last their lifetime and beyond.” No matter how you want to customize your camp, or what add-ons you want to include, all Western Range Camps begin with a solid foundation to ensure you stay warm and dry while braving the elements. “Our walls are about 2 inches thick and our floor is about 6 inches thick,” explains Anderson. “We build our frame with steel tubing and have great ground clearance. We build the rest of the camp out of ½- and ¾-inch plywood that will hold up well as the camp bounces around on those bumpy mountain roads. We

build the first layer of our floor with sheet metal so rodents and water cannot get in, and the rest of the camp is wrapped with aluminum and as watertight as we can get it. With the rounded roof to help repel rain and snow, it is a camp that can go anywhere and hold up very good over time.” Western Range Camps continues to evolve its product line, recently introducing gooseneck camps and toy haulers. “It’s the same durable materials and construction as in our camps, but with the flexibility of carrying your toys inside,” says Anderson. “We have the same flexibility for changing out the floor plan, size and options. It just gives our customers other options while still having great construction and insulation.” Though they are a small company of just six employees, the team at Western Range Camps strives to give their customers the personal attention that you don’t usually get with purchasing an RV. “We listen to our customers and try to build just what they want,” says Anderson. “We have developed friendships with our customers and have some that call in monthly to check in and let us know how they are doing. Our customers are our friends and we try to do everything we can before and after a sale to help them out.” Editor’s note: For more information, visit wrcamps.com.

“We can change out the size, width, color scheme and floor plan to meet the customer’s individual needs,” says the company’s Heidi Anderson. Here’s the kitchen of the Toy Hauler/Cargo Trailer.

TODD A. VANDIVERT

fter graduating from Washington State University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management/ Chemistry, hoping to Todd A. Vandivert, present start a career working outdoors. Todd began his career with the Washington Department of Game in 1979 and has been stationed in three of the state’s six regions, retiring in 2012 after 33 years. Todd was the first game warden in the world to design and build a radio-controlled (robotic) deer decoy, now being used in almost every state in the country. Todd was a defensive tactics instructor, a crit-

ical incident peer support counselor, a meth lab tech, and a certified polygraph examiner. Todd served as editor of both the Washington Game Warden Association magazine and International Game Warden Magazine. Todd has written/published seven books: The non-fiction Operation Cody and the six-book fiction Wildlife Justice Series (Poaching Spree, To Protect A Predator, A Falcon’s Tale, Lethal Removal, Deep Trouble, and For Your Protection), with a seventh non-fiction book (Hunting The Hunters) coming out Sept. 2021. Todd is one of only two officers who have received the WDFW Statewide Officer of the Year award twice. His other awards include; the NWTF Officer of the Year award, the WDFW Case of the Year award,

WDFW Detective of the Year award, the Shikar-Safari Club Officer of the Year award, the American Police Hall of Fame award, the Legion of Honor Award, the US Forest Service Award of Merit- Outstanding case, and the NAWEOA (North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association)- Outstanding officer award. Todd served with the WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife for 34-years, the last eight of which he worked undercover. Today Todd and his wife Judy, are retired Todd A. Vandivert, and living in western undercover Washington.

nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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HUNTING

Hunting Mtn. Muleys Expert details three tactics for bagging a buck this fall. By Jason Brooks

hen it comes to deer hunting, the whitetail might be “America’s deer” and the blacktail the “ghost of the forest,” but the mule deer is king. Maybe it is the wide antlers and tall points with deep forks, or the country they are found in, which varies from the desert to the alpine. It could be that because its cousins are often found in small tracts of land and even patterned to an

.. .

Mule deer occupy a wide range of habitats – from the breaks of the Snake, Columbia and other rivers to the rooftop gardens of the east Cascades, Blues and other inland ranges – and it might just be in the mountains that author Jason Brooks likes hunting them the most. (JASON BROOKS) nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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HUNTING FISHING extent, the muley is an unknown in comparison. One day they are in a high-country basin and the next day the same buck might be two mountains away. Then there is the migratory factor – when it snows in the backcountry, hunters get excited for the mature bucks to make their way down to the lowlands. Indeed, mule deer become an obsession for hunters, as the large-eared deer are often a favorite to pursue but they also can be very frustrating. Ask any mule deer hunter how they find deer and harvest mature bucks and you will get a different answer just about every time. This might be because they don’t want to share their secrets of success, or they just describe how they hunt in a way that might not seem conventional to the whitetail or blacktail hunter. Since mule deer tend to roam across large areas, it is much harder to figure

Saddles between summer and winter range are good places to look for muleys, with bucks often feeding in the more open south-facing slopes early in the day and retreating to cooler timber on the other side of the pass through the warmer hours. (JASON BROOKS) 64 Northwest Sportsman

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out where a single buck might be. In reality, it is not just one particular buck, but instead it is the area that determines how to find deer, and it might happen to be the same area that one buck prefers to spend their summer or fall. Mule deer habitat varies so much that it is really hard to say you must hunt one way or another, but there are some techniques that will help you find a muley this fall. Other than hunting private lands, where food plots and water are strategically placed, muleys of the mountains are often taken by one of three methods: still-hunting, ambushing and the most popular, spot-and-stalk.

STILL-HUNTING IS REALLY not “still” but instead slowly moving and looking for deer. Moving slowly literally means to move slow – very slow. One of the best mule deer hunters I have ever known covered a mile or less during

the entire day, killing most of his deer in the thick timber. He knew the deer bedding areas and sneaking in on a bedded mule deer buck is hard to do. Take a step and glass by kneeling below the tree limbs and look for pieces of deer. Take another step and glass again. The idea is to see the deer before it bolts from its bed in alarm. To be successful at still-hunting you need to put yourself where the deer will be at the right time of day and location on the mountain. Early morning finds deer finishing their nighttime feeding, especially during a full moon. (This season’s full moons occur September 21 and October 20.) Deer will be out in the predawn to early morning in openings and actively feeding. This is a good time to slowly work across south-facing slopes and ridgetops. As the cool of morning wanes into midday heat, deer will move to shaded areas, especially on north-

HUNTING Still-hunting requires a hunter to move very slowly through mule deer country while glassing for parts of animals as they move about or are bedded down. (JASON BROOKS)

facing slopes. Since fall nighttime temperatures will be near or below freezing, deer will have put on their winter coats, making for unbearable afternoon temperatures, especially in the backcountry where the temperatures can fluctuate 30 degrees or more during the day. Mule deer prefer cool weather and will bed down during the warmer parts of the day. Slowly walk shaded areas in heavy tree cover, especially on north-facing slopes that have water. One such area where I hunt has accounted for several midday bucks over the years, each one taken within a few hundred yards of a spring where water bubbles up and the shade stays all day long.

AMBUSHING A MULEY sounds almost impossible but it is one of the most successful ways to find a mature buck. It is also one of the most boring and mundane ways to hunt and takes

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HUNTING a lot of patience. Mule deer are migratory, whether it be a “micro” migration from one basin to another or a major movement such as the one made in Wyoming. Deer here have been studied extensively and biologists learned on herd annually migrates from the Red Desert to the Hoback Range, some 150 miles away. The animals often use the same trails and passes to get to their summer grounds and return to their wintering areas. They’re not an anomaly either. In Washington, the mule deer migration out of the Entiat Mountains to the breaks of the Upper Columbia produces mature bucks for those lucky hunters who draw special permits for the late season. Migrations also occur out of the Evergreen State’s Pasayten Wilderness and Kettle Range, and even from the northeastern Columbia Basin toward the Snake River Breaks. Indeed, virtually all mule deer migrate from

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winter to summer grounds and back again each year, and studies have shown they use the same routes, generation after generation. More than once, I have sat on an open-faced slope that looks over a saddle leading from the backcountry to the breaks above the wintering grounds and spotted deer moving through. Finding a saddle, ridgeline or other migration corridor is the hard part, but once you find one then it is only a matter of time. You can count on these same “pinch points” each year as deer migrate through. But the timing of the fall migration is what makes hunting mule deer problematic in states where rifle season for the species is short. Washington’s general mule deer season for modern firearms hunters is only 11 days long, this year running from October 16 through the 26th. Some years the first snowfall in the backcountry occurs in mid-

September, and other years it stays clear and dry until Thanksgiving. Mule deer migrate for one major reason and it is not the rut. Biologists have noticed that the movement is correlated with food and the need for calories. When there is an early snow or even a deep freeze, the vegetation deteriorates and dies. This means deer need to eat more food to get the calories needed for daily energy. When the forage isn’t good enough to sustain this, the deer move to lower grounds where it is still viable. Timing is everything when it comes to ambushing mule deer. Look for saddles that lead from one high peak – or a series of peaks – and basins where mule deer summer, to a lower mountain that has a southfacing slope or large areas of winter grounds. Once you find a travel route you need to sit and sit some more. If the migration has started, deer will be moving all day long, as they

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HUNTING Spot-and-stalk might be the quintessential mule deer technique, glassing for bucks and then sneaking into position for a shot. But if you spot one and are hunting with a partner, send them towards the saddle above the deer in case it bolts before you get in position – or your successful shot causes an unseen muley to flee toward what it considers to be the exit to safety. (JASON BROOKS)

are hungry. Again, pay attention to daytime temps, as the deer will time it to stay comfortable, but if a cold snap occurs, be sure to get to that saddle and sit – and sit some more. Deer doing a “micro” migration, which means they are simply moving from one mountain or basin to another, often use these same migration routes. I killed my very first buck this way, sitting in a saddle that was known to be a deer travel route. It was blowing hard, with a foot of powder snow on the ground. One side of the saddle featured timber and a water hole but was cold, as it faced north. The other side was in full sunshine and featured a wildfire scar from 20 years earlier, opening the canopy. On this side it was warm and, once over the ridge, it was out of the wind. I sat in the middle, where it was sunny but freezing cold, as the wind cut through the saddle. A half hour later, a small buck made its way from the cold side to the warmer open hillsides and passed right by me 70 Northwest Sportsman

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at 30 yards. I got lucky that it was a short sit, but other times we have sat all day and watched deer file by, waiting for a mature buck to show.

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SPOT-AND-STALK is what most hunters think of when it comes to “traditional” mule deer hunting. This is simply sitting on a vantage point and glassing for mule deer. Once you find the buck you want to go after, it is a matter of figuring out how to stalk close enough for a shot. This is a bit of a combo of both ambushing and still-hunting. Again, you need to put yourself in a position to find the deer and know where the deer will be. If it is early or late in the day, when the deer are active, it can be as simple as glassing up deer out feeding, then figuring out if you can close the distance fast enough to get a shot before the deer “feeds away,” or to wait and watch it until it beds. Other times it is glassing a buck that is already bedded and then going after it. Doing this means knowing thermals for wind direction, terrain that will assist in the stalking, and other deer that might bump and push the buck away. Watching travel routes and knowing where the deer are heading once spotted will help you decide if you want to go after the buck or wait until it might come back out at last light to feed again. This technique, like ambushing and still-hunting, takes a lot of patience. You need to be part meteorologist, part map maker, part sharpshooter and have a whole lot of fortitude. Sometimes the deer is a few hundred yards away, but don’t overlook glassing several miles away either. This might sound impossible, but you are trying to find mule deer and that might even be deer you will hunt the next day. Stalking is often thought of as the hardest part of the technique, but in reality it is the spotting part that is the most difficult, often requiring hours and days of glassing and picking apart bushes and rocks to find a buck.

HUNTING Many times I have sat on a ridge and glassed a mature buck that was bedded and watched a hunter walk right by it. Pay attention to the deer and how it reacts; if it blows out, watch where it goes, as it will often go out a safety route, which is also a travel or migration route. Other times it might sit still and wait until the danger has passed by, which is usually when the deer sees the hunter but doesn’t smell them. This might tip you to the thermals and how to approach the bedded buck. If you find a buck a long way away, like a mile or more, then glass up where it is at and make a game plan to get closer. This might happen during the same day or it might be a “put it to bed and try again the next day” scenario. Mule deer will often move one or two basins through the night, but also return a day or two later. It all depends on if the deer was pushed, water and

forage situations, weather and even moonlight. But if you find a buck and watch it until last light, there is a good chance it will be near there the next day. This is the time to also look for a place to glass from the next morning at first light. In today’s technological world, you can drop a “pin” where the buck is at and then look at a topographical map on your phone or GPS and figure out where you need to be to find that buck again. Smartphones and GPS have really changed the spot-andstalk technique, so use these to your advantage.

ONE LAST THING for those who hunt with a partner: Use each other to tag that buck. By this I mean combine techniques if possible. When a buck is spotted in its bed and you decide to stalk it, instead of having your partner stay behind and watch through the spotting scope,

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have them head to the nearest saddle and wait to ambush the buck. If you bump it before getting a shot, the deer might run right towards your partner. Or, since mature mule deer bucks are often found in bachelor groups, another buck might flee when you complete your stalk and your hunting partner will be waiting for the second. Same with still-hunting a northfacing slope. Look at the map and if there is a saddle or open ridge on the other side or at the top, have someone sit up there. Just keep in mind thermals and the weather so that whoever sits in ambush won’t accidentally scare the deer out the other way if the wind isn’t right. Success on mule deer this fall is only a technique away. The most important thing I can pass along is to have patience and not rush a stalk or a still-hunt. Sit and sit some more at that migration route and you will fill your tag. NS

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HUNTING Elk trails converge on an east Cascade Mountains creek. “Once I locate some water sources, I usually have unlocked all the clues I need in order to have an optimal chance at notching a tag,” writes author Dave Anderson. (DAVE ANDERSON)

Tips For Early Season Elk Bowhunters face tough conditions in September, but they’re not insurmountable. By Dave Anderson

rchery hunting for elk during the early season has several challenges that seem to increase with each year, particularly east of the Cascades. September seems to be hotter and dryer, which makes for tough hunting conditions in itself. Then there are large land closures as forest managers react to wildfires or fire danger. In addition, the elk are generally quiet and not even talking for the first few days of the season. I’m not saying that they will not be talking at all, but not nearly as much as when the first cold snap hits.

When I drew my quality bow elk tag in 2016, the bulls were still flying solo and had yet to round up any cows. I will detail that hunt in a bit, but in my opinion, the number one key to success for combating the challenges of early season is to find water. Whether you are hunting for a cow, spike or large bull, one thing remains the same – they all need water to survive. Having a few to several days to scout can be crucial. I have gone into areas that were super dry with no foot traffic and spent three to four days just wandering around looking for water sources off the beaten path. Once I locate some, I usually have unlocked

all the clues I need in order to have an optimal chance at notching a tag. I was able to locate a gold mine water source after three days during my quality elk hunt. It had everything from lush grass to water coming from a mountain spring that led to a bedding area on a deep, dark north-facing slope. I seriously wanted to yell “Bingo!” when I found it. This has been something that has worked very well for me during the early archery season, but I’m sure there are other tactics that have worked well for others too.

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HUNTING are very dry. Every little step you make and every leaf, twig or piece of bark you step on turns into an alarm that lets all the animals in the forest know you are there. However, if you are calling and working elk, that may be an exception, as that is quite

different than trying to sit it out and wait for them to come to you. I do not necessarily believe it is crucial to be out hunting all day and sweating in the heat this time of year. You can still be very effective by heading out midafternoon and finding a place to hunker down. The optimal

An Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife map shows where archery elk hunting will expand to controlled permit only next year. Seven of the units – Chesnimnus, Ochoco, Maury, Mt. Emily, Sled Springs, Walla Walla and Wenaha – plus the Starkey Experimental Forest were so designated this season. (ODFW)

CHANGES COMING TO N.E. OREGON ARCHERY ELK

ore wildlife management units in Oregon’s Blue Mountains will move from general season to controlled archery elk hunting only starting next year, an effort that will reduce harvest. The state Fish and Wildlife Commission made that decision last month because it was “needed to help wildlife managers meet elk plan objectives in areas with low bull ratios and a high percentage of branch-antlered bull harvest occurring within the general archery season.” While seven units were previously designated as controlled hunts, the change folds in 13 more plus three subunits, with the Catherine Creek, Imnaha, Keating, Minam and Pine Creek WMUs all lumped under a new Eagle Cap Controlled Hunt Zone. Per the Department of Fish and Wildlife, agency staffers have also been directed to come up with plans for controlled youth elk bow permits for the units “to promote youth hunting opportunity and hunter recruitment.” A proposal is expected to come before the commission for adoption starting with 2023 hunts. The rest of Eastern, Central and Western Oregon will remain open for general season archery elk hunting. –NWS

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early-season place to set up is between a bedding area and a water source. You want to be at this location early enough so that the elk do not have a chance of hearing you make noise entering the area. As the elk start to transition from their bedding area to the water source/feeding location, you will already be settled in, quiet and prepared. Sometimes you may find an area where there are multiple game trails coming in and out. These are great areas to set up in, especially with friends so you can spread out amongst the multiple trails. Next, be conscious of the wind and always make sure that it is in your face coming from the bedding areas. An elk’s number one sense is their nose. If you feel the wind on the back of your neck, it is game over. When looking for a place to set up, look for game trails coming out of the bedding areas. Elk are not very good at covering up their tracks and leave behind a lot of clues as to where they are coming from and going to.

PACK YOUR PATIENCE too in the early season. Hunting this way can be very tough for some, but I know firsthand how highly effective it can be. Find a nice area where you can sit and stand without making a lot of noise. Move all sticks and loud crunchy leaves away from you. You do not want to step on a stick or leaf as you position yourself to take a shot with your bow. Once I find the most ideal location, I will sit as long as I can for the first few hours. By the evening, I want to be standing up behind a tree or shrub to break up my outline. It is important that you wait and stay in position until the last legal shooting light. This same method will also work in the morning. You just have to sneak in super early, in the dark, without being detected and target elk as they are transitioning from the water source back to their bedding area. If you have followed all the rules of keeping the wind in your face, breaking up your outline and keeping movement to a minimum,

HUNTING everything else will fall into place. Some of you may ask, Why wouldn’t I just walk into the bedding area during the day and try to get a shot at an elk? Trust me, I know it can be very tempting, but I am an adamant and firm believer that if you know elk are traveling to and from a specific area, you will catch them on that path. Spooked elk will blow so far and fast out of an area, it will make your head spin. I personally have refused to take some of my best friends to certain areas that I know hold elk because they will not sit still. They can’t handle being patient and waiting, so for that reason we will hunt other areas where it is not such a big deal. Sitting down and waiting is not for everyone, which I totally understand, but it has been a very effective method for me from the early through the late season when hunting elk with a bow.

NOW BACK TO detailing what I found that made my quality elk tag in 2016 successful. I was in the mountains every other weekend from July to the day I filled my tag. I put up almost a dozen trail cameras with Trophy Rocks under each camera. If you

The author credits his whopper 2016 bull to months of scouting and preparation. (DAVE ANDERSON) After locating good late-summer elk habitat, Anderson peppers the area with trail cameras and mineral licks to get a sense of what bulls are using the area. (DAVE ANDERSON)

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didn’t already know, these mineral licks are like crack for elk. I did my due diligence in researching the area and properly prepared for my hunt. My friend, his son and my wife spent most of the summer checking cameras. We looked for trails and placed cameras in locations we anticipated would be high-traffic areas for elk. By the time opening day came around, we had 27 different branch-antlered bulls on camera. I knew exactly where we wanted to sit on opening morning and shot my bull at 7:27 a.m. that day. All of this happened because of proper preparation. We knew which area was being traveled most, as well as which area held the most bulls. At that time, the bulls were still in singles and bachelor herds. As I mentioned

HUNTING above, they did not have any cows rounded up yet. The bull I shot was solo and the crazy part was that we hadn’t even seen him until two days prior to me taking the shot. We did get a glimpse of him on a camera, but that one was also set up a couple miles away from where I shot him.

THIS ISN’T THE only way I hunt elk and

there are definitely different scenarios that call for different tactics. This is also not for everyone – especially if you have a hard time sitting still and being patient. It takes a lot of discipline to sit for hours upon hours. Be sure to have something to read or listen to, or even a game to play – it helps make the time go by. I hate to admit it, but I

harvested an elk with my bow several years ago while I was in the middle of a game of Candy Crush. It helped pass the time and I certainly wasn’t bored. With that said, good luck during this year’s elk season and hopefully this article gives you some different ideas and perspective on how to be successful during early archery season east of the mountains. NS

ODFW ACQUIRING NEW WILDLIFE AREA

hen it comes to land acquisitions in the Northwest, Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife is the most active, but last month Oregon’s critter and habitat overseers began the process of securing a sprawling 24-plus-square-mile property along the Minam River for a new wildlife area that will also host hunting, fishing, hiking and other recreational activities. The state Fish and Wildlife Commission signed off on the project’s first phase, the purchase of almost 5,000 acres, with funding from the Rocky Mountain Elk

Foundation and revenues from federal gun and ammo excise taxes via the Wildlife Restoration Program. “This will permanently protect crucial big game winter range and provide habitat for salmon, bull trout and Oregon Conservation Strategy Species, including white-headed woodpecker, Rocky Mountain tailed frog and several priority bat species,” said ODFW in a press release. The land is located up the Minam River between La Grande and Enterprise and has been managed by Hancock Natural Resource Group.

An image from a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation fact sheet shows a portion of the 15,573 acres along and above the Minam River that the organization is partnering with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and others to acquire for a major new state wildlife area. (RMEF) 82 Northwest Sportsman

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ODFW sees it as a “‘working landscape’ where livestock grazing and active forest management assist with habitat management goals.” Funding for the acquisition of the remaining 11,000 acres is dependent on a USDA Forest Legacy grant that will be matched by RMEF. ODFW reports that the Oregon Hunters Association, Oregon Chapter of the Foundation for Wild Sheep and others are contributing money towards the project. The state agency will pay in-lieu property and fire taxes to Wallowa and Union Counties. –NWS

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SJX JET BOATS

rowing up in the Lewis Clark Valley, aka the “Jet Boat Capital of the World,” it was an easy career choice for Steve Stajkowski to start working in the aluminum jet boat industry. In the early 1980s, when he was still in high school, Stajkowski got a job at a manufacturer, starting as a cleanup boy and working his way up the ladder. He was eventually able to experience every aspect of the aluminum jet boat manufacturing process, and he was fascinated. “During breaks, before or after work, I was always using the tools of the trade, learning how to fabricate, building various boat parts, and grabbing a welder whenever possible,” says Stajkowski. His interest didn’t stop there. After high school, he enrolled in a night welding course at the local college, but he concluded that he was better off getting a handson education and on-the-job experience that was much more specific to the aluminum jet boat industry. By the late 1990s, Stajkowski had started working for himself, and a few years

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later, he designed the very first “inboard tunnel hull” jet boat with the ability to run extremely shallow debris-filled waters. “Most all aluminum jet boat manufacturers, past and present, produce the Hells Canyon River Jet Boat design, which I call the typical jet boat design,” he explains. “All of them are pretty much the same with truly little design differences. When you live in the jet boat capital of the world and the gateway to Hells Canyon, it stands to reason that they would all be similar. Form follows function.” Stajkowski continues, “My type of tunnel hull aluminum jet boat was not designed specifically for Hells Canyon use, and it did not look anything like the typical jet boats. There is only one Hells Canyon in the entire world. I designed the tunnel hull jet boat to target all the thousands of other types of rivers and shallow bodies of water around the globe.” After nearly a year of CAD work designing the boat, the structure, and optimizing the material use, the first jet boat was produced in 2007, and a new company, SJX

Jet Boats, was born. What makes Stajkowski’s jet boats unique is that they are designed with a structure he calls a heavy-duty, lightweight construction. The continuous full-length welding, accompanied by a double bulkhead floor structure system, allows an SJX jet boat to flex as a unit, preventing any possibility of fractures or cracks beginning. All of this combined with the truly brutal testing they do on a continuing basis gives SJX the confidence to place a lifetime hull warranty on every jet boat produced. “To date, we have had zero warranty claims on our tunnel hull design,” says Stajkowski. But perhaps the biggest attraction for SJX’s customers is having the shallow-water abilities to reach places that other typical aluminum boats cannot even come close to, opening up so many more hunting, fishing and recreational possibilities. This has never been more important to outdoor sportsmen and -women than right now, when social distancing is the new normal. Says Stajkowski, “The SJX jet boat allows people to get away from it all and go to places where there is not a chance of any other boats sharing their space.” For more info, visit sjxjetboats.com.

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COLUMN A lot of preparation goes into the perfect venison steak, starting with how you cut your deer or – in this case – elk up. (RANDY KING)

How To Prep, Cook The Perfect Venison Steak T

here’s just about nothing as American as a hunk of grilled red meat. Sure, some CHEF IN people harvest a deer THE WILD or elk and dream By Randy King of pot roasts or hamburgers, even spaghetti. But most of us, myself included, dream of a grilled hunk of backstrap. With 2021’s big game hunting seasons here already or fast approaching, learning how to grill a steak the best possible way is paramount. Often the refrain from hunters is that

venison is chewy or gamey. Most times that is simply because it is overcooked. The right cut of venison, off just about any age class of animal, will eat wonderfully. You just need to consider a few things.

AS A KID, my whole family participated in butchering our kills. When anyone shot a big game critter, the whole family was part of making it into meals. One person was the meat cutter, one was the wrapper, one was the labeler. We had a process and we all had a role to play. Looking back, it seems idyllic. But truth be known, we were wild game processing

apostates. We were sinners. We did one very common thing, and it slowed the whole operation down and made our food worse. We butterfly-cut our steaks. I know, I know. We have sinned and I am asking for forgiveness. Why not butterfly? Well, I am glad you asked. When butchering and freezing, the temptation is to cut backstrap and sirloins into steaks and then freeze. The theory is that when you thaw the meat, it is ready for the marinade, dry rub, wet rub or whatever. But I recommend not cutting steaks before freezing. Precutting steaks disturbs more cells in the meat. The more cells you

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COLUMN

GIVE YOUR STEAK A WET RUB

traditional rub on steaks is completely dry, no moisture allowed, while a traditional marinade is for flavor and tenderization. So, the only oblivious (yes, I know what word that is) choice is to combine the two and make a wet rub. Usually, I like to let my venison hang out in the wet rub overnight, if possible. If not, no worries, it will still taste good. The basic idea of a wet rub is to combine the flavors with a binding agent and some sort of garlic or onion combination. I use olive oil and then pulse the items in a food processor until they form a paste. Then I will add the paste to a bowl and toss the meat that I will be grilling into said bowl.

A basic wet rub would include (clockwise from top) kosher salt, cracked black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic, rosemary, sage leaves and olive oil, or you can spice it up with other herbs and seasonings. (RANDY KING)

Ideally, you let your evenly coated steak marinate for 24 hours before cooking, or at least overnight. (RANDY KING)

Basic Wet Rub 3 cloves garlic 5-6 sage leaves 1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper 1 tablespoon kosher salt 3 tablespoons olive oil Asada Rub ¼ yellow onion 5 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon Tapatío 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1.5 tablespoons carne asada seasoning (Hispanic section of most grocery stores) 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons oregano 1 tablespoon paprika 2 tablespoons olive oil Moroccan Rub ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons white sugar ¼ cup olive oil ½ teaspoon cayenne 88 Northwest Sportsman

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No need to burn your venison all the way to 145 degrees. The concept of carryover cooking means it will still gain temperature as it rests after being taken off of the heat and before it’s served up. (RANDY KING)

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COLUMN 1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 lemon, juice and zest

½ tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon sriracha paste 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

Kalbi Rub (inspired by the Idaho Beef Council) ¼ cup soy sauce 3 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons sesame oil ½ onion 2 cloves garlic 1 green onion, rough chopped

Whichever wet rub recipe you’re trying, combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until a “chunky” paste is formed. Rub onto about 1.5 pounds of venison. Cover the meat as evenly as you can with the wet rub. Then let the meat hang out in it, covered, for 24 hours in the

disturb, the more water purge you will get. All the “blood” in a thawed freezer bag is just red purge from the muscles. So limiting the number of cuts helps retain meat quality. Also, precut steaks have more surface area and more surface area is more opportunity for freezer burn. Freezing whole cuts of meat is better for the meat than precutting it into steaks. A few extra seconds cutting the meat into medallions

when thawed is worth it for higher quality. Don’t cut steaks, cut “primals.”

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ALSO, DON’T FREEZE meat in the chest freezer. The faster any meat freezes, the better. Freezing sends ice shards through cell walls, causing them to break down – to the detriment of the meat. The slower the freeze, the worse the meat. A chest freezer is simply cold; it has no forced air circulation.

fridge. If that long is not an option for you, just give the meat as much time in the rub as you can. The flavors tend to meld better together that way. Preheat the grill. Scrape the grill clean with a wire brush. Then soak a paper towel in oil and carefully remove the black scraping from the grates. The grill is ready for venison! Cook to the temperature you desire. Enjoy a good steak! Be an American! For more wild game recipes, see chefrandyking.com. –RK

Instead, I freeze all my meat in the home fridge, right next to the unit’s fan. While not any colder, the forced circulation freezes the meat faster. That is a good thing. When thawing meat, time is your best friend. Most weeks I will pull out enough meat for the week on Sunday evening. That way I know that what I want to cook is thawed and ready to cook. Putting meat underwater to thaw quickly is OK, but not great. Also try to avoid using the defrost

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Northwest Sportsman 91

COLUMN button on the microwave if at all possible.

WHEN YOU HAVE a primal ready to be eaten, the next “step” is to find the direction of the grain of meat. When you do, cut the steak about 1.5 inches thick, at a minimum. The reason you want the steak so thick is to allow caramelization of all the surfaces without overcooking the inside. The classic “grey” venison steak is caused by getting the grill marks but not having a steak thick enough to be medium rare on the inside. According to the USDA, venison falls

under the “beef” category when it comes to cooking. The federal agency recommends getting venison to 145 degrees Fahrenheit before removing it from the heat source. The USDA does not like good venison, apparently. To quote them: “Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145° F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal

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preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.” Thankfully, this is a free country, and we can cook our meat the way we want, including to lower temperatures. On this page is a chart from the Chico Locker Sausage Company that shows the stages of “doneness” for red meat. You pick how you want it done.

AND REMEMBER,WITH all meat there is a “carryover” cooking component. When you pull steaks or whatnot off of the grill, frying pan, oven, etc., assume it will gain 10 percent more degrees internally before you eat it. If you want medium rare, pull the steak when it is rare and allow it to rest before eating. And no, you are not risking life and limb by eating venison that is under 145 degrees. The reason? Well, most bacteria and “bad stuff” accumulates on the outside of meat. So as long as you cook the outside layer well enough, the meat will be just fine and safe to consume below that temperature. NS

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COLUMN

Should You Zero For Deer At 100, 200 Or 300 Yards?

Frank Workman clobbered this three-point mule deer last fall with two shots from his Ruger rifle in .308 Winchester. The rifle is zeroed 2.5 inches high at 100 yards using 165-grain bullets. (DAVE WORKMAN)

eptember is the month to be getting ready for the deer opener in October, and when I say “zero” a rifle, that ON TARGET doesn’t mean being By Dave Workman able to punch a couple of holes in a 10-inch paper plate at 100 yards. It means being able to fire a three-

shot group that preferably measures an inch or less at that distance. Several years ago, I would infrequently volunteer, or simply stop by, at the Snoqualmie Valley Rifle Club range east of Seattle during the annual “public sightin days” to witness some decent shooting, and some disturbingly bad shooting. You’re making a cold bore shot on an animal that may be a couple hundred

yards away, so you’ve got to know where that bullet is going to strike when you press the trigger.

FIRST, UNDERSTAND A bit about ballistics. Bullets do not shoot flat from the muzzle to Point A. They may be half an inch high at 50 yards and dead on at 100. If you’re that close to a buck in Western Washington or Western Oregon – where many shots are

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COLUMN The Cedar Creek Fire burns in western Okanogan County earlier this summer. During similar extreme fire danger and drought conditions last September, Washington hunting managers asked those after grouse, deer, elk and other animals to “cold camp” – to not use lanterns, stoves and other gas-fueled equipment and instead cook their food at home or bring meals that don’t require heating. (INCIWEB)

BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL WITH FIRE

his writer would be extremely remiss if no mention were made this month to be careful with fire. If the forest is posted “No Fires,” don’t be the knucklehead who figures he won’t get caught and lights up a campfire anyway. Fires this year have already burned critical habitat for deer, elk, bear and other game animals all over the West, and all the non-game species that share the same environs are in the same predicament. We’ve seen the hazy skies from all the fires elsewhere – from California to Montana – and take this correspondent’s word for it: Those two states are as close as you ever want to get to a full- blown forest fire. Don’t smoke. Take care pulling trailers by making sure your chains don’t drag, even on a gravel road. Light up your camp with lanterns. Any rains we may get between now and your hunting trip may help, but they will definitely not solve the problem. The West needs rain. The Pacific Northwest needs lots of rain, and snow wouldn’t hurt, either! A lot of the Northwest has gone up in smoke this year, so check ahead with your Forest Service ranger district and/or the state forestry department about conditions where you intend to hunt. You can also monitor individual fires at inciweb.nwcg.gov. I’ve lost good hunting grounds over the years to forest fires. I don’t want to lose any more. —DW

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made in the dense brushy cover – a half an inch isn’t going to matter that much. However, if you spot a buck in Eastern Washington or Central or Eastern Oregon, where distances stretch out well beyond 100 yards, and if your rifle is “just a little low” at 100, it could be disastrously off at 200 or 300 yards. By the time that bullet gets to 300 yards, it will have dropped anywhere from 10 to 15 inches, depending upon the caliber, muzzle velocity and type of bullet. (I prefer boattails with good ballistic coefficient because they cut through the air better.) Remember, a bullet leaving the muzzle at 2,200 feet per second, for example, is going to cross 300 yards (900 feet) in a fraction of a second. You may not get a second chance, so make the first one count. Today’s crop of new cartridges built around the 6.5 bullet (the Creedmoor, Grendel and Remington Magnum, for example) are all long-shooters, and ballistically they travel fast and relatively flat. The .264-caliber bullet in these rounds is deadly at ranges beyond 400 yards, but the basic principle still applies. Study the ballistics and check the muzzle velocity. A bullet traveling at, say, 3,200 fps out of the muzzle with a ballistic coefficient of .510 that is dead on at 100 yards can drop 2.2 inches at 200 yards, just over 9 inches at 300 yards and a hair over 20½ inches at 400 yards. That’s according to the universal table for rifle bullets found at the rear of the Nosler Reloading Guide #7.

LET’S TALK WINDAGE and elevation now. I’ve zeroed all of my rifles and I may be out on the opener with my trusty .257 Roberts this year, or my lever-action .300 Savage Model 99, only for nostalgia. I’ve killed deer with both guns, along with the bucks anchored with my bolt-action Savage in .308 Winchester and my Marlin MR7 in .30-06 Springfield. Each rifle has one thing in common. They are all sighted to shoot about 2.5 inches high at 100 yards. Since they group typically straight above the 10-ring, that “windage thing” is not a problem. But with the loads/bullet weights I use in each gun, shooting that high at 100 yards typically puts the bullet in the boilerworks

COLUMN at 200 to 250 yards. I dislike taking shots beyond 350 yards (I’ve killed two Snake River muleys at that range with the -06), but there are others who find it challenging. For me it’s a bullet-weight-plus-velocity-plus-energy thing. I load a 180-grain Nosler AccuBond in my .30-06 rounds, a 165-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip in the .308 load, and a

150-grain Ballistic Tip in the .300 Savage. For the .257 Roberts, I use a 100-grain Ballistic Tip or a Speer boattail, which has been ample enough on a Colville whitetail and Taneum Ridge mule deer. Others may disagree with this simple formula, but it has worked repeatedly for me, and for my brother, who shoots the same loads I do in his Ruger .308 and

Marlin ’06. I once zeroed his rifle as a favor and punched three holes into a sub-1-inch group at 100 yards. I then shifted the sight picture up 10 clicks and fired one round at a clay target someone had left at the 200-yard backstop. The clay vanished in a bunch of particles, and a month or two later over on the Snake River, he headshot a buck on an uphill angle. Last October, we were hunting in Washington’s Douglas County when we spotted a nice buck with a group of does and smaller bucks. I estimated the range at just under 200 and he fired. That particular buck didn’t immediately drop, however, but started moving uphill into the brush, with my brother in hot pursuit. The buck was hit hard, and he eventually tried to hide behind a big bush, but Frank spotted him and finished him off.

NOW TO SANDBAG rests and three-shot strings. No matter how many times I repeat this to people, some just don’t get it. When you’re checking zero or sighting in a new gun or scope, use a sandbag rest. In my experience it’s the most reliable platform because you’re not likely to find a handy bench rest in the middle of nowhere, but you can quickly deploy a daypack that may have a vest or something else inside to create a reasonable sandbag facsimile. Never, ever fire more than a three-shot string without opening the action and racking the rifle to allow the bore to cool. Trying to sight a rifle with a hot barrel is at best frustrating, and your marksmanship goes downhill from there. Give the rifle at least five minutes between strings. It can save wear on the barrel too. I’ve known of people who hit the range, fire one or two shots and then go home, only to return a day or two later, repeat the routine, and drive away. Such people are patient geniuses and you can bet by the season opener they will know exactly where that bullet is going! SWITCHING GEARS, WASHINGTON’S grouse season opens midmonth, and I know of a lot of people who have been taking careful notes about ruffies and blues they’ve been 100 Northwest Sportsman

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COLUMN

Sometimes, hunting the big timber produces fat grouse. Dave used a 20-gauge Franchi Instinct L 20-gauge stoked with Federal No. 6s to conk this pair of high country blues in central Kittitas County. (DAVE WORKMAN)

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spotting during their summer travels. As I wrote a couple of months back, we’ll miss the traditional September 1 opener because it did allow for a long Labor Day weekend hunting opportunity. On the other hand, that is one weekend when human conflicts seem to multiply because the woods are often filled with morons on dirt bikes roaring up and down trails and/ or national forest roads, and otherwise making nuisances of themselves. It doesn’t occur to them there may be bowhunters or bear hunters, and especially grouse hunters out there also trying to enjoy the outdoors. Officially, the bump-back of the grouse opener to September 15 – a Wednesday this year – is to reduce pressure on hens. By the oddest of coincidences, I’m staying out of the office that day! I’ve spotted grouse in several places, and folks over at the Hunting-Washington forum are talking things up with enthusiasm. The trade-out for the late opener is a

COLUMN

The author recovered this perfectly mushroomed bullet from his brother Frank’s buck. (DAVE WORKMAN)

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January 15, 2022 season finale, but I suspect most grouse hunters will have long since put away their shotguns by then. I’ve got smoothbores in 12- and 20-gauge, and a .410-bore double S/S. I’ve found the best luck with No. 6 shot, as it seems to pattern effectively on grouse at 15 to 20 yards or a bit more. I like 2¾-inch highbase shells in the 12 and 20, but in the .410 I go with 3-inchers for a bit more reach. For blue grouse, I typically start the season up on the high ridges, hunting the big timber. It’s been hot and dry, so this year I’ll be concentrating on areas where I know there is water, hunting mornings and evenings, while probably napping during the midday because at my age, I’ve developed a penchant for laziness that is second to none! I learned years ago to clean out my bores by using a bore brush around which a patch has been wrapped, soaked with Hoppe’s No. 9. Then I follow up with some dry patches, a bore mop and finally a lightly oiled patch. Even if the gun has been sitting in a safe all year, take it out

now and clean it! A few drops of oil in the moving parts areas doesn’t hurt.

FINAL REMINDERS: KEEP a separate cooler for your game and have at least a bag or brick of ice inside. Clean your kill quickly and get it into the cooler to preserve the quality of your birds. The daily bag is four grouse, but only three may be dusky or sooty (blue) grouse. Possession limit is 12 birds, with no more than nine being duskies or sooties. Be sure to share your success pictures with Northwest Sportsman! We like sharp, colorful images, depicting safe gun handling and good sportsmanship. Be sure to provide details with each image: where, when, type of gun, the load you were using, who is in the photo, who snapped the photo and any other info pertinent to the image. (Check the photo of Dave on the previous page with the grouse, and the caption. That’s the detail we like.) Email them to awalgamott@ media-inc.com. You just might win a photo contest prize! NS

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HUNTING Oregon and Washington wingshooters will fan out into the woods and mountains this month in search of ruffed as well as sooty, dusky and spruce grouse. (USFS)

Northwest Forest Grouse Prospects Coast Range looks good in Oregon, while Washington hunters will need to adjust to a new later start of season; fire danger will be key to access everywhere. By MD Johnson

ontrary to my usual SOP, let’s not beat around the proverbial bush here, but rather get right to the nitty-gritty of what to expect as the door opens to grouse season ’21, courtesy of Mikal Cline and Sarah Garrison, upland bird specialists for the

Oregon and Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife, respectively.

BEAVER STATE BIRDS Northwest Sportsman Let’s start with a recap of the 2020 grouse season, eh?

Mikal Cline I was expecting grouse harvest to be down (last year), and that was true just because people

couldn’t access some of their favorite grouse hunting spots. Now we really haven’t been able to get into some of those burned-over or inaccessible areas to survey the birds and see what the situation truly is. We just now finished our forest grouse wing survey. We had to delay that process because we couldn’t all get together nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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HUNTING and sort wings due to Covid. What was interesting about that (survey) was the pulse of grouse harvest much later in the season last year than we usually see. I think that was weather and snowpack related. If you’ll remember, the weather was mild, places were still accessible and people were still harvesting grouse in late December and into January.

NWS

Winter survival? Do you anticipate winter ’20 having any impact on this season? MK Grouse are really good at winter. They’re kinda built like a football [laughs], and they’re pretty energy efficient. It takes a pretty drastic winter to have any impact on grouse populations. And we had a very mild winter in 2020. In general, there’s no concern about overwinter survival. The things that would affect a population are poor nesting conditions – very cold or very wet

WILDFIRE, ACCESS INFO

nformation about active wildfires in Washington can be found on Facebook on the Washington State Fire Wire page. Hell, this page often has updated information available to the masses even before we hear about it in the field or back at camp. For fire information throughout the Northwest, Inciweb (inciweb.nwcg.gov) is a great resource featuring updated info, closures, maps and more. The US Forest Service Region 6’s website (fs.usda.gov/r6) has a front-and-center link to Washington and Oregon fire info, as does the Oregon-Washington office of the Bureau of Land Management (blm.gov/oregon-washington). The Oregon Department of Forestry’s site (ofic.com/private-forestland-closures) includes info on fire restrictions, while info on private timberland access can be found through ofic.com/private-forestland-closures. And the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has a good roundup at wdfw.wa.gov/about/wdfw-lands/wildfire#resources. –MDJ

conditions during the hatch. We had a little bit of that, but nothing that would cause me any concern.

NWS And the weather in the spring of ’21 was favorable for a good hatch?

MK I think it was good enough for at least an average hatch. Certainly there were some patches of heavy precipitation around the hatch, along with cooler weather, but nothing that causes me concern, especially

on a larger scale.

NWS So what about the excessive heat we’ve been experiencing during the summer of ’21? Bad news for grouse? MK I don’t think our Westside birds are going (to see) the same impact that our Eastside birds might regarding heat and drought. Yes, it has been drier on the Westside, but there’s just more standing water on the landscape in general. There are more springs

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HUNTING For the first time in nearly five full decades, Washington’s grouse season will open on a day other than September 1, when hunting has otherwise kicked off annually since 1973. Before then it bounced around anywhere from the 2nd to the 28th. (JACOB W. FRANK, NPS)

July in Eastern Washington and around the Grande Ronde River near Troy in Northeast Oregon, and let me tell you, it was brutally dry. There was a surprising amount of water high above the Ronde, e.g. Grouse Flats, but elsewhere, water, as Cline put it, was and is at a premium. Grasshoppers also seemed spotty; lots of them in some places, very few in others. That all said, I did see what I would call good to extremely good numbers of valley quail throughout the Eastside, along with countless mama turkeys with broods of all sizes. Never saw a grouse, but quite a few chukar along the Grande Ronde and the breaks above the Snake River.

NWS Wildfires. The Bootleg Fire alone and streams. They might have been a little bit miserable when it was super hot, but they’re in habitat where they can find shade. And again, there is water on the landscape. For the Eastside birds, the drought is very real and water is precious. It’s possible, then, the 100-degree days

might have had an impact. So it does come down to, Is there water and sufficient food resources to keep them going? And it may have a delayed effect, where the drought affects the forage availability down the road.

Author’s note: I spent 28 days during

was over 400,000 acres. Impacts on wild populations are a certainty. Grouse then? MK When you have a fire the scale of the Bootleg Fire, there will absolutely be impacts on the local grouse population. It’s just too large for them to escape. Yeah, maybe they

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HUNTING can fly out of it, but there will direct mortality, for sure. And then you have to consider the long-term effects. So it’s a fair assumption that that grouse population probably took a serious hit, and will have to be repopulated from adjacent populations. It may be a while before some of that is grouse habitat again. We’ll have to wait and see how severe the fire was. Sometimes fires will burn in a patchy way, leaving islands of habitat; we hope that’s the case. But that (Bootleg Fire) was a bad one, for sure.

NWS As we do, Mikal, let’s finish with a look into your crystal ball. What do you see for grouse season ’21? MK Using what I have on hand now, I think we’re going to be down a little bit from last year. We do hooting surveys for sooty grouse in the springtime on the Westside and down into Klamath. And those for the most part were fairly steady, if not

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down just a little bit. But you have to consider we couldn’t get into a lot of the areas we’d normally survey. The Coast Range was down a hair, but they were (also) at an all-time high. So if I were to advise someone as to where to go, the Coast Range seems to be holding the highest density of forest grouse, according to our surveys. And the Coast Range is the least impacted by drought and wildfires. The West Cascades should be similar to last year, again according to our surveys. Douglas County and that Roseburg area are often very popular and productive for grouse, but they have some fires burning now [midAugust] in some good grouse habitat. Hunters just need to know whether they can safely access their favorite spots before they leave the house.

the same questions I did Cline – with one notable addition, given the major change taking effect this month.

NWS A recap of the 2020 grouse season in Washington, Sarah?

Sarah Garrison: Participation increased slightly in 2020 from the previous year – a 4 percent increase in hunters, and an 8 percent increase in days hunted – but harvest was down 13 percent compared to 2019.

NWS Winter survival during 2020-21? Good? Not so good?

SG (WDFW) doesn’t run surveys or have other data to monitor winter survival, but it was a fairly mild winter, so I would expect survival was good.

NWS And then following the winter, what about the spring ’21 hatch?

EVERGREEN STATE GROUSE

SG Washington had a warm dry

In a sense of fairness and apples to apples, I asked WDFW’s Sarah Garrison

spring in ’21, so hatchlings should have done well.

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HUNTING NWS It’s been undeniably warm across Washington during the summer of ’21. Effects on grouse due to the heat? SG Forest grouse have more reliable cover to protect them from heat stress than do prairie grouse. That said, they (forest grouse) are at risk during extreme heat waves, along with when the quality of their habitat begins to decline due to heat and drought. They need sufficient vegetative cover to protect them from the heat, but drought can reduce both this cover and their forage. Over the long term, we may see forest grouse moving to higher altitudes.

NWS Washington wildfires in ’21. A major influencer on grouse populations? SG Washington is suffering several large wildfires – author’s note: Cedar Creek, Cub Creek II, Dry Gulch/Lick Creek, Green Ridge, Twentyfive Mile, Walker Creek and Schneider Springs, to name but a handful in ’21 – which will

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impact local grouse populations in the near term. Long term, however, these burn areas will grow into excellent early successional habitat for grouse. I’ve heard that fire risk may continue into October this year, so it will be important for hunters to keep track of current conditions and take safety precautions during early fall hunting.

NWS So there’s been a bit of disgruntlement, per se, among some hunters regarding the delay of this year’s grouse opener two weeks from the traditional September 1. Thoughts? Comments? SG The 2021 season opens September 15 in order to protect breeding-aged females, since this demographic drives population growth or decline. We’ve seen a long-term decline in grouse harvest in the data, so this season change is intended to increase forest grouse abundance and availability to hunters. Hens are being

disproportionately harvested during the first two weeks of the season. For example, in Okanogan County, breeding-aged females are approximately twice as likely to be harvested as (are) breeding-aged males. Forest grouse broods typically break up in mid-September, so the season delay will allow more hens to get to a point where they’re independent of their broods and can resume normal movements.

NWS Look in your crystal ball, Sarah – you have one, right? – and give us a prediction for grouse season ’21 based on the information you have. SG In most areas, I’m anticipating a good grouse season in 2021, though it will be important to keep track of the wildfire conditions and risks in the early part of the season. Some hunters will need to explore new hunting areas this year to avoid wildfires and recent burns. NS

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HUNTING

Tasty morsels lie below the plumage of doves, whether they be native mournings (right) or larger invasive Eurasian collareds. Author Troy Rodakowski reports harvesting roughly equal numbers of both species last fall in the Willamette Valley. (TROY RODAKOWSKI)

Enjoy Dove Days Of Summer, Fall Migratory bird season in the Northwest kicks off this month with tasty doves. By Troy Rodakowski

’d never really concentrated on dove hunting until I came back from Uruguay in 2016. We had an amazing couple days hunting the sorghum fields, where swarms of doves and pigeons came in to feed. True, I grew up hunting in Western Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where I shot my first bird at age 10.

But nowadays I make sure to mark the dove opener – September 1 – on my calendar every season.

DOUBLE-BARREL DOVES The mourning dove is the most abundant game bird in North America. Hunters harvest more than 20 million of them annually out of an overall estimated U.S. population of nearly 350 million.

While mourning dove numbers have seemingly increased the last several years, possibly thanks to very mild conditions during their migration and on their wintering grounds, Eurasian collared doves are also now thriving throughout the Pacific Northwest and spreading rapidly. Last season it seemed as if nearly half of the birds we harvested were Eurasians. Remember, these do nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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HUNTING Obtaining access on private lands is your best bet. However, public areas like the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fern Ridge, Sauvie Island, EE Wilson and other wildlife areas have excellent numbers of birds, as do public waterways that border agricultural lands. Old grain silos and barnyards are also excellent places to look and landowners are usually very receptive to most dove hunters.

DROUGHT CONDITIONS

Rodakowski’s daughter Reese has become his favorite dove hunting buddy. She loves retrieving them for him, he says. (TROY RODAKOWSKI)

Good dove forage has been abundant throughout the valley in recent years, but this season we are experiencing severe drought, with many water sources drying up and production crops yielding far below average in many cases. That’s something hunters should really consider. The importance of water is often an overlooked factor when it comes to doves. This season, finding not only good food sources but nearby watering holes will be the key to your success. Scouting places like this will make your hunt that much easier. Last year I also used about half a dozen decoys, both on the ground and attached to limbs, to grab the attention of passing birds. They worked great. I was able to take my 3-year-old daughter and she truly enjoyed being my bird dog. We even had a Cooper’s hawk swoop in and take one of our downed birds before we were able to retrieve it.

BEST TIMES TO HUNT not count toward your limit, so I consider them bonus birds. These game birds can have long lifespans, with the oldest recorded at over 30 years old. It was banded in Georgia in 1968 and shot in Florida during the 1998 season.

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other small grain production fields. These locations near small streams or rivers where doves can find grit in large amounts are excellent places to be in the evenings. I like to set up in a blind and just wait for inbound birds. Water sources are critical to these game birds, so make sure to refine your searches to areas that have good amounts. Last season I set up near an open-limbed dead oak tree in the mornings and evenings where doves would perch to rest and scope out the land before descending to feed.

The first cool mornings in September prior to the season’s first rain are fantastic times to plan a hunt. Mourning doves will begin to migrate in good numbers once the weather begins to turn more autumn-like. Both morning and evening, when birds are flying from the roost to feed and gather grit to process their food and get water, are great times. We have also had some solid hunts during midday, though that’s when feed has been very plentiful. My favorite thing to do is find

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HUNTING The author’s dove poppers. (TROY RODAKOWSKI)

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roosting or perching groups of doves, either in dead trees and limbs or even power lines near food sources, in the early to midmornings and afternoons. They use these sites to digest food and also stage to feed on the ground nearby. Doves eat 12 to 20 percent of their body weight in seeds per day, so they spend a large portion of time filling their crops with seed. They’re

also prolific birds, raising a handful of broods of two to three each year.

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STOCK UP ON SHELLS (IF YOU CAN) Be prepared to have plenty of ammo on hand when dove hunting. Last year my favorite gun was my trusty 28-gauge loaded with No. 7 or 8 shot. Smaller game loads are perfect for doves and patterning your gun is very

barbecue for 10 to 15 minutes or bake in oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and drizzle with honey. For extra pop, add jalapeño peppers and cream cheese. Stuff peppers with meat and cream cheese, then wrap in bacon. Serve as an appetizer or snack. –TR

important prior to season. With recent ammo shortages your favorite brand or load may not be available, so settling for what you are able to order or find on the shelf may be the new norm. That said, with season running through the end of October, I know that I will most definitely be ready for some fast-flying birds that are not only fun to shoot, but very tasty! NS

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COLUMN Building a well-trained, healthy gun dog begins the moment you bring it home and a great place to start is avoiding common mistakes. Here, author Scott Haugen and his pudelpointer Echo are elated with an afternoon limit of ducks, valley quail and ringneck pheasants, an outing in which Echo performed flawlessly. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

Bad Master! 15 Dog Don’ts I

’ve been around a lot of pups and first-time dog owners throughout the pandemic, an event that’s seen more GUN DOGGIN’ 101 people investing in By Scott Haugen hunting dogs than ever before. With many new owners comes a learning curve, and based on what I’ve acquired over my years of working with dogs and observing others, here are 15 mistakes to avoid.

1) TUG O’ WAR Puppies play tug of war to establish dominance within the litter and they’ll want to do the same with you. Don’t do it, ever! That’s because the last thing you want is a mature dog trying to prove who’s boss. It may seem fine at home, but in the field it can be a catastrophe. You’re the boss and always will be, so avoid even putting yourself in a position to have to compromise your leadership role.

2) BUMPERS AS TOYS Bumpers are used for

training. Toys are used for play. Don’t mix them up, as this sends mixed messages to a dog. As your pup matures it will distinguish the difference between the two, but to achieve this only use toys during play time and only do formal training with bumpers. You’ll see the difference in your dog’s demeanor the moment you grab one or the other.

3) FAST EATING One of the worst things you can do is encourage your dog to eat fast. It may seem funny, but it can lead to bloat,

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COLUMN Body gestures, hand signals and verbal commands are all important when training a pup, but eye contact could be the most critical of all. Don’t wear sunglasses when training or playing with your dog so as to ensure they can see your eyes in order to anticipate your next move. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

indigestion and stomach twist, which is highly fatal in some deep-chested hunting dogs. (See my April column for more.) If your dog eats fast, use special bowls or add water to the dry kibble to slow its intake.

4) RUNNING OUT THE DOOR Never let your dog burst in or out a door ahead of you. There’s no telling what they might encounter – from other people to other dogs, snakes, skunks, or the worst, oncoming traffic. Keep control of your dog at all times, letting them through house and car doors only when you have given the command.

5) CALL THEM TO YOU AND SCOLD Dogs remember the last command given, so never call them over with the intent to scold them for something they’ve just done. In their mind they did the right thing by coming to you. But scolding them for doing that can do long-term damage and quickly make them lose trust in you.

6) TEASING Never tease a hunting dog, as this will send them mixed messages, resulting in their loss of trust in you, and it will greatly frustrate them. Gun dogs are highly intelligent and our communications must be consistent and predictable at all times. Playing is different than teasing. Playing is great. Teasing is not. 7) NEGLECT PLAY TIME Dogs love to play. You should spend much more time playing with your dog than training it. This is when strong bonds are formed, communication lines develop, and when they learn to trust, appreciate, even respect you. A great deal of training is actually achieved through playing; just keep communications fun and consistent.

8) USE LONG SENTENCES Gun dogs are smart, but not that smart. Speaking to them in lengthy sentences only confuses them. Keep communication to single words or two- or three-word sentences in order to avoid confusing them and frustrating yourself.

9) CONFINEMENT Gun dogs need space. If you live in an apartment with no big yard to run them, this is not the place to 128 Northwest Sportsman

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COLUMN have a hunting dog. Gun dogs are not designed to be confined to small kennels every day either. The more room they have to run, the more relaxed, happier and healthier they’ll be.

10) WEAR SUNGLASSES Dogs rely on reading your eyes. A great deal of training is built on body language and eye contact, not verbal cues. Never cover your eyes when training or playing with your dog. While dog owners often say, “Dogs can read minds,” what that really means is dogs anticipate your next move or what you want them to do, largely based on eye contact.

11) OVERREACT Never overreact to a dog’s lack of performance or disobedience. Save those reactions for when they’re about to run in front of a car, attack a porcupine or wrestle a snake. Calm communication is often all that’s needed to get a positive response from

your dog.

12) ISSUE MULTIPLE COMMANDS Never layer your commands. Give one command at a time and don’t issue another until the first is achieved. Don’t be the one who hollers, “Whoa, back, sit, come on, get over here, no, go back and get it!” The dog has no clue what you’re trying to convey. Whoa it first. Then send it back. Then make it sit. It’s simple. Be patient and clear in all communication.

13) TREAT TRAIN Dogs that perform for treats often disconnect from their owner. Such superficial bonds result in a lack of respect and drive by the dog. A gun dog should always carry out a task to please you, not for a treat.

14) PLAY ON HARD FLOORS Never play with a dog on wood, tile or linoleum floors. While it may seem funny to watch them spin their wheels, it’s a sure ticket to costly hip, back, leg and foot problems.

15) OVERFEED The worst thing you can do for your dog is allow it to overeat and gain weight. One pound of extra weight can deplete your dog’s life by up to a year. Keep them lean, healthy and feed them the best quality food you can afford. Avoid cheap foods packed with filler and inflammatory ingredients. Poor quality food is one of the biggest obstacles for dog owners to overcome, so do the research. I’ve done loads of fact-finding in this area over the years and only feed my pudelpointers NutriSource dog food, for a reason.

AVOID DOING THESE 15 things and you’re on the way to developing a lasting, genuine relationship with your dog. You’re also increasing its level of happiness and extending its life, and that’s the ultimate goal as their time with us is so precious. NS Editor’s note: To watch Scott Haugen’s series of puppy training videos, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.

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FISHING

‘A Lot Of Digging Days Ahead Of Us’ Once again, razor clam season is primed to be spectacular and the toxins that halted digging last fall, winter and early spring are well below action levels. By Mark Yuasa

year ago this month, Washington’s 2020-21 razor clam season was initially filled with the best of times and then quickly turned into the worst of times due to a coastwide closure blamed on a marine toxin known as domoic acid. What followed was a fall of despair and winter of woe, but it eventually blossomed into a spring of hope when a brief six-day dig occurred along one northern coastal beach in late May. Soon after, many wondered what the future would hold for these highly sought-after bivalves. Trying to “keep clam” this summer wasn’t easy, but then came good news from Dan Ayres, the head Washington Department of Fish and

Wildlife coastal shellfish manager. WDFW wrapped up their surveys in late August, and research revealed a record number of razor clams on the majority of ocean beaches for the second year in a row. “Our summer assessments show populations are looking really good on all beaches (except at Kalaloch),” Ayres said. “There are a lot of digging days ahead of us, and probably more days than we can offer during the entire season,” which runs clear into May 2022. Long Beach has a robust 21.6 million recruit-size razor clams and a recreational total allowable catch, or TAC, of 8.6 million for the 2021-22 season. While that is slightly down from an all-time record of 24.8 million recruits and a TAC of 9.9 million in

2020-21, the historical average over the past 25 years is 7.9 million recruits and outside of last season’s colossal abundance, no season has been close to 21 million. “It will be very hard for us to even get close to harvesting that many razor clams at Long Beach this coming season, but we’ll try to add as many days of digging as we can,” Ayres said. “At Twin Harbors and Copalis we’ve also got really good news where both are seeing a record number of recruit-size clams,” he added. “We’ve got a lot of digging days ahead at both of those beaches too.” At Twin Harbors, located south of Westport, assessments showed 8.5 million recruit-size clams with a TAC of 3.4 million, compared to 5.2

Razor clammers work a low tide during a previous fall’s opener on the Washington Coast. (JASON BAUER)

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FISHING million and 1.8 million last season. The previous record occurred during the 2014-15 season with 6.6 million recruit-size clams. At Copalis, the recruit-size clam total is 16.5 million with a total TAC of 6.6 million (recreational diggers get a share of 3.3 million), up from 11.8 million and 4.7 million in 2020-21. The population at Mocrocks beaches isn’t a record number of recruit-size clams – 9.7 million, down from 11.6 million last season – but it’s still a decent abundance. The TAC of 3.9 million (recreational diggers get a share of 2.0 million) is down from 4.6 million last season, but up from 3.3 million in 2019-20. Diggers at Mocrocks have never dug that many clams, and the closest was around 1.0 million. “The amazing story at Mocrocks is the prerecruit of little clams (under 3 inches), which is 48.2 million and a sign of a healthy ocean,” Ayres said. “A lot of these little guys averaging a little bigger than your fingernail won’t likely pull through, but we could end up with a fairly large number, if they survive. I’ll be curious to see what happens next year.” Kalaloch, the northernmost razor clam beach on the coast, has 800,000 recruit-size razors, which equates to a TAC of 203,000. But WDFW has already decided it’ll be closed during the 2021-22 season. While there are 102,000 in the shared TAC, biologists saw very few clams anybody would want to take home.

WDFW SAYS DIGGING will begin by the middle of this month, and by the time this issue hits the newsstands, those specific dates should have been decided. “Those first low tides (in midSeptember) occur in the very early morning hours when it is dark, and there’s generally not a lot of daylight low tides this fall,” Ayres said. “Many were asking about the holiday periods. There are no tides that coincide with Thanksgiving (November 25), but we’ve got some ideal periods the 140 Northwest Sportsman

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Digging prospects also sound good on Oregon’s North Coast, where “toxin levels are down and … razor clam assessments are also strong.” Clatsop County beaches host 95 percent of the state harvest, but clams can also be found near Newport, Cannon Beach and Yachats. Molly Francis dug these in June 2020. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

weekend before.” No low tide will coincide with Christmas Day, but digging could be offered December 16-23 when they are optimal. There is also a wonderful low tide at 4:42 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, as well as similar ones on December 30 and January 1. “The New Year’s Eve dig allow(s) revelers time to dig their clams before the evening festivities,” Ayres said. “Many people also like to stay on the

beach after they dig their clams to light off fireworks.” As we were reminded last season, final approval of upcoming digs is dependent on weekly marine toxin testing. The green light is usually announced one to two weeks prior to each series of digs. Digging could also be contingent upon continued guidance by public health officials monitoring Covid-19 in coastal communities.

FISHING climate pattern. It involves changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, and in our neck of the woods it is often associated with colder water and air temperatures, and increased rainfall during the autumn and winter period. Furthermore, despite the hot inland weather this summer, temperatures off the coast remained quite cool and water salinity has been good. Since 1991, when the toxin was first detected on the Pacific Coast, outbreaks of domoic acid have prompted the cancellation of three entire razor-clam seasons in Washington — the last one in 2002-03. Twin Harbors Beach never opened in 2015-16, and the entire coast was closed in late May 2015. The 2020-21 season was open for 12 days from September 16 to October 20, then closed until six days in mid- and late May. During last season’s 18 open days, 109,781 diggers took home

SPEAKING OF TOXINS, fingers are crossed after last fall’s outbreak of a marine toxin known as domoic acid – naturally produced by certain types of oceanic algae and which can be harmful or even fatal if consumed in large enough quantities – led to a nearly sevenmonth-long coastwide closure. “For the moment, marine toxin levels look good and mostly in the 1 to 2 parts per million (range),” Ayres said. “I heard from Oregon that their toxin levels are down and their razor clam assessments are also strong at Clatsop beaches. We know we aren’t out of the woods until we get a big fall storm, and I don’t expect that to happen anytime soon.” The state Department of Health Lab receives weekly test samples from WDFW, and the action level for closures is anything above 20 ppm. On the positive end, Ayres said, we’re heading into an El NiñoSouthern Oscillation, or ENSO,

1,646,845 clams for a 15-clam per person average (the first 15 clams dug is a daily limit regardless of size or condition). It equated to only 8.8 percent of the allotted 17,063,903 clams available in 2020-21. Here’s the historical recreational razor clam allotment by season: 10,954,224 in 2019-20; 4,857,610 in 2018-19; 2,773,543 in 2017-18; 9,340,633 in 2016-17; 8,820,800 in 2015-16; 9,804,224 in 2014-15; 8,795,491 in 2013-14; 5,825,635 in 2012-13; 2,832,720 in 2011-12; and 3,609,354 in 2010-11. Razor clam digging is a huge money maker, generating $25 million to $35 million for small coastal communities that rely on these opportunities during the lean tourist times in autumn, winter and spring to help boost their economy. For more details and updates, as well as how-to advice and videos, go to wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/ razorclams. NS

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Kratzer’s Columbia Fall Salmon Trolling Setups I

t’s no secret that fishing a rotating flasher in combination with a small spinner, Brad’s Super Bait or Yakima Bait SpinFish has BUZZ RAMSEY changed the fall Chinook fishery on the Columbia River. What’s revealed here are the strategies and attention to detail that fishing guide Bob Kratzer uses to up his rate of salmon success. Since the Columbia fishery opened August 1, Kratzer (360-271-7197) has been keeping his clients happily catching salmon each and every day by using ProTroll flashers. He started his season off trolling near where the Cowlitz empties into the big river, but plans to move his operation upstream from the Lewis River deadline after the Columbia closes for Chinook retention west of there on September 10. The waters from the Warrior Rock/Ridgefield line up to Bonneville Dam are expected to remain open through October 31. The rule does allow for the keeping of up to two fin-clipped coho, but only one of your two-salmon limit can be a Chinook. According to Kratzer, what he uses in combination with his Pro-Trolls is all about what the fish like best at any given time. “What the fish want changes from day to day and sometimes hour to hour, so

Judy Ozuna of Seattle shows off a very nice upriver bright she caught on a size 2.5 SpinFish behind a Pro-Troll while fishing with guide Bob Kratzer last season. (ANGLERSGUIDESERVICE.COM)

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COLUMN

According to Kratzer, a Pro-Troll flasher performs best at 1.6 to 1.9 miles per hour, while a Short Bus flasher rotates at a slower troll speed window of 1.3 to 1.7 mph. Because of the troll speed differences, he never runs these two flashers at the same time. (ANGLERSGUIDESERVICE.COM)

For example, according to Kratzer, when the current slows due to the flood tide, the fish tend to come up in the water column and are often most numerous at middepth. To avoid having to battle strong currents that occur when the tide is outgoing, the salmon move to areas where the river is slower moving, like along current edges, inside corners and near bottom, where the current might ease off due to it being more of a flowing eddy. A lot of Kratzer’s fishing success – and what keeps his clients returning year after year – is that he is always paying attention to these variables and adjusting his location, trolling speed and depth based on how the fish react to these changes. “You can catch salmon by setting your gear at a constant depth and repeating the same trolling path all day long, but you won’t catch nearly as many as if you make changes based on these sometimes subtle changes in current speed,” he stresses.

WHAT KRATZER USES at any given time is the

Kratzer rigs his SpinFish in combination with a treble and uses a hand-tied 20-pound mono bobber stop and a couple of plastic beads to position his lure 2 inches above the hook. (ANGLERSGUIDESERVICE.COM)

I’m always working the gear. Sometimes that means changing lures or colors, adding fresh bait or scent, or the depth we are trolling based on where the fish are holding due to the influence of ocean tides. To really be successful you have to keep changing things up,” he shared. Of course, it’s the Pro-Troll flasher that represents the foundation of Kratzer’s trolling strategy. He says trolling speed is important and the Pro-Troll performs best at 1.6 to 1.9 miles per hour. Keep in mind that this is trolling speed and your speedover-ground, or ground speed, based on what your GPS is telling you might be much different. For example, if you are trolling downstream with the flow and the current is running at 2 mph, then the right ground speed might be 3.6 to 3.9 mph. 148 Northwest Sportsman

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Although Kratzer doesn’t use many, he says that the Short Bus flasher performs best at a trolling speed of 1.3 to 1.7 mph, a little slower than a Pro-Troll. Because of the troll speed differences, he never runs these two flashers at the same time. “You’ve got to run one or the other to be successful; otherwise, you run the risk of only half your rods producing fish,” he advises.

DAILY TIDES HAVE a big influence on what the current in the Columbia is doing and the Pro-Trolls fish best when and where currents are flat or slow moving. For this reason the best bite of the day usually occurs through the incoming tide and the first part of the outgoing. The fish change where and how deep they are holding based on the changes in current speed.

other big factor in his success. His rigging is pretty standard: 20 to 24 inches from his sinker to his Pro-Troll, 32-inch leader when rigging a SpinFish or Brad’s, and 22- to 24-inch leader with 3.5- or 4.0-size spinners. He has enjoyed a lot of success using SpinFish in combination with the rotating flasher. His favorite SpinFish sizes are the 2.5 and 3.0. He uses a bobber stop and a couple of plastic beads to position his lure 2 inches up the leader from a treble hook. A size 2 treble is what he has found works best with a 2.5 SpinFish. He goes up one hook size when rigging the 3.0size lure. To prevent the lure and stop from sliding, he ties his stops using 20-pound-test monofilament and cinches it down tightly. Both lures are rigged on a 30-pound-test leader. The tie used to make a bobber stop is a single uni knot. To tie your own, just take a footlong section of mono, make it into a closed loop positioned parallel to your leader and wrap one of the tag ends five times inside the loop and pull both ends tight, closing the loop. Once you have your stop positioned 2 inches above your hook, tighten it down really hard by pulling both ends tightly. Once cinched securely, you

ANGLERS SCORE FALL COHO AND WINTER STEELHEAD AT BIG CREEK BY HOWARD KEM

urray, an angler who visited my 130acre property and fished the 3/4-mile stretch of Big Creek above tidewater, said, “Every once in a while I have run across that ‘special place,’ and this is one of them. I have been pleased to hear many anglers say something similar during the 20 years that fishing has been allowed on the property. The stream flowing through the property has pools, boulder sections and multiple tailout features. Big Creek has proven to be one of the top seven best streams in the Pacific Northwest. Anglers have experienced huge runs of hatchery and native coho (silvers) starting October 15, most years, depending on water levels and weather. Many have been harvested using bobber and eggs, locally made spinners and corkies. Fly fishermen have been very successful also. Check myodfw.com for opening dates and any restrictions and limits. Previous year limits were two hatchery coho adults and five jacks. This year the Big Creek hatchery, located two miles above the property, expects a large chum return during early November. These tough fighting fish are a fisherman’s challenge. Hatchery winter steelhead begin showing up in late November, depending on the rains, and run until April. Anglers hook them on

bobber and eggs, beads, jigs, locally made spinners and corkies. Wild steelhead generally run from late March until May. Treat those wild fish gently by keeping them in the water while releasing unharmed. The Big Creek strain has long been known as one of the hardiest in the region with huge 15- 17-pound bucks and impressive hens caught each season. Some great things Big Creek Lodge offers to fishermen besides exceptional lodging facilities: 1) room to fish, limited amount of fishermen per day; 2) constant grounds maintenance so access is available to creek; 3) an abundance of wildlife including a local elk herd; 4) about an hour and a half drive from Portland, Oregon, or Vancouver, Washington; 5) Astoria is a 20-minute drive with attrac-

tions like the Columbia River Maritime Museum, Fort Clatsop Visitor Center, and many fine restaurants; 6) a few minutes away from the lodge are two locally owned restaurants and a gas station with a quick mart. Everything you need after a successful day of fishing. Anglers staying at the lodge enjoy, at day’s end, the comfort of a covered hot tub or sauna, large fireplace, full kitchen, big screen TV, and king or queen size beds. Many anglers from Oregon, Washington and sometimes other continents visit each fall and winter to escape crowds of combat fishing. News of my lodge has spread far and wide, including to Northwest fishing greats Gary Loomis, Frank Amato and Henry Hughes. Fishing day-use passes are available for $20 per day with advance reservations. Anglers staying at the lodge pay only $10 during their stay. Children under 12 fish for free with paying adult. Handmade local spinners are available also. The Big Creek Fishing Club can be reached at (503) 318-4804; texting is preferred. I am available between 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily, or will get back to you as soon as possible. I prefer texting, but you can email me at howard@bigcreekfishing.com. Find photos and more information at bigcreekfishing.com. Lodge bookings over four people receive exclusive fishing rights during their stay. I am looking forward to your visit.

nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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COLUMN Fall Chinook will bite a number of offerings, including big salmon spinners, which Justin Wolff of Angler West TV fame used to catch this one below Bonneville Dam while fishing with guide Shane Magnuson during last September’s smoky days. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

can trim the tag ends. When it comes to adding bait to his SpinFish or Super Bait, Kratzer uses canned tuna fish packed in oil and adds a little extra salt and garlic scent – he is a big fan of garlic for salmon. Such a big fan, in fact, that he freshens his baits up every 30 minutes or so. Although he sometimes uses a whitecolored Pro-Troll early in the day or when overcast, it’s the chrome finish he relies on for the majority of his salmon success. “Coho respond to lures and bait trolled in combination with Pro-Troll flashers too,” Kratzer adds. Given the expected massive run of coho returning to the Columbia this year, you might fill out your two-salmon limit with one Chinook and a fin-clipped coho. Got to love how effective Pro-Troll flashers are in attracting and catching Columbia River salmon. NS Editor’s note: Buzz Ramsey is regarded as a sport fishing authority, outdoor writer and proficient lure and fishing rod designer.

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Rocha’s Dory Charter

oey Rocha is the owner and captain of Rocha’s Dory Charter, formerly Eagle Charters, one of the many dory boats that are based in Pacific City, Oregon. Dory boats are flat-bottom boats that can launch from and land right on the beach! They can be found all over the world with a rich history in the US, and a large dory group based right on the Oregon Coast in Pacific City. The dory fleet today is comprised of commercial, sport charter and individual fishermen. Each spring the Dorymen’s Association holds a blessing of the fleet, where they bless all the dory boats. The Dorymen’s Association also holds a festival called Dory Days and each year there is a different theme. The boats are decorated to correspond with the theme for the Dory Days Parade. This festival is held in July each year, and if you are planning a trip to Oregon, it is a fun, wholesome and family-friendly event. Come check out the boats! Joey Rocha was five years old when he began taking dory boats out fishing with his dad. Later, his family purchased a dory boat for family use. You can say Joey grew up on dory boats! After finishing school, Joey spent more than a year working on the Siberian Sea out of Dutch Harbor,

Alaska, on a massive 133-foot-long liner owned by the Aleutian Spray Fisheries. After returning home, Joey began working for Eagle Charters as their captain for the summer. Not long after, he decided this was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life, and he purchased Eagle Charters. Drawing on the experience his family has with dory boats, they all pulled together to get Joey’s dream started. Joey met Taylor, a local 5th grade teacher, they fell in love and made it official. Together they decided to take the business in a different direction and have changed the name of Eagle Charters to Rocha’s Dory Charter to better represent their family. “We are a family-run business that

strives to give everyone the best dory fishing experience, making it a fun time for the whole family. The season started a little early this year and began in the spring. Usually, conditions become too unpredictable in October on the Oregon Coast, and that finishes our season. We fish for bottom fish, salmon and crab, and sometimes we get lucky and catch ourselves a halibut. After your fishing trip, Joey will fillet your fish, cook your crab, bag it all up and place it on ice for you. We even offer vacuum sealing if you choose.” “We invite you to come to Pacific City, Oregon, and visit us at Rocha’s Dory Charter for a unique fishing experience that your whole family will love.” — Joey and Taylor Rocha

Joey 503-801-3464 Taylor 503-812-9597 rochasdorycharter.com 152 Northwest Sportsman

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FISHING

‘Heading In The Right Direction’ Not only are Columbia fall Chinook and coho forecasts up, but the fish are arriving now in the eastern Gorge and Hanford Reach. By Mark Yuasa

nquiries about the Columbia River’s late summer and early fall fisheries have been filling my inbox, and there’s no doubt the excitement is fixed on the robust fall Chinook and coho predictions. Quinten Daugherty, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, summed up the rosy outlook: “I expect to see some pretty good in-river fishing based on the forecasts. A forecast of about 576,200 fall Chinook in 2021 equates to a decent return, and then you’ll have coho to help fill in the gaps.” Decent fishing reports earlier this month from Buoy 10 at the Columbia River’s mouth and in the ocean off Ilwaco appear to be backing up what was seen in the crystal ball of computer-generated data. This data revealed that the 2021 adult fall Chinook forecast is 100 percent of the 2020 actual return of 574,800 (379,769 in 2019), and 80 percent of the 2011 to 2020 average return of 724,210. The bulk of the entire 2021 forecast is made up of 361,500 adult upriver bright fall Chinook – in 2020, 227,600 was forecast with an actual return of 299,031 – and represents 63 percent

Fall Chinook returns up the Columbia continue to rebound after bottoming out in 2018. The Hanford Reach, where Tegan Yuasa caught this one while fishing with guide Austin Moser, will be one of the best locations to catch some this season. (MARK YUASA) nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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FISHING of the projected total return and is 85 percent of the 2011 to 2020 average of 424,860. These are the drivers for the Hanford Reach fishery. The lower river hatchery forecast of 73,800 adult fall Chinook is slightly lower than the 2020 actual return, and below the 2011 to 2020 average of 85,600. The lower river wild fall Chinook forecast of 20,400 adults is 106 percent of the 2011 to 2020 average of 19,210. “Looking at recent trends for fall Chinook, we bottomed out in 2018, and it now appears to be heading in the right direction,” Daugherty said. “We also saw an improvement last year for fall jack and age-3 fall Chinook, so this is additional good news that we’re building back up again.” The icing on the cake is a forecast of 1,343,200 adult coho to the river’s mouth, which includes 872,700 early stock and 470,500 late stock coho. That is up a whopping 434 percent compared to the average of 309,600 coho from 2011 to 2020. The Bonneville Dam passage is expected to be 537,500 adult coho, which represents 81 percent of the forecasted total ocean abundance of Columbia River coho destined for

areas further upstream. State fishery officials monitoring the ocean coho catches in early summer felt some hesitancy that the bonkers preseason forecast wasn’t going to pan out, but lights-out catches by early August around the CR Buoy in the ocean off Astoria and Ilwaco brought a sigh of relief. Many agree that even if the coho run to the river’s mouth lands in the range of 800,000 – which some WDFW fishery managers believe will happen – you’ve still got a massive expected total combined return of 1,376,200 fall Chinook and coho. Fishery officials take a conservative approach to managing fall salmon, and will provide an inseason update by mid-September (typically about 50 percent of fall Chinook have passed Bonneville by September 9). “We’ll get an updated adult upriver bright run size and have additional fishing opportunity planned to access the 15 percent harvest rate if the inseason run is at least 200,000,” Daugherty said.

SOLITUDE WILL BE hard to find when chasing fall Chinook and coho on the mainstem Columbia from Buoy 10 to

Columbia Fall Kings, Reality V. Expectations All Fall Chinook Stocks Year Actual Return 2010 655,800 2011 620,600 2012 525,100 2013 1,268,300 2014 1,159,100 2015 1,305,400 2016 642,200 2017 476,400 2018 293,500 2019 375,700 2020 574,748 2021 TBD

Forecast 664,900 765,300 584,700 678,600 1,460,200 925,300 960,200 613,700 375,600 349,700 420,300 576,200

Upriver Bright Component 2010 324,900 319,200 2011 322,100 399,600 2012 297,800 295,800 2013 778,300 434,600 2014 684,200 919,000 2015 795,700 518,300 2016 412,900 579,700 2017 297,400 275,200 2018 149,000 205,100 2019 212,200 159,300 2020 299,031 227,600 2021 TBD 361,500

Tactics vary depending on location, depth and dam releases, but back-trolling deep slots with large Spin-NGlos and egg clusters or running Super Baits or wrapped Kwikfish are go-tos in the Hanford Reach. (MARK YUASA) 156 Northwest Sportsman

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FISHING

Most of the fall focus on the MidColumbia is on upriver brights, but there should be good numbers of coho around this year as well. Austin Han caught this one near Tri-Cities last October. Unclipped coho can be retained on the mainstem above the Hood River Bridge. (FISHING PHOTO CONTEST) 158 Northwest Sportsman

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Bonneville, where thousands of boats have already been bobbing about this past month. By early September it’ll be time to head to the Gorge and Pasco for those same fish before getting a “last chance” from mid-September to midOctober in the Hanford Reach area. Aaron Peterson, owner of Peterson’s Northwest Guide Service (petersonsnorthwest.com), indicates he’s still coming off a great period of guiding on the Upper Columbia for summer kings and will now focus time between the Gorge and Hanford Reach. One factor that anglers should keep close tabs on is the water temperature in the mainstem Columbia. In early August the river was hovering around 71 degrees at Bonneville, just under the dreaded “red zone” of 2015 but slightly above the historical average from 1976 to 2020. “We’re tracking a degree or so less than 2015, when it was very hot,” Daugherty said. “We’ll see some fluctuations as the days get shorter but it also depends on how everything pans out (last month).” During these warmer periods, oftentimes the best fishing occurs near tributaries and confluences of rivers where cooler water feeds out into the Columbia mainstem. Beginning in the late 1990s, anglers began targeting fall Chinook in deeper water areas of the river with excellent results, especially in and around the shipping lanes. The recreational catch of adult fall Chinook on the mainstem increased over time from an average of 2,300 fish during the 1980s to 5,000 fish in the 1990s to 14,700 in the 2000s and to 23,600 during the 2010s. Angler trips also jumped from an average of about 41,000 trips in the 1980s to 54,200 in the 1990s to 94,400 in the 2000s and to 118,400 during the 2010s. “Folks have become more effective in catching fall salmon with gear like the Pro-Troll flashers, and we’ve seen the (catch per unit effort) increase

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FISHING because of it,” Daugherty said. “We’ve also seen a big bump in effort with Covid, since many are seeking things to do outside like fishing.” The 2021 fall salmon expectations set by WDFW are 80,000 angler trips with 27,000 Chinook and 90,000 coho at Buoy 10; 50,000 with 11,000 and 6,000 from Rocky Point to the Lewis River mouth; 70,000 with 19,000 and 3,000 from the Lewis to Bonneville; and 25,000 with 8,000 and 3,000 from Bonneville to the Oregon-Washington state line just upstream of McNary Dam. While the average number of angler trips by decade surged since the 1990s, Chinook harvest increased disproportionately from an average of 6,700 in the 1990s to 10,000 in the 2000s to 19,100 during the 2010s. Whatever location you plan to fish this month on the Columbia, the sheer thought of catching a large-size salmon will leave you with bragging

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rights for a long time.

DON’T STOW AWAY the gear once the Buoy 10 fishery winds down because September is prime time for intercepting fall Chinook and coho in the Gorge up to Hanford Reach. In this section of the Columbia covering roughly 150 miles, anglers will notice a change from lush green forests of the Gorge to the high bluffs and arid sagebrush in the Hanford Reach. In the Gorge, places like Drano Lake, the mouths of Klickitat and White Salmon Rivers on the Washington side and the Deschutes River mouth on the Oregon side offer decent fishing. Trolling is an effective tactic in the Gorge, so use an 8- to 10-ounce sliding cannonball sinker to a chain swivel attached to a Pro-Troll ProFlash, and a 4- to 6-foot leader to a prawn spinner, Yakima Bait SpinFish

or a Brad’s Wiggler. Further upstream, the Hanford Reach is home to the largest salmon run on the West Coast, with some Chinook exceeding 40-plus pounds. There are two rough gravel boat launches above the Highway 24/ Vernita Bridge, which this time of year turns into a small fishing town filled with motorhomes, campers and vehicles with boats and trailers. The reason behind these strong runs to the Reach is natural production in the last major freeflowing section of the Columbia and at the Priest Rapids and Ringold Springs Hatcheries, which release about 10 million fall Chinook. “The Hanford Reach kings are much larger than most others in the Columbia,” said guide Austin Moser, owner of Austin’s Northwest Adventures (austinsnorthwestadventures.com). “We’ve seen some larger returns the

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past couple of years, and I’ve seen a jump in interest by clients wanting to fish this area.” Back-troll in deepwater slots with a size 1 or 2 Spin-N-Glo and a gob of cured salmon eggs the size of a golf ball; a colorful Brad’s Super Bait; or a K-14, K-15 or K-16 Kwikfish wrapped with a sardine strip and smeared in scent jelly. When using a Spin-N-Glo/egg cluster presentation, be sure to attach a size 50 Jumbo Jet diver to get it near the bottom. Sharp 3/0 or 4/0 Gamakatsu octopus or Big River hooks are a must to make sure the fish sticks. Many like the bottom hook to be a red Gamakatsu size 2 treble hook trailing off the egg cluster. There are times when anglers will also flat line a Kwikfish behind the boat. Water speed and currents through the Hanford Reach dictate what type of gear to use in the roughly 20 fishing holes located along the 20mile stretch of river. If you’re unfamiliar with Hanford Reach, purchase a topo map to see where the deep pockets of 50 to 60 feet are located or watch others around you closely. To track the optimum time to fish the area, monitor the fish counts at McNary Dam, located a mile east of Umatilla, Oregon. In 2020, an estimated 14,651 adult fall Chinook, 1,395 jack fall Chinook and 136 coho were caught in the Hanford Reach from 39,000 angler trips. About 257 adult Chinook and 46 jack Chinook were released. The 2020 Chinook harvest was 85 percent of the recent 10-year average. The fall salmon fishery here is open daily through October 15. The daily limit is six, but only two may be adult Chinook and coho. A two-pole endorsement is allowed for any species except sturgeon. Be sure to check wdfw.wa.gov for any emergency closures or openings. “The Hanford Reach is a great place to end the fall fishing year on, and one of my favorite times of the season to go fishing,” Moser said. NS

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FISHING

Sound Salmon Season Shades To Silver September brings ocean coho back to the inland sea and here’s where and how to catch ’em. By Mark Yuasa

s it September already? How can that be? Yes, summer seems to zip by, but the great news is each month has brought a new palette of colorful salmon to Puget Sound. First came the purplish/silvery hues of kings in July, followed by millions of pinks in August. Now hot on their heels in September are feisty coho, frequently referred to as silvers for their mint-bright sides. “We’re expecting fairly good coho fishing especially,” said Mark Baltzell, the head salmon resource manager at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Despite Baltzell’s upbeat tone, he remained cautiously optimistic in noting that we’re still digging out of survival issues for certain Puget Sound wild coho stocks, such as the typically strong Snohomish system, requiring conservation measures in certain waters. On the positive side, the region’s coho returns the past two years have gradually improved, and Baltzell’s confidence hinges on 2021’s forecasted 614,948 fish – up from an actual return of 504,604 and a forecast of 529,505 in 2020. Anglers started to see bright flashes of “silver madness” when resident coho were found in decent numbers around central Puget Sound’s Marine Area 10 from mid-June into early August.

Author Mark Yuasa hoists a pair of wild Puget Sound coho. While this year’s forecast looks better than 2020’s actual return, some of the inland sea’s northern and western waters are only open for retention of hatchery fish this season. (MARK YUASA) nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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FISHING Ocean-going silvers can be pretty snappy when they return, eagerly nipping trolled spoons and hoochies, but sometimes adding a herring strip, like these curing in rock salt to toughen them up, can help seal the deal. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

These local fish should have put on a few pounds by now and will join their ocean-going cousins in fall catches. Traditionally, a burst of migrating silvers show up during the first autumn low pressure weather system, although some already began arriving in late summer. The peak usually occurs during the second and third weeks of September. The bulk of the silver steam train in early September should be somewhere in the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Sekiu (Area 5) and Port Angeles (Area 6). Both areas are open daily through September 30 for hatchery coho with a two-fish daily limit. The east side of Whidbey Island (Areas 8-1 and 8-2) is open daily through September 19 for coho. Anglers can only keep hatchery coho in 8-2, which includes the popular silver fishing grounds from the Mukilteo-Clinton line south to the Area 9 boundary. Area 8-2 was closed for salmon in 2020, but was a silver hotbed in 2019 and 2018, and anglers 168 Northwest Sportsman

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hope to relive a similar scenario this month. Locally, most will focus on North Sound’s Admiralty Inlet, Area 9, which is open for hatchery coho through September 30; central Puget Sound, Area 10, open for all coho through October 31; South Sound, Area 11, open for all coho through October 31; and Deep South Sound, Area 13, open year-round for hatchery coho.

TARGET COHO AT Midchannel Bank off Port Townsend; on the west side of Whidbey Island from Fort Casey south to Bush and Lagoon Points; Point No Point; east side of Marrowstone Island; Possession Bar; Pilot Point; Edmonds Marina south to Richmond Beach; Jefferson Head; Meadow Point to West Point near Shilshole Bay; Shipwreck and Browns Bay south of Mukilteo; and Redondo Beach to Tacoma. Shore-bound anglers can catch coho along the west side of Whidbey Island at Bush and Lagoon Points and Fort Casey; Lincoln Park in West

Seattle; Point No Point; Possession Point; Marrowstone Island; Point Wilson near Port Townsend; and various piers, docks and shorelines from Mukilteo to Edmonds and Seattle south to Tacoma. One wildcard is the San Juan Islands, Area 7, which was closed to all salmon fishing under an emergency order in early July after the total allowable Chinook encounter rate was achieved. WDFW staff was deciding last month whether to reopen it or not, so be sure to check for any emergency regulation change for the island chain. Another sleeper location that’s often overlooked for silver chasers is Hood Canal, Area 12, open daily through November 30 with a liberal fourfish daily limit (release all Chinook October 1-November 30 and chum from October 1-15). The coho forecast is 84,531 down from 107,169 in 2020. Places like Quilcene Bay are expecting a return of 32,158, and fish can be found right now in this

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FISHING

The shipping lanes through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound are where the vast bulk of coho are caught, with boat anglers accounting for upwards of 90 percent in Admiralty Inlet, but some salmon venture in close to shore and will go for chrome darts like Buzz Bombs and other lures. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

terminal-type fishery, with folks having the best success tossing Buzz Bomb and Point Wilson Dart jigs.

THERE ARE MANY ways to have a successful day on the water, and one key element many forget is simply ramping up their speed from the slower trolling pace used for kings and pinks. Coho like fast-moving setups, so pushing the engine speed between 2.8 and 3.5 miles per hour will equate to more hookups. Be sure to locate silvers on your fishfinder, as they like to move around constantly. The best fishing can be found in the deepwater shipping lanes around rip tides and at the edge of a current. Keep your eyes peeled for silvers rolling and jumping on the surface. Birds feeding on krill and baitfish schools is another sign of hungry silvers swimming nearby. Time of day is essential and early 170 Northwest Sportsman

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morning hours or evenings just before sunset are when coho can be found within 25 to 50 feet of the surface. As the sun climbs over the horizon, be sure to get your lines as deep as 100 to 150 feet. First thing in the morning, stagger your gear at a variety of depths, with one line at 25 to 30 feet and the others between 50 to 100 feet. Once you catch a fish, be sure to reset the other rods at the same depth. A downrigger is the best way to keep your presentation at a specific depth, but not having them doesn’t mean you won’t have success. Simply use a banana lead weight of 2 to 8 ounces (current and wind will dictate the weight size to use) and count out the line so you can get the bait to the precise depth. Popular lure choices include Silver Horde Coho Killer, Kingfisher Lite and Luhr Jensen Coyote spoons;

plastic hoochies (2- to 4-inch squid imitations); and Silver Horde Ace Hi Flies in a purple haze or green spatterback. The Yakima Bait SpinFish is an innovative lure that comes in four sizes and 30 different colors, and coho can’t resist hitting this fastspinning presentation. It has an easy-fill chamber to add scent and comes with two pretied hooks on a 30-pound-test leader. When drift or motor-mooching, use a small cut-plug or whole herring or cast and retrieve a Beau Mac- or Point Wilson-style jig. Your leader length on a bait or jig should be 6 to 8 feet. Be sure to add anise or herring scent to your bait, jig or lure. Lastly, don’t wait too long to go since coho have a tendency to flash through marine areas as each fall weather system pushes waves of the fish into natal river systems. NS

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Introducing River Salmon Fishing I

t was a year ago that I got to introduce my brother and sister-in-law to salmon fishing on a river. They like fishing, and NW PURSUITS Troy grew up chasing By Jason Brooks trout with me on local lakes and streams. My father also took us on a few trips to fly fish on a remote river in North Cascades National Park. That was our “Disneyland” of sorts, and each summer we hiked along the banks and waded out in the stream flinging flies we’d tied ourselves. The 7-inch trout filled the skillet and we really had some great times. Then, as life often goes, we grew up and our interests changed. Troy stayed on the arid side of our home state of Washington and I moved to the wet side. Knowing I fished each fall in my drift boat, he asked if I would take him and his wife, Lijah, on a fishing trip. Finally, last year it happened and I was reminded how hard it can be to learn how to fish, let alone fish a river.

ONE GREAT THING about river fishing is that the river usually has fish in it and you can figure out where they are. Unlike a lake, where you cast out a line and hope a fish comes along and bites the bait, in a river there are specific places where fish will be holding and moving. This was to be the first lesson I taught Troy and Lijah that day: where to find the fish. It was decided to float a coastal river for Chinook and knowing that they could cast a rod, thanks to the early years of trout fishing, I picked one main technique for the day – floating eggs. Floating eggs not only catches fish but it teaches the angler a lot of different lessons all at once. The first is where to cast

Troy and Lijah Brooks were river salmon fishing newbs when they went out with Troy’s brother Jason Brooks last fall, but they learned a lot on a day that was otherwise tough fishing for others on the water. (JASON BROOKS) nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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COLUMN Lessons included identifying likely fish-holding waters, from logjams to tailouts to deeper waters shaded by overhanging trees. (JASON BROOKS, ALL)

the cured salmon roe. As we floated down the river, I explained what a riffle was and why salmon will sit in them to rest and let the oxygenated water flow through their gills. The broken surface also keeps them safe from eagles and other predators. Next came a tailout, where the salmon will climb up a riffle or rapids and rest in the faster water that is being pushed out of the hole. It is the first place for the fish to stop after using energy to go up the faster water. Then there were the deep holes and resting fish. They’re often the hardest ones to get a bite out of, but also the most fished waters as you can see salmon rolling and know they are there.

COMING TO A deep hole, we dropped anchor and I adjusted our bobber stops to the depth that would put the eggs in the 176 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2021 | nwsportsmanmag.com

face of the fish. Casting the outfit takes a bit of practice, as it can be more of a “lob” instead of a cast, but soon Troy and Lijah were getting the bait into the zone. The next lesson was learning how to read the bobber. As it floated downstream and then slowly pulled under, I explained that it was because the bait or weight was dragging on bottom. This helps to figure out where the bottom is and if there is a shelf in the river where the fish might hold, allowing you to adjust for it. As Lijah’s float came even with her while floating through the hole, it went under fast. I yelled to set the hook but of course I hadn’t really explained what this meant. Instead, the slow pull on the rod meant the bait pulled right out of a fish’s mouth, despite the sharp hook. But instead of trying to explain what a hookset

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COLUMN was, I got to show them: As my float passed by the same spot, it too went under. I lifted the rod quickly while reeling down and my hooks dug deep. The large Chinook pulled away and headed for some downed trees. I handed the rod to Lijah and she got to enjoy the excitement of reeling in a fish, though it

turned out to be wild. The next lesson, releasing fish, was quickly taught with a tail splash as the salmon swam away.

WE SAT THERE a few hours too long and while we did land a few more fish, as the sun climbed and hit the water the bite went “off.” I knew that the fish had moved

to the riffles and shade of overhanging tree branches, so we moved downriver to another spot where I knew the fish like to hold in really deep water full of downed timber and overhanging trees. It didn’t take long before the float went down again and this time Lijah set the hook hard. The big hen headed deep but Lijah cranked down. She had quickly learned how to fight the fish and soon it came to the net. It was her first “all by herself” Chinook. Watching her “punch” her catch record card was the highlight of my day. It always is whenever someone new is in my boat. As the day went on, my brother hooked and landed several more fish and I was getting tired from rowing and netting. The next fish was hot and fought hard, but Lijah was a bit surprised when I handed her the net and I sat down to watch the show. It was time for another lesson: how to net a salmon. Several tries later and after learning you can’t scoop them up by the tail, the fish finally went into the net. Lijah and Troy heaved it over the side of the boat, both smiling as I laughed. It was then that they said they too were done for the day, and ready to float down to the takeout. I continued to give lessons, mostly on how to not fall out of the boat and help watch for downstream obstructions. At the end of the day the fish checker was a bit surprised to see how many Chinook we had in the box. Turns out the low water conditions had made it tough for other anglers. It was another lesson: My brother and sister-in-law learned that not all days are like the one we’d shared on the river.

SEPTEMBER’S THE BEST month to hit a

Rather than bore them with handsoff techniques, the author had Lijah and Troy fish big gobs of eggs under a float, a style that imparts multiple lessons about reading water, the bottom, gear and more. (JASON BROOKS) 178 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2021 | nwsportsmanmag.com

local river and when you do, be sure to take someone new, at least once this year. Pink salmon will be flooding our streams and they are a great way to introduce someone to salmon fishing. The coho forecast on some rivers is good too, and a few are even expecting decent numbers of Chinook back. When taking new anglers out, remember that patience is needed by all. It is OK to lose a few fish and even cast into the trees. This is how they learn to tie knots

nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021

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COLUMN Next lesson for Troy and Lijah: how to row the boat and put Jason into some fall salmon! (JASON BROOKS)

and rebait hooks, as well as execute an accurate cast. When I take a new angler out for the first time, I try to use one or two techniques that involve them. It is easy to pull plugs or bait divers, but it soon loses the interest of rookie fishermen. Instead, take along some float rods and have them float cured salmon roe, or bring a spinning rod and spinners to cast or jigs to twitch. Most of us cut our teeth on drift fishing and it’s also a great way to introduce new anglers. There just is something about that lead ticking along the bottom, the grab of the hook and a fish leaping out of water. Regardless of the technique, taking a new angler out and introducing them to river fishing is always an adventure. You might make a new fishing partner and just maybe they will learn how to net fish for you. This year when Troy and Lijah show up at the river, I get to teach them the next lesson: how to row a drift boat. I just hope they enjoy it as much as I do. And that way I can get some fishing in too! NS

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180 Northwest Sportsman

SEPTEMBER 2021 | nwsportsmanmag.com

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Northwest Sportsmanmag - September 2021

Articles inside

TIPS FOR EARLY SEASON ELK

ENJOY DOVE DAYS OF SUMMER, FALL

MID-COLUMBIA SALMON ‘HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION’

NORTHWEST GROUSE PROSPECTS