Northwest Sportsman Mag - September 2022 by Media Index Publishing Group

FISHING • HUNTING • NEWS NWSPORTSMANMAG.COM

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12 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com Volume 14 • Issue 12 PUBLISHER James R. Baker EDITOR Andy “Bitting hit enough” Walgamott THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Dave Anderson, Jason Brooks, Dennis Dauble, Scott Haugen, Jeff Holmes, MD Johnson, Buzz Ramsey, Troy Rodakowski, Dave Workman, Mark Yuasa EDITORIAL FIELD SUPPORT Jason Brooks GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak SALES MANAGER Paul Yarnold ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Hanna Gagley, Mamie Grifﬁn, Riland Risden, 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 DIGITAL ASSISTANT Jon Ekse ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@nwsportsmanmag.com CORRESPONDENCE Email letters, articles/queries, photos, etc., to awalgamott@media-inc.com, or to the mailing address below. ON THE COVER Grays Harbor coho are one of early fall’s best Northwest salmon bets. (MARK YUASA) DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS On page 41 of the May 2022 issue, the Photo Contest Winners page, the last name of Logan Livingstone was inadvertently misspelled without an e. Our apologies. DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and get daily updates at nwsportsmanmag.com. Your LOCAL Hunting & FishingResource MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP 941 Powell Ave SW, Suite 120 Renton, WA 98057 (206) 382-9220 • (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 mediaindexpublishing.commedia@media-inc.com Fishing and Repair Destination Since 1948. WE OFFER A LARGE INVENTORY OF QUALITY BRANDS 1-877-426-0933 verles.com

142 LOWER COLUMBIA COHO MD Johnson’s a jetty junky this time of year, eschewing the plentiful boat rides he could go on out of his Lower Columbia homeport in favor of lobbing anchovies under a bobber and very speciﬁc spinners for coho and Chinook oﬀ the rocks and shores at the lower end of the big river. He details his best salmon setups for September!

SO YOU HIGHTOWANTHUNTBUCK?

Washington riflemen’s first general-season crack at deer is increasingly popular but far from easy. Longtime September High Buck hunter Jason Brooks and his knees know that better than most. He has backcountry tips and the washout points to beware of for those heading into select Cascades and Olympics wildernesses this month. (JASON BROOKS) 63 2022 OREGON DEER PROSPECTS It’s go time for Oregon deer, and Troy Rodakowski shares top units throughout the state and expert advice for bucks – plus there’s a rule change going into effect this fall that Beaver State big game hunters need to know about.

131 GRAYS HARBOR COHO FORECAST LOOKS BRIGHT With 120,000 more silvers predicted to hit this Washington South Coast bay than returned last year, Mark Yuasa has your Harbor coho how-tos handy! Go to nwsportsmanmag.com for details.

73 A MUZZLELOADER PRIMER Jeﬀ Holmes is a longtime muzzleloader who has, well, he’s gone through some guns during that time. And that’s taught him a few key lessons that he passes along in an introduction to hunting deer and elk with a smokepole.

157 GORGE ON FALL KINGS The mouths of the Deschutes, Klickitat and Little White Salmon Rivers provide pretty good fishing for fall Chinook – just beware tules! Guide Bryce Doherty delivers the goods on where and how to catch upriver brights on these Columbia Gorge waters – plus find out about the salmon spinners that Tri-Cities fishermen are raving about.

14 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com ALSO INSIDE NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 941 Powell Ave SW, Suite 120, Renton, WA 98057. Periodical Postage Paid at Seattle, WA and at additional mail ofﬁces. (USPS 025-251) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northwest Sportsman, 941 Powell Ave SW, Suite 120, Renton, WA 98057. Annual subscriptions are $39.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $59.95 (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 © 2022 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. 52

VOLUMECONTENTS14•ISSUE12SUBSCRIBETODAY!

NORTHWEST Silvers Shine In September’s

This month dawns bright and full of promise for saltwater coho anglers, with opportunities stretching from the Paciﬁc into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and down through the Salish Sea to its very southern end. Jason highlights September’s best ops!

Salt 122 (JASON BROOKS)

101 BUZZ RAMSEY Hunting Trip Gone Wrong You know him as a legendary salmon and steelhead angler, but Buzz also takes his hunting quite seriously – and it almost got the better of him during last fall’s late blacktail season. He shares a harrowing tale from deep in the Giﬀord Pinchot National Forest that could have cost him his life, and the lessons he learned.

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PURSUITS

COLUMNS

Dave W. has spent a fair amount of time in buck and bull country, and over the decades he’s always bumped into hunters carrying rifles in a very specific quartet of calibers, testaments to their staying power – and effectiveness. He shares his “Big Four” for the Northwest’s four primary deer family species, as well as offers up Washington’s traditionally best Bambi bets and has a reminder to grouse gunners.

109 GUN DOG Bandtail Pigeon Tuneup

83 ON TARGET ‘The Big Four’ Northwest Big Game Calibers

It may take a new hunter years before harvesting a first deer or elk, but knowing how to process that kill is critical from the get-go to avoid meat spoilage and wastage. Former hunting guide Dave A. offers solid advice for field butchering and sacking up venison.

95 BECOMING A HUNTER Processing Your First Kill

One of Scott’s most anticipated seasons of the year is bandtail pigeon, a great –albeit brief – mid-September tuneup for wingshooters and dogs alike. But it’s also a hunt that shouldn’t be taken lightly, given the conservation concerns Scott details.

18 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com THE BIG PIC: 23PartPartnersFishingWhenTHEEDITOR’SNOTE Fish and wildlife management reformist hired as Inslee’s new senior natural resource policy advisor 33 READER PHOTOS Titanic tiger trout, seriously stout salmon and sturgeon, and more! 37 PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS Coast Hunting, Fishing monthly prizes 39 THE DISHONOR ROLL Summer of shellfish scofflaws; Jackass of the Month 41 DERBY WATCH $ilver lining to end of saltwater derby season; Upcoming and ongoing events 43 OUTDOOR CALENDAR Upcoming fishing and hunting openers, events, deadlines, more DEPARTMENTS 24 Crushed by the sudden loss of three on-thewater buddies this year, including one to suicide, an angler considers who to fish with in the future. (DENNIS DAUBLE)

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I’m really sorry to sound like a broken record, but it means that this continues to be a critical time for hunters and anglers to pay keen attention to all things WDFW and commission. –Andy Walgamott

AS INSLEE’S SENIOR fish and wildlife policy advisor and assuming her brief is the same as the person she replaced, JT Austin, Musgrave’s focus will include agencies such as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Puget Sound Partnership and salmon-related bureaus at the Department of Natural Resources and the Recreation and Conservation Funding Office. Issues she’ll track include wildlife and wolf management, wildlife conservation, orca recovery, North of Falcon salmon-season setting, fisheries and comanagement, and more.

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In a refined presentation for The Wildlife Society’s conference last November, Musgrave pointed out how big-tent efforts in Washington had helped convince state legislators to shake loose increased General Fund support for WDFW; fishing and hunting fee hikes had failed beforehand. And she spoke to recently changed state policies “trying to reflect the new values” of fish and wildlife agency constituents, such as restrictions on wildlife killing contests and how trapping is “getting a second look, this by legislators, to sort of force the agencies to evolve.” She added that while public values are changing, agency culture and policies are slow to do so, as employees are often anglers and hunters themselves, and that consumptive users don’t necessarily want more people at the table.

t a time of calls to “reform” ﬁsh and wildlife management, conservation and the funding thereof, Washington Governor Jay Inslee has hired a new senior natural resource policy advisor, and hunters and anglers should take notice.

Oﬃcially brought on board in mid-July, Ruth Musgrave is the president of Wildlife Policy Consulting of Olympia, a lobbyist with her husband at The Warren Group and most recently was a conservation senior advisor for the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. NCEL concerns itself with wildlife agency relevance and funding –particularly in Washington – wildlife connectivity and crossings, carnivores and coexistence, invasive species and wildlife disease, among other facets. Before that, Musgrave founded and headed up the Center for Wildlife Law at the University of New Mexico, where she taught “wildlife law, biodiversity and the law, and advocacy.” And she is on the advisory board of the Endangered Species Coalition, has also been on the board of Defenders of Wildlife and was described as a team member of Project Coyote.

Poking around her background, I found that in 2018 she was a featured speaker at “the ﬁrst national conference to address the topic of reforming state wildlife management” and spoke to changing needs, funding issues and increasing money available to agencies, leaving the audience with the message, “IMHO: Agency policy will follow the funding.”

HER HIRING COMES after enviros pushed Inslee to appoint reformminded folks to the commission, which hires and ﬁres WDFW’s director. Some current and former commissioners, as well as several state lawmakers, have expressed interest in reinterpreting the legislative mandates around both bodies and setting a new conservation policy.

THE EDITOR’S NOTE

When PartnersFishingPart

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Communication dried up until an email from his wife came with an explanation that Andy had been diagnosed with early onset dementia. The condition soon aﬀected his speech and mobility and led to placement in a memory care facility. Andy’s broad smile greets me when I visit to show he remembers the good times we spent ﬁshing together.

Basically, individuals who show promise are identiﬁed and a plan for their development is put in place. Eﬀective succession planning allows managers to build an organization in a manner that supports decision-making and ensures teamwork.

After suddenly losing three on-the-water buddies this year, an angler looks to restock his speed-dial list.

By Dennis Dauble It’s been a reﬂective year for me. Three awesome guys I’ve ﬁshed with for over a decade are no longer on speed dial because of personal tragedy or a change in lifestyle. The pool of candidates to replace them has also dwindled. As a former manager in a research organization, I am well versed in the importance of succession planning.

LET’S START WITH losing my number one fishing buddy who, during a lengthy career as a special education teacher, developed extraordinary patience and understanding – highly desired characteristics of a fishing buddy. My need for succession planning began when Tim shared his plan to pull up roots and move to South Carolina. “South Carolina?” I said. “You won’t last a month there. They think different on the other side of the Mason-Dixon line.” “Angela wants to be closer to her folks,” Tim“Ireplied.thought she had a stepdad.” “All I know is she calls him ‘Daddy.”’ “I hope you are taking your boat.” “I plan to, although her cousin asked, ‘Why y’all got an aluminum boat?’” Sometimes we took my boat out for salmon and steelhead and sometimes we took Tim’s. Gas money never exchanged hands. Snacks, drinks and spare gear were freely exchanged because that’s what fishing buddies do. Tim’s version of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder requires a prescription for Ritalin, while I manage my impulsive behavior without aid of the same drug. That being said, never once did Tim ask to return from a fishing trip early when bored or unhappy. When I asked what he was thinking, the answer was invariably, “I’m good. We can keep fishing or quit whenever you want.” A feeling of sadness wells up when I don’t see Tim’s boat parked in his adjacent driveway. No other fishing buddy soaked up pleasant moments like Tim. His ability to set hardship aside, not to mention fiascos that included me knocking off mint-bright sockeye salmon and 5-pound smallmouth bass at the net, endeared him to me. I should be wishing Tim well, but I am not pleased my new next-door neighbor doesn’t know the difference between a northern pikeminnow and a walleye. BACK IN THE day, I mostly fished with a fellow angler from the workplace. When Andy got wound up, I wanted to slap him. When he became morose, I wanted to leave him by the side of the road. My wife often said, “If he’s so much trouble, why do you fish with him?” Andy applied a brilliant career as a scientist to the sport of angling. Inductive reasoning often led to him challenging my ability. On days when action slowed, he would say, “Hey, Mr. Fisheries Biologist! Tell me why we aren’t catching fish.” I would almost always reply, “The only benefit of my advanced education is the ability to come up with more theories.” Andy was a central character in my first collection of short stories, but took offense at the occasional condescending portrayal of his character. When his concern threatened to stymie publication of the book, I offered to change his name. Of three monikers I tossed out, he chose Leroy. His demeanor went from ballistic to calm with a stroke of the pen. I hadn’t seen much of Andy since we fished for walleye on a frigid, foggy day in late February. “I guess neither one of us wanted to fish that bad,” I said when I dropped him off after less than two hours on the water. Later that year, when I offered to take him out for mountain whitefish, he said, “No, thanks. They may not be where they were last year.”

BT took me to places in his 24foot cab-over Weldcraft I would have otherwise never experienced: jigging for barndoor halibut oﬀ the northern tip of Vancouver Island; night trolling for 15-pound walleye on the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River; pulling Kwikﬁsh for spring Chinook downstream of Columbia and Snake River dams; casting spinners for hatchery steelhead on the Clearwater River. More than once he spent a night on anchor to save a secret spot. All I had to do was show up with my gear

BUT NO LOSS hurts like that of a dear friend and ﬁshing buddy who chose to end his life. BT was a talented wildlife biologist, angler and entrepreneur who headed up a successful environmental consulting company. Few individuals have the ability to sidle up to a stranger and scratch, spit or cuss until they wheedle the inside dope on a certain ﬁshing location or technique. Such was one unique talent of BT.

Author Dennis Dauble photographed longtime

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whenwinterClearwaterpartnerﬁshing-for-everythingBTduringamomentofcontentmentashecastforaRiversteelheadonelateevening.“Memorieshelpyoucopewiththesadnessthatcomesadearfriendleavesthisearth,”Daublewrites.(DENNISDAUBLE)

SO WHAT CONSTITUTES a good ﬁshing buddy? Appreciative, patient and cheerful are desired attributes. Tolerance, mutual respect and the ability to ﬁnd levity in any situation that comes up is important. Willing to learn a new technique or perhaps learn something about yourself is also helpful.

The author’s friend Andy patiently waits for his bobber to go down as the sun sets over the Snake River’s Ice Harbor Dam. The two anglers had an at-times strained relationship and lost contact until Dauble learned Andy was suffering from early onset dementia. During visits, Andy beams in memory of their ﬁshing trips. (DENNIS DAUBLE) and join him. Rare was a ride on BT’s boat that did not include a brace of well-trained Brittany spaniels. As evidence of his tender heart, a small scamp mutt became a part of the family after BT saved it from drowning in the Yakima MemoriesRiver.help you cope with the

PRO SPORTS TEAMS have a draft process to build their ranks. More than one dating website promises “true love” based on verified profiles and intelligent matchmaking. However, finding a new fishing buddy is more complicated than filling out a 10-page questionnaire or chatting with an online robot. So, who’s left to choose from?

when I received a pre-visit text message from my 17-year-old grandson that said, “I want to fish every day.” Unlike his father who has little interest in fishing, Adam has the bug. His enthusiasm reminds me of a time when I would rather fish than eat. We spent three sublime days chasing sockeye on the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River this past July. Adam watched rods with the patience of a saint while I messed with gear. Unfortunately, the demands of school, a part-time job and his budding love life limit our time together.

The phone rings three times a week from Wayne when bass fishing picks up in April and May, but he disappears over the summer to fish Puget Sound. No more congenial companions can be found than longtime friends Ken and Ted if fly fishing is my inclination. However, similar to Wayne’s bass-centric approach, their late spring outings for stocker trout do not carry the year. Bob can be counted on during fall Chinook season. Weekends only, though, because he’s still a working stiff. All through courtship and early matrimony, my wife would get up at dawn, ignore “No Trespassing” signs and outmaneuver pasture bulls to fish with me. Nowadays, Nancy might wander to the river near our cabin to cast a fly, but has no interest in going out on a boat. It’s either too hot, too cold, too windy or not convenient.

On the negative side, diﬀerent biorhythms can complicate a shared ﬁshing experience, as can someone who doesn’t know how to deploy a downrigger, Jet Diver or slip bobber.

I once asked a favorite boss, “What’s the point of me being third on your list of succession candidates?”

“Every now and then, the third-string quarterback gets in the game,” he replied. That same wise boss also taught me

Also low on the list of replacement anglers is older brother Dusty, who used to speed 200 miles up the freeway to meet me for a day of tossing flies at Walla Walla River trout. The closest he gets to a fish nowadays is me passing off a bag of smoked salmon. My heart skipped a beat this summer

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sadness that comes when a dear friend leaves this earth. BT and I had candid discussions on the merits of wearing gloves when baiting up, the best color of plug to use under different conditions, and why salmon slammed Super Baits. A favorite memory was the day we pulled spinners for sockeye and I hooked a large walleye that would not come back to the boat. BT finally pulled off anchor to net it.

I saw the gleam in his eyes (he being hard up for “white meat” after having eaten all the halibut in his larder) and traded the big walleye for an 8-pound summer Chinook and a 20-inch walleye from his catch.

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Tim, Dauble’s ex-neighbor and former number one fishing buddy, is doing his best to adapt to a southern lifestyle after picking up and moving from TriCities to South Carolina. (DENNIS DAUBLE) that crisis can lead to opportunity. In my case, losing three longtime fishing partners in six months provides a chance to forge new friendships. A recent trip reminded of how a positive experience can spark a former relationship. Dick showed up with a picnic lunch, like he often does when we fish out of my boat. One time it was fried chicken and Spam. This time it was a chicken salad on thick slices of white bread.

Editor’s note: Dennis Dauble is author of five books about fish and fishing. His website is DennisDaubleBooks.com. Sunnyside O road comes from a passion for hunting, fishing, camping and exploring the Western states’ public lands. After spending many weeklong trips setting up and tearing down camp night after night, we knew there had to be a better, faster and more convenient way to enjoy time spent outdoors. We searched far and wide for a light weight camper trailer with a havedesignbegan.andtheavail.suspension,smooth-ridingbuttonoThisiswhereBoonystomperBunejugjourneyAfteryearsofandtesting,wedevelopedthe lightest, smoothest-riding suspension trailers on the market. Our custom-designed and -engineered independent suspension lets you glide across any terrain, even at high speeds. It will confidently go anywhere your Jeep or side-by-side can go. These trailers are designed for extreme o road use, yet are virtually unnoticeable behind any tow vehicle going down the highway. Our incredible suspension coupled with a less-than-700-pound trailer is what sets us apart from anyone else on the market. But the comfort and convenience of our trailers is what makes taking them into the outdoors so much fun. Just ask our customers! Look us up at sunnysideo road.com and join the rapidly growing community of outdoor Sunnyside O road trailer enthusiasts!

“You OK with Miracle Whip?” he asked, knowing I toss any garnish that includes peppers or tomato slices to the gulls. The sandwich tasted great despite baking in the sun while we netted a pair of 20-inch walleyes. I haven’t shared my thoughts yet, but Dick is now on speed dial, with an excellent chance of moving up the ranks. Maybe to the number one slot, given more time on the job and proper mentoring. NS

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RVS, TRAILERS & CAMPERS FOR THE NW

For your shot at winning great ﬁshing and hunting products from Coast and Northwest Sportsman, 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

After a few years away, Kurt Spiegel returned to Vancouver Island’s Nootka Sound, where the ﬁshing was “outstanding,” per bro Eric. “We were catching kings (springers, eh!) to 21 pounds and coho to 10 pounds,” he reports. (COAST FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

Here’s to peaking at you, Mr. Smallmouth Bass! Logan, 8, caught it at the Tacoma area’s Lake Tapps. (COAST FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

Cathy Clegg topped the standing Washington state and world records for tiger trout when she landed this 27.42-pounder off her Loon Lake dock early last month. She was plunking nightcrawlers. Crazy thing is, those records belonged to her son, who had set them just the year before with a tiger – a brook-brown trout hybrid – that went 24.5 pounds. (COAST FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

Giddyup! David Bundrant enjoyed a wild ride wrestling in this big Mid-Columbia sturgeon. (COAST FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

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or Northwest Sportsman, 941 Powell Ave SW, Suite 120, Renton, WA 98057. By sending us photos, you afﬁrm you have the right to distribute them for use in our print and Internet publications.

READER PHOTOS

This year delivered a record run of sockeye back to the Columbia and Spencer Ewing was there for it on the upper river’s Brewster Pool. He shows off limits that he, his grandpa – and sockeye godfather –Frank Urabeck, and others caught on a mid-July trip. (COAST FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

A cloudy spring day in the San Juan Islands got a whole lot brighter for Kyle McCullough when this lingcod bit. (COAST FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

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Jeﬀ Hernandez is the winner of our monthly Coast Fishing Photo Contest, thanks to this shot of wife Leslie and her Paulina Lake rainbow, caught this summer oﬀ a standup paddleboard. It wins him a knife and light from Coast!

Russ Hickman is our monthly Coast Hunting Photo Contest winner, thanks to this pic of son Jordan and his fall 2021 buck. It wins him a knife and light from Coast! For your shot at winning a Coast knife and light, send your photos and pertinent (who, what, when, where) details to awalgamott@media-inc .com or Northwest Sportsman, 941 Powell Ave SW, Suite 120, Renton, WA 98057. By sending us photos, you aﬃrm you have the right to distribute them our print or Internet

nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2022 Northwest Sportsman 37

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publications.

One incident earlier this summer had Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police vowing to hand-deliver charges to county prosecutors against a Hood Canal trio found in possession of nearly 15 times the daily limit of spot shrimp, while agency oﬃcers also caught an unlicensed duo with 151 oysters.

By Andy Walgamott

o, no, no, no, no and no don’t mean much to a couple from the Western Oregon town of Willamina. They ignored no less than six “No Salmon/Steelhead Angling” signs posted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at Lower Willamina Creek Falls, where they kept a wild steelhead this past March.

JACKASS OF THE MONTH

GAME WARDENS SPOTTED the three shrimpers of oﬀ Lilliwaup, in the southern half of Hood Canal, during a four-hour opener. They watched as the three stowed their gear and then “immediately head out.”

“In total, the group of three harvested 1,155 shrimp, nearly 15 times the limit!” WDFW

But evidence from trail cameras set up by ﬁsh and wildlife troopers led state managers to close the waters to all ﬁshing from early April to late May to further protect the steelhead.

As recently as 2017 and in the face of a very low return and intense sea lion predation, there was a 90 percent chance one of the Willamette’s wild winter steelhead runs would go extinct if nothing was done. Jackasses could care less about that, though.

IN THE OYSTER incident, another warden spotted two people stashing “large amounts of oysters” in bags in beachside bushes. When contacted, they were found with 151 unshucked oysters; the daily limit is 18, and they must be shucked on the beach and the shells left at the same level as they were found for future year-classes of oysters to develop on. What’s more, neither member of the duo had a shellﬁshing license. Charges were also sent to the prosecutor.

“Harvested,”reported.however, is not the correct word in this case. That would be “poached,” and selfishly, swinishly, gluttonously so. Their single overlimit nearly equaled the five separate incidents from the San Juan Islands that we reported here last issue. When the Hood Canal ringleader was asked how his counting skills could be so off, he replied, “Math was never my strength,” WDFW reported.

t just never stops with shellﬁsh swine.

nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2022 Northwest Sportsman 39 MIXED BAG

Unshucked oysters seized from a duo who had illegally plucked over 150 off a Washington beach. (WDFW)

Summer Of Shellfish Scofflaws

When Sergeant Ken Balazs and Oﬃcers Summit and Garrison intercepted the boat, they found the trio had “four pots loaded with shrimp, clearly over the limit for three people.” The daily limit is a maximum of 80 spot shrimp per person.

Asked how many of the prawns they had aboard, the three stated they were going to count them at home, “a common answer for those found over their limits,” WDFWGivenalleged.thatit was the group’s last pull and it looked like they’d easily exceeded their limits, officers were suspicious that this might not have been their only trip that day. Asked how their earlier pulls had gone, the trio “initially stated that they only made the one pull” and stuck with that line as Balazs, Summit and Garrison counted their shrimp and initially found them to be “nearly eight times” over the limit. Asked how many shrimp they had back at the house, the trio began to come clean, allegedly admitting to roughly the same amount. The officers followed them to a home off of Dewatto Bay, where they discovered a 5-gallon bucket threequarters full of spot shrimp tails.

The spot is known to collect the laterunning Willamette Basin winter stock as the ﬁsh pause before pushing over the low falls. Meanwhile, boundarypushing anglers try to weasel their way around the steelheading prohibition by claiming to target trout, which at the time were open year-round.

Didn’t matter to the Willamina duo, who “returned additional days, each time leaving beer cans by the river and on the roadway,” troopers reported. So they issued the couple a mess of their own – a bunch of criminal citations, including for unlawful take of a wild steelhead, ﬁshing without a license, angling on closed waters, “sharing in a violation” and dumping trash within 100 yards of a waterway.

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By Andy Walgamott

$ilver Lining To End Of Derby Season

nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2022 Northwest Sportsman 41 UPCOMING & ONGOING EVENTS  Now through Sept. 11: Bandon Crab Derby; tonyscrabshack.com/crab-derby  Now through mid-October: Westport Charterboat Derbies, Pacific charterwestport.com/fishing.htmlOcean;  Now through Oct. 31: WDFW 2022 Trout Derby, select lakes; fishing/contests/trout-derbywdfw.wa.gov/  Sept. 3-4: Small Mouth Bass Derby, Coquille River; thepocrd.com  Sept. 3-5: Gardiner, Reedsport, Winchester Bay STEP Salmon Derby, Umpqua River estuary; 541-662-5505, grwbstep@gmail.com  Sept. 10: Columbia Food Bank Salmon Derby, Lower Columbia; cpfoodbank.org  Oct. 22-23: King of the Reach Derby, Mid-Columbia’s Hanford ccawashington.org/kingofthereachReach;

Note that a grand-prize boat is no longer being raﬄed oﬀ at the conclusion of the Everett Coho Derby, as the Northwest Marine Trade Association’s Salmon Derby Series –which the watercraft was associated with – was retired after last year’s event. (COAST

FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

Apair of Puget Sound coho derbies this month feature handsome top prizes and benefit local fish, fisheries and organizations. First up is the Edmonds Coho Derby on Saturday, September 10, with its $5,000 grand prize for heaviest silver, $2,500 for second and $1,000 for third. There’s also $1,000 on the line for the biggest kids coho. The event is put on by the Sno-King Chapter of Puget Sound Anglers and tickets are $30. Weigh-ins are at the Port of Edmonds and Bayside Marine in Everett. It is followed two weekends later by the Everett Coho Derby. The September 24-25 derby boasts a $10,000 top prize for the stoutest coho, $5,000 for second and $2,500 for third, with $500 on the line for the youngster with the largest fish. Also a longtime fundraiser and to support conservation activities, the derby is run by the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club and the Snohomish Sportsmen’s Club. For more on both derbies, see edmondscohoderby.com and everettcohoderby.com. Due to this year’s fishing rules, the fishy waters off the southwest side of Whidbey Island (Marine Area 8-2) and the Snohomish River won’t be open during the Everett Coho Derby, and Admiralty Inlet (Area 9) is limited to hatchery coho during both events.

42 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com

nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2022 Northwest Sportsman 43 1 Washington cougar, dove and bow deer openers; Fall turkey opener in many Eastern Washington units; Oregon grouse, mourning dove openers; Fall turkey opener in select Northcentral Oregon units; Steelhead closures begin on mainstem Columbia from The Dalles Dam to Highway 395 bridge; Oregon Central Coast summer all-depth halibut ﬁshing opens daily; Southern Oregon Subarea opens for two halibut a day 3 Oregon Central Coast nonselective coho ocean opener through September 30 or until 17,000-ﬁsh quota met; CAST For Kids event on Clear Lake (Fairchild AFB) – info: castforkids.org 3-4/8/11 Washington September goose season dates (varies by area) 7 Last scheduled day Buoy 10 open for Chinook retention 8 Buoy 10 hatchery coho limit increases to three a day 10 CAST For Kids event on Lake Washington – info: see above; Washington bow elk opener 10-11 ODFW Youth Pheasant Hunt (free, register), Fern Ridge Wildlife Area –info: myodfw.com/workshops-and-events 10-14/18 Oregon September Canada goose season dates (varies by zone) 11 CAST For Kids event on Hagg Lake – info: see above 12 Opening of fee pheasant hunting at Fern Ridge Wildlife Area 15 Washington statewide grouse opener 15-18 Portland Fall RV & Van Show, Portland Expo Center – info: otshows.com 15-23 Oregon bandtail pigeon season dates 15-25 High Buck Hunt in several Washington Cascades and Olympics wilderness areas, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area 17 ODFW Pheasant Hunting Workshop ($, register), EE Wilson Wildlife Area –info: see above 17-18 Oregon youth upland bird hunting weekend at Denman, Klamath, Ladd Marsh and Sauvie Island Wildlife Areas, and Madras and John Day; Washington pheasant, quail and partridge youth hunting weekend 17-25 Washington bandtail pigeon season dates 19 Opening of fee pheasant hunting at Denman, Sauvie Island Wildlife Areas 19-23 Washington senior and disabled hunter pheasant hunting week 24 Washington muzzleloader deer opener; Washington youth duck, coot and goose hunt day; 51st Annual National Hunting & Fishing Day – info: nhfday.org 24-25 Oregon youth waterfowl hunting weekend; Coquille Valley, EE Wilson, Irrigon and White River Wildlife Areas youth upland bird hunting weekend

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

1 Salmon, steelhead opener on numerous Oregon streams; Coho opener on Oregon Coast’s Siltcoos, Tahkenitch and Tenmile Lakes; Oregon razor clam opener on Clatsop County beaches north of Tillamook Head; Western Oregon and most controlled riﬂe (any legal weapon) deer openers; Washington muzzleloader elk opener; Eastern Washington youth waterfowl hunting day; Eastern Washington quail, partridge openers 8 Oregon quail, pheasant, partridge, fall turkey, Zone 2 snipe and early duck, and High Desert and Blue Mountains Zones Canada, whitefronted goose openers

15-23 Washington early general duck season dates 15-25 Youth three-point-minimum or antlerless whitetail deer hunt dates in select Southeast Washington units 15-30 Oregon Zone 1 early duck season dates 22 Eastern Washington pheasant opener

10 Deer, elk rifle openers in many Idaho units Last day of Oregon recreational ocean crab season (bays open year-round); Washington general rifle deer season opener; Last day of bottomfish retention off Washington Coast; Washington Goose Management Areas 1-5 opener

OUTDOOR OCTOBER

26 Opening of fee pheasant hunting at EE Wilson Wildlife Area 30 Last scheduled day of 2022 Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program season – info: pikeminnow.org

HUNT ALBERTA

I think we can all agree that it’s been a crazy couple of years. By the looks of it, everyone is eager to get back to doing the things they love. Hunters, if you’re looking to book that next big trip, an unmatched assortment of non-resident opportunities, along with a host of friendly and professional outfitters and guides, await you in Alberta. Unique in its geography and biodiversity, our midwest province is home to 10 different big game species and tremendous bird hunting as well. Whether you’re a bow or gun hunter looking for an antlered harvest, a predator hunter, or just looking to fill your freezer, consider making Alberta your nextAccessibledestination.and if you live in the Pacific Northwest, Alberta is only a short trip north across the border. With three international airports, visiting hunters commonly fly into Edmonton (YEG), Calgary BY SINCLAIR IMAGERY

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(YYC), or Fort McMurray (YMM). Each of these locations welcomes flights from coastal hubs like Portland and Seattle. Should you choose to drive instead, you’ll be rewarded with a great road trip and incredible scenery along the way. No lottery or draw is required for visiting hunters using the services of a licensed outfitter – so permits are guaranteed. Interested in Alberta, but not sure where to start? The Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) has two tools available on our website at apos.ab.ca. Using our interactive map under Find an Outfitter, you can narrow down your search by specifying your needs and preferences. Alternatively, you can submit a hunt inquiry through FollowTheLead, which will automatically circulate your customized inquiry to members who offer that species.

Silver Fox OutfittersCANADA hunting@telusplanet.net • (800) 899-5064 • silverfoxoutfitters.ca BEAR • MOOSE • ELK • WHITETAIL Member of the Alberta Professional Outﬁtters Society and is licensed, bonded and insured. We are “North American Hunt Club” NAHC recommended. HUNT ALBERTA

PWC o ers a variety of multi-day hunt ing packages to cater to any schedule. Guests are provided morning and afternoon hunts daily, except on the final day when the trip concludes after the morning hunt. Their skilled scouts ensure each hunt takes place at a new location where significant numbers of feeding waterfowl have been observed for consecutive days. PWC’s guests will enjoy a crisp fall Alberta sunrise from comfortable layout or A-frame blinds as the first sets of whistling wings cut the air. The migra tion corridor provides hunters with ample opportunities at greater and lesser Canada geese, specklebellies, snow geese, mallards, pintails and a variety of other duck species, while overlooking a large decoy rig comprised of industry-leading equipment.

bined duck and goose species limit of up to 66 birds per person per day.

PRAIRIE WATERFOWL CO.

THE OUTFITTER Prairie Waterfowl Co. (PWC) was founded by Willi Powell, who is an experienced waterfowl hunting guide. Born and raised in a small ru ral farming community in Southern Ontario, he grew up immersed in hunting, fishing and trapping. At the age of 14, Willi was introduced to waterfowl hunting by a family friend. The first experience of ringing calls, followed by the rocket rush of locked-up mallards, the smell of burnt gunpowder and crisp dog work, sparked the first adrenaline rush of a lifelong passion. He was lucky enough to be mentored through out his youth by some of Canada’s greatest waterfowl hunters and guides, including world champion callers, which inspired him to pur sue the sport as more than just a hobby. In 2012, Willi secured his first job as a waterfowl guide at a local duck hunting club. The first sit in the blind with a client delivered a new thrill by providing fellow hunters that same wide-eyed, butterfly adrenaline rush that each one of us felt on our very first wa terfowl hunt. In 2014, Willi made the move to Alberta to take his pursuit to the next level in the Mecca of waterfowl hunting. Over the past 10-plus years, Willi has been able to hone his craft, guiding hundreds of clients to the hunt of their lifetime in Ontario, Sas katchewan and Alberta.

cess to nearly 3 million acres of huntable agricultural lands. Their operation is deliber ately stationed in a prime migration corridor where the Pacific, Central and Mississippi flyways converge as birds travel to their wintering grounds. PWC’s northern setting serves as the first feeding stopover for birds migrating from the breeding grounds, posi tioning their hunters under clouds of naïve adults and juveniles. Alberta’s migratory bird regulations provide for some of the most generous limits on the continent with each hunter permitted to harvest a com

THE MISSION PWC prides themselves on providing care free, all-inclusive hunt packages to the com plete outfitter experience from start to finish. Everything about their operation is designed to provide a fun-filled, action-packed experi ence that reignites that same heart-pounding adrenaline surge each of us felt on our first waterfowl hunt. PWC’s mission is to o er world-class waterfowl hunting opportunities while creating relationships with their guests and making memories to last a lifetime. To reserve your incredible adventure, contact Willi Powell, owner/operator, at 403-702-FOWL (3695) or email willi@ prairiewaterfowlco.com. For more informa tion, visit www.prairiewaterfowlco.com.

THE OPERATION Since its inception, PWC has amassed ac

Alberta’s Waterfowl Wonderland

nwsportsmanmag.com | APRIL 2022 Northwest Sportsman 49 HUNT ALBERTA

HUNT ALBERTA

Ole Dog Outfitters is dedicated to giving you an unforgettable hunting experience in the waterfowl haven, Alberta, Canada. Our focus is to form long lasting relationships and create an atmosphere that you are on vacation - all while having a waterfowl hunting experience of a lifetime. If you are looking to hunt with a team of experienced guides who hunt waterfowl for a living, then you have found the right place. Fall Duck & Goose Hunts 3, 4 & 6 Day AllPackagesInclusive Ole Dog Outfitters Book Your Hunt – Hunting Season Sept. 10 - Nov. 10 Thomas Gilpin (803) 315-3238 • Cole Townsend (325) 668-0835 info@oledogoutfitter.com • oledogoutfitter.com HUNT ALBERTA

52 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com Over 11 mid-September days, the sun will rise and set over Washington riﬂemen taking part in the legendary High Hunt, limited to select backcountry areas of the Cascades and Olympics. Most hunters won’t tag out and few bucks will be taken, but it’s also an experience unlike any other and a proud part of the Evergreen State’s hunting heritage. (JASON BROOKS)

By the time we finally made it to the ridgeline above the buck, the sky had turned from a vibrant blue to a dark gray. The wind started to kick up and raindrops began to fall. Being used to weather changes, we were well prepared for anything that came at us. But this is also where most hunters who try out Washington’s unique High Buck Hunt – where you can pursue mule deer and blacktails in various designated wilderness areas from September 15-25 – start to learn how hard this hunt can be. With the advent of lightweight and waterproof gear, optics that can pierce fog and range distances at the same time, and rifles that reach across canyons with ease, the High Hunt has become very popular. Back when we first started to venture into the wilderness for our own September season, we were still wearing wool as a way to stay warm, carried water in Nalgene bottles and slept under tarps. It was as light as we could go and even then it was a chore to get up the hillsides. I remember quietly walking past one camp – the only other one in the area –and noticing Tyvek covering their gear piled outside of their lightweight tent. It was a good trick, as this material is cheap, lightweight and waterproof, making for an excellent tarp to shelter your gear or to create a wind block while glassing. It is things like this, learned from trials and tribulations, that helped create the new phenomenon of backcountry hunting. Hunters nowadays can look up various videos, articles, blogs and podcasts and learn

nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2022 Northwest Sportsman 53 HUNTING

So You Want To Hunt High Buck?

Washington riﬂemen’s ﬁrst general-season crack at deer is increasingly popular but far from easy. Here are tips from one longtime alpine hunter.

By Jason Brooks T here is something about alpine air in September. Wildflowers are hanging on as they wilt with each night’s cold temperatures, while daytime sunshine ripens huckleberries. Mule deer bucks are still in their summer habits, lazily laying around until the midday thermals cause them to stand and stretch before settling back in for an afternoon nap. It was on one of these afternoons when we spotted a heavy four-point muley briefly standing and stretching. Making note of where he plopped back down into some thick brush to stay cool in the shade, we knew that he wouldn’t go anywhere for the next few hours. It took us a good hour to make our way over to where the buck was resting. We took our time to make sure the thermal breeze always stayed blowing into our faces and to stay as quiet as possible. It was midSeptember and the day had started off warm and sunny after a cool night, but now clouds were approaching. That is the thing about deer hunting in the mountains this month: The weather can change in an instant in the high country. Clouds form as moisture rolls in off the Pacific Ocean and runs into the rising Cascades.

54 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com HUNTING

Weight is the name of the game, with lighter better, at least for those who don’t have a string of packhorses. After using different shelters over the years, author Jason Brooks calls the tepee-style “hot tent” a “game-changer” for how it can combine protection from the elements with a ﬁre box for cooking, heat and light. (JASON BROOKS) everything they need to know about this type of hunting. But learning and doing are two different things.

This means packing in fuel and a stove or using an approved ﬁre pit at some of the designated camping areas. You should also ﬁnd out if a wood stove is allowed – more in a moment. Be sure to look at both WDFW’s regulations and those for the federal agency that regulates the area you plan to hunt.

ONCE YOU FIND a place to hunt and learn all of the rules and regulations, it is time to pack your gear. Last year I ﬁnally broke down and purchased a “hot tent.” This is a lightweight nylon tepee-style tent with a stove jack and a titanium wood stove that folds down. The entire system weighs

WHEN HEADING INTO the High Hunt, you must first know the rules and regulations. They are not the same thing. The regulations for the hunt are found at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website (wdfw. wa.gov) and big game regs pamphlet. Here you will find which wilderness and national recreation areas are open, a reminder that you must wear hunter orange or pink, along with license and tag requirements as well as other coinciding seasons such as grouse and bear, plus weapon definitions and other game laws. The rules, though, are mostly found at federal agency websites, depending on which wilderness area you are planning on hunting. There are camping restrictions for some wilderness areas until October or later, such as the Alpine Lakes Wilderness where you will need a use permit to stay overnight. There are rules on how close you can camp to water, and food safety measures to keep bear encounters low. One rule that I have seen broken several times – and even been guilty of it myself until I learned – was no fires above 5,000 feet regardless of the time of year and weather conditions.

56 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com

A few years ago I was hunting the backcountry in Idaho and spotted a nice buck a few miles away. All I could see was his white rump and what appeared to be antlers. But at that distance, if I could see antlers, then it was a good buck. Watching him for the rest of the day, I learned where he liked to feed and rest, and where he went to bed for the night. I spent the next morning hiking over to the basin he was in and found him at ﬁrst light. This is how you hunt the alpine. The deer and even the bears don’t wander far. They don’t want to until they have to. This is either because of pressure or food, as we are a long way from the migration time of October and November.

Once you ﬁnd a buck or bear you want to go after, the next step is to plan the hunt. If there is enough time in the day to close the distance, then this might be a good choice if there are other hunters in the area. More

HUNTINGHUNTING about 6 pounds, as I got the larger tent so we could split the load. One person carries the tent and the other the stove. Hot tents are a serious gamechanger. In years past I either slept in a lightweight double-walled freestanding tent – which are nice when the weather turns to rain or snow, but there is no way to dry them out –or simply under a tarp. This worked well as long as there had been a hard freeze at some point prior to my trip so the bugs were no longer an issue. The hot tent not only allows us to dry out and stay warm on cold nights, but also cuts down our need to pack in fuel and an additional cook stove. The wood stove I purchased was flat – a rectangular fire box – making for a place to cook using tinfoil or a lightweight frying pan. The light of the fire also keeps us company on those cold mornings when rain falls and we just don’t want to get out of the sleeping bag. FINDING GAME USUALLY isn’t much of a problem on the High Hunt, but finding people is just as easy these days. For the last few years we have opted to hunt smarter and not harder. In our younger years we went as far back in as we could until we no longer saw tents or people. The game was plentiful and it was a good experience. But now, with so many fellow hunters heading into the backcountry, we have found most walk past just as much game to get away from people. Opting to stay a bit closer to the trailhead, we have found a lot of game without having to trek miles upon miles of trail to get away from other hunters.

Glassing is the way to ﬁnd animals. This seems like an understatement, but glassing is not just looking through binoculars as you hike along and look for deer. Glassing is sitting and looking, and sitting some more, and looking some more.

nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2022 Northwest Sportsman 57

Where October’s general season might find rifle hunters covering more ground, September’s High Hunt often comes down to glassing, glassing and more glassing in search of bucks, and then figuring out their habits and how to get closer for a shot. (JASON BROOKS) than once I have decided to wait, only to see another hunter take the deer a few hours later because I chose not to go after it. Then again, if it is late in the day, it might be best to just watch and learn. Even if you don’t end up getting that animal, you will have figured out a few things that will help you find more. If the animal was eating, that tells you what’s on the menu and where it grows, providing a template for where to look to find more of critters. Bears, for example, like berries and certain crops will ripen at different times. More than once we have arrived in the alpine to find the huckleberries still green but the mountain ash ripe. Time to glass the groves of mountain ash and look for large bushes that are shaking and being bent over. You can spot a bear feeding on mountain ash from several miles away, as the whole bush will move violently as the bear rips fruit from high-hanging branches.

Deer are more likely to have habits that are easily learned by hunters who sit and watch them. They are a prey animal and that means feeding at first light until they have their fill of cud and then they lie down where they are safe. If you find feeding deer, watch them, as they won’t be out for long. Wait until they bed down for the day and then plan your stalk, as you can close the distance much easier if the deer aren’t going anywhere.

BACK TO THAT midday heavy four-point. It had been over an hour since we last saw him, but when he laid down we noticed a large boulder nearby. This was our reference point and we closed the distance to that rock. Breaking out the binoculars and spotting scope again, we picked the brush apart until we found an antler tip sticking up.

Deer this time of year might seem lazy, but they are always alert. This buck’s bedding area offered protection in the way of concealment but also an escape route that the deer could bust out of without looking back. Knowing this means you don’t want to jump the deer, as it will bound away, or at least bound far enough away that it might disappear in the trees or be too far for a shot. Instead, sit and wait. Cool nights and summer coats mean

58 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com HUNTINGHUNTING

Patience is a virtue and when it comes to hunting midday mule deer, it is a necessity. Now that we had found the buck, it was a waiting game.

HUNTINGHUNTING

PACKING OUT AN animal from the backcountry is not fun or easy. This is when most hunters learn whether they will return the following year or be done with the High Hunt. It will test you and all your strength and willpower, but it is well rewarded when you finally make it back to the trailhead. Most hunters learn to break the animal down and debone it, so as to take at least what is required by law, and maybe the trophy, like a bear hide – though once you pack one out from the alpine, you might rethink your idea of bear Goodhunting.game bags are needed, breathable ones that keep the meat clean. Never use plastic bags, as they will cause the meat to spoil quickly. Instead, a good cotton bag is the best option. There are several on the market, but I prefer to use pillow cases. Not only are they inexpensive, but they can be washed and reused and double up as an actual pillow when stuffed with a coat. Anytime a piece of gear can do double or even triple duty, you come out way ahead. Ziploc bags are another item that have a few uses. The first is to keep gear and food organized, as well as waterproof. I prefer to keep my spare down jacket in a gallon-sized resealable bag. This can be used as a compression bag and help create more room in the backpack, plus it keeps the down jacket clean and dry. Then when I come to a water source, such as a small trickle of a stream, I can use the same Ziploc to help collect water to be filtered. If water is scarce but you come across a snowfield, you can collect snow in it easily to be melted later or to use as an ice pack to cool off meat. A bag can also be used to sit on if the ground is wet and to keep yourself dry. It is items and tricks like these that are part of the learning experience that will make you a better backcountry hunter.

Washington’s High Hunt is a lot of fun, a bit frustrating, and a lot of work. If you ﬁnd yourself in an area with a lot of hunters, just remember that the animals are there but you will have to look a little bit harder for them. Look to escape routes and most of all, be patient. Nothing beats being in the alpine in September. NS

The pack out with meat and horns marks one of the High Hunt’s most difﬁcult challenges and separates those who return for another round in the Glacier Peak, Pasayten and other remote wilderness areas from those who don’t. (JASON BROOKS)

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deer need calories to keep warm. In mid- to late September, deer tend to start to feed earlier than they do in the heat of summer. After a few hours the four-point stood and revealed itself and that is when the hunting part of the trip ended.

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By Troy Rodakowski

Still, in the Willamette Valley, the lower sections of the Santiam, McKenzie and Indigo Units near old logging sites and private ranchlands are excellent places to ﬁnd blacktails. On the coast, the Alsea, Trask and Siuslaw have produced some decent animals over the last few seasons as well. Lower reaches of the Coast Range, under 1,000 feet in elevation, near tree farms and agricultural productions hold very good numbers of deer, especially near old apple and pearTheorchards.Melrose Unit near Roseburg and large sections of Jackson County around Grants Pass and Medford where recent ﬁres have burned will be hotbeds with abundant feed for deer.

Oregon deer season is dead ahead – do you know where your buck is? Trail cameras are a great tool to use both in the preseason and during the hunt to ﬁnd travel routes and pattern deer. (TROY RODAKOWSKI)

It’s that time of year once again as we prepare to venture into Oregon’s outdoors in hopes of ﬁlling our freezers with fresh, proteinrich venison. Deer hunting is not always an easy task and recently has proven even tougher with drought, increased predation, disease and forest closures due to ﬁre.

2022 Oregon Deer Prospects

On the Eastside, sections of the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Snake River, Wallowas, Steens and Strawberries As this fall’s season kicks off, here are some good units and tips for bagging your buck.

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The lowering barometer, smell of moisture and settling of the dust seem to trigger massive urgency in ungulates to move about. It’s almost as if they are throwing a backwoods party to celebrate the return of the rains. So keep a close eye on the barometer and weather forecasts for the ﬁrst good storm and make sure you are in the woods when it hits. You will likely be surprised at the increased number of deer you see. And be sure to also watch the moon phases closely, as they trigger major movements during clear nights. I have found that evening hunts can be optimal during these cycles.

are home to numerous high-elevation mule deer. Good portions of Central Oregon near Fort Rock and the Upper Deschutes have excellent habitat, especially near ranch and farmlands where deer can become a nuisance.

A University of Wyoming study estimated that CWD shrank the size of one deer herd by 19 percent every year and that in 41 years the population would go extinct.

ast November’s conﬁrmation of chronic wasting disease just across Hells Canyon in Idaho had Oregon wildlife managers ramping up testing, particularly in the state’s northeast corner. So far the always-fatal deer family disease has not been found in any of the roughly 24,000 hunter-killed, road-killed or other dead deer and elk tested since the late 1990s. But new this Oregon hunting season, it will be “mandatory for anyone transporting wildlife carcasses or parts to stop at a check station if they encounter one and to allow their animal to be tested.”

LATREQUIREDHUNTERSTOSTOPCHECKSTATIONS

CWD is caused by prions – “mutated proteins” that aﬀect the brain – and cause the animal to essentially degenerate as its neurological functions are destroyed. It can be spread by ungulates via bodily ﬂuids such as poop, pee, snot and spit, or by people transporting the carcasses of infected deer, elk and moose from CWD areas to those where it’s not known to occur.

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ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLICATIONS

While biting ﬂies, ticks and skeeters are usually pretty darn bad this time of year, mosquito repellant doesn’t work too well together with cover scents, buck bombs, scent wicks and urine lures. Remember, natural urine lures and/or scents are now illegal here in Oregon, due to the threat of chronic wasting disease. Wearing long sleeves or bug nets during 75- to 80-degree weather is sometimes necessary during the early season, despite its uncomfortable nature. I prefer light-meshed longsleeve shirts that allow some air ﬂow and cooling near the body. I have still

Apparently, it is human nature to go right as opposed to left.

“Find a high vantage point to glass where other hunters aren’t and do the opposite of what most hunters typically do,” tips Gary Lewis, a well-known Oregon author, Frontier Unlimited TV show host and avid blacktail hunter. “Also, don’t just park at the end of roads and hike in; ﬁnd access points that aren’t frequented by hunters and go left instead of right.”

That’s based on House Bill 3152, passed overwhelmingly by Beaver State legislators during last year’s session with support from the Oregon Hunters Association. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife says it expects to set up check stations along “major highways” during this year’s deer and elk seasons. In the past, ODFW has had stops on westbound I-84 near Celilo Park, Highway 26 just east of Prineville, and the intersection of Highway 66 and Dead Indian Memorial Road in Ashland.

For more information on the rule and CWD, go to myodfw.com/CWD. –NWS

FALL’S APPROACH

Chronic wasting disease edged even closer to Oregon and Washington last fall with the discovery of the always-fatal condition in six deer and elk in Idaho just east of Hells Canyon, and that has Northwest wildlife managers ramping up testing efforts. (USGS)

OREGON

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HUNTINGHUNTING

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seen a good number of deer moving during the midmorning and early afternoons, changing bedding areas or taking a potty break and getting a nibble or two. Fire restrictions and access to forest lands can be a major obstacle for hunters this time of year. Not only can it be frustrating, but it can ruin an entire summer of scouting and hard work. So make sure to have a backup plan or two, as options never hurt. I have unfortunately found myself implementing secondary plans several times over the years. Keep a close eye on access by calling hunter hotlines for timberlands such as Weyerhaeuser in Oregon (888-7415403; Washington 866-636-6531), the Oregon/Washington Bureau of Land Management public desk (503808-6001; blm.gov/orwaﬁre) and the Oregon Forest Industries Council .com/private-forestland-closures).(oﬁc

PRIME TIME Labor Day Weekend is always busy, with folks taking one last summer vacation before school begins, and the woods just seem to be crawling with people. However, if you find some secluded hidey holes where deer feel safe, then you are halfway to a successful early season. Locate benches near clearcut edges or small meadows near creeks and you may be able to find deer resting and moving to and from feeding zones. Early mornings and two hours prior to dusk will be when the majority of deer are on the move. This year looks to be pretty promising for good early-season hunting, with great summer forage across most of the state. There are some exceptions in Eastern and Central Oregon, where long-term drought has a good hold on the landscape, though even there the dry conditions have eased from this same time last year thanks largely to the wet Morespring.often than not I have found deer moving midday, either relocating from one patch of timber to another or moving from feeding to bedding areas. Animals learn to Deer hunting in the Beaver State actually runs from late August through early December, providing good opportunities for archers, riflemen and muzzleloaders. Author Troy Rodakowski, who bagged this blacktail with his smokepole in the late season, says rattling works well during the pre-rut and rut for blacktail. (TROY RODAKOWSKI)

“Predator control is something we need to be addressing, as it is a big reason for declining mule deer numbers here in Oregon,” states Stacy Anderson, Mule Deer Foundation representative and state chapter president. “However, on a positive note, deer should see some good antler growth with the spring moisture we had this season.” Trail cameras are

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HUNTING THE DRY Although we have seen some improvement across the state, dry weather and lack of water especially on the Eastside have continued to take their toll on deer, elk and antelope populations. So how does one find success during drought conditions and high fire danger? Simply work harder at finding places to hunt that mammals and birds will gravitate to.

For example, areas home to good amounts of quality forage and water, the main ingredients for success.

Less nutrition in dry years means less antler growth and stores of body fat for animals heading into winter and migration. Hunters should keep in mind that deer will be even more concentrated in desirable locations by fall. Again, water will be at a premium and focusing efforts around available sources will get you close to where you need to be.

pattern people and when humans will be out and about. Mature bucks take full advantage of what they have learned over time.

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During seasons with plentiful water there are more options available to hunters. This is where onX, Google Earth and other digital mapping tools can be very helpful.

However, remember to try and not deter wildlife from using watering holes when placing a blind or treestand. Animals need these places to survive and hunting near them is OK but not over them, if that makes sense. Use your discretion when setting up. Extensive scouting is necessary to ﬁnd ideal locations to put a treestand or ground blind.

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Overall, 2,972 Southeast Zone hunters harvested 1,393 bucks for a 47-percent success rate, 2,955 Columbia Zone hunters harvested 1,250 bucks for a 43-percent success rate, 14,801 Northeast Zone hunters harvested 5,599 bucks for a 38-percent success rate, 4,311 Southcentral Zone hunters harvested 1,231 bucks for a 29-percent success rate and 5,477 Central Zone hunters harvested 1,427 bucks for a 26-percent success rate.

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for ﬁnding frequently used travel routes between feeding and bedding areas, as well as patterning the movements of the animals you are after, giving you an advantage when timing your hunts. One of my favorite strategies on very dry years is to ﬁnd underground springs or seeps. Many of these natural springs are marked on maps and will produce water even in the driest of years.

BY THE NUMBERS

On the Westside last season, the Rogue Unit boasted the highest number of 4-plus-point deer harvested during the general any-legal-weapon season, 361, followed by Applegate (335), Dixon (322), Melrose (315) and Santiam (298). But Santiam actually posted the largest overall buck kill, 1,465 blacktails, followed by Rogue (1,425), Melrose (1,411), Trask (1,320) and Alsea (1,288).

By success rate, Sixes was tops with 56 percent, then Chetco and Evans Creek (46), Melrose (44) and Dixon (41). Overall, 28,349 general Southwest Zone deer hunters harvested 10,184 bucks for a 37-percent success rate, and 38,066 Northwest Zone hunters harvested 9,500 bucks for a 26-percent success rate.

On the Eastside, where all tags are controlled, units with the highest success rates (and signiﬁcant hunter numbers) included Beulah (1,029 hunters with 622 bucks, 61 percent success), Murderers Creek (831 with 491, 59 percent), West Biggs (711 with 405, 58 percent), Columbia Basin (1,380 with 730 bucks, 54 percent) and Sumpter (759 with 403, 54 percent).

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A longtime primitive-weapons hunter shares tips and lessons learned over many seasons chasing deer and elk in Washington.

By Jeff Holmes W hen I got my first muzzleloader about 25 years ago, it was a Hawken knockoff kit gun from Bass Pro Shops, and it cost $99.95, as I recall. I knew nothing about muzzleloaders but saw the at-the-time advantageous seasons in Washington for black powder hunters and wanted to get on board. Still it would be a few years before I took it afield, encouraged by a friend in grad school. He and I hunted does for meat during lean times and enlisted a couple of friends and family members into the sport. At first, out of total ignorance, I hunted with black powder and roundballs and patches, and I killed a deer in this manner, even using dreaded No. 11 caps, the worst igniter this side of a flintlock. After many misfires and failed ignitions in our hunting party, we learned about the existence of a musket nipple, which is three times hotter than a No. 11 cap.

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A PrimerMuzzleloader

Kenny Cummings of the Yakima Valley’s Sunnyside connected on this Cascades bull he bugled in during muzzleloader season. There are far fewer smokepole hunters than riﬂe and even archers, but they enjoy comparable to better success than the other weapons types. (KENNY CUMMINGS)

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A well-stocked “possibles bag” is “arguably more important than the muzzleloader itself,” writes author Jeff Holmes. His will include spare parts for his riﬂe, tools to clean it with and numerous other items – but what might be even more important yet is keeping the weapon dry. “Put your muzzleloader away wet and it will no longer have moving parts the next time you pull it out for use,” he writes from experience. (MD JOHNSON)

HUNTING

We also learned about other much more lethal projectiles. We harvested a lot of fat does and some small bucks, kicking up deer and rousting them out of brush on the Palouse River by chucking rocks into places we thought they might bed. Our approach was less than subtle, but so were our muzzleloaders and 400-grain Great PlainsGraduallybullets. I graduated away from cheap knockoff Hawken guns to inline Thompson Centers, and as rules became more lax in Washington, from musket nipples and caps to 209 shotgun primers. I also moved to more advanced and lighter-weight projectiles and to using Pyrodex pellets and eventually loose Pyrodex. As my approach evolved, so did my effort and my results. Since that initial string of whitetail does and dinky bucks, I have killed several decent bucks, a big bull elk and a black bear with my muzzleloaders. Over that time I have gained a few points of knowledge that may be useful to beginners, or that might persuade some to stick with their rifle or bow. HUNTING WITH MUZZLELOADERS is way harder and less sure than other weapon types for a host of reasons not limited to precipitation, the need to clean them fastidiously, parts availability and a whole bunch of variables a rifle hunter does not need to worry about. But they can also be extremely effective killing machines, and one does not need to break the bank to own and operate one. Although Washington’s muzzleloader opportunities are not as lucrative as they once were, there are still some advantages, including not having to hunt with thousands of competitors during general seasons. This was one of the initial draws that led me to buy one. I remember a particular opening day of rifle season when I could count 30 to 40 hunters and their orange clothing while sitting atop the Snake River Breaks in the Palouse. While one certainly sees other hunters while muzzleloading, never have I seen a spectacle resembling a general rifle opener for deer or elk. Muzzleloader

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HUNTING opportunity is decreasing in the Evergreen State, concentrating effort a little bit more, but there are still good opportunities to hunt deer and elk during periods when archers and modern riﬂe hunters are not aﬁeld.

Similarly, tags have decreased, but the odds of drawing a really good one are better than they are with a rifle, such as when I drew a quality bull tag in the Blue Mountains three years ago and was the only hunter in a giant game management unit, hunting bugling, rutting bulls with something that goes pow! Such opportunities are sadly few and far between, but this year I will hunt mule deer bucks and bull elk with an over-the-counter tag. The opportunities are constrained to specific GMUs, but there are still advantages to carrying a muzzleloader. While muzzleloaders are not modern rifles and they disadvantage hunters in reliability, optics (not allowed) and range, muzzleloaders are lethal, fun and dependable when you take care of them. Have I completely ruined two muzzleloaders by rusting out the barrels? Yes. Could I do it again? I sure hope not, but yes. Muzzleloaders are often not for those like me who own Toyotas and run Yamaha outboards and prefer Clackacraft boats –all three solely for the joy of worrying less about running them hard and putting them away wet. Put your muzzleloader away wet and it will no longer have moving parts the next time you pull it out for use. I’m not an ideal muzzleloader owner, but I get by and constrain my weapon values to under $350 in case I screw up again. Almost any modern .50-caliber muzzleloader will work well and will kill game, and .50 caliber is by far the best choice for parts and performance. What is arguably more important than the muzzleloader itself is what black powder hunters call a “possibles kit.”

A possibles kit should contain spare parts, cleaning tools, loading tools, lubricants, patches, caps, propellant and bullets. All of these things I carry aﬁeld with me when I am hunting, and my kit weighs several pounds. I sometimes scale it down to a couple pounds if I’m not far from my vehicle or a road, but I like to have everything “possible” within my grasp. My kit contains the following items: a Leatherman, another set of pliers, a nipple wrench, a breech plug wrench, a nipple prick (don’t laugh), spare breech plug, spare nipple, powder measure, powder ﬂask (Pyrodex in my case), powder measure, spare caps, spare bullets, cleaning patches, gun oil, cleaning solvent, ultra-lubricant for any threaded parts, bore brush, bore swab and bullet removal jag. I also keep some rags in there and keep the whole thing in a tiny, lightweight dry bag.

Basically I want to be able to take my gun apart, keep the nipple clean

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and clear (hence the nipple prick, an essential item), clean my gun, load my gun and keep all of these materials dry and as lightweight as possible. Your satisfaction as a muzzleloading enthusiast will be greatly increased by having a complete kit. My satisfaction is, and it was a process realizing how important my kit is.

TARGET PRACTICE WITH a muzzleloader is a much slower and more workintensive process than with a centerﬁre riﬂe, and there is a lot of cleaning involved. That’s probably why one of my friends annually shoots at a paper plate from 75 yards, and if he hits it, he smiles, puts the gun away and cracks a beer. I’m not advocating this approach but honestly, with open sights it’s not super ineffective or unethical.

On the sad but eventual occasions that a weapon does not discharge when pointed at an animal or – worse yet – when there is a trigger-toexplosion delay called a hangfire, take heart. It happens, and while there is regret, the memories remain clear. I shot at a mature five-point whitetail years ago and can still remember the smoke cloud clearing and the buck still looking at me with no ability to fire again. I also remember it bounding away a very short time later. It’s now a good memory, and I’m reassured that with what I’ve learned and the care I take – now with 209 primers – this

So should you.

I try to shoot 20 or so loads before season, and that means cleaning the muzzle 10 times, since I clean after every second shot. Some people do after every shot or every third shot. Whatever the number – one, two or three – it is essential to maintaining accuracy since so much fouling occurs in the barrel after every shot. Shooting at an organized range with necessarily strict rules can be a major hassle because there is so much mandatory hands-off time and since there’s so much need to be hands-on with a muzzleloader, both cleaning and loading it. I try to set up my own rest and range in the woods with a good-sized cleaning and loading area. I vastly prefer this approach to the painstakingly slow process of observing rules at a range focused on centerﬁre riﬂes, where cleaning and slow loading are not variables they consider.

I HAVE HUNTED and killed animals in heavy rains on a few occasions while carrying a muzzleloader. It is not legal in Washington to put a balloon or a condom over a muzzleloader barrel, so I point my weapon down during heavy precipitation and hold my gloved hand over the breech. Only once have I struggled in rain to hunt with my muzzleloader, and that was due to bucking soaking-wet brush for hours and inundating all of my gear and every bit of my being with cold rainwater.

Whether with a quality bull permit, like this Blue Mountains elk, or an overthe-counter tag, opportunities to hunt branched-antler bulls in Washington are still slightly better with a muzzleloader than a modern ﬁrearm. (JEFF HOLMES)

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In the evenings after a wet hunt, I do everything in my power to dry out my weapon. I fire it at the end of a wet day and clean it and place it by a woodstove, a fire pit or a heater of any kind, and I run many dry patches through it. Generally, I don’t find rain and snow to be a major inhibitor to my hunting, but I do take precautions.

HUNTINGHUNTING

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Don’t shoot round balls. If Lewis and Clark had had machined brass bullets to blast grizzlies with, they would have used them. You can too. When I left round balls, I went to giant Great Plains bullets that knocked all animals down regardless of where they were hit. But these were very slow, and I constrained my range to 60 yards. Then I switched to lubricated MaxiBall bullets, then to Power Belt bullets when sabots were still illegal, and now I shoot exclusively Knight Blood Line Bullets, which are amazing. I shot an elk in the front shoulder blade as it quartered to me, and the 275-grain bullet plowed through hide, a shoulder blade, both lungs and out the hide on the backside with only 120 grains of powder pushing it. I was amazed what a machined brass bullet can do.

HUNTING would never have happened.

Speaking of primers, 209s are the best and should be used whenever legal. But when it comes to powder and projectiles, there are many more options and considerations. I used to hunt with black powder, but I am such a space cadet I was always worried about blowing myself up in my truck or in camp. When I learned that most folks ﬁnd Pyrodex more reliable and generally better, I switched to shooting 50-grain Pyrodex pellets in my 150-grain-capable gun. I did this for years and killed animals and found the pellets super easy. But what I didn’t like was having to shoot either 100 or 150 since my gun shoots 120 grains way better and since I read and heard that loose Pyrodex ignites faster and better. So I switched and am a lifelong devotee now. As for projectiles, I have shot many of them and found advantages or at least cool features to all but round balls.

I have bitched since May when there were only two GMUs eligible for “bull elk” permits with muzzleloaders and WDFW gave me the option of four GMU choices, but the options in the Evergreen State are still pretty good. For the foreseeable future I will continue to select muzzleloader tags, and when I ﬁnally draw a moose tag, I will carry a muzzleloader and shoot the same load I did for my quality bull tag. My choice to hunt a once-in-alifetime tag with a muzzleloader speaks to my conﬁdence in the weapon. NS

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THERE’S A LOT of work associated with muzzleloading, a lot to think about and a lot of cleaning involved. But even as a reluctant cleaner with a spotty record of maintenance on all his gear, I find it tremendously rewarding. I might kill slightly more game with a centerfire rifle, but maybe not. If I don’t shoot a mountain mule deer in September or October, I can hunt whitetails after the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife kicks every rifleman out of the woods at the peak of the rut when the biggest whitetails are on their feet.

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‘The Big Four’ NW Big Game Calibers

The .300 Win. Mag. rates among the Northwest’s four best calibers for deer and elk in author Dave Workman’s book. Dan Richardson bagged this ﬁne Snohomish County blacktail a few seasons back with his Tikka T3 in that caliber. (COAST HUNTING PHOTO CONTEST)

Over the years, this column has extolled the virtues of various cartridges, and some of their shortcomings. But when it comes to solid reputations built on repeated reliability, there are – and will always be, one supposes – four mainstays that one will likely ﬁnd in deer and elk camps this fall on both sides of the Columbia River and east into Idaho and Montana. I can’t recall a single hunting season when I haven’t encountered at least one individual who isn’t carrying one or the other. I’m talking about the .270 Winchester, .30-06 Springﬁeld, 7mm Remington

Magnum and the .300 Winchester Magnum. I have an ’06 Marlin MR-7, a riﬂe with which I’ve taken deer in Washington, Utah and Wyoming all at better than 250 yards, so I’ve never had to look too far to ﬁnd somebody carryingCertainlyone. people armed with other guns – say, the 6.5 Creedmoor, any of the Nosler entries (26, 28 or 30), the “short, fat magnums,” or such perennial favorites as the .243 Winchester and .308 Winchester ON TARGET By Dave Workman

The calibers have “legend” written all over them, and together they’ve accounted for more deer and elk in the Paciﬁc Northwest than anyone might want to count.

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NORTHWEST BIG GAME hunters have been ﬁlling freezers for decades with everything from the .30-30 Winchester to the .4570 Gov’t., but when it comes down to proverbial “brass tacks,” I’d have to rate the .270 Win., 7mm Rem. Magnum, .30-06 and .300 Win. Magnum as kings of the hills and the plains, and the big timber, the canyons and valleys.

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The legendary .30-06 has leveled deer and elk across the Northwest for generations. It’s one of the top calibers for big game. (DAVE WORKMAN)

The .270 Winchester is a cartridge I personally never was excited about, but that’s just me. It is a ﬂat-shooting, hard-hitting marvel made especially famous by the late Jack O’Connor. (If you ever have a chance, visit the Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center about 2 miles south of Lewiston. Well worth the trip!) Handloaders love this cartridge, and they have a good selection of bullets and powders with which to get everything possible out of it. Its case is a necked-down ’06, and with bullets in the 130- to 150-grain range, depending upon the propellant and charge, it is capable of velocities well north of 2,500 feet per second. In the elk country of Yakima or the big buck hangouts of the Okanogan, the .270 will deliver the goods. Other calibers can certainly provide a bit more sizzle, but just how dead does a deer or elk have to be?

AS NOTED EARLIER, I’ve got a Marlin bolt-action chambered for the .30-06 Springfield that was one of the best rifles ever built, in my humble opinion. Alas, it didn’t seem to catch on with the public, so it wasThediscontinued.’06was originally developed for the US Army in the 1903 Springfield bolt-action (the “assault rifle” of its era!) but hunters, especially in the West, immediately saw how effective this round was on big game. The cartridge has been a mainstay in the Winchester Model 70 and Remington 700 for decades, and my longest shot on a buck that I am certain of was 355 yards using a 180-grain Nosler AccuBond bullet propelled by the maximum-recommended powder charge of Hodgdon’s Hybrid 100V over a CCI primer. The guy I was with had a rangefinder, and he watched me deck a big two-by-three-point mule deer that was moving up the side of a canyon. One round and that buck was down for the count. I recommend bullets in the 165- to 180-grain realm for deer, and up to 220 grains

– are well-equipped for Paciﬁc Northwest big game. I’ve known people who used the .338 Win. Magnum, .300 Savage, .30-30 Win. and other well-known rounds, but the “Big Four” reign supreme, and let’s look at why.

The first time I fired a rifle chambered for the 7mm Rem. Magnum, it impressed the hell out of me. I ran into a guy hunting the early high buck hunt up toward Dutch Miller Gap in Washington’s Alpine Lakes Wilderness and he allowed me to try it. Wow! This belted magnum came along in 1962, and it took hold immediately. It launches a .284-caliber projectile (yes, the .284 Winchester uses the same diameter bullet, but they are not the same cartridge!) in the 2,800- to 3,100-fps muzzle velocity range for eye-popping long-range lethality. Bullets in the 150- to 175-grain realm seem to be the prevailing choices among handloaders. Speer, Barnes, Hornady, Nosler and Sierra all make bullets for this cartridge, and factory ammunition is available pretty much all over. If you own a 7mm Rem. Magnum, you are set for anything!

The .270 Winchester has built a good reputation for putting venison in the cooler at long range. (DAVE WORKMAN)

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The .300 Win. Magnum is a belted cartridge capable of truly phenomenal long-range effectiveness, with the right bullet and powder combination. The cost of ammunition has convinced a lot of people to take up metallic cartridge reloading, and they’ve benefited from it. As in the ’06, I recommend heavier bullets, especially for elk. People use the .300 Win. Magnum for moose, caribou and sheep, and in the wide open spaces, it’s all the rifle anyone hunting North American big game will likely ever need.

BUCK BETS north of Leavenworth all the way up to Sugarloaf Lookout and Maverick Saddle. And, if I had a good boat (and a good map book showing public land and the Oregon border), I’d head up Hells Canyon and hunt those big canyons on the west side of the Snake River. Whitetails would find me (or vice versa) up in the Little Pend Oreille lakes region east of Colville. Anybody who can’t find deer in there isn’t looking very hard. Be darned sure to have good binoculars and maybe even a spotting scope anywhere in Eastern Washington, and particularly in Okanogan and Chelan Counties, and those Snake River canyon areas. Rifle season opens as early as September 15 in select Central and North Cascades and Olympic Peninsula wilderness areas, plus the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, while the general hunt for all deer species begins October 15. Late whitetail is November 5-19 in select Northeast Washington units and November 17-20 for blacktails, again in certain units west of the Cascades. –DW

Nosler AccuBond 180-grainers top Workman’s .30-06 handloads. The lower group showed Workman he needed to bump up his elevation. The group going up from the 10 brought his loads into zero at 200 yards, and the top puncture represents sighting a riﬂe in to shoot 3 inches high at 100 so the bullet will be in the boilerworks at about 275 to 300 yards. (DAVE WORKMAN)

BEST TRADITIONAL

for elk, and I always zero to shoot anywhere from 2 to 3 inches high at 100 yards because where I hunt, shots out to 200 to 300 yards (and beyond) are not uncommon. Now we come to the .300 Winchester Magnum (not to be confused with the .300 Win. Short Magnum, .300 Weatherby Magnum, .300 H&H Magnum, or .300 Remington Ultra Mag!).

f I had unlimited funds for gasoline and groceries and the time to do it all, in Western Washington, I’d head for the high country of east Lewis and north Skamania Counties, or the Willapa Hills in the southwest region, and just set up camp.InEastern Washington, for mule deer I’d hunt the high country west of Palmer Lake and down through to the Conconully Lakes on both sides of the Sinlahekin, or the high country north of Winthrop. I would also linger in the region

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SWITCHING GEARS, GROUSE hunting once again opens September 15 in Washington, and the delay of two weeks from seasons prior to 2021’s change to protect broods will have wingshooters chomping at the bit. Our wet spring didn’t do any good for the early hatch, but if birds brought oﬀ a later hatch, we might fare well. For a little sport, you might try potting a cottontail while you’re waiting, as rabbit season opens September 1 and I’ve been seeing a lot of rabbits this year, even in my own neighborhood!Alsodon’t overlook mourning dove hunting, which opens September 1 and

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COLUMN The delayed start of Washington’s grouse season

Foytack from downing a clearcut

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chicken. (COAST HUNTING PHOTO CONTEST) Washington’s Premier Trophy Deer and Game Bird Hunting! Game bird shooting preserve opens late September and runs into May. Lodging available year round. Rusty & Jacquie Hunt (509) 681-0218 1845 Road 14 NE Coulee City, WA • WWW.HIDDENRANCHOUTFITTERS.COM • •

runs through October 30. All the traditional places in the Yakima Valley and out in the Columbia Basin should be productive, but keep your eye on the weather forecast because the ﬁrst sign of a September storm and doves will dash. This year I’m shifting my grouse hunting north into the higher reaches of Kittitas, Chelan and Okanogan Counties, making each trek double as a scouting trip for deer. High gas prices may put a crimp in my hunting, but as I mentioned a couple of months ago, I’ve been putting away a little cash here and there for fall. Don’t discount the .22-caliber pistol or riﬂe for grouse. You either hit or miss, and you won’t lose any wounded birds. For shotguns, I still have my dependable 12-gauge Beretta double, which may come out of mothballs this month, and my 20-gauge O/U Franchi Instinct is ready to rock. I prefer No. 6 for grouse, though others go with 7 or 7½ shot and do quite well. I also prefer double-barrel guns to pumps or semi-autos, although I’ve potted a fair number of fool hens in my day with a last year didn’t hinder Emily thunder

Bag limits again on grouse are four a day, but only three may be of one species (i.e. three ruffed, one sooty or vice versa; two ruffed and two duskies, etc.) and the possession limit must reflect this breakdown: 12 grouse to include not more than nine dusky or sooty grouse (combined), nine spruce grouse, and nine ruffed grouse.

Mossberg 500 ﬁtted with a modiﬁed choke tube.

For blue grouse, head for the high country. We’ve had some hot, dry weather in July and August, so look for birds anywhere there might be a water source. By mid-September, one shouldn’t expect much of a berry crop to be remaining, but one should never try second-guessing grouse.

Remember to keep a separate cooler for your birds, and there should be a bag of ice in there along with some plastic bags. Field dress your kill quickly and get it into the cooler to preserve the quality of the meat. I always carry some rubber gloves for this chore, for a variety of reasons.

Email awalgamott@media-inc.com. NS

The trade-out for the late start of grouse hunting is that the season ﬁnale isn’t until January 15, 2023, but I expect you’ll be hard-pressed to ﬁnd anybody hunting thunder chickens in the bone-chilling climate of midwinter.

Grouse or deer, be sure to share your success pictures with Northwest Sportsman! We like sharp, colorful images, depicting safe gun handling and good sportsmanship. Always provide details with each image: where, when, type of gun, load used, who is in the photo, who snapped the photo and any other info pertinent to the image.

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ItByABECOMINGHUNTERDaveAndersonmaytakeanewhunter years before harvesting a first animal, but knowing how to process that kill is critical from the get-go to avoid meat spoilage and wastage. Author Dave Anderson (standing left center) prefers the gutless method over fielddressing and taking the carcass back to camp for skinning and further cleaning. (DAVE ANDERSON) one, seven-day elk hunt. This meant there were two hunters per guide. I never had anyone mentor me on elk hunting growing up. All of my elk hunting experience and wild game processing has been self-taught, reading and watching YouTube videos. Processing a deer is easier and quicker than an elk, so if you can get elk mastered, you will have no problem with deer. MY PREFERRED METHOD for processing big game animals is the gutless method. I tend to shoot elk and deer where there are no roads and the terrain is steep and deep. Ninety percent of all game we harvest usually comes out in a backpack. The gutless method takes away a lot of mess when processing game and is much cleaner than the standard method –gutting the animal where you shot it, then taking the carcass back to camp to hang in a tree and skin and clean it further. The gutless method keeps the meat free from dirt and sticks. I would highly encourage anyone to go to YouTube and search “Gutless Method for Field Processing an Elk.” Several videos will pop up detailing how to field process an elk. Depending on where you are and how far away from the truck you are, you may also want to bone out the meat. I find it much easier to bone out meat in the field. This will cut a ton of weight, allowing you to just carry meat out while leaving the bones behind. However, if you plan to bone out the meat while in the field, you must have good game

COLUMN

Processing Your First Kill Y ou put in the work and finally notched your first tag – congrats! Now what do you do next? How do you process this animal you just harvested? When you first walk up to an elk or deer on the ground it can be a bit intimidating. I can still remember looking at the first bull I guided for a client and saying, “Now what?” It took me a few hours to get it all taken care of, but I got it done and felt surprisingly good about it. I was covered in blood from head to toe and needed a change of clothes thatThatafternoon.wasthe first morning of a two-on-

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96 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com bags that you can either zip up or pull a draw string to secure the loose meat. There are a few tools that are necessary for taking care of an elk or deer. This includes a good knife and sharpener if you prefer a traditional knife. I have a few different Benchmade fixed-blade knives and a handy little sharpener from Benchmade that I carry in the field. The sharpener is very handy to touch up the knives. There are also knives with removable/disposable blades from Havalon and Outdoor Edge. One word of caution on replaceable blade knifes: Use extreme caution! These knives are scary-sharp. They can also be difficult to replace the blades, especially once your hands are soiled/bloody from processing your animal. I always carry a Leatherman tool primarily for removing and replacing blades on these knives. If you choose to use a replaceable-blade knife, I also suggest having a small water bottle to store the used blades for disposal once you get back home. I have cut myself on these blades before and they are extremely sharp. Therefore, I have found myself going back to good ol’ standard fixed-blade knives. You can also carry a saw with you, but I have found it unnecessary for processing game. If you get handy with a blade and know all the right places, you really do not need one. However, the saw is necessary if you need to cap a skull for a full shoulder mount. I generally prefer European mounts over full mounts. In addition to capping a skull, a saw can also be used for cutting firewood or creating a shooting lane. I use the Wyoming saw by Wyoming Knife Company. It is compact and very handy.

COLUMN

THE LAST THING you will need are quality antimicrobial game bags to place all your meat in. This is one thing I do not scrimp on. My go-to game bags are made by Kuiu. I For awhile the author used knives with disposable blades, but their wicked-sharp edges and the slippery nature of processing game animals had him returning to a “good ol’ standard ﬁxed-blade.” (DAVE ANDERSON)

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have quarter bags and loose meat zip bags, depending on the style of hunting I am doing. Make sure you have all these items in your pack, as it will save a trip to the truck and back. The fewer miles hiked, the better. You will ﬁnd this advice especially handy when you shoot something late in the day. Once you process your game into boned-out quarters or bone-in, you will want to hang it in a tree to get air circulating around the meat. If it is not super-cold outside and you choose to leave it on the bone, especially with elk, you may want to cut a slice down to the bone to let heat out.

PACKING OUT MEAT can be a chore. You will want a good pack made for the job. Mystery Ranch, Exo and Stone Glacier make some great packs for hauling out meat. Trekking poles are another handy tool for packing out meat; they’re like fourwheel drive for humans. You also want to be sure you know your limitations and not overdo it trying to get meat off the mountain. An 80- to 100-pound pack is a lot different than a 20- to 30-pounder. Be sure that your meat is secured and not loose. You do not want to have a load shift on you coming off the mountain. All of us at one point have lost our footing with a heavy pack and it can be dangerous, so make sure your meat is as secure as possible to keep it from shifting. The last thing you want to do is break a bone or have a stick-puncture wound on the mountain. Remember, you are a long way from help in most cases and things can go south quickly. I hope you can find some of these tips and suggestions helpful when it comes to processing your first big game animal in the field and getting it back to camp or the rig. In the end, you just need to go with it and do the best you can to make sure you get as much meat as possible out without waste or spoilage. Find what methods work best and strive to perfect those methods each time you harvest an animal. NS

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If you are going to let it hang overnight, you will want to make sure it is in a shaded area that is not going to get hit with sunlight first thing in the morning. Some other factors you will want to consider when hanging meat is types of predators in the region you are hunting. If you are in grizzly country, you need to hang your meat up high in a tree and well away from camp. You can tie off parachute cord to another tree to keep it out of harm’s way as much as possible. I have found that if you get the carcass far enough away from the meat, most predators and scavengers will go for the carcass first. (Editor’s note: For much more on hunting, fishing and recreating in grizzly habitat, see Jeff Holmes’ article in the August 2022 issue of Northwest Sportsman.) You just want to make sure you do not sleep in the next morning so as to get your meat into a cooler as quick as possible.

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Whether packing quarters or loose elk meat or hanging a whole skinned deer, you’ll need a quality game bag or bags to keep the meat free of dirt, forest debris or hungry bugs prior to ﬁnal processing. (DAVE ANDERSON)

PART TWO OF TWO ON OUTDOORAVOIDINGMISHAPS

Even though the steep hillside consisted of a mix of broken rock and soil, my move ments were quiet thanks to a thick blanket of leaves from the seasonally naked vine maple understory. I’m not sure what I stepped on that November day last year, but I remember hearing a loud crack and instantly hitting the ground and sliding head-first downhill 10 feet or so before coming to a stop. It took me several minutes to collect myself enough to sit upright. I wasn’t sure what I’d done, but it was clear I had badly injured my ankle. PUTTING MY ELK hunting adventures on hold the last several years has allowed me to focus on deer. Last season saw my son Wade, his cousin Jeff and I fill our 2021 mule deer tags early in Oregon’s 12-day season while hunting in the Malheur Riv er Unit. Locating a legal mule deer buck in Washington proved to be much more diffi cult, even though I hunted all but two days of the 11-day general rifle season near our home in Southcentral Washington near the town of Klickitat. Not wanting to give up, I decided to try my luck chasing blacktail deer during the

Hunting Trip Gone Wrong

RAMSEYBUZZ

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T he deer tracks I was following were fresh, and while I wasn’t ex pecting to catch up with what was likely a group of does, I was hoping to instead see a buck circling around me in an eﬀort to catch my scent.

Fallen vine maple leaves in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest posed a hidden danger for author Buzz Ramsey last November as he tried to cross a steep hillside while hunting for a blacktail buck during Washington’s late riﬂe season. (GPNF)

Figuring that I’d do more sitting than moving that fateful day, I’d worn my in sulated hunting boots. With the weather forecast calling for rain in the afternoon, I also wore Gore-Tex pants and had a pack able rain jacket stowed in my backpack. Given the rubs and tracks in the trail, I knew there were deer around. But by late morning, having seen no deer, I decided to explore more of the area. The old skid road, complete with new growth and a few fallen trees, invited me to follow it along a facing slope.

WANTING TO GET in the area where Wein heimer and I had seen the fresh rubs the day before but not hike by myself in the dark, I parked at the trailhead a half hour before light. I moved along at a pretty fast clip while scanning for a possible sighting, even though I didn’t expect to see much of anything until I got near where we had seen the rub activity. When I got close, I crept slowly along while doing a lot more looking than moving. Several times I just stood and watched for 20 minutes or more.

Ramsey is a legendary salmon and steelhead angler and lure and rod designer, but he also takes his big game hunting quite seriously and has pursued deer and elk throughout the greater Northwest. Before his fall last season, he harvested this Southeast Oregon mule deer. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

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four-day late buck season north of Carson, in the rugged Siouxon Unit. I knew this was going to be a challenging hunt, as the vast majority of the public ground consists of heavy forest with sparse deer numbers. Still, you’re not going to ﬁnd success un less you make the eﬀort.

In advance of the late hunt, I’d reached out to friend Ray Croswell of Washougal for a refresher on hunting blacktails. He is somewhat of a deer hunting legend, as he has harvested more than a few trophy mule and blacktail deer, evident by his en viable trophy room. Croswell suggested I check out a couple of areas where he has found antler sheds in recent years and said to keep an eye out for fresh buck rubs. The day before the season started, I scouted one of the areas Croswell suggest ed with friend and retired state fisheries biologist John Weinheimer. Weinheimer lives in Carson and is always up for a hunt ing or scouting adventure. He had tagged out during the general season on a buck that made the mistake of wandering onto his private property. We saw no sign of buck activity until we got a couple of miles from where we’d parked at the end of a one-lane gravel ac cess road in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The old, overgrown skid road we hiked was littered with fallen trees and washouts where runoff had carved deep grooves in the landscape. There was little doubt about a buck being in the area, as we found more than a few fresh rubs. As you might know, bucks mark their territory by rubbing their antlers on young trees and will often urinate on them. The bigger the tree and higher off the ground the rub extends, the larger the buck. Bucks will also mark several trees spaced along a road or trail to alert other bucks of their presence. Hunters refer to these as “rub lines” and will often set up within shooting distance of a rub line and call or rattle shed antlers in an effort to get a glimpse of what might be a legal buck.

The somewhat steep skid road tra versed the facing slope before ending near its top. The gain in elevation invited me to cut through the vine maple along the rid geline where I hoped to ﬁnd a game trail, but there was none and the short trees were thick. A better path was to traverse the steep hillside. That’s when I fell. I really wasn’t sure whether I’d broken my ankle, popped a tendon, muscle or

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Late the next evening Weinheimer would meet a hobbling, soaked and probably hypothermic Ramsey at the trailhead after the author’s nine-hour ordeal getting out of the woods. (BUZZ RAMSEY) exactly what. After 20 minutes or so of sitting, I decided that since it was early enough in the day perhaps I could hobble a little further along. I made it less than 10 steps before falling again. This time I found myself wedged between two trees with my feet extending uphill. It took several tries before I was able to free myself. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I’m reasonably sure I knocked myself un conscious on that second fall. And it was soon after that that I realized it was going to be a long – and painful – hike back to my truck. While it would have been better to make a crutch from one of the many vine maple trees, I instead adjusted the height of my tripod shooting stick to use as a crutch.

Walking was easiest on ﬂat ground, of course, but every up and down slope and washout complete with fallen trees was tor turous. I initially estimated it would take me four to ﬁve hours to make it to my rig, but instead it took over nine hours. At about 5 p.m. I sent an inReach text message to my wife Maggie and Weinheimer saying I would be getting out of the woods late.

WHAT I DID RIGHT 1) Having an inReach satellite communi cator. This allowed me to text my wife and friend and let them know I was going to be late. In addition, the inReach has a feature that allows the person receiving the text or email to pull up a map and see the sender’s exact location via a waypoint. Because of this, Weinheimer knew I was in the area he and I had scouted just the day before, and so he was waiting for me at the trailhead when I emerged from the forest at 10 p.m. Had I become stranded prior to reaching my destination, it would have allowed him and/or a rescue team to quickly ﬁnd me.

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is what I have mentioned when telling the story about my ordeal. Had I been unable to make it to my rig and instead been forced to spend the night in the woods, this mistake might have cost me my life.

WHAT I DID WRONG 1) Because I knew it was going to rain, I had prepared by taking a packable rain coat along, but hobbling out I didn’t take the time to drop my pack and put it on. This was a mistake, as my upper body got soak ing wet. Although I never felt cold while moving, I was no doubt suﬀering from hy pothermia, as I started to see things near the end of my exit and began shaking like a leaf once I got to my rig. “Did you know those GMC heaters only go to 88 degrees?”

THE RESULT OF my accident was that I broke/fractured two of the three bones in my ankle, the medial malleolus, which is the large bone that forms the bump on the inside of your ankle and is actually the bottom portion of your main leg bone, and the ankle portion of the lateral malle

According to Ramsey’s blacktail guru Ray Croswell, buck rubs like this one John Weinheimer shows off during a scouting trip with the author the day before his accident means there is a fair number of deer around, as bucks don’t do a lot of rubbing when there is little male competition.

2) It is likely that I never would have broken my ankle if I had worn my regu lar hunting boots instead of my insulat ed ones, as a quality pair of noninsulated boots provides a lot more ankle support than insulated ones. I made the choice to wear my insulated boots based on my plan to spend most of my day watching the rub line. My mistake was when I instead de cided to hit the ridge and sidehill gouge along its steep face.

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A trip to the doctor the next day conﬁrmed to Ramsey his right ankle fracture, but he couldn’t get an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon for two weeks. Because of the delay, the bones had already started to heal and fortunately were in place so his ankle didn’t require a cast, only an ankle brace. But that meant he also couldn’t put any weight on the ankle for a very long time, and he had to keep it elevated day and night to keep the swelling in check. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

olus, which is the smaller leg bone that ex tends to your ankle. Had I broken the third ankle bone, the talus, my foot would have been dangling, in which case I’d have likely had to be carried out, as the forest was too thick for a helicopter rescue. Hobbling out was one of the most dif ficult things I’ve had to do in my life. “The good news is it was raining” is what I said when telling friends about my ordeal. My orthopedic surgeon first said I would need to stay off my ankle (no weight on it whatsoever) for two months, which turned into 13 weeks. After that it was a walking cast with only a light amount of weight for another month, then physical therapy for three months after that, which I am now continuing from home. As you can imagine, this episode quick ly put an end to my 2021 hunting adven tures, but those bucks and the rubs they make will be bigger this fall. 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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T he first flock of bandtails passed by within range, but wide, so I didn’t shoot. Then a pair of the pigeons came right down the ridgeline, straight at us. Pulling up, I killed the first bird. As it started spinning toward the ground, I followed up on the second bird, folding it.

The ﬁrst pigeon fell atop the ridge in some tall, dry grass, which Echo, my 7-year-old pudelpointer, got on fast. The second bandtail fell a ways down the hillside, which Kona, my 5-year-old male pudelpointer, marked and sprinted to. Just like that, the hunt was over, an opening-morning limit secured. Still, for the next hour we sat and watched birds, noting what direction they were coming from and where they were going. Some bandtails stopped at a nearby spring to drink. Others piled onto the hillside below to pick minerals. Still others kept ﬂying, seeking ripening cascara berries and elderberries throughout the hills.

OVER THE COURSE of the brief nine-day bandtail season, the dogs and I had many great hunts. Along the Paciﬁc Coast, these wild pigeons are one of the most hunted game birds in September, and with good reason.Bandtails are fast ﬂyers and cover a lot of ground. Early in the morning they

One of author Scott Haugen’s most anticipated seasons of the year is bandtail pigeon, a great tuneup for wingshooters and dogs alike. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

The dogs shot me the look – more than once, too – the one that screams, “Why aren’t you shooting?”

GUN DOGGIN’ 101 By Scott Haugen

Bandtail Pigeon Tuneup

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Though seasons are brief (this year, September 15-23 in Oregon and September 17-25 in Washington) and bag limits small (two a day), bandtails are a popular bird for hunters and their dogs to pursue on the West Coast. (SCOTT HAUGEN) leave their roosts in the Cascades or Coast Range, destined for springs or water to drink from, minerals to pick, or berry patches to feast on. Before descending into any of these, they’ll often perch in the tallest treetops from which they’ll survey the surroundings to make sure all is safe. Intercepting pigeons as they move to food, water and staging areas is best done by setting up on ridgelines located in their ﬂight path. Try picking an open area so you can see birds approaching and have plenty of real estate to drop them in, once shot.

I recently spoke with a biologist in California whose specialty is bandtail pigeons. He informed me that one of the reasons the daily limit remains at two birds – in addition to their low nesting success is because many pigeons are crippled by hunters and never retrieved. Most of these are birds shot from the crest of a ridge, where crippled birds often soar hundreds of yards into big, rugged canyons below, where dogs can’t retrieve them. Before firing a shot, know where you want a hit bird to drop. Ideally, you have an opening where you’re standing so you can try and drop a bird at your feet; this is a must if you don’t have a dog. If you do have a dog, know what the surrounding terrain is like and determine before even firing a shot if it’s something you’d send your dog into. One ridge I hunt is loaded with very tall groves of poison oak, so I don’t shoot pigeons that could potentially fall there. Another has a sheer rock cliff on one side, so that’s obviously off limits. Pick your shooting zone and stick to it.

COLUMN

If shots are close where birds might be circling, I like using No. 6 shot. For pass shooting, No. 5s work. Pigeons have a lot of feathers that easily fall out upon being shot, so watch the bird closely to see if a quick follow-up shot is needed. Hit pigeons can sail a long way, especially in steep, mountainous terrain. Once they tumble through trees and brush, following the feather trail of a pigeon is easy. As soon as your dog delivers a pigeon to hand, pick all the feathers from their mouth and between their lips and gums. Then give your dog a drink of fresh water. Have plenty of water for your dog on these hunts. LAST YEAR I hunted a place where a landslide had occurred the previous winter. At the bottom of the slide was a little rill of water the pigeons drank from all summer. At the top was a bank of exposed minerals they picked at. The hillside was steep, so in an eﬀort to keep the birds on top where I could get ethical shots, I set out some Big Al’s pigeon silhouette decoys. I set a couple dozen of the silhouettes tight atop the hill, on some exposed dirt. The pigeons didn’t backpedal into the spread like ducks, but they deﬁnitely saw them and passed slowly overhead to see what the gathering was all about. Two mornings in a row both my dad and I shot bandtail limits over these feral pigeon, aka rock dove, Pluckeddecoys.and slow-cooked whole,

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112 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com COLUMN

Setting up some Big Al’s pigeon silhouette decoys paid off on multiple hunts for the author and his father Jerry Haugen last season in the western slopes of the Cascade Range. (SCOTT HAUGEN) band-tailed pigeons are tasty game birds. And for your dog, they’re easy to see approaching from a long distance, simple to mark once hit as long as they don’t fall into too thick of cover, and fun to retrieve. At times, the retrieve can be challenging and dogs will work hard in the steep mountains, so make sure they’re in shape and not overweight on these earlyseason, hot-weather hunts.

Editor’s note: Scott Haugen is a full-time writer. See his puppy training videos and learn more about his many books at scotthaugen.com and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

For those of us who remember the days when bag limits were high, our goal as hunters is to help pigeon populations recover, and we can do our part by shooting selectively. Don’t get in a rush to ﬁll a limit, especially if there’s any doubt of a bird being recovered. The bandtail season is short, but dogs love it, so get out there and experience what so many fellow hunters around the country wish they had an opportunity to pursue. NS

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Silvers Shine In September’s Salt

This month dawns bright and full of promise for saltwater coho anglers, with opportunities stretching from the Paciﬁc into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and throughout the Salish Sea to its very southern end. (JASON BROOKS)

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NORTH PUGET SOUND and the waters around the Port of Everett might be where most anglers think about when targeting coho this month. No doubt that’s in part due to the derby, which this year is scheduled for September 24-25 and is one of the largest on the West Coast. A quick glance at the organizer’s website and it shows it all started in 1993 as a way to raise funds and awareness for salmon fishing near Everett and on Puget Sound. Now it offers anglers a chance to win a boatload of cash, but most of all, thanks to the success of the derby and the opportunity it provided, anglers now realize fishing the saltwater for coho is the real deal in September. Marine Area 8 is split into two zones, 8-1 and 8-2, and each has its own regulations. These waters are where you will find anglers who are closest to the Port of NW PURSUITS By Jason Brooks

T here is a good reason why the Everett Coho Derby is the last weekend of September, as this is when the silver-sided rockets we love to catch arrive in droves. Most anglers who chase after coho head to local rivers once the fall rains start, and this is a good option. But for me, there is something about intercepting these ﬁsh in the saltwater. With fast action and an aggressive bite, silver salmon oﬀer many angling opportunities. But before you drag the drift boat over the riverbank, maybe think about heading out to the marine areas one last time.

MEANWHILE, AREA 5 is one of the most popular for September coho, and it features a fishery right out in front of Sekiu. This tiny fishing community is about to go to sleep for the fall and most of the winter, thanks to ever-changing blackmouth seasons, but before it enters hibernation it has one last party to throw. The entire month of September is a coho-fest of sorts, as the fishing here can be epic. Even better is how close to the boat launch it occurs. Simply head straight out of the harbor towards Canada and when you hit the shipping lanes, start looking for jumping fish or stacked-up schools on your sonar unit. Last September, we headed out of Sekiu at midmorning after a short stint waiting in line at the boat launch. A few dozen other anglers had arrived before us, so we enjoyed the morning sunrise and drank coffee while waiting to launch.

Speaking of unexpectedly, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has created something of a guessing game with marine fisheries this summer and let’s hope that doesn’t continue come September, when tens of thousands of coho will be swarming through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Salish Sea. Keep an eye on kept8-2closureupdates.fishing/regulations/emergency-ruleswdfw.wa.gov/forAlsonotethemid-SeptemberandrestrictedfishingareainAreaandthatonlyhatcherycohocanbethereandinArea9.

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Hoochies tipped with a herring strip and trolled behind a flasher is a popular choice for silvers, but hardly the only one. Spoons, actual and faux cutplugs, Buzz Bombs, flies and more can get the job done. (JASON BROOKS) Everett marina, one of two derby weigh-in stations and where the awards ceremony is held, at Bayside Marine. The other is at the Port of Edmonds marina in Marine Area 9, which has more water to fish and is a bit more popular amongst coho anglers, not just those in the derby. Area 9 is large and might be a bit intimidating for the first-time saltwater coho angler, but luckily it is also a top producer, with several access points and places to fish. Even those without a boat can find a place to target coho from the beach. Look to the many county, city and state parks with shoreline access or a fishing pier. For those with a boat, Possession Point and nearby waters in southern Admiralty Inlet are some of the more popular spots. Tides and fall winds that can come up unexpectedly will dictate where you should go.

Back to last September when we were up in Sekiu. As much as we wanted to use a cut-plug herring, we were simply getting bit too fast and too often to make this a worthwhile technique. Instead, we stuck with spoons and hoochie skirts. The day started oﬀ gray, so I put in a UV insert to add some attraction and it seemed to make a big diﬀerence. Using Bechhold

MOST SALTWATER ANGLERS in boats will troll hoochies for silvers, but don’t overlook pulling some flies on an 8-weight fly rod for some added fun. Those with downriggers often use a flasher or dodger and a spoon.

Hungry and chowing down to gain weight right before entering their spawning streams, coho cut really nicely this time of year. And the generally beautiful weather makes September an all-around great time to get out on the salt. (JASON BROOKS)

The tiny gap between Tacoma and Gig Harbor known as the “Narrows” is a good place to intercept silvers, both resident ﬁsh raised and released from the Squaxin Island Tribe net pens and ocean-returning hatchery and wild coho, which will stack up here while waiting to head to their natal rivers. The pinch point often pushes the ﬁsh through, but an hour before slack tides is prime time to troll along the shoreline in water as shallow as 45 feet, just outside of the kelp.

Beach-bound anglers can also fish along the Gig Harbor side from Wollochet Point north to Point Evans. High tide makes for a tight beach, while low tide can make it hard to get through the weeds and kelp that can float to the surface. Again, try between the tides here and if you are a fly angler, then be sure to give this long stretch of gravel beach a try. Clouser Minnows are a top pattern, while gear anglers throw Buzz Bombs.

Areas 3 and 4, La Push and Neah Bay, are a bit harder to reach and a little more likely to weather out, but if there is a good day and the fisheries aren’t closed due to the quota, then you can find some really good fishing on the open Pacific.

FOR THOSE WHO don’t want to play the “Is it open or closed?” quota game or deal with thousands of derby-day anglers looking for a prize-winning coho, head to southern Puget Sound. Areas 11 and 13 are consistent coho producers and this year there are good returns predicted to south-end rivers. The former should stay open and the latter is open year-round and not currently based on catch quotas.

There was no worry about missing the morning bite, as the coho were thick and ready to hit the lures. Finally making our way out to the 550-foot mark, we began seeing boats around us hooking fish. Time to drop the downriggers down 25 to 30 feet and it was fish-on! That is coho fishing – once you find them, the action can be fast and furious. Out on the ocean, as long as the quota holds, coho will be open until the end of the month. Look to Area 1 out of Ilwaco to be a top producer, as these fish stack up and wait for the right tides to enter the Columbia River. Westport in Area 2 is also a good bet, but be sure to keep an eye on the emergency rules tab at WDFW, as this is a very popular summer fishery and the quota might get filled before the month is over. These fish are heading south towards the Columbia, but also to Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor; both have several rivers forecasted to see strong returns this fall. Per Westport Charterboat Association records, numerous annual coho-derby-winning fish have been caught in September, with many 17 pounds or more (gilled and gutted weight).

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and Son’s 11-inch flashers with a Gold Star OAL12R Purple Haze hoochie and a Luhr Jensen Flash Fly UV insert, the coho bit consistently. We also used some Brad’s Killer Cut Plugs and Mini Cut Plugs. Yakima Bait SpinFish worked well stuffed with tuna, as well as some Mack’s Lure Scentflash UV Paddle Flashers, as they are designed to have scent added inside of them and it really helps disperse attractants. Don’t overlook Coho Killer or Coyote spoons in the sardine finish. Scent is important when using hardware instead of bait, as you are competing with fish that are actively feeding, plus it covers up any human odors you might leave on the lures. Pro-Cure’s Bait Sauces and Super Gels stick well on hard lures and really help cover up any unwanted scents as well as attract fish. Herring and anchovy are top-producing scents, since these baitfish are what the fish are primarily feeding on. Be sure to reapply often, as the scent can get wiped off if the lures are being hit often and hard enough. WHEN IT COMES to September salmon fishing, be sure to head out to the saltwater for some fast and furious coho action. Always check to see if your marine area is still open, and if the waters out front of Sekiu are fishable then be sure to give this place a try. For those entering the Everett Coho Derby, spend a few days prefishing the areas within the derby boundary and learn when and where to find the fish. There is a good reason why this derby is in late September and that is because there are a lot of coho to be caught this month – all over the salt. NS

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nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2022 Northwest Sportsman 129

REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal intended to be an endorsement. © 2013 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. Follow Yamaha on Facebook® and Twitter™YamahaOutboards.com/F200InLine LIGHTWEIGHT. The lightest 200-hp four stroke on the market POWERFUL. 2.8L displacement and Variable Camshaft Timing give it the best power-to-weight ratio of any 200-hp four stroke COMPACT. Nearly 120 pounds lighter than our four-stroke V6 F200

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By Mark Yuasa N ow that summer ﬁsheries are winding down, it’s time to focus on bays, estuaries and lower tributaries as waves of migrating salmon make their way upstream with everyNestledrainfall.along Washington’s pristine southcentral coast is Grays Harbor (Marine Area 2-2), the gateway to some of the best fall salmon ﬁshing opportunities, where coho are known to grow to bragging-size proportions.

“We’re expecting a good coho return, well above anything we’ve seen in the past five years, and for the natural coho stocks it’s the best dating back to 2014,” said Kyle Van de Graaf, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s ocean fishery manager. “The big driver as to why coho forecasts are better is a higher marine survival rate due to improved ocean conditions.”WDFWis forecasting a relatively decent Grays Harbor basin return of After several down years, Grays Harbor coho fishing should be good this fall. The forecast calls for 198,000 wild and hatchery silvers, which is 160 percent more than 2021’s preseason prediction. (MARK YUASA)

FISHING nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2022 Northwest Sportsman 131

The waters between Westport and Aberdeen can be thick with eel grass, but also silvers –and this year’s forecast calls for 120,000 more than last year.

Good Return Of Harbor Coho Expected

River forecast is 26,129 hatchery and 4,358 wild coho, and the Chehalis River is 106,624 wild and 36,854 hatchery coho. The Chehalis forecast includes production from the Hoquiam, Johns and Elk Rivers and is also comprised of ﬁsh released from the Bingham Creek, Satsop Spring, Lake Aberdeen and Skookumchuck hatcheries. If the coho returns from last year are an indicator of expectations this coming fall, anglers might be wise to put Grays Harbor and neighboring rivers on the “to do” list. “We don’t have the exact number of coho that returned last year, but early word says it was a little better than predicted and we saw improved ﬁsh escapement,” says Mike Scharpf, a WDFW coastal salmon biologist. “The coho harvest was better (in 2021) than it had been in previous years.”

THE HARBOR’S COHO fishery is a focal point in the fall, and I got a hands-on chance to experience just how good it can be a day before Halloween in 2021. Our morning adventure began at 8 a.m. with a beaming reddishorange sun rising above the eastern horizon as we left the Johns River boat launch – located just west of Aberdeen off Highway 105 – and made a short 10-minute boat ride along Grays Harbor’s south channel. We started our troll pattern at the “Goal Post” (a set of rotting wood pilings), which is the entrance marker to the Johns River, and then pointed the bow of the boat due east into the south channel. At this location is a trough running east and west along the shoreline toward the Chehalis River mouth. Many anglers use the O’Leary Creek mouth or Stearns Bluff, a landmark hillside just east of the Johns River, as the ending spots for their troll pattern. Our gear consisted of a 6- to 10-ounce lead sinker ball to a threeway slip swivel with a triangle Shortbus and/or Brad’s 360 Evolution flashers and a 6-foot leader attached with a cut-plug herring and/or a Yakima Bait Hildebrandt 3.5 Spinner. Schools of baitfish were flipping everywhere, and the fish finder graph was alive with not only baitfish but salmon too. We let out 12 to 25 pulls of fishing line – this is a shallow-water fishery, with depths of 15 to 35 feet – so our bait presentations were spinning just off the sandy bottom or at mid-depth

HUNTINGFISHING

Salmon boats work an incoming tide off the site of the former Harbor Paper complex, now torn down, and the mouth of the Hoquiam River during a past September. The best time to hit Grays Harbor is during the flood tide, as salmon flush into the system. Just beware of hazards – sandbars, myriad pilings and, above all else, eel grass. That last one requires checking your gear, a lot. (WASHINGTON DOE) 198,719 coho (120,381 are wild and 78,338 are hatchery) in 2022, which is up dramatically from 76,518 (44,843 and 31,675) in 2021. This forecast is based on ocean abundance of threeyear-old adult fish prior to the start of anyThefisheries.Humptulips

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INDEED, THE BAY isn’t your only salmon ﬁshing option in the Grays Harbor system, as rivers like the Humptulips, Hoquiam, Wishkah, Chehalis, Wynoochee, Satsop, Skookumchuck and Newaukum can all provide decent fall and early winter angling opportunities. The Humptulips is a popular location for salmon and the Chinook forecast is a little better than last year.

The Humptulips from the mouth to the conﬂuence of the East and West Forks is open September 1-30 and you may keep all Chinook and hatchery coho; from October 1-31, you are allowed to retain hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho; and from November 1-December 31, only hatchery coho may be retained.

In the Wynoochee, a good number of coho and Chinook return to spawn mainly in Shafer, Carter and Helm Creeks. The Satsop is a popular coho ﬁshery and is known to generate largesized coho weighing 14 to 20 pounds.

Chinook in the 18- to 25-pound range are common and have been known to exceed 40-plus pounds. You can also catch coho well into late November and early December. There are public access locations along the Humptulips like Reynvaan’s Gravel Bar, Dyke Road, above the Ocean Beach Road Bridge, the Humptulips Salmon Hatchery, and at the mouth of Stevens Creek.

HUNTINGFISHING when we marked fish higher up in the water column. A strong northerly wind and choppy water made it hard to stay on top of the fish, but in a matter of minutes we managed to hook our first mint-bright coho of the morning. Then for the next couple of hours it went quiet. The best timeframe to be on the water in Grays Harbor is during the flood tide, but you’ll still catch fish even on an ebb tide. In most other salmon fisheries getting out at the crack of dawn is usually most productive, but here it’s more about timing. The early morning bite isn’t a factor. It’s all about the tidal Aroundexchanges.10a.m., as we neared the tide change, we got our second coho of the day. The action seemed to come in spurts throughout much of the early afternoon, with most of the action happening on just two rods. There are a variety of factors why this happens, including the way the bait spins on the turn of the boat or simply sheer dumb luck. We caught four more hatcherymarked coho up to 15 pounds, and in the hours leading up to when we called it quits at 4 p.m., we had the entire bay to ourselves. Just upstream of Grays Harbor proper, there is an active troll fishery on the lower Chehalis River from the Montesano boat launch to the lumber mill and from the Friends Landing boat launch to a couple miles below the Wynoochee River mouth.

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MORE DETAILS ON FISHING SOUTH COAST WATERS FOR COHO

ere are some more tips and tidbits about Grays Harbor salmon ﬁshing.

136 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com

• Another fun coho-only fishery in the immediate vicinity is the Westport Boat Basin, which is open daily through January 31. The best action usually happens from September through October as coho raised in the marina’s hatchery net pens begin to return. The daily limit is six salmon, and no more than four may be adult fish. Release Chinook, no night fishing and an anti-snagging rule is in effect. Only single-barbless hooks may be used.

• The Grays Harbor salmon ﬁshery east of the Buoy 13 line is broken into two seasons. The “Humptulips North Bay” – north of a line running from the south end of the eastern jetty at the Ocean Shores Marina east to the Brackenridge Bluﬀ Tripod – is open daily through September 15 with a one-salmon daily limit, release all wild coho. The “East Grays Harbor Fishery” is open September 16 through October 31 with a two-salmon daily limit, release all Chinook, and then from November 1-30 the daily limit is one salmon, release all Chinook.

• Anglers should constantly check their fishing gear, as the harbor is often filled with eel grass, which is especially bothersome on bigger tidal exchanges when the grass gets pulled away from shoreline. The best way to avoid eel grass is by fishing during the softer tidal series. Keep in mind that salmon don’t like eating a salad, so be vigilant about checking your gear and bait frequently.

• There are three boat launches that access the Grays Harbor salmon ﬁshery, with the Westport ramp the most accommodating and suiting all sizes of boats. The Johns River boat launch is a gravelly two-lane ramp and suitable for smaller boats. Both provide the best route to the south channel ﬁshery. Another is the 28th Street boat launch in Hoquiam adjacent to the Port of Grays Harbor.

• Just to the south of Grays Harbor is the Willapa Bay (Marine Area 2-1) salmon fishery, where the forecasts call for 33,142 Chinook and 110,483 coho. Fishing can be good at times, and it is open daily through January 31 (although fishing wanes well before then, peaking in early September). Most of the action occurs between Channel Markers 13 and 19 on the incoming tide. On the bigger tidal exchanges, eel grass can be a problem and will foul up fishing gear. The daily limit is six salmon and up to two adult salmon may be retained, release wild Chinook. –MY Peak catch for Grays Harbor coho varies from season to season, but September tends to see a higher harvest than October. (MARK YUASA)

FISHING

• Use caution when running your boat from any of the launch facilities, especially the Johns River ramp. Follow the channel markers, as there are many shallow sandbars, unexposed islands and unmarked shallow points where you can ground a vessel. Make sure to keep the red channel markers on the starboard side and the green markers on the port side of the boat. Be on the lookout for large ships heading in and out of the bay’s narrow channel. Fog can also pose a problem in the fall, so having a good navigational/ﬁsh-ﬁnder unit will cause less stress when getting out and back to the boat ramp safely.

NS Editor’s note: Mark Yuasa is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Communications Manager and longtime local ﬁshing and outdoor writer.

The focus for all Washington coho anglers is Hooky the Hooknose and his egg-laden wife, but plentiful jacks and big limits can ﬁll a kill bag too. The immature salmon returning alongside adult ﬁsh are strongly partial to drifted eggs. (COAST

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FISHING Bank anglers can try around the Highway 12 Bridge and off Keys Road. Most regulars who fish these rivers aren’t eager to give away too much information on their favorite fishing holes, but there are options for the uninitiated to catch a salmon and another option is to hire a fishing guide. To book a guided fishing trip, go to websiteregulationbetterreturnahead,fishinghaverivers,graysharborguidesassociation.com.WhetheronthebayorinthemyriadGraysHarborsystemanglerswillachancetoexperiencethrillingadventuresinthemonthsandwithamuchstrongercohoexpected,lookforpossiblyeventimes!Beforegoing,besuretocheckforchangesontheWDFWatwdfw.wa.gov.

FISHING PHOTO CONTEST)

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142 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com With big numbers of silvers expected to return this season, here’s how to ﬁsh off the North Jetty, and rocks and beaches of the big river’s estuary. Bank On Lower Columbia Coho An angler casts for salmon in the Columbia estuary, where the limit bumps up to three hatchery coho a day starting September 8. Some 683,700 early and late silvers are forecast to return to the mouth of the big river this fall. Chinook retention closes here after September 7. (JULIA JOHNSON)

It’s quick and easy, and to tell y’all the truth, I’m liking quick and easy more and more these days.

o I move to Southwest Washington in 1993 and immediately my fishing fanatic girlfriend – now wife since ’99 –introduces me to salmon; specifically, bobber fishing off the North Jetty at the mouth of the Columbia. She was then, as she is now, a patient woman, and showed me how to rig a bobber setup, get just the right bend to the anchovy, and work the flood and ebb to my advantage. I was a good student, or so I thought, but the stars simply wouldn’t align. Until one morning. That one was not unlike the other mornings we’d spent on the North Jetty. Walk out. Rig up. Cast. Retrieve. Repeat. Keep an eye out for the jetty raccoons – the little buggers – that love nothing more than to raid backpacks looking for those delectable 58-cent Winco fruit pies. So, I’m standing there, spinning rod in hand. Cast. Retrieve. Repeat. The pear-shaped reddish-orange bobber is almost hypnotic in its unchanging up, down, right, left, in, repeat. And then, as I stood on my rock paying, ah, 47 percent attention, it happened. Not with a splash nor a jolt nor a bob; rather, my float just disappeared into the face of a swell. “Melted away” would be the best way to describe it. Seconds passed before something clicked and I reared back on the rod, which promptly doubled over. “Hey! … Hey! … Hey!” I’m hollering at my gal. Next thing I know, she’s at my side,“Rodcoaching.tipup,” she instructs. “If he wants to run, let him run. Tight. Tight. Keep it tight. It’s barbless, remember?” I, on the other hand, am getting quite the kick out of the whole thing. Plus, I don’t understand how serious this fish is. Note: Mine was one of only two salmon caught on the jetty that day. Two, and I caught one of them. “What are you doing?!?” shouts the 5-foot-2 dynamo at my shoulder. “This isn’t a game! Stop foolin’ around and get that fish in here!!!” Eager to please, I did as told, and after a brief tug-of-war, and a bit of certainly unintentional fiddling around, I brought my first shorecaught silver to the rocks, where he was netted and subsequently bonked. And such was my introduction to shore-based salmon fishing, courtesy of one Julia McClellan and the waters along the North Jetty – an introduction turned present-day obsession. SHORE IS WHERE I operate from damn near 100 percent of the time, due to the fact I don’t own a boat. Well, I do, per se. I have plenty of folks in the Cathlamet area who fish every day and more times than not have an open seat. However, I choose not to 99 times out of 100. Why the love affair with the shore? I could say it’s due to the fact I drink gallons upon gallons of coffee, and it’s just, well, easier to rid myself of said coffee while on the bank. It’s true, but it’s not the entire story. I enjoy shore-based salmon fishing for several reasons.

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By MD Johnson S

Second, and speaking speciﬁcally about bobbers, I – even at the age of 58 – ﬁnd something very exciting about watching a bobber twitch, twitch, bob and disappear, especially when that bobber is the size of a Pabst tall boy. Third, and should the bite be cold at spot A, it’s a simple matter to pick up my minimalist gear and relocate. And, when I’ve limited out, the raccoons have eaten all my fruit pies or I’ve simply had enough, I can pack up and go straight home.

GEAR: THE BIG THREE One of these days I’ll be the guy who walks out onto the North Jetty with a small selection of spinners, one rod, a net and a burlap ﬁsh bag. I’ve seen

One, taking a boat out of the mix, while admittedly limiting my access to a large extent, also takes a boat out of the mix. No launching or launch fees. No lines at the ramp. And none of the problems associated with a boat, water and things mechanical.

this guy out there, and more than once. He’ll throw, throw and throw some more until he catches a silver, catches another, and then picks up his net and stinky fish bag and goes home. But until that day comes, which it might not, I’ll hump a big Alps Outdoorz backpack filled to overflowing, several rods, a couple fish bags, Katch Kooler, net and Coleman bait bucket, and with this mountain o’ gear, I’ll switch back and forth between the following techniques until I find something that works, I limit out and/or I’m eaten out of pies.

As for “how” to ﬁsh the above bobber rig, there are two schools of thought. One, you can cast it and leave it. Let the ocean/river do the work for you. I see it a lot, and it does appear to be effective on any given day. Or, two, and if you’re like me, you can be an active participant in your angling adventure, and work the bait.

Onto hooks. This season, I’ll start with the aforementioned Gamakatsus self-tied onto a sliding mooching rig; However, I’m partial to the Daiichi D16Z Bleeding Bait octopus hooks, also in 3/0 and 4/0. They’re stupidsharp, strong, affordable and, most signiﬁcantly, I truly believe the red hooks against a silver anchovy make a difference in the number of hits I get. Scientiﬁc proof? No, but it’s worth a looksee, eh?

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The setup itself is elemental, consisting of a nylon bobber stop, small bead, 5mm bead, slip bobber, 5mm bead, snap swivel, beaded 1- to 1.5-ounce keel (banana) weight and a 24- to 36inch – personal preference – 25-poundtest leader with a sliding mooching rig consisting of a 3/0 Gamakatsu hook above a 4/0 Gamakatsu, both barbless.

Bobbers ’n bait: My preferred method for catching silvers (and kings, too) from shore for three reasons: It’s technologically simple; it doesn’t require a PhD in fisheries science to operate; and it flat catches fish.

A couple notes here. I’m constantly changing my bobbers – typically, oldschool pear-shaped floats; Danielson “cigar” floats; and DIY bobbers crafted from closed-cell foam pool noodles shaped with an electric carving knife and skewered with a 10-inch coffee stirrer for a line pass-through. But I’ve also like me a 9-inch Glow-inthe-Dark catfishing float from Lindy Little Joe. This particular bobber is extremely visible, even in a chop, rides high, casts well, and carries a 1.5-ounce weight, anchovy and hardware without bogging down. And did I mention I can see it?

Two points of order here. If the tide’s running – and it doesn’t matter whether it’s left-to-right or right-toleft – pay attention until your bobber hits the rocks. Silvers will often pick up a bait as the “spin” of the anchovy quickens, which happens at the end of the drift, or as it’s called, the swing. More spin equals more flash, and more flash is often what it takes to ramp up inactive or following fish. Slack tide, and your bait sits like one of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Nothing. No movement at all.

Leaders? I keep my leaders short – 24 inches to maybe 30 inches – and tie them directly to my beaded-chain banana weight with an old-school improved clinch knot.

Bobbers are on the big side (top image) for those who like to suspend an anchovy and either let the waves work the bait or slowly reel it in with a stop-andgo retrieve. For those who like to throw big spinners and spoons, this (bottom image) represents a good selection, with author MD Johnson especially partial to the 1-ounce Mepps Syclops in rainbow trout (second from left), which he works with an erratic(JULIAretrieve.JOHNSON)

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WHERE TO THROW A Washington resident, I stick to the Washington side of the river. Some day, I’ll venture across the bridge and explore a bit of what the Oregon shore has to offer, but until then ... I’m a North Jetty guy, thanks to my wife, who’s spent many a year ﬁshing that long pile of rocks. If you’re familiar with the jetty, well, you’re familiar with the jetty; if not, here are some tips to – hopefully – make your shore-based salmon ﬁshing on the rocks more productive. And safer.

Spinners and spoons: Here’s a surprise. If I was told I could only take one hard bait – spinner or spoon – out onto the North Jetty with me for the whole of eternity, it would not be a pink 5/8-ounce Mepps Flying C spinner. No, it would, without question, be a 1-ounce Mepps Syclops spoon in their rainbow trout pattern. No hesitation on that decision. The Flying C is an excellent jetty bait for silvers; in fact, 95 percent of the folks throwing hardware will be throwing a Flying C, either in hot pink, chartreuse or hot orange. Also good and in the spinner category is Yakima Bait’s tried-and-true Rooster Tail in the ¾- to 1-ounce model. Color? Pink, chartreuse, yellow, orange or – perhaps my favorite when it comes to spinners – fire tiger. The Long Cast from Mepps is another good lure choice. Still, I’m a huge fan of the Syclops spoon; again, in rainbow trout. Fact is, we have a little ditty we use out on the jetty when it comes to lure selection: “Sun’s out. Rainbow Trout.” Don’t know why – maybe it’s the increased flash, thanks to the sun – but once the clouds part and Ol’ Sol makes an appearance, it’s game on for the Syclops. As for how to fish it, I don’t sink it; rather, I cast – near, far, doesn’t matter as long as the spoon’s in the water – and immediately start a slow but steady retrieve. Occasionally I’ll stop and let the spoon flutter down through the water column a bit before jigging it once, twice, three times and picking up that slow, steady retrieve. A straight nonstop retrieve can work, but I’ve found the erratic stop-and-go really attracts attention.

A long-handled net will come in handy for landing salmon off the giant boulders that make up the jetty and other shorelines. (JULIA JOHNSON)

Discovery Pass: You’re going to need one. Or spend $10 on a day pass. The jetty, for those unfamiliar, is accessed via Cape Disappointment State Park

Here, I’ll aggressively lift/rip the bait vertically in the water column until I actually feel the bead/sinker contact the bottom of the float; then, I’ll freefall it to the bobber stop. This up-anddown jigging motion, combined with the flash of the bait, makes you an active participant, rather than sitting like a Finally,lump.rod and reel. I pack dedicated bobber rods out onto the jetty; that way I’m not having to switch back and forth in terms of riggings. Me, I’m throwing an 8-foot-6 Lamiglas medium-heavy baitcaster mated to an Ambassadeur 5500C3 spooled with Cabela’s 30-pound Ripcord braid, while Julie’s setup consists of an Okuma SST series medium-heavy, also 8-foot-6, with an Ambassadeur 6500C3; same string there. If we happen to be hosting a third angler, there’s a Shakespeare Ugly Stik Lite, same length but in a heavyaction rod, outfitted with a Pflueger Trion GX-7 spinning reel and 30-pound braid. I’m partial to the baitcasters myself; however, the Trion flat casts a country mile, which I sometimes find makes a difference.

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HUNTINGFISHING

HUNTINGFISHINGFISHING

outside Ilwaco. Go self-contained: There are nice restrooms and showers in the park; however, there the amenities end. There are no potties on the jetty. None. Anything you want to eat or drink, you’re packing in and out on your back. And please, please pack out your garbage. I don’t want to see it out there.

Raccoons: The jetty is full of raccoons. Resist the urge to feed them, as that will create problems with other human beings. And watch your fish bag and your food. They’re sneaky, these jetty raiders, and I’ve lost more than one fish and/or fruit pie to the clever little bandits. Sunscreen and jetty flies: Even if the sun’s not out, you stand a chance of getting burnt. Sunscreen and/ or protective clothing are in order. And then there’s the jetty flies; nonbiters, but aggravating as all getout, especially if you have ample arm hair. Weird, huh? I’ve gone to wearing Sitka Gear’s Equinox Guard Hoody on the jetty. Weighing just 6.5 ounces, the Equinox stores easily and provides excellent protection against both the sun and the flies. Where: The North Jetty, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which actually owns the line of rocks and the ground associated therewith, is 2.5 miles long. That said, anywhere Angler Tony C. beams after catching this hatchery coho off the North Jetty. (JULIA Ellensburg, WA

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Safety: The North Jetty is a dangerous place and was not made for fishing. There you have it. Sandy rocks are slippery. Wet rocks are slippery. The river will reach out and pluck your butt off the rocks, if you’re not careful and employ what we firefighters call situational awareness. In other words, pay attention to what you’re doing on this structure built solely to aid shipping in and out of the Columbia. Good rock-climbing shoes or boots. Take your time. Do not take your dog down into the rocks. Kids? Don’t let go of their hand. I’m serious; it’s not a nice place, and you can really get hurt if you’re not careful.

JOHNSON) 111 N. Kittitas St.

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Caution: The rocks at the very end are slippery and covered in 14.86 feet of cormorant, pelican and sea gull poop. It smells bad there, too. Proceed at your own risk. I don’t go there. Just sayin’. THERE ARE OTHER places to fish for salmon from shore on the Washington side from Fort Columbia to Knappton and beyond; however, discretion and a strong anti-social streak prohibits me from going into detail as to their whereabouts. Best I can tell you is seek, and ye shall find. They’re there. Across the river on the Oregon side, the stretch of sand known as Social Security Beach – I’m assuming due to the fact it’s frequented by a cadre of “old” guys, which, for you millennials, is anyone over the age of 31 – provides seasonal shore-based opportunities for both silvers and kings. SS Beach lies on the westernmost tip of Fort Stevens State Park, just a short drive north and west of the villages of Fort Stevens and Hammond, and can be accessed via the aptly named Jetty Road. I’ve not fished there myself; however, friends of mine who have spent time there tell me it can be quite good. It’s a spinner/spoon show here, thrown on a lengthy long-casting outfit. The most important piece of gear here? A lawn chair, because sit-down breaks are a good thing. NS

150 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com along those 2.5 miles from Waikiki Beach at the east end to the western tip can provide good salmon ﬁshing, so it’s really a roll your dice/take your chances kind of deal there.

nwsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2022 Northwest Sportsman 151 mcomiescustomlures.com | 971-271-3860 The Salmon & dependability.forthatspinnersSteelhead&spoonsFishermencanrelyoneverytimehighqualityandYoucan find these incredible American made lures at these fine sporting goods stores, EnglundWarehouseSportsman’sSportco,andMarineorat mcomies custom lures.com

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Idaho has 26,000 miles of streams and rivers, more than 3,000 natural lakes, and a quarter-million acres of reservoirs and ponds. Nearly all those waters contain game fish, which includes 42 species ranging from giant white sturgeon to native wild trout to abundant warmwater fish. As a bonus, most Idaho waters have year-round fishing seasons.

IDAHODESTINATION sive ﬁshing spots you’ve probably never heard about.”

To add to this alluring mix, Idaho is the most inland state in the West that has ocean-going salmon and steelhead, which gives anglers an opportunity to catch these sea-run fish as far as 900 miles from the ocean under the backdrop of Idaho’s majestic mountain“Anglers’ranges.paradise is probably overused, so let’s just say if you can’t find the kind of fishing you’re after in Idaho, you might not be looking hard enough,” Idaho Fish and Game Public Information Supervisor Roger Phillips said. “In addition to every world-famous fishing opportunity Idaho o ers, such as fly fishing for trout at Sil ver Creek, catching 10-foot sturgeon in Hells Canyon, or 10-pound steelhead in the Clearwater River, there are more equally impres

It’s di cult to segregate Idaho into distinct ﬁshing regions because each part of the state tends to have similar, yet di erent, opportunities. Idaho’s favorite ﬁsh, trout, can be found in every nook, cranny and corner of the state. They’re a mixture of wild, native trout along with a complement of stocked hatchery trout and introduced brown, brook and lake trout.

With such rich fishing opportunities, anglers can pick and choose their favorite methods of fishing, whether wading a moun tain stream for trout during summer, trolling for trophy fish on a large lake or reservoir, or drilling a hole in the ice during winter.

Idaho’s rich ﬁshing opportunities allow you to use your imagi nation, and its variety allows you to let your imagination run wild. For more information, check out www.idfg.idaho.gov.

The Snake River, which cuts through eastern, southern and western Idaho, runs from the Wyoming border across southern Idaho before turning north and eventually flowing into Washing ton. The river and its series of reservoirs hold abundant popula tions of warmwater fish, including several world-class smallmouth bass fisheries, as well as perch, crappie, bluegill, catfish and more.

Idaho also has a host of “Great Lakes” spread throughout the state that are known for their size and fishing quality. For exam ple, Lake Pend Oreille in the Panhandle is 43 miles long and boasts a healthy kokanee fishery that also feeds a monstrous strain of “Kamloops” rainbow trout that grow in excess of 25 pounds. Not to speak too loudly about it, but Idaho’s backcountry is often spoken of in hushed tones by anglers and may be the state’s worst-kept fishing secret. That’s because it’s obvious, yet challenging, because the state boasts 4.8 million acres of Congres sionally designated wilderness. There are thousands of miles of pristine rivers and streams and hundreds of alpine lakes spread across that vast, unspoiled, roadless landscape.

daho is a place of vast ﬁshing opportunity for anglers with a variety of ﬁsh species spread across millions of acres of diverse landscapes ranging from deserts to mountains to rainforests.

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154 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com DESTINATIONIDAHOHUNTINGFISHINGRAFTINGADVENTURE+MORE

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By Jeff Holmes S eptember fishing has been tough for the last couple years on the Hanford Reach, where the vast majority of upriver bright fall Chinook spawn in the gravel and some at Ringold and Priest Rapids Hatcheries. Warm water, inconsistent bites and a maddening amount of filamentous algae that fouls gear within seconds of deploying have contributed to the woes, and getting bright specimens has been tougher. Fresh, bright fish enter the Reach throughout the season, but as fish stack up in October, anglers encounter a lot of fish best returned to the river to spawn. As such, September has always been a popular month, with fishing picking up on or about the mid-month mark. But with September fishing being less reliable than in past years in and above Tri-Cities, more anglers have turned

Richland’s Dan Gaspar put down the flyrod and joined me for kings early last September at the mouth of the Deschutes in the eastern Columbia Gorge. Bitten by a rattlesnake two years ago on the Yakima River while flyfishing on a trip I was supposed to attend – gulp! – we kept Gaspar safe from serpents on a scorching but beautiful day, resulting in two big chromers for the two of us. (JEFF HOLMES)

Gorge On Fall Kings

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FISHING

The mouths of the Deschutes, Klickitat and Little White Salmon Rivers provide pretty good ﬁshing for Chinook in September – just beware tules.

Like many salmon and steelhead runs, the ﬁrst ﬁsh to show in a run are often big, and early September is prime time to hook into big kings while they are still in great shape. The Klickitat and – in this case – the Deschutes are awesome places to ambush big migrating kings in narrow spots in the Columbia.

HUNTINGFISHING

“The Deschutes mouth is my bread and butter,” says Doherty. “There’s a wonderfully large shadowing basalt cliff that shields west winds, creating a fisherman’s dream in one of the windiest stretches of river.” Doherty isn’t kidding about wind, as evidenced by hundreds of windmills flanking both sides of the river, and he’s dead-on regarding how topography shields the fishery from what would otherwise equate to many unfishable or unpleasant days on the water. That said, the river can get bumpy here, and it’s usually no place for a 12-foot rowboat. Launching in the Deschutes at Heritage Landing and motoring slowly into the Columbia is a great option, although one must navigate current at the launch and carefully motor through the siltedin stretch in the Columbia until safely in the main channel. Another option is to launch in Washington at Maryhill State Park and motor 6 miles downstream to the

“Early September is all spinners and

Bryce Doherty’s clients started off this morning right and finished strong on the day. This fish bit a spinner, and whether fishing spinners or Super Baits, Doherty favors greens, pinks, and oranges. (BRYCE DOHERTY, ODOHERTYOUTFITTERS.COM) their attention slightly downriver to intercept these fish while they are in prime shape and willing to bite in early to mid-September. The mouths of the Deschutes and Klickitat Rivers and Drano Lake are excellent places to intercept the floods of chrome kings swimming fast through low latesummer flows to upriver spawning grounds. If you’re looking for relatively straightforward fishing and bright fish in the splendor of late summer, consider a trip to these mid-Columbia fisheries. And if you’re a Super Bait devotee, think about a new approach. Spinners are far from new lures for kings, but whereas in the recent past one could count on 95 percent of trollers in the Mid-Columbia and Hanford Reach dragging Supers behind rotating flashers, things have changed, especially in the early season. Spinners with 3.5 blades fish beautifully behind rotating flashers and absolutely outcatch both Super Baits and the newcomer SpinFish at times. Super Baits and SpinFish are great lures that puke out scent and bait as they spin behind flashers, but the subtlety of unbaited or coon-shrimptipped spinners fished 20 to 36 inches behind a rotating flasher is deadly on kings, especially in warmer water. I prefer a leader of 32 inches, but I know better fishermen than me who swear by shorter and slightly longer leaders. My fishing has improved dramatically over the past few years thanks to ditching my extensive Super Bait collection during the early season in favor of running a couple or even all spinners.

“Thegrounds.Deschutes fishery, as far as depth, is extremely constant, ranging from 20 to 35 feet,” says Doherty. “You can have trolls that last a mile without changing depth, which is a rarity when chasing bottom, generally the best approachDohertyhere.”isa dedicated troller here, but there is a contingent of hover fishermen and jiggers. The jiggers do of course catch some fish in the mouth. But trolling is the most fun and reliable approach at the Deschutes.

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DESCHUTES MOUTH Boardman, Oregon’s Bryce Doherty of O’Doherty Outfitters (odohertyoutfitters .com) is a friend who has increased my catching at both the Deschutes and Klickitat mouths immensely. He’d kill me if I spilled all the stuff I’ve learned from him, and the best way to glean his knowledge is to book a trip with him. But the advice he offers here is gold for getting started at this large and easy fishery that kicks out a lot of kings and increasing numbers of coho. Aside from being the nicest guy on the water and one of the best to spend a day trolling with, Doherty is lethal on kings.

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“‘Monty’ and ‘XXX’ are among my favorites of many of Tony’s blades,” adds Mitchell. “The man loves ﬁshing and painting, and it shows in the quality of his hand painting. Plus he’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet and lives to get pictures of his blades in the faces of dead salmon.”

“The greatest thing I like about ‘Spinner Tony’ is the love he puts into every blade and lure he paints,” says Preszler (preszlersguideservice.com). “He will work overtime to get blades painted for me on short notice. Some of my favorite of his blades are ‘Half Rack,’ ‘Copper Cody’ and ‘Green Dot Cody.’ On many occasions Tony has given me blades to ﬁeld test and report back. He is a very special and unique guy, and I feel privileged to have him in my life.”

MANSPINNER 160 Northwest Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2022 | nwsportsmanmag.com HUNTINGFISHING

Little did I know that the owner of Hanford Reach Bait and Tackle (hanfordtackle.com) was a spinner guru with an extensive network of testers and that before he releases any new pattern, he gathers four years of data from the many guides who fish his spinners as well as a network of private anglers and his own experience. Milewski’s spinners are the best and the fact that many Tri-Cities-area guides fish them religiously says everything. After enjoying by far my best salmon fishing results last fall and this summer on Milewski’s spinners, I have become a superloyal follower, along with George Preszler, the godfather of area salmon guides.

I highly recommend hitting up Milewski’s website and even asking him questions on Facebook (facebook.com/ anthony.milewski.1). He wants to sell spinners, but that’s not at all why he does what he does. Any advice Milewski gives can be relied upon. When he’s not ﬁshing, he’s home in Kennewick with his beagle, Sadie, painting blades. –JH

Among Milewski’s many lethal spinner patterns, these are fall king killers. Top row: “Lady Hawk,” “Monica Jean” (designed with his dear wife just before her passing), “Sybil” and “Columbia Kush” (my favorite at the mouth of the Deschutes). Bottom: “Nuke-Em Green,” “Captain Jack,” “Purple Nurple” and “Jack Attack.” (TONY MILEWSKI)

Young guns Tyler Miller (fishmillertime. com) and Craig Mitchell (mitchellsportfishing. com) are another two of more than probably 20 Tri-Cities guides who swear by Milewski’s spinners. “Tony has gone from a longtime family friend, to one of the Northwest’s most known names in salmon fishing, certainly spinners,” says Miller. “Tony has always been the most authentic and trustworthy people around. He doesn’t paint to make money – he paints ’cause it’s in his blood, and that shows in his work every day. I don’t leave the bank without most of his colors onboard, but if I had to choose a couple favorites, it would be ‘KGB,’ ‘Sybil’ and ‘Purple Nurple.’”

To enter the house of “Spinner Tony” is to enter a salmon spinner fantasy. This is only part of Tony Milewski’s ever-expanding inventory of blades, which he tests for four years before putting them on his website. Sweet Sadie the beagle is his trusty painting companion. (TONY MILEWSKI) M any years ago I ﬁrst saw some of Tony Milewski’s distinctive spinner patterns and out of ignorance thought they looked bizarre.

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KLICKITAT MOUTH

“I often ﬁsh six rods, and I’ll have them rigged as follows: bow rods: heavy-action 10-foot-6 with 16-ounce lead; middle rods: medium-action 10foot-6 with 12-ounce lead; back rods: medium-action with 8-ounce lead,” says Doherty. “This setup allows for tight corners without having rods tangle. You’ll be surprised how many ﬁsh hit on the corner!”

I have seen his success on the turns with this setup, and I mimic it and also do well on the turns.

360s for me,” says Doherty. “These days I’ll fish six rods with spinners. As temps drop into the mid-60s and below, it’s increasingly Super Baits packed with tuna after Dohertythat.”eventually moves to all Supers as waters cool into October, and SpinFish would likely be great options too. But do not hesitate to fish an unbaited spinner behind a 360 with a great amount of confidence.

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The Klickitat is a salmon factory, thanks to Mount Adams’ cold-water runoff, It’s hard to tell a man who’s never caught such a big, seemingly beautiful salmon that the one he’s landed is gonna cut like crap, but I did. We ended up killing this turdly tule king anyway, and it cut … well, not good. Note how big around the fish is for its length, the intense number of spots, and the vaguely brown hue. When at Drano Lake, be on the lookout for tules, and let them go. If you fish with guides who keep these fish, they know the difference and are trying to get off the water. No bueno. (JEFF HOLMES)

“At the Deschutes I typically prefer a downhill troll just because it allows me to cover more water,” says Doherty. “But upstream can be super effective as well, especially as the ﬁsh congregate into the cool-water tongue below the Deschutes. Speaking of cool water, check your regulations regarding the ‘cold water sanctuary.’ This is an area inside a buoy line marker that is offlimits to protect steelhead.” The banana-shaped Deschutes thermal sanctuary is closed to angling from July 15 through September 15. It lies along the south shore of the Columbia from the ﬂashing-red No. 2 navigation marker about a mile and a half downstream of the Oregon river, upstream to the red No. 4 navigation marker just off its mouth, to the South Channel Range B marker about threequarters of a mile above the Deschutes.

I really love this fishery and have had success here. There’s a lot of boats but lots of room to fish, meaning less conflict and competition. That said, tangles do occur, such as last year when an older lady could not control a hot fish and before we knew it, it swam through all three of our rods. Luckily she landed her fish and handed back our gear in a twisted mess, providing us an opportunity to congratulate her and practice our detangling skills. Along with wind protection, an even depth, plenty of water, a narrow spot in the river that funnels fish, cool water influence from the Deschutes and increasing numbers of coho, there are very few gear-fouling weeds and no dreaded filamentous algae … knock on wood.

HUNTINGFISHINGFISHING

“I like to break the Klickitat down into two sections,” says Doherty, “the deep water and the shelf. The shelf is 35 feet or less and on the Klickitat side of the Columbia, and the deep water is 35 to 65 feet. The shelf is about 300 yards long starting just above the green channel marker and extending downstream. I like to choose a consistent depth for each pass. This allows you to ﬁne-tune line distance on your counter and be more consistent with the depths you’re ﬁshing.”

“Whereas I prefer the downstream troll at the Deschutes, you’ll catch ﬁsh trolling both directions at the Klickitat,” says Doherty. “Although remember your depths on your leads will change as you switch directions. Typically, you’ll have less line out heading upstream, and more out heading downstream.”

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Lots of anglers hover fish on the big shelf next to the channel marker just downstream of the mouth, but there’s enough of a crowd there already. Trolling, though still crowded, offers more room and more opportunity to ambush upriver brights headed to the Reach. With a high proportion of 4and 5-year-old fish coming back this year, there’s a decent chance at a 30to 40-pound beast at any of the midColumbia fisheries this September, but the lower in the river you fish, the more of their ocean weight these salmon will have retained.

You’ll see a huge mass of anglers ﬁshing the shelf and far fewer out deep. As Doherty notes and demonstrates annually, there’s good reason to break away from the pack.

“Trolling speed varies depending on water speed, but it’s roughly 2.3 to 2.8 miles per hour downstream and 1.3 to 1.8“Inupstream.”themorning at Klickitat you’ll find fish suspended all over in the water column,” adds Doherty. “So fishing suspended can be a great option. As the sun rises and pressure increases, I tend to prefer baits in the lower water column near the bottom. Although, there is the occasional snag, so be sure to keep an eye on the weight so it’s not dredging bottom too much.”

“Fishing with 360 ﬂashers in combination with spinners, Super Baits and SpinFish is the norm for me,” says Doherty. “I typically start with spinners early in the year while water temps are hot, transitioning to Super Baits as

tons of amazing habitat and hatchery supplementation. Famous for its Chinook and summer steelhead and perhaps these days especially its big numbers of coho, the Klick is a fantastic place to waylay early-season mid- and upriver brights.

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“Don’t be afraid of the deep water; it holds lots of ﬁsh and usually way fewer boats. Fishing the deep water, you will want to up your lead size, running 12 ounces on bow rods and 10 ounces on back. You can even go heavier like I described for the Deschutes.”

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HUNTINGFISHINGFISHING the water cools into fall.This is pretty much the case for any Columbia River ChinookLookingﬁshery.”ahead to October and November and the predicted coho counts, spinners – baited with coon shrimp – will shine for the nice B-run coho that will draw throngs of anglers back to the Klickitat.

DRANO LAKE Beginning in August and carrying through September, Drano Lake comes alive again for Chinook, albeit with a very different look and feel from the spring season. Whereas then hordes of guides and boats of all sizes and descriptions swirl endlessly in the “Toilet Bowl” waiting for influxes of springers from the main river, in summer and fall the fishery opens up. Crowds thin – though it can still be sort of crowded – and anglers have the option to troll through the Toilet Bowl and out into the main river, where fishing is excellent for fall Chinook intending to enter the lake for the coolwater influence and also those just cruising by seeking upstream spawning grounds.Untilthe main river cools down later in September, the cooling influence of the Little White Salmon River beckons a good handful of bright kings headed upriver to dip in and cruise around. But those fish are the minority, because the Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery releases huge numbers of both upriver bright and tule fall Chinook, and returns are robust. The latter stock, tules, enter freshwater sexually mature and with table fare already declined in favor of egg and gonad growth. They are pretty easy to distinguish from upriver bright stocks due to a slightly dull brown look, dense spotting and short length relative to their girth. Meanwhile the upriver brights are just that – bright and beautiful, with deep red meat. Chinook distribute throughout the main lake, and there are three principal approaches for catching them: trolling, hover fishing and bobber fishing. Trolling is by far most popular, and with fish distributed throughout the lake, it spreads out effort. The hover and bobber folks hang close to the Little White Salmon, and trollers are everywhere. While you can carefully chase bottom in the Toilet Bowl and in the main river outside of the lake while trolling, chasing bottom in the main lake will lead to lots of lost gear. A popular depth to fish at is about 18 feet. Fish in the main lake generally suspend, and while there may be a bunch clinging to the bottom, they’re in amongst lots of logs that are home to many thousands of dollars in flashers and other gear. Like the Deschutes and Klickitat, spinners, Super Baits and SpinFish are all effective here. Lots of Drano enthusiasts fish smaller Supers and SpinFish than larger models that are popular in the main river. NS TEST

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Northwest Sportsman Mag - September 2022

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