2016 NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON
HUNTING & FISHING WATERFOWL SEASON SOCKEYE SURPRISE THE OKANOGAN SEASON BEST SPOTS THIS WINTER COWS IN THE TREES BROTHER HUNT HEALTHY FORESTS FOR SALMON RECIPES AND MORE!
SUPPLEMENT TO
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NCW HUNTING & FISHING
TABLE OF CONTENTS WATERFOWL SEASON................................................. 4 SOCKEYE SALMON SURPRISE..................................5 THE COMING OKANGOGAN SEASON................. 6 WINTER 2016.................................................................... 8 COWS IN THE TREES.................................................... 9 BROTHER HUNT...........................................................12 HEALTHY FORESTS FOR SALMON........................ 15 RECIPES.............................................................................16 HOW TO TURN IN A POACHER.............................16 CONSERVATION GROUPS.........................................16 HEY!..................................................................................... 17 This section prepared by the Advertising Department
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GENERAL HUNTING SEASON SCHEDULE Note: *Consult the Official 2016 Game Hunting Pamphlets for specific information.
Mourning Dove........................... Sept. 1 – Oct. 30 Forest Grouse............................. Sept. 1 – Dec. 31 Quail........................................... Oct. 1 – Jan. 16, 2017 Pheasant.................................... Oct. 22 – Jan. 16, 2017 Chukar........................................ Oct. 1 – Jan. 16, 2017 Duck & Coot............................... Oct. 15 – 19 ................................................... Oct. 22 – Jan. 29, 2017 Geese: .VARIOUS START & END DATES ................................................... Oct. 15 – 27 ................................................... Nov. 5 – Jan. 29, 2017 Crow........................................... Sept. 1 – Dec. 31 Turkey......................................... Late Fall ................................................... Nov. 20 – Dec. 15 Fox.............................................. Sept. 1 – Mar. 15, 2017 Raccoon..................................... Sept. 1 – Mar. 15, 2017 Coyote: All Year Bobcat........................................ Sept. 1 – Mar. 15, 2017 Cougar....................................... Sept. 1 – Dec. 31 Cottontail & Snowshoe Hare...... Sept. 1 – Mar. 15, 2017 Black Bear.................................. Aug. 1 – Nov. 15 Deer (Black Tail): ........................................ Archery: Sept. 1 – 30 Late Sesason................... Muzzleloader: Nov. 23 – Dec. 8 ........................................ Modern Firearm: Oct. 15 – 31 Deer (White Tail): ........................................ Archery: Sept. 1 – 30 Late Season..................... Muzzleloader: Nov. 25 – Dec. 8 ........................................ Modern Firearm: Oct. 15 – 25 Deer (Mule) ........................................ Archery: Sept. 1 – 30 Late Season..................... Muzzleloader: Nov. 25 – Dec. 8 ........................................ Modern Firearm: Oct. 15 – 25 Elk: Various Seasons.............. Archery: Aug 1 – Dec. 31 Various Seasons.............. Muzzleloader: Aug 1 – Dec. 31 Various Seasons.............. Modern Firearm: Aug 1 – Dec. 31
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Waterfowl Season By Shane Moon
F
all means multiple things to me, but one thing is for sure is it’s almost hunting season. So it’s time to put away the boat, and organize and clean the fishing gear, and say good bye till next year. This would be a lot more difficult if it was not for my other obsession. Ever since I was a young boy I have always enjoyed the outdoors, that is one of the many reasons I became a fishing and hunting guide. October brings the end of the fall king run and the beginning of waterfowl season. Some people would say that us waterfowl hunters are a little obsessed with hunting, because there is not a day in the whole year that we don’t think about the upcoming hunting season. From putting the decoys out in the lawn to clean and organize, to driving down the roads and practicing your calls, to even trying on the latest camo and waders in the middle of summer, some would say we are a little crazy! We are very blessed to live in such a beautiful waterfowl rich flyaway. Central Washington has a lot to offer waterfowl hunters; our state has a tremendous area of public and private lands to choose from. From the mighty upper Columbia to the farmland and waste ways of the Basin; you can find a wide variety of ducks and geese. It is no secret that I spend a great deal of days in the field, and each hunt that I have been on holds a special place in my heart. I catch myself constantly reminiscing about past hunts, whether it has been with my dad growing up, or
all the great friends it has brought into my life. One hunting trip from last season keeps coming to mind, it was November 11, 2015. We started the day under the bright light of the moon setting up our lay out blinds on the corner of a disc corn field. We camoed them up to blend in with our surroundings and set up over 100 custom full body decoys. Then it was time to move the truck and trailer and wait for the fun to begin. As the men and I are sitting in our blinds visiting and waiting for the flocks to arrive one of them yells “GEESE”. Sure enough there are six heading over the town of Moses Lake and moving in our direction. As I did a few clucks and moans on the call, they swerve back winging right into the decoys. “TAKE’ EM” I said. Let’s just say the first round could have been a lot more successful. Now that we knocked the rust off the barrels the next 45 minutes are what dreams are made of. Flock after flock of cacklers and lessers were back peddling right into our laps. What makes this hunt so memorable to me was not the bounty of the birds, it was the memories made that will last a lifetime. This trip was our annual donated Veterans day hunt for active duty military and veterans. It is put on by North Flight Waterfowl every year. I bet I’m not the only one who has dreams of the magic that happened in the corn field that November morning.
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Sockeye Salmon Surprise! By Jeff Korth, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Barbara Carrillo, Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board
T
he sockeye returns have verged on up to a half million fish or so the past few years, and most of these have been Okanogan sockeye destined for BC, Canada. The Wenatchee sockeye has also been strong, but even a record run barely reaches 100,000. So there was much consternation when managers only forecast a little over 100,000 sockeye total, and only 40,000 of those were supposed to be Okanogan sockeye. The minimum escapement goal at Wells Dam is 60,000 sockeye to send into Canada. This meant no meaningful fisheries anywhere in the Columbia River. Given the disastrous results of last year’s sockeye run when high water temperatures decimated the 400,000 strong Okanogan sockeye run such that only 12,000 sockeye made it to the spawning grounds, managers determined to get whatever por-
tion of the 41,000 sockeye forecast that made it to the upper Columbia River past Priest rapids all the way into Canada. Fortunately, the forecast was far and away short
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as far as the Okanogan run was concerned. Close to 350,000 total sockeye showed up at Bonneville Dam, and over 200,000 Okanogan sockeye made it up over Wells Dam. After managers were certain to have 60,000 sockeye into Canada for spawning , a fishery was opened only a bit later than normal. The Okanogan sockeye fishery at Brewster is the usual hot spot for Okanogan sockeye when water temperatures in the Okanogan River warm to 73 F and block the migration, and anglers have harvested 20,000 to 40,000 sockeye a season. However, this thermal barrier was inconsistent in 2016, allowing many sockeye to shoot right past the fishery. Yet, total harvest will still be nearly 10,000 Okanogan sockeye. The Wenatchee sockeye run was also much higher that forecast, and over 75,000 sockeye made it into Lake Wenatchee. Not only were the numbers high, but the average size was much larger than normal. Anglers have harvested over 13,000 Wenatchee sockeye with many of these in the 5-6 lb category.
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The Coming Okanogan Season By Jerrod Gibbons
T
he Okanogan has seen its share of fires over the past few years, but we were spared this summer. In fact, July brought an uncharacteristic amount of moisture to the region. July is usually one of our hottest months, turning the hills brown, and usually with that amount of heat, there’s less feed in the higher elevations. That didn’t happen this year. With the healthy amount of rainfall, the hills in the higher elevations have stayed green, and that should make for an interest-
ing rifle season in the region. There’s a good chance that people going into the higher elevations are going to see more deer than usual and have great success. That means fewer deer down in the valley. We typically see 50 to 60 deer a night in one of the green fields, lately the count is closer to 15 to 20. But there’s still plenty of time for that to change in the valley—it often happens quickly and the season could come together like it usually does. The upland birds in the Okanogan Valley are great
this year. We’ve seen up to four hatches of quail and an abundance of chukars so far. Exciting times lay ahead for us in December when we wrap up deer season. With lots of cover around the Okanogan River and the apple orchards, it’s tough to beat an outing with a pointing dog on a covey of quail. Jerrod Gibbons Okanogan Valley Guide Service (509)-429-1714
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Winter 2016 By Brad Wagner scenario, or hopefully are just staying out in the ocean for another year and will come back next year with a larger steelhead run and bigger fish. We are keeping our fingers crossed for that outcome. But now as we have months to fill that we are not fishing for steelhead, we are looking at our other options and as you look around, they are pretty good! Thankfully we live in North Central Washington and there are abundant options for winter fishing. We are in the middle of s the leaves change and the dog days of summer turn to crisp mornings and moderate temperatures a great fall run Chinook salmon season that will extend into early November on the Columbia river. We have of fall, we have some fun fishing and hunting ahead of some great world class Kokanee fishing in Lake Roosus on we look forward to winter. Usually this time of year we would be getting our spinning and fly reels and evelt and also Lake Chelan all the way into spring. We also have abundant ice fishing opportunities as winter rods ready for steelhead to start making their way up sets in and the local lakes freeze hard. the Columbia river and into the respective tributaries. Lake Roosevelt is a large lake located about an hour and But this year the numbers are down being blamed on half from Wenatchee and provides great kokanee, trout, an ocean phenomenon called El Nino. I am told that and walleye fishing throughout winter. With kokanee many of the fish either starved to death, as a worst case ranging in the four pound class and the latest state Guide Service record taken from Roosevelt it’s truly a world class fishery! But not only is there a great kokanee fishery the trout and walley fishing can be flat out Brad Wagner excellent with fat, large, nice big fish! Find us on Facebook www.fishwenatchee.com This Columbia River impoundment stretches more than 150 miles from Grand Coulee Dam into Canada and is managed cooperatively between WDFW, the Confederated Tribes of The Colville Reservation and The Spokane Tribe. Fishing season is open year-round, except for sturgeon, which are closed to fishing all year. Rainbow trout, kokanee, walleye and smallmouth bass are the star attractions. Cooperative net-pen rearing projects at numerous locations provide the rainbow trout fishery. The cooperative net-pen project plants approximately 750,000 triploid catchable rainbow trout annually into Lake Roosevelt. Check
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the latest regulations pamphlet for special trout and kokanee rules and redefined San Poil River boundaries. Other fish available to catch are burbot, lake whitefish, and yellow perch. Bow-and-arrow fishing for common carp is prohibited. The National Park Service operates 35 recreation areas along the 660 miles of shoreline. Maps are available at the dam’s visitor center and WDFW Spokane office. Water level fluctuations can be a problem for boat launching. For current water level information, call (800) 824-4916. The Washington Department of Health (DOH) has issued this fish consumption advisory for Lake Roosevelt due to mercury contamination: pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and children under six years of age should eat no more than two meals of walleye (8-ounce portion) a month. For more information, check the DOH website at http://www.doh.wa.gov/ CommunityandEnvironment/Food/Fish. Lake Roosevelt kokanee usually run shallow in the top 20 feet of the water column. They are a notoriously spooky fish and we usually fish between 100 and 200 feet behind the boat. Side planers are also a good idea to spread the gear out and get more gear out for more chances. The tackle I use is standard kokanee gear as Mack’s Lures hoochies and Freedrifter trolling flies as well as Rapala trolling plugs paired with Super Dipping Sauce kokanee scent. The fish will be spread throughout the lake, but in winter I use the spring Creek launch as a good starting point and adjust from there. You can email Brad@fishwenatchee.com for more info and updated conditions. Lake Chelan has some great winter kokanee and cutthroat trout fishing as well. Lake Chelan is about an hour north west of Wenatchee. When I am fishing winter kokanee on Lake Chelan I am usually fishing up lake around the Mitchell Creek area and even further up. Unlike Lake Roosevelt the fish run fairly deep on Chelan with down riggers being almost a must. I usually run Moneymaker hoochies or Freedrifter trolling flies behind a Mack’s Lures DD dodger and very important to tip your gear with Pautzke Fire Corn. Find schools of fish on your fish finder then work them with your gear. I typically find fish from 60 to 110 feet deep at this time of year. Usually around March the fish will start heading down Lake following feed and warming water conditions. You can call Bobber Down Guide service or email Brad@fishwenatchee.com for more information. As winter sets in we also have a variety of ice fishing options here locally. One of my favorites is Fish Lake about 45 minutes west of Wenatchee. Ice fishing on Fish Lake is fairly easy. Check with the Cove Resort (509 673-3130) for ice conditions and a fishing report before heading up. There is usually an abundance of holes already drilled in the ice so you don’t always have to have your own drill. It is a great perch fishery with a limit of 25 and also some rainbow trout available for harvest. It is a great way to spend a winter day with the family to try something different and have some fun. Dress warm and have a good time! My favorite way to catch them is to slowly jig a Swedish pimple jig. These are a just a few of the local options for fishing in between days at Mission Ridge. Enjoy your time out there, dress warm and have fun!
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Cows In The Trees By James A. Bowen
A
fter twelve years of applying, I was finally selected for a special elk tag. WDFW had split the cow and bull tags into separate draws, the dozen “antlerless” points helping me to draw a cow tag for the Mission Unit. Any day spent in the woods enjoying nature is wonderful in and of itself and I was looking forward to hunting with my wife Nissa like we do each and every fall. Kids, jobs and day-to-day life sometimes pushes couples apart so it was a wonderful chance for us to reconnect and spend a good amount of time with each other while we both searched for a spike bull in the general season before my tag started. We hunted pretty hard for those first five days of the general season, staying afield from sunrise to sunset each day. We had been hunting the same area for a few days, and were seeing plenty of sign including a few elk so we knew the area had potential. I’d seen two cows the day before, managing to sneak within a hundred yards of them so I felt confident that my tag would be notched soon. Our first chance came one cold, rainy day when Nissa took a snap shot at a bull. Unfortunately it wasn’t
meant to be as we were unable to find any signs of a hit after her shot. Searching for hours resulted in nothing. Thankfully it appears it was a clean miss, as we spent the rest of the week hunting that area and never heard or saw any scavenger birds in the area, indicating she’d connected and it eluded us to expire in the brush. Disheartening indeed but some sense of relief knowing an animal hadn’t been killed and wasted. Day 6, the first day of my cow tag, dawned bright and
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clear. We felt a certain air of hope with a much broader range of opportunity waiting for us on the hike in. Soon we were sitting in the clearing we’d occupied the last few days waiting and hoping, quietly taking in our surroundings. The morning passed with little excitement and by lunch time the cold convinced us to head back to the truck to try another area. On our way out, Nissa decided to work along a string of trees above a draw to see if she could find some critters and maybe bump them my direction. She turned off the path and I drifted ahead, moving to get back to the area I’d seen the cows on the previous day. I had my super-sneak going on, drifting along as quietly as a tuft of down floating on the wind as I scanned each gap in the trees in search of game. After a couple hundred yards my efforts were rewarded as I glanced up to meet the gaze of eyes looking back at me. Slowly and methodically I brought my binos to play and confirmed that at least two cow elk were indeed staring at me from cover only 75 yards away, standing stock still and looking ready to bolt any second. Confirming my (Continued on Page 10)
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Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Nissa Bowen
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quarry was antlerless, just as the tag required, I slowly lowered my glass while trying to unsling my rifle in one smooth motion. I managed reasonably well, shouldering my Tikka 7mm just in time to see her turn her head away, about to bolt. Knowing my window of opportunity was about to slam shut, there was no time to line up for my normal heart shot. I hurriedly aligned the crosshairs on her lungs, forcing myself to squeeze and not jerk the trigger and was immediately rocked when the rifle fired, the 2.5 pound trigger doing the job of not making me squeeze too long. Rushing to the now empty spot where I last saw her, I found tracks but no sign I connected. Knowing the shot was a bit rushed I started to worry if I had missed? Maybe I hit her too far back? No, the vision burned in my memory was solid, my aim was on, she was within 80 yards, and I had done it right I was sure. Still there is always that little voice in the back of your mind - nagging doubt that something didn’t go as you think it did. Knowing my wife was near and had heard the shot, I moved through the trees, looking for blood or a dead elk. After searching in all directions I found no indication my shot was true. Walking along the edge of the draw I was thankful it cleared a bit and I could see 100 yards in most directions. Still there were no clues to follow. Soon my partner caught up to me and told me she saw her collapse near where I was standing, confirming I’d connected. With renewed vigor I started searching harder, concerned the animal was wounded and suffering or getting away. My better half circled back from where she came to be sure it hadn’t slipped by and I went back to where
it was standing when I shot. Still no sign of them other than tracks, and since there were two other cows with her when I shot, it was hard to tell which set were the ones I was after. After searching in vain for 15 minutes, I walked back to where Nissa indicated the elk had fallen and started working further downhill. No sign, no elk, and now my concerns were really starting to grow. It was only a few hours before dark and I REALLY didn’t want to lose those steaks and burger! We started going back and forth, moving, looking for sign, checking under every bush and pile of bushes, making small circles as best as we could along the edge of the hillside. Finally I spotted a small dense set of five lodge pole pines with legs sticking out of them. Rushing over, my heart surged with adrenaline and excitement instead of anticipation as the hunt concluded. She’d been hit perfect, both lungs, but as elk are apt to do she kept all the blood inside and ran perhaps 90100 yards. Dead on her feet, her will alone carried her to her last resting spot. Whipping out the cell phone I was happy to find I had one bar and quickly called my brother-in-laws to share the news (and perhaps ask for someone to bring the elk cart). Within an hour Curt and Erik appeared with the cart and we merrily loaded her and let her pull us down the valley to the road. Back at camp we hung her to finish the task ahead and marveled at her size. Probably the largest animal I’ve ever shot, most of my other big game up to that point had consisted of deer and spike elk. Good thing we were able to get some meat this year since it turned out the following year we all had tag soup!
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Tuesday, October 11, 2016
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Brother Hunt By Jeff Hardesty
F
our and a half years ago I received a dreaded call from my older brother that our father had died. My older brother carried the burden of making arrangements to both finalize my father’s life and to honor his passing. This event, as many people who have lost a loved one knows, caused us pause and reflection around how we prioritize time together as a family. From this great loss, we made a pact. Each year we have taken turns traveling across country to hunt in each other’s state. I travel back to my home state of Ohio for whitetail, and he travels out to Washington State for mule deer. Every third year we elk hunt in Colorado. This recent hunting season was most special for me, in that my older brother traveled west to bow hunt late season rut for the first time in two decades. I recently lost access to some magnificent private hunting ground, so for this occasion I researched new ground and paid particular attention to high country that would hold migration muleys. After good study of topos, help from a local forester and a few scouting trips, I became comfortable with a specific public land area. My brother arrived late the night before season opener. We stayed up too late catching up enjoying each other’s presence, and then woke up painfully early to set out for our first day of hunting. Our climb to the top of our ridge was slow moving and dark. We rested three quarters up at first light, and in moments of stopping, a monster two by three moved up a shale pile across the canyon. Impressive animal. Forty minutes later we topped the mountain and began to slowly walk the edge. Seventy yards in front of us, in a small stand of trees, five bucks and several does were feeding. We immediately froze and hunkered down exposed on a side hill unable to move towards a small strip of pines in front of us. Long enough for my feet and legs to stove up, we crouched on the rocks waiting in hopes that the herd would move our direction. Deep in rut, the larger bucks would randomly explode into fights and then push small bucks out into the perimeter away from their does. Often times the herd would move farther off and then slowly ebb back our direction. My brother being above me on the hill was unable to see any of the activity. I quietly described the scene and the count and size of the bucks. It must have been painful for him. He later recalls having seen one of the largest buck’s rack moving through the trees away from us on the lower bench. Being from Ohio, I am sure the first sighting of a heavy mountain buck would have been a dumbfounding moment. As good fortune would have it, the lead doe moved our direction. Before the hunt began, I made it my goal to get my brother the first deer (unless of course, that first deer was a drop-tine). He traveled a great distance and spent a lot of money to be with me. He has shouldered heavy burdens as older brother, and this was going to be my gift to him. I learned the country well so that I could guide him to a thick-horned migration buck. And, it was happening, and we were in the moment. The doe cut through a stand of trees and led the lead buck into a perfect clearing at forty yards. Unaware of us, they slowly fed one step at a time. I had a clean shot for a good while. I finally looked back in some
wonderment as to why my brother, who is a confident shooter, had not taken one. He couldn’t see the buck from his angle. The doe moved off to the edge of the bench and the buck meandered just below me behind a lone tree. The buck eventually popped out and stared
“Before the hunt began, I made it my goal to get my brother the first deer (unless of course, that first deer was a drop-tine).” at me for several seconds. Again, I wondered why my brother didn’t take a shot. I later found out that from his angle he thought the buck was still behind the tree. The buck tensed, spun and trotted off to the lead doe. Two doe and the buck stood on the edge of the bench for only a second before bouncing down the canyon. At that precious instance, as the buck tightened to jump, my brother released an arrow. And the buck was gone. Fortunately for my brother, his younger brother watched the whole event unfold in real time. The arrow went in the left side and hung from the right side as the buck bounded out of sight. A remarkable shot. We waited an hour and then began the track. A
blood trail started fifty yards below the edge where he was shot and led down to another bench. Two hundred yards in, my brother spotted the herd and believed that he spotted his buck. Being that the blood trail weakened and seemingly disappeared, this was conceivable. We sat and waited. Down a separate draw two hundred yards away, level with me, a heavy horned buck, equally impressive, was bedded down. He appeared to be unaware of me. We all sat for a long time. My brother sat trying to figure if his buck was in the herd, and I sat trying to figure how to get out of the open and to the bedded buck. My buck moved off slowly. And at that point, my brother and I parted. He remained with the herd and I ran to the top of the draw and over the top of the mountain nob, and then down the backside to meet the buck where I thought he was going. Half way down the backside of the nob I sat on a bench quietly for a long while. I got cold and stood up, and not twenty yards out my buck stumbled up and bounded downward. He was wounded. I tracked his blood trail down the mountain, missing several opportunities to take him. Over a period of two days there were many times I’d outsmart him and meet him at his exit point up and around the mountaintop behind me. Twice I crossed a blood trail and followed it until I realized it was the one I followed the previous hunt. During this first morning however, I tracked this animal’s blood trail accurately downward. After I lost him in the bottom I ran into several fighting bucks and watched them into sunset. I recall mentioning to my brother that evening that I had crossed several tracks of blood in the bottom and began to assume that bucks were getting wounded from the aggressive rut. During my venture my brother sat on his herd until nightfall. The next morning we set out again up the mountain. The sunrise served as a timepiece keeping our pace as we climbed up the mountain. When the sun rose above horizon we were thirty minutes ahead of schedule. We sat down on the last spot of blood from my brother’s buck from the day before. At this time, we were early enough and still enough to hear a pack of coyotes howling below us in another canyon, a thousand yards from the wounded buck I had followed the previous day. We agreed to hunt the morning for my benefit and in the afternoon we would move towards the coyotes in hopes of finding my brother’s deer, or mine. We began to side hill the mountain to where my brother sat on his herd. I moved above and we were apart. I later found out that the urge was too great for my brother and he moved down the canyon towards the morning coyotes. On my hike I found a saddle that appeared to be a perfect crossing. Fifty yards below, a coyote was moving up through the brush. He was mousing in and out of shrubs. He became aware of me and hopped up and down with small and seemingly playful barks. I drew my bow and he turned and ran at high speed up a steep canyon wall. Just moments later, three shots rang out. And on the top of a huge and long plateau I saw a cougar run at full speed the length of the plateau and down the edge of the saddle I was on. Several (Continued on Page 14)
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Tuesday, October 11, 2016
NCW HUNTING & FISHING concerned texts came through my phone from my brother. The three shots meant to him that I might have been in an emergency. The problem being, I had little to no reception except for random messages that dropped in. So, I set out toward my brother to eventually meet up to let him know I was OK. My brother found his buck. The coyotes were in fact on the deer, but did little damage with exception to a torn out rump. We suspect the buck dropped sometime late that night, or early morning while we hiked up the mountain. Looking back as we reconstructed our hunt a number of things began to come to light. The herd my brother sat on during the afternoon after he shot his buck had five bucks in it. The buck he thought was his in that herd I later saw again and watched at a hundred yards. He was equally impressive and similarly shaped, just slightly less thick. The blood trails that I got tangled up in several times were from my brother’s buck. Two blood trails crossed and recrossed several times. My brother’s buck moved straight down the canyon. The buck I was chasing had been shot in the ass, clearly by a road hunter with a rifle, and walked in circles leaving enough blood to make one trail discernable. This buck was later found dead on top of the mountain by another group. It turns out the one time I chose to follow his blood trail down instead of circling around and meeting him up top—a trail that I mistook for being fresh—he headed up, laid down and died. He was a magnificent deer. My bother and I agreed that if we had not been thirty minutes early that morning we would not have been still enough to hear the coyotes, and we would not have found my brother’s buck. For the next several days we hunted hard to find myself a deer. Rut seemed to stop suddenly. I was ready for something different. While hunting we came across several cat tracks. My brother bought us some predator calls and we set up to do some calling. We ended our last hunt by calling in a cougar at one hundred and seventy yards. My first set for cougar brought one in. He got away, but an amazing experience nonetheless. All trips end hard, especially when we have to say goodbye. This trip was particularly hard and most memorable, as it just kept giving. Most important and memorable to us was that we found my brother’s buck on my dad’s birthday. This experience could not have been planned or chosen, and I feel like my brother and I gifted it to each other.
MULE DEER FOUNDATION “Saving Deer, One Acre at a Time”
1-888-375-3337 Find out more www.muledeer.org Follow MDF on:
NCW HUNTING & FISHING
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
15
Healthy Forests For Salmon By K.C. Mehaffey
I
n addition to overseeing salmon recovery projects, the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board acts as facilitator of another group that formed in 2013 to improve the resiliency of the forests in Chelan and Okanogan counties. That group is the North Central Washington Forest Health Collaborative. It’s made up of a diverse group of stakeholders, from the timber industry to conservation groups, along with state, federal and tribal land managers who are concerned about the health of our forests. It may seem odd for a salmon recovery board to fa-
cilitate a forest health collaborative, but to Derek Van Marter, who headed the recovery board for 10 years before stepping down in February, it’s a natural fit. That’s because the Okanogan-National Forest makes up 70 percent of the landbase in the two counties. We often say that ‘fish grow on trees.’ Most of our snowpack dominated streams originate on these National Forest managed lands,” he said. “The health of these uplands is linked to the health of our region’s rivers; and our communities.” Van Marter said despite the recognized need to focus on health forests, funding is the driver, and most
Upper-Columbia Salmon & Trout Spawning Colors
CHINOOK SALMON Spotting Over Entire Tail
Dark Irregular Spots
SOCKEYE SALMON
Greenish Blue Head
of the funds for salmon recovery is focused on habitat restoration. “There’s very little on the table for forest health,” he said. Despite these challenges, the collaborative has been successful pulling together the science needed to help elevate the capacity of the Forest Service to get thinning and prescribed burning projects approved. Originally published in September/October 2016 Foothills Magazine
Safe Fish Handling Techniques for Anglers - Know what species are present in the waters you are fishing as well as the regulations for that area. - Use as few hooks as possible, barbless are less harmful. Because of high blood pressure a fish hooked in the tongue or gill is a dead fish. - Use a Wet knotless or rubber net to minimize stress on the fish.
Black Gums
- Handle the fish gently with both hands. The grip on the left will damage the fish’s vital organs. Avg. Size: 10-15 lbs.
STEELHEAD TROUT
Avg. Size: 8-11 lbs.
BULL TROUT No Spots On Dorsal Fin
Avg. Size: 12-20 inches
WA State Record: 68 lbs.
Red Lateral Band
WA State Record: 35 lbs. Pale Yellow, Orange, & Red Spots
WA State Record: 22.5 lbs.
Avg. Size: 5-8 lbs.
COHO SALMON Spotting only on upper lobe of tail
Avg. Size: 6-12 lbs
CUTTHROAT TROUT
WA State Record: 10.6 lbs. Whitish Gums In Black Mouth
WA State Record: 25 lbs.
- Fish not allowed for retention cannot be removed from the water. - Never “throw” a fish back into the water, handle it carefully and give it time to recover. If you are intending to release the fish do not land/beach it.
Red Slash Under Jaw
Cascade Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group
Spots More Numerous On The Back Half Of Body
Avg. Size: 8-12 inches
- Handle the fish with wet bare hands to protect the fish’s mucous. Try to remove the hook while the fish is in the water.
WA State Record: 4.7 lbs.
PO Box 3162, Wenatchee, WA 98807 509.888.7268 www.ccfeg.org
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Tuesday, October 11, 2016
NCW HUNTING & FISHING
CONSERVATION GROUPS
Ducks Unlimited
Ducks.org Ducks Unlimited takes a continental, landscape approach to wetland conservation. Since 1937, DU has conserved more than 13 million acres of waterfowl habitat across North America. While DU works in all 50 states, the organization focuses its efforts and resources on the habitats most beneficial to waterfowl.
Mule Deer Foundation Muledeer.org The conservation group that focuses on mule deer, black tail deer & habitat conservation has chapters in Moses Lake, Yakima & Winthrop.
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Rmef.org The conservation group has the Colockum chapter in Wenatchee, the Columbia Basin chapter in Moses Lake, the Kittitas County chapter in Ellensburg, the Yakima chapter, and the North Cascades chapter in Omak.
Wenatchee Sportsmen’s Association Wenatcheesportsmensassociation.com Their mission statement is, “dedicated to the conservation and preservation of the wildlife and enhancement of habitat.”
TO TURN IN A POACHER
The WDFW hunter’s regulations packet suggests you call 911 to report poaching in progress, but for nonemergency violations and poaching call the WDFW at 877-933-9847 (877-WDFW-TIP).
NCW HUNTING & FISHING
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
17
Hey! By James A. Bowen
C
utting their tracks on the dirt logging road I turned uphill to follow them, focusing on finding the bull. As I reached the opening in which he was last standing I searched in vain for some sign of a hit; blood, hair, or other tell-tale indications that my aim had been true when my rifle sounded. He should have been close to that spot. “Perhaps he’s a bit farther up the ridge,” I thought, doing my best to quell my fear that I missed or worse, wounded him and he got away, forcing myself to trust my instincts after finding no evidence of contact. Slowly I crept along the freshly disturbed ground where 40 or so animals had drifted past me less than a minute earlier. Replaying the shot in my mind over and over, I was beginning to wonder if I’d connected at all. Opening weekend had started with a misty drizzle that coated the forest floor, the season starting later than normal this year. Most of the country was waking up and preparing little ghosts and goblins for a chilly and rainy eve as Halloween filled the thoughts of children. Our thoughts were on a bigger treat however, one of notching an elk tag or two. Monday dawned the same as the previous days; wet, chilly, and windy. As we pushed our way up the mountain my wife and I cut different paths to double our chances of spotting game. We stayed connected with our cell phones, text messages helping to stave off the boredom of hours of peeking into the trees and clearings. Afternoon blew in, causing me to drift around through the woods, cold and tired of watching the same array of timber and brush for apparitions that never materialized. A buzz in my pocket stopped me from my mindless
wondering; an urgent message from my partner said to hustle to her spot, that she was having a vision, one of real elk. A short time later we formulated a plan to intercept the game she had spotted bedded on a distant bench below her lookout. Choosing to remain in the saddle where she had connected with a spike the year before, I wished her luck and meandered toward the snoozing herd. On my way I received news that two of our family members were converging on the same slope, having spotted our prey from below, unaware that we were already moving in on them. This certainly made
“It was here that I had nearly met my end just a week before by elk stampeding...” things more interesting as we tried to decide how to get in position and not ruin their hunt. Knowing these woods after haunting them so many years I moved to an area recently logged to make a stand. It was here that I had nearly met my end just a week before by elk stampeding close to my daughter Jayme and me, roused from their same bedding area by other deer hunters. Now I moved quickly and methodically to close the distance, carefully staying out of sight of those many watchful eyes, doing my best to move fast without making too much noise. I knew my brother-in-law Mark would be close enough soon and since he’s a great shot I would have to be ready to play clean-up when he fired, hoping there was more than one legal spike in the herd. I was almost in position when they spooked and began crashing
through the tangled mess of branches and fallen logs left behind from the lumberjacks, the convoy of cream bodies moving about as quiet as Frankenstein’s monster awakened with his clothes on fire. A mere 400 yards away and closing on my position I was caught trying to decide on what to do with my pack; use it for a rifle rest or keep it on my back in case I needed to sprint to a better shooting lane. Suddenly they were drifting by right in front of me 85 yards away, spotting me before I could get set up, causing me to freeze in fear of spooking them. Already crouched behind a small pile of logs and dirt I had to slowly distort my body to stay on target as they started to fan past me, the weight of my pack pulling me down on my left side as I tracked them moving to my right. Feeling like the Hunchback of Notre Dame I finally succumbed and allowed myself to gently fall over on the side of my pack. I took note of the fact, that though comfortable, I faced a strange dynamic to my shooting stance as I glanced through my scope canted 60 degrees sideways, my crosshairs more of an X-hair. It was at that point I noticed another hiccup in my situation. While closing on their location I had the forethought of cranking my scope up to 8x power knowing I might not have time to use my binos to quickly identify a spike from far away. The previous night that very thing had happened, elk in the trees, using my binos to look at them, seeing a spike, and not having time to get my rifle on them to shoot before they moved into heavy cover. This time it worked a little too well giving me a perfect view of their heads as they blurred by, but with bit too much zoom at close range. Adapting as best as I could to the situation I focused
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Tuesday, October 11, 2016
on finding a legal bull in the parade rushing past me. Scanning each of the first dozen skulls I noted cow after cow until I finally caught the mahogany of antlers. Following for a brief second it was easy to see through my zoomed-in optic that it was a 3x3 bull, not legal in our unit. Dismissing him as a non-target I panned left again, moving further back in the string of chocolate heads as they kept breaking cover. Mentally mumbling to myself I kept checking off each animal as it passed, “Cow, cow, calf, cow, cow, cow, calf…” Then antlers again, fuzzy, light tan and like the story of Goldilocks this one was “just right”, a perfect spike by spike. Focusing on the young bull as he moved with the group I steadied my aim and tried my mind powers to will him to stop. Failing to stop him using my mental powers (or lack thereof) I let out a half-hearted “Mew”, not surprised when the stampede didn’t stop. A second impromptu cow call, this one louder than the first, still didn’t catch their attention, the rush of bodies steady as they continued on their path across the logging road and across a small opening in the trees. Finally out of desperation, the spike almost in the last clear spot and with nothing to lose I literally yelled, “HEY!” like I was scolding a child about to stick a fork in an outlet. I admit it was quite unconventional but to my amazement and extreme pleasure it worked perfectly, stopping the entire procession in their tracks, all of them staring at me wondering what the heck they had done wrong. Parenting win! I took mental note of the spike, now perfectly broadside and frozen, stiff and nervous looking for the mean grown-up that had just yelled at him and ruined their fun. Instantly checking to be sure he was clear of any other animals I aligned my X-hair over his vitals.
NCW HUNTING & FISHING Covering his heart/lung area I was just about squeeze the trigg… - “BOOOOOOOOM!” My rifle discharged before I was perfectly aligned, the light trigger and weird angle of my shooting “stance” no doubt causing my routine to be off a smidge. As if a bolt of lightning had struck the ground the elk bolted toward the ridge like the Boogie-Man was chasing them. Cycling another round I found him again in a flash, looking for the bull to be down or staggering but instead he’s off and running with another spike now next to “I took mental note of the spike, now perfectly broadside and frozen, stiff and nervous looking for the mean grown-up that had just yelled at him and ruined their fun.” him. Thoughts flashed through my mind; did he have his head down or look like he stumbled a bit? Which spike was my original target? Having but a split second I could have touched off another round but now there’s no way to be sure which bull was my original target, cows engulfing them both as they vanish from sight. The shot had felt good. Well, I was shooting sideways, the shot was rushed and my rifle went off before I was 100% ready so instead I’d say it felt “good enough”. He was only 100 yards away, broadside and standing as still as a ghost so the conditions were near perfect in that respect. My confidence was pretty high as I texted my wife to let her know think I shot one and that they were headed her way. She replied, “You THINK?!?” confused by my lack of certainty. Scanning the torn up forest floor with no conclusive
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evidence of a hit I kept my eyes open, ready for a quick follow up shot if I happened to frighten him from a bedded position. After 75 yards of careful searching and listening from where he’d last been standing, fear and uncertainty were beginning to creep in. My earlier confidence was ebbing as I kept hiking uphill trying to find some indication that my hunt was over. Knowing a wounded animal will usually flee downhill or bed nearby I was looking for any tracks turned downhill away from the rest, scanning the graveyard of small pine and fallen timber. Glancing to my left, I spotted something slightly out of place, my predatory instinct alerting me before my brain could puzzle it out. I could see him now, bedded with his head up and facing away from me. A wash of relief coursed through my body as I realized he wouldn’t die slowly, suffering in a hidden draw. A second report from my Sako marked the end of my hunt and the beginning of the joyous labor of transporting fresh organic steak and burger to our freezer. With exuberant messages to my family to let them know the good news, I jokingly asked if anyone felt inclined to shuttle the elk cart to my location. In less than an hour my brother-in-law Mark and new friend Jeremy did just that, both of us commiserating on out how our hunts had transpired. It took four of us to tag that elk, between being spotted by my wife, to Mark & Darcey converging on them on that hillside, finally pushing them my direction. The next night we all celebrated, reaping the fruits of our labor as we dined on Darcey’s famous Liver, Heart & Onions! Yum!
NCW HUNTING & FISHING
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US Forest Service Maps Many national forest trailheads in Washington now charge an access fee. You may contact the Forest Service for access fees and maps at any of the following forest service offices: www.fs.fed.us www.fsgeodata.fs.fed.us/rastergateway/states- regions/ regions_zoom.php?regionID=r6
7300 Nahahum Canyon Rd. Cashmere, WA 98815 509-860-4841 Accepts: beef, lamb, pork and game Specializes: butcher, custom meat cutting, wrapping and Colville National Forest packaging 765 S Main, Federal Bldg Wild Game Processing Colville, WA 99114 4550 Navarre Coulee Rd. (509) 684-3711 Chelan, WA 98816 509-687-6311 Okanogan National Forest Accepts: goose, duck, 1240 South Second Avenue cougar, bear, deer, elk, Okanogan, WA 98840 buffalo, and beef (509) 826-3275 Specializes: wild game pepperoni and summer sausage
WHERE TO GET MAPS
Washington Department of Fish and WildlifeGoHunt www.apps.wdfw.wa.gov/gohunt
Department of Natural Resources Major Public Lands maps and aerial photos www.dnr.wa.gov; www.dnr.wa.gov/businesspermits/topics/maps/pages/ home.aspx
Benchmark Maps Washington Road & Recreation Atlas, Public lands maps with GMU overlays, Washington Recreation Maps Local bookstores (916) 371-3930 www.benchmarkmaps.com
Smart phone App from Sportsman Regs GMU boundaries and the hunts in them www.sportsmanregs.com
MyTopo Hunt Area/GMU Maps provide 1:100,000 Bureau of Land Management base maps www.mytopo.com/
Green Trails Maps www.greentrailsmaps.com
Adams County maps www.adamswa.mapsifter.com Grant County maps www.grantwa.mapsifter.com
Metskers Maps 1-800-727-4430 www.metskers.com
Bureau of Land Management www.blm.gov/or
Wenatchee National Forest 215 Melody Lane Wenatchee, WA 98801 (509) 664-9200
WHERE TO BUY AMMO Bi-Mart
780 Grant Road East Wenatchee, WA 98802 884-1141
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Hooked On Toys 1444 N Wenatchee Avenue Wenatchee, WA 98801 663-0740
Sportsman’s Warehouse
Tuesday, October 11, 2016 19
WHERE TO SHOOT Lind Golf & Gun Club Adams Co. 509-671-3314
Othello Gun Club Adams Co. 509-331-3158
Ritzville Gun Club Adams Co. 509-659-0233
Cashmere Sportsman’s Association Chelan Co. 509-782-1192
Dryden Gun Club Chelan Co. 509-782-2105
North Cascade’s Sportsman’s Club Chelan Co. 509-682-2421
Wenatchee Rifle and Revolver Club Chelan Co. 509-679-3909
North Central Washington Gun Club Douglas Co. 509-884-5639
Wenatchee Gun Club Douglas Co. 509-884-6490
Boyd Mordhorst Memorial Range Grant Co. 509-345-2550 and 509-760-3994
Coulee City Sportsmen Grant Co. 509-632-5137
Marlin Trap Club 28 Grant Co. 509-982-2445
611 Valley Mall Parkway East Wenatchee, WA 98802 886-7200
Moses Lake Gun Club
Stan’s Merry Mart
Quincy Gun Club
733 S Wenatchee Ave Wenatchee, WA 98801 662-5858
Grant Co. 509-765-1382 Grant Co. 509-237-1166
Omak Fish and Game
Walmart
Okanogan Co.
2000 N Wenatchee Avenue Wenatchee, WA 98801 664-2448
Oroville Gun Club Okanogan Co. 509-476-2241
Tonasket Gun Club Okanogan Co. 509-485-3716
20 Tuesday, October 11, 2016
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