2017 NCW Hunting & Fishing Guide

2017 NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON

FALL HUNTING & FISHING

FISHING BY THE NUMBERS HANFORD REACH BIRTHDAY HUNT LAKE CHELAN KOKANEE AND MORE!

SUPPLEMENT TO

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

NCW HUNTING & FISHING

3 WAYS TO GET YOUR LICENSE DEALER OUTLETS

Over 600 dealers - find one near you at

http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors

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Visit: https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov

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GENERAL HUNTING SEASON SCHEDULE Note: Consult the Official 2017 Game Hunting Pamphlets for specific information.

Mourning Dove........................... Sept. 1 – Oct. 30 Forest Grouse............................. Sept. 1 – Dec. 31 Quail........................................... Oct. 7 – Jan. 15, 2018 Pheasant.................................... Oct. 21 – Jan. 15, 2018 Chukar........................................ Oct. 7 – Jan. 15, 2018 Duck & Coot............................... Oct. 14 – 18 ................................................... Oct. 21 – Jan. 28, 2018 Geese: .VARIOUS START & END DATES ................................................... Oct. 14 – 28 ................................................... Nov. 4 – Jan. 28, 2018 Crow........................................... Sept. 1 – Dec. 31 Turkey: Late Fall ................................................... Nov. 20 – Dec. 15 Fox.............................................. Sept. 1 – Mar. 15, 2018 Raccoon..................................... Sept. 1 – Mar. 15, 2018 Coyote: All Year Bobcat........................................ Sept. 1 – Mar. 15, 2018 Cougar....................................... Sept. 1 – Dec. 31 Cottontail & Snowshoe Hare...... Sept. 1 – Mar. 15, 2018 Black Bear.................................. Aug. 1 – Nov. 15 Deer (Black Tail): ........................................ Archery: Sept. 1 – 29 Late Sesason................... Muzzleloader: Nov. 22 ­– Dec. 8 ........................................ Modern Firearm: Oct. 14 – 24 Deer (White Tail): ........................................ Archery: Sept. 1 – 29 Late Season..................... Muzzleloader: Nov. 22 ­– Dec. 8 ........................................ Modern Firearm: Oct. 14 – 24 Deer (Mule) ........................................ Archery: Sept. 1 – 29 Late Season..................... Muzzleloader: Nov. 25 ­– Dec. 8 ........................................ Modern Firearm: Oct. 14 – 24 Elk: Various Seasons.............. Archery: Aug 1 – Dec. 31 Various Seasons.............. Muzzleloader: Aug 1 – Dec. 31 Various Seasons.............. Modern Firearm: Aug 1 – Dec. 31

NCW HUNTING & FISHING

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

NCW HUNTING & FISHING

Fishing By The Numbers

By Barbara Carrillo, Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board

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or the second year in a row, steelhead returns to the Upper Columbia are expected to be well below the level to meet minimum spawning escapement objectives which will result in no angling opportunities this fall. Poor outmigration conditions (drought) in 2015 and the “thermal blob” in the Pacific Ocean which extended into the Gulf of Alaska through early 2016 had similar impacts on upper Columbia salmon stocks as well. Second only to steelhead, the 2017 sockeye return was only 28% of the ten-year average while spring Chinook came in at 55%. Once Leavenworth met their broodstock goal - a short season was able to be offered to recreational anglers.

The relatively bright spot was summer Chinook. While they did feel the pinch, the 2017 return was 90% of the ten-year average. In

Trout fishing at Pearrygin Lake near Winthrop. Photo courtesy of Clint Deason.

addition, this year’s fall Chinook forecast, while not as robust as previous years, should still provide good angling opportunity for those wanting an excuse to be out on the water.

And while anadromous fishing opportunities are down, anglers should be reminded that this region boasts some of the most robust and diverse resident fish fisheries in the entire state. From golden and cutthroat trout in high mountain lakes, to warm water fish such as bass, walleye, and bluegill (a kids favorite) in lowland lakes and the Columbia River. In addition, while sturgeon fishing closed for the season in Lake Roosevelt, there are still sturgeon opportunities in the Columbia River below Rock Island Dam.

Summer Chinook fishing below RR Dam. Photo courtesy of Heather Johnson.

NCW HUNTING & FISHING

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Fall Fishing in The Hanford Reach

By Barbara Carrillo, Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board

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all is a great time to get out and fish with over half a million Fall Chinook entering the Columbia River. Some popular fall fishing areas for Upriver Bright Chinook can be found in the Hanford Reach area where tens of thousands of fish will be running from the mouth of the Columbia up to Priest Rapids. There are areas above, below and right around the dam where great fishing can be found.

White Bluff is a great spot in the early season and upstream is the Vernita Bridge area – a great fishing spot where lots of campers and RV folks park their RV’s and go back and forth to fish on the weekends. The Upriver Bright Chinook season runs approximately from early September to mid-October. Check your Washington Sport Fishing Rules handbook for more information at http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01914/wdfw01914.pdf

Barbara Carrillo is with the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board in Wenatchee and can be reached at (509) 662-4707

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

NCW HUNTING & FISHING

Lake Chelan Kokanee, A Year Round Fishery

By Rick Graybill

I

f you grew up in Wenatchee it was very common to hear someone say, we are going to “the lake”. Or, my friends are up at “the lake”. Or maybe, we went to “the lake” this weekend. Growing up in Wenatchee means you knew that everyone was taking about Lake Chelan. It wasn’t Lake Wenatchee or Banks Lake, when someone said “the lake”, they were always talking about Lake Chelan. Back then Lake Chelan was Wenatchee’s playground.

Today Lake Chelan is Western Washington’s playground. The summer weather is almost always predictably warm and sunny. The clear cool water is prefect for playing in. One glance at the hundreds of personal watercraft dashing here and there, in no discernable pattern, would lead you to believe that Chelan is only popular to the jet skier and wake boarder crowd.

But there is another group of people who love Chelan and they have a quieter approach to enjoying the lake. They are the fisher men and women who launch their boats and quietly troll the beautiful clean water for Landlocked Chinook, Lake Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Smallmouth Bass and Kokanee.

The Chinook and Lake Trout attract some fishermen to the lake. The Cutthroat and Smallmouth Bass are caught by both boat fishermen and bank anglers, but the Kokanee bring hundreds if not thousands of anglers to the lake. The Kokanee in Lake Chelan have always been popular. Just like the apples and vineyards on the shores of the lake, the Kokanee from Chelan provide table fare that is a cut above. The cold clean water produces beautiful fish with rich red flesh. They are fantastic for the barbecue or the smoker.

Back in the 50s and 60s the Kokanee were caught on heavy trolling rods, big Penn level wind reels and lead core line to get down where the fish were. The favorite lure was a wedding ring spinner rigged behind a Jack Lloyd gang troll and of course a rubber snubber. The heavy line and trolling gear required a rubber snubber to keep the hard fighting Kokanee from tearing themselves off the hook. The hook, or hooks were tipped with white “shoe peg” corn. This corn is still the bait of

choice almost 70 years later. The Kokanee Chelan produced at that time were much smaller. They often averaged around 9 inches. There were so many Kokanee in the lake that, at one time, the limit was 12 Kokanee a day with a 25 fish bonus.

Back then many anglers waited for the Kokanee to school up near Lake Side Park on the south shore. It wasn’t unusual to see 50, 60, or even more boats trolling the area in May and June. Then, once the fish started migrating up the lake and moving into deeper water, the fishing pressure would dwindle down to nothing. In those earlier days anglers didn’t have the fish finders and downriggers that today’s anglers are equipped with. To find the fish they had to put baits in the water and see if they could get a bite. The lead core line was only good to a certain depth and usually by late July or August the Kokanee were in deeper water than anglers of that time could effectively fish.

Chelan’s Kokanee fishery has changed dramatically over the years.

The number of Kokanee in the lake has grown smaller, which means the Kokanee we catch today are larger. If you take a lake with a fixed food base like Chelan, you can have either a lot of kokanee and have small fish, or fewer fish that will grow to a larger size. Most anglers on Chelan will choose the larger Kokanee option. There are still lots of Kokanee in the lake and at times are very easy to catch. But having the larger fish adds to the fun. Six or seven years ago we had a year where the Kokanee population was way down. There was still plenty of fish to catch, but we were boating Kokanee that were 18 to 20 inches in the spring and by late summer some fish were 22 inches in length. That was a blast.

Recently, in the past few years, the fish have been nice, but not of the 20 inch caliber. This year there were plenty of 12 to 14 inch Kokanee and very few in the 16 to 18 inch class. We also caught a few smaller fish in the 9 to 10 inch size range. We like to keep these smaller fish because whenever you are using bait, State regulations don’t allow catch and release fishing. Everything you catch counts toward your limit whether you release it or not. The current limit of Kokanee on Lake Chelan is 10 per day. That is enough to provide you with some great meals.

See page 8

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NCW HUNTING & FISHING

Continued from page 6

When you look out on the Lake Chelan in April or May and see all those boats catching fish your first impression would be that we need to lower the limit. But in reality, the more we catch and take out of the lake the bigger the Kokanee will get. Everyone pretty much agrees that a return to those years with the 20 to 22 inch Kokanee would be more that welcome.

Aside from the increase in the size of Kokanee the most remarkable change in Chelan Kokanee fishery is that it has turned into a year around fishery. Just this past year I fished the lake every month from October through March and had a blast catching Kokanee. My brother and I were invited to fish with Jeff Workowski of Darrel & Dad’s Guide service in January and landed 30 Kokanee in about 4 hours. The lake was calm and there was a light snow falling. The lake is absolutely beautiful in the winter months.

I was a full time fishing guide for 15 years and was based in Chelan.

I spent literally tens of thousands of hours fishing Lake Chelan. It is still one of my favorite places to spend a day on the water. I currently work at the fishing counter at Hooked On Toys in Wenatchee. What I love most about my job is that I spend all day talking to fisher men and women. I am constantly talking to anglers heading to, or coming back from a day on the water. I get to hear what people are using and where they are catching fish.

Lake Chelan turned into a year-round Kokanee fishery slowly, over a number of years. First anglers started fishing in March and April. With quality fish finders and downriggers they were able to find the Kokanee and get their baits down, at times, over 200 feet deep. More and more anglers started fishing the lake in the winter and early spring. And now there really isn’t a time of the year when you won’t see some boats out trolling for Kokanee. This past summer was one of the best I can remember. June, July and August produced plenty of limits for anglers on the lake.

The tackle and equipment used on Lake Chelan has also seen a major improvement over the old lead core set ups. Anglers are now using long, soft action rods. The light rods allow you to get a good bend in the rod when using a downrigger and to see the bites even when fishing deeper than 200 feet. The rods flex very well, eliminating the need for rubber snubbers. With the light gear people currently use, the Kokanee put up a very good fight.

Using light line allows you to use much smaller level wind reels and many anglers are now using reels with line counters. The line counter comes in very handy when using lead to get down instead of a downrigger.

Many anglers are now using a sliding lead rig to get down where the fish are. The line counter reel allows them to get back to the exact same depth where they just caught a fish. This past June and July many anglers put their downriggers away and just used sliding leads while fishing for Kokanee. The long soft rod, in combination with the dodger and weight allows the rod to work with the dodger. This puts an entirely different, and I think much better, action on your baits.

It is also much quicker to fish with a sliding weight rather than a downrigger. To begin with, I don’t care how disciplined you are, you are reluctant to check your baits when using a downrigger. It is even worse if you are stacking two lines on each of your riggers. It’s frustrating because you might bring up your gear and find it is still looking good. On the other hand you might find that your bait has been picked and you’ve

been trolling around with no bait for who knows how long. It is the difference between, are you fishing or just going for a boat ride? Then, once you have checked your baits, you have to reset them on the rigger.

When you are using a sliding weight it is as simple as reeling up and looking at your bait. If it looks good you just strip out line until you are back where you want to be. This summer we were using 3 oz. cannon ball weights on our sliders. There were plenty of fish in depths between 20 and 60 feet. Back in January, while fishing with Jeff, I was using a 6 oz. cannon ball weight. The fish at that time were between 90 and 120 feet deep.

The attractors and lures we use for Kokanee have also changed. We have put away the Jack Lloyds and are now using small Kokanee dodgers. The small dodgers have very little drag in the water and make it a lot more fun to land the fish. They come in a wide variety of sizes and colors and some are known for a unique flash and action that they impart to your lure and bait.

Wedding ring spinners are still used to catch Chelan’s Kokanee, but I believe small hoochies and flies rigged with at smile blade or a hard blade are a better option for the larger Kokanee. Apex, a plastic spoon with an erratic action is also a good choice for Chelan’s fish. Whichever lure you choose be sure to tip the hooks with white shoe peg corn. Many avid anglers will add scent and dye to their corn. I like to have a container of pink corn and a container of white corn whenever I get on the lake. On some days the pink corn will out perform the white. Next time out it might be the white corn that the fish like the most. And some days we use a mix of white and pink to get the most bites.

The main rule of thumb when fishing for Kokanee is; if you know you are on fish and you are not catching fish, you need to change it up. That might mean you need to speed up or slow down. Or maybe change the color of lure or dodger you are using. It could also mean you need to shorten or lengthen you leaders. There are endless variables. But just the slightest change can make the difference between limiting the boat or a slow day on the water. The biggest “trap” for Kokanee anglers is that they catch a limit of Kokanee on Saturday and on the next Saturday they run the same lures all day and don’t catch a fish. They think they know they are doing the right thing because it worked the week before.

But with Kokanee, they can change what they want on a day to day basis.

So if you know you are on the fish and you aren’t catching fish, change it up.

We start every day on the water with the attitude that we will run a lot of different lures and baits. If we see a good school of Kokanee on our fish finder we will run a lure for about 15 minutes. If we don’t get a bite we will switch it out for a different lure and maybe a different color corn. Usually we can find what they want after a few switching of baits. Then we fine tune that by running similar lures and baits on all the other rods. That is half the fun of Kokanee fishing. The challenge of finding the best lure and bait for any given day on the water.

If you have never fished for Lake Chelan’s Kokanee, I encourage you to give it a try. There are few places as beautiful to spend a day on the water. Come see me at the fishing counter at Hooked On Toys. We will be happy to help you learn to catch these wonderful fish. If you are already familiar with this great fishery I’ll just say, I’ll see you on “the lake.”

NCW HUNTING & FISHING

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The WDFW has suggestions on its website including:

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

LINKS & CUTS: MEAT PROCESSORS J & J Meats 7300 Nahahum Canyon Rd. Cashmere, WA 98815 509-860-4841 Accepts: beef, lamb, pork and game Specializes: butcher, custom meat cutting, wrapping and packaging

Wild Game Processing 4550 Navarre Coulee Rd. Chelan, WA 98816 509-687-6311 Accepts: goose, duck, cougar, bear, deer, elk, buffalo, and beef 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

NCW HUNTING & FISHING

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/statesregions/regions_zoom.php?regionID=r6

WHERE TO SHOOT Lind Golf & Gun Club Adams Co. 509-671-3314

Othello Gun Club Adams Co. 509-331-3158

Colville National Forest

Ritzville Gun Club

765 S Main, Federal Bldg Colville, WA 99114 (509) 684-3711

Cashmere Sportsman’s Association

Okanogan National Forest 1240 South Second Avenue Okanogan, WA 98840 (509) 826-3275

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

Big 5 144 Easy Way Wenatchee, WA 98801 663-1332

D&L’s Army Surplus 801 Benton Way Wenatchee, WA 98801 667-2769

Hooked On Toys 1444 N Wenatchee Avenue Wenatchee, WA 98801 663-0740

Sportsman’s Warehouse

Adams Co. 509-659-0233 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

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Oroville Gun Club Okanogan Co. 509-476-2241

Tonasket Gun Club Okanogan Co. 509-485-3716

UPPER COLUMBIA SALMON RECOVERY BOARD

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11 Spokane St., Suite 101, Wenatchee • 509-662-4707

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

NCW HUNTING & FISHING

Growth After Catch

By Rick Graybill

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

O

ver the years I have had the opportunity to study the many aspects of the sport of fishing.

There are literally thousands of books and periodicals on the subject. The publications cover a variety of topics from fishing techniques to the feeding habits of popular sport species. Many articles give in-depth information on the life cycles of our local fish and their growth rates in the wild. However, I have yet to see a study of the growth rate of fish after they have been caught.

It surprises me that our local fish biologists have overlooked such a study, because from my experience, some of these fish have achieved a rate of growth nothing short of fantastic.

If you haven’t been associated with fishermen, you may not be aware of this phenomenon. Here is a typical example: My fishing buddy, Tank, caught a salmon back in 1982. It was Tank’s first salmon and he was mighty proud. We weighed the fish on my scale at 14 pounds. Tank naturally rounded up to the nearest 20 pound increment and called it 20 pounds even.

In 1984 Tank was telling people about his first Salmon checking in at 28 pounds. By late ‘87 it had grown to 37 pounds. Last year it only gained 5 more pounds, but it had also split into a second fish that was well over 30.

Obviously, if we could somehow harness this power, the world hunger problem is all but behind us!

At first, I have to admit, I was reluctant to accept the accuracy of this fabulous growth rate. After all, I was there. However, over the years I have heard literally thousands of similar stories, and it’s even happened to me once or twice.

With the public interest in mind I have devoted many hours to studying this miracle. It seems this “Growth After Catch” (GAC, as I like to call it) is not limited to one specific species. The more I have looked into it, the more widespread I find it to be. Actually, I have found very few cases where a sport-caught fish didn’t put on a few pounds in the years following its demise.

Some species tend to multiply rather than grow. This was easy to document since it was my own family that experienced the phenomenon. Years ago my father would pack up the family for a trip to Fish Lake. We made many a happy trip to catch the wiley yellow perch.

Although those day are a little hazy, I seem to recall one very successful outing when we bagged 27 perch and a bullhead. However, at a recent family gathering, when the subject of perch fishing came up, the whole family remembered catching over 500 perch. The bullhead wasn’t mentioned. It seems that only sport fish are affected by “GAC”.

After many hours of research I have found several constants in the “GAC” rate.

First of all, photos of the catch tend to dramatically impede growth. I’m still studying this aspect of GAC. But, apparently if the photo is lost or destroyed, the GAC rate accelerates at normal levels.

Secondly, if a fish is brought home and placed in the freezer, it will not grow or multiply until after it is removed and eaten.

In a current related study, I’m documenting the growth rates of fish which got away while the angler was playing them. Apparently they have a growth rate far exceeding those of fish we catch! I would like to give you a word of warning.

My neighbor lost a walleye at Banks Lake back in 1989. He claimed then that the walleye weighed at least 20 pounds. According to my charts and graphs, that fish now weighs well over 500 pounds! So, if you’re planning on swimming or water skiing up there, you’d better think twice!

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.”

Protect Yourself and Your Dog From Tick-Bourne Disease Western-blacklegged Tick (ixodes pacificus)

The most common tick species in Western Washington, and the primary vector of Lyme disease in western United States.

Larva

Nymph

Adult Male

Adult Female

American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis)

The most common tick species in Eastern Washington, and a vector of tularemia disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Larva

Nymph

Adult Male

Adult Female

In general, nymphal ticks are about the size of a poppy seed, and adult ticks, the size of a sesame seed. After becoming engorged by a blood meal, the body expands substantially, and may appear grayish-brown.

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

NCW HUNTING & FISHING

Birthday Wishes

By James A. Bowen

I

just love my wife. Every fall we head into the sage-covered semi-arid desert and low pine forests to hunt big game in Eastern Washington where we call home. She’s always by my side and kid-like with her excitement for hunting, especially when Elk season arrives. Because of this it was truly a blessing this last year when she tagged out on opening morning, even after we got a late start and things weren’t going according to plan. A good life lesson for us all to not fret too much if you are late to your favorite hunting or fishing spot, sometimes it just works out!

Now that we had one in the freezer it was my turn to try for another spike (our area is open to True-spike only so it’s a challenge to get one; less than 5% of the hunters get one each year). The weather was unseasonably wet this past fall, breaking a precipitation record that was more than 88 years old. Driving the mucky roads and hiking the slippery slopes gave testament to that fact, adding an energy-sapping facet to my daily hikes. With my partner now resigned to taking over parenting duties at home with our daughters, dogs and chickens, I spent the rest of the week alone, waking each day and seeking adventure in the midst of Mother Nature and all that she had in store for me. On some days the sun came out, drying the ground and giving me cause to remove the layers of extra clothing I had donned that morning.

Most of these late fall days found me hiking for warmth however, with rain and cold winds keeping me on my toes burning extra calories in order to fight the chill.

Days passed as I explored, traveling further each day to seek fresh signs of elk in our area. Knowing the area well it was easy to cover miles of hillside,

studying the tracks and droppings. Opening morning had rewarded us with a bull but now, after almost a week of ascending the same game trails and skid roads it was obvious that whatever elk that had been here opening day had left and hadn’t come back.

The last weekend of modern weapon season brought renewed droves of hunters filling the woods, giving hope some critters might be pushed back into our honey hole. By noon I had to come to terms that I was wrong and needed to move elsewhere if I was to be successful this season. Hating to leave the area I had been hunting pretty much by myself, I finally listened to the advice from my sister-in-law Darcey and headed to lower elevations where they’d been watching elk all week. Arriving at the small chunk of land we had bought in the valley below, I found one of my brother-in-laws Erik talking about the herd he’d been chasing that day and most of that week. After discussing with him and reviewing other sightings of elk up and down the canyon we both agreed it was too late in the day to make the trek up the hill as the sun hung low on the hillside. Having our trailer on our chunk of Heaven my wife and kids decided we’d spend the night here and I’d hunt our land the last day.

Waking the final morning with the promise of nearby game I readied myself, remembering it was my wife’s birthday as I slipped on my boots.

When I leaned over to kiss her on the exposed top of her head, still cozy and snoozing inside the sleeping bag in our small camp trailer, our girls asleep in their loft above, she mumbled to me to get her a bull for her birthday. Chuckling at the low odds of fulfilling her wish I said I’d do my best

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NCW HUNTING & FISHING and donned my pack as I quietly closed the trailer door and began the steep climb up the hill.

After hiking for half an hour I spotted the top where the land leveled out.

With a good view up the canyon I rested and caught my breath as I surveyed the draws and ridges around me. The sun had started to crest over the ridge behind me, the golden rays starting to touch my form for the first time of the day. The day dawned bright and sunny, the previous night’s rain abated now and the clouds were mostly gone from the morning sky.

Movement caught my eye as I scanned the area; a lone coyote had spotted me and was dashing between the sage and bunchgrass as he rapidly moved away from me. My attempts to squeak and stop him proved fruitless as I watched through my scope, hoping he would pause long enough to give me a shot. He finally halted for a quick glance back 300 yards away, but something inside my mind told me to let him go. Running again he crested the ridge above me and soon disappeared. Lowering my rifle I mulled over my decision to not shoot ol’ Wile-E. A short time later my peripheral vision again made me turn my head. A herd of a hundred elk, running along the face of a far canyon 1,000 yards away, made my heart start to race. Soon a shot followed them, two hunters now visible on the far ridge. Not seeing any animals falter it seemed they missed as I watched the herd continue on their path, never breaking their pace. For whatever reason, the hunters turned back, perhaps realizing the folly of trying to run down spooked game. Looking back now I realize they were likely trespassing on my neighbors land.

The elk were too far away to identify if there were any spikes so I sat and watched them cover ground with amazing grace and speed, their bodies moving like a tan wave across the grassland. With no way to catch them I watched as they rounded the face of the distant rim and turned up the canyon away from me and out of sight. Excited to at least see elk I smiled and felt very much alive, knowing I’d had a very exciting morning already and all before 8am! Since there were other friends and family hunting up that canyon I quickly texted them as I moved to a higher point to see if I could figure out where the animals went.

Fifteen minutes passed after my last sighting and soon I was in a better spot to glass up the valley. Not really expecting much I was shocked when I spotted several chocolate colored heads floating over the low grass of a nearby draw coming my way. Being in the open with not so much as a sage brush to hide behind my only option was a nearby low spot that was still partially shaded, the slight depression not quite fully illuminated by the rising sun. Shuffling hunched over to minimize my outline I reached it and dropped to a sitting position.

Removing my shooting sticks I was thankful I had them as I remembered my youngest daughter Brylee had chased me that morning as I left the trailer, half-dressed and crying wanting to go hunt with me. My heart melted as a tear threatened to escape my eye when I went to her to convince her to go back and ‘tuggle with Mommy, her small frame already shivering in the predawn chill. Almost like an omen, her appearance reminded me of my forgotten sticks that were on the dash of my truck so I consoled her and sent her back to bed, retrieving the shooting aid and stuffing them in my outside pants pocket instead of buried in my pack where they normally live.

Retrieving my range finder from my pocket I steadied my rifle on the sticks just in time to see the lead cow rising up out of a shallow draw, the bright dawn lighting up her face and shoulders as I watched her coming almost directly towards me. Finding her with my rangefinder the distance

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

15

read 362 yards. Knowing my rifle and my ability, I knew they were pretty much in range, with anything inside of 350 close enough, the herd still closing the distance between us. Swapping optics for my binoculars I started to scan for a spike. A third of the way back I found him, a good true spike by spike bull, my pulse now beginning the drumming in my temples that was all too familiar as I realized my good luck.

Almost like a running play in football, the cows covered him like blockers for a running-back as they pushed forward. Without a clear shot I scanned through the rest of the herd to see what else might be available. Finding a couple other spike-like bulls they were dismissed, as both looked like they had an extra point making them not legal. All the way in the rear there was a big bull but with no time to gawk I didn’t even take note of his rack or number of points and instead turned back to the spike I had seen toward the front.

Switching to my rifle I cranked up my scope to get a better look and found my bull again, this time confirming 100% he was legal. They were slowing in their run to more of a walk now, the spike ebbing and flowing within the sea of cows, sometimes clear, most times not. I followed him and waited as they keep moving toward me, quartering off to my left now less than 300 yards away.

After they closed the distance to 250 yards they slowed to a walk, starting to calm down from their earlier push by the other hunters. As I focused on the bull he was suddenly clear of other animals. Following the mantra of “Take your first, good shot.” I quickly lined up the crosshairs as the sound of the safety clicking off was muffled by the clicking of nearby hooves on the rocky soil common in our area. Without much time to line up a heart shot like I prefer, I settled on his front shoulder, figuring with the distance and his walking the bullet would drop in behind the shoulder and take out both lungs. With a huge open area I knew if I got one in the boiler-maker the bull wouldn’t get away.

The push of the rifle against my shoulder caught me slightly off guard as I swiftly got back on the yearling. Seeing him hang his head low but still standing, I cycled another round of my 300 WSM and readied for a followup shot. It felt like I had all the time in the world so I just watched, not wanting to waste any meat by shooting unnecessarily, watching as the herd scanned around for me, wondering what just happened. Thirty long seconds passed and the bull was still on his feet, though I knew my shot had been good and it was just a matter of time before he succumbed.

Then the cows and other bulls decided it was time to clear the area and started to jog up the draw behind them headed away from me. Watching my target I was a little surprised when he turned and started to follow the herd.

Dumping another round into him this one took better effect as he stumbled and paused as the rest of the herd started to run away faster now. He was not to follow them this time, gravity finally winning the constant battle as he crashed to the ground.

Skinning and dissecting the bull later would show my first shot had been high, hitting above the shoulder but below the spine, missing the lungs in a virtual no-man’s land. If two ribs hadn’t been hit the elk may have gotten away. My second shot had been a touch far back, taking out part of the liver, but anchoring him.

With the sun now bright and warm I walked over to the bull to admire him and feed him a tribute mouthful of grass. Pulling my phone from my pocket I sent my still sleeping wife a text message. It read, “Happy Birthday love! Got you a little something but you’ll need the elk cart and some help getting it home.”

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

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