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FISHING • HUNTING • NEWS NWSPORTSMANMAG.COM

FALL SALMON!

Eastern Oregon Elk Spokane’s Best Buck Units Washington Rifle Deer

KINGS, COHO & CHUMS ((oh h my!) !))

ALSO INSIDE

WATERFOWL Forecast, Prep Pack Goats As BEASTS OF BURDEN Learn the GUTLESS METHOD

Make a EUROPEAN MOUNT

Recipe For PEMMICAN

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Sportsman Northwest

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

Volume 11 • Issue 1 PUBLISHER James R. Baker

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

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw EDITOR Andy Walgamott LEAD CONTRIBUT0R Andy Schneider THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Randall Bonner, Mark Bove, Scott Brenneman, Jason Brooks, Dennis Dauble, Scott Haugen, Doug Huddle, MD Johnson, Randy King, Kevin Long, Buzz Ramsey, Brian Robertson, Randy Wells, Terry Wiest, Dave Workman EDITORIAL FIELD SUPPORT Jason Brooks GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Steve Joseph, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold

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PRODUCTION MANAGER Sonjia Kells DESIGNERS Michelle Hatcher, Sam Rockwell, Liz Weickum PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTING Audra Higgins COPY EDITOR/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Sauro INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER Lois Sanborn WEBMASTER/DIGITAL STRATEGIST Jon Hines

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ON THE COVER Matt Bliss tagged this beautiful Washington mule deer buck last October. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) CORRECTION A channel catfish story in the July issue said that after fish were trucked to Washington from Arkansas, they’re raised at a hatchery near Tri-Cities. In fact, they’re only held there temporarily for a week or so before being stocked into local lakes. The only “warmwater” fish reared at Meseberg are tiger muskies.

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and get daily updates at nwsportsmanmag.com.

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MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE P.O. Box 24365 • Seattle, WA 98124-0365 14240 Interurban Ave. S., Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 (206) 382-9220 • (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com; mediaindexpublishing.com

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Northwest Sportsman 9

CONTENTS

47

VOLUME 11 • ISSUE 1

FEATURES

WASHINGTON RIFLE DEER PREVIEW

53

SPOKANE’S BEST BUCK UNITS With rifle season beginning this month, Mark Bove spotlights the top units for whitetail and mule deer in far Eastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle!

69

EASTERN OREGON CENTERFIRE ELK PROSPECTS Wapiti biologists in the Blues, Wallowas, Ochocos and Cascades weigh in on how their herds are faring and what this season’s bull prospects look like.

73

THE GUTLESS METHOD He’s field-dressed more big game animals than some of us have ever seen alive – expert Northwest hunter Scott Haugen outlines the quickest, cleanest way to butcher deer or elk and get it cooling fast.

86

THE NEW PACK BEAST OF BURDEN Want to hunt deep in the mountains but don’t quite have the pasturage for a herd of pack horses? Goats may just be the answer! Longtime goat packer Brian Robertson of Yakima shares what he’s learned.

101 FALL MUSHROOM HUNTING Not all of autumn’s hunts are for tasty four-leggers and two-wingers.

Randall Bonner puts us on the trail of Western Oregon mushrooms!

105 WATERFOWL PREP Veteran goose and duck hunter MD Johnson outfits your blind bag for what should be a pretty good Northwest waterfowl season.

(BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)

Evergreen State whitetail, blacktail and mule deer prospects are more muted than last year’s stellar opportunities, but there are still bright spots, as our annual preview shows!

131 TILLAMOOK TIDEWATER KINGS With a return huge enough that state managers OKed two-poling, you’ll want to check out expert Andy Schneider’s top five tactics for Tillamook County’s six great fall Chinook systems!

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Go to nwsportsmanmag.com for details.

NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Avenue South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Periodical Postage Paid at Seattle, WA and at additional mail offices. (USPS 025-251) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northwest Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $39.95 (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 © 2015 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.

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Northwest Sportsman 11

CONTENTS (KINGHUNTERGUIDESERVICE.COM)

95

CHEF IN THE WILD With the perfect dash of history and mix of jerky, jam and fat, Randy serves up a recipe for making elk pemmican.

115 ON TARGET Dave details five things you may not have considered as waterfowl season looms across our region, and features several new shotguns and other must-have products.

123 SOUTH COAST The Chetco Bubble burst – it’s only open five days this year – but Randy says it’s still worth hitting for the Northwest’s biggest saltwater Chinook. He’s got can’t-miss tips!

161BASIN BEACON Guide Kevin Long has how to fish eggs and plugs as the fall king run settles into the Hanford Reach!

COLUMNS 59

SOUTH SOUND October presents a challenge, what with all there is to do, but Jason boils down the two best bets for South Sound hunters.

79

BUZZ RAMSEY Making a European mount out of your trophy’s skull is easier than you think – Buzz illustrates how he does it in just two days!

141 WESTSIDER With his beloved local coho streams closed, join Terry as he heads for the Quinault, home to Alaska-quality fishing.

145 THE KAYAK GUYS One of Puget Sound’s rare 2016 fall salmon fisheries is set to begin this month and Scott Brenneman dials us in for the zombie fish of Hood Canal – chums!

151 NORTH SOUND One of the few bright spots for coho in Pugetropolis, the Nooksack should see a decent run – Doug sets us up for success, plus has several North Sound wingshooting ops.

We Have What You Need For Your Next Hunting, Fishing Or Camping Adventure!

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22 THE BIG PIC: OCTOBER COUNTRY REIMAGINED A different perspective on deer camp.

(ANDY WALGAMOTT, PRISMA)

DEPARTMENTS 19

THE EDITOR’S NOTE

21

CORRESPONDENCE Reader reactions to recent news

29

READER PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD Chinook, steelhead, giant largemouth, bear and more!

35

PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS Browning, Fishing monthly prizes

37

THE DISHONOR ROLL Reichert case update; Kudos; Northwest poaching hotlines

39

DERBY WATCH Buoy 10 Salmon Challenge, Oregon Tuna Classic and other recent results; Friday Harbor Salmon Classic and more upcoming events

45

OUTDOOR CALENDAR

45

BIG FISH Record Northwest game fish caught this month

157 RIG OF THE MONTH From the vault 166 THE LAST PAGE The pros and cons of two-polin’ 14 Northwest Sportsman

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THEEDITOR’SNOTE

O

ctober may seem like an odd time to talk crabbing, I’ll admit, but this part of the year is all about traditions – football, changing leaves, Deer and Elk Camp, Turkey Day. Last month, the boys and I went on our annual trip in the San Juan Islands with outdoor writer Wayne Heinz of Richland. He’s retired and spends the summer on a live-aboard with his girlfriend Lucie, chasing salmon and crabs in the Straits and Washington’s beautiful and bounteous archipelago. They make a Dungie day available each year for me and my two very active young sons.

TO BE HONEST, sometimes I wonder if they’ll get into fishing and hunting like I have. These days River and Kiran are busy battling it out with their Pokémon decks, building crazy Lego things, “messing up” photos on Amy and my phones, going on and on about The Brothers Walgamott on duty in the Terraria creatures ...

San Juan Islands, where they also spun a When I tried to get 360 on the way home loaded down with Dungies and one red rocky. (ANDY WALGAMOTT) River out crabbing on the Yaquina Bay and Charleston docks in late August, he demurred. I didn’t push it. This spring he caught a decent hatchery steelhead at Seattle’s Green Lake and insisted I release it because we needed to consider its life as well.

So when Wayne called in early September to make arrangements, I told him River may or may not come with us. That was OK, Wayne said, because it’s good for kids to care about critters too.

But after River and I talked about the purpose of this trip – Daddy had a powerful hunger for crab! – he agreed to come. In truth, I figured he would. He and Kiran absolutely love going out on the boat, steering it in circles and trying to spell their names on the GPS, crawling all over it like rats and generally being little boys.

THIS TRIP THEY came into their own as crabbers. They were quick to volunteer to toss buoys, hook pot ropes, wind cord as me and Wayne yarded up pots – I don’t mean to brag, but one was so full it was a two-man job getting it over the rail – and help sort crabs.

River and Kiran literally took over pulling Dungies, sexing them and measuring the males (we did double check their work). And back at the dock, after we set up a disassembly line for our 16 keepers, Kiran got medieval with the “crab whomper” as Wayne held the blade on the crustaceans’ backs and stomachs. River averted his eyes at first, which was fine because it is a gruesome though necessary process to make use of our catch, but at the end he cracked a crab or two.

Growing up we were not people of the sea – I didn’t first crab till my mid-30s – but I’m glad my boys are getting this chance, and we’re building a family tradition. And there are hints elsewhere that they want to join Daddy afield. I think maybe I don’t have to worry that it will all come with time and opportunity. –Andy Walgamott

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CORRESPONDENCE SO ABOUT THAT COHO FORECAST …

Rumblings that there might be more coho back to Puget Sound than predicted last winter was followed by news early last month that the Muckleshoot and Suquamish Tribes would begin commercially gillnetting near the mouth of Lake Washington. That drew incredulity, as well as this call from reader Jay Weeks: “If the run is better than the forecast, they need to make an adjustment to allow for sportfishermen to participate. I’m not against a closure; I’m against a select closure against the sportfisherman.” Later that day, WDFW in fact announced it expected more than originally forsoothed – “Oops, got that forecast wrong,” chided Daniel Patterson – and opened fishing on the lake north of Highway 520.

Some anglers were bitter about the bone they were thrown. “This is barely a fishery,” grumbled Clay Schurman. True, but others like Daniel Rohl asked, “How do you fish coho in the lake?” Tipped Jerry Brown, “Troll spinners and plugs.” By catch, October’s best.

LICENSE SALES BREACH After a “Mr. High” was able to hack into hunting and fishing license sales systems and potentially access personal information on millions of Northwest sportsmen, the states scrambled to close the hole and get the Texas-based online vendor to provide protection services to their customers. Dave Alverson was thinking class-action: “I smell several lawsuits for poor protection practices.”

WOLF RESEARCHER’S WORDS A Washington State University researcher known for his “counterintuitive” findings about furry fangers found himself in a steaming pile of predator poo in late August. Rob Wiegus claimed a Northeast Washington rancher had turned his cattle out “directly on top” of a den site, but as the mushroom cloud began to clear WSU issued a statement saying he acknowledged he had “no basis in fact” for saying that. WSU also said Wielgus misrepresented field data being collected in the area. Readers Grant Furness thought “Rob Wielgus should be fired,” Chris Spencer was “not surprised” about the episode, and John Sowell noted, “That researcher sure was trying to stir the pot – what disciplinary action is going to be taken against him?” Basically, Wielgus was told to shut his trap.

MOST LIKED READER PIC WE HUNG UP ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE DURING THIS ISSUE’S PRODUCTION CYCLE Readers loved this fantastic image of Tommy McCabe and a monster sturgeon caught and released during a two-day guided trip in Hells Canyon with his dad. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)

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Northwest Sportsman 21

October Country Scenes from Deer Camp.

Photos and captions by Andy Walgamott

’ve hunted Okanogan mule deer since college, and I’ve always taken photos, now with my phone. I mojoed these from the last three seasons with Prisma, a new app that blends reality with famed artists’ styles.

I

I will admit that for many seasons Dad and I weren’t very successful, though we always enjoyed being at Deer Camp and hunting the mountain. But slowly I began to better understand muley movements across the landscape, and why others hunted where they did. Fires the past decade have created a new wrinkle, improving the mosaic of deer habitat. It will be good to get back here this month.

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MIXED BAG

PICTURE

Mike’s a camp regular. Like most of us there, he and I used to work together, and after one shift 20-plus years ago we sighted in our rifles together on the eve of season, me earning a scope bite I bear to this day for my procrastination.

It wasn’t till two years ago that Mike got his first buck, a nice muley from below camp where I haven’t hunted in more than a decade. It was really great for him to get his deer after putting in all that time. The experience of just being in the mountains in fall is what it is for our camp, especially Dad, but I will admit that at the end of some unsuccessful trips I’m not too excited about the prospect of hunting blacktails!

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MIXED BAG

It won’t be many more years before Dad and I dish up a couple extra plates at dinner. My two young sons want to know when they can come to Deer Camp. Mama says it’ll be awhile, but this summer River got his first pocketknife and Kiran likes donning my hunter orange.

Phil Wildman

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MIXED BAG

I’ve shot several bucks at Deer Camp, but it wasn’t till the end of last season that I killed a large muley. It was near a spot we call The Saddle, but off to the side and overlooking a bowl. Oddly, it was the first time I’ve ever set up there, and in fact had just found the perch earlier that day. Looking at things from a different perspective yielded a pretty good result, not to mention lots of venison for my boys, wife and I, as well as these images.

Good luck this fall. NS

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READER PHOTOS Somebody’s pretty stoked with the season’s first fall Chinook! That’s Cosette Volk, age 4, along with bro Austin and dad Carlin and their Labor Day Weekend fish, caught on wobblers on the Columbia. (DAIWA

^

PHOTO CONTEST)

The Siuslaw was seriously good for knifemaker Jerry Davis, Harry Kenyon and Harry’s dad Mark. They caught two nice kings, including this one, on an August trip. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST) Pretty nice first archery buck for Kyu Wintersteen! The 14-year-old was hunting with his dad in Central Montana on this year’s opening day. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)

For your shot at winning great fishing and hunting products from Browning and Daiwa, send your full-resolution, original images with all the pertinent details – who’s in the pic and their hometown; when and where they were; what they caught their fish on/weapon they used to bag the game; and any other details you’d like to reveal (the more, the merrier!) – to awalgamott@media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA, 98124-0365. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for use in our print and Internet publications. nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 29

^

READER PHOTOS

^

The ladies in the Herborn family are fishin’ fiends! We highlighted her mom and sister in these pages with halibut earlier this year, and now it’s Katherine’s turn, here with a Winchester Bay fall Chinook. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)

Albies made an early appearance off the Northwest Coast, then kinda disappeared for awhile, but Joshlynn Boneham was among the first to find them again in late August. She caught this tuna 37 miles out of Westport. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST) Buoy 10 was a tougher go this season than in 2015, but Spencer Rhodes caught up to this nice fall Chinook off Astoria.

^

(DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)

Siblings of the steeliehood! Beau and Bella Meuchel enjoyed good fishing for summerruns on the Columbia back in July. They were plunking Spin-N-Glos and coon shrimp, as well as hanging skrimp under a bobber at low tide.

(DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)

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READER PHOTOS Technically, he was hunting for the GPS he’d lost three weeks before, but after three years of poking around the North Cascades for a bruin, both missions collided over Labor Day Weekend for Chad Smith. He bagged his first bruin with a 25-plus-yard shot. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)

With no coho to fish for, Ohio transplant Bill Evans turned his attention to bass this past summer – and how! He caught the new Washington record largemouth, a 12.53-pounder that crushed the long-standing high mark by nearly a full pound. It bit Evans’ green pumpkin Strike King Shim-E-Stick at Snohomish County’ Lake Bosworth. (BILL EVANS)

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PHOTO CONTEST

WINNERS! Darrel Smith’s pic of himself and a Humptulips River fall Chinook is this issue’s monthly Fishing Photo Contest winner.

It wins Smith a big ol’ pile of loot from the overstuffed office of our editor!

We like hunters who stick to it and hunt the whole season they’re given, which is what Larry Wolf did this year! His pic of the gobblers he bagged on either side of the Columbia on the last day of 2016’s spring season wins him a Browning hat!

Sportsman Northwest

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

For your shot at winning fishing and Browning products, send your photos and pertinent (who, what, when, where) details to awalgamott@ media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124-0365. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or Internet publications. nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

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MIXED BAG

Bowman’s Death A Lesson In Hunter Safety

T

he death of a bowhunter in Oregon’s Cascades last month should at the very least serve as a reminder about safety as we head into fall’s main seasons.

According to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Michael S. Pekarek and Jeffrey L. Cummings were driving along a Forest Service road east of La Pine when Pekarek spotted a deer and got out of the vehicle. After drawing his bow, the deer moved and Pekarek turned to Cummings to tell him the deer was headed his way but also released his arrow, according to the sheriff.

Cummings was struck in the abdomen and died, despite efforts by Pekarek to perform CPR. He was arrested on a charge of negligent homicide and his bail was set at $50,000.

Our condolences to the Cummings family, and to Pekarek, who undoubtedly is shattered at losing a hunting partner. To try and salvage some lesson out of this stupid tragedy, remember that no matter what weapon we hunters use, it is absolutely imperative that the deadly end never ever point in the direction of a person. I don’t care if they’re unloaded either – images

(OSP)

By Andy Walgamott of rifles laying across dead deer or elk and pointing in the general direction of the happy hunter worry me.

To review Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper’s four rules, as summarized by Wikipedia: “All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.

“Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.

“Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target.”

“Identify your target, and what is behind it.”

Enjoy safe hunting this season.

KUDOS

In midsummer, Linn County Deputy District Attorney Keith Stein (second from right) was named the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division’s 2015 Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year. Among other cases, Stein was credited with successfully prosecuting a Sweet Home man for spotlighting big game and being a felon in possession of a rifle. The man was sentenced to over a year in county jail and state prison, permanent revocation of his hunting rights and a $4,000 fine. “DDA Stein welcomes the diverse issues fish and wildlife offenses create with charging, forensics ... He appreciates the challenges fish and wildlife cases present, and understands the importance and value of each case,” said an OSP wildlife trooper in a letter. “DDA Stein has been the leader of the Linn County District Attorney’s Office for prosecuting high-profile wildlife cases for approximately a decade.”

The Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year has been awarded annually for nine years. As a token of their appreciation, Stein accepted this framed painting of a bull elk from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife western region manager Steve Marx, and Oregon State Police Capt. Jeff Samuels and Lt. Casey Thomas.

Bullwinkle Shooter Report Trial Pushed Back Poaching

T

he trial of a man accused of shooting a trophy elk last year in a Central Washington unit that wasn’t open for branchantlered bulls, has been pushed back yet again.

Tod Reichert’s trial was originally set for mid-August, moved to September and is now slated for Dec. 2 in Ellensburg, according to The Daily Record newspaper.

That means that Reichert could theoretically use his $75,000 Eastside elk tag beforehand.

The 76-year-old Salkum resident has pled not guilty to unlawful hunting of big game in the second degree in the shooting of an all-but-tame elk named Bullwinkle in a pasture last December on his 2015 South Central Washington raffle tag.

I O W

daho: Citizens Against Poaching hotline, (800) 632-5999; local Fish and Game offices; idfg.idaho.gov/poacher regon: Turn In Poachers (TIP) hotline, 800-452-7888 (24/7); TIP@state.or.us (work week)

ashington: Poaching in progress: 911 and ask for nearest on-duty game warden; Nonemergency: Turn in a Poacher (TIP) line, (877) 933-9847, wdfw.wa.gov/poaching, REPORTPOACHING@DFW.WA.GOV nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 37

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By Andy Walgamott

Salmon Challenge Nets Kings, Cash T

ens of thousands of dollars were raised at the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association’s 17th Annual Buoy 10 Salmon Challenge, which also saw an 18.2-pound Chinook take big fish honors.

The mid-August fundraiser, held at the mouth of the Columbia River to enhance fishing opportunities around our region, drew 250 participants, and despite “challenging conditions,” many anglers were able to weigh in fish for the derby.

Todd Staver hooked that big king, and for it, he scored a check for $1,000, put up by North River Boats. Speaking of boats, in the team competition, Glen Trusty et al took first with an average weight of 13.67 pounds of salmon per angler. Dave Lee and crew were second with 12.8 pounds, while Steffen Gambill and friends had 10.82 pounds.

While those weights were down from last year’s (22.25 and 18.51 pounds were big fish and top team average), NSIA reported the event raised almost $50,000, a “significant amount of money.”

“The Buoy 10 Salmon Challenge is not only the most exciting fishing tournament on the Lower Columbia this summer, but it is also our most important fundraiser,” said Liz Hamilton, the regional organization’s executive director. “We were able to raise funds that will go towards protecting and restoring healthy river systems,

MORE RECENT RESULTS July 29-31: Inaugural Baker Lake Sockeye Shootout, Baker Lake: First place: Ken Brown, 6.72 pounds ($1,000); second: Dave Sitton, 6.63 pounds ($500); third: David Stasel, 6.21 pounds ($250) Aug. 13: 21st Annual Gig Harbor PSA Salmon Derby, Areas 11, 13: First place: Adam Hunt, 20.04-pound Chinook; second: Derrick Cline, 15-09-pound Chinook Aug. 20: Columbia River Fall Salmon Derby, Lower Columbia: First place: Kris Hill, 37.88-pound Chinook Sept. 3: Willapa Bay Salmon Derby, Willapa Bay: First place: Vern Flannery, 20.09-pound Chinook Sept. 9-11: 17th Annual Coos Basin Salmon Derby, Coos Bay and environs: First place: Emily James, 25-pound, 14-ounce Chinook; second: Lance Leavitt, 25-pound, 2-ounce Chinook Westport Charterboat Association weekly winners (charterwestport.com) Sept. 11: Guy Lovelady, 27.70-pound albacore, Predator Sept. 4: Gerald Young, 37.15-pound albacore, Predator Aug. 28: Chuck Grijalva, 35.50-pound albacore, Fury

Team OpporTunaTy successfully extended their reign as kings of the Oregon Tuna Classic in late August by bringing in the most albacore at the second leg of the series out of Garibaldi, 132.05 pounds. The fellas won more than $13,000 in cash for their haul, and will be one of two teams representing the OTC at the Offshore World Championships in Costa Rica next spring; the other is Team Scarab, which placed third with 129.75 pounds. Team Clemensea brought in 131.15 for second. Despite rougher seas, 15 teams brought in over 1,900 pounds of tuna for Tillamook County foodbanks. (VIA ANGELINA PARODI) defending hatcheries and the millions of smolts they release each year, as well as working to increase angler access to fisheries across the Northwest.”

After the day’s fishing wrapped up, participants tucked into dinner while $15,000 worth of cash and prizes were given away to lucky winners. NSIA thanked Atlas Mike’s, Berkley, Cabela’s, Duckworth, Folbe, North River, Penn, Tica and Weldcraft, among other sponsors, for supporting the event.

2016 NORTHWEST SALMON DERBY SERIES A whopping first-place prize of $15,000 is up for grabs in the San Juan Islands this holiday season.

The Friday Harbor Salmon Classic, now in its second year, is set for Dec. 1-3, with fishing taking place in Marine Area 7. Second place is worth $5,000, third $2,500.

Last year’s inaugural event was won by Mike McAuley and his 18.06-pound blackmouth, while Shannon Franks was second with a 13.11-pounder.

Registration is $550 per boat, and craft must be moored at the port marina. The nonprofit derby raises money for salmon enhancement projects. For more, contact Jim Lawson (360-3174766, hawgheavencharters@gmail.com).

Here is the rest of 2016’s Northwest Salmon Derby Series schedule: Nov. 5-6: Everett No-coho Salmon Derby, Areas 8-9 Dec. 2-3: Resurrection Salmon Derby, Area 7 For more info, see northwestsalmonderbyseries.com.

nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 39

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HUNTING

Washington Deer Prospects State wildlife biologists forecast how productive this fall’s rifle season will be.

Washington rifle deer prospects are more muted this year than last, but plenty of opportunity remains to tag nice bucks, like this Douglas County muley that Eric Braaten brought down. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)

By Andy Walgamott

F

or Washington deer hunters, the good news is that this is not fall 2015 – which unfortunately is also the bad news.

Going into last year’s seasons, the state was a mess, what with fires, drought, land closures and bluetongue. It was as if The Blob hadn’t satiated itself on salmon in the Northeast Pacific, so it sidled ashore and chewed on the Evergreen State.

Even so, we had some things going in our favor in 2015: fantastic buck ratios in Okanogan and Chelan Counties; a late-starting and -ending 11-day rifle muley season; the end of

the four-point minimum for whitetails in two super-popular units north of Spokane; and blacktail spikes available newly available for harvest in several Westside units. Those factors and others helped produce a harvest of just over 40,000 deer by general season and permit hunters of all weapons types, the best since 2004 and 10,000 more than as recently as 2011.

We rock!

Well, we rocked. This fall’s prospects look a little bit ’umbler, fellas. But there are bright spots too in the state’s most important deer districts.

NORTHEAST Riflemen were the prime beneficiaries of the end of antler

restrictions in the Huckleberry and 49 Degrees North Units last season, harvesting 3,004 bucks during October’s and November’s general and rut hunts, nearly 1,200 more than just the year before. True, some of those were muleys, but not many.

The good news is that with stable buck-to-doe ratios and moderate winters, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Dana Base is predicting a continuation of recent years’ gradually increasing harvest in his district, which includes northern Ferry County, and most of Stevens and Pend Oreille Counties. He says that overall, the whitetail population is increasing and mule deer are stable nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 47

HUNTING A nice herd of bucks feeds in North-central Washington. speaking, (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) deer hunters have seen slowly to slightly rising harvests in the core of this wildlife district in Southeast Washington, while the game units on the fringes along the Snake have declined slightly.

Local biologists say last year’s bluetongue outbreak primarily hit whitetails on the east side of the district, but they termed it “mild.”

Mule deer numbers are described as stable to increasing outside of the heart of the OKANOGAN If I just see a muley up Blues, and even though this country at Deer Camp, I’ll be happy. OK, so is better known for elk, it isn’t all that that’s a bit of an overstatement, but to far behind the Okanogan in terms of say we Okanogan riflemen enjoyed a overall deer production. Try the state bang-up season in 2015 would be the lands available below the forested exact opposite. We killed 2,616 last heights. The Tucannon, Blue Creek October, 800 more than the previous and Peola Units average better than year, and the overall general harvest .8 buck killed per square mile. was 3,603 – best in 20-plus years, which goes all the way back to when spikes and forked horns were legal.

WESTERN BASIN Speaking of the It also trimmed the posthunt buckOkanogan, it’s famed for its migratory to-doe ratio from 23:100 to 16:100. muleys, but not so well known is “So no, I do not expect a repeat of that Columbia Basin herds also make last year,” says bio Scott Fitkin, “but significant seasonal movements. If it should still be a decent season.” conditions push deer out of their He points to better-than-average summering areas to the northeast recruitment last year, which should and east, that can help hunters in translate into fair numbers of young the Beezley and Ritzville Units. The three-points this fall. And that stilldrawback is that this country is decent buck ratio, plus good grits mostly private, so you’ll need to get in those older, larger burns such as knocking to access the larger, roughTripod and Farewell, means as ever country spreads the deer transit. the county will produce some studs.

Biologist Rich Finger expects this Why last October was so good is year’s prospects to dip slightly due to something of an enigma. depressed fawn-to-doe numbers two “The most truthful answer is, ‘I years ago – this year’s 2½-year-old don’t know,’” says Fitkin. “Yes, the bucks. They were down as much as season dates – particularly the late 38 percent in the Ritzville Unit. start (last year’s hunt ran Oct. 17In the Beezley, hunters will want 27) – contributed, but probably not to be aware of a large fire that burned as much as it could have, given the near Wilson Creek. mild weather we experienced during “Scouting is always a good use of the general. I suspect the extreme time, but for the Black Rock Fire area drought was a primary driver, but especially, I would recommend that I’m not sure exactly why. One theory hunters who hunt south of Marlin is that with the forage base parched or Wilson Creek (specifically, south even up high, and with many highof State Route 28, from Road S to elevation water sources dried up, Batum Road) scout conditions before deer may have just started moving to hunting in this area,” Finger tips.

BLUES Generally

to dropping slightly. If there’s one concern, it’s that the September 2015 fawn-to-doe ratio was the lowest since 2001, though it wasn’t far off recent years. It means there may be slightly fewer spikes this season.

Also note that antlerless ops here are more restricted than WDFW’s printed pamphlet states; see the online version at wdfw.wa.gov for this year’s limited any-deer hunts for youth, disabled and 65-plus modern firearms hunters. Most significantly, GMUs 101, 105, 108, 111, 113, 117 and 121 are only open for any deer for those groups from Oct. 20-23.

Looking at each of his unit’s rifle harvest, hunter numbers and success rates, Base ranks Huckleberry and Douglas – between Colville and Northport – as best, followed by Aladdin – between the upper-upper Columbia and the Pend Oreille River – and 49 Degrees North.

SPOKANE, SCABLANDS, PALOUSE Last year’s big but patchy outbreak of bluetongue in Michael Atamian’s district appears to have had an impact on 2015’s whitetail harvest, with fewer killed than in 2014, while the mule deer take also dropped, possibly because of drought two years ago.

Those could have continuing impacts this season, but Atamian’s not really worried about either population, especially with how fecund flagtails are.

“There are deer out there. They’re not gone from the landscape, like some are saying,” he says.

While generally among the most productive districts in the state in terms of deer harvest, public deer hunting ground is limited to the Swanson Lakes and Revere Wildlife Areas, chunks of BLM and a few larger pieces of Corps of Engineers habitat lands along the Snake.

It’s pretty late in the game, but take a peak at WDFW’s Private Lands Hunting Access page (wdfw.wa.gov) for properties you might reserve or Feel Free To Hunt lands.

48 Northwest Sportsman

OCTOBER 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

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Northwest Sportsman 49

HUNTING winter range a bit early in hopes of finding better conditions.”

Thankfully, those environmental stressors didn’t repeat in 2016, but with season running through Oct. 25, early migrators could be around.

CHELAN, DOUGLAS COUNTIES Just as elsewhere in the central core of Washington, hunters on either side of the Columbia around Wenatchee and Chelan did well in 2015 – a 33 percent increase versus 2014 – and that will probably affect the availability of bucks this year.

“Harvest of older age-class deer should be flatter in 2016, given success rates last year,” reports biologist Dave Volsen, “and hunters should expect leaner buck numbers than 2015.”

He reports that Douglas County’s herd is growing and should provide “excellent” hunting this year. Bucks tend not to live as long east of Highway 97 as west of it due to the more open nature of the country, but that ground isn’t all wheat. It hides more publicly accessible land than a glance might suggest. But that said, the Entiat, Chelan and Wenatchee Valleys are famed for their bucks and high percentages of national forest.

Expect another harvest of 2,500 bucks in Klickitat, Skamania and Clark Counties, says biologist David Anderson. The take here remains “remarkably consistent” year to year, but he does forecast better buck hunting in East Klickitat, thanks to improving numbers.

That area includes new state lands in the Simcoes, part of an ongoing purchase of private timberlands.

This year it will be open for walk-in hunting off Box Springs Road near Bickleton, but Anderson says next year it could become a permit-only hunt, like the Eder Ranch in the Okanogan and 4-O in Asotin County.

SOUTH CASCADES

COWLITZ BASIN Biologist Eric Holman expects favorable harvest trends in 50 Northwest Sportsman

OCTOBER 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

his district to continue, thanks to warm, dry springs that have made life easier on fawns, and milder winters that have helped out the overall population. His units are among the state’s best for blacktail, and if this year is like others, the Ryderwood, Lincoln, Winston and Coweeman will be Logan Braaten scans the landscape the most productive. above the Columbia River for deer.

That said, while there is state (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) land in each, unless you’ve been living in a hermetically sealed box He says that with populations under a rock inside a cave the past few pretty stable thanks to the weather, for years, you know that you’ll need to hunters it all comes down to habitat pay to access the best hunting lands, changes and deer “detectability.” which in this district are generally “I look for areas that offer a good owned by Weyerhaeuser. At press mix of 3- to 10-year-old stands, time, some motorized and walk-in mature timber (40 to 50-plus years permits were available to the various that contain Douglas fir, big leaf tree farms; see wyrecreationnw.com. maple and sword fern, as the most obvious plant species), and riparian habitats. If the area you like to hunt MT. RAINIER FOOTHILLS With fee access is dominated by stands that are now on most private timberlands, older than 12 years, as hard as it is longterm data trends are showing to change it up, it is probably time to a slowly decreasing harvest across find a new favorite spot,” he says.

Thurston and Pierce Counties and the Vail Tree Farm in Lewis County’s Skookumchuck Unit. But success COAST It’s not that there aren’t deer rates have generally climbed, and the on the saltwater side of Anthony days needed per kill have dropped.

Novack’s district between the Much of biologist Michelle Tirhi’s Quinault and the Columbia, but district is owned by Weyerhaeuser you’ll find better hunting inland. The and Hancock (hancockrecreationnw best units by harvest are Capitol Peak .com), which require permits to and Wynoochee. The former offers access – bad news on the Vail, which a large chunk of state land, while sold out long ago – and while she the latter is primarily owned by says that many hunters oppose that Green Diamond (greendiamond.com), system, they’re also adjusting to it.

Rayonier (rayonierhunting.com) and If you’re a holdout, there are fairWeyerhaeuser, with fees for access. sized blocks of state and federal land “Deer harvest should remain east of the Vail, and north and south stable, although I wouldn’t be too of National and Ashford. surprised if we saw a decline in the harvest of spikes,” Novack says. “Last year’s drought and hot weather might CANAL The counties along this hookhave impacted the survival of fawns. shaped fjord have seen improving Biologists assisting with research on harvest stats in recent years, and blacktail found a few fawns that died last year’s drop of the two-point of unknown causes last year.” minimum in the Skokomish Unit That said, whether you hunt out yielded a significant bump. That was of Montesano, Pomeroy, Colville or probably a one-off, but this year’s Twisp, it’s time to head afield! NS hunt should continue trends.

“Generally, I suspect pretty similar prospects for blacktail hunters in my Editor’s note: For a fuller version of this GMUs,” says bio Bryan Murphie. report, see nwsportsmanmag.com.

nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

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52 Northwest Sportsman

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HUNTING

Best Inland Rifle Units Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho hot spots for whitetail and muley bucks.

By Mark Bove

I

t was a drizzly, dark October morning, a day that seemed fitting for the last day of modern rifle season in Washington. I was hunting with my friend and Spokane-area outfitter Steve Hanning. He had a ground blind set up at the head of a drainage. From our perch we could see into a timbered ravine that he knew big mule deer would be moving through. The day before we had a brief opportunity at a nice four-pointer that I was unable to get a clear shot at. Tension for me was high. The season was winding down, and I had missed an opportunity at a great deer. In my mind, the odds were not in my favor.

We spent the morning with our eyes glued to binoculars, looking into little openings in the timber.

It was pretty slow until Hanning, who owns and operates Birds, Bucks and Ducks (guidedadventures .com), caught a fleeting glimpse of an incredibly wide buck. For what seemed like an eternity I struggled to find the deer through the dense cover with my binoculars. It was standing motionless in the dense ponderosa pine cover some 300 yards away. Hanning guided my eyes to it using references like, “See the tree with the white spot? Look three little trees left and one big tree down …” With his instruction I was able to see the deer’s ear and tines sticking through the dense pine. Once I was able to determine that he had the legal three points on at least one side,

Far Eastern Washington is typically thought of as whitetail country, and for good reason, but muleys can be had from the high country of the Kettle Range to the breaks of the Grande Ronde, and many of the places in between. Author Mark Bove bagged this nice buck with his Tikka T3 while hunting with guide Steve Hanning of Birds, Bucks and Ducks. (MARK BOVE/STEVE HANNING)

I shouldered my rifle on a steady rest and held the cross hairs on the deer and waited for a clear shot. The time was 8:27 in the morning. It seemed like the deer knew that if he took one step in either direction it could be his last. At 9:05 a.m. the 27-inchwide buck made his move. As soon as I had his vitals in the crosshair, I fired. The bullet left a visible vapor trail as it flew into the big-bodied deer, and upon impact, the buck bolted down a ravine.

After the shot everything was still; silence pierced the scene. Then rain began to pour. Hanning and I were cautiously excited about what had

just happened. I felt confident in the shot, and my guide told me to stay put while he hustled over to look for the buck, as the rain would soon wash away any blood trail.

A few moments later Hanning let out a “Yee-haw!” I rushed over to lay my hands on perhaps the most memorable deer in my hunting career.

WASHINGTON’S THE ONLY state in the West that provides over-the-counter rifle tags for mule deer, whitetails and blacktails, and last year modern firearms hunters enjoyed a nearly 32 percent statewide success rate.

Riflemen bagged over 27,000 bucks, nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 53

HUNTING relatively low hunting pressure and reasonable 77 percent of all of those harvested amount of public land. during the general seasons for all of Last year, 40 percent of the weapons types. As for this year, those who took to the below I outline my top five unit picks state’s southeasternmost in Eastern Washington. unit harvested a buck.

Game Management Unit 101: The Hunters might want to Sherman Unit in Ferry County has check out the 9,735-acre vast tracts of public land. Each year Chief Joseph Wildlife some of the biggest bucks harvested Area, above and along in the state come from here, Joseph Creek. predominantly for archery hunters GMU 181: The Grande who take advantage of the extended Ronde’s neighbor to the rut season. Last year this unit had a 34 North Idaho units have pretty tantalizing percentages for whitetail north, the Couse Unit hunters – lots of public land, high success rates and as many as 21 percent success rate during modern contains 13,815 acres of percent of harvested bucks sport five points or more. (MARK BOVE) firearm, and with lots of access and public land within the big deer, this is one unit that is tough Asotin Wildlife Area’s George Creek to pass up. My number one pick that temperature snaps like the one Unit. This GMU had a 44.9 percent also includes Sherman’s neighboring this day usually coincided with great success rate during modern firearm units to the east: Unit 105, Kelly deer movement. I also knew that season last year. Both the Couse and Hill; 108, Douglas; 111, Aladdin; and most of the does should have a buck Grande Ronde units have strong 113, Selkirk. All have success rates or two close by. populations of mule deer, with some between 27 and 42 percent. And I was hunting an area that had pockets of whitetails. they’re open during the first half of large clearcuts, dense timber patches GMU 121: With the end of the November, providing hunters the rare and meadows throughout. It usually four-point minimum for whitetails, opportunity to chase whitetail deer saw a great deal of deer movement, as the Huckleberry Unit boasted the during the rut with a rifle. All these it was a natural funnel. But even with highest modern firearm success rate units contain excellent public access. the cold snap, the deer didn’t want to in Eastern Washington last season, GMU 124: The Mount Spokane move this particular morning. with 45.9 percent of those who Unit boasts a tag-out rate of over I pulled the plug on my hunt hunted here tagging out. Despite the 40 percent. Though predominantly around 9 a.m. to warm up before I excellent success rate, the majority of privately owned, there are a number headed back out solo in the evening. this unit is private, which is why this of small farms that hunters might get At 3 in the afternoon I returned to a unit is at the bottom of my list. permission to hunt, if they seek it out meadow between two clearcuts that during the preseason. For those who deer frequently passed through, and want to find permitted access, the set up for an evening of glassing the IDAHO BUCKS Inland Empire Paper Company has meadow and the adjacent clearcut, It was a brutally cold morning in the thousands of acres open to hunting roughly 700 yards above me. It Panhandle. The temps were in the with the purchase of a permit. was a perfect set-up, with trails and single digits, and hunting pressure was For more details, see iepco.com/ deer habitat all in easy view from high on the public land I had devoted recreation.htm. my perch. my season to. It was the middle of GMU 186: The Grande Ronde Unit After an hour of glassing, a doe the any-weapon deer hunt, and the ranks near the top of my list for its rushed through the meadow just 130 bucks were just starting to rut. I knew yards in front of me. I could hear a buck behind her giving chase. As the buck appeared, I stopped him with a grunt and shouldered my My checklist below includes all the hunting essentials for a day hunt in Idaho’s rifle for a quick 100-yard shot. That Panhandle or Eastern Washington. season I had hunted 10 days for a Optics: Vortex Ranger 1000, and for hunting open country, 15x56 Kaibab HD three-second opportunity to see a Binoculars, Vortek Optic GT Pro tripod and Nightforce TS 80 HD Spotting Scope, mature whitetail. Those unexpected Sitka Bino Harness with 8x42 bino; Pack and contents: Easton FullBore 3600, water moments, I suppose, are what make bladder, game bags, tags/license, first-aid kit, headlamp, GPS attached to outside hunting so exciting. You never of pack; Knives: Havalon, Leatherman Skeletool Multitool; Rifle, with 10 rounds of know what second of a hunt will ammunition on stock; Clothing: Sitka Late Season Big-game system and Sitka Ballistic present an opportunity, but when Hunter Orange Vest. –MB

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OCTOBER 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

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Northwest Sportsman 55

HUNTING one does come, all the hours or days that led up to it are forgotten. In the moment that your quarry appears, the body produces adrenaline, as the opportunity to harvest your animal presents itself.

WHILE IDAHO DOESN’T have blacktails, it does offer some of the largest whitetail bucks in the Northwest, and mule deer, though reclusive, are available in some areas too.

Below are my top five North Idaho units for any-weapon hunting seasons that offer OTC opportunities, while also considering public land access, harvest success rate and trophy quality.

Unit 1: The northernmost portion of Idaho is Unit 1. This area borders Canada, encompasses the area that surrounds Priest Lake and extends south to the northern shore of Lake Pend Oreille. Public land abounds in the region, with over 50 percent of

the unit being comprised of national forest. As such, the unit is primarily wooded, with some agriculture and farmland that provide the limited available winter range.

Unit 1 is loaded with whitetails.

In 2015, the success rate for anyweapons hunters was over 50 percent, with over 18 percent of their bucks being five points or better. This unit also has the unique opportunity to hunt mule deer during the rut with an OTC tag, with the season opening Nov. 1 and extending till the first of December.

Unit 6: Comprised of the lower portion of the St. Joe drainage and extending east to the small town of Avery, more than 50 percent of this unit is public ground available to hunt, including portions of the Clearwater and St. Joe National Forests. Despite having several wolf packs, this unit maintains an excellent success rate of over 40 percent, with more than 21 percent of the deer harvested being

over five points or better. One could hunt this unit for an entire lifetime and never see it all.

Unit 3: Set on the eastern side of Coeur d’Alene Lake, more than 50 percent of this unit is public land. Last year 97 percent of the deer harvested here were whitetails, though there are isolated pockets of mule deer to be found for those with local knowledge.

In 2015 one in three hunters who set out in this unit were successful in harvesting a deer. Fifteen percent were larger than five points.

Unit 4A: Also lying on the eastern side of one of North Idaho’s large lakes – this one Pend Oreille – roughly 90 percent of this unit is comprised of publicly accessible land. Remote, mountainous and with the lightest hunting pressure in the Panhandle, last year 31.8 percent of hunters who took to this unit were successful in harvesting a deer, and 20 percent of the bucks were five points or better.

This is a unit where deer die of old age without ever seeing a human.

Unit 2: Set west of as well as along the Highway 95 corridor between Couer d’Alene and Sandpoint, this unit is predominately private – almost 80 percent – and has more limited public land. Despite that, 42.6 percent of Unit 2 hunters were successful. The deer population is predominantly made up of whitetails. The unit also offers an interesting Nov. 1-Dec. 1 bowhunting opportunity in the way of Farragut State Park, near Bayview.

AS YOU EMBARK on your 2016 rifle deer hunt this season, remember that safety is your number one priority.

Before taking to the field, be sure to brush up on the 10 rules of firearm safety. Ensure that your rifle is sighted in, your gear is in good working order and that someone knows your hunting plans.

Hunt hard, know your regulations, and respect the wildlife, land, and others while you are enjoying the outdoors. Good luck this season! NS 56 Northwest Sportsman

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COLUMN Blacktail season is open for half of October starting on the 15th, and hunters will be poking around Western Washington’s thick brush for studs like this 19-inch-wide 3x2 that Chad White killed in Mason County in 2014. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)

Plenty Of Buck, Bird Ops In South Sound I SOUTH SOUND

By Jason Brooks

’ve always thought that October should be three times as long as any other month. Rifle deer season’s finally here.

Upland birds such as grouse and planter pheasants are available. Our rivers and streams are filling up with salmon after each rain. With those and the myriad other outdoor activities, there just isn’t enough

time in October to do everything!

Of course this means we must choose our time wisely, and with deer season only being a few weeks each year, it tops the list for most Northwest sportsmen. But release-site ringnecks shouldn’t be overlooked either.

Whether you prefer to sit on clearcuts or still-hunt reprod for blacktails, or work behind a dog on a foggy morning for birds, there are plenty of places in the South Sound to hunt this month.

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COLUMN A PEAK INSIDE the Washington Department of Fish and Widlife’s recently published 2016 Hunting Prospects will show that blacktail hunting hasn’t seen too much change in recent years, though there are two of recent note.

This will be the second year that Mason County’s Game Management Unit 636, Skokomish, is open for any buck, versus the former two-point minimum. That nearly doubled 2015’s harvest over 2014, from 115 bucks killed by all hunters to 204.

To the south in the Satsop Unit, GMU 651, hunters who have worked Green Diamond lands in the Kennedy Creek area should know that the timber company has entered into an exclusive access agreement with the Squaxin Tribe, locking them out. (For other Green Diamond lands, you will again need to buy an access permit.) Last year’s harvest stats for the overall unit were a bit better than 2014’s, and with our mild weather the trend should continue this fall as well.

Units in Thurston and Pierce Counties have seen a slowly decreasing harvest over recent years, but generally stable to even improving success rates, which could be attributed to access permit systems on Weyerhaeuser, Hancock and Hancockmanaged timberlands. WDFW acknowledges that the best blacktail hunting occurs on these private timberlands because of the way the forest is managed – clearcuts interspersed with young forest and some older woods create a mosaic habitat of feeding, resting and escape cover. Of note, the Mashel Unit, GMU 654, saw

a productivity spike last year.

Hunters who wish to stay close to home and live in King County are highly advised to become friends with neighbors and attempt to gain access in the mostly private areas of the county.

WDFW cites how the Issaquah Unit, GMU 454, is 90 percent private, yet is managed for a higher deer harvest to keep conflicts low, especially near high-density road areas. Even if you have a modern firearm deer tag it is a good idea to pull the bow out of its case and practice. There are firearm restrictions in many parts of the county.

INDEED, FINDING ACCESS is the hardest hurdle for Pugetropolis hunters to overcome. Small tracts of public lands and public forest make up the foothills, but the private timberlands and farmlands provide better hunting and less pressure.

A not much lower bar to try to clear is just finding blacktails in the Westside jungles, but another publication on the state’s website, wdfw.wa.gov, and entitled the “Basics of Deer Hunting in Washington,” attempts to help. While there have been very few studies on Washington’s blacktails, nor are they annually surveyed like mule deer, one thing biologists have learned is that the home area for these more diminutive deer is fairly small. Blacktails rarely wander very far, and they tend to live in an average area of onehalf to three-quarters of a square mile. They prefer clearcuts that are between five and seven years old. Because they do not need much room to roam, their densities are higher than other deer

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COLUMN species, which lends to a slightly higher harvest rate for hunters.

Start by finding a clearcut with a small stand of timber nearby. Concentrate on hunting near the edge of the cover. You will also find well-used trails through the dense brush. Blacktails will use the same trails, and hunters are learning to use tree stands or find a high vantage point and glass the trails and edge of cover.

Stalking bucks can be very tricky, as the area they live in is often very thick and it is hard to conceal your noise or even access an area to get close. The deer tend to be in areas where you can see them from one spot but not from another. A hard rain seems to help, as the deer often feed before and after storms; the wet weather also helps cover our steps as we walk through the thick forest.

Fort Lewis might provide the most expansive grounds to hunt release-site pheasants, but birds are also let go at several properties in King, Thurston, Kitsap, Mason, Lewis and Grays Harbor Counties. (JASON BROOKS)

PHEASANT HUNTING IN Western Washington is about as different from deer hunting as one can get. Instead of savvy deer in thick brush, we head to release sites and chase birds that have been reared in pens. They’re

Hunting at Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility

Puget Sound Energy’s Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility is located on 11,000 acres of rangeland in Game Management Unit 329.

While this land is open to hunting from April through November, special rules apply to ensure the safety of wind-facility workers, visitors, hunters, and local residents.

HUNTING RESERVATION PERMITS ARE REQUIRED AND AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY. Information can be found at pse.com/wildhorse 509-964-7813 or 509-964-7815 62 Northwest Sportsman

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COLUMN mostly let loose on grasslands such as Scatter Creek, the grounds of Hunter Farms and the evergreen-bordered prairies of Joint Base Lewis McChord, but a few sites are in clearcuts. Many of the pheasants only last a few days to a week due to the extremely wet weather and the popularity of the birds with sportsmen, coyotes and raccoons.

Ringnecks are usually released twice a week, once midweek and again on the weekend, with the exception of Fort Lewis, which has plants three times a week. This allows for high hunter success. I’ve hunted the various sites and each time I have had a chance at birds. As the pheasants are raised on farms and purchased by WDFW for hunter opportunity rather than to to establish populations, both roosters and hens can be harvested.

There’s a two-bird daily limit, and you’ll need a special Western Washington pheasant license.

You must also pick “odd” or “even”. The release program is so popular that this is how hunting managers keep conflicts from occurring. If you have an “even” license, your start time on evennumbered days of the month is 8:00 a.m. sharp, and if you have an “odd” license, you can begin hunting at 8 a.m. on odd days. You can still hunt the other days but you must wait until at least 10:00 a.m. to take the field. This way not everyone is trying to hunt at the same time.

That said, Fort Lewis is an exception to the system. Hunting here first requires attending a class at the Morale, Welfare, and

Recreation Center, located at the Northwest Adventure Center.

You must first obtain a pass to get onto the base and then attend the class. You can get more information by calling (253) 967-8260 or (253) 967-8295. Once you are registered to hunt, you must call in the day prior to the hunt and register for the day’s hunt, selecting either morning or afternoon. The early hunt starts at 8 a.m. and finishes at 11, while the late hunt starts at 1 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Hunting is limited to Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays on select sites, which can vary each week.

For those who decide to hunt the fort, keep in mind this is an active training base and there are hazards not found anywhere else. I was hunting there a few years ago when my dog ran into a section of razor wire. Luckily, it only cut up the chest protector vest I had put on her (it was also blaze orange to keep excited hunters from shooting in her direction).

This brings up another good point about pheasant release sites. Since they are so popular and oftentimes have multiple access points, you can find yourself in a situation where you are hunting across from other hunters. Be aware of your target and what’s beyond it. Never shoot at birds on the ground, and, again, it is a good idea to get a blaze orange vest for your dog as well.

October has so many opportunities for us to take to the field. It really needs to be longer than 31 days. But since it is so short, get out to make every day count. Grab the deer rifle or the shotgun and head to the many places throughout the South Sound to hunt. NS

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HUNTING

Eastern Oregon Elk Preview

Status quo for most herds, though better weather conditions should have helped animal condition.

W

apiti hunters will find generally stable elk populations when they take the field for Central and Eastern Oregon’s rifle seasons this month.

This year’s weather has been better for the animals and their forage, though that might also spread out the herds.

With elk hunting in the Cascades open Oct. 15-21 and first and second Rocky Mountain seasons a go Oct. 2630 and Nov. 5-13, the following is what Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists forecast in their annual season prospects document and has been edited for space reasons:

BAKER DISTRICT (Sumpter, Keating, Pine Creek, Lookout Mt. Wildlife Management Units) Elk herds in Baker County came out of the winter in good shape. Bull ratios are at management objective (MO) for all units. Calf ratios were above the average in all units. Populations in the Keating, Pine Creek and Lookout Mountain UnitS continue to grow and offer good opportunity for hunters. For the best chance at tagging an elk, get as far away from roads as possible, perhaps hunting one of the cooperative travel management areas (TMAs).

Hunters should concentrate efforts in areas of good forage near north slopes that provide good bedding cover.

CROOK COUNTY (Maury, Ochoco, Grizzly WMUs) Elk populations and bull ratios are at or just below management objectives in all three units. Hunter harvest last fall was about average throughout the district. Elk are in good condition and highly mobile across their range.

Depending on weather, hunters should expect to find elk more scattered during rifle seasons. Typically, elk hunting improves as you get further away from open roads.

The Maury and Ochoco Units offer the best opportunities on public land, while the Grizzly unit is mostly private land where access can be difficult. Ochoco rifle hunters are reminded the Rager and South Boundary TMA motorized vehicle restrictions will be in effect. Maps of those areas are available on ODFW’s website (dfw.state.or.us) and from ODFW and Ochoco National Forest offices, as well as signboards as you enter the TMAs. A majority of public land cow elk tags have been eliminated in the Ochoco Unit due to declining elk populations on national forests.

Private land hunts for the Ochoco Unit are intended to increase elk use on the national forest and eliminate elk staying on private land throughout the seasons.

Oregon elk hunters hope to bump into bulls like this one during this month and November’s hunts in the Cascades and eastern portions of the state. Darren Ashley, then 17, bagged this one in the Ochoco Unit a couple seasons back.

(BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)

DESCHUTES DISTRICT (Upper Deschutes, Paulina, North Wagontire, northwest Fort Rock, Metolius WMUs) Relative to the number of elk, branch-antlered bull opportunity will be decent in the Paulina and East Fort Rock Units. Herds are at relatively low densities and cover a lot of country, so hunter success is typically low.

Elk numbers continue to grow slowly in the Cascade units. The Upper Deschutes, Metolius and West Fort Rock Units are managed under the general season Cascade hunt. Elk densities are moderate, but hunter densities are high in the roaded portions of the units. For solitude, seek more remote wilderness and roadless areas.

Elk numbers in the North Wagontire (High Desert hunts) are quite variable due to large movements the animals make. The elk are most consistent in their daily patterns near alfalfa fields.

GRANT DISTRICT (Murderers Creek, Northside, Desolation WMUs) Hunting prospects are average for the district. Elk populations are steady or increasing in most of the district and above management objective in all units except West Beulah. We have had reasonable calf ratios and good bull nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

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HUNTING ratios in most of the district. Elk hunters should focus on areas with no open roads, as elk tend to move away from traveled roads during hunting seasons.

HARNEY DISTRICT (Silvies, Malheur River, Steens Mt., Juniper, portions of Beatys Butte, Wagontire and Whitehorse WMUs) Habitat conditions are generally good and abundant water sources this year may disperse game populations more widely. Most of the large-scale mega fires in our area occurred in 2012. Wildlife and hunters have been able to adapt by using different areas and pockets of areas within those fire boundaries that have started to recover.

Elk populations are stable to increasing in the district.

Multiple efforts to improve habitat conditions and remove predators (including the Mule Deer Initiative in the Steens WMU) have contributed to this. Hunting prospects are good; there are plenty of animals available for harvest.

HEPPNER DISTRICT (Heppner, Fossil, East Biggs, southern Columbia Basin WMUs) The elk population for the Heppner is still slightly above MO for the unit, and the Fossil Unit’s population is stable.

Bull ratios have remained constant from last year for both units. The elk calf ratio for both units remains low this year. While there will be fewer spike bulls than previous years, there are still good numbers of bulls in the forest.

Even though forage conditions are better this year, the dry conditions in the forest have elk condensed in areas that have more water, as many of the springs have not recharged from several years of drought. Hunters will increase their success by focusing on north slopes with good grazing available near open water. With predicted cooler weather, elk generally become more active.

KLAMATH DISTRICT (Keno, Klamath Falls, Sprague, southwest portion of Fort Rock, west portion of Silver Lake, West Interstate WMUs) Bull ratios are above management objective and some older age bulls are available. Best prospects are in the Keno and Fort Rock Units. Elk numbers are lower in the eastern part of the county, and seasons east of Highway 97 are limited entry. Overall population trends are stable to slightly increasing in some areas but below MO.

MALHEUR DISTRICT (Whitehorse, Owyhee and Beulah WMUs) East Beulah is an elk de-emphasis zone. Tag numbers are high, with numerous long seasons to keep the elk population under control. Success rates are poor during early season without access to private lands. Later hunt dates can have higher success if winter conditions move elk to more accessible areas. Whitehorse Unit has very few elk. An increasing number of elk have been observed in the northwestern portion of the Owyhee Unit. These elk are often observed in large groups and very nomadic, which makes them difficult to locate consistently.

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MID-COLUMBIA DISTRICT (Hood, White River, Maupin, West Biggs WMUs) Elk numbers in the White River and Hood Units are near MO and will be found scattered in small groups throughout the units on public lands. Herd numbers have been stable, with bull numbers observed slightly higher than last season. However, heavy cover makes harvesting a bull challenging. Most mature bulls are found at higher elevations, especially during the first season. Hunters often choose to hunt the second of the two general seasons for increased season length and a greater chance of winter weather to improve hunting conditions and success. Bull elk hunting in the Maupin and West Biggs also is general season, but the animals are almost exclusively found on private lands. Gaining landowner permission in that area could result in a successful hunt. The White River Wildlife Area has fair numbers of elk and is open to public hunting, though hunting pressure will be high.

UMATILLA DISTRICT: (Walla Walla, Mt. Emily, Ukiah, eastern portion of Heppner, northern Columbia Basin WMUs) Elk prospects in Walla Walla and Mt Emily have been stable and should stay that way this year. Spike hunting can be tough due to poor calf ratios. Ukiah is a bright spot; elk are doing well, which district staff attribute to predator management in the unit.

The weather is better suited to elk production as opposed to last year’s record drought. If early September rains arrive before hunting season, animal retention on national forest lands will increase over recent years, improving hunting substantially.

UNION DISTRICT: (Starkey, Catherine Creek, east Mt. Emily, portions of Sled Springs, and Wenaha WMUs) Elk numbers are stable throughout the county. Elk came through the winter well and all units are showing good numbers of animals at or above MO. Hunter success last year was on par with previous years, with elk hunters averaging 30 percent. The Starkey Unit Travel Management Area is a great place to start for big game hunters new to the area; maps are available online or at the La Grande office. General spike season is a great time to elk hunt in the Starkey Unit without the crowds of first season. Look for elk in the steep terrain of the Starkey and Catherine Creek Units.

WALLOWA DISTRICT (Wenaha, Sled Springs, Chesnimnus, Snake River, Minam, Imnaha WMUs) Elk populations are doing well, and hunters can expect good prospects for bull hunting in all units.

Elk populations are above MO in all units except the Wenaha. Elk harvest has been stable the last few years.

The district has not detected any drop in deer or elk populations as a result of wolf activity. NS

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Don’t Be Afraid To Go Gutless Deer, elk butchering method is quick, clean and gets your venison cooling quickly.

By Scott Haugen

Using the gutless method, the hide creates a clean work station and the meat is kept free of dirt. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

T

here are many ways to field dress big game, but my favorite is the gutless method. I’ve skinned and butchered hundreds of big game animals around the world using multiple methods, but the gutless approach is my favorite because it’s quick, clean and gets the meat cooling quickly.

THERE ARE A few ways to perform the gutless method, but my favorite is to start with the animal on its back. This approach leaves the guts inside the body cavity, so take care not to puncture the abdominal wall. The first cut starts at the genitals, and runs up the stomach to the brisket. If not keeping the cape for mounting, continue cutting under the hide, to the base of the neck.

Next, grab a foot and insert the knife inside the knee joint. Lift and slide the blade down the inside of the leg, all the way to the center of the body, meeting the initial cut up the midsection.

Repeat the same cut on the other three legs.

Keeping the blade on the skin side (not the hair side), cut around the hide at each knee joint. I like leaving the lower legs attached for leverage while breaking down the rest of the animal.

Next, grab a hindquarter and remove the skin along one side of the carcass. As you cut around the hindquarters and near the tail, the skin will be firmly attached. Keep cutting at the points of most resistance, freeing up the hide. Skin one side, then the other side. When done skinning, the entire hide will lay flat on the ground, providing a clean work area.

As you continue removing the skin, you’ll

A simple 4-inch blade and a little steel is all that’s needed for the gutless method. Once you know the connective tissues and joints, the rest is easy.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

Author Scott Haugen removes the backstraps from his kill. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

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HUNTING

The gutless method is quick, clean and gets the meat cooling quickly – though those elk hindquarters will still be a pretty heavy packing job! (SCOTT HAUGEN)

end up under the spine. Skin all the way to the spine on both sides of the animal, which will free up the entire hide, all the way to the neck.

NOW IT’S TIME to remove the four quarters. Start with the back legs, as those are the biggest sections of meat and need to get cooling the fastest. Cut across the inside of the leg, keeping the knife blade tight to the pelvic bone in order to retain all the meat. The only blood released in this method happens now, when the femoral artery is severed. Keep cutting through the muscle until contacting the ball-and-socket joint.

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Cut the cartilage, then sever the ball from the socket. Continue cutting against the pelvis, to the backbone, and one hindquarter is removed.

Repeat the same cuts on the other.

The front shoulder is easy to remove, as there are no bone-tobone connections. Simply lift the leg and cut from the underside, separating it from the ribs. As you reach the scapula be careful not to cut too deep, as that could ruin the backstrap.

WITH BOTH FRONT legs removed, it’s time to take out the backstrap. I like removing the legs before this step,

as the backstrap actually runs all the way from the upper portion of the neck, under the scapula, to the pelvis.

Cut down each side of the spine, cutting the backstrap away from the backbone. Peel the silver skin away from the backstrap, toward the ribs.

Once the silver skin reaches the ribs, it won’t peel any further. Go to the hip joint and crosscut the end of the backstrap at the H-joint. Grab the end of the severed backstrap, lifting and cutting all the way to the neck until the entire strip of meat is free.

Next, fillet the neck meat off the bone. Start by cutting down the spine at the neck, filleting one side

LODGING

HUNTING at a time, just as you would with a salmon.

THE TENDERLOINS CAN be removed with the guts still in the cavity.

There’s a fused section of spine that’s thin and sharp, right behind the last, lower rib. Slip the tip of your knife under the thin stomach muscle, right behind the last rib, and run it along the boney shelf tight to the inside of the spine. Reach your hand inside the incision, running it along the tenderloin. You can lift most of the tenderloin away from the spine without cutting. On the tight connections at the ends, grab the knife, push the stomach away with the back of your hand, and cut the tenderloin free.

All that’s left is to fillet the meat off the ribs and remove all meat from between the ribs. If you’re saving the ribs, simply cut the stomach muscles, pull out the internal organs

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(keep heart and liver, if desired), then cut away the ribs. Ribs can be separated from the sternum with a knife, cutting where bone meets cartilage. To break the ribs away from the spine on deer-sized game, score them several times with your blade, about an inch from the spine.

Give a hefty push with both hands, and the ribs will break away. Cut the tissues with the knife and you have half a ribcage, ready to cook. For elk and larger game, disarticulate ribs at the joints.

BEFORE THE HUNT, know the meat salvage regulations for the species and area you’ll be hunting. The gutless method is fast, easy, and what I use on 90 percent of my game animals. With a sharp knife and reliable steel you’re ready to breakdown any big game animal.

I’ve butchered and caped everything from brown bears to caribou and more, with a 4-inch blade Kershaw

knife. I’ll have a Kershaw UltraTek Blade Sharpener on hand, and other than game bags, a pack frame and some LoopRopes, that’s all I use when breaking down an animal in the field. If needed, a folding saw is handy to remove the skull cap and antlers of moose and elk. NS Editor’s note: To see the gutless method in action, order Scott Haugen’s popular DVD, Field Dressing, Skinning & Caping Big Game, by sending a check for $20.00 (free S&H), to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or order online at scotthaugen. com.

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COLUMN C

Make Your Own EUROPEAN MOUNT In Just 2 Days U

sing tips I gathered from an internet search, my first attempt at mounting the skull from a 24-inchwide mule deer proved to be a disaster.

Basically, I overdid the boiling and peroxide soaking, which pretty much ruined the skull – many of the teeth fell BUZZ RAMSEY out and much of the bone dissolved.

It was advice from a taxidermist friend while on a guided hunt

in California that led me to a successful process, which I’m only too glad to share with you in hopes you don’t end up with a toothless, disease-looking trophy. In my opinion, a fur mount is the best way to honor a once-in-a-lifetime buck or bull, but a European mount – the antlers and bleached skull mounted on a plaque – is a great way to preserve the memory of a great hunt, is less expensive (even if you have a taxidermist do it) and takes up a lot less space than a head-and-shoulder mount.

Here’s the process I now use:

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COLUMN

1 1

Skin the head, making sure to remove as much meat as possible, along with the lower jaw and any remaining vertebra connected to the base of the skull. To avoid any strange bacteria, you should wear protective gloves during the entire process.

2

Cook the head in hot water for 1½ hours. We’re talking just below the boiling point here; adjust the heat so that it produces, at best, an occasional bubble. Adding a couple tablespoons of baking soda and a squirt of Dawn Dish Soap will help remove the fat from the skull. Note that unless you’re single, want to get even with a roommate and/or think you’ll like the smell of boiled deer head inside your home, this should be done outdoors.

A camp stove and large metal pot is what you’ll need to accomplish this.

3

Pressure wash the head, with a goal of removing all the cooked meat, cartilage and brain matter. You will want to avoid hitting the antlers directly with your pressure washer, as doing so can remove their natural color. Again, you’ll want to do this outdoors, and suiting up with rain gear that can be scrubbed clean is a good idea because stuff will splatter. Also be aware that too strong a blast can crush or blast away the delicate bones around the nostrils, so be careful not to hit them directly with too much water pressure.

After power washing, you should remove any cartilage not blasted away with a sharp knife.

(BUZZ RAMSEY, ALL)

3b

3a 80 Northwest Sportsman

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2a 2b

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COLUMN

4a

4b

4

There are two ways to fully whiten the skull. The first is to immerse/soak it in a bath of hydrogen peroxide for two days. For this you will need to purchase the 40-percent hydrogen peroxide solution available at hairdressing salons or pool-supply stores, not the 3-percent diluted mixture often used to treat minor cuts. For deer-sized game it takes 1½ gallons of the stuff to cover the skull, but keep in mind that you can use the liquid many times. For example, I’ve completed eight European mounts with my original 1½-gallon supply and haven’t noticed any change in its effectiveness. Keep in mind that you don’t want to soak the antlers, just the skull. To whiten the top of the skull cap, I place a small rag soaked in hydrogen peroxide cream between the antlers during the soaking process.

After two days of soaking, remove the skull and rinse with cold water.

One final touch you might consider is to whiten the teeth by scraping them clean with a knife blade, something we have chosen not to do, since we like the contrasting color the natural tooth discoloration provides.

The second way to whiten a skull is to purchase a pound of Lady Clairol Basic White Powder or Salon Care Quick White powder and make a paste or thick paint out of it by adding a little 40-percent hydrogen peroxide. This process is one where you paint the mixture onto the skull. Remember to avoid the teeth (providing you want them to maintain their natural color) and antlers. Place the painted skull in a large plastic bag such that it won’t dry out and let it set in a warm place for two days, then rinse with fresh water.

Regardless of which whitening process you choose, remember to wear protective gloves.

5

While you can purchase prefinished mounting boards, if you intend to make more than a few European mounts and have basic wood-working skills and tools (router, drill motor and jigsaw), it’s pretty easy to set up a pattern and make your own backboard. If you do this, keep in mind deer antlers look best mounted at a 30-degree angle from the wall. This can be accomplished by adding a wedge-shaped piece of wood to the backboard.

We attach the skull to the backboard with a couple of long No. 9 screws located near the thick portion of the skull. For this, we drill a ¼-inch hole through the backboard and an 1/8-inch pilot hole into the skull.

6

A couple of final steps will make your mount stand out. Touch up any blemishes or dark spots that might appear on the skull with white shoe polish. The kind with the sponge applicator works best and matches the color of the cranium perfectly. Likewise, you can fix any imperfections on the antlers, perhaps where the hydrogen peroxide lightened them near the base, with Old English. We use the “dark woods” color.

And finally, to give the skull a finished look and make dusting easy, you can coat the white portion of the skull with Mod Podge sealer – just brush it on and let dry. NS

5a 5b

6a Editor’s note: The author is a brand manager and part of the management team at Yakima Bait. Like Buzz on Facebook.

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6b

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Pick me-e-e-e-e-e-e-e to be your backcountry pack animal! Author Brian Roberstson calls goats his “four-legged wilderness ATVs” and “true hunting companions.” (BRIAN ROBERTSON) 86 Northwest Sportsman

OCTOBER 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

HUNTING

They Actually Want To Be Your

BEAST BURDEN OF

Yakima-area big game hunter uses pack goats to hit the backcountry.

By Brian Robertson

T

he midmorning sun was finally cutting the fall morning air. A mist from the late-night rain shower was fading fast against the tall pines, the air clean and freshly filtered by the mountain rain. Early archery season was finally here. We were headed for a backcountry set of meadows that always has elk. It would be a week of bugling bulls and high hopes.

I say high hopes because my wife always says I “just take the bow for a walk and never kill anything.” Which is partially true. I am not the most successful bowhunter, but dang it, I have a lot of fun trying. To me, hunting and fishing are not just about the trophy; they’re a way of life that I cannot live without.

As we started our ascent up a nasty switchback ridge we could hear the distant clatter of steel hitting rocks. We gathered the boys and headed downhill off the trail to give the approaching pack train a wide berth. It’s just good trail etiquette to always give horse riders the trail and be downhill.

I started talking before they even rounded the bend so that the horses would not be startled by our presence. As the first rider came into view, he stopped his mule and just stared for a moment, leaning back in his saddle and tipping up his Stetson for a better look. Even the mule cocked its head in confusion.

“Those llamas or alpacas or somethin’?” the old cowboy drawled.

“No,” I chuckled, “they are pack goats.”

I patted Bookers on the neck.

“Well, hell, now I have seen about everything in these here mountains.

That’s the funniest thing I have laid my eyes on in a while. Heard of ’em, just never seen ’em!”

As the rider fumbled around in his breast pocket, he called out, “Ed, get up here and take a gander at this.”

As he stuffed a cigarette under his white mustache, Ed rode up on a tall painted mare, and at first sight flat out started laughing. When he calmed down to a chuckle all the usual questions began …

THE NEED FOR a pack animal is real for hunters and backpacker alike. They make wilderness and hunting excursions more comfortable. But what type of beast of burden is the question? nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 87

HUNTING

Pack goats are typically wethers, castrated males of about 3 years old. Their saddles are basically miniature sawbucks and panniers, the same as a pack horse or mule would carry, just sized to a goat.

They may not be the first pack animal you think of, but goats are great for helping hunters get deep into the backcountry. Mature ones can carry one-third of their body weight, up to 50 pounds. (BRIAN ROBERTSON)

(BRIAN ROBERTSON)

By far, the most common are horses and mules. They are the perfect animals for the job. But I have never hidden that I am not a horse person. I prefer to hike on my own two feet, and I don’t want a horse standing on those two feet.

Growing up, I fell off my fair share of horses – and I’m positive each time was completely my fault.

As that old cowboy noted, some use llamas, while a few even saddle dogs with small packs.

Which brings us to goats. They’re definitely not a critter that would be on the list of pack animals for most people, as the stigmatism and misinformation that surrounds them holds the breeds’ potential down.

But some have realized the awesome potential of these beasts of burden.

A pack goat is a dairy breed, generally a large castrated male called a wether. When well fed, trailed and trained, a 3-year-old pack goat can carry a load one-third of its 88 Northwest Sportsman

OCTOBER 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

body weight. I usually put about 50 pounds on my boys, which is less than a third of their weight. I usually gauge it by how much we have been packing; if they haven’t had a lot of weight on in a while, I try to scale it back. They do get fat and lazy, just like you and I, in winter.

Pack wethers are raised by hand from the moment of birth. Breeders like Zoe Barr of Barr Z Goats (509697-8481) even brings kids into the house the first few days of their life to bottle feed them. This imprints humans as the nurturer and matriarch of their world.

Training is simple because they simply want to be with you. My herd saddle training is pretty minimal: I let them sniff their pack for the first time and throw it on them. Usually it goes without much complaint. Then, any time you go for a hike or a walk, put it on them again. When they are 1 to 2 years old, I walk with them once a week. At 3 they are ready for weight

– I hold off till then so that I do not stress their still-growing joints.

GOATS HAVE QUIRKS, including eating seemingly every zipper pull they come by. Their love of trail mix has caused its fair share of train wrecks too – they’ll rummage through a pack at every opportunity for the stuff. But a squirt bottle and a stern voice usually solve any issues.

Occasionally a tipping is in order.

Tipping involves wrestling your goat to the ground and sitting on them to display that you are in charge. My neighbors have laughed at me more than once as I’ve sat on my goat in the middle of a country road over the animal’s behavior – really, it is the funniest thing you ever saw. Even the most devote pack animal will have their moments.

A wealth of information on care and training is Caroline Eddy’s Practical Goatpacking. I find myself referring to it quite a bit. There are

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HUNTING also several goat forums on the internet, such as The Goat Spot. Yes, a bunch of us goat nerds get together online and talk about goats.

In the 1970s John Mionczynski bred his own herd of pack goats. He was charged with studying bighorn sheep. He found that they were better suited than horses for the terrain and the pace of the migrating wild sheep. Mionczynsk eventually wrote The Pack Goat, which features a plethora of information for a prospective backcountry packtrain leader, plus it’s a darn good read. His insightfulness made goat packing what it is today.

Goat pack saddles are basically miniature sawbucks and panniers, the same as a pack horse or mule would carry, just sized to a goat.

Northwest Pack Goat and Supplies (888-722-5462) out of Weippe, Idaho, and Butt-Head Pack Goats (530-432-0946) out of Rough and Ready, Calif., both sell great saddles and accessories for pack goats.

Feeding your goats is pretty straight-forward. I pasture them in the summer and supplement straight alfalfa and grain for the first two years. Then in their third year we switch over to grass hay with alfalfa

On the trail to hunting camp, goats are only too happy to browse, and back at the ranch they’re “easy keepers.” Robertson pastures them in summer and says that a good rule of thumb for winter hay is four will eat about as much as one horse. They will need monthly hoof trimming and some vaccinations and worming. (BRIAN ROBERTSON)

pellets when it gets really cold. How much to feed them is pretty easy, as they really will not overeat. I feed enough that they have a little left over. A good rule of thumb for buying winter hay is four goats to one horse. Up on the trail, they steal

If you’re hunting solo or taking youngsters who can’t quite carry the load an adult can heft, pack goats can make a good alternative. (BRIAN ROBERTSON) 90 Northwest Sportsman

OCTOBER 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

bites of brush and pine, as well as carry their own alfalfa pellets.

There are some supplements, vaccinations and wormings that need to be done throughout the year, and once a month we trim hooves, but overall they are easy keepers My boys even have a teeter totter, wire spools and catwalks to play on in their pasture. This keeps them exercising while not on the trail. It’s a lot of fun watching them horse around on their toys. They also use them for shade during the heat of the day.

Pack goats are not just a beast of burden, but one of the best trail companions I have found. They will go anywhere you can, even places you cannot. We have covered 12 miles of fairly rugged steep terrain in a day and they’ve kept up the whole way, although they did lay down as soon as we stopped at the site of our High Buck camp.

Heading into the backcountry with goats would seem to be great way to feed all the lions, bears, coyotes and now wolves roaming

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the Northwest, but I have yet to hear of predation on a pack goat. They typically hang out right next to their human counterparts and bed down in camp. I tie bells onto the goats at night, so that if they get restless I will hear them and can unzip the tent and check things out. In grizzly country I know several goat packers who put up a portable electric fence.

In the lower country, rattlesnakes are more of an issue than anything else.

We have had several close calls with those slithering little devils.

HUNTING WITH GOATS is straight forward. They just tag along. Like any other pack animal, they can be high lined or tied off to brush, but for the most part I don’t worry about it.

They are actually quieter than you can be in the woods, and deer and elk will try to investigate what they are when they see a goat.

At first pack goats were just a means for me to hunt solo in the wilderness, but now I think I have been transformed into a true goat lover. Yes, I said it – I love my goats.

They are the hunting partner that never complains, they follow me anywhere and do not call in that “favor” of backing out at the last minute. They are my four-legged wilderness ATVs. Take a look at adding pack goats to your hunting, fishing and hiking arsenal. You’ll not only gain a very useful tool, but a true hunting companion. NS

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COLUMN Making pemmican is a great way to connect with history while also creating a tasty snack out of your fall harvests. (RANDY KING)

How To Make Your Own Pemmican T

he elk were a scant 70 yards away.

My father, buddy and I had spotted them from over a mile off and had managed to sneak undetected to well within shooting distance. It felt like a hunt CHEF IN THE WILD that was coming together as I slipped out

By Randy King from behind a tree, aimed my scope to just in front of an elk’s ear, exhaled and pulled the trigger. She fell, never having known another thing.

But I knew something; I knew that I had just made meat that would feed five families. I knew that in no way was this animal going to be wasted or treated like anything other than pure culinary gold. Visions of steaks, summer barbecues and pemmican floated in my head. This meat was wild, I had struggled for it and I would make the most of it.

In the distance I heard the crack of another gun; someone else was making meat too. We were both participating in a tradition that stretched back to the beginning of humanity.

Whether you use buffalo, like the Plains tribes, deer, moose or elk, like the author – that’s one of his sons on the hindquarter – doesn’t really matter, as all work for the meat portion of pemmican. (RANDY KING)

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PEMMICAN The history of humanity is a story of calorie acquisition. While the gatherers collected the majority, hunters brought in the

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Northwest Sportsman 95

COLUMN Many folks use dried fruit for pemmican, but the author prefers jam or jelly, and more specifically his homemade huckleberry jam, made from berries he picked himself. Ideally, he’d also use rendered bear fat, but … well, the bruins haven’t exactly rendered themselves up for his recipe in a couple years, so he uses coconut oil. (RANDY KING)

EASY-PEASY PEMMICAN Some may criticize my pemmican recipe as being nonpurest, but so what? I am not trying to be a cultural appropriator. My goal is good food – this is good food.

To wit:

Recipe 1 cup coconut oil ½ cup huckleberry jam 1 cup wild game jerky, crumbled or powdered in a blender Line a medium-sized cookie sheet with foil, spray lightly with pan release. Reserve.

Heat huckleberry jam in small pan on stove. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. This step will remove most of the moisture from the jam, allowing it to be shelf stable, if desired. Reserve.

Heat coconut oil. I microwave it for 1 minute, until hot and completely clear.

In a medium-sized bowl add the coconut oil and concentrated 96 Northwest Sportsman

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jam. Mix well to incorporate.

Next, add the crumbled or powdered meat in small batches, making sure to mix it well. When all the meat is added, you should have a purple/brown mixture that is slightly stiff to stir. Taste the mixture. If you want more salt, add a little more salt. If you want it sweeter, add a little honey.

Pour mix onto the foil-lined cookie sheet and spread mixture until it is about half an inch thick. Try to keep it in a rectangular form, as it will be easier to cut and portion that way. When the mix is evenly spread, place the tray into the refrigerator. This will cause the coconut oil to set.

After two hours remove the cookie sheet from the fridge, invert the pan and “pop” out the pemmican onto a clean cutting board.

Remove the foil and cut the pemmican into desired portion sizes.

I think 2- to 3-ounce pieces are plenty big enough. I cut mine into “bar” shapes and wrap them in parchment paper. I then freeze them, but this is optional. Enjoy.

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

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Northwest Sportsman 97

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calorie-dense meat. In times of surplus food was often preserved and saved for later. Each culture had its own method or style of prerefrigeration preservation.

Ancient Egyptians poached meat in fat, then stored it in a barrel in the cellar. Germanic tribes would bury a ditch full of cabbage until winter, making sauerkraut. The English would barrel pickled herring, bringing lent and fish Fridays to the center of the country. The Basques would dry cod that could be stacked and stored for years. In the Americas, the native tribes made pemmican.

Pemmican is basically three things: fat, dried meat and fruit. Plains tribes developed a high-calorie method of food preservation directly linked to the buffalo harvest. They would dry the meat over a fire or in the sun until brittle, then pound it until it was nearly a powder. Next they would mix the meat with rendered buffalo fat and dried fruit. This pemmican would last for years if stored properly. It would often be a staple part of the diet in the winter – when hunting was hard and foraging even harder.

Pemmican was traded with the furtrappers and explorers who set out across North America, even becoming a staple for the latter folks who did not possess the woodsmanship of the natives. Basically, pemmican warded off starvation and provided calories and nutrition for westward expansion.

As the buffalo were killed off and food became easier to ship across the continent, pemmican fell off in consumption. But in modern times it has seen a resurgence, thanks in part to the Paleo diet. Tanka Bars – a variation of pemmican – are a hugely popular highprotein food source produced in South Dakota. Other manufacturers exist as well, making everything from pemmican bars to pemmican trail mix. But this is a column about wild meat and how to prepare it yourself …

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The simplest recipe for pemmican is a ratio of 1:1:.5 – that is, one part dried meat, one part fat, one-half part jam. While buffalo was historically the most popular meat,

hunting opportunities for the shaggy critters are sparse these days. The good news is that deer, elk, caribou and moose all work well for this recipe; I use elk. The idea is to have a super-lean protein that is free of fat, which can go rancid. Honestly, I use the jerky that makes it past the winter in my pemmican bars. I have a buddy who loves to make the stuff, so I have an extra pound every year.

If you are making jerky for this application, make sure to trim it of all fat. Nonrendered animal fat will turn bad if left out. As I’m in a bit of a dry stretch hunting bruins of late, I am clean out of bear fat, so my recipe uses coconut oil. I could use lard from the store (most other recipes do), but I like the idea of using my own gathered animal fat instead of beef fat. The coconut oil I use is the shelf-stable stuff that looks like lard and keeps solid until it’s about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. That way, in most of my hunting seasons I know the pemmican bars in my pack are still bars, not goopy messes.

Another way my pemmican recipe is a little different than most is that I use jam or jelly as an ingredient instead of dried fruit. The reason is twofold. First, the jam allows me to flavor the pemmican how I want to. Secondly, the added sugar of the jam helps my inner sweet tooth. I use my own homemade huckleberry jam for this, but if that is not an option for you, many online retailers have them for sale. Just remember, a recipe is an idea – feel free to substitute huckleberry for blackberry, blueberry, raspberry or even grape jelly. They all lend themselves to the goal with pemmican of a highcalorie, high-energy and easy-to-carry food you want to eat.

Indeed, this is not your everyday snack item. Pemmican is meant for those burning lots of calories, like marching across the plains in search of buffalo or up the side of a hill looking for an elk.

Consider that elk jerky is about 75 calories per ounce, coconut oil is about 244 calories per ounce and huckleberry jam is about 75 calories per ounce. That means a 2.5-ounce bar will have about 370 calories – that’s some densely compacted energy right there! NS

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100 Northwest Sportsman

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HUNTING

Make More Of Fall

Mushroom hound Wrangler the blue heeler takes a breather on a Western Oregon fungi hunt with author Randall Bonner. (RANDALL BONNER)

Not all autumn’s hunts are for tasty four-leggers and two-wingers – edible mushrooms are to be had as well.

By Randall Bonner

R

ains in early summer brought success for hunters of fall mushrooms as early as midJuly, and this season looks to be on track for a stellar showing of the wild edibles in Western Oregon.

It’s good news after dry weather stalled last year’s crop. Though lobster mushrooms did OK, fall chanterelles were not nearly as plentiful as the

following 2016 winter crop. But if rains fall early and frequently, a lowyield year can potentially be followed by a significantly more productive crop the next.

Early sulphur shelf, or Chicken of the Woods, along with lobster mushrooms, and the ever-popular white and yellow chantrelles are easy to find once the rains come in earnest.

Pigs ear and bolete mushrooms also rise through the substrate of the

forest floor later in the fall.

Chantrelles are perhaps the most widely sought variety, and there is an abundance of them along the Coast Range at higher elevations. When you happen upon one, stop and pay attention to your surroundings. It’s not uncommon to trample several mushrooms in one area while overcome with the excitement to pluck the first one you laid eyes on. Look for mossy areas under old growth, evergreen debris and where salal and Oregon grape grow.

While moisture from the rain is key to activating the mycelium, you nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 101

HUNTING

Chanterelles, which come in white and yellow varieties, may be the best known of fall’s mushrooms, but western forests also grow sulphur shelf, also known as Chicken of the Woods, lobster, pigs ear and bolete mushrooms.

Just be sure of what you’re picking. (ERIC BADEAU)

will find that some mushrooms that are more exposed to the elements tend to deteriorate, become soggy and inedible. The best time to harvest is during periods of warmer weather after rains have saturated the soil enough that it still remains damp.

But when the ground is really wet, look underneath the gaps of fallen logs that have made contact with the forest floor. Where logs shield the ground from rain creates a drier environment that will produce firmer mushrooms that tend to keep longer. If there’s frequent wet weather, you’ll also find better quality mushrooms on south-facing slopes.

On the contrary, if the rains are few and far between, north-facing slopes, shady areas and flat spots on hillsides will hold more moisture and provide more productive habitat.

Here are some more tips: * Being aware of your surroundings is vital to enjoying your outdoor 102 Northwest Sportsman

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experience. Keep in mind that it’s fairly easy to wander onto private property on accident. Check your local regulations on harvesting and whether entry permits are needed where you plan to search. * Do not consume any mushrooms you can not identify with confidence.

The many lookalikes out there have made people pretty sick over the years. * If the quality of your find is in question, the general rule of “When in doubt, toss it out” applies. * While on your hike, keep track of time and your path so you don’t get lost in the woods after dark. If you are unsure about how long your hike will be, bring a headlamp or flashlight. NS Editor’s note: It’s worth reiterating, our attorneys, lawyers and legal counsels advise us, that eating the wrong mushroom could kill you, or worse, so be damned sure of what you’ve picked before ingesting it, OK?

Danielle Kinsman shows off a lobster mushroom. (RANDALL BONNER)

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Northwest Sportsman 103

Sauvie Island Duck Club A private waterfowl hunting club on acres of prime, private hunting ground in the heart of Sauvie Island. Home to premier Oregon waterfowling!

Sauvie Island Duck Club sits on a major flyway and is a mallard haven!

MEMBERSHIP TYPES: Day ($200) Week ($750) Season ($2,000) Contact Ron Spada at 503.539.5396 or visit www.siduckclub.com 104 Northwest Sportsman

OCTOBER 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

OPE 2016 NINGS -201 AVAI 7 W LABL ATER E F FOW OR TH L SE E ASO N

HUNTING

The Mysteries Of The BLIND BAG

Blind bags run the gamut in terms of size, style and what they’re swaddled in. Choose what works best for the kind of hunting you do most, whether that’s walking in, hunting out of a boat or a duck club blind. (JULIA JOHNSON)

With Northwest duck and goose seasons opening this month, now’s time to organize your waterfowl gear.

By M.D. Johnson

T

echnically, I guess you could say I started duck hunting in 1972 at the age of 10. I was, I reckon, a duck hunter in so much as I dressed the part, carried a 1952 Winchester Model 24 16-gauge shotgun and spent most of the time from mid-October through the 15th of November – my cottontail rabbit and pheasant opener, which was the most sacred of days to us beaglemen – not only in a variety of swamp and swamp-like settings, but in the company of wader-clad men who truly were duck hunters.

Back then, we didn’t pack

blind bags into the field. If you’re unfamiliar with the phrase – which, chances are, you’re not unfamiliar with the phrase – a blind bag is any of 101 camo-covered satchels designed to be purchased, filled and then carried afield – or into the blind, as the name implies – by the modern waterfowler. My Pop, Mick, did throw an old olive-drab military medical bag over his shoulder.

Contents? A couple extra packs of Camel Lights, an OLT D-2 duck call, which he never blew, an extra farmer hankie and one – nah, make that two – Hershey bars. With almonds. There might have been three or four lead No. 2 goose loads in there too. As for

me, I carried nothing – no water, no food, no duck call, no nothing. Just ammunition. Lots and lots and lots of ammunition. After all, I was 10; a shootist, not a hunter yet.

Today, blind bags are as much of a waterfowler’s world as decoys, dogs and duck boats. They’re big.

They’re small. Realtree. Mossy Oak. NatGear. Optifade. They’re in the hunting videos. They line the shelves at Sportco and Sportsman’s, Cabela’s and Bass Pro. Truth is, the contents of a blind bag say quite a bit about the waterfowler who packs it. One box of shells? Two? Three? A single duck and goose call, or three of each on a lanyard thick enough to pull a ¾-ton pickup out of the ditch? And what about the accessories? And the food? There’s always the food. Is it Little Debbies and RC Cola? Quinoa nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 105

HUNTING

The trick is to find a blind bag that’s big enough to carry your gear, but not so big that you need three high school wrestlers and an ox cart to pack it into the field. (JULIA JOHNSON)

and low-sodium seaweed snacks? Or, like my old man, a Hershey bar with almonds, and maybe a box of Good & Plenty kicker?

IF YOU’RE JUST taking your first steps into the wonderful world of the waterfowler, here’s a look at my field blind bag, both inside and out, just to give you an idea of what you may – or may not – need to throw in yours. Understand that as time goes on, the contents of the bag will change. Or grow outdated. Or, in the case of perishable food items, rot, mold and fall into nothingness.

And for you ’fowling veterans, it’s 106 Northwest Sportsman

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a look at how my gear list might compare with your own.

THE BAG ITSELF As I mentioned earlier, there are currently 1.87 million blind bags on the market. The trick is to find one that’s big enough to carry your gear, but not so big that you need three high school wrestlers and an ox cart to pack it into the field. Oh, that won’t happen, you say. Here’s the truth.

Men are genetically engineered to attempt to cram 1,250 cubic inches of stuff into a bag designed for only 900 – same as with our trucks, boats, garages, shops, you name it.

The bottom line here is to shop around. Online will work; however, it’s better to be able to physically pick the bag up and look at it inside and out. Try it at the retailer, if possible.

At the very least, test drive the shoulder straps and handles. Are there plenty of pockets and pouches?

Does it – and this is incredibly important for a water-fowling bag – have a waterproof liner or bottom?

Sadly, hunting last year in the Grays River valley, west of my home in Cathlamet, a name-brand bag soaked up water like the proverbial sponge.

Needless to say, it went into the field exactly one time.

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Northwest Sportsman 107

HUNTING Size matters, too, when you factor in your primary method of waterfowling. That is, do you drive or boat into the blind, or are you slinging the bag over your shoulder and walking it in?

Currently, I’m running two blind bags, each with similar yet different gear. The smaller Power Hunter (Avery) bag is a great walk-in item, with a rough-figured 380 cubic inches of interior space. I use this one on probably 75 percent of my hunts. The second one is the Shell Shocker XLT (Rig’Em Right), with approximately 1,100 cubic inches inside. The former sports NatGear; the latter is clad in Realtree MAX5.

But as we know, the camouflage pattern is personal preference, as the birds truly don’t care. What both bags share are these characteristics: adjustable and well-padded shoulder straps; strong stitched carrying handles; tough zippers with good

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zipper pulls; and they keep my gear dry. Everything else, i.e. pouches, cell phone pockets, loops, buckles, padding and whatever, is simply to one’s taste of gingerbread. Call it what you will. Space and dry; it’s what I’m looking for.

A LOOK INSIDE On a typical hunt, here’s what my blind bag will contain. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll use the larger of the two, the Shell Shocker, with the note that the Power Hunter, more often than not, will hold an abbreviated version of the larger. And with that ...

Shotshells: A 25-round box of HeviMetal No. 3s for ducks and/or half a box of Hevi-Metal No. 1s (decoying geese) or BBs (late season or passshooting geese). One or the other, depending on whether I’m hunting ducks, geese, or both.

Calls: I do carry several on a Coyote Leather lanyard, including a Zink Power Hen, Field Proven Double Shot,

Field Proven Matrix, Tim Grounds snow/speck and a Buck Gardner 6-in-1 whistle. There’s also a chromeplated Sasquatch, a gift from a fellow BFRO fan, and my late Maggie’s last rabies tag. Sentimental fool, am I. Headlight: Simple LED unit powered by three AAA batteries.

And three extra batteries.

Multitool: Reactor from SOG Knives. I carry a Swiss Army knife every day, but the quick-assist blade here is nice. Pliers, too.

Folding saw: Folding pruning saw from Gerber. Cutting brush for blinds or boats was never easier.

First-aid kit: In a heavy quart-sized freezer Ziploc bag, I have bandages; gauze; medical tape; tweezers; eye drops; Carmex; ibuprofen tablets; Rolaids; Q-Tips; dental floss, Super Glue; alcohol wipes; and a small compact mirror.

Gorilla Tape: Like zip ties, duct tape fixes damn near everything. Or should. I’ve got the 30-foot (1-inch-

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HUNTING 2016 DUCK, GOOSE PROSPECTS

Northwest waterfowlers should see a good season, especially after the northerns arrive. Gunnar Velikanje, then 17, bagged his limit of greenheads along Topenish Creek, in central Yakima County, last December. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)

Waterfowlers can expect plenty of ducks this fall, as numbers remain well above average across North America, according to federal managers.

While local duck production was down over last year in Washington and Oregon, nesting conditions were up overall in the Pacific Flyway, compared to 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported in August.

The agency said habitat was in good condition in Western Oregon and “much improved” in the Beaver State’s lower left quarter, but the overall estimate of 214,000 ducks was down 24 percent from last year and 20 percent below the 20-year average. However, the estimate of 87,000 mallards didn’t represent a loss of ground versus 2015.

Washington’s greenhead count was 60,000, 31 percent off last year, and 25 percent below that rolling long-term average. The total quacker tally was 121,000, down from 193,000 last season.

Those are the ducks we’ll be hunting early in the season, and fortunately the declines weren’t as big with the northerns that fuel late-season action.

British Columbia had mixed nesting conditions, but the mallard estimate was “similar” to the long-term average, while overall duck numbers were just 12 percent lower than 2015 and 9 percent below the past two decades.

Canada goose numbers were pretty similar to last year and above the 10year trend. Snows had a good breeding season on Wrangel Island, with their numbers up 25 percent. They primarily winter on the Skagit and other North Sound deltas.

Oregon duck season opens Oct. 15-30 and Nov. 2-Jan. 29 in Zone 1, Oct. 8-Nov. 27 and Nov. 30-Jan. 22 in Zone 2. Washington duck season runs Oct. 15-19 and Oct. 22-Jan. 29, 2017. Both states’ goose hunting dates vary by the many management units. –NWS

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Northwest Sportsman 111

wide) Handy Roll, but I’ve removed the cardboard inner “roll” and pressed the tape flat. No sense in taking up more space than is necessary.

DIY Dopp Kit: For in-the-field fixes. Includes O-rings, pistons and an operating handle for my M1187; small Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, one each; Zeiss lenscleaning wipes; 5 feet of nylon twine; choke tube wrench; mini needlenose pliers; metal punch; selection of 4-, 6-, and 8-inch zip ties; 3-ounce can of WD-40; magnifying/reading glasses; safety pins, various sizes; and OTIS Tactical Gun Cleaning Kit. Paracord: Approximately 25 feet of OD 550-pound Paracord, which ranks right up there with Zip Ties, duct tape and safety pins in terms of usefulness Camo-Compact: I like covering my face when I’m waterfowling, but I hate head nets. So I go the facepaint route, which is easy, thanks to Hunters Specialties’ Camo-Compact.

The small mirror is also indispensable for digging things, e.g. seeds and such, out of your eye sockets.

Cell phone: I feel about my cell phone as I do a head net. It’s a necessity, but I hate it. Still, if something should happen while I’m out, a mobile phone might come in handy. Make sure it holds a full charge before leaving the house.

Duck/goose strap: Mine is a Game Hawg (Avery), but it really doesn’t matter the make or model. Straps seemed silly to me at first, but they do help when it’s time to pack the day’s take back to the rig.

Snacks: Water, David’s sunflower seeds, goose jerky, bear sausage and a peanut butter ’n jelly sandwich, thoroughly flattened.

Five-Hour Energy: I wish it came in Pabst Blue Ribbon flavor, but it doesn’t, so I’ll settle for my B-Vitamin pick-me-up with a hint of sour apple or pomegranate.

Toilet paper: I can’t imagine there’s a need to explain here – just be sure to seal it from the elements in the invaluable Ziploc bag! NS 112 Northwest Sportsman

OCTOBER 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

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Northwest Sportsman 113

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COLUMN

No, the waterfowl regulations aren’t the same from year to year. Best to get several copies of this season’s, as well as check on a couple other often-overlooked items before whacking quackers and Canadas. (DAVE WORKMAN)

Get Ready For

FOWL TIMES S

eptember’s early goose seasons for Northwest waterfowlers were just a prelude to the “main event” hunts that kick off in October for ducks and geese. Local birds will provide early-season opportunities and a bit later, depending upon the weather up north, the big northern birds will flock ON TARGET into the Columbia Basin, Umatilla and Upper

By Dave Workman Snake, all places where smoothbores will most assuredly get a workout late in the year.

According to an August report from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, “Overall duck numbers in the survey area are statistically

similar to last year and remain steady. Total populations were estimated at 48.4 million breeding ducks in the traditional survey area, which is 38 percent above the 1955-2015 longterm average.”

This report, based on surveys done in May and June, also projected the mallard fall flight index of 13.5 million birds, slightly less than last year’s projection.

Everybody has his or her own fall rituals for getting ready, but here are five things that might get overlooked.

1) BOOTS Ever had a leaky wader or hip boot because a crack has formed

nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 115

COLUMN

Brought To You By:

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sometime over the summer and you didn’t see it? That sucks.

Check your footgear now, while there is still time to repair or replace it. You’re not likely to find a sporting goods store open at 3 or 4 a.m. when you’re headed for your hunting spot.

®

We focus on cleaning our shotguns’ barrels and actions, but don’t forget those chokes, advises author Dave Workman, who says to use a little Choke Tube Lube on them. (DAVE WORKMAN)

2) GUN Shotguns get a real workout during any hunting season that starts in the milder weather conditions of early autumn and ends in midwinter, when it could be raining, snowing, muddy and bone-chilling cold. Break out the Hoppe’s No. 9 or Outers solvent and get to work.

The other day I was going through some stuff in the closet and out rolled a little container of Choke Tube Lube. It reminded me that now is the time to be cleaning your choke tubes.

For those who use pumps or semiautos, scrub out the action as best as you can. This is where the aerosol cleaning solutions have made a huge difference in firearms maintenance. A few shots of Gun Scrubber followed by an application of aerosol gun oil can save the day.

Perhaps most important, make sure the safety works! It’s never happened to me with a shotgun or rifle, but there have been instances where a safety didn’t work up to snuff for somebody else. It might not click on or off easily – a bad thing to have happen in the middle of a hunt.

3) BARREL(S) I’ve known guys who keep a roll of black plastic tape in their pockets for walking to and from a duck blind or goose pit, or even tramping through corn stubble looking for ringnecks. It’s a trick to allow for a strip or two over their muzzles to keep out the crud in case they take a spill in the mud.

Barrel safety is important enough for Ducks Unlimited to have mentioned it specifically in a series of shotgun safety tips posted online back in August.

4) AMMUNITION Examine your shells, especially if they’re left over from last season.

It may not occur to people, but shotshells can deteriorate if left in the truck or SUV. Shells that may have been rolling around in the bottom of a boat may not go off. If the base shows corrosion, set that round aside.

Right now is also good time to be stocking up on shells, if you haven’t already done so. Check the advertisements in this magazine for any specials.

And make sure all the ammunition you have when you head for the blind or pit is nontoxic. For the first time in many years, I may get a chance to head out to the Columbia Basin this year just to hunt for rabbits with my .410 and I’ve already got a couple of boxes of steel for that gun, a little side-by-side Stoeger Uplander with double triggers.

5) REGULATIONS If you don’t know the regs, now’s a good time to study up. Also 116 Northwest Sportsman

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brush up on your bird identification.

If you don’t have a waterfowl/bird hunting pamphlet, stop right now and go to the place you got your license and pick up two copies. Keep one in your vehicle and the other in your pack. Regulations for Washington (wdfw.wa.gov), Oregon (dfw. state.or.us) and Idaho (idfg.idaho.gov) can be found online, and pamphlets are available at sporting goods stores. General seasons run into January with various closing dates depending upon the region.

Another thing you might add to your pack is earplugs. When hunting with pals, it can get pretty loud when two or three guns are going off either simultaneously or consecutively as birds cross everybody’s shooting lane.

NEW PRODUCT WATCH: Back in mid-August, Savage Arms (savagearms.com) announced a new Stevens 12-gauge Model 320 Waterfowl pump shotgun model. This one wears a finish of Mossy Oak Shadow Grass camouflage on the buttstock and forearm, and a blue matte finish on the steel.

It features dual slide bars, a rotary bolt, synthetic stock and vent-rib barrel. The front sight is green fiber optic, and it comes with interchangeable chokes. There are QD sling swivel studs on the buttstock and the magazine tube cap. The safety is located on the front of the trigger guard.

Fabarm (fabarmusa.com) has also announced a new smoothbore for duck and goose hunting. It’s the XLR5 Waterfowler, a 12-gauge semiauto featuring Pulse Piston operation. Finished

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Northwest Sportsman 117

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with Kryptek Banshee camo, it has a synthetic stock, and barrel lengths are available from 28 to 30 inches with a vent rib and red fiber optic front sight.

The XLR5 Waterfowler is chambered for 3-inch magnums and comes with interchangeable choke tubes that include an EXIS DK, which Fabarm calls â&#x20AC;&#x153;a special competition choke tube tuned for non-toxic ammo.â&#x20AC;?

Just as with checking your ammunition, this is a good time to be making sure your calls are all up to snuff. Zink Calls (zinkcalls.com) has a new mallard drake whistle polycarbonate duck call. It features what Zink calls an â&#x20AC;&#x153;easy blowâ&#x20AC;? system that makes it easier for even novices to â&#x20AC;&#x153;produce quality sound,â&#x20AC;? according to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s literature.

Final Approach has added three new products that just might come in handy this season for hardcharging wingshooters, according to Vista Outdoor (vistaoutdoor.com). The lineup includes a backpack finished in either Realtree MAX-5 or Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Blades camo. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got big compartments, a waterproof pocket for a cell phone, slots for 20 shells, padded waist belt and more.

Another entry from Final Approach is the Timber Shoulder Bag. It has loops for a dozen shotgun shells, large main compartment and several accessory pockets.

Lastly, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new Floating Medium Blind Bag with a large main compartment, two side accessory pockets and waterproof cell phone pocket.

Switching from the marsh to the woods, Federalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (federalpremium.com) new PowerShok Copper ammunition features a hollowpoint copper projectile and new Catalyst leadfree primer. The bullet opens up fast to create a large wound channel. It is available in most popular hunting calibers.

Also new for handgunners, Winchester (winchester.com) has two new lead-free rounds, one in 9mm and the other in .40 S&W. They feature a zinc-core FMJ bullet and leadfree primers.

These new Super Clean rounds are ideal for indoor and outdoor shooting ranges.

The 9mm round has a 90-grain projectile that leaves the muzzle at a reported Among several new products waterfowlers 1,325 feet per second and the 120-grain and other hunters might take a gander at for this .40-caliber pill exits at 1,250 fps.

For fans of the .308 Winchester, Sig season is the Fabarm XLR5 Waterfowler, a Sauer (sigammo.com) has added a 12-gauge semiauto new load featuring a 168-grain Sierra chambered for 3-inch magnums and featuring MatchKing bullet. This round is specifically EXIS DK, â&#x20AC;&#x153;a special designed for the modern sport-utility rifle. competition choke tube According to Sig Sauer, the bullet clocks at tuned for non-toxic 2,719 fps at the muzzle. NS ammo.â&#x20AC;? (FABARM)

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I

The Chetco Bubble fishery will be open less than half as long as recent years due to lower forecasted returns of wild Chinook, but it should still be a viable option for anglers trolling right off Brookings Harbor this month. Deckhand DJ Jones hoists a nice bubble king from last year. (OREGONFISHINGADVENTURE.COM)

t’s October and I’m back in Brookings after seven months in Seward, Alaska. I’ve dusted off my Oregon fishing gear in preparation for the Chetco Bubble, and while I’m excited for this year’s fishery, it won’t be the same as past falls. Generally it runs from Oct. 1 to SOUTH COAST the 11th or 13th, but 2016’s season has been

By Randy Wells reduced to Oct. 1-3 and 8-9. Daily limit is two Chinook, minimum length 24 inches, and one may be wild.

With fewer days available, myself and a few other skippers will not be chartering the bubble, though I will still be out catching kings. In addition, many out-of-town anglers will not spend much time chasing these fish, which, as you can imagine, is a drastic economic loss for local tackle shops, hotels, restaurants and other

nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 123

Cut-plug herring and salmon-sized spinners are good bets for getting bit by a Chetco fall king. Some of them get big, as much as 45 and 50 pounds. (OREGONFISHINGADVENTURE.COM) fishing guides. It also represents a loss of revenue for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in terms of fishing license sales. Because of the economic sacrifice to the local community and state, I wanted to know exactly why this year’s restrictions were implemented, so I contacted Todd Confer, the ODFW district fisheries biologist based out of Gold Beach, for details.

Confer says the forecasted wild Chinook return is for 2,600 fish, down from an average of 4,400, and that about 2,000 hatchery fish are expected back as well. Commercial harvest is set at a total of 300 and the recreation harvest on average in five days of fishing equates to about 300 fish, based on historical data.

Confer states that the reason for the split season is to try and minimize the negative economic outcome to local businesses, including the fishing guide community.

Back in April, he sent an email to a lot of local guides, anglers and businesses, asking what they thought would be best, and everyone agreed that splitting the days and putting them on weekends would still give the most economic return for the allowable fish harvest. I do think it’s great that ODFW takes into account not only the fact that sustainable fisheries are a must but that people rely on the economic revenue from said fisheries, and that they do their best to manage both with a hopeful outcome of more fish for everyone in the future.

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ALL THAT SAID, the Chetco Bubble represents your best bet on the West Coast to catch a 45- to 55-pound Chinook in saltwater. (If you don’t have the ability to fish the ocean, don’t worry – at the end of October through November, these huge fish flood into the Chetco River and you can catch them from shore or drift boat.) The fishery consists of the waters 3 nautical miles from shore between Twin Rocks northwest of Brookings and the Oregon-California border to the south. For a detailed map, go to dfw.state.or.us and search 2016_chetco_state.

Now that you have the dates and the map, let’s outline the hows and whats.

Trolling 50 to 100 feet down with a B-N-R Tackle spreader bar and 12- to 16-ounce cannonball or a downrigger is the how. The what is a plug-cut herring cured with ProCure Brine-N-Bite Complete injected with Pro-Cure Water Soluble Scent, or a Bob Toman Spinner from Yakima Bait behind a size 10 Big Al’s Fish Flash.

The biggest mistake I see anglers make when trolling is too short of a leader between the flasher and the bait. Buzz Ramsey of Yakima Bait says many guides and anglers run a 4- to 6-foot leader and only go shorter if the water has a lot of color, and he tends to stick in the same range of leader length.

“In clear water or with short strikes, go to a longer leader, such as 8 feet,” Ramsey tips.

Skittish fish may be attracted to the

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Northwest Sportsman 125

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flasher but won’t get too close, or they will swim up and give a short strike, so that long leader can be the difference on tough days.

A very important piece of tackle to remember is a bead-chain swivel for between your leader. A swivel or bead chain will stop line twist, and make for easy change-outs from bait to spinners when used in conjunction with a snap swivel.

When fishing herring, Ramsey runs a 30-pound leader and when he’s fishing a spinner, because of the aggressive strikes, he runs a 40-pound leader. He says the big fish hit spinners and he has his best results while running the spinner close to the bow, or front, rod.

Ramsey and I agree that if you’re fishing and not hooking, you’ve got to make a change with each pass. I’m consistently changing either my spinner or my flasher color until I get one or two rods consistently hooking fish. Once I have a pattern, I try to mimic that on my other rods.

As a charter captain I often run six rods and there’s always the one hot rod. You’ve got to copy what you’re running on that set-up – match the colors, match the baits and spread it out until all your rods are catching fish.

Buzz’s favorite spinner colors are red and white and pearl with the red dot, while metal is best when the sun is out.

When it comes to flashers, you need a variety – just four or five is not going to keep you hooked up. Again, I’m constantly changing out flasher colors until I find what the fish want, and then I try to mimic that on the rest of my rods.

Lastly, I have noticed that people don’t clean their flashers at the end of the day, and that is a mistake. You need a bright flash – that’s the objective of the flasher – but saltwater will build up and cause the finish to dull. So be sure to clean your flashers and store them properly so they’ll continue to put meat in your freezer.

Be sure to check out Lunker Junkies TV (lunkerjunkies.com) for more “how to” tips.

Hope to see you on the water! NS

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OCTOBER 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

Editor’s note: Randy Wells is a full-time fishing guide in Oregon and Alaska. His websites are oregonfishingadventure.com and fishsewardalaska.com. He can also be reached at (541) 500-7885.

nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 127

128 Northwest Sportsman

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+ Outdoor news and hot topics covering fishing, hunting, conservation, shooting sports & more! + Guide and outfitter tips + Celebrity and personality interviews + Outdoor destinations you have got to visit! + New product reviews + Find out about poachers, politicians and more who are walking the “Trail of Shame”

FISHING

Head Off Tilla Co. Tidewater Kings With its three bays and six rivers set to see scores of fall Chinook in October, here are five top tactics for limiting.

Fall Chinook will begin to gather in good numbers in the tidewaters of Tillamook County’s many rivers this month. As they wait for the return of the rains, kings like this one held by Ron Schneider respond well to a variety of presentations and techniques. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)

By Andy Schneider

O

ctober is a month of transition, from mild nights and days that are reminiscent of summer to crisp mornings and days where the sun just barely takes the chill out of the air. Our forests blaze with color and at the latte stands, pumpkin spice drinks are mixed by gals who will tell you everything they love about fall. Yes, autumn’s shorter and cooler days can no longer be denied. But not to fret; even as our short Northwest summer abandons us, it brings big, mean chrome-bright Chinook flooding into estuaries and pushing

the upper limits of tidewater. There they lie, just waiting for the first freshets to bring the scents of their spawning gravel to spur them home.

Tidewater fishing starts with opening your tide book or app, as a successful trip starts with knowing where to fish at what stage of the tide.

With small exchanges, best fishing can usually be found in the lower bay, and with larger ones, it’s almost always better in the upper estuaries and tidewaters. This month presents us three weekends – Oct. 1-2, 1516 and 29-30 – with large tidal exchanges that should push fresh Chinook into all of the tidewater fisheries of Tillamook County.

THIS COUNTY ON Oregon’s North Coast has been blessed with several things, and while Holsteins, cheddar and ice cream spring to mind for most nonanglers, fishermen know it is also rich in rivers. Draining into three bays are six major streams, each featuring some pretty amazing tidewater fishing.

The Nehalem, Kilches, Wilson, Trask, Tillamook and Nestucca usually remain at very low flows through the first half of fall, but that doesn’t stop Chinook from trying to push into the upper limits of tidewater. These waters present some pretty unique fishing conditions that many river anglers may not nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 131

FISHING be familiar with. The streams flow backwards and get deeper as the tide floods, only to change directions completely, ebb and drop quickly in height. This creates an ever-changing but also challenging environment to pursue salmon. Many anglers bring multiple disciplines to work these fluctuating waters – bobber and eggs, plugs, trolling and back-bouncing, and hovering.

Each of the rivers has its popular holes and locations that draw anglers year after year. Many times the spots are productive for certain reasons: accessibility, fishing-holding structure or maybe just traditions.

While they’re good places to start your day or maybe finish it, if they’re not producing, get up and explore the miles of available tidewater. Big rewards can come to those who explore water away from the crowds, figure out the right way to fish the spot and make it produce.

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A hot fall Chinook provides some excitement for author Andy Schneider’s crew. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)

BOBBER AND EGGS is by far the most popular technique for tidewater anglers. Not only is it fairly relaxing, it’s very effective for many types of different water conditions. The outgoing tide is by far the top tide for fishing bobber and eggs, but when

fish are on the move, the action can remain productive through any stage of exchange.

Bobber fishing starts with utilizing a floating braid for your mainline, matching bobber size to weight, and leaders to correspond with water

FISHING conditions. Tidewater often takes on a tannic color, with visibility hovering around 12 to 20 inches.

But there are times when visibility increases, thanks to small freshets or big influxes of clean bay water.

When that happens, downsizing may be necessary to be productive.

Decrease your bobber and weight sizes down to 1½ ounces, your leader to 20-pound test and hooks to a 2/0.

Your set-up may resemble more of a steelhead-sized offering, but will be the most productive for Chinook.

Just about every bend of a tidewater river has a slightly deeper slot or hole that will hold Chinook.

But don’t overlook areas near slough entrances/exits, any sort of structure, creek mouths and any deeper waters. With new fishing electronics being able to scan sideways just as effectively as down, locating fish and finding likely hiding locations has gotten a lot easier.

As much as we’ll be watching our rod tips, don’t forget to take a look at the scenery this month. Tillamook County is beautiful this time of year. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)

The most common dilemma for bobber and egg anglers is trying to figure out how deep to set their bait.

There is no set rule; experimenting at multiple depths is the only way to find what’s producing in your particular

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location. Most bobber anglers begin by setting their gear at two-thirds the depth of the water they are fishing and adjust from there.

WHILE ANCHORING TO the side of goodlooking water is the most popular way to bobber fish tidewater, bobberdoggin’ is a productive way to cover lots of water and hopefully find fish either on the move or holding.

This technique is as simple as casting your bobber and eggs to the side of the boat as you float with the current. While drifting, pay attention to see if fish are on the move. Oftentimes, Chinook can be seen pushing wakes as they swim through shallow spots, but keeping an eye on the bottom with polarized sunglasses will often reveal fish that may just drift to the side as you float overhead.

PLUG FISHING CAN be one of the easiest techniques for pursuing tidewater salmon, but will only be as productive as the effort you put into it.

Tying up to a piling, dropping anchor or hovering/back-trolling during a big incoming tide or with a strong ebbing current while deploying Kwikfish or Mag Lips is best in the upper estuaries or lowest sections of rivers. Flat-lining Mag

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FISHING Lips and running KwikďŹ sh on 24inch droppers is the standard when ďŹ shing tidewater.

While sitting back and watching your lures wiggle away is the easy part, keeping a fresh sardine wrap from being eaten by sculpins or having seaweed foul out your plug is where the challenge and â&#x20AC;&#x153;effortâ&#x20AC;? comes into play. There will be many times where you only get ďŹ ve to 10 minutes of productive ďŹ shing out of a plug before you need to bring it in for a fresh wrap or to clean it off. But if you ignore your plug for more than 15 minutes, you are more than likely not ďŹ shing at all. validation now available in much of Tillamook County, this is a good time to deploy one plug set-up while back-bouncing eggs with the other while on anchor.

Back-bouncing eggs in tidewater isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any different than doing it in a river, except for the amount of weight

WITH THE SECOND-ROD

youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be using. While the ideal river current speed for this tactic requires 3 to 8 ounces of lead, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need just ½ to 1 ounce in tidewater. If the sculpin bite turns on and your eggs are harassed the moment they are deployed, best to pick up and move or stow your bait for a while and try at a different stage of the tide.

TROLLING SPINNERS, PLUGS or herring in the ever-shallowing waters of upper Tillamook Bay can be very productive. Some of the best spinners for this end of the estuary tend to be with blade sizes in 6.5, 7 and 8, in colors such as light bulb (chartreuse blade with a green dot), red and white, and Tillamook rainbow (ďŹ&#x201A;ame orange upper, brass middle and green or chartreuse tip). Trolling spinners in the upper bay is most productive on an outgoing tide â&#x20AC;&#x201C; especially large tide series that turn negative.

These concentrate ďŹ sh into the only available holding waters.

Trolling can also be effective when navigating lower tidewaters or the upper bay to go to different bobber water or places to anchor and run plugs. Not only may you encounter a fresh push of ďŹ sh, you also avoid running aground.

TILLAMOOK TIDEWATERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CROWDED during peak season, weekends and following fresh internet reports, so donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget courtesy, manners and good sportsmanship. While most anglers feel the need to be on the water at ďŹ rst light, sometimes the best ďŹ shing doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t occur till tide change. Grabbing breakfast and starting later than the ďŹ rst-light crowd will always result in a calmer atmosphere at the boat ramp and sets a good mood for the day to come. And remember, no matter whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trolling a meander or tied to a mossy piling, just getting a chance to witness our Northwest in its most glorious seasonal transition is reward enough. NS

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Message for 2016 Fall Salmon!

Leaves are falling from the trees and that sweet crisp familiar smell of Iall is in the air again. Many of us die hard PDFLILF 1RUWKZHVW anglers can feel it in our bones. No one needs to tell us itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening.

Instinctive as the very salmon that return to their natal streams when the first of the season freshets swell the rivers and swamp our farmlands, we can feel them coming.

Our legendary fall salmon runs are in our blood and they are a profound part of who we are. Every October brings an annual celebration and welcoming to our highly anticipated fall salmon runs. Unfortunately, this year many of us wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the opportunity to enjoy this bountiful gift of nature.

Danny Cook of Wooldridge with a trophy coho caught on the Snohomish River a dozen years ago!

Washington Department of Fish DQG Wildlife along with tribal comanagers are very concerned about the run status of our coho (silvers). Most rivers in :HVWHUQ :DVKLQJWRQ will be closed while a few productive ones may stay open. We are keeping our fingers crossed there will still be some opportunities available. For the fisheries that do stay open, especially those ones that have wild coho runs, please be mindful and responsible when it comes to handling these prized fish. They truly mean our future and should be handled with extreme care.

If you see an intact adipose fin (WKH small round vertical fin on the top of the back and forward of the tail), try not to remove the ILVK from the water and release LW as soon as possible. Barbless hooks also can help decrease the chance of mortally wounding a fish.

Even if not required, why not give them a shot? Many popular hook companies now make specific barbless hook shapes WKDW hold a fish onto the hook longer and without the risk of damage a barb can cause. +ardware such as spoons, spinners and plugs are great alternatives to easily swallowed bait such as salmon roe. 7ZLWFKLQJ WR RXQFH MLJV LV DOVR H[WUHPHO\ HIIHFWLYH Be sure and always check official department websites for updates before heading out. Be safe and have fun out there! This message brought to you by the anglers who work at Wooldridge Boats.

140 Northwest Sportsman

OCTOBER 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

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COLUMN

Quinault, Some Other OP Rivers Open For Salmon A lot has been written, said, argued, debated, etc., about the fall coho run in Washington this year. While there were some positive signs last month, most rivers are shut down.

But for those of you who still want your coho fix, like I do, there is a gem of a stream WIESTSIDER

By Terry Wiest that you’ll be able to target these fantastic fighting fish along with two other highly coveted species at the same time – the Quinault. In my opinion, it is a world-class fishery, second only to Alaska.

Located on Washington’s central coast, the lower Quinault is governed by the Quinault Indian Nation, which has set a bag limit of three adult coho this year. Roughly 37,000 are expected back.

Neighboring rivers governed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have all but eliminated seasons on the stock, except for a very short window of opportunity when you may retain one hatchery adult in certain waters.

When fishing the Quinault on the reservation, you must have a tribal guide with you. I’ve fished this section several times with fantastic guides like Robin Rhodes, Letty Potter and Clay Butler.

And I’ve also fished it a few times with guides who basically were our ticket to the river and pretty much just watched us – under QIN rules, they must at the very least stay within 100 feet of their clients – which in many cases is all I’m looking for.

Nowadays, one of the top guides on the Quinault is Ashley Nichole Lewis, who runs Bad Ash Fishing (Badashfishing.com). She happens to be related to Rhodes, who has been mentoring her on how to become a successful guide. I’ve known Lewis for a few years now, both of us being part of the G.Loomis Pro Staff Team, and I tell you what, this girl knows how to fish!

Looking ahead to a trip scheduled with her this month, I asked what we’d be chasing and what sort of gear to use.

“In October, there will be several species available on the Quinault. Coho, Chinook and steelhead will be the main focus of my trips, but there will also be chum and some trout fishing available as well. Bag limits include three adult coho, one Chinook and three steelhead, so I’m sure my clients will go home very happy.”

They – or we, I should say – mostly prefer standard approaches.

“I will be using my G.Loomis E6X salmon rods for bobberdoggin’ with eggs, throwing hoochie spinners, Brad’s Wigglers and twitching jigs” says Lewis. “We’ll also be using E6X steelhead rods for targeting steelhead with jig and bead dropper combos under a float! Of course there will be Shimano Stradics coupled with those Loomis rods, as they’re simply the best reels out there.”

Those of you who have followed me know I’ll be twitchin’

A river some consider to be on par with Alaskan streams, the Olympic Peninsula’s lower Quinault is productive for coho, Chinook and steelhead this time of year. Ashley Nichole Lewis is among guides working the river on the Quinault Indian Nation. (BADASHFISHING.COM) for those feisty coho! And you know that I’ll be fishing for those steelhead with a jig under a float, with and without a bead dropper. I’ll also see if Ashley will let me use just a bead below a float, as I have some brand new colors from steelheadbeads.com that I want to try. As for those kings, I’ll trust her boat skills to put us on fish while bobber-doggin’. I have some fresh eggs cured with Pautzke I can’t wait to use.

I’ve also begun fly fishing this year, and as it turns out Lewis runs spey fishing trips too. Having successfully landed Dolly Varden, sockeye, coho and Chinook on the fly, my goal is to hook my first steelhead on my G.Loomis NRX 8-weight rod, and my guess is that she’ll be able to help me out. Lewis uses GLX 8-weight switch rods with brand-new Asquith reels, a Shimano product.

Booking a trip with her might be tough this fall, but there’s always winter steelhead season.

NOW, ABOUT THOSE state rivers on the Olympic Peninsula where you can fish for coho this month. The following will be open: Hoh: Sept. 1-Oct. 10, Nov. 21-30; Humptulips: Sept 1-Jan. 31; Upper Quinault: Oct. 1-Nov. 30; Quillayute and Sol Duc: Nov 16-30.

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Northwest Sportsman 141

COLUMN A client of Mike Zavadlov’s shows off a nice Olympic Peninsula fall king. (MIKEZSGUIDESERVICE.COM)

I’m not going to touch the Humptulips, as like the last few years, it is going to be a complete madhouse, with over-the-top combat fishing. It used to be my favorite for salmon, but now is overrun in fall and winter.

Instead, I’ll be fishing with my good friend and guide extraordinaire Mike Zavadlov (mikezsguideservice.com).

“I won’t be targeting hatchery coho as much this year, as the runs are down. Instead I’ll be focusing on kings and summer steelhead, with hatchery coho as a nice bonus when we come across them,” Z says.

He also wants to get me on my first steelhead on the fly, and like Lewis he offers both gear and fly fishing trips.

“I’ll be on the Hoh exclusively until Oct. 10, as we have an exceptionally good summer run. Then it looks like I’ll be headed to the Hump, with everyone else in this state, until Nov. 15,” Zavadlov says. “I’ll be ready to hit the Quillayute and Sol Duc to concentrate on kings when they reopen.”

Having fished with him plenty of times, I can attest there’s none better on the Peninsula. He has a few rare spots open, and given the limited fishing season, they won’t last. Give him a call.

YES, IT’S A down fall, but I look forward to getting my coho fix and possibly landing my first steelhead on the fly. But more importantly, I look forward to fishing with some great friends,

Ashley and Mike. Good luck and hope to see you on the water. NS Editor’s note: Terry J. Wiest is the author of Steelhead University: Your Guide to Salmon & Steelhead Success and Float-Fishing for Salmon & Steelhead, and is the owner of Steelhead University, SteelheadU.com.

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COLUMN

October’s Zombies T

he windshield wipers cannot seem to keep up with the heavy rain as we drive through Hoodsport. The first significant fall storm is well under way. We arrive at the motel late in the evening, and even though I race from the Byy Scott Brenneman car to the covered porch of the Creekside Inn, THE KAYAK GUYS I get drenched anyway. After finding the key that was hidden for us and unlocking our unit’s door, I run back to the car, now thoroughly soaked, and my wife Kristen and I funnel our three kids and dog into our room.

The weather only worsens and I wake to the sounds of wind gusts and intense rain. Our 16-year-old golden retriever glares recalcitrantly at me as I wait by the open door to let him out. Oh, well, he can wait for Kristen to wake up later. I shut the door, head for the grocery store in town and wait for participants to check in for the Slayride Salmon Derby. The IGA was kind enough to let us use their lot for overflow parking.

Conditions are marginal at best for fishing, no thanks to unrelenting rain and winds of 15 miles an hour gusting to 30.

Needless to say, I decide to put on my dry suit before getting out of the car.

The ambitious arrive in the darkness of early morning to register, eager to get on the water at first light. The bulk of kayak fishers staying for the weekend put in at the Sunset Motel, north of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Hoodsport Hatchery. The rest launch at the public dock to the south. Most decide to brave the stormy conditions and get out on the water early. Two kayaks soon capsize in the wind, and while a few fish are caught, the good news is forecast charts call for frontal passage to happen about 10 a.m.

Soon, the breeze begins to shift, signaling that the cold front has passed. The rain stops, the wind starts to calm and the fishing improves with the rising tide for the rest of the afternoon. Everyone hooks into plenty of fish, with most keeping four chums for the day.

WITH PUGET SOUND mostly closed this month, Hoodsport and Marine Area 12, as well as Area 13 on the other side of the base of the Kitsap Peninsula, provide almost the only salmon fisheries available to anglers this October. The target is chum, and kayaks are a great way to target these underrated fish. These fish of many names – keta, hayko, qualla, calico, tiger, saber-tooth and zombies – don’t get the respect they deserve, but with their large canines, dog salmon can be a fisherman’s best friend. They offer redemption from the sometimes frustrating days of summer and early fall salmon fishing. Unlike finicky Chinook and bait-stealing coho, chums are willing, aggressive biters. What’s more, when hooked, they are the hardest-fighting salmon. They won’t roll on

Bright or colored up, like this buck, Oncorynchus keta, aka dog salmon and so many other names, pack perhaps the best poundfor-pound fight of Puget Sound’s five species. (JASON BROOKS) their side after one short run, like many Chinook do. Catch rates are high when the fish are in. And you can expect a mix of bright and colored fish during the last two weeks of October.

In November, the rest of the silver and metallic bluebacks transition quickly to an autumn bloom of fall colors. Striking hues of greens, reds, and yellows are displayed in a tie-dyed pattern on these fish.

You cannot go wrong focusing your efforts at Hoodsport. When escapement is met, the fish concentrate around the hatchery, milling around like zombies with no place to go. Kayaks offer relief from the increased congestion and competition around Finch Creek. As the tide rises, fishable real estate only increases.

Oakland Bay is a nice alternative to the crowds here. A WDFW access site off of Highway 3, just north of the Shelton Bayshore Golf Club, offers plenty of parking and a place to launch. Paddle the upper bay looking for finning fish, or settle in on anchor around the mouth of Johns Creek.

My favorite place to fish for dog salmon starts at the Arcadia Boat Ramp, at the eastern end of Hammersley Inlet. There are more options to explore at this access point. The fish-holding coves of Little Skookum Inlet are within reach to the south.

Plan your paddle with the incoming tide and return on the outgoing. Staying close to the ramp, target chums on both sides of the entrance to Hammersley. As the tide starts to push into the inlet, let the venturi effect of the constricted inlet flush you westward. Currents are accelerated in Hammersley due to its narrow geography, but they are still manageable for kayakers. Try flat-lining an anchovy as you drift with the current. Look for the

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Northwest Sportsman 145

COLUMN

Under ominous skies, kayak anglers work the waters off Hoodsport Hatchery for chums. The salmon fishery here kicks off later in October, with action continuing into November. (SCOTT BRENNEMAN) cove on the south shore that marks the mouth of Mill Creek. A nice eddy develops here and the cove offers a sheltered spot to anchor. A 10-pound pyramid or mushroom anchor will hold your position in current.

Here you should set up to bobber fish with your preferred offering 3 to 6 feet under the float. I like to use anchovies and start out with a whole one, using ¼- to ½-ounce weights to keep the

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The secret to chum salmon success is in timing the run. Plan to start fishing the last half of October – right around the time fall’s real rainstorms begin to hit. NS

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COLUMN

Tap B’Ham Coho N

ooksack River coho have been fair game upstream

By Doug Huddle to the Deming area since Sept. 1, and reports are that silvers have even been showing at and below the Lummi Nation’s Skookum Hatchery on the South Fork, southeast of Acme.

In addition to being the sole freshwater silver fishery in the whole of northern Puget Sound at the outset of the 2016 season, the Nooksack’s second shining star for sport anglers is that they may keep as many as four adipose-fin-clipped coho a day. The Lummi’s hatchery program, dedicated to raising juvenile coho, is credited for the reprieve from closure, which Nooksack fishers got this summer in the face of the predicted collapse of Washington coho runs.

Indeed, in what’s to be a dismal Soundwide spawning run, the Nooksack’s expected return of 37,776 three-year-old coho is on par with that of the Snohomish River – normally the region’s powerhouse.

While there’s no overriding concern for the Nooksack’s 8,987 expected wild coho, a ban on retention of adipose-bearing fish still governs the in-river hook-andline fishery. Anglers should see a 3:1 ratio of fin-clipped to unmarked fish, thanks to the 28,108 hatchery coho returning to the South Fork. Mindful that these numbers are speculative and that the run could belie the experts, it’s still sobering to note that the Nooksack’s expected 2016 coho run is just 50 percent of the 2015 return size. In the Skagit, the interannual disparity is even greater, with this year’s return expected to be less than 10 percent of the 2015 run size.

NORTH SOUND

BARRING A SPATE of torrential rain in October, the Nooksack’s water clarity, despite its summer reputation, usually can be relied upon to be the best it will get outside of during a dead-of-winter Nor’easter. That’s mainly attributable to

As fall rains return, so do coho to the Nooksack system, home to the only river fishery in the North Sound this year. In relatively clear water conditions use Dick Nites, but try plugs in turbid water. (LANDON ARMAN)

the dropping freezing level around Mount Baker, which shuts glacier taps enough to reduce the color the North and Middle Forks carry. However, that can be offset by the patter of heavy rain on bare dirt and rock in the surrounding Cascade foothills.

Almost always, improving October clarity-at-depth is a boon to anglers who like to fish coho with light and ultralight gear. Old-time Nooksack coho fishers are partial to the tried-and-true small Dick Nite lures, mainly in chrome (nickel) or 50/50 chrome/brass. When visibility reaches 2 feet, they’ll tie No. 2 Dickies on about 4 feet of leader. If the clarity achieves gin standards, the No. 1 scale of

Richard Evenings’ on tips with an extra foot of length is the order of the day. And, decorum forbid, if the water gets even clearer, step Dick Nite offerings down to the No. 0 size and stretch your light monofilament leader to 6 to 7 feet.

Another terminal rig that proves lucrative for Nooksack coho seekers is available from the array of spinning lures in the Mepps Anglia or Blue Fox Vibrax lines. These too “pull” well in deeper pools, and to account for river current velocity, the No. 4 and 5 models are preferred.

Rooster Tails also are a popular coho enticement, and are known to provoke strikes from hefty bull trout inbound to

nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 151

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So South Forks of the Nooksack opening Oct. 1, anglers may fish for coho up to both hatchery ha facilities (in the North Fork, even higher hi to Maple Creek). Kendall Creek Hatchery Ha does not have a coho program an longer, but does rear Skookum any ju juveniles that may choose to return there.

The main public accesses on the forks are ar at Mosquito Lake Road bridge and Homestead Ho Eagle Park off Truck Road on the northern prong, and Potter Road bridge, Valley Highway 9 and Saxon Road br br bridge on the southern.

In the upper main Nooksack, popular coho-holding co pools, from the top down, can ca be found at the forks confluence, as well as Maggie’s Rock and Cooper’s Rock Ro in the Deming area. The combined Washington Department of Fish and W Wildlife and Whatcom County Parks site at W Nugents Corner is a great access and has N th best boat launch on the river. the Further down, try the Everson City Park b below the Highway 544 bridge. Look to accesses, both public and private, along River Road west of the Guide Meridian (Highway 539) bridge.

Ferndale’s river frontage offers great access to the west bank of the river from the PUD water plant upstream to Interstate 5, and Whatcom County’s Hovander Park off Nielsen Road is an excellent entrée to low-flow bar areas. The boat ramp below Main Street bridge on the east bank is problematic to use in the fall.

BIRD HUNTERS WITH a leisurely morning or afternoon to spend might mosey on over to Whidbey Island. Volunteers, the U.S. Navy and the Arnold family team with WDFW staffers to keep upland wingshooting opportunities going up and down this rain-shadowed island.

Five designated release sites are again available in 2016, including one on the south end near Freeland and four on the northern half of the island in the vicinity of Coupeville and Oak Harbor. In all, they total 650 acres dedicated to the pursuit of released birds.

The Arnold Farm site, on Zylstra Road 5 miles southwest of Oak Harbor off State Route 20, is a privately owned venue.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island provides three dispersed parcels for fall pheasant hunts. One in two sections is called the Seaplane Base site and is located on the heights overlooking the waters of Crescent Harbor and the former home of amphibious warbirds, the famed PBY Catalina and Martin Mariner flying boats. Access is via Crescent Harbor Road at Taylor Road. The third Navy site is along Highway 20 south of Coupeville at the air station’s OLF (Out-lying Field) site where naval jet aircraft practice carrier landing approaches and touch-and-goes. To hunt these sites, bird gunners must first check in by calling (360) 257-1009.

The fifth Whidbey Island site is a smaller area on Gabelein Road at Bayview southeast of Freeland.

ON THE MAINLAND, snow geese often show as early as the third week in October. This year, according to reports, there are prodigious – perhaps even record – numbers of juveniles, the gullible gray-fledged birds, in the whitewinged population coming from good nesting conditions in the Russian Arctic.

October flights consist of both passage birds headed for California, as well as contingents of our overwintering, socalled Fraser-Skagit birds.

Card-carrying snow goose hunters can get a head start, easily pulling these youngster-directed flocks down with decoy spreads, especially in Skagit County.

The California birds seem to have a taste for grain, which makes August-reaped winter wheat acreage good hunting sites.

Look also to the Samish Flats, ConwayCedardale and Beaver Marsh areas in Skagit County, as well as the Norman area of the lower Stillaguamish River.

NEXT ISSUE: Late buck hunt, North Fork chum, duck hunting options. NS Editor’s note: Doug Huddle lives in Bellingham, is retired from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and has written about hunting and fishing in the Northwest for more than 34 years.

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ROTM VAULT: Wing Bobber And Worm For Winters

NOTES This rig is dynamite for

early-season winter steelhead as well as late-season salmon.

Thread an entire nightcrawler up a size 2 Gamakatsu Octopus hook and onto your 24-inch leader using a worm threader.

Slide two 3mm beads down onto the worm and a size 14 Spin-N-Glo atop the beads. Tie a dropper line on the eye of your swivel and crimp some hollowcore pencil lead onto the line.

Make your cast and hold on!

12-pound monoďŹ lament mainline

24-inch leader of 10-pound mono Size 14 Spin-N-Glo

Size 4 barrel swivel

12-pound mono dropper

Two 3mm beads

Âź-ounce hollow-core pencil lead pinched onto line

Whole nightcrawler Worm threaders Size 2 octopus hook

(Colored, shortened line used for illustration purposes)

(ARCHIVE IMAGE)

Nnwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 157

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COLUMN

URB Bite Changes In October W

ith fall in the air, Chinook are back in the Columbia River’s Hanford Reach and at Vernita Bridge. From the Lava Pools BASIN BEACON to Punch Bowl, there is an

By Kevin Long abundance of fish and fishing Guest Columnist available, but you may need to tweak your approach from last month.

Last season, regular Basin Beacon columnist Don Talbot came to us, Kinghunter Guide Service (kinghunterguideservice.com), at Punch Bowl and said, “I cannot hook a fish, but you guys are hooking them right and left.” We told him it was time to change from Super Baits back to old-school tactics.

Around the third week of September, depending on water and weather conditions, upriver brights turn on to plugs and eggs. Once this happens you can still use your downriggers, but you’ll have better success with Jet Divers or lead droppers and eggs, or bait-wrapped plugs, flat-lined or behind a diver.

In October the egg bite picks up on the Hanford Reach and at Vernita, as spawning upriver brights don’t want another hen’s roe in their territory, according to guide Kevin Long of Kinghunter Guide Service, here battling a fish on the Mid-Columbia. A good set-up (below) includes a gob of eggs between a Shaker Wing and a treble stinger. (KINGHUNTERGUIDESERVICE.COM)

THE FIRST KEY to success with egg fishing is, well, the eggs themselves. There are many store and bait supplier brands out there, but here at Kinghunter we have found the best to be the ones you put up yourself, exactly how you want them. Whether you are using Pro-Cure, Pautzke or other cures, here’s a hint: We have found that coating the inside of jars with Anise Super Dipping Sauce before putting the eggs in works well.

For more tips, see the YouTube video by Sam Baird of Slammin’ Salmon Guide Service.

The second step to egg success is your terminal rigging. We like high-quality hooks, specifically those made by Gamakatsu. We run a No. 2 extra-strong red treble as a trailer behind a 3/0 Big River lead hook.

They’re strung on 30-pound-test Maxima Ultragreen, and we use an egg loop tie-up for both hooks, ending with approximately 36 inches of leader material.

There is a variety of bead, spinning globe and reflective wings to run on your leader. We prefer a No. 2 Spin-G-Glo with a size 6 bead above and below it, but also enjoy running Shaker Wings. With those, we like to use a size 6 bead above and below a Corky, topped off

nwsportsmanmag.com | OCTOBER 2016

Northwest Sportsman 161

COLUMN with a 1.75-inch Shaker Wing.

Next comes baiting and running your eggs. We use a cluster the size of a half dollar or golf ball, passing it through the egg loop on the lead hook and tightening down gently. The two simplest ways to run the bait are with a diver or lead dropper. With the former, we prefer a jumbo Jet Diver, which allows you to run your set-up from midwater to within a few feet of the bottom. A diver also allows for a margin of error with your back-trolling speed.

But probably our favorite is to use lead droppers. Weight will vary with water current; when putting out, let the lead drop until you feel it tick the bottom. Lift your pole a foot or so and let line out again until you feel it tick again.

You should feel your lead tick bottom three or four times, then crank your reel three times – you’re now fishing. This allows your eggs to be as close to the bottom as possible without hanging up.

With egg fishing don’t get frustrated; it

162 Northwest Sportsman

Whether you’re using a Spin-N-Glo or Shaker Wings for attraction, run a treble stinger behind a Gamakatsu Big River hook, tied with an egg loop and baited with a big ol’ gob of roe. (KINGHUNTERGUIDESERVICE.COM)

OCTOBER 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com

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Northwest Sportsman 163

COLUMN does take time to perfect ways that will work best for you.

PLUG FISHING GOES hand and hand with eggs, and there are a variety to choose from, everything from Brad’s Killerfish to the Yakima Mag Lip to the infamous Luhr Jensen Kwikfish. Our plug of choice is the first, which resembles early Kwikfish. If you don’t already have plugs, do not be overwhelmed by the wide color selection available. Here’s another hint: We have found pink, chartreuse, blue and orange are great places to start for fall fish. And as far as size, don’t be afraid to try different sizes to find what works best for you.

The first step to success with plugs is, again, your bait.

Find a good sardine that is not freezer burned (yellow discoloration) and allow it to thaw slightly before filleting.

Cut the two fillets off your sardine and trim down so that the center line of your sardine is a half inch. Plug size will determine your wrap size. Once you have your sardine A sardine-wrapped banana plug is another great option this month.

(KINGHUNTERGUIDESERVICE.COM) wrap cut to size, make a cut down the center about threequarters of the length of your wrap. Center your wrap on your flow, the optimal way we have found to run plugs is flat-lining plug around the belly hook and start wrapping with thread. them back 75 to 80 feet. A steady twitch at the tips of your rods Now that that’s done, here’s how we run our plugs. We start will tell you if your plugs are running correctly or not. with a leader extension of 30-pound Maxima between our Never be afraid to try something different or play with your mainline clip and our plug. In slower currents, we use a small Jet brands to improve your results with your fall Chinook fishing on Diver and run the plug 50 to 60 feet back. But with good current the Hanford Reach and at Vernita. NS

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Northwest Sportsman 165

Back Page

Adventures In 2-polin’

By Dennis Dauble

W

e all had a good laugh at GM’s expense after he got ticketed for fishing an extra rod off the back of his boat – not that we hadn’t ever thought about dropping an extra line out ourselves.

“Hey, all I was trying to do was figure out if channel cats favored nightcrawlers over cutbait,” he said. “A side-by-side comparison.

An experiment. How was I to know there was a game cop hiding in the bushes?”

That was before Northwest fish managers came up with the brilliant idea to allow anglers to fish a second pole in waters where surplus fish were available for harvest. You can imagine my excitement as I handed over the money. No longer would I have to put a ball cap and sunglasses on my dog when I hung out an extra rod.

Two weeks later, Leroy and I motored upriver to try for sockeye off the mouth of the Okanogan River. First to go out were two downrigger rods. Another pair of Smile Blade rigs were deployed out the back using 4-ounce lead balls to get them to depth. The only challenge was who got to the extra rods first.

This early experience validated what I had suspected about every fishless, lure-swapping day I’d ever endured: having an extra rod out is a huge benefit. So when a two-pole endorsement was authorized for the Hanford Reach fall Chinook fishery, I was stoked. Who needs a buddy to drink your beer, eat your snacks and lose all your gear when you can fish two rods on your own?

That’s right, there’s no good reason, unless you are hard up for company. Let my rods do the talking!

Where I met my Waterloo, though, was downstream trolling with Super Baits and flashers off 10-ounce lead ball droppers. I must mention the Reach is a minefield fraught with large cobble, strong current and depth that can change from 10 to 40 feet in a blink of the eye. You guessed it. I failed to factor that lead balls drop to the bottom when you reduce troll speed. My first hang-up

led to a double hang-up – and it wasn’t like busting off a $3 Mepps spinner. The combined cost of two Pro-Troll EChips, baits and lead balls approaches $50. In other words, my first two-pole encounter with the river bottom was not trivial. Then there’s the real value of the gear – some flashers fish better than others, and it sucks to lose any lure that’s recently caught a salmon.

There’s more. Managing your gear is only half the challenge, as I found out after hooking my first big salmon. Because big is relative, let me elaborate. A big salmon is one you don’t want to lose. Maybe your freezer is empty, your catch card is blank or maybe you promised to invite the neighbors over for dinner.

When a big salmon is on the end of your line, your preference is to have a capable person on board to bring the extra rod in and stand alert with net in hand.

None of these things were in play, however, on my first tworod venture in the Reach. Landing the salmon turned into a grand balancing act. I had to reel up the second rod and maintain line tension while maneuvering the boat in response to other boats, the shoreline, current, wind and whims of the fish. Finally, I had to lead the fish to the boat and net it one-handed. While I had performed all of these tasks solo, closing the deal was far more complicated with the second rod in play.

One fall season and a tackle box of lost gear later, I think I have finally figured it out. In order of preference, my favorite oneperson, two-rod scenarios for Hanford Reach salmon are: • Spin-N-Glo and eggs back-trolled behind a Jet Diver; • Flat-lining a pair of Wiggle Warts; • Back-trolling a Kwikfish behind a Jet Diver; • Casting a spinner to the shore while back-trolling a Wart; • Two downriggers set to depth.

Despite (mostly) giving up on downstream trolling with a tandem of 10-ounce lead balls, I remain more encouraged than discouraged with the second-rod option. The best part of twopolin’ by yourself, however, is not catching twice as many salmon.

It’s in knowing that you won’t waste valuable fishing time netting someone else’s fish. NS

(DENNIS DAUBLE)

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