Elk Management Plans To Be Reviewed At Meetings

Plans for managing four Eastern Washington elk herds will be reviewed at a series of December public meetings sponsored by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Proposals involving the Blue Mountains, Colockum, Selkirk and Yakima elk herds are the second set among 10 herd plans the department is preparing. Plans include information on elk distribution and objectives, as well as strategies for herd and habitat management, research and spending priorities.

A 1996 final environmental impact statement for elk management provided the basis for the herd plans.

Public meetings held in September reviewed plans for the Saint Helens, South Rainier and Willapa herds.

The new round of public meetings will focus on a specific herd, but questions and comments will be accepted on any of the seven plans that have been prepared.

The schedule:

Colockum herd, Dec. 8, Doubletree Inn, Wenatchee.

Yakima herd, Dec. 9, Clarkston High School, Clarkston.

Blue Mountains Herd, Dec. 10, Clarkston High School, Clarkston.

Selkirk Herd, Dec. 11, Spokane County Health District Auditorium, 1101 W. College Ave., Spokane.

Copies of the herd plans are available on the Internet at http://www.wa.gov/ wdfw/wlm/game/elkplans.htm, by writing to the Wildlife Management Program at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091 or by calling (360) 902-2515.

Written comments should be mailed no later than Jan. 15 to Tom McCall of the Wildlife Management Program at the department offices.

Meeting to discuss turkey hunting rules

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has scheduled a Thursday evening open house in Coeur d’Alene to accept public comment on proposed 1998 wild turkey hunting regulations.

The open house will run from 6-8 p.m. in the Fish and Game office, 2750 Kathleen Ave.

Wild turkey populations continue to thrive and expand their range in the Idaho Panhandle, according to IDFG wildlife manager Jim Hayden.

“Hunters appear to be quite satisfied with the combination of controlled and general turkey hunts offered in the Panhandle last season,” Hayden said. “Unless hunters come to the open house wanting significant changes, we are only looking at slight adjustments in season dates which will not impact hunter opportunity.”

Mountain whitefish

A special fishing season for mountain whitefish will open Dec. 1 on the Wenatchee and Methow rivers in north-central Washington.

The season, an exception to the recent closure to protect endangered steelhead in the tributaries of the upper Columbia River, will run through March 26. There will be gear restrictions.

The Wenatchee River will be open from the mouth upstream to the U.S. Highway 2 bridge at Leavenworth. The Methow River will be open from the mouth upstream to the mouth of the Chewuch (Chewack) River.

Only one single-pointed hook, No. 10 or smaller, with bait will be allowed.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife has allowed the whitefish season because accidental hooking of steelhead will be minimized by the season, limited area and gear restrictions.

Fishing for trout and steelhead remains closed on the mainstem upper Columbia River and all tributaries.

, DataTimes