Hunting 2012

Whitetail bucks active in rut, winter conditions

Late whitetail buck season opens Saturday

Keep track of your deer tag from field to freezer

Hunters boost deer research by stopping at check stations

Farms along the Palouse River are well-known for producing bumper crops of wild game birds, but for nearly half a century, Pheasant Valley Preserve has taken bird hunting to a different level. The farm is Washington’s oldest licensed game-bird shooting preserve. While most of the 1,300 acres are devoted to farming or grazing, 400 acres of irrigated river bottomland is seeded with some of the 6,500 pheasants being raised this year in huge netted pens.

 Hot, dry weather is hard on dogs, which is why hunters must give special attention to their dogs during early bird-hunting seasons. Based on years of experience, Dan Hoke, veteran dog trainer from Dunfur Kennel near Cheney, offered these tips: • Trim toenails. Don’t let them get long and break off.

Northeastern Washington has gained stature among elk hunters in recent years, with the 2011 elk harvest exceeding the general season take in the fabled Blue Mountains. But that’s likely to change this year.