Hunting & Fishing

Upland birds

Pheasants are back in large enough numbers for good to excellent hunting.

That became evident to serious hunters who have good bird dogs on opening weekend in the prime habitat of the Columbia Basin, the Spokane region and in the Yakima area.

Although relatively few hunters took limits of roosters, most reported seeing many more birds than they saw last year.

Wildlife biologist Jim Tabor of Ephrata said there are at least twice as many pheasants in the irrigated portions of the Columbia Basin as last year.

Checks showed hunters averaged .53 cocks each, compared to last year’s average of only .26 roosters for each hunter. Wildlife agents checked 339 hunters with 180 pheasants.

“We’re still way down from 10 years or so ago,” Tabor said, “but we’re back to where we were four or five years ago. The adult birds had a good production year and chick survival was good.”

Hunting pressure was not as heavy as Fish and Wildlife Department officials expected. Officials speculated many hunters decided to wait for opening weekend reports before deciding to hunt.

Pheasant hunting was fair to good in south Spokane County and in Whitman, Garfield, Columbia, Franklin and Walla Walla counties. Some hunters reported seeing more than 50 birds in areas where they had seen 15 to 20 last year.

Tabor said chukar hunters did well in Douglas County. Counts in August indicated record numbers of chukars in prime partridge habitat.

In Idaho, pheasant hunters flushed some flocks and those who could shoot well and who had good dogs took home one or two roosters each. Best hunting in North Idaho is in Benewah, Kootenai and Nez Perce counties.

Jeff Smith, owner of the Fins & Feathers shop at Coeur d’Alene, said he and friends hunted in Benewah County. He said he took a limit of three roosters, but added he doubted there are more pheasants in the area this year than last.

Waterfowl

Although some who hunted ducks in Eastern Washington on opening weekend took seven-bird limits, most went home with one or two birds each.

Many who had read predictions that this would be an excellent year to hunt ducks were disappointed. Those who hunted in northeast Washington, particularly along the Pend Oreille River, complained they thought there were fewer ducks and geese than last year.

Duck hunting also was poor in the Sprague Lake area. Hunters said they saw only a few fair-sized flocks of mallards and numerous singles and doubles.

However, thousands of Canada geese, both lessers and the big Canadas, were in the Sprague Lake area Sunday. One hunter said the geese flew over a pond where he was hunting in “wave after wave.”

The geese seemed to be decoy-shy, indicating they may have flown over from North Idaho, where the goose season has been open since Sept. 28.

Tabor said gunners who hunted the Columbia Basin averaged 1.8 ducks each, compared with 1.6 last year. The average for those who hunted the Potholes Reservoir was two birds each. In some past years, he said, hunters averaged four ducks each.

Hunting pressure throughout the Basin, particularly at the Potholes Reservoir, was light, considering the fact the department and Fish and Wildlife Service had predicted large numbers of birds.

Why were there relatively few ducks in the Basin? Tabor said ducks brought off lots of good-sized broods, but many young ducks left the Basin after they fledged. The reason they left, he said, is because many farmers these days plow their stubble fields under immediately after harvest, leaving little food for the birds.

There are still plenty of ducks in the Basin for good hunting at times, but most hunters will wait for the “northerns” to arrive from Canada in November.

Tabor said goose hunting was slow at the Stratford Reserve.

Big game

Hunting conditions in both Washington and Idaho should be considerably better this weekend than they were before rains fell.

Deer habitat was dry when the general buck season in the Spokane region opened last Saturday. Hunters made a lot of noise as they hiked in the forests; consequently, most failed to tag animals.

The situation changed Sunday, when light rains dampened deer cover, creating better hunting conditions.

Wildlife biologists aren’t sure why hunting pressure was so heavy in southeast Washington. They reported they had never seen so many hunters.

Pressure was about average in northeast Washington despite the fact hunters 16 and under and those 65 or older could shoot whitetail does without special permits. Game management units 105 through 142 are open to those hunters.

In Idaho, cow elk became legal targets Tuesday in numerous game management units. The bull elk season opened last Thursday.

Steelhead

The Snake River’s temperature should be low enough this weekend for fair to good steelhead fishing. It was 62 to 64 degrees last weekend and anglers had mediocre fishing. Although there are plenty of fish in the river for good fishing, the steelhead were reluctant to take lures and flies.

The Grande Ronde, on the other hand, was 59 to 60 degrees. Both spin and fly fishermen hooked steelhead along the shore just below the mouth of the Ronde and in the lower Ronde.

Jay Poe of Jay’s Gone Fishing said fishing has been slow in the Ronde between Bogan’s and the Washington-Oregon border even though the temperature was below 62 degrees.

The Clearwater opened to catch-and-keep fishing Tuesday. Biologists believe the run up the river this fall and winter will not be big enough for consistently good fishing.

Nearly 90,000 steelhead have entered the Snake River and are making their way upstream. About 70,000 have been counted at Little Goose Dam.

Fish and Wildlife Department officials emphasized again that it’s illegal to kill chinook salmon hooked in the Snake. Some anglers, most of whom apparently don’t know the difference between chinooks and steelhead, have been caught with chinooks.

Easiest way to distinguish between the fish is to look at the lower gum line. The steelhead is white or pale; the chinook’s gum line is black or dark.

Salmon

One of the most popular areas of the Columbia with chinook fishermen will be closed to fishing after Tuesday. It’s the section from the old Hanford townsite wooden power line to the Vernita Bridge.

The section from the Vernita Bridge to Priest Rapids Dam will remain open to salmon fishing, as well as for steelhead and sturgeon.

The fall-winter salmon bite at Lake Coeur d’Alene hasn’t started yet, Smith said, but a few trollers have caught chinooks weighing 6 to 7 pounds.

Trout

With water temperatures in the high 50s or low 60s, trout are taking lures and flies readily at numerous Eastern Washington lakes.

Fishing has been good at such selective fishery lakes as Dry Falls, Lenore and Ell, as well as at some other lakes still open to fishing.

It’s possible for a troller to take home a two-fish limit of rainbow-cutthroat hybrids at Hayden Lake, Smith said. The 2- to 7-pound trout are cruising around the lake near the surface looking for food.

Kokanee

If you are willing to troll for several hours, you can take home a 25-fish limit of 10-inch kokanee at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Smith said. Fishing is still outstanding. The kokanee are starting to turn dark, but they’re still in good shape. The fishing should last another week or so.

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