Sockeye Season Gets The Hook

There will be no recreational sockeye salmon fishing season at Lake Wenatchee this year, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Although almost 45,000 sockeye have passed Bonneville Dam, few of the fish are migrating up the Wenatchee Vier to the lake. Department experts estimate 14,000 sockeye may reach Lake Wenatchee, where the spawning goal is about 25,000 salmon. The balance of the migrating fish are expected to continue to the Okanogan River system.

While Lake Wenatchee has not had a sockeye fishery since 1993, in order to protect spawning fish, Foster said this summer’s number of reproducing salmon may exceed any year since then.

Planning for Crab Creek

The Inland Northwest Land Trust has scheduled a community meeting today in the Harrington Memorial Hall at Harrington, Wash., to review plans to restore 2 miles of Crab Creek.

Jeff Goebel of Washington State University will moderate a discussion of the goals and economic, environmental and community aspects of the plan, which covers the portion of Crab Creek with the boundaries of a 1,300-acre ranch bought by the INLT in 1996.

More than 200 people, including representatives of community groups, commodity and environmental interests and public agencies, have been invited to participate in the meeting, which will begin at 1 p.m. A tour of the ranch has been scheduled for 10 a.m.

To reach the ranch, follow Highway 23 for 3.5 miles south from Harrington. Turn east onto Armstrong Road. After 3.5 miles, Armstrong Road intersects with Mecklenberg Road/Bly Road at a four-way stop. Continue ahead of Armstrong Road for one-half mile as its bends downhill to the right, onto the farm. From the south, take the Sprague exit from Interstate 90 and drive north on Highway 23.

Raffle upcoming

A raffle for special permits to hunt deer, elk, bighorn sheep and moose has been scheduled for Friday in the old Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife headquarters at Olympia.

The deadline has passed for over-the-counter raffle ticket sales from license dealers. However, hunters will have a final opportunity to purchase raffle tickets Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets cost $5, except for bighorn sheep tickets, which cost $10. Since tickets went on sale in March, almost 12,000 have been sold for the four species.

Sale of the permits, which will allow statewide hunting for deer and elk in many WDFW game-management units, was approved by the Legislature to raise additional funds for species management programs.

Moose raffle permits allow hunting in any moose unit during the entire season, which runs from Oct. 12 to Nov. 30. Bighorn sheep winners may hunt in sheep unit No. 4 (Selah Creek), No. 5 (Umtanum), No. 7 (Clemon Mountain) or 12 (Lincoln Cliffs), beginning Sept. 1, two weeks before the general season.

Waterfowl input sought

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has scheduled an open house Monday at Coeur d’Alene to gather public input for the 1997-98 waterfowl seasons.

Wildlife manager Jim Hayden will review the current waterfowl population during the season in the IDFG Panhandle Region office, 2750 Kathleen Ave., from 7-9 p.m.

Prospects are outstanding for the fall flights and hunting seasons, according to department officials. The spring survey of duck-breeding areas in the U.S. and Canada show the greatest number of ducks since the survey began in 1955.

The number of breeding ducks was estimated at 42.5 million, a 13 percent increase from 1996 and 31 percent above the 1955-96 average. The department credits a combination of conservation measures, abundant moisture and habitat improvements for the rise.

Registration due

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game encourages prospective students for hunter education classes to register promptly because of high interest and limited space.

The department has scheduled a registration session in its Coeur d’Alene office, 2750 Kathleen Ave., on Aug. 15 from noon to 7 p.m.

By state law, persons born after Jan. 1, 1975, must complete a hunter education course before purchasing a license. The course fee is $3 for students under the age of 18 and $5 for others.

For further information, telephone the IDFG Panhandle Region office at (208) 769-1414.

Quotas come next

Final fall quotas for special elk, deer and antelope hunts in Montana will be set by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission at its August meeting.

Permits and special license will be drawn after the meeting and mailed during the second week of August. Refunds will be mailed to unsuccessful applicants the following week.

Fees increase

The price of non-resident antlerless white-tailed deer B licenses has increased to $75 for the fall season, according to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks department.

The increase was mandated by the state legislature. Previously, non-residents paid $50 plus a $5 conservation license. White-tailed deer antlerless, or doe, tags are the only doe tags that will be sold over the counter this year. Licenses are good only in a single region.

, DataTimes