Pheasant Releases Almost Finished

Some pheasant hunters will be thankful this week for hundreds of rooster pheasants being released at several public hunting areas in far-Eastern Washington.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Department uses hunting license fees to purchase and release about 20,000 rooster pheasants in Eastern Washington each season.

The birds are raised at private bird farms.

The releases occurring this week will be the last of the year at most sites, said Mark Grabski, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department habitat specialist in St. John.

The Eastern Washington pheasant season ends Dec. 31.

In Western Washington, about 35,000 pheasants were scheduled to be released during a season that ends on Nov. 30.

Although wild pheasants are not considered to be plentiful this year in Eastern Washington, hunters are still finding them in good habitat.

Pen-raised birds were released to supplement the wild birds beginning with the youth hunting weekend in late September. The releases in Eastern Washington will end with about 7,500 being trucked to release sites this week.

About 1,100 of those birds will go to specified sites in the department’s Region 1. Among them are Sherman Creek Wildlife Area near Kettle Falls and Bureau of Land Management property near Fishtrap Lake.

Region 1 birds also are being released at four road-accessible Corps of Engineers habitat areas along the Snake River, including the John Henley area near Little Goose Dam, Rice Bar and Willow Bar near Central Ferry and the Chief Timothy area downstream from Clarkston.

Upland bird hunters as well as waterfowlers must use non-toxic shot at the Wallula and Two Rivers areas.

A few pheasants also are being released at selected feel-free-to-hunt areas that receive heavy hunting pressure, Grabski said.

30-pounder leads derby

Randy Herron of LaClede, Idaho, wasted no time setting a formidable goal for anglers hoping to win the $750 top prize for rainbows in the Lake Pend Oreille Thanksgiving Derby.

Herron said she was fishing off Camp Bay when she landed a 30-pound, 8-ounce rainbow that holds the lead in the rainbow division.

The leading mackinaw weighs 16 pounds, 3 ounces, caught by Scott Pine of Sandpoint.

The derby, which runs through Sunday, will pay $3,600 in prizes for the top five places in the rainbow and mackinaw categories, plus divisions for youths.

Personal permits for cutting

Christmas trees on the Colville and Idaho Panhandle national forests are on sale at agency offices as well as the Forest Service Information Center at 1103 N. Fancher Road in Spokane.

The permits cost $3 for the Panhandle National Forests and $5 for the Colville. National forest maps are available for $6.

The Spokane office will be closed Thursday and Friday, but will reopen Monday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Info: 536-1251.

Razor clamming to open

Good news for razor clam diggers who need to work off their turkey dinner.

The next round of razor clam openings will proceed as planned Friday and Saturday on ocean beaches, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Monday.

Tests conducted by the Washington Department of Health indicate that marine toxin levels remain low on all affected beaches.

Most diggers try to begin their trip 1 to 1-1/2 hours before low tide, said Dan Ayres, department shellfish biologist. A low tide of minus 0.2 feet will occur at 5:24 p.m. on Friday and there will be a low tide of minus 0.4 at 6:07 p.m. Saturday.

These early evening tides should allow diggers to dig before dark.

If toxin levels remain low, clam digging will be allowed again on several beaches in December.