Briefly around the region

Timberland permits

Two Inland Northwest private timber companies with more than 700,000 acres of forest lands traditionally open and popular with hunters, are requiring the public to buy permits for access.

Potlatch Corp in Idaho: Purchase permits and maps online at www.potlatchcopr.com .

Inland Empire Paper Co: Purchase permits at White’s Outdoor in Spokane Valley, Hico convenience store in Rathdrum, Hauser Market and Smoke Shop in Hauser Lake and Levi’s Minit Market in Deer Park.

Campgrounds limited

Most Forest Service campgrounds in this region are closed or remain open with no water or garbage services following the Labor Day holiday.

That leaves most hunters to fend for themselves at undeveloped campsites throughout the national forests.

Colville National Forest campgrounds with vault toilets that are still open include:

•Pioneer and Noisy Creek, through Sept. 15. (Noisy Creek Group open through Nov. 15, depending on weather).

•Browns Lake, Lake Leo and Mill Pond (near Sullivan), through Oct. 31

•Sullivan Lake West, until weather closes.

Most campgrounds on the Three Rivers and Republic districts remain open with services until winter.

Montana archers affected

Montana elk and antelope archery hunters need to keep a sharp eye out for several regulation changes for the 2008 hunting seasons that require many archers to have permits in hunting districts that may not have required them in the past.

Among the changes, elk archery hunters in the Missouri River Breaks and 23 other elk-hunting districts in central and eastern Montana had to apply for a permit in June.

The move to change several elk- and antelope-archery regulations came in response to concerns about hunter crowding, opportunity inequities between archers and rifle hunters, and hunter-access concerns.

Hunter comment sought

Would you favor or oppose a three- or four-point antler minimum for hunting whitetail bucks in some units in northeastern Washington?

This is one of many proposals hunters are being asked to chime in on as state Fish and Wildlife Department managers prepare to set rules and seasons for 2009.

Hunters have until Sept. 30 to complete an online survey on the agency’s Web site:

wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/ seasonsetting/

Put game on tables

The Sportsmen Against Hunger program, organized by Safari Club International, accepts skinned, freshly killed big-game animals as well as professionally processed frozen game meat that may be a year or two old but still in good condition. Bring donations to either of these two wild-game processors:

Spokane – Crown Foods, 1402 W. Northwest Blvd., (509) 326-1111.

Newport – Mason’s Meat Packing, 1871 Green Rd., (509) 447-3788.

Other meat cutters in this region who process wild game include:

•Dunham & Sons in Spokane Valley, 924-9821.

•Egger’s Meats in South Spokane, 448-5474.

•CNJ Custom Meats in Clayton (near Deer Park), (509) 276-6940.

•Reedy’s Custom Meats in Elk, (509) 292-1500.

•Prairie Custom Meats in Post Falls, (208) 773-2333.

Elk permits eyed

This could be the last season for general either-sex elk hunting during modern rifle seasons in northeastern Washington Game Management Unit 101, and possibly 105 and 108.

“We may go to permits on antlerless elk now that we think we have developed landowner tolerance and a green light to expand elk populations in those zones,” said Dana Base, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department biologist in Colville.

“Elk damage is no longer something that would prevent us in allowing elk to expand if the habitat allows.”

Shotgunner’s tool

Specifically engineered for shotgun devotees, the new Hunter 20-in-1 Multi-Tool from Sheffield contains choke-tube keys for gauge .410 through 12, plus other important tools for maintaining shotguns.

Key features include one choke tube key for extended chokes, four choke tube tools for internal chokes, a 2.5mm drill pin to remove the trigger assembly and a gut hook.

It also includes the classic multi-tool offerings, including pliers, wire cutters, saw, file, Phillips and slotted screwdrivers, bottle opener and hex tool.

Info: www.GreatNeckBrands.com ; (800) 457-0600, ext. 192.

Cougars targeted

Last year, the Department of Fish and Wildlife reported 536 cougars died in encounters with humans in Oregon. That was almost three times the 187 cougars killed in 1992, the year with the highest cougar kills before Measure 18 abolished hunting with hounds in 1994.

Sport hunters accounted for a record harvest of 308 cougars in 2007. Most of those cats probably were killed “incidentally” while hunters were after elk, deer or other species. The rising tally owes to a cougar population that has been increasing, up to about 5,500 statewide.

More cougars seem to be killed in recent years by bowhunters while they are calling elk.

Bowhunter backup

In Idaho, it’s legal to carry a handgun while archery hunting.

But it is not legal to use a firearm to take an animal or finish off a wounded animal in an archery-only season.