WDFW REPORT: HUNTING SEASONS UNDERWAY

From Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife


Fall is in the air, and hunters are heading out for the first major hunting seasons of the year.

Statewide seasons for mourning dove and forest grouse got underway Sept. 1, when archers also took to the field for the early-season deer hunt. Additional seasons for elk and Canada geese open later this month.

Despite lower temperatures and occasional rain, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife urges hunters and nonhunters alike to be extremely careful to avoid any action that could cause a wildfire.

“Fire crews are currently working to contain wildfires in at least two counties,” said Dave Brittell, state assistant director for the wildlife program. “While temperatures are dropping, there’s still a lot of dry tinder out there.”

Besides observing restrictions on campfires, Brittell urges campers to take precautions against anything that could start a wildfire such as parking a hot vehicle in dry grass.

As of Sept. 2, the Washington Department of Natural Resources rated the wildfire danger as “high” or “very high” in all but four counties in the state. 

While hunting seasons are just getting started, fall fisheries are well under way.

A large run of coho salmon is moving in from the coast, lighting up fisheries from the Columbia River to the Strait of Juan de Fuca — and soon Puget Sound. Fishing for fall chinook salmon recently opened on two sections of the Snake River, and anglers on both sides of the Cascades are heading for the hills to catch rainbow, cutthroat and eastern brook trout in high mountain lakes.

South Sound/Olympic Peninsula report

• Fishing: Coastal salmon anglers continue to fill their daily limits as the ocean fishery enters the home stretch. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of coho and pink salmon are moving through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and into Puget Sound.

Although salmon fishing is closed off Ilwaco (Marine Area 1), anglers still are finding plenty of hatchery coho along the rest of the coast, said Erica Crust, WDFW ocean port sampler
Salmon fishing is scheduled to close Sept. 20 at Westport (Marine Area 2), LaPush (Marine Area 3) and Neah Bay (Marine Areas 3 and 4), where fishing currently is open seven days a week.

Salmon anglers fishing the Strait of Juan de Fuca are having a banner year, said Steve Thiesfeld, state fish biologist. Creel checks conducted Sunday, Aug. 30 near Sekiu showed catch rates of nearly three hatchery coho and four pink salmon per boat.

“We’re past the half-way point for pinks and they’re beginning to tail off, but we’ve had an outstanding fishing season so far in marine areas 5 and 6,” Thiesfeld said.

Anglers hoping to land a wild coho can get their gear ready for a nonselective coho fishery starting in Marine Area 5 (Sekiu) Sept. 19. Until then, anglers must release all wild coho they encounter.

“Fishing for coho generally picks up after Labor Day,” Thiesfeld said. “With the catch rates we’ve been seeing, the fish are definitely coming through.”

Anglers fishing in Marine Area 6 (Port Angeles) may retain two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon as part of their daily limit. All chum, chinook and wild coho must be released.

Salmon fishing opened Sept. 1 north of Ayock Point in Hood Canal (Marine Area 12), where the daily limit is four coho only. All other salmon species must be released. The same rules apply to Dabob and Quilcene bays, which opened for salmon fishing Aug. 16.

Several rivers around the region opened to salmon fishing Sept. 1, including Clearwater River in Jefferson County.

As of Sept. 1, anglers fishing in the Quillayute system — which includes the Bogachiel, Sol Duc, Calawah and Dickey rivers — can keep two adult salmon, plus two additional adult hatchery coho as part of the six-fish daily limit.

On the Hoh River, anglers now can fish for salmon seven days a week and keep up to two adult fish as part of their six-fish daily limit.

Before heading out, anglers are advised to check the 2009-2010 Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm for specific regulations.

• Hunting: Archers took the field for deer Sept.1, with an early archery season for elk scheduled to run Sept. 8-20.

Three other hunts also opened Sept. 1:
1. The statewide season for forest grouse and dove
2. In Pacific County, goose hunting in Goose Management Area 2B, which runs through Sept. 15
3. The archery-only general hunting season for cougar, which runs through Sept. 25.

That hunt will be followed by a muzzleloader-only season Sept. 26-Oct. 16
Beginning Oct. 17, hunters may use any legal weapon to target cougars in most areas of the state.

The general hunting season for black bear is under way in most areas of the state. Hunters are allowed two bear during the season (Aug. 1-Nov. 15), but only one bear can be taken in eastern Washington.