With fall well underway, hunting season is in full swing, along with clam digging on coastal beaches. There's action right at home, too, because this is the time to set up winter backyard bird feeding stations.

Most eastern Washington modern firearm elk hunting (Northeast, Blue Mountains, Colockum, and Yakima tag areas) opens Oct. 30. Western Washington elk units open Nov. 6. All five tag areas, on both sides of the Cascades, offer fair to good hunting during the nine-day seasons.

Northeast elk numbers are increasing, but hunter access can limit success; terrain is tough and small herds are scattered. On private lands in the Spokane County area access permission is difficult to obtain and must be secured ahead of hunting time. Blue Mountains elk numbers also are up slightly, except for the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness, and the hunt there is for spike bulls only. The Colockum and Yakima units are traditionally the top producers of elk in the state; both are also under spike-only rules to promote greater adult bull ratios.

Many Western Washington elk units shifted from spike-only to three-point minimum rules last year, which will reduce harvest. The Snoqualmie unit (Game Management Unit 460) may be one of the best, although the rugged terrain makes hunting more difficult. Southwest elk units should be productive and many offer any elk (either sex) hunting, although the Toutle Valley had high winter mortality. Much of the coastal region's elk population is in decline, but some units such as Bear River (GMU 681) and North River (GMU 658) should be good.

Yakima elk tag hunters are reminded they need advance permission to enter the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center, which encompasses much of GMU 371. The Army is limiting access to approximately 100 elk hunters per day on the opening weekend, depending on military training activities. Hunters may pre-register to enter the installation on the opener by calling the training center at (509) 577-3402 on Oct. 25 from 6 to 9 p.m. No walk-in registration will be accepted and telephone calls will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis.

For details on elk hunting, check WDFW's Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules pamphlet, available at license dealers, WDFW offices, and the WDFW website.

Deer hunting continues through most of the month and resumes in many parts of the state after elk season closes. The northeast's whitetails should continue to provide excellent opportunities, particularly if early snow arrives to improve stalking and tracking conditions. The season opened in the northeast with a whopping 21 percent success rate among deer hunters checked at a WDFW check station. Many of those early season deer came out of agricultural areas in Stevens County where biologists had feared the greatest loss of deer to the early fall outbreak of EHD (Epizootic Hemorraghic Disease). But most hunters checked, with or without deer, reported seeing good numbers of deer.

For those who want to stalk something smaller, the razor clam season opening Oct. 23 on most coastal beaches is the first clamming opportunity since last fall's marine toxin closure. Hoping that problem doesn't re-occur, WDFW biologists expect this season to be one of the best in a long time because there are lots of clams available.

Choose from four clamming beaches: Long Beach on the Long Beach Peninsula, Twin Harbors (from the South Jetty at the mouth of Grays Harbor south to the mouth of Willapa Bay), Copalis Beach ( from Ocean Shores to the Copalis River), and Mocrocks Beach (from the Copalis River to the Moclips River).

All clam digging is afternoon and evening hours only during the following seasons:

• Oct. 23 through Oct. 31 at Copalis and Mocrocks, odd-numbered days only
• Oct. 23 through Nov. 11 at Long Beach and Twin Harbors, odd-numbered days
• Nov. 26, 27 at Long Beach and Twin Harbors,
• Dec. 20 and 21 at Long Beach and Twin Harbors

Additional clamming dates may be announced after the harvest through December is evaluated. Remember the new licensing requirements for sport clam diggers: Resident and non-resident fishers age 15 require a $5 combination youth license. Resident fishers from ages 16 to 69 must have a $7 shellfish/seaweed license. The license costs $5 for seniors age 70 and older. Two-day consecutive licenses cost $6 for residents and non-residents. An annual license for a non-resident age 16 and older costs $20. No license is required for resident and non-resident fishers up through age 14. The new license period runs from April 1 through March 31.

Diggers may take 15 razor clams a day, and must keep the first 15 taken, regardless of size or condition. Each digger's limit must be kept in a separate container.

Here are some basics for novice diggers: First look for a "clam show" – a spot where a clam has withdrawn its neck or started to dig leaving a hole in the sand – in the form of a dimple, doughnut, or keyhole. Then place the clam shovel blade about four to six inches seaward of the clam show. Push the blade straight downward, being careful to avoid angling toward the clam and breaking the shell. Pull the handle back to break the suction in the sand, keeping the blade straight. Remove sand with the shovel until the clam is visible, then go after it by hand. Clams dig vertically, not horizontally, so if you can get down far enough, you'll come up with the clam. Clams will also show at the edge of the surf line when you pound the beach with a shovel handle or your foot. They may squirt sand and water out of the hole where they are located. Be quick when digging in the surf as razor clams dig quite fast in the soft fluid sand.

For more information on clam digging, see WDFW's Razor Clamming Website.

Closer to home you can enjoy and learn about wildlife by setting up a backyard bird feeder. Although wild birds will continue to forage in available natural habitat through winter, setting up backyard feeders now may take the edge off winter stress for some.

The key is to provide a variety of feed in different types of feeders in diverse locations. A reliable supply of open water for drinking and bathing is also critical; birds bathe to keep clean feathers which provide insulation.

Seeds, suet, nuts, and fruit are the basic foods for wintering birds. The two best all-around seeds for many birds from quail to juncos are white proso millet and black oil sunflower seeds. Niger, or thistle seed, is a favorite of goldfinches and pine siskins. Buy seed separately and avoid mixes; birds tend to waste mixes looking for preferred seed. Suet, or hard fat, is used by insect-eating birds like woodpeckers and nuthatches. Cracked nuts are attractive to many birds but peanut-butter is a less expensive offering. Fresh or dried apples, berries, grapes and other fruit are favored by robins and waxwings.

Hopper-type feeders keep good quantities of seed protected and available to most species. Platform feeders are open to any and all birds in smaller feed supplies. Tube feeders hung from branches, house eaves, or posts offer more selective sizes of openings and perches that allow smaller birds to feed with less competition from larger, more aggressive ones. Mesh bags or cages hold suet well. Keep feeders clean; wash monthly with a mild bleach solution.

Place feeders so birds can be seen but not disturbed. If feeders are close to windows, cover some of the window exterior so that birds recognize it as a barrier and not a fly-through area. Trees and brush nearby are important in feeder placement; birds use them to cautiously approach feeders and as escape cover from predators, but they shouldn't be so close or dense to provide ambush cover for predators like cats. If you feed, keep cats indoors.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Program packet provides more information about winter bird feeding.

Here are some other current fish and wildlife recreational opportunities:

Fishing: Many rivers and lakes close to fishing at the end of October, so now's the time to cast those last lines of the season. Several lakes are fly-fishing-only or catch-and-release for the month of October; check the rules pamphlet for all details. Eastside waters notable for fall fishing include: Ferry County's Curlew Lake for largemouth bass, Grant County's Dry Falls Lake (which is actually open through November), Okanogan County's Blue and Chopaka lakes for rainbow trout, Pend Oreille County's Brown's Lake for cutthroat trout, and Spokane County's Amber Lake for cutthroat and rainbow (open for catch-and-release only now through November). Portions of southeast Washington's Touchet, Tucannon, and Walla Walla rivers open to steelhead and whitefish Nov. 1.

Waterfowl and upland game bird hunting continues through the year across the state. As expected, the opening weeks of those seasons produced lots of ducks and geese but low numbers of pheasants. Quail populations are good, however, and cooler, wetter weather should help upland bird hunters using dogs. Supplemental pheasant releases on eastern Washington release sites will boost success, too; check with WDFW's Spokane, Ephrata, and Yakima regional offices for more information on release sites. Bird hunters must have a small game license, which is NOT included in big game hunting license packages. Over the opener, WDFW officials found some waterfowlers in possession of both the state and federal required waterfowl stamps, but minus the small-game hunting license. Yakima area bird hunters are reminded that the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge now is open seven days a week instead of Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, as stated in the 1999 Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game Seasons pamphlet. Hunters may contact the Umatilla Refuge Complex at (509) 545-8588 for further information.

Birdwatching is on tap at the second annual Walla Walla Foliage and Feathers Festival, Oct. 28-31. This southeast Washington town celebrates its beautiful fall colors and diversity of bird life, much of which is found in the deciduous trees and habitat along its many riparian or streamside areas (Walla Walla means "many waters.") Events include tours of the Fort Walla Walla Natural Area, McNary Wildlife Refuge, Pioneer Park and Aviary, and Rooks Park and Bennington Lake area. For details, check out the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation Website or call 1-877-WWVISIT.