| |
November 5-18, 1998
November offers great views of
OLYMPIA—November is a great time of year to view deer, elk, waterfowl and birds of prey in Washington.
The Columbian White-Tailed Deer National Wildlife Refuge near Cathlamet in southwest Washington offers opportunities to view hundreds of the endangered white- tailed deer and even elk which inhabit the refuge.
Drive the Steamboat Slough or Brooks Slough roads in the early morning or evening for the best views. Call the refuge at (360) 795-3915 for more information.
The Mount St. Helens Wildlife Area also offers deer and elk viewing opportunities. Be sure to bring binoculars or wear boots for a short hike because there is no vehicle access. The best observation point from a road is Highway 504 between mile posts 32 and 34. Elk also are visible from the monument itself. Call (360) 906-6725 for more information.
Deer can be seen in many areas. November is breeding time so it is the best opportunity to see whitetail, blacktail and mule deer bucks jousting with each other and just about anything else that gets in their way. Their antlers are at their biggest and they use them on everything from tree branches to fence posts.
With a little luck and patience, a careful observer also may see bucks clashing antlers. Look in the woods and along edges of fields. It's best to sit quietly in a good location, or even climb a tree, for the best luck. Rutting bucks are less wary than usual so chances of viewing one can be pretty good.
Be sure to wear some flourescent orange to be seen by hunters who also are looking for deer and other game.
Wintering birds also provide prime viewing opportunities at this time of year.
Sea birds and waterfowl are plentiful around Puget Sound, the straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca and all the inlets, channels, passages and bays that comprise what is known as the Salish Sea.
There are more water birds in this marine area now than at any other time of year. Look for loons, grebes, cormorants, gulls and a variety of geese and ducks, including scoters, harlequins and oldsquaw. Rhinoceros auklet and tuffed puffin also can be seen.
And where you find waterfowl be sure to look for the birds of prey. Bald eagles feed on shore and water birds, falcons and merlins dine on alcids, ducks and shorebirds. Watch for birds of prey along the shore, especially near mudflats.
Birds are best viewed from boats. Taking the ferry also gets the birdwatcher out to the birds. Consider ferries serving the San Juans, Victoria B.C. and Vancouver, B.C. for the best viewing opportunities.
Kayak Point County Park, Washington Park, Padilla and Birch bays and Point Roberts also offer good viewing opportunities. Also consider Ediz Hook, the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge and Port Townsend.
There also are several opportunities to enjoy fish and wildlife. They include:
Cedar River Salmon Journey: The final opportunity this year to see salmon and learn about its life cycle in the Cedar River watershed is scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 7. Volunteer naturalists will discuss salmon and the river at Riverview Park, Cavanaugh Pond and Landsburg Road. Call (206) 205-6722 for details. There also are good hunting and fishing opportunities in November.
Salmon fishing: Blackmouth (immature chinook, 22-inch minimum length) fishing is open from Sekiu to Olympia during November. Point Monroe and Jefferson Head have offered the best fishing with blackmouth running 5 to 7 pounds. Chum salmon runs also are at their peak now. Tony Floor, a WDFW salmon fishing expert, suggested anchoring or drifting while using a plug-cut herring from a bobber or with no weights (to get the bait away from the boat). Floor said Totten Inlet has been particularly hot for chum. "If water could burn it would be on fire," he said.
Crabbing: The Lower Columbia River, Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor offer the best opportunities in November, according to Morris Barker, WDFW biologist. He suggests crabbing in areas from 25 to 40 feet in depth that are free of strong currents and seals. Crabbing is limited to ringnets until Dec. 1 when pots are legal again. Crabbing also is good in the Columbia River below Hammonds, Ore., and lower Desdemona Sands.
Hunting: The western Washington modern firearm elk hunting season opens Nov. 7. Nearly all the westside hunting areas allow the harvest of 3-point-or-more bulls. Hunters are warned the mild fall may have a downside. Elk may not come down from the mountains until snow drives them down. Hunting pressure and success was low in eastern Washington last week.
Here are some tips for successful elk hunters:
Eastside fishing: The cool days of advancing fall mean hot fishing on Lake Roosevelt, Washington's largest reservoir on the Columbia River off Grand Coulee Dam in the northeast end of the state. Catch limits (that's five a day) of fat rainbow trout from 14 to 18 inches are landed in a few hours of fishing now, and should continue briskly through December. The good fishing can be found almost anywhere on Lake Roosevelt below the mouth of the Colville River just south of the town of Kettle Falls. Kokanee, the landlocked version of sockeye salmon that are sometimes called silver trout, are also in Lake Roosevelt and moving upstream to tributary streams to spawn. Only hatchery kokanee, distinguished by missing adipose fins, can be kept at this time; all wild kokanee must be released. Walleye, often considered one of the best-tasting freshwater fish available, are also being caught in deep water in the upper stretches of Lake Roosevelt. Only walleye less than 16 inches or more than 20 inches may be kept and only one of the eight walleye allowed per day can be over 20 inches. The rules protect spawning age fish. The Coulee Dam National Recreation Area along both shores of Lake Roosevelt provides dozens of boat launches, spots to bank fish and other facilities for your fishing pleasure.
Contact: Mike Judge, (360) 902-2407
birds, deer, elk and salmon
Index of Past Issues