As usual, November has brought falling temperatures and increasing rainfall throughout much of the state. Yet, despite the weather, tens of thousands of Washingtonians will bundle up and head outdoors at any opportunity.

What's the attraction?

Hunting, for one thing. If last year is any indication, more than 25,000 elk hunters will take to the field for the nine-day modern-firearm season that runs Nov. 5-13 in areas throughout western Washington. Additional hunts later in the month are expected to draw thousands more archers, muzzleloaders and deer hunters into forestlands on both sides of the Cascades. Bird hunters are also hearing the call, as flocks of ducks and geese stream down from the north.

Razor clam diggers, meanwhile, are awaiting final word on a dig tentatively scheduled to open Nov. 12 at all five coastal razor clam beaches. Test results due by Nov. 9 will show whether the clams are safe to eat. If they are, three beaches - Long Beach, Copalis and Kalaloch - will be open to digging Nov. 12-14 between noon and midnight. Twin Harbors and Mocrocks beaches will also be open those three days, plus Nov. 15. "Diggers made more than 30,000 trips to the beach during the first fall razor-clam opening in October, and we expect at least that many this month if we can move forward with the dig," said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Anglers also are finding good cause to log some time on waters around the state. Although heavy rainfall has rendered some rivers "unfishable," it has also helped to move migrating salmon into a number of catch areas. Salmon anglers are pulling a good number of bright coho from such coastal rivers as the Elwha, Chehalis, and Wynoochee, and the chum run appears to have arrived early at Hoodsport. In eastern Washington, anglers have been lining up along the Snake, Walla Walla and Tucannon rivers to catch hatchery steelhead, averaging from two to 17 hours per fish.

Squawking ducks and geese are also drawing wildlife watchers outdoors. More than 12,000 snow geese are now on display at Fir Island in Skagit County, while thousands of cackling Canada geese have touched down at their wintering grounds in southwest Washington. In the Seattle area, ferry passengers need only look out the window for a chance to see killer whales milling and breaching in their annual feeding foray into central Puget Sound.

For more information about hunting, fishing and viewing opportunities, see the regional reports below.

North Puget Sound

• Fishing: North Sound salmon fishing has reached a crossroads as the coho season winds down and chum begin to enter the rivers. Anglers are still catching coho in the upper Snohomish, Snoqualmie and Skykomish rivers, said Chad Jackson, WDFW biologist, but the fish are beginning to turn dark. Chum fishing should peak toward the end of November. The Skykomish is a good bet, especially in the deep pools and sloughs downstream from Gold Bar, Jackson said.

  Puget Sound blackmouth fishing has been slow. A few bright spots were Oct. 29 when a creel check showed 28 anglers with six chinook at Oak Harbor Marina and Oct. 30 when 63 anglers at Seattle's Armeni Ramp were checked with seven blackmouth. The San Juan Islands (Marine Area 7) closed to blackmouth fishing on Nov. 1 and Admiralty Inlet (Marine Area 9) opened.

• Hunting: The region's bird-hunting opportunities are good and will only get better, WDFW wildlife managers report. Although the majority of waterfowl are still up in Padilla and Samish bays, plenty of birds have already moved into the Skagit River valley. Four WDFW wildlife areas have been planted in half barley and half corn to attract the birds and hold them for the season, said John Garrett, who manages the sites. The Samish Wildlife Area has 23 ponds that provide excellent decoy hunting, and recent rains have left water in low areas of the Headquarters, Island and Leque Island sites, Garrett said. "There are some great hunting opportunities present as we speak," said Garrett, noting that the sites hold a mix of mallard, pintail, teal and widgeon. "When it gets windy and colder, those hunting conditions will do nothing but improve." The season ends in January.

  Some 12,000 to 15,000 snow geese have already stopped off at the bird reserve on Fir Island, Garrett said. Based on their breeding success, this year's migrants are ultimately expected to exceed last year's draw of 65,000 to 70,000 birds. There are many young geese this year, which should help out the hunters, Garrett said. The season resumes Nov. 5 and continues until Jan. 29. Bay hunting opportunities out of a boat also are good, Garrett said, but be careful of the tides.

  Upland bird hunters have until the end of November to bag pheasant. WDFW is releasing 390 per week at Skagit Wildlife Area sites and 420 a week at Snoqualmie Wildlife Area sites. "Pheasant hunters who hunt these areas as hard as they would hunt native pheasants in eastern Washington are almost always successful," Garrett said. For information about WDFW pheasant-release sites, see the Western Washington Pheasant Release pamphlet on the department's website. Forest grouse season runs through the end of the year.

  Although the North Puget Sound area's elk population is in rebuilding mode with much of the region closed to hunting, dozens of locals are expected to punch tags during the Nov. 5-13 modern firearms season, said Lora Leschner, WDFW regional wildlife program manager. Eighty elk were harvested from Region 4 last year with 57 coming from the Issaquah Game Management Unit (GMU) and 17 from the Snoqualmie GMU. Much of the region's land is privately owned, and getting access can be difficult. Any bull elk can be shot in the Issaquah GMU; Snoqualmie has a three-point minimum. There is a muzzleloader hunt Nov. 1 through Jan. 31 to reduce crop damage in the Skagit River valley.

  Turnout was light for the modern-firearms early deer hunt that ended Oct. 31. The late black-tail season runs Nov. 17-20. Last year, 1,741 deer were harvested with the top destinations being Island GMU with 511 and North Sound with 375. Any deer can be taken in Island and any buck in North Sound.

• Wildlife viewing: Members of the area's resident killer whale population are continuing to move deeper into Puget Sound in pursuit of migrating salmon. WDFW pilot Jim Hodgson reported 20 to 25 orcas milling and jumping off of the Shilshole area in Seattle on Oct. 26, the same day they were spotted in the Fauntleroy/Vashon ferry lanes. "I saw a lot of breaching, sometimes two or more at a time," one observer reported to the Orca Network the previous day. "They were very active; it looked like they might have been fishing." The orcas, members of the J, K and L pods, often venture into central Puget Sound during the winter months to feed on coho and chum salmon preparing to spawn in area rivers.

  Farther north, more than 12,000 snow geese have flocked to the Hayton/Fir Island Farms Reserve near Conway in Skagit County, and thousands of ducks are feeding nightly on barley in the area, reports Lora Leschner, WDFW regional wildlife manager. A major stopover for migrating birds on the Pacific Flyway, the area also attracts three species of loon, Eurasian and American wigeons, hooded and red-breasted mergansers, bufflehead, white-winged scoter, harlequin duck and a wide variety of other waterfowl.

  Besides providing up-to-date information on regional bird-watching opportunities, the Tweeters birding website also serves as an electronic bulletin board for a range of conservation activities. On Oct. 29, Joe Meche posted a note seeking participants for the upcoming Bellingham Christmas Bird Count (joemeche@aol.com). The next day, Martha Jordan of the Swan Society asked birders to report any swans they see wearing a neck band - noting the color of the band and its three-digit code - in an effort to find the source of lead shot that has been poisoning swans in northwest Washington. The contact number is 206-713-3684.

  In a similar fashion, the website has also helped in WDFW's work. Russell Link, a WDFW wildlife biologist, recently asked Tweeters readers about sightings of nutria in Seattle's Union Bay Natural Area. Nearly a dozen readers responded, reporting sightings and sometimes including photos, which saved Link hours of fieldwork. That project was one part of a broader effort to locate and remove nutria, non-native rodent that has caused billions of dollars of damage to native wildlife habitat and agricultural lands in the United States.

South Sound/Olympic Peninsula

• Fishing: Thousands of people are expected to descend on coastal beaches for the second razor-clam dig of the fall. Five beaches - Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks and Kalaloch - are tentatively scheduled to open to razor clam digging Nov. 12-14 between noon and midnight. A fourth evening of digging is also scheduled Tuesday, Nov. 15, at Twin Harbors and Mocrocks, where last year's harvest fell short of the number of clams available. The digs are contingent on whether marine toxin tests show that the clams are safe to eat, said Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager. Results will be announced by Nov. 9.

  Much of the prime digging time will be during daylight hours. Low evening tide is at 3:27 p.m. on Nov. 12 (+0.8 feet), 4:20 p.m. on Nov. 13 (0.0 feet), 5:10 p.m. on Nov. 14 (-0.6 feet) and on 5:56 p.m. Nov. 15 (-1.0 feet). "Weather depending, it should be great digging," Ayers said. That's always the caveat, that you might get a monster storm. That's November on the coast."

  More than 30,000 digger trips were made to the five beaches during the Oct. 15-19 debut, with an average catch of 13.8 clams. The daily limit is the first 15 clams taken, regardless of size or condition. Ayres reminds prospective diggers that a valid license - including any annual shellfish/seaweed license purchased since April 1 - is required for anyone age 15 or older.

  Meanwhile, salmon anglers are catching coho in the Chehalis River system, while chum are beginning to pile up at the usual spots. Bank anglers casting spinners at Morrison Park in Aberdeen have been pulling big, bright coho from the Chehalis, said Scott Barbour, a WDFW fish biologist for that area. He recently saw 10 landed there during a two-hour period. "And they're still coming," he said. "It's not red hot, but they're all high-quality fish." Similar success was reported upriver near Montesano, and the Satsop has been plugged with coho. Waves of silvers are also charging up the Wynoochee and Humptulips rivers, but anglers have been more apt to hook chinook, which must be released, Barbour said.

  Recent rains could finally bring the expected rush of coho up the Dungeness River, which - along with the Elwha and Skokomish rivers - is generally one of the best Puget Sound streams for November coho, said Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW biologist. Olympic Peninsula river anglers are faring well for coho on the Sol Duc and Hoh. A few native steelhead have been caught on the Hoh and Queets and should start showing up in bigger numbers there and in the Bogachiel River and Cook Creek, said WDFW biologist David Low.

  Chum are already abundant near the Hoodsport hatchery on Hood Canal, said Mark Cylwick, WDFW hatchery specialist. They began showing up the third week of October. The chum normally peaks just before Thanksgiving. "They're running a little bit early right now, so that indicates we're going to have a giant run or that things might peter out a little early," Cylwick said. He described the chum as semi-dark with some brights mixed in. "Usually the fish are in pretty good shape out here in front of the hatchery because they're still in saltwater." he said. A creel check Oct. 29 on the Hoodsport shore showed 59 anglers with 42 chum. Anglers can call (360) 877-5222 for a recorded message about Hoodsport fishing conditions. To avoid competition with tribal beach nets, Cylwick recommends fishing on days other than Tuesdays and Thursdays, when the Skokomish Tribe has been conducting its fishery. The Port of Hoodsport will host a chum salmon derby Nov. 11-13.

  The mouth of Kennedy Creek also is known for attracting chum, but so far the run has been light. "We're seeing a few, but not enough to give us any timing or run size," said WDFW biologist Hal Michael. Other traditionally good November chum rivers are the Satsop, Duckabush and Skokomish, and Minter Creek.

  This time of year, anglers have to play the weather as well as the fish, Thiesfeld said. They need to hit the rivers when they're high enough to bring in salmon, but not so high that they're unfishable. "This is a typical fall pattern," Thiesfeld said. "You watch the weather and stream gauges. If the rivers drop back into shape, you go. If not, you stay home and watch football or go blackmouth fishing."

  Speaking of blackmouth fishing, there hasn't been a rush to catch them, Thiesfeld said, adding that the opening of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Admiralty Inlet on Nov. 1 might bring more anglers out. The daily limit is two salmon, which can include one chinook at least 22 inches long. The same rules apply to Area 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon Island) and 13 (South Sound). The daily limit in Hood Canal is four, including one chinook.

• Hunting: Jack Smith, WDFW regional wildlife manager, expects elk hunting to be good each day of the nine-day season. The modern-firearms hunt runs Nov. 5-13. "We're expecting to see a consistent harvest right through the end," Smith said. "Especially with elk, there's nothing magical about opening day." Elk in most of the region's game management units (GMUs) must have at least three antler points on one side to be harvested. Hunters will harvest fewer than half of the 3-points during the season, Smith said.

  Three GMUs on the state's south coast - Williams Creek, North River and Bear River - are expected to again offer prime elk hunting. Williams Creek, with 154 elk, and Bear River, with 83, were the region's best GMUs last year. North River was fourth with 55, behind Puyallup with 75. Timber companies own much of the land in those areas and their logging rotation provides good elk forage. There's not much vehicle access to the North River and Bear River GMUs, another plus for the elk. That keeps poachers away and limits disturbance, allowing the elk to use the habitat more fully, Smith said. "You might have to work harder, but those two units offer some pretty good hunting," he said. The Williams Creek area is similar, but with better access.

  A strip of GMUs at the south end of the Olympics - Copalis (5 elk in 2004), Wynoochee (30) and Satsop (35) - is probably the next-best elk-hunting area, Smith said. And there should be some elk in northern GMUs such as Clearwater (41 in 2004), Sol Duc (26), Dickey (27) and Goodman (9), although the tribes have already hunted there. The same holds true for the White River GMU in eastern Pierce County, Smith said.

  Weyerhaeuser's Vail Tree Farm in southern Thurston and northern Lewis counties has never been a big elk producer, but will again be a focus of attention during extended deer seasons later this month, Smith said. The late season for black-tailed bucks runs Nov. 17-20 for hunters using modern firearms, followed by muzzleloaders Nov. 20 and archers Nov. 24. "Vail really has something for everyone," Smith said. "It has a large road system as well as gated areas for hunters who don't mind doing some walking." Vail is in the Skookumchuck GMU, which yielded a region-best 1,237 deer last year. It was followed by Satsop (781) and Wynoochee (529).

  For bird hunters, ducks remain hard to find in coastal areas, but there are some geese around. Smaller races of Canada geese, such as cackling, Taverner's and lesser, have been more abundant this season, Smith said. "Those geese are usually not here in quite as large a numbers, but they're arriving earlier," he said. On Willapa Bay, even though the weather's been calm, the birds have been flying closer to shore. Now that there have been a few good rains, the birds will begin moving up the Chehalis River valley and inland to fields where they're more accessible, Smith said. So far there's been just a few local birds in the valleys, but a lot of them on Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay.

• Wildlife viewing: Contributors to the Tweeters birding website were relieved to find up to 40 snowy plovers on the beach south of Grayland recently after not being able to locate them on earlier trips. The sparrow-sized shorebirds were spotted at Midway Beach. That area, along with Leadbetter Point in Pacific County and Damon Point in Grays Harbor County, are the only places in the state that support breeding populations of snowy plovers. Sand-colored upper parts allow them to blend in with their surroundings. They have white bellies, thin black bills and black legs. Snowy plovers are listed as "threatened" by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and as "endangered" by Washington state. Recent protection of nesting areas may have stopped or even reversed their decline in this state.

  Another highlight of the birdwatchers' trip were two young bar-tailed godwits that were observed together at Tokeland Marina. They were severely outnumbered by their cousins, the marbled godwits, of which there were at least 950. Godwigs are crow-sized waders with long bills.

  Anglers in central Puget Sound have been facing additional competition for salmon lately, as orca whales have been cruising the area to feast on big runs of returning fall chum salmon. As many as 25 have been seen together recently swimming between Seattle and the Kitsap Peninsula. Riders of the Vashon Island, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island and Kingston ferries have all gotten good views of them.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: With salmon fishing on the wane and winter steelhead just starting to show, most Columbia River anglers are focusing on sturgeon. Boat anglers fishing in the Camas/Washougal area were averaging one fish for every three or four rods in a recent creel survey. Farther upriver, bank anglers fishing just below Bonneville Dam were catching about one fish for every 5.6 rods. "Catch rates for sturgeon have dropped a bit over the past two weeks, but people are still getting some nice fish," said Manuel Fariņas, WDFW regional fish manager.

  Since Oct. 1, sturgeon retention has been allowed Thursday, Friday and Saturday each week from the Wauna power lines near Cathlamet to Bonneville Dam. During October, anglers caught an estimated 5,520 fish, compared to 4,980 sturgeon during the seven months before the closure, Fariņas said. If the catch estimate for October bears out, anglers will still be able to catch 2,300 more sturgeon in the weeks ahead under the annual 12,800-fish guideline.

  Salmon catches have been light on the lower Columbia, and the section from Beacon Rock upstream to Bonneville Dam closed to salmon fishing Nov. 1. Salmon fishing has also been slow on the Cowlitz River, although boat anglers have been averaging a coho per rod at Lake Scanewa. Bank anglers are also taking some coho near the salmon hatchery on the Lewis River, where a 36 winter steelhead had returned as of Oct. 26. WDFW had no report of angling success on the Klickitat River, where all chinook must be released as of Nov. 1 from the Fisher Hill Bridge upstream.

  Casting for cutthroat? On Oct. 21, WDFW planted 872 cutts averaging 1.5 pounds in Battle Ground Lake. Goose Lake got 1,635 cutthroat of the same size during the last week of October.

• Hunting: If last year is any indication, more than 18,000 hunters will head for forestlands throughout the region for the modern-firearms elk-hunting season Nov. 5-13. And for good reason: Southwest Washington had the highest success rate (9 percent) and accounted for more kills (1,546) than any region of the state in 2004. "Weather permitting, this looks like another decent year for elk hunting in the southwest," said Jerry Nelson, WDFW deer and elk section manager. Hunting options vary widely throughout the region, ranging from either-sex hunts in some western game management units (GMUs) to big-bull hunts in the high Cascades, Nelson said. He suggests that elk hunters who have not yet chosen a spot look at last year's Game Harvest report on the WDFW website for some options. "Generally speaking, success rates in a given area don't vary that much from one year to the next."

  That also generally holds true for the late-buck deer season, which runs Nov. 17-20 for hunters using modern firearms, followed by seasons starting Nov. 20 for muzzleloaders and Nov. 23 for archers. About a third of the region's annual deer harvest by hunters using modern firearms usually occurs during the four-day late-buck season, noted Eric Holman, regional wildlife biologist. "We have deer throughout the region," Holman said. "But to get one, hunters really need to start early in the day, get away from their vehicle and hunt hard." He notes that GMUs 522, 574, 578, 588 are open to special-permit hunters but closed to the general hunt.

  Goose hunting season in Goose Management Area 2A (Wahkiakum, Cowlitz and part of Clark counties) begins Nov. 12 for those who have successfully completed a goose-identification test administered by WDFW. Fred Dobler, WDFW regional wildlife manager, notes that this year's season is considerably longer than last year's, thanks to funding provided by the state Legislature for additional monitoring. This year, hunters will have 30 days to hunt geese in the area, compared to 18 days last year. (See the Migratory Water rule pamphlet for opening days and times.) Tests will be administered through Dec. 12, so hunters still have time to qualify for this year's season.

  Meanwhile, waterfowl seasons continue in Goose Management Area 5 (including Klickitat County) and will resume Nov. 5 in Goose Management Area 3 (Lewis, Skamania, and part of Clark County). Looking for pheasants? WDFW recently released 150 birds at three pheasant-release sites near Goldendale.

• Wildlife viewing: Thousands of cackling Canada geese have arrived in the Vancouver lowlands and other nearby wintering areas. These are the smallest sub-species to winter in the area, migrating south from the Yukon River Delta. Birders visiting the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge should be aware that goose hunting is allowed in the refuge Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from Nov. 15-26, and during a similar three-day-per-week schedule through Jan. 26.

  Several contributors to the Tweeters birding website wrote recently about seeing northern flickers in groups as large as 10 and wondering what's up with our area's most common woodpecker. That's a good question, because flickers are hardly social animals, according to "The Birds of North America." However, they've been known to search for food together. During the spring breeding season, one flicker usually goes out alone to find food while its mate hangs out at the nest. But in the winter they sometimes get together in loosely structured foraging groups of up to a dozen birds, according to the reference document. While foraging, they don't invade one another's space, keeping at least a yard apart. There are five subspecies of northern flickers, the red-shafted flicker being the most common here. Unlike most woodpeckers, which are black and white, they are mostly brown. Their flight feathers have reddish-orange shafts, their wings and tail are reddish-orange below, and males have red moustaches. When they fly, their white rumps show. Washington's flickers usually stick around for the winter, and are joined by those from farther north and from higher elevations, so this time of year you'll be apt to see more of them here. Yellow-shafted flickers are found mostly in the East, but are beginning to show up more often in Washington, especially along the outer coast during winter.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Snake River hatchery steelhead action is picking up, as usual at this time of year. WDFW enforcement officers report that virtually every stretch of the mainstem Snake and its tributaries is being heavily fished now. The most recent creel surveys indicate that steelheaders throughout the drainage are averaging 12 to 17 hours of fishing effort per fish caught. The best catch rates have been measured on the Tucannon River, which has averaged from 2.8 to 6.7 hours of effort per steelhead. The Walla Walla River has maintained a 5.5 hours of fishing per steelhead average. The mainstem Snake above the interstate bridge at Clarkston has averaged nearly four hours of fishing per steelhead. See all the numbers in the latest checks on WDFW's Eastern Region webpage (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/creel/snake/index.htm).

  Trolling for Lake Roosevelt's big rainbow trout is improving with cooler, wetter weather. The reservoir is open year-round and some of the best trout fishing is still ahead in the winter months. Many of the rainbows are tagged so that when tags and information about catches are returned by anglers, fish biologists can learn more about their distribution and growth to improve the fishery. To encourage tag returns, cash prizes are available from the Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Evaluation Program, which conducts twice-a-year drawings among tag returns. Funded by the Bonneville Power Administration, the program recently awarded $1,300 in prizes to 22 anglers who had caught tagged trout and returned the tags from April through September. The next drawing will be April 1, 2006 for tag returns made now through then. For more information call Eastern Washington University Fisheries Research Lab at (509) 359-7498 or see the Lake Roosevelt Forum website (http://www.lrf.org).

• Hunting: Modern firearm elk hunters will be wrapping up their week-long season on the Nov. 6, and early reports indicate the harvest is similar to recent past seasons - about six percent of all elk hunters in the region are coming home with meat for the freezer.

  Eastern Washington's antlerless white-tailed deer hunting for youth and disabled hunters continues through Nov. 6 in northeast game management units 105-124. The region's white-tailed deer late buck season runs Nov. 7-19 in those same units for any buck, and in central district units 127-142 for three-antler-point minimum bucks. Hunters in all of these seasons should have good opportunities to bag deer, thanks to wet conditions that have quieted the woods and good numbers of deer. WDFW wildlife biologist Dave Volsen of Spokane reports that a three-year streak of high EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease) mortality in white-tailed deer in the central portion of the region seems to have been broken. "In contrast to the last few years, there have been no confirmed deaths of white-tailed deer due to EHD in 2005," Volsen said. "The specific combination of weather, water, insects and deer that contribute to EHD outbreaks did not occur this year. As a result, we should see a gradual increase in deer numbers in those areas hit hard during the past few years."

  Pheasant, quail, partridge, and forest grouse hunters should also be aided by wetter conditions that leave more bird scent for hunting dogs. Wild pheasant numbers are excellent in many places and WDFW biologists and enforcement officers report many three-birds-per-day bag limits over the opening weekend, from private farmlands south of the Snake River to WDFW's Revere Wildlife Area in Whitman County. Since the opener, farm-raised rooster pheasants have been released at traditional sites; see WDFW's Eastern Washington Pheasant Enhancement Program website for all details.

• Wildlife viewing: WDFW wildlife biologist Dave Volsen of Spokane recommends a bird-watching trip to Lincoln County "for those birders looking to pick up a gyrfalcon on their life list." A gray-phase adult gyrfalcon was seen south of the town of Lincoln on Oct. 27. Another gyrfalcon was observed just south of the town of Creston earlier this year. "The open agricultural areas from Reardan to Almira are good places to start searching," Volsen said. "When the snow flies, these areas may mimic the open tundra of the far north, providing gyrfalcons with a similar hunting environment." Gyrfalcons are large birds of prey - two feet long with five-foot wingspans - that only irregularly range into Washington from their more northern haunts.

  With the end of daylight savings time and more after-work commuting in the dark, deer-car collisions are on the rise throughout the region. The single best thing drivers can do to avoid deer is to slow down. Meanwhile, freezing temperatures can mean that open water is less available to birds and other wildlife now. Providing water in a birdbath or other container at this time is one of the best ways to attract wildlife to your yard. Birds need the water not only for drinking but also for bathing to keep feathers clean to keep warm. The best long-term and most convenient set-up is to use a submersible, thermostatically-controlled heater in a concrete birdbath. Small heaters for shallow water are readily available at pet and garden stores. Be sure to use an outdoor extension cord and an outdoor electrical outlet protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter to cut electricity in the event of a short. Concrete baths are the most durable and useable by birds. If you don't use a water heater, however, be sure to seal the concrete to avoid cracking if water is allowed to freeze in the bath. Change the bath water every few days to clean out debris and avoid spreading disease among birds.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: WDFW regional fish program manager Joe Miller of Ephrata reminds anglers who are fishing for steelhead on the Methow, Simalkameen, and Okanogan rivers that bait is prohibited and selective gear rules apply. "A recent newspaper article incorrectly mentioned bait as an option to anglers on the Methow," Miller said. Before heading out, anglers should check out the details on WDFW's website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=oct0505a).

  WDFW district fish biologist Jeff Korth of Moses Lake says walleye fishing continues to be productive on Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir, and Sprague Lake. As water temperatures in these big, shallow waterways dip, walleye action often picks up. In addition, Potholes has recently been producing some nice-sized largemouth bass from the sand dune area of the reservoir. Lake Lenore remains open through the end of the month and the Lahontan cutthroat trout there continue to average three pounds each. Korth reminds anglers that Lenore is a selective regulation fishery with a one-trout daily limit.

• Hunting: Waterfowl hunters should be loving the recent rain and colder weather as it moves more geese and ducks into the Columbia Basin. The first of the season's periodic aerial surveys of these waterfowl movements by WDFW and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was made Oct. 26 and here's what USFWS biologist Randy Hill of the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge reported: "Some highs (early scaup), some lows (hardly any swans), and some of the usual misses (geese known to be here.) The small geese have moved in, and were still coming into resting waters at 1:30 pm at Stratford. Most of the 3000 small geese at Columbia NWR were not back yet and not in the adjacent field where seen feeding Tuesday afternoon. It seemed that large Canada Geese were lacking. A significant rain at the end of September greened up bluegrass and cheatgrass about a month early, and this may have contributed as a few flocks were seen in grazed uplands. Most of the corn in the survey area is still standing, so when more Mallards move in there should be food." See the full survey report on WDFW's Northcentral Region webpage (http://wdfw.wa.gov/reg/eventopp/events2.htm#geese)

  Pheasant, quail, and partridge hunters should also be aided by wetter conditions that quiet approach and leave more bird scent for hunting dogs. Although wild bird numbers are good, farm-raised rooster pheasants have been released at traditional sites; see the Eastern Washington Pheasant Enhancement Program for all details.

• Wildlife viewing: Birdwatchers will want to check out the periodic Columbia Basin waterfowl surveys on WDFW's Northcentral Region webpage (http://wdfw.wa.gov/reg/eventopp/events2.htm#geese) to get an idea of what species are viewable now. The surveys focus on geese and ducks, but also tally other waterbirds like swans, cranes, pelicans, loons, grebes, herons, and even eagles. The latest indicated that waterfowl numbers are still low, but recent rain and colder temperatures should change that by the time the next survey is conducted and results posted.

  Freezing temperatures can mean that open water is less available to birds and other wildlife now. Providing water in a birdbath or other container at this time is one of the best ways to attract wildlife to your yard. Birds need the water not only for drinking but also for bathing to keep feathers clean to keep warm. The best long-term and most convenient set-up is to use a submersible, thermostatically-controlled heater in a concrete birdbath. Small heaters for shallow water are readily available at pet and garden stores. Be sure to use an outdoor extension cord and an outdoor electrical outlet protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter to cut electricity in the event of a short. Concrete baths are the most durable and useable by birds. If you don't use a water heater, however, be sure to seal the concrete to avoid cracking if water is allowed to freeze in the bath. Change the bath water every few days to clean out debris and avoid spreading disease among birds.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: The Columbia River from the Highway 395 Bridge upstream to the wooden power line towers at the old Hanford townsite remains open for the retention of hatchery steelhead through March 31, 2006. Beginning Nov. 1, any hatchery steelhead (instead of just those with both adipose and ventral fin clips) may be retained in this portion of the Columbia River. WDFW fish biologists say the Hanford Reach steelhead catch and harvest is far below that of the past two years, but that's not unexpected because last year's smolt release was far below typical and 75 percent of these steelhead return as one-ocean fish. Chinook salmon can be retained on the mainstem Columbia River from Buoy 10 upstream through the Hanford Reach section. Preliminary summary of the Hanford Reach fall chinook fishery puts the harvest at 7,501 adults, 431 jacks, and five coho. See all the latest details of the Hanford Reach Fishing Reports on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/creel/reg3/.

  The region's many lowland lakes remain open year-round for trout fishing and some continued to receive catchable-size hatchery trout just last month. See the full stocking report at on the WDFW website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/weekly/).

• Hunting: Elk hunting season started out with warm, dry weather and noisy conditions in the woods, but several rainy days - with snow at the higher elevations - is starting to move animals downslope toward mid-elevation ranges where hunters should have good access, reports Ted Clausing, WDFW regional wildlife program manager. "Antlerless elk permits are valid November 2-6 in most Yakima game management units and more snow is predicted during that period," he said, "so we expect good success for those permittees." Hunting conditions for upland game birds should also improve due to the recent rains, he noted, as it aids hunting dogs trying to pick up bird scent. Clausing warns all hunters who plan to head for WDFW's Whiskey Dick and Quilomene wildlife areas in Kittitas County that there are some access restrictions on surrounding private land during construction of the Wild Horse Wind Power Project. For safety of construction personnel and the public, no hunting or trespassing is allowed on the southern half of the project. Hunting is prohibited but camping is allowed in the northern half of the project. As construction allows, limited Beacon Ridge Road access will be available. Clausing said that many hunters have traditionally camped in the area without permission, despite the private ownership, so the closure may be a surprise to some. Hunters can call Puget Sound Energy at (509) 925-3131 for additional information or see a map of the project at WDFW's website (http://www.pse.com/misc/WildHorseHunting.shtml).

• Wildlife Viewing: Freezing temperatures can mean that open water is less available to birds and other wildlife now. Providing water in a birdbath or other container at this time is one of the best ways to attract wildlife to your yard. Birds need the water not only for drinking but also for bathing to keep feathers clean to keep warm. The best long-term and most convenient set-up is to use a submersible, thermostatically-controlled heater in a concrete birdbath. Small heaters for shallow water are readily available at pet and garden stores. Be sure to use an outdoor extension cord and an outdoor electrical outlet protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter to cut electricity in the event of a short. Concrete baths are the most durable and useable by birds. If you don't use a water heater, however, be sure to seal the concrete to avoid cracking if water is allowed to freeze in the bath. Change the bath water every few days to clean out debris and avoid spreading disease among birds.