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November 18-December 2, 1998
Wild turkey hunting open
OLYMPIA -- Hunters will have the opportunity to play pilgrim and place a real wild turkey on the Thanksgiving table this year.
That's because hunting will be open for either sex birds Nov. 26-30 for licensed hunters with turkey tags in Klickitat and Skamania counties. Graduates of the Advanced Hunter Education program are eligible to hunt turkeys over the same five days in Asotin, Columbia, Garfield and Walla Walla counties.
Fall hunting generally presents a different challenge than spring. In the fall, turkeys group for the winter so they are easier to find but harder to approach. And hunters won't be able to call in males as in spring when they are preoccupied with finding hens.
This also is a good time for viewing wild turkeys. A few areas where turkeys can be seen and that are not open to turkey hunting include the Sherman Creek Wildlife Area near Kettle Falls in Stevens County, the Chiliwist Wildlife Area near Malott in Okanogan County, and the Hawk Creek Canyon in Lincoln County.
Successful hunters might try this recipe by Bernice Green who took fourth place in a National Wild Turkey Federation recipe contest.
Ingredients: 1 cup plain yogurt, 1/4 cup minced parsley, 1/4 cup chopped green onion, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons chopped dill, 1 clove minced garlic, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 (2-to 3-pound) bone-in turkey breast half, nonstick cooking spray.
Prepare grill for indirect cooking. In small bowl, combine yogurt and next 9 ingredients. Place turkey in 13x9x2-inch pan, and pierce skin several times with a fork. Spread yogurt mixture evenly over breast. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours. Coat grill with nonstick spray. Place turkey breast on grill, cover, and cook 1½ hours, or until meat thermometer, inserted in the thickest portion, registers 170 to 175 degrees, or until juices run clear.
Other recreation opportunities include:
Salmon and trout viewing: November is a good time to view the mating behavior of chinook and other species of salmon. The salmon's elaborate rituals are designed to ensure the largest and strongest fish mate. Scientists have identified more than 20 salmon spawning behaviors that are visible in shallow water. Good viewing opportunities for chum salmon are available in the east fork of the Satsop River near Schaffer State Park. The park is located 10 miles north of State Route 8, at Brady. The rivers feeding Hood Canal also provide great salmon viewing. Try Twanoh State Park. Individuals and small groups can view trout spawning at the Spokane Trout Hatchery. The hatchery, located in north Spokane off Waikiki Drive, produces some nine million rainbow trout eggs--approximately a third of the state's total production. Call Bob Bates at (509) 328-7327 to make arrangements.
Harlequin duck: Harlequins, one of the most motley colored waterfowl, are rare enough to draw birders from Oregon and California. The ducks nest near mountain streams but spend most of their lives in the ocean.
Look for them bobbing close to rocky shores, especially where the ocean is turbulent. They eat almost anything and can be seen dining on crabs and mollusks--including shells. The best viewing areas for harlequins are Point Roberts and Salt Creek County Park on the Olympic Peninsula. Victoria's breakwater is another good viewing spot for harlequins, as well as gulls, murrelets and oldsquaw, another brightly colored duck. The harlequins and other sea birds can be viewed along the rocky coastlines of the straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca and the interconnected inlets, bays and channels of the Salish Sea.
Bird viewing in Olympia: If Victoria or Point Roberts are too far away for a birdwatching trip, consider Olympia's Capitol Lake. November is a good time to see a variety of migratory waterbirds, raptors (eagles, hawks) and, if lucky, river otters and mink. Capitol Lake offers great blue herons, bufflehead, goldeneye, kingfishers, ruddy ducks and hooded mergansers to the lucky viewer.
Goose and swan viewing: Thousands of Canada geese and tundra swans currently are staging (hanging out to feed and rest) in agricultural areas of Lincoln and Whitman counties. Here are some viewing spots:
Whitetail deer hunting: Northeast Washington's whitetail buck season remains open through Nov. 22. If predictions and history hold true, the area's final hunting weekend should produce one of the state's highest success rates. That's because deer populations and buck-doe ratios are good this year and the hunt coincides with the peak of the rut (breeding season) when bucks are less wary. If snow arrives, as expected, hunters will have an even greater advantage because they can move more silently and track deer more easily.
Eastside trout fishing: Winter-only trout fishing opens on several east-side lakes Dec. 1. Depending on weather, anglers could pull some nice hatchery rainbow trout through the ice. The best fishing may be found at Fourth of July Lake on the Adams-Lincoln county line south of Sprague. The fry and pan-sized trout stocked in the lake grow well and can reach 18 inches. Anglers may keep two fish longer than 14 inches in their daily limit of five trout. The lake has a boat launch but no internal combustion engines are allowed.
The other Dec. 1 - March 31 fishing lakes are:
Salmon fishing: Blackmouth fishing remains open in many areas between Sekiu and Olympia. November normally offers good blackmouth fishing but the weather is a major factor. "Blackmouth fishing has been excellent when the weather has been good," said Tony Floor, a WDFW spokesman and avid angler. Floor recommends trying West Point, Jefferson Head, Possession Bar or Port Townsend. Blackmouth fishing closes in many parts of Puget Sound on Dec. 1.
Contact: Mike Judge, (360) 902-2407
for Thanksgiving Day
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