The next two weekends have been long awaited by Washington's some 200,000 licensed hunters. Some of the most popular hunting seasons open– for bird and deer– and opportunties abound across the state.

October 9 is the start of hunting for ducks, geese, pheasant and quail.

Duck and goose numbers continue to be at or near long-term highs. Water levels have been good this year for nesting and wintering waterfowl. In the Columbia Basin, last January ‘s waterfowl inventory recorded one of the highest counts on record for Washington.

The excellent waterfowl production in this country and Canada has resulted in liberal seasons and bag limits for eastern Washington hunters. Local weather affects hunting success as much as bird availability, but if the weather pattern of recent years holds, there should be good hunting throughout the season. Western Washington waterfowl hunting includes unique opportunities for snow goose and brant in the north Puget Sound region, early-season coastal ducks, and late-season ducks in the Skagit area and southwest lowlands. Dusky Canada goose production in the southwest region remains poor so a quota hunt continues to protect them. Check all waterfowl hunting regulations in the WDFW "Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game Seasons" pamphlet.

Quail populations in eastern Washington are good, although pheasant numbers are not as high as in 1998. Distribution is scattered, depending on spring and summer weather during hatching and rearing. With another mild winter broodstock numbers were healthy but the long, cold and wet spring in some areas led to a loss of hatchlings. Quail tend to nest later and respond better to poor conditions, so they out-number pheasants in most areas. Hunters with good pointing or flushing dogs will do well in traditional eastside hotspots: the breaks of the Snake River and its tributaries in the southeast, and farmlands mixed with brushy streamside areas in the northeast, Columbia Basin and central counties. Pheasant releases will augment natural populations; lists of release sites are available at WDFW's Spokane, Ephrata, and Yakima regional offices. Western Washington pheasant hunting is on release sites. Details are available at WDFW's Mill Creek, Montesano and Vancouver offices.

October 16 is the start of modern firearm deer hunting, far and away the most popular season in Washington with an average of over 157,000 deer tags sold annually in the last decade. Most deer populations on the eastside of the state are in good to excellent shape, thanks to two consecutive mild winters. In the farmland and timberland of the northeast, white-tailed deer numbers have rapidly increased. In the southeast, the best mule deer and whitetail populations are along the Snake River breaks and in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. In the northcentral region, mule deer numbers are excellent everywhere except Chelan County where the population is still rebuilding from 1994 wildfires that destroyed winter range. In the southcentral region, deer herds also are in good shape although total numbers are still below the long-term average as rebuilding continues from the severe winter of 1996-97. Western Washington deer hunting should be fair, with average numbers of black-tailed deer, although the hair-loss syndrome has taken a toll in some southwest and coastal areas. The best chances for success in any kind of Washington deer hunting come with pre-season scouting and securing permission to hunt on private lands.

For more information on prospects for these popular hunting seasons, pick up a free copy of "Game Trails: Washington Hunting News" at license dealers or WDFW offices.

Other current recreational opportunities include:

Snake River steelhead fishing: The action is starting to pick up in southeast Washington, with peak fishing expected in late October or early November between Asotin and the mouth of the Grand Ronde River. Remember that barbless hooks are required, all wild steelhead must be released (only fin-clipped hatchery fish can be kept) and the limit is two per day.

Hanford Reach chinook salmon fishing: It's nearly boat-to-boat in some areas now on this popular Columbia River fishery just northwest of the Tri-Cities from White Bluffs to Priest Rapids Dam. Fishing is peaking now with about one fish caught for every three anglers; action should continue through the month.

Yakima River salmon fishing: The new salmon season (not in the rules pamphlet) that opened Sept. 25 and runs through Oct. 31 from 400 feet below Prosser Dam to the Highway 240 bridge is producing about one salmon per five anglers so far. Anglers may fish with bait and treble hooks. Last year's selective fishery rules were dropped because a large number of Yakima River anglers fish for channel catfish and bass at this time of year. WDFW biologists feel the few steelhead present before the end of the month can be successfully released without the gear restrictions. Any chinook without a fin clip and all steelhead must be released unharmed.

Yakima area lake fishing: Catchable-size rainbow trout were stocked last week in I-82 Pond #4 (2,025), I-82 Pond #6 (2,000), Wenas Lake (2,625), Myron Lake (500), Sarge Hubbard Pond (300), Rotary Lake (1,700), Clear Lake (3,050), Tim's Pond (275), and Mud Lake (275). Brown trout were stocked in Myron Lake (338).

Fall fishing on Potholes Reservoir: The Goose Island area of central Washington's Potholes Reservoir and the mouth of Crab Creek are starting to produce walleye. Bass are schooling now and the face of O'Sullivan Dam is good for smallmouth. Crab Creek is good for largemouth. Crappie are showing up all over the reservoir, especially between Blythe Point and Frenchman Hills Wasteway. Perch are being caught in the Goose Island area.

Wenatchee River salmon watching: Now through the rest of the month is peak time for viewing summer chinook salmon and colorful fall foliage in the Tumwater Canyon area of the Wenatchee River, from about 1.5 miles west of Leavenworth and continuing about six miles upstream. The fish can be seen from Highway 2 where it winds through the canyon; there are lots of turnouts; the Swiftwater picnic area about six miles from town is a good base for a family outing.

Wolf viewing and learning: Oct. 17-23 is Wolf Awareness Week and there are at least four events in Washington for learning about or even viewing wolves: Oct. 17- information displays at the red wolf exhibit of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma; Oct. 20- evening talk at Tacoma Nature Center about Olympic National Park wolf reintroduction effort; Oct. 22 - Native American presentation on wolves in Seattle at University of Washington's HUB Auditorium; Oct. 23- wolf tours at Wolf Haven International (captive wolf breeding and rearing site in Tenino) and evening panel of speakers on wolf recovery around the west. For more information see the Defenders of Wildlife Website.