August 22-September 4, 2001

Contacts: Madonna Luers, (509) 456-4073 or Margaret Ainscough, (360) 902-2408

As summer 2001 winds down, booming salmon fishing in the ocean and Columbia River as well as early fall hunting seasons await outdoor enthusiasts, but so do the driest conditions of this drought year.

California tortoiseshell butterfly (Nymphalis californica). See Southwest Washington - Wildlife Viewing section.

Whether fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing or camping, anyone venturing outdoors needs to travel with extra caution about wildfires and potentially dangerous wildlife. Thousands of acres of Washington are already burning and conditions throughout the state are tinder-dry. Open fires and open-flame cookstoves are banned or severely restricted in many areas. Some national forest roads, trails and recreation areas are closed altogether.

Before heading out, check the status of your destination with local U.S. Forest Service ranger district offices or other appropriate land management agencies for the latest information. Once at your camp, be careful with anything that could start a fire– sparks from hot motor vehicles parked on dry vegetation, smoking materials, chainsaws, off-road vehicles, or firearms – as well as hot lanterns, cook stoves, and campfires, if allowed.

With Labor Day weekend approaching, fishing prospects are good across Washington, but water access sites, boat ramps, and marinas will be crowded. Practice extra patience and care to avoid problems or accidents. Stick to your boat's passenger capacity, remember to have all required safety devices on boats and use personal flotation devices on children, both ashore and in watercraft.

This driest time of year brings wild animals in search of food into areas where they might not otherwise venture. Deer find irrigated vegetation tastier than dry fare and cougars sometimes follow close behind. Likewise, black bears are on the prowl for easy pickings if wild berry patches are spent. Be alert to the possible presence of these potentially dangerous wild animals wherever you're recreating. Avoid attracting them to your fishing hole or campsite by keeping things tidy; dispose of fish entrails in deep water and store food in wildlife-proof containers away from tents. You can learn more about minimizing the chances of a dangerous wildlife encounter from WDFW's "Living With Wildlife" website on the Internet.

Hunters can look forward to the statewide opening of forest grouse, dove, and early archery deer and elk hunting seasons Sept. 1. Black bear hunting, which has been underway since Aug. 1 in most of the state, starts in northeast and southeast Washington Sept. 4. All hunters should check the status of access to public lands before going afield, since wildfire danger is extremely high.

Deer, elk, black bear and turkey hunters this year are asked to report their hunting activity – regardless of their success – to WDFW via a toll-free phone line or the Internet. Hunters who call 877-945-3492, or go online at http://www.fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov will be asked a series of simple questions about hunting location, hunting duration, and success rates. Hunters who report within 10 days of killing an animal, and unsuccessful hunters who report by midnight, Jan. 10, 2002, will be entered into a drawing for one of nine deer or elk special incentive permits. More information on the reporting requirements and special incentive permit hunts is available online and within the WDFW Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules 2001 pamphlet.

North Puget Sound:

• Fishing: Pink salmon fishing has been red-hot in north-central Puget Sound as the flood of humpies continues to pour in from the Pacific Ocean. WDFW fish checkers at the Everett boat ramp reported 394 anglers took 703 pinks from local waters Aug. 18. The ratio of fishers to fish was even more impressive on Aug. 17 when 194 anglers checked in with 445 pink salmon. The Everett/Mukilteo area isn't the only place that has been hot for humpies, according to WDFW Fish Biologist Steve Foley. "They're still catching them in commercial test fisheries in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the rivers in northern Puget Sound are starting to see a lot of pinks as well," he said. The pinks are plentiful this year, and they're on the chunky side. Foley said the state record for a pink salmon caught in saltwater, previously six pounds, has been shattered by several pounds. The freshwater record of just over 10 pounds could also fall this year. Coho fishing continues to warm up as September approaches, with solid catches reported in northern and central Puget Sound. Foley said fish size seems to be a little smaller this year when compared to last year at this time. Lake Sammamish opened in mid-August to chinook salmon fishing on the healthy Issaquah Creek Hatchery stock. The daily limit is two fish, 12 inches or larger, and all sockeye must be safely released. There is no salmon fishing within a quarter mile of the mouth of Issaquah Creek. Meanwhile, crabbing in northern Puget Sound has been going strong, particularly in the portions of Marine Area 7 that opened in early August. "The northern end of Birch Bay has been pretty hot since it opened," said WDFW Shellfish Biologist Don Velasquez. "The Samish and Chuckanut bay areas have also been doing pretty well, too." Velasquez noted that harvests should be immediately recorded on each fisher's catch record card. Crabbers need to check their catch for shell hardness and safely release those with soft shells.

• Wildlife viewing: Great blue herons, one of Washington's most recognizable birds, are about to get some high-tech publicity via the state's WildWatch Cam program. Miniature cameras have been installed in two King County heron rookeries and, beginning next year, real-time video images of heron nesting and chick-rearing activity will be available on-line. "We will be able to go with live footage next year at one or possibly both of our sites when we get high-speed Internet connections," said Chuck Gibilisco, coordinator of the WDFW Watchable Wildlife Program. Until then, viewers can watch pre-recorded clips of herons on the department's website. Streaming video of bald eagles, salmon, and bats in their natural habitats are also accessible at the website. While August and September are still considered summertime, it's time for fall migrations to start for many shorebirds in the San Juan Islands and north Puget Sound. Summer visitors, such as the rhinocerous auklets and cormorants, are moving on to wintering grounds, while the birds that come here to overwinter are beginning to show up. These include Bonaparte and glaucous-winged gulls.

  Special Note:
  Western Washington's lingering drought has led to a temporary rafting and boating closure on a section of the North Fork Nooksack River to protect wild spawning chinook salmon. Starting Aug. 20 and running until further notice, a ban on all watercraft is in effect from the State Route 542 bridge near the Douglas-fir Campground, downstream about 2.5 miles to the National Forest boundary. Biologists are concerned that boaters and rafters were disturbing spawning chinook, a protected species under the Endangered Species Act.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:

• Fishing: Until the recent storm blew in, coastal salmon fishing was fast and furious from Neah Bay to the Columbia River, although most of the effort was concentrated around Westport and Ilwaco, reports Wendy Beeghley, a WDFW fish biologist who monitors the fishery. "Everybody was limiting" in the Westport area and the Ilwaco fishery has been "just crazy," she said. "In Ilwaco, people were limiting almost as soon as they could get their line in the water." Coho salmon, weighing in at around 8 pounds, have made up the bulk of the recent catch in Marine Areas 1 and 2, said Beeghley, noting that most of the charter fleet has been fishing 8 to14 miles out. Up to 400 boats have been participating in the Westport fishery on weekends and up to 800 boats have been plying the waters of Marine Area 1 out of Ilwaco and Fort Canby. That came to an abrupt end this week when a marine storm blew in small-craft warnings and heavy seas. "One of our observers was glad to make it back," Beeghley said. Good weather and good fishing are expected to resume by the weekend, though, and Beeghley recommends the north coast to those who want to avoid the crowds. Coho are abundant off Neah Bay, although the mark rate is running just below 50 percent, and "almost no one is fishing LaPush" even though coho are averaging 10 pounds, she said. Anglers targeting chinook had better do so quickly, she said, because the catch is fast nearing the sub-quotas in all coastal areas except LaPush. "We'll need to preserve part of those quotas for hooking mortality so we can keep the coho fisheries open," said Beeghley, noting that the department expects to announce chinook closures on the coast within the next two weeks. Meanwhile, the coho catch is running neck-and-neck with pink salmon in Sekiu, where 72 anglers caught 39 coho and 41 pinks on Aug. 17. Further east, at Ediz Hook, 62 anglers caught seven coho and 31 pinks the same day. Just outside Quilcene Bay on Hood Canal, both coho salmon and Dungeness crab are in abundance, with good catches of both species reported in recent days.

• Wildlife viewing: The August storm might have played havoc with the coastal salmon fishery, but there's a silver lining for bird watchers. Albatross, shearwaters and other birds that usually stay a mile or more from shore have taken to the beach for temporary refuge. "During a blow like this, you'll see birds on the beach that you wouldn't otherwise see," said Jack Smith, regional WDFW wildlife manager. Also keep an eye out for brown pelicans, which have increased in number on the Washington coast in recent years, Smith said. Northern fishing towns such as Westport and Ilwaco provide a summer getaway for younger, non-breeding birds while their elders take on family obligations in California, he said. Look for them on pilings around coastal marinas through the end of September. Smith also recently received a call from a hunter on the Peninsula scouting out options for deer season who reported seeing two spotted owls perched on a telephone pole. "There's an old owl circle nearby, but they obviously weren't in old growth timber that day," Smith said.

• Hunting: Recent rains should be welcome news for hunters planning to take part in the early archery and bird-hunting seasons that get under way Sept. 1. "They'll go a long way to reduce fire hazards, which were shaping up to be a real problem this year," said Jack Smith, regional WDFW wildlife manager. Even so, Smith urges hunters to be extra cautious with anything that could start a fire, whether they're bow hunting for elk or deer or gunning for grouse. Smith expects improved hunting on the Peninsula for elk this year, noting that joint efforts with area tribes to reduce the harvest of anterless elk have increased the overall size of area elk populations. Best bets for archers seeking elk during the Sept. 1 opener are the Williams Creek (673), Wynoochee (648), and Satsop (651) Game Management Units (GMUs). All three areas are bucks-only. "There's a lot of movement between all those areas and Olympic National Park," Smith said. On the north coast, the Dickey area (GMUS 602) – with a 3-point minimum – will open for the second time in 30 years, due to improved elk populations. Deer-hunting archers can't go wrong with the Skookumchuck area (GMUS 667) or the Pysht Tree Farm, which also offers good hunting for those willing to pay an access fee. (The Vail Tree Farm is open to the public weekends only, and those planning to hunt there should first call 1-800-361-5602.) Bird hunters should have plenty of opportunities to find Canadian geese in the Chehalis Valley, Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay and the Westport area. "Some of those areas have way more birds than they need, and are welcoming hunters," Smith said.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: With higher hatchery coho bag limits now in place at Buoy 10, fishing just keeps getting better on the Columbia River. At Buoy 10, anglers recently were averaging 1 to 1.5 coho a piece, with most boats fishing around the buoy marker, according to Wendy Beeghley, WDFW fish biologist. "The coho should just continue to roll in and we should soon also be peaking for fall chinook in the lower river," says Joe Hymer, WDFW district fish biologist. As of Aug. 16, fishers can take advantage of a higher bag limit on hatchery coho– three a day instead of two. Just remember that wild fish (those with an intact adipose fin) must be released. Starting Sept. 1, anglers may keep up to six adult hatchery coho on the Grays, Deep, Elochoman, lower Cowlitz, mainstem Toutle, North Fork Toutle, Green, Kalama, Lewis and Klickitat rivers, plus Drano Lake. The higher bag limits are yet another bonus for fishers, made possible by this year's bountiful run of returning salmon. There's more good news to come Oct. 1, when anglers will be able to take home four adult hatchery coho a day on the upper Cowlitz River including the Cispus and Tilton rivers and Scanewa Lake (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir). Fishing for fall chinook should continue to improve in the mainstem lower Columbia from Camas downstream to Buoy 10, Hymer predicts. And coho and chinook are not the only fish awaiting anglers. "It's quite a mixed bag of opportunity out there, depending on the gear anglers use," says Hymer, noting that steelhead, coho, chinook and sea-run cutthroat trout were all being boated on a recent weekend near the mouths of the Lewis and Cowlitz rivers. Catches of hatchery sea-run cutthroat have been good below Longview for anglers using spinners, worms or other bait. The limit is two trout a day, except on the Cowlitz River where anglers may take five trout per person. Meanwhile, steelhead action is picking up in the Bonneville Pool tributaries (Wind and White Salmon rivers and Drano Lake) as fish leave the warming mainstem Columbia for cooler waters. Anglers there were averaging at least one fish per rod in early August, Hymer reports.

• Wildlife viewing: The California tortoiseshell butterfly (Nymphalis californica) reportedly has been located in huge numbers in Glenwood (Klickitat County). This butterfly population reproduces in terrific numbers in 7- to 10-year cycles. WDFW Biologist David Anderson located a two or three-acre area of buck brush (Ceanothus) near Glenwood that was completely denuded of its leaves from tortoiseshell butterfly caterpillars. Following the caterpillar stage, thousands of chrysalides are formed before the adult stage hatches. Anderson estimates that several hundred thousand adult butterflies emerged during a four-to-five day period. Noted butterfly expert Bob Pyle has this to say about the tortoiseshell: "This enigmatic butterfly builds up its numbers for years until it bursts out in phenomenal mass movements. In such years the mountain balm and deerbrush are defoliated over wide areas; tortoiseshells show up a long way from their points of nativity, and they become the most abundant butterflies along the mountain streams. Then the numbers crash, and scarcely a tortoiseshell will be seen in the entire region for the next several years. Our last great peak lasted about from 1985-1990, peaking in 1987 . . . There were so many chrysalides hanging that, when disturbed by vibrations, their corporate shimmy made the entire hillside look alive. Small parasitic wasps approached and were apparently deterred by this shaking behavior. In such years, the species routinely masses around the Cascade volcanoes. Climbers often tell me of being engulfed at high elevations by multitudes of migrating "monarchs." Meanwhile on the Cowlitz Wildlife Area, dabbling ducks have become much more visible as broods have matured and are less secretive than earlier in the year. Spotted sandpipers have been seen recently on the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery Unit. A cougar was observed at the buffer zone near Swofford Pond. Also at Swofford Pond, a pair of western sandpipers were using the outflow area. Yellowlegs were observed using the surrounding exposed shoreline of Pond One in the Mossyrock Unit.

• Hunting: Hunters this year are reminded that new access restrictions are in store at the Weyerhaeuser Company's Saint Helens Tree Farm. Visitors should call the tollfree hotline at 1-(866)-636-6531 to check on current access permission and tree farm and road use rules. In Klickitat County deer hunters should face favorable prospects, with spring surveys indicating a good recruitment of 54 fawns per 100 adults, the third highest ratio seen in the last 10 years. However, with much of the county in dryland wheat production and privately owned its essential to receive advance access permission. On the west side, deer numbers are average, however, and success rates are expected to be down from previous years.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Cooler nights are helping lower water temperatures in area fishing waters so catches may improve at many popular multi-species fisheries, including Long Lake on the Spokane River, Liberty and Newman lakes east of Spokane, and Waitts Lake in Stevens County. Dry fly fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout should be picking up with later summer hatches at Amber, Badger and Williams lakes in southwest Spokane County. Remember that selective gear rules are in effect at Amber (only artificial flies or lures, bait prohibited, single barbless hook) and rainbows with missing adipose fins must be released. Sprague Lake may be the best all-around fishery at this time of year. Rainbow trout, walleye, largemouth bass, bluegill, catfish and even some perch and crappie are the usual late summer catches. If you head up north for some final days of summer fishing on alpine lakes, be sure to check with the Colville National Forest on road and trail closures for wildlfire fighting and prevention.

• Wildlife viewing: Since many roads and trails on public land are under wildfire closures, especially in the northeast part of the region, you might want to just stay at home to watch wildlife. Moose, elk, deer, black bears, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, geese and pheasants are among the critters that people are reporting running into at or near home now. In one moose encounter in a suburban Spokane backyard swimming pool, a large bull swam a few laps then climbed the steps out of the pool, carefully stepped over patio furniture and eased over a fence and into the woods. Elk have been damaging crops in the Blue Mountains area where WDFW officials are hazing them back to public land using helicopters. Deer are munching on everything from irrigated alfalfa to backyard rose bushes. One young black bear helped itself to plums on a backyard tree in Deer Park. A young coyote wandered into an urban neighborhood of Spokane and needed an "escort" back to less developed territory. Skunks and raccoons have been raiding gardens and chicken coops. Canada geese are nibbling lawns. Juvenile pheasants are running gravelly roadsides, perhaps in search of grit, the lucky or smarter ones avoiding crossing in front of motor vehicles.

• Hunting: The northeast part of this region is usually one of the best places in the state to hunt forest grouse, which opens on Sept. 1, early archery white-tailed and mule deer, which runs Sept. 1-30, and black bear, which opens on Sept. 4. But most of the public land to hunt is on the Colville National Forest, which currently has closed all roads and trails west of Highway 395, from Canada to the north, the Colville Indian Reservation to the south, and the San Poil River to the west. This closure is due to two major wild fires burning in the Mt. Leona and Sleepy 91 areas, and includes all forest service lands west of County Road 3 from the reservation to its junction with State Highway 20. To assist in the wildfire control effort, WDFW has also closed roads on its Sherman Creek Wildlife Area. Hunters can call the Colville Forest on the Internet or at (509) 684-7000 for the latest access information. Black bear hunting also opens on the 4th in the Blue Mountains in the southeast, where there are fire restrictions but no major access closures at this time. The south half of this region often provides some pretty fair dove hunting, which opens on Sept. 1. Look for doves near watering holes in the agricultural areas south of Spokane, but be sure to get permission to hunt before entering private land.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Sept. 1 marks the opening of rainbow trout fishing at three Okanogan County lakes: 11-acre Campbell Lake and 3-acre Cougar Lake on WDFW's Methow Wildlife Area, and 39-acre Davis Lake, all southeast of Winthrop. The fishing-for-keeps season at these waters runs through March 31; Campbell and Davis have been open since April for catch-and-release fishing. If you combine your fishing trip with camping, be sure to follow any and all fire restrictions that may be in effect on public lands in the Okanogan. Also opening to rainbow trout fishing just for the month of September are the Pillar-Widgeon chain of small (1-10 acres) lakes on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, south of Potholes Reservoir in Grant Country. This area offers uncrowded fishing and relaxation in some of the most beautiful scenery of eastern Washington. Pillar, Cattail, Gadwall, Hourglass, Lemma, Poacher, Sago, Shoveler, Snipe and Widgeon lakes all have walk-in access only from a parking area just below Soda Lake. The best fishing is early in the morning or toward evening. Maps sometimes are available in the parking area or from WDFW's Ephrata office or the Refuge office in Othello (P.O. Drawer F, 99344). Potholes Reservoir fishing has been good with rainbow trout over seven pounds, walleye over 11 pounds, crappie up to 14 inches, and largemouth bass over six pounds. Yellow perch are running eight to 10 inches all over the reservoir, with WDFW creel checks registering perch up to 15 ˝ inches long from the Mar Don fishing dock. If temperatures continue to cool, fishing will be even better at Potholes, especially for rainbow.

• Wildlife viewing: Shorebirds are grouping up for south-bound fall migrations and the Columbia Basin is one of the best areas on the eastside to watch them. Between the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge and WDFW's thousands of acres in wildlife lands in Adams and Grant counties, there are plenty of spots to see avocets, curlews, phalaropes, plovers, sandpipers and other shorebirds. Other birds migrating south include hawks, falcons and eagles, which might be seen moving in concentrations along mountain ridges where they save energy by soaring in thermals and updrafts. Known raptor migration routes in the region include Slate Peak and Hart's Pass in Okanogan County and Red Top Mountain between Wenatchee and Ellensburg.

• Hunting: The Methow Valley and other parts of Okanogan and Chelan counties are usually prime for deer, black bear, forest grouse and dove hunting, but wildfires throughout the area may restrict access to hunters' usual haunts. Check with the Okanogan National Forest on the Internet or at (509) 826-3275 or the Wenatchee National Forest on the Internet or at (509) 662-4335 about current rules before going afield. Early archery deer hunters should note that the traditional Sept. 1-30 season in Chelan County's game management units 243-247 is on, despite the fact that it was inadvertently left out of the current hunting regulations pamphlet. That season is for mule deer bucks with at least three antler points. Dove hunters should find good numbers of birds throughout the Columbia Basin, given that the weather remains relatively warm for the next few weeks.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: Columbia River fall chinook salmon fishing that just got underway on Aug. 16 should be picking up in the next few weeks. WDFW Fish Biologist Jim Cummins says lots of salmon are expected and the first few weeks of September should provide excellent fishing in the Vernita, White Bluff, and Ringold areas of the river. Yakima River rainbow trout catch-and-release fishing is most productive now for fly fishers using grasshopper imitations. The Yakima, along with the Naches, American, and other local rivers and streams, is very low now with drought conditions peaking. That makes for tougher in-stream fishing, Cummins noted, because fish are more easily disturbed. High lakes in the region are probably still producing catches of eastern brook, rainbow, and cutthroat trout, Cummins said, although no specific checks have been made recently. Late summer hikes into small wilderness lakes in the Wenatchee National Forest can yield fishing enjoyment, with early September being one of the best times. Be sure to check wildfire restrictions before you go at (509) 662-4335 or on the Internet.

• Wildlife viewing: Bull elk begin bugling (their way of letting other bulls -- and cows -- know of their superiority) in early September, so it's not too soon to plan a trip to watch and listen to them. One of the best places for elk bugling in the Yakima area is around Raven's Roost in the Little Naches River drainage in the far northwestern corner of Yakima County (follow Hwy. 410 northwest of Naches). For the best viewing opportunities, arrive just before daylight (or plan to camp in one of the many forest service campgrounds in the area), and walk the Cougar Valley trail. Elk are normally visible on the open hillsides until about 7 a.m., when they move down into timber. Before you go, check with the Wenatchee National Forest trail and road conditions during this intense wildfire season on the Internet or at (509) 662-4335. Birds of prey such as hawks, falcons and eagles might be seen moving in concentrations along mountain ridges where they save energy by soaring in thermals and updrafts. The Saddle Mountains, Yakima Ridge, and Rattlesnake Hills area, near the Columbia River in southcentral Washington are known raptor migration routes.

• Hunting: Forest grouse hunters should find birds in the woods of the South Cascades and dove hunters will be productive in the agricultural areas of the Yakima Valley. Early archery deer hunters should note a liberalization this year in the antler restrictions in game management unit 381, Esquatzel, in Franklin County; during the Sept. 1-30 season, any mule deer can be taken in that unit, rather than a three-antler-point minimum. The early archery elk season, Sept. 1-14, this year includes game management unit 330, West Bar, in Kittitas County; as in all of this region's units open for this season, only spike bulls or antlerless elk can be taken. All hunters should check with local forest service ranger districts and other land managers about access or fire restrictions before going afield.