Tomorrow: big day for area hunters

Oct. 13, 2012 is a big day for Columbia Basin hunters. The modern firearm general deer season opens in most of the state. Also the duck, coot, snipe and Canada goose seasons open.

The duck, coot and snipe season will be open from Oct. 13 through Oct. 17. These seasons will open again on Oct. 20 and continue through Jan. 27, 2013.

Our Canada goose season will be open from Oct. 13 through Jan. 27, but there are restrictions. Geese can only be hunted on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays from Oct. 13 through Jan. 20. Also on Nov. 22 and 23, Dec. 25, 27, 28, 31. Plus Jan. 1 and every day from Jan. 21 through 27.

From Fish and Wildlife:

Hunters have probably been hearing about all of the fires and fire related access closures during the past several weeks across the state. As we enter the modern firearm deer season, we wanted to help keep hunters updated with the latest information regarding lands that are accessible for hunting.

Numerous state and federal lands previously closed to public access due to wildfires have been re-opened, including property managed by Fish and Wildlife. However, hunters going afield this weekend for the start of the general deer season should be aware that campfires and other activities are prohibited on those lands because of unusually dry conditions.

Many private lands, particularly industrial timber lands, are still closed due to elevated fire risks. Hunters should check for specific access closures and other restrictions with private land owners.

For web links to information on the fires, access closures and other restrictions, check the Fish and Wildlife website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildfires/ . There hunters will find links to information on state-managed lands, U.S. Forest Service lands and some private industrial timber lands.

We remind everyone to be very careful and obey all fire restrictions. The weather forecast predicts rain starting this weekend, which should make hunting better and may improve access later in the season.

Master Hunter Advisory Group seeking members

Fish and Wildlife is accepting letters of interest through Oct. 31 for membership on the department's Master Hunter Advisory Group.

Five positions are currently open on the 15-member volunteer group, which represents more than 2,000 master hunters statewide and advises Fish and Wildlife on issues affecting the department's Master Hunter program.

To qualify, applicants must be certified master hunters, who have completed special training that makes them eligible to assist Fish and Wildlife in addressing specific wildlife-management issues in Washington. Advisory group members serve three-year terms.

Current openings are for master hunters living in these areas: Region 3 (one vacancy), representing Kittitas, Yakima, Franklin, and Benton counties. Region 6 (two vacancies), representing Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Mason, Thurston, Pierce, Pacific, and Kitsap counties. Any county in the state (two vacancies), serving at large.

To be considered for a position on the advisory group, applicants must submit a letter of interest to Fish and Wildlife by Oct. 31. Appointments become effective March 2013.

The group meets at least four times each year in Ellensburg. Members serve as volunteers and do not receive compensation, mileage or per diem.

Applicants should address letters of interest to Sgt. Carl Klein at carl.klein@dfw.wa.gov or to WDFW Law Enforcement Program, Attn: Carl Klein, Hunter Education Division; 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091.

Applications should include information on the nominee's relevant experience and reasons for wanting to serve as a member of the advisory group. More information on the Master Hunter program is available on the Fish and Wildlife website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/masterhunter/index.html.

Latest on Washington wolf recovery

As we know, gray wolves are quickly re-establishing themselves in Washington State, despite the elimination of seven members of one pack that systematically preyed on a rancher's cattle, according to Washington State wildlife managers.

Speaking to a room packed with ranchers and wolf advocates at a recent commission meeting, wildlife managers from Fish and Wildlife outlined wolves' recovery since 2007 and the department's decision to remove the so-called Wedge pack in Stevens County late last month.

Fish and wildlife Director Phil Anderson described how members of the Wedge pack, one of eight confirmed packs in the state, killed or injured 16 cows from the Diamond M ranch near the Canadian border from mid-July through late September. The department took lethal action only after a series of non-lethal measures employed by the rancher and state wildlife biologists failed to break the cycle of predation.

Many of the 41 members of the public who spoke at the meeting criticized WDFW's use of lethal measures, while others said the department should do more to protect ranchers' livestock.

State and tribal biologists have recently confirmed the presence of another pack, the Strawberry pack, on the Colville Indian Reservation. The department is also working to confirm the presence of four other suspected packs in eastern Washington.

Rapid migration of wolves from neighboring states and British Columbia is moving the state closer to reaching recovery goals established by the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, adopted by the commission last December after five years of public review.

That plan establishes a goal of 15 breeding pairs of wolves distributed among three regions of the state for three years or 18 pairs in one year before the state can consider delisting gray wolves as an endangered species.

Washington's wolf management plan, like those in effect in all states with gray wolf populations, allows wildlife managers to use both lethal and non-lethal means to control wolf predation on cattle.

To minimize conflicts, Fish and Wildlife will be working with ranchers to take additional steps to protect their cattle when they turn them out to pasture next year. Ranchers who enter into new cost-sharing agreements can qualify for assistance to pay for electric fencing, guard dogs, range riders and other protection measures.

In addition to wolf management, the commission considered several other issues at its Oct. 5-6 meeting in Olympia, including: The commission approved a request by Fish and Wildlife to purchase 80 acres of prime waterfowl habitat on Ephrata Lake in Grant County. A number of environmental groups and duck-hunting organizations have supported the acquisition.

Rock dove removal offered

Have too many pigeons on your property? Want to thin them out a bit?

The pigeon is also known as a rock dove or rock pigeon. These birds are common in the Columbia Basin. They hang around farms and grow in numbers to be a nuisance.

I have a friend who considers these pesky pests to be a culinary delight. The two of us would like to help landowners, who have too many of these birds, get rid of a few.

Contact me at dclay@atnet.net or 762-5158.

Dennis note: Finally a contact. My buddy and I will be helping a farmer reduce the number of rock doves visiting his property. Anyone else want to get rid of a few?