Deadline for hunting opportunity in Okanogan County Aug. 14

Eighteen lucky hunters will have an opportunity to hunt for deer this fall on the 6,000-acre Charles and Mary Eder unit of the Scotch Creek Wildlife Area in northeastern Okanogan County.

Hunters can submit an application for the limited-entry deer hunt on the Fish and Wildlife website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/permits/scotchcreek/ or by contacting the WDFW Northcentral Region Office at (509) 754-4624 or headquarters at (360) 902-2515.

The deadline to apply is midnight Aug. 14.

Eighteen applicants will be chosen during a random drawing and will receive access permits to the Charles and Mary Eder Unit of the Scotch Creek Wildlife Area near Oroville.

This drawing is open to the general public without any additional fees beyond the cost of a hunting license and the standard tags. Of the 18 access permits available this year, six will be reserved for bow hunters, six for muzzleloaders and six for hunters using modern firearms.

Hunters are allowed to take only one deer, as authorized by their general hunting license.

Deer-hunting seasons for the area are Sept. 1-30 for bow hunters, Oct. 3-11 for muzzleloaders, and Oct. 17-27 for hunters using modern firearms.

The results of the drawing will be available on the Fish and Wildlife website the last week of August. Hunters who are drawn will receive an access permit and a boundary map in the mail.

Drought conditions taking toll on fish and wildlife

State fishery managers are taking steps to protect fish that are affected by drought conditions and are asking anglers to do their part as well.

Fish and Wildlife has restricted some fishing opportunities and will need to restrict others. In addition, the department will likely release some hatchery fish early and transport salmon and steelhead that are unable to make it upstream to spawning grounds.

This year's low snowpack and warm weather have raised water temperatures and reduced flows in rivers and streams across the state to levels that can be lethal to fish, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Fish and Wildlife already has curtailed fishing on a section of the Sol Duc River to protect returning chinook. They also closed fishing for spring chinook on the Grande Ronde River due to low river flows.

In the meantime, Burley suggested anglers should limit fishing to the morning hours to reduce stress on fish, immediately return fish to be released back to the water, and land fish quickly.