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Wingshooters take aim at fall seasons With autumn comes falling leaves, crisp mornings and days that seem too short to enjoy it all. Fall also brings the scent of well-oiled shotguns, wet dogs, and hopefully, the feel of a plump game vest riding the small of your back. Today marks the statewide opening of upland game birds and waterfowl. Across the state, thousands of hunters will be heading afield or slogging through wetlands in pursuit of pheasants and quail, as well as ducks and geese. Forest grouse hunting opened Sept. 1 and chukar season began Oct. 1 in Eastern Washington. Deer hunters get their shot Oct. 11 with the opening of the modern firearm hunting season. And according to state Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists, the outlook for pheasant and quail across Eastern Washington is fair-to-good where adequate riparian, or streamside habitat, is available to provide year-round cover for birds. For waterfowl, biologists predict the season likely will get off to a slow start because of a lower number of locally produced ducks, lingering drought conditions and fewer northern migrants in the Mid-Columbia Basin. Ron Friesz, the state's waterfowl biologist in Ephrata, said Eastern Washington nesting surveys indicate that the number of mallards available to hunters is down 11 percent from last year and total duck numbers are down 18 percent from the long-term average. "The main reason for the decrease," he said, "is largely due to continued drought conditions in our main duck producing areas, including Okanogan, Douglas and Lincoln counties. "The number of our ponds and potholes, which ducks use during the nesting season and migrating waterfowl seek now for food and a place to rest, are down about 40 percent from the long-term average," he added. A sample survey in northern Douglas County in late September found even fewer waters available to migrating ducks and few ducks were observed. Friesz added that there appears to be a fair number of ducks scattered over the wetlands associated with Potholes Reservoir near Othello and some early migrants such as green-winged teal, wigeon and northern shovelers. "I wouldn't look for a great opener, especially if the weather is mild, but it should pick up later in the year as colder weather begins to push new birds into our region," he added. Goose numbers also are down because of drought conditions, Friesz said. During the last week of September, Friesz counted only 2,500 lesser Canada geese at Stratford Lake. During the peak of the season, as many as 20,000 to 30,000 geese use Stratford Lake, a protected game reserve. Friesz said he doesn't expect the main goose migration out of Alaska for another two weeks or so. This year's duck season begins today and runs through Oct.16. The season is closed until Oct. 26, then continues through Jan. 26. However, hunters should note that because of low numbers nationwide, the pintail season closes Oct. 11 and reopens Oct. 26, but closes statewide on Dec. 17. During the open season, the limit on pintails is one bird. For goose hunters in Management Area 4, which includes Adams, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Kittitas, Lincoln, Okanogan, Spokane and Walla Walla counties, the season begins today on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays through Oct. 24 and Nov. 9 to Jan. 19; Nov. 11, 28, and 29 and every day from Jan. 20-26. Jim Tabor, a state wildlife biologist in Ephrata, said pheasant hunters in the irrigated part of the Columbia Basin might find more roosters afield than last year. "Our pheasant brood routes surveyed in August showed a 38 percent increase in chick production," he said. Also, Chelan and Douglas counties' upland game bird populations appear strong, especially for chukar, grouse and quail, and hunters should meet with above average success, he said. Farther east, pheasant and quail hunting should be fair-to-good in pockets of good habitat, including Conservation Reserve Program lands and the state's posted Register-To-Hunt acreages in Lincoln, Whitman, southern Spokane, Garfield, Columbia and Walla Walla counties. However, biologists say that if dry conditions persist across the east side it will make it tough for hunters to move through the field quietly and for dogs to pick up bird scent. Tri-City pheasant hunters also will get a boost this weekend from the state's Eastern Washington Pheasant Enhancement Program. Regional Wildlife Manager Lee Stream in Yakima said the state plans to stock about 700 farm-raised rooster at several sites, including the Colockum and Wenas/L.T. Murray Wildlife Areas in Kittitas County, the Sunnyside Wildlife Area in Yakima County, the Ringold and Big Flat areas in Franklin County and the Hill Road site in Klickitat County. Moreover, there should still be a few birds running around from the late September youth hunt. Mick Cope, the state's upland game section manager in Olympia, said a total of 18,000 roosters will be released in Eastern Washington - about 2,000 more birds than last year - at various times from mid-October through late November. Cope said a hunter survey conducted earlier this year indicated that 60 percent said they did not want specific release dates and times made public. "Even though these are game farm birds, we're trying to create as natural of a hunt as we can," Cope said. The state does provide a complete list of pheasant release sites, including maps, which can be found on the state's Web site at: www.wa.gov./wdfw. A printed copy of the release sites also is available at regional offices. While wild pheasant numbers are down throughout much of the Columbia Basin - due mostly to continued loss of habitat - Stream said quail numbers appear to be excellent in many areas. "It's hard to say exactly why more people don't hunt quail. But they are a much overlooked game bird species," he said. Waterfowl hunting prospects within the irrigated portions of the Yakima Valley also appear to be better for the opener than many other parts of Eastern Washington, Friesz noted. Some wetlands are holding flocks of early migrating ducks. Locally, however, duck numbers appear to be down from previous years across the lower Columbia Basin. Dave Linehan, deputy project manager for the Mid-Columbia River Refuges Complex in Pasco, said waterfowlers likely will see a slow opener. However, Linehan said pheasant numbers look good on all refuges, including Toppenish and McNary. At Toppenish, only three blinds will be open for waterfowling because of a lack of water. "But again, the better option would probably be pheasant hunting," Linehan added. Hunters should note that at Toppenish and McNary refuge, upland bird hunting is not permitted until noon. The Two Rivers and Wallula units of the McNary Refuge, however, are open to wingshooting at legal shooting time.
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