In the great state of Washington hunting is a big deal.
The spring bear season began on April 1, and a two-day youth-only turkey hunt happened last weekend. Looking ahead, a general spring turkey season slated to begin mid-month. On April 15. Those seasons may be the focus de jour for eagle eyed hunters, but they are not the most popular seasons for beating the back brush.
Typically, deer and elk seasons draw the bulk of hunters into the woods and elicit the most excitement from nimrods both young and old. Of course hunting seasons also exist for ducks, geese, coots, snipes, and crows to name just a few birds, as well as sheep, and mountain goats to name a few cloven hoofed ruminants. The options, which are many more than can be listed here, are myriad in nature.
What many people don’t know though is that moose are, literally, Washington’s biggest game. Game managers estimate that at least 1,000 of the monster ungulates roam the vast expanse of eastern Washington. The hulking majority of those moose can be found in the greater-Spokane area, but they do range far and wide, making appearances from Walla Walla to Wenatchee.
It’s funny that folks tend to forget Washington’s mighty moose. For one thing, the Seattle Mariners have long employed the furry baseball fanatic as their official mascot. The Mariner Moose even drives a four-wheeler haphazardly around the field on special occasions. Once he even broke his leg while being towed behind the ATV. Another time he ran over an outfielder named Coco Crisp from the opposing team, so you know he is a born-and-bred, tried-and-true Washingtonian.
The most famous Washington moose, though, was perhaps the most recognizable star from the hit TV show, Northern Exposure. The program, which aired for six seasons, was set in the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, but in reality was filmed in Roslyn, Washington, just north of Cle Elum. In the memorable opening credits from the show a moose is shown ambling about the sleepy streets of the former mining town.
The moose has become so popular in Roslyn — and beyond, with the help of beaming satellite connections and internet feeds — that the town holds a popular “Moosefest” celebration every summer where Northern Exposure fans from near and far come together for a round of nostalgic rumination.
Steve Ojurovich runs Cicely’s Gift Shop in Roslyn and he knows the real story behind that world-famous moose. Ojurovich was around during Northern Exposure’s heyday in Roslyn and even finagled his way into a recurring “featured extra” role on the series.
“That moose was stoned out of his mind,” recalled Ojurovich with a laugh when telling the origin story of the memorable opening scene to the TV show. Ojurovich said that the orphaned moose, which was on loan from Washington State University, had been heavily medicated in order to facilitate its safe travel to the sleepy town. Once on the scene in Roslyn the ungainly ungulate was altogether uninterested in going for a sightseeing stroll of the town, so the film crew had to get creative. According to Ojurovich, the drug addled, sleepy-eyed moose was led around town following a tried and true tactic: The ol’ banana-on-a-stick trick.
That tasty tidbit was not the only surprising note from the opening credits of Northern Exposure though. Ojurovich added that although the scene looks like it was shot in daylight, it was actually filmed in the dark of night. As Ojurovich remembered it, word had gone all around town that a moose was headed to Roslyn and there was a considerable buzz running through the townsfolk as citizens attempted to figure out the ultimate purpose of their herbivore visitor. Wanting to extend a warm welcome, a large crowd gathered in the center of town and eagerly awaited the moose’s arrival.
Not wanting to spook the moose, though, the film crew decided to wait out the sizable crowd in hopes of getting some low stress shots in the desolate city streets. Eventually, as the hours slipped by, the crowd began to dissipate as heavy heads and sleepy eyes longed for warm beds and soft pillows. Once the crowd was gone, Ojurovich says the director unleashed a torrent of sun-bright flood lights all over town in order to recreate the daytime ambiance for the opening scene.
“That scared the town half to death,” said Ojurovich. “People were calling into work and apologizing for oversleeping. Nobody had any idea what was going on.”
Unfortunately, Northern Exposure’s world famous moose died in 1994 while back in the care of WSU. “They didn't know how to take care of an orphaned moose yet,” said Ojurovich.
Like that opening scene of Northern Exposure, though, there is a bright side to this story. According to Ojurovich, the popular moose was able to procreate with long-legged lady moose, presumably wowed by his Hollywood credentials, before departing this cold world. That means that there are likely offspring out there from Roslyn’s moose, roaming somewhere in the wilderness between real Washington and fake Alaska. All you have to do is find them, but leave the spotlights at home.
More information on hunting moose in Washington can be found online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/goat_sheep_moose/.
FISHIN’
Eager beaver anglers continue to patrol the waters of the lower Columbia River for spring Chinook and wayward winter steelhead and catch rates are finally, ever so incrementally, creeping up to match that effort.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife statistics, which are current through April 3, show that so far this season anglers have made 67,306 trips to the river resulting in 6,872 spring Chinook and 463 steelhead harvested, as well as 1,122 springers and 387 steelhead caught and released. Those numbers are lagging slightly behind the preseason prediction that called for 9,100 adult springers on the hook by April 9.
Fishing for springers is currently open from Buoy 10 to Beacon Rock, as well as the river banks from Beacon Rock to Bonneville Dam. That fishery will remain open through Saturday, April 9. WDFW stats from the final three days of March showed that anglers on the lower Columbia made 10,330 trips, hooking 2,188 adult spring Chinook and 78 steelhead. Catch rates around around the lower Columbia were categorized at fair by the WDFW with the best bite occurring in the gorge and the estuary.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday, April 7 for fishery managers to discuss the possibility of extended angling opportunities for sturgeon and salmonids on the lower Columbia this spring.
Sturgeon fishing was down in the dam pools last week. Weekly checking by the WDFW showed only one legal fish caught, with 40 sublegal fish released between 13 bank anglers and 15 boat anglers at The Dalles. In the John Day Pool 18 bank anglers were skunked while 84 boat anglers caught 14 legal sturgeon, as well as 90 fish that were either too big or too small.
On the other fin, walleye fishing was “good to outstanding for boat anglers,” last week according to a WDFW report. Anglers at The Dalles kept 143 walleye and released 29 more from 32 boats, while also averaging almost 5 bass per rod. In the John Day Pool 111 boats kept 401 walleye and released an additional 198 fish, while averaging more than 2.5 bass per rod.
Out on the Cowlitz River the piscatorial prospects really picked up the slack last week. The WDFW tallied 155 boat anglers with 132 steelhead harvested as well as 15 adult spring Chinook. Four steelhead were released. Along the shore, 153 anglers kept 20 steelhead and 18 springers. The steelhead were mostly pulled from near the trout hatchery while the Chinook salmon were caught all over the river.
Last week employees at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator collected 700 winter steelhead and 900 spring Chinook adults, as well as 27 springer jacks and one cutthroat trout. River flow at Mayfield Dam was recorded at about 6,820 cubic feet per second on Monday, April 4.
Sparse anglers on the Wind River have been going home mostly empty handed lately. The WDFW talked to just two boat anglers last week with grand total of zero fish between them. The river is currently open from Hwy. 14 upstream to 400 feet below Shipherd falls for hatchery spring Chinook and steelhead fishing. The river above Shipherd falls will open up on May 1.
Drano Lake had a similarly light effort last week with five anglers notching no catch. The river will be closed to fishing on Wednesday, April 13. From April 16 through June 30 only bank fishing will be allowed west of the easternmost pillar of the Hwy. 14 Bridge.
Lowland trout season begins on April 23, but there are plenty of happenings between now and then. Last week the WDFW planted Lacamas and Klineline pond with 4,000 and 1,000 rainbows respectively, while depositing 3,888 trout into Silver Lake.
Those fish in Klineline Pond will be put through the ringer soon for a two-day “Kids Fish-In”. The pond will close on April 7 for preparations and then open up on April 8-9 for the youth fishing event. The pond will reopen to the public on April 10. Only registered youths will be allowed to participate in the kids fishing event. More than 2,500 youthful anglers are expected to turn out to try their luck.
HUNTIN’
Special permit black bear hunts began in Washington on April 1st and youthful turkey hunters busted the brush last weekend during the two-day youth-only spring turkey opener. Next on the docket is the general spring turkey season which will run from April 15 - May 31.
On April 8-9 the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is slated to take action on a number or proposed changes to hunting rules for deer, elk, bear, cougar and other game.
The bulk of the proposals up for consideration deal with special permit levels and other issues that were not included in the 2015-17 hunting rules that were approved by the commission last April. However, the commission will also review a pair of rules that were addressed last year pertaining to cougar hunting seasons and the use of bait to hunt deer or elk.
The commission is comprised of citizens appointed by the governor in order to set policy for the WDFW. The meeting will take place in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building in Olympia, located at 1111 Washington St. S.E. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. on both days. A complete agenda is available athttp://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/. The proposed changes to state hunting regulations are available for public review at http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/seasonsetting/
CLAMMIN’
The WDFW has approved another round of clam digs along Washington’s coastal beaches, including tides at Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks. Twin Harbors has yet to open since last spring’s digs due to prevailing domoic acid levels.
“Razor clams at Twin Harbors had the highest levels of domoic acid during the peak of the harmful algae bloom in 2015,” said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the WDFW, in a press release. “It is taking longer for clams there to rid themselves of the toxin.”
It is unclear if Twin Harbors will open up in time for any of the remaining spring digs.
Beginning Thursday the clam tides will switch from evening to mornings. The tides in Long Beach on April 9-10 coincide with the town’s annual razor clam festival.
The upcoming dig is scheduled on the following dates, beaches, and low tides:
• April 7, Thursday, 7:07 a.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Copalis, Mocrocks
• April 8, Friday, 7:54 a.m.; -1.1 feet; Long Beach, Copalis, Mocrocks
• April 9, Saturday, 8:42 a.m.; -1.3 feet; Long Beach, Copalis
• April 10, Sunday, 9:32 a.m.; -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks
• April 11, Monday, 10:23 a.m.; -0.9 feet; Long Beach
• April 12, Tuesday, 11:19 a.m.; -0.4 feet; Long Beach
Ayres noted in a press release that all clam diggers 15 years or older must have a valid 2016-17 fishing license in order to harvest clams. Last year’s licenses expired on April 1.
“After a late start to the season, we have tried to provide as much digging as possible while still conserving our razor clam populations,” Ayres said.
By state law diggers may keep as many as 15 clams per day, but they must keep the first 15 they dig regardless of size or condition. No throwback for cracked shells or small bivalves! Each digger must also keep their clams in their own personal container.
Wildlife managers are also encouraging clam diggers to be cautious while out on the beach in order to limit the chances of disturbing the beach nesting shorebirds known as snowy plovers and streaked horned larks. All beachgoers should be sure to follow posted vehicle speed limits and avoid nesting sites by sticking to the wet, compact sand. Both species of birds are listed as endangered by the state and threatened by the federal Endangered Species Act. They also both nest in dry soft sand, especially near Leadbetter Point.
WILDLIFERS
Last week officials announced the first confirmed case of a bat with white-nose syndrome in Washington. The afflicted bat was found near North Bend and the presence of the disease was verified by the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Health Center.
The disease was first documented on the east coast of North America almost a decade ago. Since then it has been responsible for the deaths of more than six million bats. White-nose syndrome is not known to pose a threat to humans, pets, livestock or other wildlife.
The infected bat was found on Mar. 11 by hikers who took it to the Progressive Animal Welfare Society, where it died two days later with a visible skin infection common to infected bats.
“We are extremely concerned about the confirmation of WNS in Washington state, about 1,300 miles from the previous westernmost detection of the fungus that causes the disease,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe, in a press release. “Bats are a crucial part of our ecology and provide essential pest control for our farmers, foresters and city residents, so it is important that we stay focused on stopping the spread of this fungus. People can help by following decontamination guidance to reduce the risk of accidentally transporting the fungus.”
First documented in the winter of 2006-07 in eastern New York, white-nose syndrome has now been documented in 28 states and five Canadian provinces.
“This finding in a far-western location is unfortunately indicative of the challenges we face with the unpredictability of WNS,” said Suzette Kimball, director of the USGS, in the release. "This underscores the critical importance of our work to develop tools for early detection and rapid response to potentially devastating wildlife diseases."
Tests will be conducted around the location where the bat was found in order to determine the prevalence of the disease. WDFW veterinarian Katie Haman said in a release that the disease is typically transmitted from bat to bat but people can transport fungal spores during excursions. “The bat found near North Bend most likely had been roused from hibernation and was attempting to feed at a time of very low insect availability,” Haman said in the release. “At this point we don’t know where the infected bat may have spent the winter, but it seems likely that it was somewhere in the central Cascades.”
The WDFW advises against handling any animals that appear to be sick or dead. The deparment requests that the public report any unusual sightings online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/health/wns or by phone at (800) 606-8768.
