Wing shooters will head into the field on the first of September, partaking in a selection of hunts starting with those for forest grouse and mourning doves.
A brief hunt for home-grown Canada geese also is on the calendar sometime in the first half of the month depending on which part of Western Washington the geese reside, then an equally brief opportunity for wild pigeons gets underway at mid-month.
In the last half of September, two days (Sept. 24-25) are reserved for young hunters, while seniors age 65 and older have the field to themselves for a five day hunt Sept. 26-30.
Here are some of the basics for each of these inaugural autumnal options:
EARLY BIRD HUNTS
Forest grouse: Statewide for a four-month season between Thursday, Sept. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 31.
Of the five grouse species native to Washington, ruffeds and blues (now called sootys) of the forest varieties are the most numerous and often bagged.
Fall hunters along the northern tier of the state especially in the far northeast corner of the state will bag an occasional Franklin's or spruce grouse.
The daily limit is four grouse all one species or in aggregate.
Generally, ruffeds or 'drummers' are found at lower elevations on the west slope of the Cascades perhaps up to 2,500 feet elevation in heavily forested areas. Sootys, also known as 'hooters' or 'grunters,' are the most prevalent higher elevation forest grouse often found up to 4,500 feet in mountain hemlock zone clearcuts and second growth timber.
Permissible bore sizes of firearms for grousing are the opposite of those used in most hunting scenarios. By regulation, to prevent wastage that occurs with the use of more powerful weaponry, only small bore (24 caliber or smaller) rifles and handguns as well as any legal shotgun with game loads are lawful to shoot grouse.
Large caliber handguns and high-powered rifles and shotguns loaded with slugs or buckshot are not legal for grouse.
Mourning doves: Statewide for a 30-day season from Sept. 1-30.
Among the fastest of fall gamebirds, mourning doves are most numerous in Central Washington from the Okanogan south to the Yakima valley. It's in this corridor that the bulk of the hunting effort takes place.
Being seed eaters, these native doves are often associated with farmlands producing grain or grass crops.
Would-be dove hunters from Whatcom County most often make the trek to the Brewster area for this season tip off.
Weather on an intra-day as well as a weekly basis plays a key role in hunter success. Daily flight periods from roost to field and then to water can be fairly short periods and you best be a great snap shooter.
Both the migratory mourning dove and band-tailed pigeon populations are hunted in Baja or southern Mexico and Central American overwintering areas.
Mourning doves in increasing numbers also can be found in Western Washington, here most notably in the Stanwood area.
The daily limit on wild mourning doves is 10 per day and 20 in possession.
Honkers: Confined to Western Washington, September or early Canada goose hunts differ in duration and limits slightly between the four westside goose management areas.
These initial opportunities for year-round dwelling honkers range from the six-day opening between Sept. 10-15 in GMAs 1, 2B and 3 (which includes Whatcom County) to a 15-day stint in Pacific County, aka Goose Management Area 2B.
September seasons for non-migratory Canada geese in Eastern Washington currently are closed.
The standard array of smoothbore waterfowling weaponry is permissible for local honkers and hunters may kill up to five Canadas a day to a total of ten in possession.
Hunters to the north in the Puget Sound basin also could see a few early migrating white-fronted geese, aka speckle-bellies, during the six-day September hunt. By regulation, it is not lawful to shoot them.
With some quick practice 'specks' are visually distinguishable from all of the honker clan by virtue of their 'peppered' under-side. They often move through here in smallish family flights, selecting the centers of big fields in which to take landward refuge.
A key to success for early geese is pre-hunt day scouting to locate the fields in which the birds are foraging as well as the flight routes they take from night roost locales (usually big water areas).
Just about every lowland water-body of any size here now has summer-nesting Canada geese on them. These persistent honkers are found from the Birch Bay-Custer area, east to Sumas and south into the Laurel area and around Squalicum Lake. They're even up the North Fork Nooksack valley in the Kendall area and the South Fork in the Clipper area.
Except for the public Lake Terrell and Tennant Lake areas, these geese most often frequent private lands, which means arrangements (permission) must be obtained beforehand to hunt available flocks.
Besides the access issue, hunters should be aware of Whatcom County's ordinance restricting the discharge of firearms and the establishment of so-called no shooting zones. For instance, Wiser Lake and its shores as well as the full length of Lake Whatcom and its uplands are within legally defined tracts where shooting is banned.
LATE BIRD HUNTS
Band-tailed pigeons: Statewide for a nine-day opening starting Thursday, Sept. 15 and closing Friday, Sept. 23.
Their uniform appearance, one bird to another, distinguishes them from the motley urban flocks of so-called pigeons that are more appropriately termed rock doves.
Forest nesters to the north as well as the small numbers of reproducing band-taileds here tend to flee to warmer, drier climes at the first breath of a windy September rainstorm, which occasionally ushers them out before the legal hunting season even starts.
The daily limit for wild pigeons is two birds a day and four in possession.
While some band-taileds will flock to lowland bird feeders or farm grain crops, passage birds often are found in mid-elevation clearcuts in the Cascade foothills working over the elderberry or blueberry crops.
Besides the basic hunting documents, be sure to obtain a special written authorization to hunt band-tailed pigeons and mail or make on-line the mandatory post season report by Friday, Sept. 30.
Youth bird hunts: Statewide on Sept. 24-25 but subject to restrictions in some areas.
This first-of-the-fall weekend opportunity for waterfowl and many upland gamebirds is designed to ease young, perhaps first-time hunters into the excitement and rigors of bird hunting without the kind of competition that can overwhelm them.
Most all gamebirds are on the youth hunt quarry list except for band-tailed pigeons, snipe, turkeys (for which there is a dedicated spring youth opportunity), mountain quail, brant, snow geese and Canada geese in Southwest Washington's GMAs 2A and 2B.
Participants in this opportunity for waterfowl and upland game birds must be age 15 or younger and must have a valid 2011 Washington small game hunting license ($16.50 or $8.80 with big game license). Besides the basic paperwork, to hunt certain species these additional documents are needed:
? For ducks and geese: a state migratory bird endorsement aka 'stamp' (free). Youths under age 16 do not need a federal migratory bird stamp.
? For Western Washington pheasants: a Western Washington pheasant permit ($38.50). Note that a small game license is not required to hunt westside pheasants, just the permit.
? For sea ducks: a special written authorization to hunt ($3.30).
All youth hunt participants must be accompanied at all times when in the field by a responsible adult at least 18 years old though that chaperone is not required to have a hunting license.
The daily (bag) and possession limits for 'huntable' bird species in general seasons also apply in the youth hunt as do normal hunting hours, which are restricted for pheasants.
Do be aware that there are differential bag rules for the taking of pheasants depending on which side of the Cascades you are hunting. On the westside, two birds of either sex per day is the keeper rule, while on the dry side hunters may only shot three roosters each day.
Here in Whatcom County at the Lake Terrell Unit of the Whatcom Wildlife Area both waterfowl and released pheasants are available.
Seniors pheasant hunt: In Western Washington only from Sept. 26-30.
The five days leading up to the Saturday opening of the regular Western Washington pheasant season are reserved for older hunters age 65 and up.
In this less crowded environment, seniors will be able to pursue pheasants released on the eve of the Monday opening and later in the mid-week.
Western Washington's pheasants are the only gamebird species for which a formal license to hunt is not required, just a Western Washington pheasant permit is needed. Unfortunately, for seniors there is no longer a discount, so they must pay the full $82.50.
Several tracts of the Whatcom Wildlife Area (usually the Lake Terrell, Intalco (Alcoa) and BP units) will have birds released for this hunt. The regular westside daily limits for pheasants apply to this hunt.
Regular season starts for pheasants are Saturday, Oct. 1, west of the Cascades and Saturday, Oct. 22, for all eastern Washington areas.
Fall turkey hunts: Northeast Washington from Sept. 24-Oct. 7.
Besides a slate of limited entry permit hunts, a select number of Northeast Washington game management units north of Spokane are the scene of Washington's only fall general or open wild turkey season. Some GMUS are open only for the taking of beardless birds, while in others, turkeys of either sex may be killed.
Depending on where you hunt and the gender of your takes, it's permissible to take multiple turkeys in the fall, but you must hold a valid turkey tag for each. Also, successful eastside spring turkey hunters are allowed to participate in these hunts provided they buy the necessary additional transport tags.
Restrictions also are in place governing weaponry and ammunition shot size that may be used in these hunts. It is illegal to use dogs, electronic calls or decoys and bait to hunt turkeys.
A 25-day late (Nov. 20 to Dec. 15) general turkey opening in select Northeast GMUs also is on the calendar.
At the close of the season in December turkey hunters must report their successes and overall hunting activity regardless of their luck by Jan. 30 each year.
ADVISORY COUNCIL CANDIDATES SOUGHT
Five currently open positions on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Game Management Advisory Council will be filled by selection from a list a candidates now being compiled.
The deadline for submitting nominations for the two-year terms on this 22-member panel is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31.
This council meets at least three times each year (perhaps more if emergent issues arise) and is tasked with providing guidance to the department on hunter access options, resource allocation, funding and research projects.
Candidates do not need to be affiliated with any group and self-nominations are accepted.
Written nominations must include:
? the nominee's name, address and telephone number and email address,
? a synopsis of their relevant experience and motivations for serving,
? the nominee's communications abilities,
? and the name (individual and group) and contact information for the nominator.
Post by mail written submittals in care of Dave Ware, Game Division Manager at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, Wash., 98501-1091 or email the formal nomination to david.ware@dfw.wa.gov.
Ware can be reached at 360-902-2509.
COASTAL KINGS TO CLOSE
Chinook salmon become non grata aboard recreational fishing boats on ocean waters of Washington's Coast starting Monday, Aug. 29.
State fishery managers estimate that by the end of this weekend personal use anglers will have landed virtually all of the 30,100 kings this year's ocean salmon fishing management plan allocates to them to catch.
From the Aug. 29 chinook witching hour on all four ocean marine areas (Ilwaco to Neah Bay) will still stay open for coho salmon (and one additional pink on areas 3 and 4) until their respective closure dates, Sept. 18 for areas 2, 3 and 4 and Sept. 1 for Marine Area 1.
Doug Huddle, the Bellingham Herald's outdoors correspondent, since 1983, has written a weekly hunting and fishing column that appears Fridays. Read and comment on his blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/outdoors.
