Hunting 2011

Washington hunters can zero in on boundaries of Washington game management units with a new online map tool developed by Northwest Maps, 10525 E. Sprague Ave., in Spokane Valley. • The Washington State GMU Boundaries Map is free to use at www.nwmaps.com/.

Handicapped hunters in the Inland Northwest are making inroads to decent hunting opportunities on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests as well the Colville National Forest and two timberland companies. Deadlines are approaching to sign up for several of the opportunities to drive motorized vehicles behind otherwise locked gates.

One of the hunting industry’s most successful marketing strategies in the past decade has never passed my sniff test. But sportsmen have spent millions of dollars buying manufacturer claims that deodorizing soaps and clothing fibers impregnated with carbon can mask a human’s scent from the discriminating noses of deer and elk.

Successful deer and elk hunters in Eastern Washington can help scientists monitor for chronic wasting disease by submitting tissue samples. The Washington Fish and Wildlife Department’s ongoing monitoring effort is looking for as many samples as possible from deer and elk harvested east of the Columbia River.

Following are the top 10 ways sportsmen goof up and qualify for a costly ticket while hunting in Washington, according to Fish and Wildlife Department enforcement officers in Spokane (in no particular order): 1. License not on person while hunting.

Some hunters regularly do better than the statistics. Some bag their game year after year. Consistently successful hunters share similar traits.

Studies have indicated people can be subject to lead exposure by eating certain game meats taken by hunters shooting lead bullets. Ground meats tend to offer the highest risks if the meat is not carefully taken from the carcass.