S-R Hunting Outlook 2014: Eastern Washington hunting prospects bright

Although there’s never a guarantee, Eastern Washington hunting prospects across the board are at least as good as last year and better in some cases.

Here’s a sampling of notes gleaned from wildlife biologists’ observations in the far-eastern portion of the state.

Deer hunting prospects for both white-tailed and mule deer are relatively good throughout the region, with more whitetails in the northeast and central districts and more mule deer in the southeast district.

Mourning dove season closes Sept. 30 in Washington, but Eurasian collared doves, an invasive exotic species, can be hunted year-round without bag limits.

Elk calf survival in the Blue Mountains was above average last year, which should translate this season into more spikes – the only bulls open to hunters without a special permit, according to Paul Wik, wildlife biologist based in Clarkston.

Blue Mountains elk populations are generally in good shape, although there are some exceptions. Walla Walla-area Watershed bull permits were decreased from 45 to 35 as elk counts have declined for a number of years. In the 1990s, 50 permits were offered for the walk-in hunt.

Wild turkey hunters have two hunts that start Saturday and run into October. In most of the region’s GMUs (101, 124-154, and 162-189) one turkey of either sex can be taken. A beardless-only turkey hunting season also opens Saturday in GMUs 105-142, where two beardless turkeys can be taken.

Pheasant crow counts (number of males during spring breeding season) were down this year 7 percent below the four-year average across Spokane, Lincoln, Columbia, Garfield, Walla Walla and Whitman counties. However, counts on the Parvin and St. John routes were up. Biologist say chicks had good summer survival conditions, and they’ve also noted improved numbers of Hungarian partridge in Whitman County and the Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area of Lincoln County. Overall, pheasants continue a long-term decline.

Pheasant release sites listed in the hunting regulations pamphlet will be stocked with birds for the youth-only upland bird hunt this weekend.

A “geezer” pheasant season for hunters age 65 and older runs Monday through Sept. 26.

Coyote hunting is open year-round. With about 12 wolf packs confirmed in Eastern Washington – a protected species – coyote hunters must be sure not to mistake a wolf for a coyote.

While wolf packs have increased in northeastern Washington, elk harvest has remained nearly unchanged in the past five years and deer harvest has grown a modest 4 percent over that time. Surveys show that 24 percent of the bulls are six points or better, indicating good characteristics for elk productivity and quality bull hunting.

Northeastern elk numbers are in good shape, but the total hunter harvest in Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties is low compared with other elk herds in the state, hovering around 250-300 animals a year since 2009.

Northeastern deer numbers have been gradually increasing for several years, probably because of moderate winters.

Youth, senior and disabled modern firearm hunters have a good shot at taking a white-tailed deer on the first Thursday through Sunday after the October season opener – Oct. 16-19 this year. During these four days they can take either an antlerless white-tailed deer or a legal buck.

Black bear season, which opened Sept. 1, ought to provide good numbers of available bears in northeastern Washington gauging from bear observations and the number of bear complaints, said Dana Base, wildlife biologist in Colville. Best Game Management Units: 101, 117 and 121.

Grizzly bears, which are a protected species, have been observed this summer in the Selkirk Mountains northeast of Usk and along the Idaho border toward Sullivan Lake.

Private timber companies, which traditionally have provided hundreds of thousands of acres to public hunting in Western Washington as well as on the East Side, are in a trend of restricting public access and shifting toward a permit or “pay-to-play” system to limit the number of hunters on their lands. One of the primary reasons for access restrictions and loss of access is littering, driving off roads and general hunter disrespect of the landowner’s rules.