WEEKENDER -September 1-14

Rains buoy westside fishing.
 
After a long, hot summer, welcome rains are propelling salmon and steelhead up westside rivers, boosting prospects for early fall fishing.
 
Cool, wet weather is enticing coho salmon to enter coastal rivers on the Olympic Peninsula; encouraging fall chinook on their journey up the Columbia River and sending hatchery steelhead up Columbia tributaries such as the Cowlitz River.
 
One thing that hasn’t cooled down is the ocean salmon-fishing scene. Off Westport—where the action is concentrated six miles out from the harbor, mostly-coho catches have been averaging 1.9 fish per person. Chinook are fewer, but some have been whoppers. An Ocean Shores woman reeled in a 58-pound chinook in late August—the biggest salmon weighed at Westport in 15 years—and a 50-pound king was boated two days later by a Monroe man fishing southwest of Westport. Another stellar salmon-fishing scene—Neah Bay—closes at the end of the day Sept. 2.
 
On Puget Sound, recreational Dungeness and red rock crab fishing closes at 7 p.m., Sept. 3, in marine areas 6, sub-area 7 South, 8-1, 8-2, 9, 10, 11 and 12 because catch quotas have been met. Marine areas 7 North and 7 East will remain open, along with southern Puget Sound and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca. Puget Sound fishers can stay busy with a number of freshwater salmon-fishing opportunities now open across the region, including coho salmon seasons in many area rivers. Fishing for hard-fighting silvers opened today (Sept. 1) in the Stillaguamish (up to the forks), Snohomish, mainstem Skykomish and Green rivers. The Green is open from the mouth to the Pacific Highway South bridge.
 
On the east side of the state, fishing for fall chinook and coho salmon opened today (Sept. 1) on a stretch of the Yakima River from the Highway 223 bridge at Granger to the closed water line 400 feet below Sunnyside (Parker) Dam, thanks to cooperation between the Yakama Indian Nation and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Non-tribal anglers are required to possess both a WDFW fishing license and a Yakama tribal hunting and fishing permit in order to participate in this fishery, which borders the Yakama Nation’s reservation. The permit is required whether anglers fish from a boat or from either bank of the river. Farther east, the steelhead retention season in southeast Washington’s Snake River drainage is open, although the best catches traditionally occur later in the fall.
 
Rain and cooling weather is also expected to help hunters heading to the field for early archery deer and elk hunts, as well as mourning dove, forest grouse, rabbit and hare seasons.  Early-archery deer hunts are open in many game-management units across the state, while early-archery elk hunting begins Sept. 8. See WDFW’s “Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules” pamphlet for details.
 
The early goose hunt is open in Goose Management Area 2B (Grays Harbor and Pacific counties) and begins Sept. 11 in the rest of the state. See WDFW’s  “Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game Seasons” pamphlet for details.
 
Although cooling weather has helped alleviate the wildfire threat in some regions, WDFW wildlife areas and water-access sites remain under no-open-fire restrictions until further notice.
 
Here are details on recreation opportunities available around the state:
 
Northern Puget Sound
Fishing: Crab fishers in most of the region have just a few more days before seasons shut down until next year. Beginning Sept. 3 at 7 p.m., marine areas 6, sub-area 7 South, 8-1, 8-2, 9, 10, 11 and 12 will close to recreational harvest of Dungeness and red rock crab because catch quotas have been met. Marine areas 7 North and 7 East will remain open, along with southern Puget Sound and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca. The closure is based on catch record card and in-season catch estimate survey data. Saltwater areas are producing good coho catches, including some individual fish in the 10- to 12-pound range, and fishing should improve through the month. The hottest spots are likely to be in pre-terminal areas, such as Possession Point at the southern end of Whidbey Island (marine areas 8-2 and 9), and along both the Kitsap and the King/Snohomish shorelines of Marine Area 10. Try trolling artificial squid (lime green or white) or fresh herring behind a flasher. If those choices don’t work, there are always a number of spoons to try, or even large fly patterns. Chinook salmon can still be retained in the San Juan Islands, where fishing has been spotty, and more coho are showing up in the catch. The Tulalip Bay “bubble” fishery north of Marysville is also still producing some chinook.  Anglers can fish the “bubble” from 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 a.m. Monday of each week through Sept. 27. A tremendous number of freshwater salmon-fishing opportunities are now open across the region, including coho salmon seasons in many area rivers. Seasons for hard-fighting silvers opened Sept. 1 in the Stillaguamish (up to the forks), the Snohomish, the mainstem of the Skykomish and the Green (from the mouth to the Pacific Highway South bridge). Pink salmon must be released on the Snohomish River  and its tributaries. Anglers can typically lure coho into biting using spoons, flies or by plunking eggs or sand shrimp. Be sure to check the WDFW “Fishing in Washington” sport fishing rules pamphlet for details. Anglers should note the pamphlet contains an error on the starting date for salmon fishing on the Skagit. Fishing for coho actually begins Sept. 16 – not Sept. 1, as stated in the pamphlet. The Sept. 16 start date applies to the river from the mouth upstream to the confluence with the Cascade River. There will be a daily limit of three salmon, and all chinook and chum must be released. Lake Washington opens Sept. 16 to coho fishing. Only waters north of the State Route 520 floating bridge and east of the Montlake bridge are open. Lake Sammamish has been open to salmon fishing since mid August with a two-fish daily limit and a requirement to release sockeye. Anglers in search of a little solitude while pursuing fish over the Labor Day weekend might want to hit the alpine lakes for some late-summer trout fishing. Dry and wet flyfishers can usually entice a trout into biting. If flyfishing isn’t an option, try casting a small spoon.
 
Wildlife viewing: While there are still a few weeks of summer left on the calendar, birders can expect to see the beginning of fall migrations as winged summer visitors move south for the winter. According to recent posts on the Tweeters website, http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/, turkey vultures are already on the move, kettling south in lazy spirals toward their wintering grounds, which range from southern California to South America. A Wilson’s phalarope, spotted recently near La Conner, faces a longer migration than the turkey vulture, as this shorebird winters in shallow ponds and salt lakes in southern South America. Another birder spotted a long-billed curlew flying high over the mouth of the Samish River in Skagit County. At 19 inches tall, the long-billed curlew is North America’s largest shorebird and generally winters south of Washington, although a small population has been documented to winter in the Ocean Shores area. Resident and transient killer whales have been seen feeding, resting and socializing throughout the San Juan Islands recently. A good starting point for a whale-watching adventure is Lime Kiln State Park, which is on the western shore of San Juan Island. The bluffs at Lime Kiln give land-based whale watchers a great view of Haro Strait, an area that is often visited by killer whales.
 
Hunting: September kicks off with a full slate of bird- and big-game-hunting opportunities, with statewide seasons for forest grouse, band-tailed pigeon and dove all getting under way. Forest grouse can be hunted Sept. 1-Dec. 31, while the dove season runs from Sept. 1-15, and band-tailed pigeon hunting runs from Sept. 15-23. The early Canada goose hunt runs from Sept. 11-15 in Island, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan and King counties. Check the WDFW Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game Seasons pamphlet for details. A few big-game seasons get under way this month, including the Westside archery deer hunt (Sept. 1-30), and the Westside archery elk hunt (Sept. 8-21). The high buck season runs Sept. 15-25 this year in the Alpine Lakes, Glacier Peak and Henry Jackson wilderness areas (west of the Pacific Crest Trail). There is a three-point minimum during the high buck hunt. Check the WDFW Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules pamphlet for the details.
 
Olympic Peninsula/South Puget Sound
Fishing: Westport is the hot spot for ocean salmon fishing, with most of the action taking place six miles straight out from the harbor, reports Wendy Beeghley, regional fish biologist. Checks there Aug. 29 showed average catches of 1.9 fish per person, with coho making up most of that number. Some of the Westport fish have been whoppers—an Ocean Shores woman reeled in the biggest salmon weighed at Westport in some 15 years—a 58-pound chinook she boated in under half an hour on a late-August charter trip 15 miles south of Westport. Another bodacious, 50-pound chinook was harvested by a Monroe man  fishing about 14 miles southwest of Westport. Another stellar salmon-fishing scene—Neah Bay—closes at the end of the day Sept. 2. With nearly-all-coho catches there recently averaging 1.5 fish per person “you almost can’t keep the fish off the line,” Beeghley said. At La Push, weather conditions have created a slower fishing scene, with catches recently averaging one salmon per angler. Coho made up about two-thirds of the total. Willapa Bay fishing has also been slow, except for the occasional great day of chinook fishing. The arrival of late-summer rains has perked up coho action on the region’s river systems, in welcome contrast to the past several years when drought continued into the fall and slowed the coho migration. “This should be the beginning of a good season on the north-coast rivers,“ predicts Mike Gross, regional fish biologist. “Flows went up and now are dropping nicely, bringing fresh fish into the rivers.” September’s arrival brings new opportunities on several North Coast rivers including the Quillayute system, where anglers can now keep unmarked salmon and harvest a third hatchery coho daily; the Hoh system, where fishing is now open seven days a week, and the Clearwater, which opened to salmon fishing Sept. 1. Anyone planning to float the Hoh should be aware that a diversion dam has been installed between the Oxbow and Nolan Creek, shifting the river into an old, reconfigured channel to allow construction of logjams to protect nearby Highway 101. The diversion is about a quarter-mile long, and boaters should look it over carefully before floating it. Anglers who encounter giant squid can now keep them under a rule, which took effect Aug. 26. The new rule allows anglers to possess a single squid that exceeds 10 pounds.
 
Wildlife viewing: Olympia-area residents need only venture as far as the Fifth Street bridge to enjoy the spectacle of returning chinook salmon and the hungry seals and sea lions that trail them. Hundreds of chinook were milling below the Capitol Lake dam in the last week of August and hundreds more fish were massed below the fish ladder where Tumwater Falls empties into Capitol Lake. About 10,500 salmon expected to return to the Deschutes River this fall. A great egret made an appearance at the east end of Offutt Lake Aug. 29.  One Tweeters website ( http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/) correspondent reported watching the egret take refuge on a boat dock after it was dive-bombed by one of the local great blue herons. Tweeters fans also report some swift action at the corner of Hodgden and Sussex roads in Tenino, where some 125-150 Vaux’s swifts have been descending en masse into a chimney about 8 p.m. on recent evenings. The birds enter the chimney in a head up, tail down orientation to roost for the night. Brown pelicans are being seen in increasing numbers on the Long Beach peninsula.  The mouth of the Chinook River in Ilwaco is one gathering spot for the birds to spread their wings after a long day of fishing. The pelicans seen in large numbers over the last few weeks are actually visitors from California that may stay through October.  In an avian encounter of a different kind, a Tweeters website correspondent recently got a little more birding than he bargained for on an early morning outing at Bottle Beach: ”I was walking along the beach when I bumped into a small flock of semi-palmated plover and least sandpiper. It was almost still too dark to see well so I flushed the small shorebirds without seeing them first. After they had taken flight, a dark gray form of a small falcon came streaking down the beach just about a foot off the sand. The falcon flew so close to me that I had to flinch when it passed by me. It had to be only a few feet from me.  I'm thinking it was a Merlin, but I can't be for sure.”
 
Hunting:  Goose hunting is open through Sept. 15 in Pacific and Grays Harbor counties (Goose Management Area 2B). Both migratory and resident goose populations expected to be strong this year. Dove, forest grouse and early archery deer seasons also are open through Sept. 15 statewide, and archery elk hunts open on Sept. 8.
 
Southwest Washington
Fishing: The Buoy 10 fall chinook fishery is at its peak and expected to remain strong through Labor Day. In the last week of August, boat anglers there were averaging a chinook for every three rods. The Buoy 10 action is expected to slow after the first few days of September, but rains and cooler temperatures are improving the angling outlook farther up the mainstem Columbia River as far as Bonneville Dam. The fall fishery is expected to peak in that stretch of the river during the first half of September, according to Pat Frazier, deputy regional fish program manager. “The cooling water should get the fish biting and moving better,” Frazier says. Tributaries such as the Cowlitz, Washougal and Kalama rivers are also expected to be good during the first half of the month. As predicted, coho fishing has been slow due to low returning numbers, Frazier said. The Cowlitz River remains the top spot for summer-run hatchery steelhead. During the last week of August, 70 Cowlitz bank anglers hooked 21 hatchery steelhead there. To sweeten the odds, 406 hatchery fish were returned to the river at the Massey Bar boat launch last week and another 185 were put back into the water at the Blue Creek boat launch. In another transfer, 193 spring chinook adults were planted in Lake Scanewa last week. Some steelhead and fall chinook also are being caught at Drano Lake and in the White Salmon River. Sea-run cutthroat are turning up on fishing lines in the Cowlitz; in the last week of August, 27 boat fishers reeled in 12 of the trout, with most of the catches occurring downstream from the I-5 bridge. Mayfield and Riffe lakes are producing some landlocked coho and spring chinook “mini-jacks,” 1-year-old fish that headed out to the ocean last spring and are now returning as 12- to 14-inch fish. Bluegill and perch are biting in Swofford Pond, and some walleye fishers are finding success in the Columbia from the Interstate 205 bridge up to Bonneville Pool. Through Aug. 29 nearly 70,000 fall chinook had passed Bonneville Dam, Frazier said, heralding good fishing prospects in the pools upriver. Fall chinook passage typically peaks in early September.
 
Wildlife viewing: A correspondent on the Tweeters website (http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/) reports spotting two snowy egrets recently at the River S Unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The birds were seen at Rest Lake amongst a flock of great egrets, and at a favored egret roost near the entrance kiosk of the driving loop. A family of short-tailed weasels, including a curious youngster, also was seen foraging in the foliage and popping out onto the roadway along the refuge’s River S loop road.
 
Hunting: Early archery deer seasons are under way statewide, as are dove and forest grouse hunts. Elk archery hunting runs Sept. 8-15 across the state. The September Canada goose season takes place from 11th through the 15th in goose management areas 2A and 3 (Skamania, Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties). In Klickitat County the September goose hunt takes place on the 11th and 12th only. Klickitat Wildlife Area staff report a successful hatch of upland bird populations there this year with indications of multiple nesting attempts and success. The upcoming fall turkey season (Sept. 25-Oct. 1) is also looking good in the Klickitat area, based on sightings of large groups of young hens and  mature gobbler groups throughout the wildlife area. A good crop of acorns has formed and is starting to fall, offering hunters a focus while scouting for upcoming deer and turkey hunts.
 
Eastern Washington:
Fishing: The Snake River is now open for hatchery steelhead retention, although the best catches usually come later in the season.WDFW District Fish Biologist Glen Mendel of Dayton says the expected steelhead return to the Snake River is less than last year, but should still provide a good fishery.Water temperatures in the Snake River have dropped six to eight degrees with the arrival of cooler, wetter weather.Mendel reminds anglers to be sure they can identify fall chinook and coho salmon, which are also in the area and cannot be retained. “A fall chinook jack fishery that was proposed last year and this year will not occur,” Mendel said. “We will continue efforts with federal authorities and co-managers to try to provide for a fall chinook fishery in the fall of 2005.” The lower section of the Grand Ronde River, from the mouth at the Snake River to the county road bridge about 2-1/2 miles upstream, where all steelhead must be released, has shifted to selective gear rules. Mendel also says that fishing in southeast lakes and streams should improve with cooler weather, especially in early mornings andevenings, but be sure to check the rules pamphlet because some waters require selective gear and no bait. “Just go trout fishing,” said WDFW District Fish Biologist Chris Donley of Spokane. Now that water and air temperatures have dropped, he explains, trout are biting again at many local lakes. Williams and Badger lakes in southwest Spokane County are producing nice cutthroat and rainbow trout, ranging from 8- to 9-inch fry plants to 14-inch carryover fish.  Amber Lake, in the same area but restricted to selective gear, is also providing good trout action. Anglers at Twin Lakes in Lincoln County are reeling in rainbows, along with some largemouth bass and a few black crappie. Downs Lake in southwest Spokane County has been great for yellow perch. The Spokane arm of Lake Roosevelt is producing good catches of walleye and smallmouth bass. 
 
Wildlife Viewing:  Fall bird migrations are beginning with the decreasing-daylight trigger pushed along by recent cooler, wetter weather throughout the region. Species from geese to swallows are collecting in large flocks and starting mass southbound movements. Shorebirds are migrating into the region from the north and Reardan’s Audubon Lakes in Lincoln County are always a good bet for seeing both rare and common species, from killdeer to knots. Now is the time to hike into elk country (Blue Mountains or Selkirks) to hear roaring bulls. Bull elk should be into pre-rut activities, which include unique bugling, creating wallows and gathering harems of cows. The peak of the rut is about the third week of September, but a lot of bugling and displaying occurs before then. Some whitetail deer near Latah and California creeks in Spokane County have been found dead or dying of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD). Deer develop EHD when they concentrate at dwindling water holes that are infested with biting gnats, which carry the virus. Recent rains may alleviate the spread of the disease. WDFW Wildlife Biologist Dave Volsen asks wildlife viewers to watch for and report signs of EHD-stricken deer-- lethargic, disoriented, lame or unresponsive animals. Call WDFW's Spokane office at (509) 456-4082 to report and find more information on EHD at http://wdfw.wa.gov/factshts/ehd.htm on the Internet.
 
Hunting: September brings early-archery deer, mourning dove, forest grouse, rabbit and hare hunting throughout the region. Deer hunting is restricted to three-antler-point minimum bucks in the north and central districts, and three-point or antlerless in the southeast district. Deer numbers remain fairly good overall, although the central district is showing a few signs of white-tail losses to Epizootic Hemorraghic Disease (EHD). Recent rains might help stem that outbreak as deer spread out over more watering holes. Mourning doves may be a tough target with recent cooler, wetter weather possibly moving them south. Anectodal information suggests that blue and ruffed grouse are present  in fairly good numbers throughout the north end of the region. Sept. 7 marks the opening of black bear hunting in most units of the Blue Mountains and northeast Washington. “We look forward to good bear hunting this fall in the northern units,” said WDFW District Wildlife Biologist Steve Zender of Chewelah. “But unlike the last couple of years, where natural berries were lacking and bears hung around domestic fruits and garbage, it looks like hunters will find bears back in the wilds again this year, foraging on natural foods such as huckleberry, mountain ash, hawthorn, and wild plum.” Zender predicts that some high-elevation traditional bear hunts will be good this year because bears are taking advantage of the natural fruit and berry production. Zender reminds northeast bear hunters that they are in grizzly bear country and, because grizzlies are federally protected as a threatened and state endangered species, hunters must correctly identify a bear before taking a shot. In fact, a grizzly bear was observed just northwest of the U.S. Forest Service’s Sullivan Lake Ranger District Station on Aug. 31 by state and federal wildlife biologists. “Watch for the grizzly’s distinctive dish face profile, shoulder hump and small, rounded ears,” Zender said. The Sept. 8 early archery elk hunt opener should be the start of another good season. “The elk population in these northeast units continues to increase,” Zender said. “Last year’s success rate was much improved over 2002 – from an average of 5 percent of archers bagging an elk to about 11 percent.” Part of that is due to the later opener—in  2002 the season opened on Sept. 1 and last year it shifted to the 8th, he explained. But there are definitely more elk around, too. The northeast units are open for any elk and the southeast units in the Blue Mountains are open to spike bulls only.  Northcentral Washington:
Fishing: WDFW district fish biologist Bob Jateff of Omak says there are still good opportunities to fish for salmon in the Okanogan River system as new fish enter the river due to cooler water temperatures.  Non-buoyant lure restrictions and night closure are in effect for this fishery. The season runs through Sept. 19. Potholes Reservoir largemouth bass fishing has been good. Mardon Resort dock fishing for crappie, bluegill and perch has also been decent. Anglers are reminded that crappie must be at least nine inches and only 25 can be kept each day. Walleye action on Potholes has been slow but should improve with cooler, wetter weather.
 
Wildlife Viewing: Shorebirds and some waterfowl are grouping up for southbound fall migrations, and the Columbia Basin is one of the best areas on the eastside to watch them. Between the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge and WDFW's thousands of acres in wildlife lands in Adams and Grant counties, there are plenty of spots to see avocets, curlews, phalaropes, plovers, sandpipers and other shorebirds, plus mallards, teal, Canada geese and other waterfowl. Several species of raptors (birds of prey) can be seen now at Chelan Ridge, above Lake Chelan north of Manson. Because warm air lifts and creates easy soaring thermals there, the ridge is a natural migration corridor for eagles, hawks and falcons migrating to winter habitat during September and October. The most commonly sighted raptors are the northern harrier, Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, red-tailed hawk, prairie falcon, American kestrel, and golden eagle.
 
Hunting: Although no specific reports are available, dove hunting should be productive in those parts of the region where weather has remained mild. The greatest dove hunting success is usually had by those who discover the magic combination of water and wheat stubble, and who have secured access to private lands. The season continues through Sept. 15. Forest grouse hunters should be taking limits in Okanogan County, but no game checks have been made. Early archery deer hunting is also open—with a three-antler-point minimum restriction—in several northcentral units. The Sept. 11-12 early goose hunting season should be productive in the Columbia Basin, the state's number-one waterfowl hunting area; more geese are harvested in Grant County alone than any other part of Washington.
 
Southcentral Washington:
Fishing: Fall chinook and coho salmon has opened on the stretch of the Yakima River from the Highway 223 bridge at Granger to the closed water line 400 feet below Sunnyside (Parker) Dam. This new opportunity on the border of the Yakama Indian Nation’s reservation is due to cooperation between WDFW and the Yakama Nation. All non-tribal anglers are required to possess both a WDFW fishing license and a Yakama tribal hunting and fishing permit, whether boat or bank fishing on either side of the river. Yakama treaty rights have reserved exclusive fishing rights for tribal members in all waters within and bordering the reservation, but the Yakama Nation has agreed to open the section to fishing by all citizens, provided that non-tribal anglers purchase and possess a tribal permit. Those permits can be purchased from most fishing and hunting license dealers in the Yakima Valley. Children under 12 do not need a permit when accompanied by an adult possessing a valid permit, and adults age 70 and over can obtain a complimentary permit at the Yakama Nation Wildlife Resource Management office.  Also open to salmon fishing is the lower stretch of the Yakima River, from the Highway 240 bridge in Richland to the Prosser Dam. A Yakama Nation fishing permit is not required on this stretch because the river does not border the reservation. Wildlife Viewing: WDFW Regional Wildlife Manager Lee Stream recommends seeking out bugling bull elk. Bulls are bugling around Raven's Roost in the Little Naches River drainage in the far northwestern corner of Yakima County (follow Highway 410 northwest of Naches). For the best viewing opportunities, arrive just before daylight (or plan to camp in one of the many Forest Service campgrounds in the area), and walk the Cougar Valley trail. Elk are normally visible on the open hillsides until about 7 a.m., when they move down into timber. WDFW Habitat Biologist Ken Bevis reports that fall bird movements are in full swing. “Nighthawks will be leaving any day now,” Bevis said.  “Watch for flocks flying high near sunset. And neotropical birds such as warblers and vireos are following summer, moving through the region on their way south.” Bevis notes that many hummingbirds migrate south at higher elevations along the Cascades Crest.“The meadows around Chinook Pass are a great place to view late-season hummers,” he said.“Somepeople in the lowlands wonderwhy they don't see them in the fall like they do in the spring.The clue to the mystery is to think where flowers are blooming now. Many hummers move down the mountains sipping nectar as they go.”
 
Hunting:  “There is a great opportunity now for Advanced Hunter Education (AHE) master hunters to harvest an antlerless elk with modern firearms in the special Fairview elk unit (3911) in Kittitas County,” said WDFW wildlife enforcement officer Gary Gerlach.  Qualified hunters can call WDFW’s Detachment 17 enforcement office in Ellensburg at (509) 962-5031 and local officers will direct them to local farmers with elk-damage problems. “There are over 300 elk causing damage to crops in the lower Kittitas Valley that can be harvested by AHE master hunters,” Gerlach said. “With cooler temperatures and the opening of early archery deer season, these elk will stay in the lower valley, available to hunters.”  Another special, modern-firearm antlerless elk hunt  in the Kiona Unit (372) of Benton and Yakima counties opens on Sept. 7, but hunters are warned that the maojority of the area is in private land and access is extremely limited. There are a few parcels of WDFW, state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land within the area that are open to hunting, but those areas do not hold many elk and usually are crowded with hunters. One of those is WDFW’s Rattlesnake Slope Wildlife Area, located seven miles north of Benton City on the lower east slope of Rattlesnake Peak; Horn Road on its east boundary is the only public access. Early goose season (Sept. 11-12) should be good in the Tri-Cities area, with harvest in Benton and Franklin counties usually making up most of the region's totals. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation members and others are conducting “Operation Clean Camp” Sept.11-12—a weekend camp-out in the Naches Ranger District of the Wenatchee National Forst—to recover 50 cubic yards of garbage from last year's hunting camps. Anyone interested in helping should contact Jerry Peryman at (509) 698-4210 or USFS District Ranger Randy Shepard at (509) 653-2205.