In the wide world of hunting, deer and elk typically top of the list of frequently targeted quarry. Lately though Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander have been giving the ordinary ungulate ruminants a run.
July is one of the slowest times in the realm of hunting as it is one of only the only months with no officially sanctioned hunting season, beyond coyotes of course. However, unless you’ve had your head buried beneath an igneous rock for the past few weeks it’s almost certain that you’ve seen the newest horde of hunters making the rounds.
A smartphone-GPS based game called Pokemon Go has swept the globe and drummed up a virtual hunting frenzy along with it.
Just as in real life hunting, the area that you visit has a large impact on the type of creatures you are most likely to see. Wide open grassy parks tend to lead you to land lumbering beasts while areas near water will present you with sea-roaming or amphibious creatures.
Counterintuitive to real life hunting conducted in the backwoods is the virtual correlation between human traffic and Poke-critters. In the real world hunters go to great lengths in order to avoid the opportunity spoiling presence of other people. In Pokemon-mania the catchable characters tend to pop up in places that are the most frequented by other Poke-hunters. Public parks, busy storefronts and other gathering places are particularly prime spots. That’s why one can spot a Pokemon hunting party from a country mile away, condensed into one cluster on a city block. Well, that and their glaring lack of camouflage and propensity for neon splattered apparel.
In the world of Pokemon hunting you can bait your prey in order to draw creatures in from far and wide for easier capturing, but like a wise and cagey old moss draped trapper, you better keep a keen eye on your lures in order to prevent some double crossing competitor from laying claim to your rightful bounty first.
Like roadside deer the aforementioned Pokemon characters are some of the most easily accessible, but there are many more that make up the rare, or “big game” category of the Pokemon phenomenon. Where mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose and bears tend to make the hair stand on end for 4x4-driving trophy hunters, Charizard, Ditto, Dragonair, Vaporeon, Nidoqueen and Alakazam make up just a few of the rarest and highly sought after Pokemon targets. No special permit required, just extra effort.
Once you’ve got one of the Poke-critters in your sights there is still the all-important task of actually capturing it. Using a smartphone in lieu of a rifle, bow, musket or slingshot, Pokemon hunters fling virtual bullets known as Pokeballs at their prey. If a hunter misses with their first few flings they can always give chase, but that embarrassing tactic has the same dismal success rate on crowded city streets as desolate pockmarked logging roads. In real time or virtual reality it’s always best to make your first shot your best shot.
In any case, resupplying a cache of munitions is an essential task for real and virtual world hunters alike. In both cases some ammo is better than others and it often takes some searching of high and low and extra effort to procure the best rounds.
Additionally there are differing schools of thought on the best technique for firing Pokeballs from the barrel of a smartphone in order to capture the virtual critters. Ask ten different hunters how best to approach a scenario, either the camo clad set or the smartphone toting gaggle, and you will likely get 11 different answers. Likewise, competitive hunters of both stripes are likely to give you less than optimal, or even truthful advice, just to keep you off the scent and out of their way. When the competitive juices get to flowing it’s hard to say just what a hunter might do or say to increase their chances of capturing their sought after prey.
Many traditionalists laugh at this new age notion of hunting and capturing make believe cartoon characters. It’s an understandable reaction for those out of the know. I myself have had many belly laughs at the odd spectacle but I’ve also been lucky enough to hear first hand accounts from those that do enjoy the Pokemon Go challenge.
My grimy team of 16-19 year old baseball players known as Rural Baseball Incorporated (aka, the Rural Baseball Idiots) comes complete with a commingling mix of both real and virtual hunters. In some instances the dedicated nimrods are one and the same and they embark on the urban hunting escapades from the lifted confines of their Hillbilly Deluxe pickup trucks while the city boys with the shiny gadgets act as primary trackers. Once a prized creature comes into view though, all bets are off and the the chase becomes a free for all.
While out of town on a barnstorming trip to the Regional Tournament in Quincy last weekend I came across a sight that gave my heart a sudden arrhythmic palpitation. Fresh from a nearby watering hole where I’d stopped to wet my whistle I saw a parking lot full of police cars and realized I had not seen my team in a slow burning moment. Whatever the time, it was certainly long enough for a band of Rural Baseball Idiots to find some sort of trouble and my mind began to race. Just then I saw a group of my gritty ballplayers crossing the street to speak with an inquisitive law enforcement agent who was driving away from said watering hole. The officer rolled down his window and engaged the ballplayers in a brief conversation before speeding away.
With my sunburnt and wind-blown mind whirling, I asked the boys what had just happened and they shocked me with their explanation. The police officer had taken notice of the Dirtbag ballplayers as they pursued their Poke-quarry and stopped to seek some advice from his fellow Poke-hunters.
“Have you guys seen any Pokemons around here?” asked the law enforcement officer.
Pointing down the road and away from their nerve-wracked coach the boys told him that there was a big batch of Poke-critters congregating way over yonder. With a tip of his cap the officer sped away in the direction the boys had pointed and they walked away laughing like mad hyenas while I wiped fresh sweat from my brow.
Where some see a stupid game that is a waste of time and makes little to no sense I have been able to see an activity that brings disparate groups together in the real world. The game forces players to adventure around in their community, or even to lands previously unknown while interacting in real time with other people who they may have otherwise have had nothing in common with.
When confronted with spectacles that make no sense to our own minds I find it best to look for the similarities that bind rather than the lines that divide. It is a lesson that camouflage draped, urine spritzed live-animal hunters would be wise to ruminate on in a world where hunters and non-hunters often find themselves at disparaging odds.
FISHIN’
Some of the best ocean salmon fishing around can be found at the end of the Columbia River where all species of salmon are ripe for the hooking. The prospects are extra precious in the Columbia Ocean Area because all other ocean areas around Washington are currently closed for harvesting silvers.
In the Columbia Ocean Area, including Oregon waters, last week an estimated 3,037 anglers tried their luck in the salted waters. Those fishing trips landed 1,354 Chinook and 610 coho. An additional 33 coho hooked in the Columbia Ocean Area were counted on the docks at Westport. As of last Sunday an estimated 24 percent of the area guideline for Chinook and about 29 percent of the coho guideline had been harvested.
At Marine area 1 (Ilwaco) specifically salmon anglers averaged two fish for every three anglers with Chinook comprising 69 percent of the catch. In Marine Area 2 (Westport) some 3,033 anglers wet a salted line last week, landing 1,490 Chinook. About 23 percent of the king harvest guideline has been accounted for so far this season. Anglers off Westport have been allowed two Chinook per day since July 23.
Heading upriver on the Columbia the lower Columbia River was popular but slow recently. Most of the attention has been turned toward the steelhead run, although Chinook have been making steady appearances near the mouth of the Cowlitz, the beach along Kalama and boats in the gorge. The bulk of the steelhead were downstream of the Lewis River.
Statistics provided by the WDFW show 13,000 angler trips from July 11-24 with a catch of 650 adult Chinook. However, only 266 of those Chinook were kept. Another 2,174 summer steelhead were caught (1,313 kept), and 74 sockeye (66 kept). From Vancouver to Cathlamet boat anglers last week landed just more than one steelhead per vessel, but just 0.03 summer Chinook and sockeye.
Sturgeon fishing is still limited to catch and release in the lower Columbia but sporting anglers have been having a good time on the river anyhow, particularly between Woodland and Cathlamet. Last week the WDFW sampled 24 sturgeon anglers with a total of 43 legal size fish released. Walleye fishing has also been good near Camas. Anglers from Washougal to Woodland averaged nearly one walleye per angler.
On Monday, August 1 new fishing regulations will take effect on lower Columbia tributaries the Grays and Elochoman rivers. Beginning that day the daily salmon limit will be six fish, of which no more than two may be adults. Only hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho may be retained. Nighty closure, anti-snagging rule and stationary gear-restriction will also be in play.
Steelhead fishing on the Cowlitz River continues to put fish in the box for persistent anglers. Last week the WDFW sampled 59 boat anglers with a haul of 30 bonked steelies with two Chinook released. Nearly all of the steelhead were sampled at the trout hatchery. The two Chinook were at the barrier dam. Last week at the Cowlitz Salmon Separator workers collected 797 summer steelhead, 425 spring Chinook adults, 86 jacks, 32 mini-jacks and two cutthroat trout. Since the steelhead recycle program began on June 15 a total of 1,612 steelies have been trucked and released back downriver. One quarter of those fish have so far been reported as caught or returned back to the separator.
River flow on at Mayfield Dam on Monday was reported at about 3,430 cubic feet per second, with visibility of 14 feet. On Mayfield Lake last week Tacoma Power employees released 4,000 rainbow trout and another 4,000 rainbows are slated to be released this week. Beginning Aug. 1 barbless hooks must be used all up and down
the river. Additionally, the beginning of August will bring new regulations to Cowlitz tributaries the Green and South Fork Toutle river. On that day the daily salmon daily limit will become six fish, with no more than two adults in the mess. Only hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho may be kept and barbless hooks must be used.
New regulations will also hit the Lewis River, including the North Fork up to the overhead power lines below Merwin Dam on Aug. 1. That day the river will open to fishing for hatchery Chinook and hatchery silvers. All other salmon will have to be released and the daily limit will be six fish, of which no more than two may be adults. Wild Chinook will become available for harvest on September 24.
At Drano Lake last week boat anglers caught just more than one steelhead per rod while bank anglers got in on the action a bit as well. The fish were reportedly fair sized, topping out at about 13 pounds. A total of 40 boats were counted on Sunday morning alone, and 22 bank anglers caught 8 fish. On Aug. 1 the daily limit for salmon will change to six fish, including up to three adults, but only two hatchery steelhead. Additionally, on the Wind River from the mouth upstream to 400 feet below Shipherd Falls the daily limit is set to change to six salmon. That limit may include two adult salmon, or hatchery steelhead, or one of each. Wild Chinook must be released from the Highway 14 Bridge upstream.
HUNTIN’
In some areas elk season begins early, on Aug. 1, for those specially annointed Master Hunters, but that date means something entirely different for your average nimrod. For most hunters, Aug. 1 means the start of bear season.
On that day bear season will open up in the Coastal, Puget Sound, North Cascades, East Cascades and Columbia Basin hunting zones. The South Cascades, Okanogan and Northeastern B hunt zones will open on Aug. 15, and the Northeastern A, Blue Mountains and Long Island hunt zones will open on Sep. 1. It should be noted that only hunters drawn for a quality deer or elk permit in GMU 485 will be eligible to hunt black bear in GMU 485, while Long Island is an archery unit only.
New hunters who need to attain their hunter education certification should think about signing up now in order to beat the annual autumn rush. All hunters born after Jan. 1, 1972 are required to complete the course prior to purchasing a hunting license. While the WDFW offers both online and in person course options, the traditional classroom setting allows for practical exercises and live-firing activities with certified instructors. A live field evaluation is still required in order to complete the online version in order to demonstrate proficiency.
WILD WOMEN
The Washington Outdoor Women are gearing up again for their annual workshop at Camp Waskowitz in North Bend.
From their press release, “WOW is an outdoor skills program that empowers women and girls through classes that sharpen their outdoor talents and improve their wilderness know-how. We know you have the potential. … WOW offers the opportunity!”
Eager participants are encouraged to strap on their hiking boots and hip waders to join a consortium of novice and expert female outdoors enthusiasts in a weekend of teaching and learning.
The camp, entering its 19th year, will take place from Sep. 16-18.
Again from the press release, “Engage in an empowering experience to sharpen your outdoor skills and improve your wilderness awareness. Invest in your personal growth and discover a new sense of self-reliance. Outdoor skills training is best experienced through hands-on practice. WOW will rekindle that link to the outdoors you’ve been seeking!”
The event is open to all women over 18 years of age, and advance signups are required.
Additional information can be found online at http://www.washingtonoutdoorwomen.org/.
