Yamamoto wins big at Burke Lake Fishing Derby

Information is sketchy from the Quincy area about the trout derby held at nearby Burke Lake last Saturday. The big winner was Calvin Yamamoto, a Quincy resident, who caught a tagged fish worth $2,000.

We also know the 361 anglers who participated in the tournament braved strong winds during the second annual event.

The next fishing event is the Northern Pikeminnow Derby scheduled for May 18 through May 20 on the Columbia River at Crescent Bar. We will try to dig up more info about this event and keep you informed.

Congratulations Calvin.

Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting

The March Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting is being held today and tomorrow at the new building near city hall.

Many upcoming hunting seasons will be discussed, plus lots of other stuff, including the current wolf situation.

See you there.

A chance to share photos

Fish and Wildlife is asking anglers, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts to share their outdoor adventures with others who enjoy hunting, fishing and observing the natural world. Photos are now being accepted for a new online gallery of images submitted by people enjoying the great outdoors.

Key subjects for the online gallery include hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing, as well as scenic photos of designated wildlife areas. Photos selected for display in the gallery may also be used in other electronic and print publications produced by the department.

We think this is a great way to show off your photos. Of course, by agreeing to the terms and conditions, you are allowing Fish and Wildlife a royalty-free license to publicly display, reproduce and use the photographs in any form or media for any and all editorial and related promotional purposes in perpetuity. But you will retain the copyright to your photos.

"This is a great way for outdoor enthusiasts to share their fishing, hunting and wildlife-watching experiences with others," said Nate Pamplin, Fish and Wildlife program director. "We know Washingtonians have some great outdoor photos to share."

Hunting pamphlet cover photo needed

The theme of this year's Hunting Pamphlet is youth hunting. Fish and Wildlife wants to feature a youth with a harvested big game animal for the 2012 Hunting Pamphlet. If you have such a photo, please submit by April 6, 2012.

Guidelines:

For a picture to be eligible for the pamphlet, the image must be a picture of a youth, under age 18 at time of picture, wearing appropriate blaze orange and following all hunter safety practices and with a harvested big game animal; deer, elk or bear.

The image should be tastefully composed, high resolution, print-quality, at a minimum of 300 dots per inch. TIFF files are preferable, but high-resolution JPEG files are acceptable. To be considered for the 2012 pamphlet, pictures need to be submitted by April 6, 2012.

Hunting:

Deer and elk hunters have until March 31 to enter their name in a drawing for a 2012 multiple-season permit, which can greatly increase their opportunities for success in the field.

In mid-April, Fish and Wildlife will randomly draw names for 8,500 multiple-season deer permits and 1,000 multiple-season elk permits.

Winners of the drawing will be eligible to purchase a special tag allowing them to participate in archery, muzzleloader and modern-firearm general hunting seasons for deer or elk in 2012.

Winners who purchase the multiple-season elk tag by Aug. 31 can participate in general elk-hunting season in both eastern and western Washington. They also may apply for special permits to hunt deer or elk, regardless of weapon type.

The permit application is $6 for residents and $100 for nonresidents. A 2012 hunting license is not required to submit an application, but winners of the drawing must purchase one before they can purchase a multiple-season tag.

Wildlife viewing:

The first sandhill cranes are expected to fly into the Columbia Basin any day now.

Around 35,000 lesser sandhill cranes migrate through the Pacific Flyway and many of these birds travel through the Basin during their spring and fall migrations, according to Fish and Wildlife. These cranes winter in the southern portion of California's Central Valley and pass through on their way to nesting sites in the Matanuska River Valley and Bristol Bay areas of south-central Alaska.

The greatest concentration of cranes arrives in March and can be found in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge marsh units, Frenchmen Reserve, Potholes Reservoir, Scootney Reservoir, and Winchester Reserve. Good numbers of the big birds are usually in the area through mid-April.

From Idaho Fish and Game:

The following report, although from Idaho, paints a picture of what we be looking at as the wolf population continues to grow in Washington. We continue to beat the drum to move a wolf pack or two into Western Washington.

The 2011 annual summary of wolf monitoring in Idaho shows wolf numbers are down for the second consecutive year. The 2011 Idaho Wolf Monitoring Progress Report includes the current status of the wolf population in Idaho.

Biologists documented 101 Idaho wolf packs at the end of 2011. The population at the end of 2011 was estimated at 746 wolves, down from a high of 856 at the end of 2009. At the end of 2010, the population estimate was 777 wolves. The 2010 annual report was compiled by the Nez Perce Tribe.

"Thanks to Idaho's hunters and trappers, we've made good progress in getting the wolf population under control and into better balance with prey species, such as elk, but we've still got a ways to go," said Jim Unsworth, Idaho Fish and Game deputy director.

In addition, 24 documented border packs were counted for Montana, Wyoming and Washington that established territories overlapping the Idaho state boundary and spent some time in Idaho.

Of the 63 packs known to have reproduced, 40 packs qualified as breeding pairs by the end of the year.

In Idaho, wolf packs ranged from the Canadian border south to Interstate 84, and from the Washington and Oregon borders east to the Montana and Wyoming borders. Dispersing wolves were occasionally reported in previously unoccupied areas. Ten previously unknown packs were documented during 2011, but the overall net increase was only six packs in the state, with four other packs removed during the year.

Biologists confirmed the deaths of 296 wolves in Idaho during 2011. Of known wolf mortalities, hunter and trapper harvest accounted for 200 deaths, and agency control and legal landowner take in response to wolf-livestock depredation accounted for 63 deaths.

Eighteen wolf deaths were attributed to other human causes, including illegal take. The cause of 12 wolf mortalities could not be determined and were listed as unknown, and three wolves died of natural causes.

Also in 2011, 71 cattle, 121 sheep, three horses, six dogs and two domestic bison were confirmed as wolf kills. Nineteen cattle, 26 sheep, one horse and one dog were considered probable wolf kills.