HOOK AND FUR By Bob Brown With the opening of the annual lowland lake fishing season only a couple of weeks away, it would be prudent for anglers to start thinking about the do's and don'ts in safe recreational boating. Although recreational boating is an enjoyable experience and pasttime, it is also a heads-up activity not to be short-changed. Recreational boating is serious business that requires being prepared, using good judgment and knowledge on how to react to unexpected changes and emergencies. Regrettably, hundreds of boating accidents and drownings occur nationwide annually. The Coast Guard ranks operator inattention, operator inexperience, improper lookout, machinery failure, and excessive speed as the top five contributing factors in accidents. Alcohol use was the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents. Additionally, 77 percent of all fatal boating incident victims drowned, and of those 84 percent of those who drowned were not wearing a life jacket. In 2013, there were 94 recreational boating accidents in Washington resulting in 17 deaths, 51 injured people and damages of over 983, 840 dollars. There were 229,403 registered motorboats in the state that year. -á-á Operators of a vessel have a responsibility to their passengers for ensuring they understand basic safety practices and laws. Carrying enough life jackets or life vests for all passengers, and insisting everyone wear them is another operator responsibility. In most fatal accidents, personal floating devices were on board, but not in use or were not within easy reach. Buoyant cushions no longer satisfy requirements for individual floating devices on boats under 16 feet long. Also, children 12 years old and younger must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times when underway on a vessel less than 19 feet in length, unless in a fully enclosed area. Investigations have shown the majority of boating fatalities did not have anything to do with bad weather or hazardous conditions. They typically occur in smaller, open boats on inland waters when weather and visibility are good, winds are light, and the water calm. Despite these ideal conditions, passengers fall overboard and many boats capsize, causing over half of all boating fatalities. Also, boat owners need to be aware they are responsible when they let someone else drive their vessel and could be held liable for any damages caused by it, no matter who is driving at the time. Washington State Parks has a pamphlet, "Adventures in Boating,GÇ¥ to help boatowners and operators improve their boating skills and help them to become better skippers. The pamphlet includes safe recreation boating practices, general information concerning boats and maintenance, tips on how to be a more courteous boat operator and laws and regulations to which boat owners and operators must adhere. The pamphlet is free from the State Parks boating program at 360- 902-8555.
New hunting rules
At a public meeting April 9-10 in Tumwater, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted new hunting rules for virtually every big-game species. The rules will: " Add two more days to the modern firearm season for mule deer. " Shift archery elk season to start the Saturday after Labor Day to provide better opportunity for hunters in cooler weather. " Double the amount of spring bear permits available in northeast Washington. " Allow elk hunters using muzzleloaders to hunt in more game management units. " Increase moose permits to 170 from 136 in the northeast part of the state, where moose populations are near an all-time high. The commission did not adopt a proposal to restrict the use of bait when hunting for deer and elk. All hunting rules will be included in the 2015 Big Game Hunting pamphlet. -á Bob Brown lives in Roy and is a freelance outdoors writer. He can be contacted at robertb1285@centurylink.net
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