HOOK AND FUR: For 2018, hunters and anglers can expect what past years provided

By Bob Brown

With 2018 upon us, one has to wonder what is in store for us this year. We know we have another year of Trump, Inslee and taxes. What we don’t know is what is in store for the recreation community.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has painted a fairly rosy picture for 2018, but that isn’t in stone. Returning fish runs are iffy in some cases and ho-hum in others. Some runs are dealing with after-effects of warmer water temperatures, plus there doesn’t seem to be any let-up of bird and sea lion depredation on fish stocks in the Columbia River.

However, all is not gloom and doom. Some chinook stocks are on the rebound, and steelhead runs are holding steady. Also, lowland lake fishing will continue to be the recreational pillar for the fishing public.

Hunters can expect similar seasons as last year's and a possible increase in the pay-to-hunt program on both sides of the Cascades.

So what can the recreational community expect in 2018? Really nothing earth-shattering, and basically more of the same as in past years. Forecasting is not a perfected science, and neither is soothsaying – both of which most outdoor writers shy away from for obvious reasons, and this columnist is no different. There is an old Air Force adage that “You might as well get happy because you're going down the runway, anyway.” Such is life. We will let it go at that.

Hunting for brant geese

opens this month

The WDFW authorized a three-day (Jan. 6, 10 and 13) hunting season for brant geese in Skagit County, but has revived hunts in two other counties where brant counts have been increasing.

This year’s brant season in Skagit County is based on criteria set when the season was adopted by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission in April last year.

Kyle Spragens, WDFW waterfowl section manager, said the restrictions were scheduled after aerial bird counts conducted in Skagit County indicated numbers fell short of the 6,000 birds required for a full eight-day hunting season for high arctic brant.

"The number of hunting days is directly related to how many brant are counted during surveys. Low counts require us to prioritize conservation responsibilities for this distinctive coastal species, while providing harvest opportunity when appropriate," he said.

Spragens also said annual Skagit County brant numbers can vary widely. He noted this is the second restricted brant hunt season in the past three years.

The first three days of the traditional 10-day brant season in Pacific County were Jan. 6, 7 and 9. The season there will continue on Jan. 11, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 21.

Hunters are encouraged by WDFW officials to familiarize themselves with local regulations and boundaries. Specifically, hunters in Clallam County are advised to consult the closed zones of the Dugeness National Wildlife Refuge.

Bob Brown lives in Roy and is a freelance outdoors writer. He can be contacted at robertb1285@centurylink.net.