There is a story in the local paper tonight about an 82 yoa women that fired off rounds at a sled near Carter ck a few days ago.
The two fishermen were not hit, one was a off duty Deputy. The women was arrested.
The two were in a small sled going slow down the river when they were fired upon.

So many large sled are running up the river at full throttle with no concern for anyone else
they antagonize the hell out of people living there. This women probably couldn't take it any more and didn't consider the ramifications of her act. It is unfortunate that these two courteous fisherman had to pay for the actions of others.

Local:

She did the same thing years ago but "pulled it off" by saying that she "just had a broom". I sat right behind her at a recent meeting, in Montesano, a deputy had to tell her repeatedly to sit down and quiet down.

Things change, times change-- some for the good--some for the bad........

Within the past 5 yrs. a WDF enforcement officer purchased the land across from "white bridge", built a road to the top of the hill, moved a manufactured home and built a large out building.........then wanted "peace and quiet". His neighbor and him, then posted "fake signs", moved logs onto the gravel bar, and trying to stop ALL people from using the gravel bar. Scared many people off over the years, including me.......once. Wow, the nerve of some people.

The above is true!!!!!!

"Worse day sport fsihing, still better than the best day working"

Does that guy still work for WDFW? No wonder they now have such a bad name in many circles. I no longer mention to most people under the age of 50 that my dad was a gamey long ago.

That old woman has been brandishing firearms for years. She used to come out screaming at you just for floating by sometimes.

I thought she was dead by now. Guess she's too crotchety to go........

Dan S,
She likes me, I am local and a fellow AARP.

I heard the DOW guy moved, the place is now owned by an avid fisherman.

You're lucky, Local........I tend to hunker down in the boat when I go floating by. I don't know if she's a good shot, but I don't want to find out either.

Just out of curiosity, I wonder what the preferred shot size on sleds is. I'm thinking at least BB would work best.

This was no BB gun and I don't think it was a broom stick last time.

I talked to that lady a few days ago. She is crazy. You would think that people were running sleds through her house. Not happy.

I wonder if she was shooting steel? They may get her for a non-tox violation.

A couple of 7.62 steel core rounds thru the power head of the out board should do it. When will people learn? The right tool for the job! Just kidding, No excuse for anything like that. Although if the WDFW did issue tags, HMMM

Heck don't detain her send her to Iraq put her in a hummer and give her a 50. cal to use!


She could patrol the canals instead of the river.

BD

Not a "BB" gun!

BB is a steel shot load used for geese.

In a 3" or 3-1/2" inch load in 12 guage, or a 10 guage shotgun I believe it would blow a big hole in tough aluminum, at least at close range.

Or is a rifle better?lol

I had a run in with her daughter last Sunday morning as I had already launch the drift boat.
She was in her van on top of the road as I was in the boat in the middle of the river.She basically said she had been there for 50 year's and that the first 30 were great but the last 20 had sucked.She commented that 90% of us fisherman or fine people the other 10% and sledder's has wrecked it for all.I laughed
then pulled anchor and headed down stream.
Then to read about this yesterday in the paper
was a trip.Does any one know just how much of the down stream side of carter creek land she owns?????.It just seem's like if they really wanted to keep people out of there they would put a couple 4x4 treated posts and a chain across there instead of putting a pile of old metal along the water line.One would think between the the county road easement and the high water mark of carter creek and the high water mark of the nooch that this tiny piece of land she wouldn't own.I need to be educated on this.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

I think we should take up a collection and buy her a piece of land on the lower hump.

Give the netters a run for their money!

Thats nothing new on that river. Its the yellow house with the lamas on it.

Tight lines

Kevin

I plan to report on this in my column in Salmon Trout Steelheader. If anyone learns the final disposition of the case I would very much appreciate a report.

strikezone....get down stream a little next time before you turn on the head lamps.
I didnt expect that kind of language from a lady especially on a sunday morning.

Im trying to get the info on the land ownership.
In most cases the roadway is "state land" 30' each way of the center line.

You would think a lady, I use the term loosely, who has been driving her tractor across the river for more years than I have been alive and has no doubt unintentianally killed thousands of reds. The impact of a sled, or a drift boat dragging anchor through the crick should be the last thing on her mind.

I personally have been shot at by grandma, I'm just glad none of us was packing at the time. There were two grown men on the floor trying to get below the water line. I was the driver, therefore I had to stay where I could see. Not a pretty sight.

I failed to get grandma on video, but I'm ready for her next time, I now carry a loaded video camera in all boats. I just hope I don't capture my own shooting on video.

I think the impact is on her peace and quiet... or lack there of...

This kinda reminds me of granny on the beverly hillbillies with her shot gun full of rock salt... now she was funny! gotta get me some of that rumitiz medicine...

Obviously, this woman has hit the end of her rope and I feel sorry for her. I can't condone shooting at people under these circumstances, but if I was a criminal law attorney I'd be down there right now, offering my services, pro bono.

Put yourselves in her shoes for a minute and try to imagine the quality of her environment 50 years ago. The Wynoochie river was and still is, a beautiful small river, less the impact fishing has resulted in. The quaility of her environment likely eroded for her and others living around the river at a slow and perhaps unrecongizable pace until about ten years ago with the increased popularity of sleds. Over the last five years, sled traffic has at least doubled. Now, people are crawling all over the river including sleds racing up and down emitting sound levels pushng 90 decibles. All perfectly "legal" activities. Hey, she dosen't own the river does she? Why is she giving me a hard time? I was going slow.

For those of you having a hard time appreciating my words, imagine if your next door neighbor just loved to cut wood with his chainsaw. Every weekend morning for the last ten years, at one minute after it was legal to do so (seven o'clock on Saturdays, nine o'clock on Sundays), on his own property, he fired up his Stihl saw and cut wood all day long. You probably talked to him several times and he responded by saying that he was not breaking any laws, had a perfect right to cut his wood and suggested that you could go pound sand. You probably called the police a couple dozen times and received a similar, but more appropriate response. Maybe you even attended a few City Council meetings to complain about the effect his legal activities were having on your and your neighbors environment with no affect. You obtain a home equity loan and install triple pane windows in your house. Things are a better now as long as you don't go outside but you love to garden and go outside anyways. So now, your thinking that the only solution is to move, but you and your children were raised in your house and you couldn't bear removng yourself from all of the memories connected to your house and property.

I wonder how many of us would resort to the same tactics this lady has turned to? I don't think she's crazy she's just at the end of her rope and hooray for her if the attention her actions will bring to the problem on the Nooch result in a effective sollution to the problem.

How about having the neighbor kid fire up a diesel every morning at 5:30 am? No, I don't shoot and didn't even disable the diesel.

But even if we agree that she was pushed beyond her limit, how would you respond if a good shot returned fire and killed her? No answer required.

CNR:

Chain saw bit is not a good example!!!!!......

with the jet sled.......its run up the river.......back down.....boondoggalling, maybe for 2-3 miles, then run back up and repeat.............the chain saw would be all day long, in about the same place.........SAME person day after day.

I wonder what the landowners that live on the Cowlitz think?????

Bottom line is.........more and more people are at a age where they want things to do. We have the money, we have the time, some like to travel, some like to hunt, some like to fish........not everyone likes to golf!!!!

PS----I did the "stand in the water" for 20+ yrs., then watched as more and more drift boats were being used, so I got one and used it for yrs. still have it...........it's just soooooooooooo much easier for me to fish out of my "small jet boat"..........


"worse day sport fishing, still better than the the best day working"

Sorry CNR.

No justification. Period.

We ALL do things to irritate other people. We all have to live through periods in our lives when neighbors, strangers or others mess with what we believe to be "our" way, life, quiet or whatever. If you don't like what is happening and have tried many avenues to affect change without resolve.......... then live with it....... or don't.

I never thought she had an excuse for shooting, just a reason, in her own mind. Gee, maybe the family can talk her into a nursing home, thats always a fine choice. I know her daughter and grandsons, they are very carrying and concerned people. People live in rual areas for a good reason. CNR's perception is on the money.
Others responding to this issue are correct. Every one has right to the river, every one can run a sled, driftboat or sailboat on the river.
It's all legal. Just for a moment think what she must feel like.

P.S Drifter, you should play golf, I'll give you a stroke a side.

Does anyone have a link for this story.

I think think that the problem has been exaggerated. Not that many sleds run that part. I think they/she just hate(s) to see people on the river.
I would like to see the family members held accountable. The old lady isnt totally sane anymore, but her family still lets her pack heat.

Ok, I'll think about how she feels about how in the last 10 years or so there has been increasing traffic on a river that used to be pretty quite before the advent of invading armadas of sleds. I'll come to the conclusion it's not so quite & rural anymore & I'll think I'll sell my riverfront property to a sled owner & MOVE!

I'd hate it too if I had lived there since Moses & enjoyed peace & quiet for 90% of my lifespan & now it's all gone & my piece of mind is all but a memory. SO MOVE! Times change! Things happen!

Like I said earlier -her FAMILY should have stepped up & either removed her gun or encouraged her to move to another home on a non-navigable stream. They should have seen it comming. Even if I agree with my parents point of view but feel they will put someone in danger or are making threats of bodily harm I will do something about it. I would hate to see my mom behind bars or have her kill someone.

Conflicts like this have been going on since the advent of private ownership. Exercising the proper responsibility of property ownership is a choice.

The Sheriffs Deputy could file a civil suit & own that nice piece of riverfront! Did the old lady or the family ever think of that?

I am sure the last thing they thought about were the civil liabilities of their actions. As I said in my first post, It was unfortunate that she did what she did. The Deputy just happen to be
in the wrong place (even though he had the right to be there) at the wrong time. We are all lucky it was a trained professional in that situation and he reacted with the wisdom of his experience and training. She may have not been as fortunate if someone else was her victim. I am sure the Sheriff dept has talked with the family about the guns. I will talk with the grandsons to make sure. Having a long L.E background and dealing with people that have commited major crimes against people I have found very few of them really consider the consequences of their actions. Many of them just get their chained pulled.

Local:

Best thing that has happened in a long time, was to have that deputy on the river. He was able to report it and because he was who he was, they had to listen and react.

It never happened to me but this is not the first shooting that has taken place in that area, with fisherpeople on the river.

To hear the families talk, you'd think that there are jet boats in that section of the river, 365 days a year. April 1 thur October 1 MOST years you won't find a jet boat close to that area.........not like the Cowlitz where there could be some kind of fishing, 365 days a year.

Keep your 1 stroke, I'll pray for sunshine so you can enjoy your time on the golf course, just leave me alone to enjoy what I like to enjoy.........tight lines on a light rod and reel and just being able to enjoy being 63, doing what Ilike to do!!!!

"Worse day sport fishing, still better than the best day working"

This is really a weird case. I used to launch my drift boat at Carter Creek there back when I lived in Monte in the late 70s-early 80s. Somebody at that house actually helped me get my old '69 F150 unstuck there once. My wife and I also use to walk up Carter Creek in October to watch the kings spawn. Big suckers use to spawn up there, don't know if they still do. No excuse for shooting at people, but I do hate to see sleds up high on the Wynooche. We never used to see them. Now they're all over and the difference is this is a small river. It's not a Cowlitz. I fish elsewhere now, but I still love that river, always will.

What she could have done is to support the proposed rules by the WDFW to not allow fishing from a motorized vessle. I hear the department chickened out on the proposal ( to bad). I cannot remember if it would have applied to the mentioned area but it would have been a start.

She and her family did support the changes. I have a small sled and I would have supported no sleds above Carter ck too! But thats the way it is, end of story.

I'm new to the posting on this site, but it is kinda funny to hear the different re-actions of everyone. The victims of this shooting are my buddy and father in-law. I found out about the incident as soon as they got back into cell phone contact. This is not the first run in with this gal that we've had. She has yelled at us and others in the past, usually just ranting and raving. While I can understand her frustrtation of having 'Her' river invaded, this is by no means acceptable behavior.

She shot a 22 cal rifle at these guys at least 3 times, 22 cal is a small round however it is one of the rounds a standard ballistic vest does not stop due to it's small diameter. Bottom line, do the crime do the time. Perhaps in this case in a retirement home would be thte best place to do that time!

I'm thinkin funny farm

Dude,
A few years ago only one or two sleds ran that part of the river. Now there are a few dozen, everyone from Chuck W. to Little Robert are on it and all making this woman madder and madder along with all the driftboaters they are low holing. The department had the opportunity to eliminate sleds from up here but they did not so who knows who will pay the price in the end one of us or the old lady.
Peace
Superfly

W.Coyote, SalmonBelly, & Superfly:

W. Coyote--Can tell you don't own a sled, that you don't live close to this river, that are another of the "out of towners" that thinks they have the answers for other people problems........take care of your own area!!! Plenty of problems in the Everett area..

Salmonbelly----I to used to slide my D.boat down the bank at Carter Creek, fished many summer days and lot's of winter days from there to White Bridge.......then the barbed wire, went up so I changed fishing areas, still on the Wynoochee but different areas. Oh, by the way......I'm a old Redmond boy, caught my 1st steelhead at the mouth of the Tolt, 1964 summerrun. Also rmember when the Sammish Slough was "wild" from Lake Sammish to Lake Washington...and when Bear Creek in Redmond had "native trout" and a sockeye run to dream about...Lived on the Avondale, 1953-57.....Things change, times change.

Superfly---I owned 1 of those small sleds, fished that area from White Bridge up to just below Carter Creek, that was only after the barbed wire was installed so I couldn't d. boat fish that area of the river. Was never a major problem is the late 80's and early 90's(Except for Jerry Matthews who though he owned all the water on the Wynoochee and the Satsop.)

If you want to drift boat fish----you sure have all the water from Scheafer Creek to Carter Creek.....then just row out.......problem is...drift boaters wanted all the water from "water intake" to the dam for themselves.

I have a great time fishing around the "jet boat" guides........love to catch fish after them!!!

I don't like to row the drift boat any more, still have it.........just so enjoyable to go where I want and LEAVE WHEN I WANT...so you fish your way.........just don't tell me how to fish my way!!!!

"Worse day sport fishing, still better than the best day working"