For some reason winter steelhead isnt even on my radar this year. All I can do is think about big bulls and bucks. Been spending all my free time in the kapowsin tree farm lately messing with the game cameras and driving around. Anybody else having a hard time breaking out of hunting mode. Gonna be a long 8 months at this rate.

There's always coyotes.

I drive a white lifted chevy, dont be a stranger if you see me up there. Normally go up the bridge gate. Never been into predator hunting but might have to try to cut some cougar tracks next time it snows up there.

My solution was to take the trailer the wife and the dog to Oracle Arizona for a month.

So far the quail hunting hasn't been great but we're getting some shooting in the weather's awesome

I know two twin brothers in Othello who own more than a few dozen sections of tremendous hunting land in the basalt caynons adjacent to Crab Creek. From where Crab Creek crosses McManamon Road, they pretty much own all the private ground adjacent to the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge all the way down to Hwy. 26.

I was way younger then. But I still had to pay the tresspass fee to hunt, or in my case, I chose a bird club membership to access the year round hunting righs that the other shotgun only members in the bird club did not realize existed.

Private tresspass rights for quality hunting of upland birds and waterfowll were very hard to come by in the early 1980's. You had to pay to play. These days. It's pretty much a game for the high rollers. You know, the bankers and the dang lawyers.

But....When it comes to coyotes, you would be surprised at the number of cattle guys in Othello, and out towards Washtuckna that will give you permission to hunt if you just approach them in a polite manner and ask for permission first.

Small world Bart....me and a couple buddies leased a couple square miles from the same brothers in the early 2000's. It was "ok" duck hunting. What wasn't disclosed to us was that they were going to run cows on it all winter. Cows were fine but the hired hands out there every day messing with them didn't allow the birds to gang up.

The kid has been shooting quail in the front yard on the weekends. Got about 30 of them in the freezer.

Hunting season never ends. Just have to replace the bow/shotgun with a camera

Ya thats what ive done but its just not the same. Shed hunting in a month or 2 might be fun though. Been seeing 10-20 bulls on a good day in the 4 hr trips i take. Should be able to find some bone.

I thought I had gone crazy. Glad someone else shares the same affliction. I've only banked it a couple times since September and have only had the boat out 4 or 5 times since July or so. I was thinking about putting in for spring bear actually. Sounds like fun.

Went into the woods yesterday with finding sheds on my mind for the 1 st time and found a nice 5 pt bull shed. Last years model, but im hooked now on shed findin. First one.

We made our first trip this year to the east side 2 weeks ago, covered some serious ground and didn't find a single antler. It's a spot we've found some in the past. Did see some nice bucks and lots of elk, but they were still packing as well. I've noticed the bulls tend to drop between April 1st and the 25th unless they're bigger bulls, they seem to drop in March...

But now I got springers on the mind, first year we've had low clear water and every year in the past with that have resulted in Feb springers, after boating the first one on the 17th I'll be hard pressed staying off the water...

You should zip down and fish some stlhdr42, got a bed to stay if you want, things are cutting loose early... I know you're jonsing for one too!

Keith

[quote=stlhdr1]

But now I got springers on the mind, first year we've had low clear water and every year in the past with that have resulted in Feb springers, after boating the first one on the 17th I'll be hard pressed staying off the water...

You should zip down and fish some stlhdr42, got a bed to stay if you want, things are cutting loose early... I know you're jonsing for one too! Keith [quote]

Right on. Got a trip to forks planned then I will take u up on that. Good to hear the boat is bloody already. Im dyin to spin a bait.

Too bad your not in town... Headed out tomorrow and having a tough time finding some extra fisherman for the boat..

Keith

Wow!

+100