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Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Washington --(Ammoland.com)- OLYMPIA-Larry Carpenter, a Mount Vernon boat dealer and long-time sportfishing enthusiast, and Jay Kehne, an Okanogan County conservationist and hunter, have been appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire to two vacant positions on the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The commission is a nine-member citizen panel that sets policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Members are appointed by the governor to six-year terms. The commission holds public meetings that provide an opportunity for citizens to participate in management of Washington’s fish and wildlife. Three members must reside east of the summit of the Cascade mountains, three must reside west of the summit and three may reside anywhere in the state.

“We’re extremely pleased to welcome these great additions to the commission,” said Miranda Wecker, commission chair. “These are two strong individuals and we are looking forward to seeing their perspectives brought to the table.”

Carpenter, appointed to a western Washington position on the commission, is owner of Master Marine Services, Inc., in Mount Vernon. He also serves on the Southern Panel of the Pacific Salmon Commission, the body formed by Canada and the United States to implement the Pacific Salmon Treaty. He has been a long-time, active participant in the North of Falcon process, which is used to plan annual salmon-fishing seasons. Carpenter, who resides in Mount Vernon with his wife, Eileen, also has been a member of the Northwest Marine Trade Association’s Fish Committee, which works to increase sportfishing opportunities and participation in the Northwest.

Kehne, appointed to an eastern Washington position on the commission, serves as Okanogan outreach associate for Conservation Northwest. He previously had 31-year career with the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, including serving as resource conservation and development coordinator for Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties and providing conservation assistance to farmers, ranchers and other landowners. He has collaborated on an Okanogan County conservation-easement working group with county officials, land trusts and WDFW staff. Kehne, a member of both the Rocky Mountain Elk and Mule Deer foundations, lives in Omak with his wife Rita and two children.

The commission’s next meeting is scheduled Jan 6-7 at the Natural Resources Building in Olympia. For more information on the commission visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/ .

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Put A Turkey On Your Table Or Duck Or Venison

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Washington --(Ammoland.com)- There’s more than one way to put a turkey on your table for Thanksgiving. As the holiday draws near, thousands of hunters are looking forward to the wild turkey season that gets under way Nov. 20 in northeastern Washington.

Then again, who says turkey has to be the center of attention on Thanksgiving Day? November is also prime time to hunt ducks, geese, elk, deer, pheasant, forest grouse and a variety of other game species around the state.

“Waterfowl hunting usually picks up around the middle of the month, when the wet and windy weather starts pushing more migrating birds into the area from the north,” said Don Kraege, waterfowl manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). “That’s good news for waterfowl hunters from the Skagit Valley to the Columbia Basin.”

For anglers, Thanksgiving traditionally marks the start of winter steelhead fishing in western Washington, where anglers can also reel in coho and chum salmon moving in from the ocean. On the eastside, fly fishers are flocking to a hot catch-and-release steelhead fishery on the Grand Ronde River, where anglers can retain up to three marked hatchery fish per day on the lower river starting Nov. 1.

Rather serve shellfish? Seven areas of Puget Sound are currently open for crab fishing, and two more – marine areas 11 (Tacoma) and 13 (South Puget Sound) – are scheduled to reopen Nov. 21.

In addition, four ocean beaches – Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks – will open Oct. 28-29 after noon each day for the first razor clam dig of the season. Pending the results of marine toxin tests, additional digs are tentatively scheduled Nov. 11-12 and Nov. 25-26, providing plenty of opportunities to put clams on the table for the holiday.

For more information about fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing available over the next month, see the Weekender Regional Reports posted on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/weekender/ . These reports are updated throughout the month to provide current information about recreational opportunities around the state.

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