NATURAL SELECTION CAN be cruel.
Take the first nine days of archery deer season on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The opening two days produced a whole lot of venison as hunters took down several bucks.
The next seven, however? A whole lot of nada.
So what gives?
I’ll leave it to Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim to trot out a theory that would make Charles Darwin proud.
“Maybe all the dumb ones got hit,” Menkal said. “That could be what the whole deal is all about.
“Now the smart ones are out there.”
Perhaps there’s some sense to that.
After all, those first two dates were accompanied by crummy conditions (dry and crunchy), while the past few have been dark and damp (translation: favorable).
One would think that would lead to a few more bucks becoming the subject of a broadhead to the belly.
But alas, that has simply not been the case.
Even the first two days of archery elk season have been unproductive, Ryan Gedlund of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said.
“I haven’t heard of any being shot for archery,” Gedlund said. “A lot of people are getting on them but haven’t gotten any shots.
“I heard they are bugling. I just haven’t heard of many people getting on them or getting shots at them.”
Gedlund has been out in the field targeting deer several days so far this month.
While he did take down one early in the season, he hasn’t been able to help his friends score another since.
“There hasn’t been much movement until around dark,” he said. “It’s been kind of an evening game for the deer.
“Hunting with my girlfriend, that’s when we’ve been seeing them. Right before dark they are moving in.”
Archery deer season lasts through Sept. 24 in the Hoko, Pysht, Clearwater, Olympic and Coyle Game Management Units (GMUs).
The Dickey, Sol Duc, Goodman and Matheny close after Sept. 19.
Archery elk season is open in the Hoko, Dickey, Pysht, Sol Duc, Goodman, Clearwater, Matheny and Coyle Â(with the exception of elk area 6071) through Sept. 19.
Grouse season — another popular hunt that should have improved with the recent conditions — is also underway.
High buck season is set to start Wednesday in Peninsula wilderness areas.
The 10-day specialty hunt opens for both modern firearms and muzzleloaders.
Tardy coho
We’re waiting coho.
The leaves are changing, the little brats are back in school and the first shades of autumn gray have tainted the Peninsula.
And yet, the silvers are still stuck in a holding pattern out in the Pacific.
At least, that’s what saltwater anglers are telling themselves after another week spent lying in wait for the annual coho conga line that runs through the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
“Everything is two weeks late [this year],” Gedlund said. “Maybe we should just change our calendar.”
Ah, if only it were that easy, we might be able to evade the frustration that has plagued anglers of late.
From the coast to Mid Channel Bank, too many are coming home empty handed.
Even the recent spat of rain, which many hoped might spark a charge of coho, wasn’t enough to get things going.
It would be perfect timing if that were to change this weekend. Sekiu hosts its annual No Fin You Win clipped coho derby Saturday (details on Page B4).
“We just can’t get any coho to stick around here,” Chris Mohr of Van Riper’s Resort (360-963-2334) in Sekiu said. “Four or five days [last week] they were in here a little, but then by Friday it started dropping back off again.
“There’s five times as many blackmouth here as there are coho, so I don’t know. All I know is that we haven’t caught [the coho run] yet.”
Menkal in Sequim heard the same sort of dreadful reports during the past week as well.
One angler who fished between Port Angeles and Sequim referred to the coho fishery as “a desert.”
“I did talk to a guy who was out at Hein Bank last Saturday [in Marine Area 7], and he said the fish were stacked up out there,” Menkal said.
“It’s one of those deals where it’s hit or miss. I really thought there would be more [coho] coming through right now.”
Quilcene Bay seems to be the anomaly for coho cravers.
The Quilcene River continues to see fish returning to its traps. There has been some successful stories coming out of the bay in recent weeks.
Longtime resident Ward Norden recommended anglers fish near Point Whitney, which runs more than 200 feet deep. Anglers can avoid tribal nets while jigging at 78 to 80 feet.
Coastal chatter
Salmon fishing is starting to slow down in Marine Area 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay).
Not only are fewer anglers making the trek, they are also bringing in less salmon to the docks, Joey Lawrence of Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay said.
“We haven’t seen much of any catching going on at all,” Lawrence said, “but we’ve got very low effort as well.
“There doesn’t seem to be too much fish moving around anywhere . . . not much fish moving through the Straits, I know that.
“It seems to me like we’re kind of winding down.”
Anglers have a little less than a week to target salmon before both coastal areas close Sept. 18.
A portion of Area 3 in front of LaPush will open up again from Sept. 25 to Oct. 10.
The LaPush Last Chance Salmon Derby will return to that bubble fishery Oct. 2-3.
Participants will see a reduced entry fee this year ($25), with cash prizes awarded to the largest ($500), second largest ($250) and third largest ($100) salmon submitted.
There will also be a $100 reward for the largest bottomfish.
Tickets can be purchased at Swain’s General Store, LaPush Marina, Forks Outfitters and the Forks Chamber of Commerce office. For more information, call 360-374-2531.
Freshwater fishing
Coho are somehow slipping past anglers into the Quilcene River.
Even as saltwater stiffs whiff on the soon-to-be-spawning salmon, the Quilcene National Fish Hatchery is collecting hatchery coho in its traps at a steady pace.
“I was at the hatchery looking in the pens [Wednesday] . . . Plugged and very impressive,” Norden wrote in an e-mail. “A lot were in the 15- to 20-pound class, and equally impressive was the number of jacks.”
Of course, as anyone who read Thursday’s outdoors column knows, getting those fish to bite is often an exercise in futility.
The same can be said of the returning summer coho in the Sol Duc.
Monday’s day-long drenching didn’t do enough to bring rivers up to a reasonable level around the Peninsula, either.
The Sooes River is among those still in need of water, according to Makah National Fish Hatchery manager Caroline Peterschmidt
“[Fish] are in the river, but they are not very plentiful yet,” she said. “There are some being caught, more coho than chinook, but they are not breaking down any doors.
“It’s the river conditions, and it’s early in the year yet.”
Derby expansion
One year after cancelling their derby, Gardiner volunteers are going bigger than ever.
The Gardiner Salmon Derby Association officially announced the return of a Presidents Day Weekend (Feb. 19-21) blackmouth derby to the Discovery Bay area on Wednesday.
But the Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby — renamed after months of legal wrangling between Gardiner residents and Jefferson County Fire District No. 5 over rights to the event once called the Discover Bay Salmon Derby — will encapsulate much more than Discovery Bay.
The derby will cover an unprecedented fishing area, stretching more than 100 miles of Peninsula shoreline and offering 500-plus square miles of fishing.
Fishing boundaries will cover parts of Area 6, 7 and 9 from Tongue Point to Foulweather Bluff in the east and Hein Bank in the north. That includes waters near Freshwater Bay, Port Angeles, Sequim, Gardiner, Port Townsend, Port Hadlock and Port Ludlow.
“It is going to be one big, nice derby,” organizer Dan Tatum said. “It’s a lot of areas to fish.
“That’s why we thought the name ‘Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby’ fits in real good. We’re thinking it’s going to be the biggest salmon derby in the state area-wise.”
A $10,000 prize for the biggest fish in the ladder tops a prize list that will include donations from area sponsors. Proceeds will benefit area emergency and related services.
Organizers expect 1,200 entrants for the derby. Derby tickets will cost $30.
There will be a fundraising dinner and auction for the derby on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m.
To send contributions or donations for the auction, contact Dan Tatum at 360-797-7710. Contributions can also be sent to Gardiner Salmon Derby Association, P.O. Box 357, Sequim, WA 98382.
Volunteers and new members are welcome at a derby committee meeting Tuesday, Oct. 5, in the Gardiner Community Center at 7 p.m.
For more information, visit gardinersalmonderby.org.
Also . . .
• Brian Menkal, owner/operator of a new sporting goods shop in Sequim, will discuss salmon and steelhead fishing at the Puget Sound Anglers-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter monthly meeting next Thursday in Sequim.
Menkal will provide information on gear, tactics and locations for river anglers. The meeting begins at 6:45 p.m. in Trinity Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave.
• Jo and George Yount will speak about separate trips to the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge at Admiralty Audubon’s monthly meeting Thursday in Port Townsend.
The Younts took their nephew to the refuge in the 1970s prior to oil drilling in the area. In 2010, their nephew returned with his daughter and a professional photographer.
They will share numerous photos from both trips during their presentation, which starts at 7 p.m. in the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St.
• Dungeness River Audubon Center will gather a natural science discussion group focusing on the North Olympic Peninsula this Monday in Sequim.
The group will talk about climate, rivers, geology, botany and wildlife from 10 a.m. to noon at the River Center, located at 2151 Hendrickson Road.
• Norm Baker will discuss Puget Sound fisheries restoration at the Puget Sound Anglers-East Jefferson Chapter monthly meeting Tuesday.
Specifically, Baker will go into detail about Marine Reserves at the meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Marina Room at Hudson Point Marina in Port Townsend.
• Dave Croonquist will talk about the halibut season setting process at the Coastal Conservation Association-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter monthly meeting Sept. 23.
He will discuss opportunities sport anglers have from providing input in the process. The meeting begins at 6:45 p.m. in the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave.
• Washington Trails Association is accepting submissions for its annual Northwest Exposure photo contest through Oct. 17.
Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place in five categories: Wild Landscapes, Flora and Fauna, Hikers in Action, Families on Trail and Offbeat Outdoors.
For more information on the contest, including how to submit photos, visit http://tinyurl.com/yj29nxg.
• The fourth annual Hobuck Hoedown surf paddling festival returns to the waters near Neah Bay on Oct. 2-3.
Sea kayakers, playboaters, surf paddlers, and stand-up paddle boarders are all welcome to come out for the two-day event.
Registration for races closes after Sept. 30. To register, visit hobuckhoedown.blogspot.com.
Send photos, stories
Want your event listed in the outdoors column?
Have a fishing or hunting report, an anecdote about an outdoors experience or a tip on gear or technique, why not share it with our readers?
Send it to me, Matt Schubert, Sports Department, Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362; phone, 360-417-3526; fax, 360-417-3521; e-mail matt.schubert @peninsuladailynews.com.
__________
Matt Schubert is the outdoors columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Thursdays and Fridays.