District 5 - Hunting Prospects by District | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

2012 Hunting Forecasts by District
District biologists have provided hunting forecasts for their district based on surveys and field work.

District 5 is located in heart of the state in Grant and Adams Counties and administratively is part of WDFW’s Region 2.

The Ephrata District offers a variety of hunting opportunities but is most renowned for waterfowl hunting throughout Grant and western Adams counties and mule deer hunting within the Desert Unit (GMU 290). Grant County is ranked #1, among 39 Washington State counties, for total harvest of dove, duck, goose, pheasant, and snipe; it is second to Yakima County for quail harvest.

Canada geese and quail harvest has shown a slightly increasing trend, whereas ducks, pheasant, doves, and partridge—chukar and huns (gray)—are showing a slight downward trend. Pheasant, quail, and mourning dove hunting is popular within the Desert, Potholes, Goose Lakes, Lower Crab Creek, Banks Lake and Quincy Lake units of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area. Other opportunities within the district include chukar, gray partridge, cottontail rabbit, coyote, and both general season and permit opportunities for mule deer.

Whether hunting, hiking or wildlife viewing, it is important that we all respect private property rights and ALWAYS ask permission before entering private lands. Fortunately, technology has made this process considerably easier and land ownership can now be ascertained from the internet using the following resources. Simply log on and use the interactive map program to zoom into your area of interest. Clicking on the parcels will reveal land owner information. Adams County or Grant County

The disadvantage of these resources is lack or portability and difficulty scanning a large area for availability of public land. However, these are by far the best available resource for identifying ownership of specific locations. The best resource available for identifying where public land occurs is the Department of Natural Resources public lands quadrangles (1:100k).

Private Lands Program
Since 1948, WDFW has worked with private landowners across the state to provide public access through a negotiated agreement. Landowners participating in a WDFW cooperative agreement retain liability protection provided under RCW 4.24.210. Landowners receive technical services, materials for posting (signs and posts), and in some cases monetary compensation. In addition, lands under agreement are well known by WDFW enforcement staff.

ADA Access
The Ephrata District maintains some access for Americans with disabilities. These sites occur at Rocky Ford Creek (Drumheller Pond) and Buckshot Ranch. Hunters must have a Disabled Hunter Permit (and in most cases permits from the land managers) in order to access hunting areas behind locked gates by driving on the roads that are normally open only to walk-ins. For additional information, please call or write to Dolores Noyes, WDFW, 360-902-2349, FAX: 360-902-2392 or Email: Dolores.Noyes@dfw.wa.gov.

Pheasant:
Common upland bird species in the Ephrata District include quail, pheasant, chukar, and gray partridge. The largest wild populations of pheasants on WDFW lands in the Ephrata District are likely to be found within the Desert Unit of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area Complex between Potholes Reservoir and the town of George. Mixed bags of wild and released birds are also likely to be had in lower Crab Creek, Gloyd Seeps, Quincy, and Dry Falls units. For wild birds, dense thickets of Russian olive and cattail associated with Frenchmen and Winchester Wasteways and ponds are likely to hold pheasants. Hunters will increase their odds greatly with a well trained dog to both flush and retrieve the birds in dense cover. Pheasants are strong runners, so moving quickly and quietly can improve the odds of getting a close shot.

Many hunters feel that pheasant release sites are the only areas where they can successfully harvest pheasants. However, in 2011, 2,850 pheasants were released in Grant County while total pheasant harvest was 13,245. Thus, released birds would have made up, at most, 22% of the total harvest.

Expect similar numbers of wild pheasants as observed during the 2011 season. An early “green-up” was lacking last year but the winter temperatures were not extreme and lacked long periods of snow crust that can result in low overwinter survival. Spring conditions were fair but heavy summer rains were experienced during June and July 2012 which may have resulted in some brood mortality. Most hunters who invest considerable effort and cover a lot of ground will cross paths with a few wild birds and can increase their chances for a productive hunt by selecting non-toxic shot and diversifying the bag with waterfowl. Hunters may also choose to seek out pheasant release sites, see the Eastern Washington Pheasant Enhancement Program for details. Non-toxic shot is required at all pheasant release sites.

Quail:
Traditional quail hunting areas on WDFW lands in the Ephrata district include the Desert Unit of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area Complex between Potholes Reservoir and the town of George, lower Crab Creek between Corfu and the Columbia River, Gloyd Seeps between Stratford and Moses Lake, the Quincy unit near the town of Quincy, and Dry Falls unit at the south end of Banks Lake. Hunters will increase their odds greatly with a well trained dog to either flush or point, and retrieve the birds.

Large coveys are difficult to find by mid-season on public lands and successful hunters will attempt to identify multiple coveys to pursue throughout the season. Riparian areas will offer the best hunting and hunters can increase their chances by securing access to private lands where pressure can be considerably lower. If pressure is high, some coveys can be found settling into shrub cover a considerable distance from heavily hunted areas. Hunters with wide ranging pointing breeds can be most successful at targeting these coveys. Quail hunting is expected to be good this year. Winter temperatures were not far from the norm and the area lacked long periods of snow crust that can result in low overwinter survival. Summer conditions were only fair for brood survival due to several significant rainfall events during June and July.

Chukar
Most chukar hunting in the Ephrata District occurs in the Coulee Corridor areas around Banks and Lenore Lakes and along the Columbia River breaks north of Vantage. The chukar is a challenging but rewarding game bird to pursue. Though the Ephrata District has some chukar hunting opportunity, there are much better areas of the state to focus one’s efforts.

Gray (Hungarian) partridge occur in low densities in the basin but are rarely targeted by hunters, instead taken incidentally while hunting chukar, quail, or pheasant. Most gray partridge will occur on private farm fields, particularly in the dryland wheat portions of Adams and, to a lesser degree, Grant Counties. Chukar and Gray partridge are resilient birds and thus likely fared well through the winter. Winter of 2011 was relatively mild and snow depth and crusting was minimal. Spring and summer conditions were less favorable with June and July rains likely having an impact on brood survival.

Upland bird harvest trends for the Ephrata District based on 5-year running averages.

Bird Dog Training
The Ephrata District does not currently have any areas designated for bird dog training. Thus all training on WDFW land must occur within the established bird dog training season, August 1 – March 31.

Waterfowl:
Duck production in the Columbia Basin was up slightly from last year. Hunter success in the basin has remained stable despite a long-term downward trend in local productivity, suggesting an influx of birds from elsewhere prior to the opening weekend. There is always good opportunity to harvest waterfowl during opening weekend in the Columbia Basin. A harvest rate of slightly above three ducks per person is common from year to year for the first weekend of the general waterfowl season. Mallard, teal, American wigeon, and gadwall are among the species most commonly encountered. Also, wood ducks can be found in fair number, concentrating in stands of flooded Russian olive trees (typically associated with the Winchester and Frenchmen wasteways) in the early season.

Waterfowl harvest trends for the Ephrata District based on 5-year running averages.

Migration will bring the best waterfowl hunting in the basin. November will bring large numbers of mallards, wigeon, gadwalls, teal, scaup, redheads, and canvasbacks. Until this time hunters must rely on locally produced birds and early season migrants, such as American wigeon and green-winged teal. December typically provides the peak of mallards, ringnecks, and canvasbacks, while other dabbling and diving species continue their journey south. Goose hunting will typically improve in November, when early season migrant Canada geese (Lesser and Taverner’s) begin to scatter from their initial staging area at Stratford Lake to alfalfa or grain fields within feeding distance from Moses Lake and the Columbia River. Survey data can be located at this link:

Select areas to hunt based on the species you want to target. Diving ducks are typically hunted along the Columbia River, particularly at Wells Pool, Wanapum Pool, and Priest Rapids Pool. They forage over beds of submerged aquatic vegetation such as pondweeds and milfoil. American wigeon will associate with diving ducks because they are kleptoparasites, meaning they wait for the diving ducks or coots to bring up a bill-full of vegetation, and then quickly rush in to steal their meal.

Dabbling ducks are more commonly targeted on the plateau where grain corn and wheat fields attract mallards and pintail and shallow wetlands attract teal, American wigeon, and gadwall. Canada geese feed primarily in wheat and alfalfa fields, so requesting permission from private landowners is often necessary to secure good goose hunting.

Scouting is often the key to successful waterfowl hunting. Ample opportunity exists for public waterfowl hunts but hunters should first identify where birds are feeding and roosting. Feeding flights for ducks typically occur very early in the morning and late in the evening and last for an hour or so. Late in the season, when snow is on the ground and conditions are harsh, ducks are likely to feed more during the day while the snow is soft, or will seek out fields that are grazed by cattle, so they can access the snow-buried corn kernels. Knowing when and where ducks are feeding and which direction they depart will help hunters determine the best locations to intercept the duck traffic with a spread of decoys.

Setting up a decoy spread on a pond between the feeding and roosting sites will generally result in some good shooting, particularly when conditions are favorable (e.g. wind, snow, fog). Typically the larger roosting sites will be the Wanapum Closure (Columbia River), Winchester Reserve, Potholes Reserve, and Columbia National Wildlife Refuge Marsh Units

Hunters should be mindful that water (and muck) depths are highly variable and it takes a lot of trial and error to learn where you can and cannot set out decoys. For some areas, boat access is a must. Winchester and Frenchmen Wasteways (the two major drainages entering the west side of Potholes Reservoir) are crossable in some areas with chest waders but use caution as deep holes do exist and patches of muck can be difficult to exit, particularly when packing decoys.

One of the more popular waterfowl hunting areas is Potholes Reservoir. The abundance of small sand dune islands, where hunters find cover, makes this an attractive area to many hunters. Most hunters use the northern portion of the reservoir, where they find shallower water and numerous islands. Hunting pressure on Potholes Reservoir is high and so is competition for the best locations. Hunters new to the reservoir should be aware that Potholes Reservoir water levels do increase dramatically through the hunting season.

Winchester Lake is another location where hunters can expect to see good numbers of waterfowl, but hunting pressure is relatively high here. Winchester Lake sits in a prime location to get traffic from mallards that feed on grain corn in the surrounding area. Typically, field feeding ducks come from Winchester Reserve, Potholes Reserve, Moses Lake, and/or the Wanapum Closure, and occasionally these ducks attempt to shorten their commute to the roost by stopping at Winchester Lake instead. This area can be very good at times.

Dogs are often an absolute necessity for retrieving throughout most of the Ephrata District, but Regulated Access Areas have some shallow ponds which could be hunted with a pair of chest waders. Hunters frequenting the Winchester Regulated Access Area should use caution on pintails, which can be abundant and thus easy to exceed bag limits. Time restrictions and number of vehicles allowed for the Regulated Access Areas can be found in the hunting pamphlet. These sites are now ‘Register to Hunt’ so be sure to register at the box provided in the parking area.

Waterfowl hunters should also be aware of private-land grain fields enrolled in the Hunter Access Program. This program is intended to provide public field hunting opportunity for ducks and geese but also may provide opportunity to harvest pheasants and occasionally gray partridge. Fields are typically identified and enrolled during November, after the fields are harvested; timing of enrollment and field locations will vary annually. Call or visit the Ephrata regional office at (509) 754-4624 for details about this program and the Regulated Access Areas.

See all the information for the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area Units.

Dove:
Dove hunting is expected to be good but, is highly dependent upon weather conditions. If conditions are stable, the birds found during scouting should be around for hunting season, but unstable conditions often redistribute birds significantly. Hunters may improve their success by securing access to wheat fields for the morning hunt.

Evening hunts can be productive in wheat fields or in traditional roosting areas. Look for large stands of trees (preferably with dead limbs) adjacent to water and surrounded by agriculture for best roost hunt results. Roost site hunting can be found along the north and west sides of Potholes Reservoir, the east side of Winchester Lake, and throughout the Desert Unit of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area Complex. The Gloyd Seeps Unit offers a mix of roost and crop hunting (wheat) on the sharecropped site at the north end of the unit by road 20.

Deer:
Most deer harvest occurs in GMUs 272 (Beezley) and 284 (Ritzville) where post-hunt buck:doe ratios average 22–27:100. Post-hunt fawn:doe ratios indicate herd productivity was moderate in all surveyed GMUs, and buck:doe ratios remained stable or increased following the 2011 season. With the mild winter conditions in 2011, post-hunt populations are believed to have experienced minimal levels of winter mortality so deer hunters should expect average success rates during the 2012 season.

The number of deer hunters in GMU 272 was similar in 2010 (1,337 hunters) and 2011 (1,410 hunters), and biologists expect similar participation rates in 2012. Success rates in GMU 272 were slightly below the long-term average of 25%, at 23%. Harvest rates during 2012 are expected to be close to 25% and differ little by user-group (Modern Firearm 24%; Muzzleloader 23%; Archery 20%; 69% Permit). GMU 272 includes 53,000 acres of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area Complex, most of which is open to hunting.

The number of hunters who hunted deer in GMU 284 (752 hunters) was close to the long-term average (775 hunters) and hunter success has remained a constant 37% for the last 3 years. Biologists anticipate similar participation and success rates during the 2012 season. GMU 284 is dominated by private property. Hunters should plan to seek out permission to access private lands and/or plan on hunting lands enrolled in the WDFW Access Program as little Wildlife Area land (~1,600 acres) occurs in this unit.

All hunting opportunities in GMU 290 (Desert Unit) are issued through the public draw. With post-hunt ratios of 47 bucks:100 does, and 57% of bucks being classified as >2.5 years old, high success rates are expected to continue in 2012. Forty-one percent of land in GMU 290 is in the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area, thus public opportunity is widely available. The area consists of riparian areas, associated primarily with the Winchester and Frenchmen Wasteways, surrounded by rolling, sandy dunes and varying densities of shrub cover. The majority of the private agricultural land in this unit occurs throughout the western half. Go here for Frequently Asked Questions about Hunting in the Desert Unit.

Harvest in GMU 278 (Wahluke) is again expected to be low in 2012. Since 2001, total harvest in GMU 278 has averaged 37 deer, and only 43 deer were harvested during the 2011 season. Harvest success during 2011 (16%) was close to the long-term average of 17%. GMU 278 provides approximately 36,000 acres of lands as part of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area Complex, most of which is open to hunting.

With the exception of the Desert Unit (GMU 290) and Wahluke Unit (GMU 278), mule deer in the Ephrata District are largely migratory. Past radio telemetry studies on mule deer herds detected movements of deer from neighboring GMUs into the Ephrata District.

These movements are largely weather dependent with snowfall likely having the largest effect on fall and winter movements. Mule deer will reverse this migration and return to fawning grounds during spring. South and east movements of mule deer into GMU 272 from neighboring GMUs such as Big Bend, Saint Andrews, and Moses Coulee are also believed to occur but these movements are not as well understood.

Trend data in all District 5 GMUs indicate relatively stable mule deer populations, with post-hunt buck:doe ratios that satisfy the management objectives. See the most recent Game Status and Trend Report for a more detailed analysis of mule deer population trends in District 5.

Damage complaints associated with these herds have also been relatively low in recent years, indicating they have not exceeded the social carrying capacity that exists in agricultural settings. Consequently, current harvest restrictions and season lengths appear to be appropriate for these herds and will likely change little in the near future.

Elk:
Elk are extremely rare and historically have not been a management priority in District 5. Resident elk herds do not exist in GMU 272, GMU 278, and GMU 290. These trends are not expected to change in the near future as WDFW does not encourage the establishment of elk herds in District 5 because of the significant potential for crop depredation issues. WDFW achieves this management objective by providing any elk opportunities during the general modern firearm season.

The number of elk harvested in GMU 284 has gradually increased from 4 elk in 2005 to 22 elk in 2011 which indicates the herd located in this area may be increasing. However, because harvest levels have until recently been extremely low, biologists do not conduct annual surveys for elk in GMU 284. Moreover, the elk harvested in GMU 284 are most likely part of a herd that is known to occur at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Consequently, harvest in GMU 284 is probably dependent on whether or not that herd migrates to GMU 284 during the hunting season rather than a function of population size and growth.

If hunters wish to hunt elk in District 5 during the 2011 season, they are most likely to be successful in GMU 284 where hunter success was 27% in 2011. However, the majority of this GMU consists of agricultural and other private lands, so access may be difficult. It is difficult to predict elk harvest levels in GMU 284 during the 2012 season because WDFW does not conduct surveys to monitor population trends for this herd.

The Ephrata District is not an optimal area to target cougar. Most likely places to encounter cougar are the Beezley Hills, Moses Coulee, and adjacent to the Crab Creek drainage upstream from the town of Stratford. Modeling efforts suggests a small population of adult cougar in the Ephrata District and annual harvest is very low. Populations are expected to remain stable in this area for the foreseeable future.

Small Game
Small game in the Ephrata District consists primarily of bobcat, raccoon, fox, crows, cottontail rabbits, and coyotes.

Raccoons occur in fair numbers in association with wetlands and residential developments when adequate native habitat exists.

Fox farms occurred adjacent to the Columbia Plateau during the early 1900s but declines in fur prices during the 1950s resulted in fox being released into the wild. A few descendants of these individuals occur within the Ephrata District today, however these introduced fox are still considered uncommon.

Crows are typically hunted in areas where damage occurs, such as orchards (typically nuts), thus hunting opportunities for crows within the Ephrata district are limited.

Cottontails are widespread and abundant in areas of optimal habitat. In native landscapes, hunters should look to rock outcrops, greasewood patches, or other thickets where suitable escape cover occurs. Cottontails can be found on farm ground as well, particularly within and around equipment storage areas or rock piles.

There is much opportunity for coyote hunting throughout most of the Ephrata District.

Yellow-bellied marmots can be hunted but most hunting opportunity occurs on private lands where rock piles and agriculture are in close proximity. Hunters should be aware that Washington ground squirrels are protected and they can occur in large numbers in the Ephrata District.

There are no sizeable populations of forest grouse or wild turkey in this district. Formal surveys to assess population status of small game species are not conducted in the Ephrata District.

Target Shooting
Per WAC 332-52-145, target shooting is allowed in developed recreational facilities or areas with an unobstructed, earthen backstop capable of stopping all projectiles and debris in a safe manner. Targets are defined as ‘items that are commercially manufactured for the specific purpose of target shooting’.

Because of extensive misuse of WDFW managed lands (primarily litter related), some areas have been closed to target shooting, particularly in the Lind Coulee, Potholes, and Seep Lakes Units of the CBWA. Information for shooting range facilities is provided below.

2011 Hunting Results for District 5

Upland Bird

Pheasant
The pheasant harvest in District 5 was up a little in 2011, as hunters bagged an impressive 13,249 ringnecks in the pheasant-rich part of the Columbia Basin. Over 10,000 of those birds came from Grant County, the top pheasant producer in Washington.

Quail
The quail harvest dropped off a little from 2010, but Grant County still treated quail hunters very well last year, producing 13,725 birds. Hunters in Adams County added 2,608 quail to the district’s harvest total.

Partridge
Hunters bagged 737 chukar, most of them from Grant County, and 663 gray partridge in District 5 during the 2011 season.

Big Game

Deer
The 2011 general deer season produced 594 deer for District 5 hunters, about 89 percent of them bucks. All of the 428 deer harvested by modern firearms hunters were bucks, while the antlerless deer comprised 58 percent of the deer harvest for bow hunters. Hunter success rates in the district range from 21.1 percent for bow hunters to 33.8 percent for multiple weapons hunters. GMUs 272 (Beezley) and 284 (Ritzville) were the most productive deer units in the district, giving up 300 and 245 deer, respectively. Modern firearms deer hunters in the Ritzville Unit enjoyed a 33.4 percent success rate during the 2011 general season.

Elk
Game Management Unit 284 (Ritzville) produced 27 of the 32 elk harvested in District 5 during last fall’s general season. All elk taken in the district were harvested by modern firearms hunters, and they tallied a 23 percent success rate for the season.

Bear
There were no black bear harvested in district 5 during the 2011 season.

Cougar
Hunters took seven cougar in District 5 last season, all of them from GMU 272 (Beezley).

Waterfowl

Ducks
Grant County was once again the state’s top duck producer, with a harvest of 63,572 birds, while Adams County hunters contributed another 11,048 ducks for a district total of 74,620. The Adams County harvest was up 72 percent from 2010; Grant County’s up 23 percent from last year.

Geese
The Canada goose harvest was also up from last year in both district 5 counties. Grant County hunters took 14,992 geese and Adams County hunters harvested 2,707 of the big birds.