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The waterfowl season has started slowly in Southwest Washington this fall. The dry weather has not helped, and many marshes are still without water. However, there are heavy rains forecast for this weekend and into next week that could fill many of the marshes. Most hunters are reporting slow hunting for both ducks and geese so far, on private lands and public marshes. Zack Breitenstein, manager of the state-run Shillapoo Wildlife Area, located west of Vancouver, said he has not been able to contact many hunters as of yet, but that conditions are poor. “There are descent amounts of geese,” he said. “We have been getting a mix of both the Westerns, (a larger subspecies of Canada goose), and the smaller Cacklers.” While most marshes are dry, Breitenstein said the geese have been keying in on the green fields where they can graze. He reports they are bouncing back and forth between the wildlife area, and Sauvie Island across the Columbia River, where there is also plenty of green forage for the flocks. “The last of the corn is coming off today, too” he added, “so there will be feed corn on the South Unit of the wildlife area. The geese will be interested in that.” The wildlife area will draw a lot of the smaller cackling Canada geese later in the season. Hunters will also encounter larger geese, including the Western subspecies. They may also encounter the Dusky Canada goose, which are not open for harvest. Breitenstein reports that there are not many ducks at the wildlife area as yet, but dry conditions may be part of that reason. Some of the marshes do have a bit of water in them. “We still have some water around that never dried up completely,” he said. Another reason for the low duck numbers could be pheasant hunting activity. The pheasant release program is very popular, and when the hunters start combing the fields with their dogs in tow, the ducks tend to get driven off. The pheasant season will continue through the end of November. When asked if the wildlife area can pump water into the dry marshes, Breitenstein said yes, with a caveat. “But I am dependent on the Columbia River, and it’s way too low to pump anything,” he said. “My hands are kind of tied until pheasant season is over,” he added. “Those guys get irritated if I start flooding stuff. The river usually doesn’t get high enough to pump until December anyway.” The rains this weekend should start filling the marshes, if it actually arrives as forecast. Most of the marshes are currently dry. “It’s pretty bad, but I hope next weekend’s rain event makes up for it,” Breitenstein said. “It always tends to be a little better in the late season for waterfowl.” Hunters can expect to find mallards, green-wing teal, and gadwall, but the most harvested duck on the wildlife area are northern shovelers. The wildlife area includes part of Vancouver Lake as well. There is no reservation required to hunt at Shillapoo. Hunters can also hunt anywhere, without being restricted to a blind. Waterfowl hunts at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, just west of the town of Ridgefield, have continued through the federal shutdown. However, when asked if the hunts could be discontinued if the shutdown continues for an extended time, as currently seems possible, staff replied with this statement: “The Department of the Interior and the Fish and Wildlife Service will continue to keep public lands as accessible as possible during the lapse in appropriations. Critical functions that protect life, property, and public health will remain in place, including visitor access in many locations, law enforcement, and emergency response. Should the lapse persist for an extended period, the Service will continue to assess available resources to ensure that hunts proceed safely and in compliance with applicable regulations.” The refuge also reported that hunting has been slow for both ducks and geese. They reported that the hunting always improves later in the season, as autumn storms bring rain and northern birds. During the shutdown, the refuge office is closed. There is also a warning on the refuge’s webpage, noting that during the shutdown certain aspects of the website may not be current. The River S Unit, which includes the drive-thru tour of the wetlands, is open. The hunting at Ridgefield is controlled, and hunters must shoot from an assigned blind. There are 21 spaced blinds on 760 acres. Hunters may enter a pre-season lottery system to obtain reservations for priority check-in, or they may arrive and try for left over blinds as a stand-by hunter. There are pit and box blinds and two accessible blinds for hunters with disabilities. Hunting takes place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Northern shovelers account for a large percentage of harvested ducks, but hunters also take good numbers of green-winged teal, mallard, American wigeon, gadwall, and northern pintail. Some of the blind areas are still dry, but the refuge posts the water levels of each blind every morning at the check station. And, if the forecast rains do materialize, most of the blinds will have plenty of water to hunt over very soon. Goose hunting is also allowed on the refuge. Goose hunting in Southwest Washington’s Goose Management Area 2, which includes Clark, Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, and Gray’s Harbor Counties, is managed through the Northwest Permit Zone. The special rules are meant to protect the threatened Dusky Canada geese. It is a wildlife violation to shoot a Dusky Canada goose. Within the permit zone there are special rules, and hunters must first take and pass a test on goose identification. There are seven subspecies of Canada goose in Southwest Washington, including the Dusky subspecies, and hunters must prove they can identify them. There are also special hours when goose hunting is allowed, and during part of the season hunting is allowed only on certain days of the week. Many hunters at both Shillapoo and Ridgefield will not shoot any geese, except the small cacklers. They avoid the larger geese to make sure they do not take a Dusky. If they do, they can no longer hunt geese with their permit for the rest of the season. Resources For more information about the Northwest Goose Permit Zone, check the WDFW webpage at: https://www.eregulations.com/washington/hunting/game-bird/western-washington-goose-management-areas For information on hunting at the Ridgefield NWR, you can check the refuge hunting webpage at: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/ridgefield/visit-us/activities/hunting

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