No midnight opener for shed hunters
March 23, 2010 by Scott Sandsberry
YAKIMA, Wash. — Shed hunters won’t be pulling any all-nighters (or setting that pre-midnight alarm) this year. That traditional May 1 midnight gate-opener for walk-ins to head up into the boonies in hopes of finding those dropped elk antlers before the guys on ATVs, cycles and Jeeps is a thing of the past.
Throughout the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Region 3 (which includes Yakima, Kittitas and Benton counties, plus a portion of Grant as well), wilderness areas that have been closed during the winter and early spring will open at 6 a.m. for everybody. That means walk-ins, horseback riders, motorcyclists, ATV riders and four-wheelers will all be heading in at the same time — and, since May 1 happens to fall on a Saturday this year, it figures to be quite the zoo.
But at least it won’t be confusing.
Last year was the first year the Oak Creek Wildlife Area dropped its midnight walk-in deal, and they had a 6 a.m. opener for on-foot searchers and an 8 a.m. start for motorized. This year, so nobody gets confused — and so that nobody will be able to beg ignorance if they get caught jumping the gun — it’s just a straight 6 a.m. opener for everybody.
It’ll be that way on May 1 at all locked gates and closed areas on the Oak Creek Wildlife Area, the closed area of the Wenas Wildlife Area accessed through the Mellotte gate, the areas behind the gates at Joe Watt and Robinson Canyon on the L.T. Murray, and the motorized closure area on the Whisky Dick Wildlife Area.
The winter/early spring closures are to protect wildlife, primarily elk, from being harassed or chased when they are at their most vulnerable. Hard as it is to believe, there are knuckleheads who will chase elk around just on the longshot that one might drop its antlers right there. (Of course, there are also knuckleheads whose poorly — or illegally — constructed campfires are left alone to start wildfires, so I suppose none of us should be too surprised at what knuckleheads in general will do.)
– Scott Sandsberry
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