The Eagle Outdoors

As is often the case in the spring, at least when "The Great Outdoors" is concerned, there's a lot going on this week. By the way, if you haven't seen it, The Great Outdoors, starring Dan Aykroyd and the late John Candy, is a must see, but I digress; on to the outdoor news.

Final razor clam digs May 10-15

Afraid you might not have enough razor clams in the freezer to last until November? Well, you'd best be taking advantage of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW) final digs of the 2025 spring season, which will be held from May 10 – 15 at both Long Beach and Twin Harbors, with back and forth digs at Copalis and Mocrocks. For specifics, take a gander at the WDFW's website, wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishing-regulations/razor-clams.

Despite the gloomy weather, digging was good above Ocean Park on Friday, May 2, when Julie and I, along with Kyle Hurley, took a quartet of young ladies from WHS to the beach. Plenty of clams, and fat ones, too. A couple of items to note, the Ocean Park beach approach is a mess. Four-wheel-drive is highly recommended, and you'll definitely get a run at her, both coming and going. Build in some time to stop at Jack's Country Store in Ocean Park. Jack's is, without question, one of the greatest places on the planet, second only, in my humble opinion, to Marsh's Free Museum in Long Beach.

Steelhead opens May 16

According to everything I can find, the main stem of the Columbia River will open under the state's permanent fishing regulations to hatchery steelhead retention on Friday, May 16. Now, mind you, this can change should the WDFW determine and/or decide any number of things, most of which involve upriver chinook salmon, possible mortality, etc. I'm reminded by a gentleman whom I both respect and trust of the agency's decision in 2017 to delay the traditional mid-May steelhead/jack chinook opener on the main stem due to "low/slow movement of chinook salmon upriver as a result of high, cold, and turbid conditions in the river." Bottom line? Check the website for any emergency regulations. Better yet, sign up for email and/or phone notifications to help keep you abreast of any changes involving what you can and cannot do.

Turkey season closes May 31

It only seems like the spring turkey season, which opened on April 15, kicked off yesterday, but here we are coming down to the proverbial wire with the final day (May 31) looming. I've heard of several nice toms being taken in eastern Washington since Day One, including a dandy gobbler tagged by a friend of my wife's friend in southern Klickitat County the weekend of May 3-4, his first.

Turkey populations in western Washington – Yes, Virginia; there are turkeys in western Washington – are stable and even expanding slightly in some out-of-the-way locations. The weather on the west side of the Cascades - that being often wet and cold - during the hatch can create a survival challenge, while the poults (baby turkeys) are tiny. In eastern Washington, home to the Merriams and Rio Grande subspecies, populations are doing quite well across the board, a testament to both Mother Nature and to the dozens upon dozens of volunteers with the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) who have helped spread the wealth, so to speak, over the past 35 years.

WDFW's 2025-27 Budget

As of this writing on May 5, the WDFW's biennial budget has passed through the Washington legislature and is awaiting Governor Ferguson's yea or nay. There are a lot, and I do mean a lot, of funding cuts for the agency, along with several interesting provisions which will be funded. Believe me when I say I'm not being lazy nor wish to be uninformative here; however, this reading is best done elsewhere, with start-to-finish breakdowns to be found at wdfw.wa.gov/about/administration/budget/capital.

Farmer's Market opens May 23

While our very own Elochoman Marina Street Market opens for business on Friday, May 23, and continues each and every Friday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. through Sept. 26, there are quite a few markets around the area for those with a mind for adventure.

The Astoria Market is a must see, especially if you like dogs. Don't ask; just go. Trust me. Astoria opens on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 11, and continues through Sunday, Oct. 12. Excellent street music is usually heard playing in front of the old Liberty Theater.

The Ilwaco Saturday Market opened on Saturday, May 3, and runs through Saturday, Sept. 27, every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This makes for a great experience with lots of dogs.

Across the river in Clatskanie, there's a Saturday Market located at Cope's Park on 60 Lillich Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Judging from the online photographs clatskaniefarmercollective.org, it looks like an absolutely wonderful event, with a long list of vendors and other things to see and do.