The Eagle Outdoors

Well, I'm back from northeast Ohio, and I must say it was a wonderful trip. The weather was perfect. The leaves were just beginning to turn. My folks are doing fine for folks who are 84 and 85. A glitch here and there - Mom's Parkinson's and Dad's COPD - but they're muddling through and doing well. I had a chance to share a meal with some high school buddies (class of 1982), met some new Newton Falls residents, played with a couple dozen dogs, generally sat for a spell, and relived the late 70s and early 80s. It was, in a word, therapeutic.

There's a lot going on here in southwest Washington at the moment, too. Bear season, archery deer and elk, doves, band-tailed pigeons, and the northern pikeminnow bounty program and salmon are winding down. High school football, volleyball, and clam tides are upcoming. Early goose has come and gone. Yes, sir. There are a lot of moving parts right now.

Mushrooms a poppin!

Julie and I got out Sunday for a couple hours for the first mushroom hunt of the fall and we were not disappointed. To be honest - and despite folks telling me they've been picking for a month now - I wasn't sure what we'd find. It's been awfully dry; however, this little bout of recent rain made the difference. That and the warmer overnight temperatures.

When all was said and done, we picked roughly eight pounds of yellow chanterelles. Julie will blanche and freeze some to use in spaghetti, lasagna, and chili and I'll dehydrate the rest after, of course, a quick meal of fungus sauteed in butter Yum! Though it's just now getting started, based on this one trip, it looks like it's going to be another good season.

Whether you're a veteran mushroomer or just getting into the field, there are a handful of things to think about here before heading out to "go a picking" or, as is commonly heard nowadays, foraging. When it comes to eating mushrooms, do not guess! If you're not 100 percent sure of what you're picking and putting in your mouth, leave it alone. Mushroom guidebooks are undeniably helpful; however, they're just a guide. Having said that, David Arora's "All That The Rain Promises and More" is a fantastic reference source, focusing primarily on western mushroom species, particularly those found here in the Pacific Northwest. Again, if you're not 100 percent certain of what you're picking, leave it be. Many edible mushrooms have inedible or poisonous look-alikes, and the only way to be 100 percent certain in terms of identification is by taking spore prints. Arora has an excellent section on spore printing in his book.

Respect the resource. In other words, don't harvest more than you can realistically use. Like many of our natural resources, mushrooms are a renewable resource if harvested correctly. However, that resource can, for any number of reasons (e.g. money), be abused and over-harvested. Take what you need. Leave the rest. Pack it in. Pack it out.

Harvest them properly. Again, I reference Arora's fine book and the section on mushroom harvesting equipment and techniques. It's pretty simple. A mesh basket or onion sack, something 'open' that will allow the spores to be distributed as you collect and walk, and a small bladed sharp knife. It's important to cut mushrooms off at the ground rather than pull the entire specimen. This allows for what I'll call next-year regeneration.

Don't get lost (don't laugh), every year dozens of West Coast mushroom hunters have to be corralled by local Search and Rescue personnel because they've gotten lost. Despite picking the same areas year after year, I always – I repeat, always – get turned around while I'm mushrooming. This patch leads me to that patch and to the next and the next until I'm a mile from the truck and not entirely sure where said truck is. Today, I carry a compass and, if I'm hunting a new spot, a small inexpensive GPS/Satellite 'back-tracker' unit that lets me know where the F-150 sits.

Share the wealth. I have several folks who enjoy fresh wild mushrooms but, for any number of reasons, can't navigate between the patches. I'm happy to share the wealth. It makes them happy, and it makes me happy. I will say this, though. As is the case with the local northern pikeminnow bounty hunter - who has told me often, "I'll tell you how, but I won't tell you where" - don't bother asking a veteran mushroom-er where. He/she won't tell you. Just sayin'.

Cleaning mushrooms. Here's something I hit on three or four seasons ago after using 1.42 million methods of prepping my fungus for the table. I turn my air compressor down to 30 PSI and quick-hit each chanterelle or lobster or cauliflower or bolete with a light blast of air. Needles, dirt, duff, and bugs are instantly gone. Is it time consuming, yes but the end results are worth the effort.

Clam digs announced

It's that time again, chowder hounds. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has announced 47 tentative razor clam digs/tides beginning on Oct. 6 and continuing through Jan. 6, 2026. These are all night digs and all are currently tentative. Confirmation depends upon toxin tests prior to each block of openings.

The first comes on Monday, Oct. 6, along with a low tide of -0.2 feet occurring at 6:35 p.m. Coincidently, this is three minutes ahead of official sunset, meaning it's going to be a daylight dig. While I love digging after dark, my eyes aren't what they used to be. It's nice in the daylight.

For everything that's new regarding razor clams in 2025, visit the WDFW's website at shellfishing-regulations/razor-clams.

Burn ban still in effect

Just a reminder that the countywide burn ban remains in effect until further notice. My pile's getting bigger, too, but we'll have to wait.