Legal hunting land question - Puget Sound

[bigmike86]

Thanks guys! I super appreciate it.

More realistic than getting a harlequin, I also super wanna shoot a barrows goldeneye. I see them while eating brunch in Tacoma sometimes...so frustrating. I was talking to some guys that hunt Nisqually and it sounded like they rarely swing through there. Do I have to venture way up north Puget sound to find them in huntable areas or should they be readily available in other south Puget sound units? Thanks again, no expectations of information here, anything you give is a gift that I appreciate!

Sincerely,
Big Mike

[Stein]

I'll give the same but opposite info as aaronto above.  I hunt mainly mud/sand shorelines and very rarely see them.  One thing you may want to do is call one of the biologists that specializes in birds and see what kind of habitat and location to focus on.  Usually, they are pretty helpful.  They also see the harvest cards and should have a good idea what general areas get the highest harvests.

If you have a canoe or boat, it's a long season and you could see quite a bit of scenery.  The farther you get away from the Stilly/Skagit drainages, the less problem you will have with running into conflicts with landowners.

[tinsleystyle]

We see good numbers of Harlequin in the straights during migration months and the golden eye will show up down at Nisqually and other parts of the south sound later in the winter. I have no idea about hunting laws in the straights around cape flattery, Neah bay and Sekiu, but we certainly see Harlequin around the rocks up there in the winter. If you feel like doing a road trip, watch the weather, find where you can or cant shoot and go find a trophy!

[lokidog]

The only place I see Harlequins is in areas with rocks, rocky beaches and rocky little reef islands. From what I have seen, they are much better plumed late December into January.

I've lost two the last two years, if it doesn't go feet up when it hits the water, shoot it again as quickly as possible as they can swim a long ways underwater.

 

[Stein]

Now you have me thinking about it, maybe a crab/duck combo trip.

[washingtonmuley]

Be careful if you don't know the shorelines that you are hunting as they can eat props and lower units.

[lokidog]

Be careful if you don't know the shorelines that you are hunting as they can eat props and lower units.

I'll attest to that... ground a prop down once trying to idle in to get photos of a few of them by my island, oops, and I didn't get the photo shot either. 

[Whitenuckles]

PM me when the time come. Might be a 2 hour drive for you. But I'll put you on some.

[Whitenuckles]

Going to have this year's Harli  put on the rock to the lower left. Should be cool one finished

[Curly]

That is a really cool mount.  Love the icicles. 

[bigmike86]

Fantastic! Pm sent.

Question about anchoring. Can you anchor your decoys on the private land even if your boat isnt anchored? If so, how the heck do you hunt without boat and decoys anchored?

[Whitenuckles]

Fantastic! Pm sent.

Question about anchoring. Can you anchor your decoys on the private land even if your boat isnt anchored? If so, how the heck do you hunt without boat and decoys anchored?

Drift... with long lines attached to the boat

[lokidog]

Fantastic! Pm sent.

Question about anchoring. Can you anchor your decoys on the private land even if your boat isnt anchored? If so, how the heck do you hunt without boat and decoys anchored?

As Whitenuckles said.  An electric motor would work great to maintain a position.

Skagit County has the you have to be anchored to shoot rule, doesn't it?

[bigmike86]

Mind blown! Yes I just read that you MUST be anchored there. Which means you are touching the land below the water. So the point of that law is to not allow you to hunt by floating over the private land I guess. Kind of rude if you ask me, Im not trying to steal their land, I just want to shoot some ducks which weren't theirs to being with!

[Stein]

Fantastic! Pm sent.

Question about anchoring. Can you anchor your decoys on the private land even if your boat isnt anchored? If so, how the heck do you hunt without boat and decoys anchored?

As Whitenuckles said.  An electric motor would work great to maintain a position.

That would work, but then you can't shoot legally.

If you are in Skagit, I wouldn't try shooting over private land as was mentioned, you will get either harassed or visited by WDFW, or both and it is technically impossible since you can't anchor but need to be anchored.

The good news is that I would bet spots that hold sea ducks may be different than those that hold puddle ducks and are tough to hunt.  Probably some overlap, but I bet a bit of work could get you into some in an area that isn't a nightmare to hunt - just my guess.