Little-Known Outdoor Havens
Maryland Hunting
Eastern Shore Geese In season the skies over Maryland’s upper Eastern Shore are filled with Canadian honkers. Gunners shooting from pit blinds near corn fields have little trouble in filling their limits of the birds. The restrictions of the past 10 years have paid off in the return of the wild goose. With normal luck on the breeding grounds it is likely that the coming season will also see the goose hordes again over the Upper Bay. Reduced bag limits, good breeding seasons, and survival of the young are responsible for the come-back of the goose. Maryland’s Upper Eastern Shore, especially around Still Pond, is the place to go for a brace of honkers. No region gives a better chance. Gunning here is done from a pit blind near corn
fields. The geese are shot as they come over to feed on the corn. Decoys usually are placed near the pits. Farmers rent goose pits with decoys at $10 or $15 a day. Geese are killed in all the Bay country, but the largest concentrations are found in the Upper Eastern Shore counties.
To get there cross the new Bay Bridge at Sandy Point, then drive north on Kent Island. The region also can be reached via Elkton, Md., on U.S.
40. Many farmhouses in the region take roomers for the wildfowl season.
Olympic Peninsula Game
From Seattle, Wash., it is roughly only about 50 miles to the beginning of some of the most primitive country left in the Northwest. This area takes in
four counties–Clallam, Jefferson, Gray’s Harbor, and Mason-all good deer and bear country. The game laws vary from year to year, and there are some restricted areas, but these are small in proportion to the size of the territory. Currently, in designated areas, the elk season is open Nov. 20-Nov. 30. The Olympic National Park is, of course, out of bounds for firearms. From Seattle the ferry takes you on a scenic ride of two hours to Port Ludlow. From there it is about 20 miles to Highway 101. Turn right on that highway, and for the next 40 miles you are in good deer and bear country, with cabins and accommodations. From Port Angeles on accommodations are scarce, although there are a few cabins and restaurants along the way. West of Port Angeles there are cabins and stores at Sekiu and Neah Bay. These are fishing resorts where the coho or silver salmon run is at its peak in early October, where there is no close season, and where boats and tackle may be rented.
Following Route 101 west and south you have about 100 miles of wild country before you, with resorts at Kalaloch, Quinault, and Humptulips at about 30-mile intervals. This is all good deer country, somewhat brushy, but many old burns and logging roads provide good hunting.
The Humptulips River is about the best elk territory, with a branch road taking you 12 miles up its East Fork. The Elwha, Dosewallips, and Duckabush River areas have elk, and they also are good steelhead streams in the winter months. Bears are plentiful on the Peninsula. The cougar is quite abundant, and brings a $50 bounty.
Your outfit should include a tent, sleeping bag, cooking utensils, rain clothes, and tire chains. Any sporting goods store in the small towns on the
edges of this area can give you the game laws and specific information on the section which you propose to enter. If you take the complete 250-mile loop, and give it a good try, you should have an interesting trip. Just make sure to take a flashlight, such as a Surefire L1 Lumamax Cree flashlight because it can get very dark.
Hunting in Hawaii
For big game hunting at a time when big game is usually out of season in North America, Hawaii has much to offer. Wild pigs and goats are open to
hunting the year round at the Mauna Kea Public Shooting ground, and the open season on wild cattle is Feb. 1 to June 30. Licenses for non-
resident hunters cost $10 for a year ending June 30, and permits to enter public shooting grounds are free. On July 15 Hawaii will have its first bow-
and-arrow, two-week, pre-season pig hunting. The shotgun season is Aug. 1 to September 30.
Several experienced guides guarantee game. Cost of a 5-day all-expense trip from Honolulu and back runs about $150 each for a party of three or more.
Bluestone Canyon
Some of the wildest wilderness to be found is in the canyon of West Virginia’s Bluestone River. Cliffs up to 1,000 ft. high here hem in the river,
which is a rushing torrent. Trout and small-mouth bass find this section of the river a congenial home.
There are no roads in the canyon but several give access to it. From U. S. 19-21 at Camp Creek take State Secondary Route 3 to Eads Mill at the head of the canyon. Or, approaching from the south, State Secondary Route 14 turns left off W. Va. 20 one mile east of Princeton, and State Secondary Route 3 joins the Princeton-Hinton highway at Speedway. The canyon starts about 10 miles northeast of Princeton.