The 2012 Wild Turkey Spring Season pamphlet is now available in sporting goods stores. The spring season dates are April 15 through May 31. The hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Legal birds will be turkeys with visible beards only. A total of three turkeys may be taken during the spring season. Only one turkey may be taken in Western Washington outside of Klickitat County, but two turkeys may be taken in Klickitat County.

In Eastern Washington, only one turkey may be taken in Chelan, Kittitas and Yakima counties, combined. Two turkeys may be taken in the other counties of Eastern Washington.

Youth season

The spring youth turkey season will be held on April 7 and 8 for hunters under 16 years of age in all Game Management Units. A youth hunter is defined as being under 16 years old when they buy a license.

Youth must use the standard hunting methods for hunting turkey; shotgun or bow and arrow only and all other turkey hunting regulations apply.

This is a grand opportunity for a mentor to assist a youth hunter in the finer points of turkey hunting.

Report wolf activities online

The public can now report wolf activities to Fish and Wildlife by using an online reporting system. Anyone who believes they have seen a wolf, heard one howl or found other evidence of wolves anywhere in the state is encouraged to file a report the Fish and Wildlife website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/reporting/.

The information provided in the reports will help wildlife managers document wolf activity and build a database on wolves in Washington. This is becoming more important as wolves spread out across the state.

Virtually absent from the state for more than 70 years, gray wolves are now dispersing into eastern Washington and the North Cascades from adjacent populations in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and British Columbia.

During spring and summer, state wildlife managers will use citizen reports to help locate new wolf packs and pups. As part of the effort, they will capture and fit wolves with radio collars to monitor their movements.

Those who file a wolf-activity report using the new online system are asked to provide their name and other identifying information, along with an account of their observations. An interactive map on that site allows users to determine and log the latitude and longitude of the activities they have observed.

By early summer, the site will include a map displaying areas of the state where wolf activity has been reported.

The online system does not replace the phone line livestock owners can call to reach the Fish and Wildlife enforcement office if they suspect that wolves are preying on their livestock. In those cases, livestock owners can call 1-877-933-9847 or reach local WDFW police officers through the Washington State Patrol.

Gray wolves are currently listed as endangered under state law throughout Washington and under federal law in the western two-thirds of the state.

Higher catch quota expected for chinook

Anglers fishing along the Washington coast will likely see a higher catch quota for chinook salmon this year, while the quota for coho is expected to be similar to last season, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Three ocean salmon-fishing options approved recently by the Pacific Fishery Management Council anticipate an abundance of chinook in the ocean, but a down year for Columbia River hatchery coho salmon. The Council establishes fishing seasons in ocean waters 3 to 200 miles off the Pacific coast.

The three options establish a framework for developing fishing opportunities on healthy wild and hatchery stocks while meeting conservation goals for weak salmon populations.

Chinook salmon abundance in the ocean is expected to look much like it did last season, when there was a strong return to the Columbia River. The challenge this year will be to ensure we meet our conservation goals for coho while still providing a full season of meaningful fishing opportunities in the ocean.

A chance to share photos

Fish and Wildlife is asking anglers, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts to share their outdoor adventures with others who enjoy hunting, fishing and observing the natural world. Photos are now being accepted for a new online gallery of images submitted by people enjoying the great outdoors.

Key subjects for the online gallery include hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing, as well as scenic photos of designated wildlife areas. Photos selected for display in the gallery may also be used in other electronic and print publications produced by the department.

We think this is a great way to show off your photos. Of course, by agreeing to the terms and conditions, you are allowing Fish and Wildlife a royalty-free license to publicly display, reproduce and use the photographs in any form or media for any and all editorial and related promotional purposes in perpetuity. But you will retain the copyright to your photos.

Hunting pamphlet cover photo needed

The theme of this year's Hunting Pamphlet is youth hunting. Fish and Wildlife wants to feature a youth with a harvested big game animal for the 2012 Hunting Pamphlet. If you have such a photo, please submit by April 6, 2012.

Guidelines:

For a picture to be eligible for the pamphlet, the image must be a picture of a youth, under age 18 at time of picture, wearing appropriate blaze orange and following all hunter safety practices and with a harvested big game animal; deer, elk or bear.

The image should be tastefully composed, high resolution, print-quality, at a minimum of 300 dots per inch. TIFF files are preferable, but high-resolution JPEG files are acceptable. To be considered for the 2012 pamphlet, pictures need to be submitted by April 6, 2012.

Hunting:

Deer and elk hunters have until March 31 to enter their name in a drawing for a 2012 multiple-season permit, which can greatly increase their opportunities for success in the field.

In mid-April, Fish and Wildlife will randomly draw names for 8,500 multiple-season deer permits and 1,000 multiple-season elk permits.

Winners of the drawing will be eligible to purchase a special tag allowing them to participate in archery, muzzleloader and modern-firearm general hunting seasons for deer or elk in 2012.

Winners who purchase the multiple-season elk tag by Aug. 31 can participate in general elk-hunting season in both eastern and western Washington. They also may apply for special permits to hunt deer or elk, regardless of weapon type.

The permit application is $6 for residents and $100 for nonresidents. A 2012 hunting license is not required to submit an application, but winners of the drawing must purchase one before they can purchase a multiple-season tag.

Wildlife viewing:

The first sandhill cranes are expected to fly into the Columbia Basin any day now.

Around 35,000 lesser sandhill cranes migrate through the Pacific Flyway and many of these birds travel through the Basin during their spring and fall migrations, according to Fish and Wildlife. These cranes winter in the southern portion of California's Central Valley and pass through on their way to nesting sites in the Matanuska River Valley and Bristol Bay areas of south-central Alaska.

The greatest concentration of cranes arrives in March and can be found in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge marsh units, Frenchmen Reserve, Potholes Reservoir, Scootney Reservoir, and Winchester Reserve. Good numbers of the big birds are usually in the area through mid-April.