You may have heard, or read, that a shortage of Christmas trees across the country is driving prices up significantly. There are several reasons for the shortage, starting with the major effects of the 2008 recession and ending with recent drought and forest fires. During that recession, a big drop in sales led to prices so low that tree farmers were selling their suddenly-overabundant yule trees for less than the cost of growing them. That led to fewer trees being planted and – now – fewer trees available across the country.

We in Washington, of course, are luckier that most regions of the country. We are surrounded (almost) by “perfect” trees, and the cutting permits are only a fin (half a sawbuck) each. This is a perfect year to start a new tradition or add onto an existing one. If you and your family generally purchase a tree, why not plan a family fresh air excursion into the National Forest ground around us? If you already make that annual family tree hunt, why not plan to include a neighbor – or the whole neighborhood – on a Community Christmas Tree Hunt?

This “tree hunt” is an inexpensive and simple endeavor. Think about it: the USFS Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Christmas tree permit is close by and five bucks; the trees are within a 10 to 30 mile drive of your home; you likely have the vehicle for the weather; a saw or axe; hot chocolate, coffee, hot cider, snacks and sandwiches are always handy this time of year; and you have now rounded up your winter clothing. This is an easy and joyful opportunity to celebrate the Christmas season.

Start by selecting your group – family or friends or both. Then obtain the number of needed $5 permit/tree tags. Get them online or over-the-counter.

Pick up permits at: Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce, 609 North Main in Ellensburg; Cle Elum Visitors Center, 312 West First Street in Cle Elum; Mac-A-Bee Gifts of the Southwest, 1401 Airport Road in Cle Elum; Pioneer Coffee Company, 121 N Pennsylvania Ave in Cle Elum; Sportland Shell Mini Mart on Hwy 903 between Cle Elum & Roslyn; and Basecamp Books and Bites, 110 W Pennsylvania Ave in Roslyn. [Remember that your fourth-grader can get a free tree permit by presenting their Every Kid Outdoors Pass to all federal lands, or the voucher available at everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm.]

If you prefer, make online purchases on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest webpage at www.fs.usda.gov/main/okawen/passes-permits.

Next is the simple process or deciding where to go hunt your tree(s). Each year, on our “tree hunt” our family and entourage heads for a small pocket of perfect Douglas firs in the Upper County. There we wander from perfect tree to perfect tree until each tree needed has received proper approval. Other friends swear by an area up Table Mountain, or some hidden stand of trees somewhere up Manastash. Maps of National Forest land (all open for Christmas tree hunting) around the area are handed out with each permit. For PDF maps of open areas across the forest, the simple rules for cutting, along with videos, photos and coaching, however, you might spend a few minutes on the forest webpage. Look it all over and pick a spot or two.

Once you get out there, you will likely have choices of tree types. My family always goes for a Douglas fir, probably because The Old Man – my father – insisted that this was the only true and genuine Christmas tree. The grand fir, noble fir, Pacific silver fir and subalpine fir also make beautiful trees. Poke around the USFS webpage, above, for photos and characteristics, then choose the tree that wants to celebrate with you.

This tree hunt can be a lifelong family and friend tradition. Many decades ago, at some point in December, we would head up to Uncle Ed and Aunt Evy’s place on the Little Chumstick, out of Leavenworth, Washington. Somewhere on those hillsides was the perfect tree, and only a unanimous vote would get it cut. Tree after tree received a split ballot, but over time my younger siblings would grow weary of democracy, and some perfect young Douglas fir would get a unanimous, teeth-chattering, “Aye!” The Old Man would thank God for our family and outing and the tree for its gift of holiday cheer, and cut the tree.

Years later, from Denver, I would take my Hucklings and their mom on a drive into the Pike National Forest foothills southwest of the metro area. In a conga line of hundreds of chained-up rigs, we would snake our way along the designated one-way trail. About two hours out of our driveway, we’d pull off the trail and pile into the snow. After a bit of “Up there, dad!” or “Over there, mom” we would achieve a unanimous vote, and inaugurate our Christmas season.

Again, probably this week, we will gather family and our permits and head up the County. We all still need the fresh air and the celebration of the hunt for this icon of the season. Decorated with the trappings of faith and family ways, surrounded and filled with gifts, the Christmas tree – with its scent filling the home – is still the focal point of most of our family celebrations.

Pick a day, grab the gang, clothing, tools, food and drink, and go find your tree!

How difficult it must have been to watch your less-disciplined friends and family succumb to the lure of Black Friday, as you awaited the local list of hot gifts for 2019. Thanks for your patience; the Gifting in Support of Homey Businesses Subcommittee of the Reecer Creek Rod, Gun, Working Dog & Outdoor Think Tank Benevolent Association acknowledges you.

Here are local – Kittitas County, Washington – stores, but the gifts suggested will be found most anywhere outdoor nuts gather.

Starting at the western stretch of our Kittitas valley, and up the hill a bit, is Three Forks Ammo & Reloading on the main drag in Cle Elum. There is a broad selection of gift ideas among the 12,000 items in the store, and you will be hard-pressed to find any store within 150 miles carrying more or better reloading equipment than Three Forks. In store are top of the line Forster and Dillon brand equipment and tools, and the popular Hornady Lock-n-Load Classic Reloading Kit ($275, with a 500 bullet rebate). Individual reloading classes are free, on demand. The store holds more bullets and live ammo in more calibers (plenty of .22) than ever, with deep discounts on case lots of handgun, .223, and other ammo. A big supply of muzzleloader and cap and ball pistol supplies and arms (no federal paperwork needed) are available for the holiday, along with pellet and BB guns, including the Daisy Red Riders. John and Chris have it or will find it. Check out www.threeforksreloading.com or call 509-674-2295.

Toward the other end of the valley, Kittitas’ Sure Shot Guns & Pawn – once again voted the Best of the Best Gun Shops in the County – has a big selection of new and consigned firearms of all types. Dozens of stocking stuffers for all ages of outdoor nuts, including stripped lowers for DIY folks, utility knife tools and gift packs, suppressors, youth .22 rifles and Woodhouse Smoked Meat packages. A good supply of bulk .223 and 9mm ammo is specially priced, and targets range from clay pigeons to exploders designed for several calibers. Badland clothing and packs carry lifetime warranties. A variety of gun safes are available – always out the door with no sales tax. Todd and Melody and crew have an easy quick set up to handle background checks for purchasers of most firearms, and other restricted items. There is never a charge for special orders, which usually arrive in 2-5 days, and gift certificates are available for any amount. Your questions are always welcome at 509-968-4867 or www.sureshotguns.com.

Nika Mihailov and his Kittitas County Trading Company crew on Main Street in Ellensburg have pulled together an excellent selection of shooting and outdoor gifts. Now is the time to pick up any semi-auto rifle (all calibers) before new rules come into effect. AR-style handguns, rifles and semi-auto shotguns are in good supply, along with a wide selection of ammo for all calibers. In store, you will also find good quality used outdoor gear, game cameras, and self-defense handguns (with needed concealed-carry accessories). Of course, the Trading Company is the only place in the region with a real selection of M-1 Garands and other military surplus items. Nika is still paying top dollar for gold and silver (check your old or broken jewelry) – a good way to start shopping with a pocket full of unexpected cash. If you are looking for something in particular, or have a question, call the crew at 509-925-1109.

Ellensburg Bi-Mart sporting goods pros Mike and Ron are determined to have what you need, with a big selection of gifts and stocking-stuffers you might not expect. This Christmas’ stocking stuffers include trigger locks, headlamps, keychain and “shot shell” flashlights, .22, BB, and pellet gun ammo, special winter outdoor socks, ice-grippers for shoes, and several name-brand knife sets. Under-the-tree gifts range from boy and girl .22 rifles to on-sale handguns, shotguns, and long guns for the bigger members of the family. Add in a number of smokers (and the supplies to go with them), that new Stinger Challenge airsoft pistol “dart board” game, a variety of men’s and women’s outdoor winter boots, and insulated under layers for outdoor time, and you will likely find what you need to get through the coming winter – inside or outside. 509-925-6971 will get you to one of the Bi-Mart sporting goods pros.

Fishing and/or hunting licenses? See Bi-Mart, Freddies, or fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/#/login (you will need username and password online). Any license will fit nicely under the tree.

Then there is that parent-kid – or whole-family – gift which will last through winter and beyond. The 2019-20 16-week Light Rifle Class League starts a week from tomorrow at the Valley Rifle and Pistol Club on 15th Avenue in Ellensburg. If you are unsure about joining, remember that a first time tryout can be free – the range folks will have a loaner .22, ammo, and coaching. If you decide this is for your gang, you pay one small fee for the entire household, then bring your own rifle (or there will still be a loaner handy) and ammo. The Club will supply regulation 10-bull NRA targets, a modern heated range facility, the direction of a qualified range master, and great league-long coaching. What better gift could you give your children and family? Learn the responsibility and discipline of safe shooting and firearm handling while enjoying week after week of the simple pleasure of putting holes in paper exactly where you want them. Mel Goudge at 509-925-4285 or Hal Mason at 509-962-3002 will help you get your household in the game.

One final thought for this episode: if one or another of the women in your family is receiving a handgun, make that holiday gift complete with a one-day safe shooting and handling class just for her (or them). Or maybe you just want her/them to learn safe handgun handling. In either case, contact certified instructor Marilyn Mason at 509-962-3002.

Buy in Paradise. You’ll find virtually everything your outdoor nut needs close at hand.

Joyful gifting and Merry Christmas…

For one reason or another – parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and whoever else might have shown up – I have in the back of my mind a nearly-constant conversation about food and food traditions this time every year.

It all moved to the front of my mind as we opened our Checkerboard Partnership at the Swauk-Teanaway Grange a bit over a week ago. The Partnership is working to create a community forest of land around and near Roslyn in the Upper County. That meeting of a couple dozen active citizens, officials, agencies, businesses and organizations began with self-introductions and an “ice-breaker” question.

The question each was to answer was something to the effect of “What food must be a part of your Thanksgiving dinner celebration?” While several of us voted for turkey and cranberry sauce or dressing or pies or whatever, the most popular response was “mashed potatoes and gravy.”

Out of that brief go-round, came a bit of conjuring with the question of how far, or not, we have come since that fall, 1621, feast at Plymouth Colony. That is the harvest meal which we recognize as the first “Thanksgiving” in what became the USA. It is pretty easy to find a summary of the foods eaten on that day, but I like the piece Megan Gambino wrote for Smithsonian.com on Nov. 21^st of 2011. (No mashed potatoes and gravy, by the way.)

Wildfowl (waterfowl, grouse, turkey), shellfish, squash (pumpkins), along with corn – used for bread and porridge – and venison were on that early menu. Ms. Gambino made note of the two surviving references to that harvest celebration shared by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag at Plymouth Colony. One was a letter to a friend in England, written by Edward Winslow: “Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others.” The governor – William Bradford – noted that “…besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. …[N]ow since harvest, Indian corn.”

[Find more about that first celebration (good family then-and-now discussion, actually) at www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-was-on-the-menu-at-the-first-thanksgiving-511554/#UP7KBeO2JArJRzm2.99.]

Following that first feast, Thanksgiving became an annual custom throughout New England. In 1777 the Continental Congress declared the first national American Thanksgiving following the Patriot victory at Saratoga. President George Washington, in 1779, became the first president to proclaim the holiday – Thursday, November 26 – to be a day of national thanksgiving for the U.S. Constitution. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to be a national celebration on the last Thursday of November. Franklin D. Roosevelt moved it up a week, but recanted after much protest. On November 26, 1941, he signed a bill into law officially making the fourth Thursday in November the national holiday of Thanksgiving Day.

It occurs to me that my family and I have enjoyed any number of Thanksgiving traditions reminiscent of that 1621 feast. Venison and gamebirds have regularly accompanied our turkey and stuffing centerpiece. Admittedly, our food is prepared differently than the boiling and fire roasting common in those earliest days, and they certainly did not have pies (no wheat flour and crusts), but there are nods we all make to that first feast. And, I think we still find a moment to be thankful for the “harvest” of the gifts that make our lives whole.

Consider the life value of being thankful for what we have – and celebrating the pleasure of food. A couple decades back, psychologist Paul Rozen and some of his grad students at the University of Pennsylvania, interviewed over a thousand people (primarily in America and France) about food. What they found suggested that the better French health (even with a much richer diet) may have had a lot to do with state of mind. They found that the French associated eating with pleasure, while Americans tended to associate eating with health and nutrition – and fretting.

This idea of gratitude, joy, and health from eating is not new. Julia Child often spoke of health and joyful eating. Several of my Yakama and Nez Perce friends speak of prayer over food, to be joyfully consumed, as making the food “medicine.” I like praying over the plants and animals which honor me with the gifts of their flesh.

So, here’s to giving thanks for blessings and traditions. Here’s to food made medicine with gratitude and prayer. Here’s to your good health from joyfully consuming gifts of the earth.

May your traditions warm and sustain you through the coming season. Happy holidays.

It is that time again. The Kittitas Valley Rifle and Pistol Club (KVRPC), here in Ellensburg, Washington, is a couple weeks away from the 2019-20 Light Rifle Class League for families. This is the league largely devoted to families (parents, grandparents and kids) who are committed to safe and fun firearms training and practice for their youngsters.

The beauty of thinking about this particular club’s family shooting activities is that almost every town and city in the country has similar opportunities. Check around your neighborhood, gun shops and sporting good stores to find them wherever you are.

KVRPC’s Light Rifle Class League has been described as sixteen weeks of family fun; shooting at swinging targets, paper targets, and an occasional steel silhouette, in a warm, safe, and well-supervise environment. The inexpensive 16 week league program starts in just three weeks.  Bring your favorite .22 caliber rifle or .17 or larger serious air rifle (under 10 pounds), ammo and a desire for safe fun. Everything else will be waiting for you; regulation 10-bull NRA targets, a modern heated range facility, instruction, the direction of a qualified range master and coaching as needed/desired. If you don’t have a light rifle, the Club has one to loan you.

To get started in the league – or just to gather information for your decision – you will want to make the Fall Membership Meeting at the club’s HQ (608 West 15^th Avenue). That meeting is in a couple weeks, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3rd. You will meet the range and those who operate it, while checking out programs and fees to fit your family interests. The training and shooting pleasure of this winter will still light your youngsters’ eyes decades down the road. You will create a family memory that will never fade and a start a lifetime of family fun.

I like how Brett Hollar responded when I asked him about his years of shooting experience with son, Grant, and how that all plays out now that Grant is off to college and adulthood.

His boy started shooting .22 rifles with our local 4-H shooting club at about eight years of age. By the time he was 11 or 12, he was joining his father at KVRPC, and was pretty serious about putting holes in the right places on paper targets. Brett was doing competitive small bore shooting at the Club, and Grant joined him in regular league shooting, becoming the top marksman in a couple different leagues. Grant took up competitive handgun shooting at 14 under 4-H Club, KVRPC, and family supervision. As his skill grew, so did the time he and his father had together.

Grant got his big game hunting rifle at age 13 and that added shared time as hunting partners. More than just shared time, Brett will tell you, the shooting relationships among parents and youngsters are invariably marked by a very high level of respect and personal responsibility.

When I asked Brett about his now-off-to-the-world son, he paused and told me how very much he missed his hunting partner this fall. Then he added something to the effect of, “You know, our youngsters grow up, go off to college and careers. All those together times afield, pursuing game and birds during one season or another, just seem to disappear. But the love of target and competitive shooting is always there; there is no season. So, when we can, and do, get together and find some shared time – whatever the ‘season’ – we can go shooting. Shooting is forever!”

I can attest to that. Edward and Anna, last two of the Hucklings, were treasured hunting and fishing partners, along with their kid brother Jonathan. As working adults, their schedules have not meshed with many of the seasons we always enjoyed afield. On the other hand, Edward and Anna found an early December hole in their Los Angeles stunt, modeling and scriptwriting schedules, and Jonny had the same few days free from his Red Bull Adventure building and engineering work. Thus, we will assemble in a couple weeks for a Four-Day Defensive Handgun Class at one of our ranges at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute between Pahrump and Lost Wages, Nevada. We are adjusting to the changes in our relationships: we can rarely get together during hunting or fishing or camping “seasons,” but somewhere in there, there is always an opening for shooting. It will be a great family time.

Talk to any of the family members of KVRPC and they will have stories of father or mother son/daughter teams showing up to learn, grow and enjoy the Light Rifle League or one of the competitive leagues. They may note that girls are better shots among youngsters at the range, at least early on, because they seem to be listening, while the boys just want to start throwing lead down range. They will probably tell you that Hal and Marilyn Mason are the heart and backbone of the Club, leading other board and general members in a commitment to youngsters and safe, fun, family shooting, with coaching and kindness – and stern clarity when needed.

The Light Rifle (family fun for all skill levels) League starts Thursday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. Other shooting programs at the Club include Competitive Target Rifle shooting (starts 6 p.m. Tuesday Dec. 10), Bullseye Pistol Shooting (Wednesdays at Noon and 6, stating Dec. 11), and Marilyn Mason’s Basics of Pistol Shooting for Women on scheduled Saturdays – training 25 to 30 women yearly. The Club has loaner firearms for any of these shooting programs.

Find out more at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 3rd (above), or call Mel Goudge (509-925-4285) or Hal Mason (509-962-3002).

Here is an opportunity for you and your family to develop the skills, patience, discipline, respect and confidence that family recreational shooting programs promise and deliver.

It starts just in time to be one of the best Christmas gifts you will ever hand your household.

And, it’s a forever gift!

No doubt, if you follow wildlife issues across Washington – even if you are not a big game hunter – you are aware of the current diseases related to ungulates. We hear about the various pneumonia strains killing and affecting our wild sheep, the rapidly growing concern about deformed hooves of our elk, or wapiti, and a long-time concern over chronic wasting disease (DWD) in deer – not yet found in our state, but in deer just a state or province away.

Pros in the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) are focused on solving and managing all three of these disease concerns. For today, I want to consider the elk and deer issues.

DFW has been working with elk hunters on the other side of the Cascades since 2008, but recently sent an urgent request to elk hunters over here in eastern Washington. It looks like this: “Please note… If you harvest an elk in eastern Washington with deformed or abnormal hooves, please retain the hooves and immediately report your observation through WDFW’s online reporting form or by contacting WDFW’s elk specialist ([email protected]; 360-902-8133). You are not in violation of WAC 220-413-200 by removing hooves from the site of harvest in eastern Washington.”

This hoof disease, known as TAHD (treponeme-associated hoof disease), was first reported in the southwest portion of our state in 2008. It causes limping and lameness from abnormal hoof growth and lesions. In some cases, the outer shell of hooves may just start falling apart. DFW researchers and a group of scientist-advisors, found the abnormalities associated with the treponeme bacteria which cause digital dermatitis – a hoof disease which has affected the livestock industry (cattle, sheep, and goats) for decades. The 2008 discovery of TAHD was the first known occurrence of the disease in any wild ungulate.

Thus far, this hoof disease has been documented in elk in all our southwest counties, as well as Clallam, Jefferson, King, Whatcom, and Skagit Counties. In February of this year, DFW confirmed TAHD in Walla Walla County, the easternmost confirmation to date. This is a devastating problem for affected wapiti and it is on the move in our state. Thus, the request made of eastern elk hunters. You can learn more, and get more details, at wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/diseases.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is another story. It has yet to be found in Washington – or in any of our bordering states. It continues to spread, however, and is currently found in 24 states and two provinces. CWD is contagious and fatal in deer (white-tail, mule, and black-tail deer), elk, moose, and caribou. It is caused by mutated proteins known as prions, which can remain in the environment for years and be transmitted between members of the deer family through their feces, saliva, urine, and other bodily fluids.

It is a neurological disease, causing a spongy degeneration of the brains of infected animals resulting in emaciation, abnormal behavior, loss of bodily functions and death. It is among a group/family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Variants within this family include some which affect domestic sheep and goats (scrapie) and cattle (BSE, or “mad cow disease”). While rumors of a cure circulate from time to time, there is no cure on the horizon and the only control is, to the extent possible, isolating the infected animals.

CWD was first found in 1967 in a research mule deer herd in Colorado, and confirmed as a TSE in the 1970s. Within a few years it was found in elk of Colorado and in deer of Wyoming. Today, as noted above CWD is in members of the deer family in half the states of the Lower 48.

Washington has taken many steps over the years to prevent CWD from entering the state – and our wild ungulate populations. These steps have ranged from outlawing ungulate game farms and testing thousands of deer to creating a pretty strict set of rules for bringing game meat into our state from any CWD state where it was harvested. You will find those rules and more at wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/diseases/chronic-wasting. DFW encourages hunters to have deer tested for CWD in states where they are killed – that state will notify DFW and the hunter of a positive test for CWD and the meat from that animal will be confiscated and destroyed. (This has happened a handful of times over recent years.) While there currently is no scientific evidence of CWD being transmitted from animals to humans, agencies and the feds strongly recommend against eating meat from an animal that has tested positive.

Because there remain many mysteries about just how CWD spreads, and because it is still steadily spreading, this is a growing concern across the Northwest and the country. What, for example, is the role of wolves in the spreading of this disease? A number of studies across the country (Google “CWD and wolves”) maintain that wolves actually limit its spread. Yet, given the wide ranges of wolves, their ingestion of the parts of prey which carry the prions, and the fact that those prions would be dropped in wolf scat/feces wherever they travel, several biologists in Colorado and elsewhere are asking that dead wolves and wolf scat be tested for prions. DFW will be releasing new rules and policy for managing CWD in a couple months.

Learn more by reviewing the DFW website noted above, or the North American site at cwd-info.org/faq/ (and links there).

This conversation about current, and coming, diseases in our wild ungulates will continue as more is learned and new rules are promulgated. Stand by…