GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY, Wash. - The Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office responded to a missing person report on the Upper Donovan yesterday afternoon, where an 85 year old Westport Man and his 82 year old Wife had gone mushroom picking. The two became seperated when the man was able to get back to their vehicle and contact authorities.

Undersheriff Rick Scott said that they were able to locate the woman around 5:30 evening.Scott said this incident is a reminder "when you go out, whether it's hunting, or mushroom picking, or just out for a hike in the woods, you always got to go out there with the mindset that you may find yourself lost and unable to make it back" Scott said that Wednesday's outcome could have been far worse.

A three-month public comment period on a draft state wolf conservation and management plan has begun, and will include a dozen public meetings held by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

The meetings will take place from Oct. 20 through Nov. 10 at locations around the state. An earlier schedule of meetings, posted on WDFW’s website, has been revised to allow more time for public review of the draft plan.

The draft plan is the preferred alternative among four presented in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), as required by the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The DEIS and draft wolf plan are available on the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildlife/management/gray_wolf/. Desk copies of the DEIS will be available at WDFW regional offices and public libraries by Oct. 9. Those unable to view or download the DEIS on the website can request paper or compact disc copies by calling (360) 902-2515.

Comments can be submitted through Jan. 8 electronically at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildlife/management/gray_wolf/mgmt_plan.html, by FAX to (360) 902-2946, or by U.S. Mail to: WDFW SEPA Desk, 600 Capitol Way N. Olympia, WA 98501-1091.

Big-game hunters are shifting their sights from deer to elk, while bird hunters look forward to new flights of ducks and geese.  Anglers, meanwhile, are reeling in an assortment of coho, chinook and chum salmon from waters around the state, and crab fishing is reopening in Nov. 1 in two areas of Puget Sound.

Temperatures are dropping and more rain is in the forecast, but that is welcome news for many hunters around the state, said Don Don Kraege, waterfowl manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

"Hunters did well during the first couple weeks of the season because the weather distributed the birds throughout the area," Kraege said. "There’s more blustery weather in the forecast, and that should continue to improve hunting prospects on both sides of the Cascades."