Sockeye returns, and the upcoming hunting season

Sockeye returns around Southcentral must be doing quite well so far this season. I’m seeing a lot of comments on social media about how easily and quickly folks are limiting out on their daily bag limits. I’ve also been receiving emergency orders from across Southcentral from Fish and Game about raising the daily bag and possession limits for sockeye salmon in many of the systems. Some rivers have had the daily bag limit doubled and one system has seen the bag nearly tripled for sports anglers.

This is all well and good for the inriver users but there will be a downside coming in the near future. Historically, when sockeye runs are strong in Cook Inlet, Fish and Game adds additional fishing time to the weekly commercial fishing fleet (think drifters) schedule to try to control the large numbers of fish entering the rivers. Because silver salmon will be running with the sockeyes, they will be intercepted along with the reds in commercial nets. That has often led to lower numbers of Coho available in the sports fishery.

Coho return numbers are chronically hard to predict and the last few seasons have seen below average numbers available. This has translated into slow fishing for those folks chasing silvers. It would be nice to also see a strong return of Coho this year and a good escapement through the nets and into the rivers.

I’ve yet to go fishing this season because of shoulder surgery rehab, but I am planning to give it a try a little later this month and on into August. I’ll probably be bank fishing in some of our usual spots, and, hopefully, get a fish or two hooked up and landed. I’ll be going through my silver salmon gear shortly to make sure things are ready to go, but I’m hoping there will actually be some fish available to be caught.

On another topic, one provision in the recent economic bill passed by Congress and signed by the President is the elimination of the $200 tax when applying to own a suppressor, which is often referred to as a silencer, for your firearm. Ownership of such a device is controlled under the National Firearms Act of 1934, where an in-depth background check of the applicant is required along with the one-time tax.

The so-called silencer doesn’t silence the report of your firearm when fired, but it does reduce the decibels of the sound. The media and Hollywood have portrayed the use of this device as a tool for assassins, spies, and criminals. That makes for good film footage, but it is hardly real.

A suppressor reduces the decibels of the sound of a shot to a level usually around or just below the level where hearing damage starts to occur. This is seen as a safety feature when hunting or shooting at a range. I’ve thought about getting one for one of my firearms, but the base price of a suppressor costs about as much as a good rifle. With the added tax, purchasing one is beyond my financial limits.

Several years ago, I met some Europeans vacationing in Alaska. Most of these guys were former military in their respective country (I believe they were Swiss). We started talking guns and they had a tough time accepting that we (Americans) could own semi-automatic firearms yet had suppressors so tightly controlled. Where they lived, ownership of semiauto firearms was very tightly controlled or even banned, yet they could walk into any store that sold suppressors and buy one over the counter with no restrictions. Again, this was seen as a safety factor and noise control issue there.

Now with the tax being eliminated, I would expect the volume of purchases of a suppressor will increase, which should help bring the cost of an individual unit down. Maybe I’ll get one sometime down the road.

On yet a third topic, hunting season is fast approaching and it’s time to start getting gear organized and ready to go. My hunting will be somewhat limited because a heavy recoiling rifle for moose isn’t what the doctor ordered just yet for my shoulder, but we’re getting there. I’m already planning a small game hunt up north and some local trips for grouse and ptarmigan. Since I have the methods and means exemption to use my crossbow during archery season, I may use it mostly when out chasing moose. I’ve got a couple of smaller gauge shotguns to ease the stress on the shoulder.