Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge — Attraction in Toppenish

My dog & I had the worst hunting experience of our lives yesterday. I was bird hunting one of the Yakima Nation feel free to hunt areas. The Yakima Nation block is immediately adjacent to one of the 80 acre TNWR blocks that is open to hunting along Pumphouse road 1/2 mile from Island Road. As we hunted along the east & north boundaries my dog went in to the TPNR unit numerous time as she attempted to find birds. As I approached the NW corner of the property l shot a quail that fell within the Refuge property in heavy cover. My dog could not find it and I decided to go in & help her. It is then I discovered the worst barbed wire I had ever seen. The wire had huge barbs & was strung so tight & so low to the ground I could not pass. I looked for places for safe passage thru the fence & could find none. We could not retrieve the bird. There are numerous hunter unfriendly units in this Yakima Nation hunting area but this piece on the boundary of the TPNR is the worst I have ever experienced. When I got back to my car I noticed my dog had numerous cuts to her back and legs from the barbed wire. I will be contacting the Refuge this morning to find why they would put such nasty barbed wire on a unit that is open to the public. It is completely unacceptably & totally unnecesary to use barbed wire on public land in this manner. I would caution anyone with a hunting dog or young hunters to avoid the property boundaries (barbed wire fences) of any of the Toppinish National Wildlife Refuge units. In less than 2 hours of hunting near the barb wire fences my dog was covered with cuts on her back, legs, nose & belly. Also the fence is too tall to climb over & there are few if any passage ways to get through the...

This is a great little place to take a stroll with the kids and the dog. The trail is a reclaimed road, wide and level. As it beats the creek, be sure to look for herons and waterfowl. Numerous species of birds can be spotted in the trees and bushes. You may even find yourself following a coyote, as I did today. There is a visitor center but you should check the website if hoping to find it open. This is open all year long during daylight hours and it is worth the stop if you are...

Best weather in Washington this cold day in January, nice blinds, but only a few birds. Took a nice hike or jog around the perimeter trails with my two labs. Nothing special, but relaxing and pleasant. Great view of Mt. Adams and mountains, hills, and lakes. Sunset was nice. No problems here with...