Retired Washington Critter Researcher’s New Book A Wild Ride

I think deep down inside every Northwest sportsman is an urge to be a fish and/or wildlife biologist. Maybe we don’t recognize it as such, but it’s there – a fascination with the natural world and how it all works.

Why are bucks and bulls where they are at such and such time; why do salmon and steelhead do what they do? How can I use this info to not only be more successful, but also ensure the critters have what they need to survive and thrive for the long haul?

I’m also very interested in the folks who make such a calling a professional career, and so I was very excited to read Scott McCorquodale’s new book Chasing Wildlife Secrets: A Biologist’s Journey about his life and times as a Washington wildlife researcher.

As a longtime Northwest hook-and-bullet magazine editor, I thought I knew a lot about what all goes into it, but in his memoir, McCorquodale really opened my eyes to the thrills and chills as well as the drudgery that the scientific monitoring of elk, deer, bears and more entails. 

Mixing in laugh-out-loud moments with deep insights, McCorquodale chronicles his 40-year career from grad student to regional wildlife manager, from studying Hanford’s inexplicable wapiti herd to trapping Klickitat muleys to dealing with Buttons The Elk That Thought She Was A Human, a span of time that also saw vast technological improvements in data collection and number crunching, which he also traces.

Indeed, it’s not just a book about McCorquodale darting, collaring and tracking critters – of which he did puh-lenty of – but the folks who trusted him to do the science or assisted him in the field: his tribal and state bosses, fellow “muggers” and especially, the gifted and daring pilots like Jess Hagerman who helped make it all possible. I appreciated that he dedicated space to tell their stories, ones that otherwise might go untold.

While McCorquodale has written numerous scientific papers, here his words flow across the pages like elk running through Washington’s meadows in highly readable prose that is also educational and advocates for a collaborative approach to wildlife management. Through his book, I have a higher appreciation for those who make studying wildlife their career so that hunters can harvest a few, the public can enjoy viewing them, and elk and other wildlife have what they need to thrive forever.

Editor’s note: Chasing Wildlife Secrets: A Biologist’s Journey by Scott McCorquodale was published this week by Washington State University Press and is available at bookstores and at wsupress.wsu.edu/product/chasing-wildlife-secrets.