Caution: Big game hunting seasons are open, and it's prime time for Cast & Blast

Hunting season is upon us! Be sure to wear bright colors as Wendy and I did in the Silver City area. 

Fall trips provide great opportunities to see wildlife. We've seen multiple black bears in Hells Canyon. 

Fall chinook on the line! 

Hi all,

Head's up folks! It's that time of year when Idaho and out-of-state hunters are heading into the mountains to pursue big game. General deer season opened on Wednesday, Oct. 10th, pretty much statewide, including Unit #39 in the Boise River Mountains. Elk season will be coming soon on Nov. 1 in Unit #39, but it opens sooner than that in many units.

During hunting season, it's important to wear bright colors if you're going to be out hiking, biking or trail-running in the Boise River Wildlife Management Area, the Boise, Payette and Sawtooth National Forests or out in the Owyhees. Put bright colors on your dogs, too. Remember that you should expect to see hunters in some of your favorite recreation areas, and share the resource. If you don't want to see hunters or hear gunfire, stick close to home in the lower part of the Boise foothills.

If you're interested in learning more details about hunting seasons in various parts of Idaho, check out the Idaho Big Game regulations booklet online or pick one up anyplace where hunting licenses are sold. If you're ever thought about going hunting yourself, the big game regs are the go-to source for deciding what species to hunt, when the seasons occur, etc.

Speaking of hunting, now is the perfect time to be thinking about doing a cast-and-blast fishing and bird-hunting trip ... Watch the weather for the best experience, but I'd recommend trying to squeeze in a late-season float trip on the Lower Salmon River, Main Salmon or Hells Canyon to fish and hunt chukars. This has been an annual tradition for me since the late 1980s, and it's always a great time.



In a matter of days, the steelhead will be running stronger up the Salmon River and Snake River, so you could add these beautiful ocean-going fish to the list of fish you might catch. If you have people in your group who carry big-time fish tackle for sturgeon, that'd be another potential prize to pursue.

From the standpoint of trip logistics, it's easiest to put together a Lower Salmon or Hells Canyon trip in SW Idaho. For those who live near Stanley, Salmon or Idaho Falls, a Main Salmon trip would be easier to pull off, but it also would take more days to do the 80-mile trip. The South Fork Snake River is another great fall trip near Idaho  Falls, where you can fly fish for trout and maybe find a grouse in the woods above camp. Plus, you're likely to see moose and bald eagles.

Here are some basics on the fall river trips:

• Hells Canyon - Put in a Hells Canyon Dam and float to Pittsburg Landing, a distance of about 35 miles. This trip is easily doable in three or four days. Take as much time as possible. Only self-issue permits are required, available at the web site. Shuttles can be arranged through Scotty's gas station in Pine, Oregon for $160 cash. They do a marvelous job! 
• Lower Salmon Canyon - Float from Hammer Creek to Heller Bar or arrange for a jet boat shuttle to Pittsburg Landing from the mouth of the Salmon. It's almost 50 miles from Hammer Creek to the mouth of the Salmon, and the river is running very low (3,500 cfs), so allow for plenty of time to do your float. Fishing is limited to small-mouth bass and steelhead in this section. 
• Salmon River near Riggins - If you don't have time to do a longer trip, you could put in at Carey Creek or Vinegar Creek and float down to Riggins while fishing for steelhead and hunting chukars. 
• South Fork Snake River - Put in at Palisades Dam for the long version of the float or at Swan Valley and float to the takeout at Heise. The South Fork Lodge in Swan Valley does shuttles. Check with the experts on what kinds of flies the fish are taking. The cuts on the South Fork get fished very hard by a steady stream of outfitters every day. By this time of year, it's more locals than outfitters. Here's a blog post I did on the South Fork two years ago. 

One more thing, there's a new closure on the Boise River Greenbelt to note: From the Idaho Parks and Recreation state office and Shakespeare theater entrance to Diversion Dam will close on Oct. 25 and remain closed for repairs until June 22, 2018.

Have fun and enjoy the fall!
- SS

Big game rifle seasons open in SW Idaho on Friday; a few tips on where to avoid hunters

Deer season opens Friday in many parts of Idaho. 

Hi all,

Head's up to hikers, trail-runners, mountain bikers and campers ... General deer season opens Friday, Oct. 10 in many parts of Idaho, and will remain open through the end of the month. Then, elk season will be following Nov. 1-9, and there are a multiplicity of hunting seasons that will be running through the fall, including upland bird hunting, duck hunting next to the rivers, and more.

If you're planning to go for an outing in the woods, be sure to wear bright colors -- hunter orange is pretty darn bright and effective! -- and put a hunter orange vest on your dog.

If you'd like to check out the hunting regulations to know the exact dates for the various hunting seasons, check out the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's web site for more information.

In the meantime, here are a few suggestions on where you might avoid hunters:

• Ridge to Rivers trails in the Boise Foothills. The lower foothills trails would be best. There will be road hunters on the Boise Ridge Road, Rocky Canyon Road, Bogus Basin area, and in the Boise River Wildlife Management  Area, north of Harris Ranch. BTW, sheep were seen on the upper Three Bears trail yesterday; they are moving west for the next couple of weeks in the mid-foothills. 
• October is a great month for visiting the Idaho Bird Observatory on top of Lucky Peak. I noticed that the public is invited to help the bird observatory crew work with owls on the 10th and 11th of October this weekend. See this web site for more information. Here's a video about the operation up there. Great chance to see birds of prey as they move from the Boise Foothills to points south. 
• Trails in the Owyhee Front would be a good place to go without seeing very many hunters. Check out my book, The Owyhee Canyonlands - An Adventure Guide for specific ideas. I would recommend Succor Creek State Park, Leslie Gulch, Sage Creek, Browns Creek, Toy Pass and Between the Creeks as great places to explore this time of year.
• Trails in the Hailey, Ketchum Sun Valley area such as Greenhorn Gulch, Hyndman Creek, Adams Gulch, and Galena Lodge area. 
• Trails close to McCall such as Ponderosa State Park or Jug Mountain Ranch.    
• Tamarack Resort Trails close to the resort. There are a bunch of short singletracks that are fun for hiking and biking like Pelican, Kestrel and Wild Turkey.  
•  Anywhere you go in the Boise, Sawtooth or Payette national forest, you are likely to see hunters, so be aware of that. 

As I have done for a number of years, I am going to take a break with my outdoor tips during the fall hunting season, and start them up again after the snow flies. Have fun out there!

- SS