The Backwoods Gazette

Wildlife managers plan to use helicopter gunners and government trappers to kill wolves roaming the Lolo Zone, a remote, rugged area in the north-central part of the state once populated by some of Idaho's biggest elk herds. READ MORE!

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Brooks Range Caribou 'Drop Hunts' NOT fully guided - $2500, August 2012...Guided hunts starting at $4500! CLICK HERE!

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Salmon fishing in Idaho will be over for the year when the fall chinook harvest season ends Monday, Oct. 31, on the Snake and Clearwater rivers.

The season opened Sept. 1 on the Snake River between Lewiston and Hells Canyon Dam and in the Lower Clearwater River downstream of the U.S. 12 Memorial Bridge in Lewiston.

As of Oct. 24, anglers had caught 15 marked adults and 19 jacks, and caught and released 51 unmarked fish in the Lower Clearwater River.

They caught and kept 151 adults and 375 jacks in the Snake River, for a total of 560 fish.

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- Pitch your tent or park your RV where there’s direct morning sun. Mornings are typically the coldest part of the day, and shady spots warm slower. Avoid camping right next to lakes and streams because colder air settles there at night.
 
- Have a good sleeping bag or add a fleece liner. Liners usually keep you warmer than adding a blanket over your sleeping bag.
 
- Check out the desert. The nights are cool, but the days usually are sunny and warm.
 
- Travel on roads suitable for your vehicle in any weather. You may encounter heavy rain or snow in the fall, which makes dirt roads sloppy and slick. If rain or snow are likely, camp near a paved or gravel road so you won’t get stuck.
 
- If the weather forecast looks iffy, camp at a state park or a place with electric hookups and bathrooms with running water. It’s a luxury to run your furnace in your RV and not have to worry about draining your batteries. A hot shower is also nice in cool weather.
 
- If you’re planning to camp at a Forest Service campground, call the local ranger station to make sure it’s still open. Some close after Labor Day weekend.
 
- Fall is hunting season, so expect to see hunters and hear gunshots. If you’re a non-hunter, it’s still safe to do your favorite outdoor activities, but wear bright colors so you’re easily recognizable

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The season will run through Dec. 31 in Island Park and Beaverhead wolf management zones, through June 30 in the Lolo and Selway zones, and through March 31 in the remaining nine of the state’s 13 wolf management zones.
 
Licensed hunters may buy two tags per year. Wolf tags cost $11.50 for resident hunters and $31.75 for nonresidents.

Harvest limits are set in five zones — 40 in the Salmon, 60 in the Sawtooth, 25 in the Southern Mountains, 10 in the Beaverhead and 30 in the Island Park zones — to preserve connectivity with populations in other states.
 
Fish and Game will monitor the hunt daily. The seasons will close when the harvest limit for that zone is reached or at the season closing date.
 
To find out whether a wolf hunt zone is closed, call (855)648-5558 starting Aug. 30.
 
A wolf trapping season opens Nov. 15 and goes through March 31 in the Panhandle zone, except for units 2 and 3; in the Lolo zone; in the Dworshak-Elk City zone, except Unit 10A; in the Selway zone; and the Middle Fork zone.

All other zones are closed to trapping with the option of opening a trapping season in other zones upon commission review in January.
 
Details of wolf hunting and trapping seasons and rules are available on the Fish and Game’s website under big game seasons and rules at fishandgame.idaho.gov, and they arepublished in a brochure available at license vendors and Fish and Game offices.

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The Idaho Fish and Game Commission has approved a new set of rules guiding public hunting and trapping of wolves in the state's forests and backcountry.
 
The rules and dates approved by the commission at its meeting Thursday in Salmon includes a few minor changes to the blueprint drafted by state wildlife managers.
 
Those tweaks include elevated kill limits in hunting zones in eastern Idaho and extending the hunting season in two northern hunting zones where the predators are blamed by outdoorsman for reducing elk populations.
 
The commission's approval means the general wolf hunting season will have no quotas in about three-quarters of the territory now occupied by wolves.
 
Officials say Idaho will manage wolves and the hunt so that their population remains above 150 animals and 15 breeding pairs.

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Some early elk hunts open Aug. 1, most of them antlerless “green-field” hunts.
 
The early green-field hunts in seven elk management zones — Palouse, Weiser, Lemhi, Beaverhead, Pioneer, Snake River and Owyhee-South Hills zones — are meant to help landowners reduce crop damage, according to Idaho Fish and Game.
 
Early archery hunts also start Aug. 1 in the Snake River elk zone, and controlled green-field hunts also open in the Dworshak and Hells Canyon zones.
 
The green-field hunts are open only outside the national forest boundary and within one mile of cultivated fields.
 
They help reduce depredation problems and control populations causing crop damage by harvesting or discouraging animals in specific areas or portions of units, the agency said.
 
August hunts, however, bring concerns about waste. Hunters have an ethical and legal obligation to salvage the edible portions of their kill. But meat spoilage is an important concern during typical hot August weather, Fish and Game said.

The key to preserving meat is starting the cooling process quickly. Game animals should be skinned immediately and quartered in most cases and transported quickly to cold storage facilities.
 
Early season hunters may consider using large ice chests to keep game meat cool and clean. Removing meat from the bones also helps speed cooling.

Hunters must have a valid 2011 Idaho hunting license and tag in their possession, and they are encouraged to review the 2011 Big Game Rules for details.

Or go to the Fish and Game’s website at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov.

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Coincidentally, that's the same number Idaho set in 2009, but hunters only harvested 188 wolves here during that season. Montana has a smaller wolf population than Idaho. Official estimate is 556 in Montana vs. around 1,000 in Idaho, but some people argue there are more in both states. Idaho did not set a statewide quota for its wolf harvest, but will limit hunter kills in some areas.
 
Here are the details on the Montana hunt HERE

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BOISE, Idaho — Idaho wildlife managers have released their rules for the 2011-2012 wolf hunt.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials announced Friday there won't be quotas in much of the state.

That decision will please those who believe wolves have multiplied beyond acceptable levels but anger wildlife advocates who fear Idaho will manage wolves irresponsibly.

There will also be a 10-week trapping season from December to mid-February.

The state says it will manage wolves so that their population remains above 150 animals and 15 breeding pairs.

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Pay attention to the fine print there. Hells Canyon has three reservoirs: Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon, and that encompasses about 75 miles of water between upper end of Brownlee and Hells Canyon Dam... Read the rest of the story!

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Ok Folks,
This is it. We have 3 caribou hunts open for August this year. That's it! No
more! We have until July 23rd to get these filled. Hunts take place on the
Arctic Plain in Northern Alaska. 4 herds, 700,000 animals. These hunts are
100% success totally guided all inclusive but your airfare and tags. If you been wanting a great Barren Ground Caribou hunt but were unsure where to go; now you know! You will not be disappointed! Because these are cancellation hunts we're letting these 3 spots Aug. 21-28 2011 go cheap. $3,600 per hunter one 'bou. Second caribou trophy fee of $3,000. Wolves free! Don't wait. Don't ask for different dates.This is the only time your gonna see this. Call now! 1-208-283-9177

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(2,000 cfs) Hopefully summer weather is finally here, and with the increase in temperatures and lower water flows, we will start seeing some surface action. A few fish have been chewing on some Caddis on top. Start looking for big bugs, Salmon flies and Cicadas. Currently, Nymphing is still the most productive method with Stones and Caddis nymphs.
 
 
 
Flies you must have in your fly box when you go: #8 Jimmy Leg Stones, #14, Copper John Red, #14 BH Prince Nymph, #10 Flat Head and Ultimate Cicada, #4 Terranasty

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Idaho Department of Fish and Game Director Virgil Moore said he’s confident his agency has enough funding to weather the current tight budgets for two more years.
 
But then Moore needs to look for more funds and...Click for the rest of the story!

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Idaho has resumed management of gray wolves within the
state’s boundaries.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s rule delisting gray
wolves in the Northern Rockies and Western Great Lakes
took effect Thursday, May 5. The rule affects wolves in Idaho,
Montana, and parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah, but not in Wyoming.
Wolf hunting tags went on sale May 5 in Idaho. Read more!

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Fly fishing The Upper Salmon River just below Stanley, Idaho. Lotsa steelhead solt in the river, using my ole standby #10 Adams and knockin' them dead! Averaging around 10 inches but what a blast! River is still a lil high and whitewater rafters are gettin a thrill especially over Shotgun Rapids and around the old dam!!! Please remember to practice "Catch and Release"

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