Weeds, wolves and big game highlight fish and game meeting

Outdoor enthusiasts are invited to the March 3 Coffee at Fish and Game meeting at 6:30 a.m., at the Idaho Fish and Game Office, 3316 16th Street in Lewiston.

Idaho Fish and Game personnel will present information on a number of topics, including Craig Mountain noxious weed control and Chimney Complex fire restoration efforts, recent wolf-big game research, big game aerial survey results, and the 2009 season proposals. Reports will also be given on the steelhead season and upcoming salmon season.

“We’ll buy the coffee and donuts, and we hope local hunters and anglers bring their questions and comments,” said Dave Cadwallader, Clearwater Region supervisor.

The morning meeting is open to anyone and is designed to stimulate informal discussion about wildlife issues in the Clearwater Region. The meeting will conclude by 8:30 a.m.

Gary at Base Camp Legends started telling cow stories so I figured I had to contribute too.  Many folks who hunt in the West have been on the lookout for range bulls, but it really is the mother cows who pose more danger, especially if they feel you are a threat to their calf.

Back in July of 2007 I posted a Poem about my most memorable run in with a cow… 

But I never seem to learn my lesson as the following photos, show…

Thanks to the Idaho Department of Fish and game fo rthe following content…

Question: “Now that the waterfowl and upland bird seasons are closed, what’s left for an avid hunter and angler to do?”

Answer: There are still numerous hunting- and fishing-oriented opportunities open to the avid sportsman. I would remind everyone to make sure they first purchase their 2008 hunting, fishing, or combination hunting/fishing license.

For the angler, the Magic Valley supports some excellent ice fishing opportunities. Salmon Falls and Magic Reservoirs offer excellent opportunities for rainbow trout and yellow perch. In addition, trout fishing through the ice at Dierkes Lake is a stone’s throw from Twin Falls. For anglers that don’t normally eat their catch, fresh caught yellow perch through the ice just seem to “taste better.” As temperatures fluctuate anglers must use caution around the edges of the reservoirs since they are filling with water.

For the avid hunter there are still several seasons open. Small game hunters will enjoy the cat-and-mouse style of stalking cottontail rabbits. In winter, cottontails tend to be close to escape cover such as rock piles or heavy brush. When hunting in areas where pygmy rabbits exist, hunters must be sure of their target since pygmy rabbits are protected. Rabbit hunting is an excellent opportunity to experience the outdoors with a young hunter and brings back many memorable experiences from my childhood with my dad.   

For predator callers, the bobcat and mountain lions hunting seasons are also still open. Hunters are allowed to use electronic predator calls for coyotes and bobcats, but they are prohibited in the Magic Valley for hunting mountain lions. All bobcats and mountain lions harvested must be checked at a Fish and Game regional office where pelt tags will be attached. Mountain lion hunters must also purchase a mountain lion tag prior to hunting. If using trailing dogs, hunters must also purchase a hound hunting validation for their hunting license.

Jackrabbit and coyote hunting are also popular winter passtimes. Coyotes and both species of jackrabbit (white-tailed and black-tailed jackrabbits) are classified as predatory wildlife. As predatory wildlife, there are no bag limits or prescribed hunting seasons, however, a hunting license is still required.

The last opportunity doesn’t require any licenses, tags, or permits. Winter is the time when many wildlife species are the most observable. People often take this opportunity to view and photograph wintering waterfowl and big game. A cautionary note to wildlife watchers, please keep your distance. Your presence can create unnecessary stress and an expenditure of energy by wildlife trying to avoid you or escape your presence.

If you are experiencing cabin fever, take a kid hunting or fishing!

If you have any further questions you may call the Magic Valley Regional Office of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at (208)324-4350 or e-mail us at the Fish and Game web site at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov.

DENVER, Colo. – A 51 year old Denver resident reported that she was attacked by three coyotes while walking her dog near her home on Saturday evening.

The woman, who lives on the 3900 block of S. Oneida, stated that she was crossing the street with her dog, a 75-pound Labrador retriever, when she and her dog were surrounded by three coyotes. The woman reported that when two of the coyotes attacked her dog, she attempted to intervene. She said that when she attempted to defend her pet, she was scratched and bitten by one of the coyotes.

The woman brought her pet to a veterinary hospital and visited Swedish Hospital herself. She was released the same evening.

After being notified about the incident by Colorado State Patrol at 11:00 PM Saturday evening, Colorado Division of Wildlife officers began a search for the animals involved. Searches continued through Sunday evening, but were unsuccessful. DOW officers will continue to work the area to inform residents about the incident and will engage Denver authorities in the effort to address the situation. If the coyotes responsible for the incident can be located, the DOW will remove these animals by lethal means.

“The DOW takes injuries to humans very seriously,” said Liza Hunholz, Area Wildlife Manager for Denver. “We will continue to work with Denver and all other Front Range communities to ensure that all citizens are aware of the presence of coyotes and know how to protect themselves and their pets. Likewise, we will continue to support cities and towns in developing a management plan that meets the needs of their constituents, such as Greenwood Village and Lakewood have done. ”

Last week the DOW hosted city leaders and decision makers at a coyote symposium in Jefferson County to discuss the coyote issue and train representatives on biology, outreach methods, and laws and regulations pertaining to coyotes. Cities and towns across the Front Range were encouraged to work with the DOW to create coyote management plans that meet the needs of their constituents.

Most conflicts between people and coyotes occur when coyotes are able to find food near human residences. Sometimes coyotes find food left out for other wildlife. In other cases, these adaptable predators learn that they can hunt other wildlife and pets that frequent residential neighborhoods. But the result is that when coyotes lose their natural wariness of the human environment, they can become aggressive towards people The DOW strongly discourages feeding of wild animals, including coyotes. In fact, feeding of coyotes and foxes is illegal in urban areas.

If a coyote approaches you:

-Be as Big, Mean, and Loud as possible
-Wave your arms and throw objects at the coyote
Shout in a deep, loud and authoritative voice
-DO NOT RUN or turn your back on the coyote
-Face the coyote and back away slowly
-If attacked, fight back with your fists and feet

The DOW encourages members of the public who encounter an aggressive coyote to immediately call 303-291-7227. If the incident occurs after business hours, contact the Colorado State Patrol (303-239-4501) who will contact a wildlife officer.

To learn more about living with coyotes, visit the DOW web page, at:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/LivingWithWildlife/Mammals/CoyoteCountry.htm

This week the rain held off until the Weekend. Our Wednesday night run was followed by a great talk by endurance coach, Dave Latourette.  He brought forth a number of points that bear repeating even for the hunter trying to get in shape for hunting season.  After all that is our “event”.

1) Using the most of your time to achieve your best performance. This would start with having a running schedule or training plan that suits you, your lifestyle, your abilities and your goals. Having this as a foundation gives you the confidence you are doing the right thing to get to the start line of your “event” prepared. There is tremendous value in standing at that start line relaxed, knowing you did the correct things to prepare! Even if it is to just beat your best time around the lake with the baby stroller .

2) Are you focused on the things that matter to achieve YOUR best performance? This can start with technique and branch out to other items such as nutrition, health, recovery, and of course doing the right type of training. One of the biggest mistakes most of us can make is sacrificing consistency of training, day to day – week to week – month to month – year to year, for the short term, fast fitness that isn’t long lasting. Quite often “fast fitness” also brings about injury and illness!

3) Assuming you want to be a lifetime runner, your running plan should be thought out with the long term in mind. This item is an extension on item number 2 above. If you have a consistent, diverse and balanced training “system”, that meshes with your lifestyle, chances are you stay away from long term injury, illness, and potential burn out. Of course if you can avoid those three things, chances are highly likely your running will get better with age and you will continue to enjoy the process!

Dave brought up a good point in his talk, that just getting your body used to “time on your feet” is as important as the intensity of your training.  I got to thinking about it, and it makes sense. 

Why do we expect five days a week of a high intensity exertion,for an hour or two,  to prepare us for five days straight of hiking, climbing and glassing from dawn until dark?   So a Weekend carrying a pack on a scouting trip in the mountains is just as valuable as that hour long tempo run.  The tempo run improves your aerobic capacity, while the weekend hiking prepares your body for the long days that make up backcountry hunting. 

 You can find more information about Dave at www.traintoendure.com and www.davelatourette.blogspot.com

I had one of my best runs Friday.  I was slated to run for an hour.  15 minute warm up 30 minute Tempo pace and 15 minute cool-down.  I knew the Walker-Pepper- Bodega loop was about 7.2 miles so I headed out to see if I could do the loop in an hour.  While it took me an hour and ten minutes, I had a great tempo pace of 8:40 per mile (fast for me).  Considering that there was a 200 ft hill in the middle, I made good time.

Sunday the skies opened up and rained.  We lucked out and had about a two hour window of drizzle to run in.  Thanks to good training partners I was able to knock out 10.25 miles in an hour and 45 minutes.   Part of our training run was on the course we will be racing on March 21st at the Pirates Cove Trail run.

Running along the ridge at the Marin Headlands.

Chad Robvold of Field Dress, alerted me to a program called Pass It on- Outdoor Mentors, Inc.  It provides role models for youth expressly in the oudoors.  As a spin off of the Kansas Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, it became it’s own program in 2006. 

Here are some interesting facts about the organization.

 FOUNDED: 2006

PRESIDENT/CEO: Michael Christensen
LOCATION: Wichita, KS
WEB SITE: http://www.outdoormentors.org
PHONE: 316-290-8883
E-MAIL: mchristensen@outdoormentors.org

MISSION: The focus of Pass It On — Outdoor Mentors, Inc. is three-fold:

Recruit men and women who will mentor a child in the outdoors, teaching them to hunt, fish, shoot and participate in other traditional outdoor activities,
Provide outdoor opportunities to children who do not have a mentor, and,
Provide outdoor activities to matches, giving the match opportunities to experience and participate in outdoor activities that they may not have prior experience in.

PARTICIPATION: The heart of the mission of Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors is to give “at-risk” children opportunities to connect with nature that they more than likely won’t have without a mentor showing them the way. Partnering with outdoor conservation organizations like Pheasants Forever, Whitetails Unlimited, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the National Wild Turkey Federation, among others, volunteers with a passion for the outdoors can give a child the chance to go fish, hunt, or simply spend time in the fields with a caring adult.

FUNDING: Funding for Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors is provided through grants from various foundations, financial support from our conservation partners, and various fundraising activities

Chad has committed to give a portionof every sale from his Field Dressed clothing line to the PIO- OMI program.  Check it out and see how you can help too!

When the Fall big game seasons are MONTHS away, it is hard to get excited about them when preparing just makes you more acutely aware of just how far away hunting season is.

I found out today our group did not draw the Elk hunt we applied for in Wyoming. That figures since we were successful in the Draw the last two years. The good news though is that we have two years of Deer points that may help us draw a tag in the later Wyoming Deer and Antelope draw.

But not all is lost. I still plan to apply in Nevada, and I recently found out my Brother – in – law has moved to the antelope unit in Colorado I’ve been interested in.  According to GMUResearch.com, I have enough points to draw an archery Antelope permit there.

Then there are the in state permits. I can count on at least one over the counter tag for deer and bear in California. I’ve committed to put in for a late season tag for blacktails as well, so we will see how this pans out. I may be bowhunting in November!

So in between work and applications, I’m continuing to prepare with weekly indoor archery sessions, and the trail run training.

As Kyle Meintzer, a well known ultra runner and sheep hunter, said : “Now is when we make a deposit” that will benefit us when we are in the hills, and at full draw on a big buck, bull or bear.  Nothing beats the confidence knowing you have the fuel in your tank to get to that far-off buck you spotted and knowing once you are in that killing range with your weapon, that you CAN make the shot. 

So think to yourself “What can I do today, to make that hunt of a lifetime the best it can be?”  Making the deposits early and often does add up in confidence, endurance and skill.

My Colorado huntin’ buddy, Trevon Stoltzfus alerted me to his latest labor of love, Outback Outdoors

Outback Outdoors was formed when a group of hardcore western hunters decided that the same old thing was no longer good for the hunting industry. Bringing decades of varied hunting experience as well as a fresh perspective to the table, the OO team spends hundreds of days each season both behind and in front of the camera capturing their outdoor adventures. Not the usual collection of weekend warriors with big trucks and a handi cam, this team consists of solid industry professionals with collective experiences in all aspects of outdoor media including outdoor writing, hunting seminars, outfitting and guiding along with years of personal success in the field. The Outback Outdoors team has a goal to provide outdoor enthusiasts with exciting and fresh web only programming, with the proper emphasis on entertainment along with sharing the tips and tactics we use for success. OO wraps our dynamic big game hunting experiences in an adrenaline charged web-only package with a western flair. This is not to say the OO team only hunts the west, but rather they take their western bow hunting style with them which puts an exhilarating and entertaining twist on the typical Eastern and Midwest hunts everyone is used to seeing.

So check out their premiere episode and leave a comment here for Trev and the rest of the boys.  I think you will like it.

I hunt in some pretty remote places throughout the West and I don’t think I am as wary of cougars as I am in places in my home county where these predators become accustomed to humans.

Just last Weekend, not too far from a state park I frequently run in, TWO cougars confronted Nicole Lentz as she was walking her dog. The lions chased her into a neighbor’s back yard.

“They were trying to get at (my dog) past me. I had my big rain boots on and I was having to hit them” with a leash, she said. “They were raising their paws, they were growling and hissing. They were trying to attack her.”

Lentz said she kicked the more aggressive animal at least five times as she was backing up to get into a neighbor’s back yard.

This is just another example of how banning mountain lion hunting in California has played out as more lions come in conflict with an expanding urban population.

You can read the news story here in the Press Democrat

The rain came throughout the week and made for some interesting runs.  I increased my base mileage, and extended my tempo run to 55 minutes (15:25:15).  Walker hill is positioned just right for the increased effort of a tempo pace.  Rather fitting I thought for trail run training. 

On Sunday, we met at Howarth Park in the pouring rain.  We ran the Trail version of the Ilsanjo Classic  10 mile Loop.  There was no hope of keeping dry feet, so I slogged my way through a number of puddles, and my feet held up surprisingly well.  

I finished faster than I expected.  I checked my watch and I had completed the course in an hour and 35 minutes.   I’ll be running in a race on that course on March 16 as a training run for the Pirates Cove race, 6 days later.  I will probably take it easy on that day.

Coming to the top of the hill on the Spring Creek Trail.

There Really was no Way to keep your feet dry. Just splash through the puddles and keep truckin'