The Idaho folks did a great job with the Western NTA, crowd was quite soft, but the demo line up was excellent. Wolf trapping class on Saturday was very interesting.. Big thanks and shout out to the Idaho folks!

Spent a few days down in the desert as planned looking over the deer hunting.. Few deer there, but not many.. Found a good camp site and found some interesting areas.. bunch of coyote sign down yonder, saw three out of the truck window in one morning.. One was hunting an antelope fawn and we gave an assist to the antelope!

Spent a couple days in Boise visiting relatives and then spent a full week up on Dworshak reservoir in the mountains.. Fishing was excellent as long as you had something rainbow trout colored on the soft plastics or red and orange on the crank bait.. Color was critical.. Fish were plentiful and I caught 150 or so small mouth bass in 5 days, but size was not what I was looking for.. 3.5 lbs was the best fish with a bunch between 1-1.5... I'd have reversed my trip if i'd just known.. Big girls were already gone and back wherever they go.. Week earlier would have been pretty good according to several folks wrapping there trips up.. Much better size on the fish earlier.

Decided to pass a kidney stone the last day up there, managed to get camp broke down and packed, Checked into a little hotel in Orofino and got rested up from that adventure.. Wow I hate a kidney stone.. Meandered across Montana and the Dakota's on the way home. Didn't have the gumption to hit Fort Peck after the Kidney stone adventure.. Stopped at Custer's last stand took the route less traveled across Montana and SD until I hit 90.. Saw three redfox killed on the road in about a 10 mile stretch in one area.. Was amazed at that..one pup and two adults and they were a fair distance apart, different family groups I'm sure..

Met some awfully nice people and saw some incredibly beautiful country. First old geezer's retirement trip in the books!

Sounds like a memorable trip. Glad of that! Isn't that Dvorshak country nice? I've done a lot of wolfing (trapping and helicopter darting) above the reservoir on the upper N. Fk. Clearwater.

Larry, no matter how many times one makes a trip, it seems next time there is always something you would do differently. Other than the kidney stone it sounds like you still had a good time. Hope you can enjoy many more in the years to come!

Sounds like a great trip! Idaho is beautiful. The drive from Washington to Montana was spectacular. Not sure if the fish are on the same schedule as Washington, but the first two weeks in May had us on spawning Smallmouths, and those jokers are much more aggressive on bed than largemouth.

Gulo, Dworshak is incredible.. The fact you are fishing amongst the peaks of a mountain range is pretty mind boggling.. First high mountain reservoir I've ever fished. Hoping I get to make it back out there next year for another adventure. Incredible amount of game sign in and out of that area, Saw a number of deer, mostly white tail, good bit of older elk sign and a small black bear on the last evening. No wolf sign that I found, I only checked a few trails and drainages. The locals said there are plenty at certain times right around the reservoir.. And this must be a great year for Gamble's quail, saw multiple mated pairs and broods from the desert all the way up to Riggins.. Seemed like they were everywhere.

Thanks 20scout and hopefully

Wannabe, I'm thinking that prespawn when they are staged up and coming on would be epic on that body of water... Several big fish caught this spring and all a good bit earlier.. Still a great trip, fished a couple hours morning and evening and it was fast and furious when the bite was on.. I've fished a lot harder for a lot less!

Larry -

I agree. That country's incredible. I have, all together, spent many months on and around Dvorshak Res. and the N. F. Clearwater River. However, the quail you were seeing were probably valley/California quail. They are common in most of the lowland parts of Idaho. The Gambel's only exists in a small part of Idaho, around the town of Salmon. Throughout the 1970s I spent many weekends hunting birds (mostly chukars) around Riggins. Back then, the common quail in that country was the mountain quail. Alas, they've gone away and have been replaced by valley/California quail.

Ahh gotcha. Cool little birds. I very much enjoyed seeing them. Here at home our bob whites are gone. At one time we had a great number and I really enjoyed hunting and seeing them.

Funny how people from different parts of the country see things differently. I live here and would never call Dworshack a high mountain reservoir. It is some of the lowest ground around.

Yeah the game is moved up a lot, and the wolves tend to like the high country. They are down around the reservoir a lot more in the winter when the game is wintering down there.

It is pretty country though. I treed three bears within a couple miles of the reservoir Friday and Saturday. Seen some fresh wolf sign up higher Friday.

sounds like a good trip, but where the pictures'

Bearcat - LOL - they might not be high to you, but to an Indiana corn field flat lander they sure are .. I was keeping an eye on the meadows above the lakes looks like the berries would be coming soon there, looked like a great place for bears.. Just about ran over a small one leaving camp the last evening.. He was right past the Dent bridge.. Might have been one that you treed.. I can't imagine following hounds in that country today.. 30 years ago yep, I'd have been there.

Trapper D. I get bored and figure out how to use the pic ap again I'll post some.. Have a few good pics for sure..

Yeah, berries should be coming on in the lower ground and particularly the south facing slopes in a couple weeks. When the first places for the berries to get ripe start to ripen, the bears will pack in.

I was up closer to Grandad bridge than Dent, actually above Grandad Saturday.

Did you haul a boat all the way out here or were you fishing from shore?

I towed my boat out. Bout 4200 miles all in.

While in Orofino did you get a chance to visit the fish hatchery ? If I remember correctly it's the largest steelhead hatchery in the world and quite a site to see .

How did things go at the boat check stations when you came into Montana well I hope .

The museum in Hardin Mt is another good stop either before or after the battlefield at Crow Agency both have plenty of parking for anything that most people will be traveling in other than commercial semi trucks .

The fishing at Fort Peck has been pretty good when the wind doesn't have the waves rolling around 4' - 5' + high

Gulo Regarding the quail and ,chukars you mention hunting in Idaho Do they also have a self sustai ning population of Ring Neck Pheasant And are the chukars also wild or is it a stocked population What I am getting to is there places where
it would be reasonably possible to get to hunt a mixed bag of quail pheasants and chuckar That would be a bird hunting dream come true for meThanks

West side -

Several places around the state where pheasants are self-sustaining, mostly in the low elevation, warmer areas. Chukars are pretty much wild, self-sustaining populations throughout the state. I don't think IDF&G does any more supplemental planting. In my experience, around Council, Indian Valley, Cambridge is probably the best for variety (Adams or Washington Counties). Many years ago, we used to get 10-12 species pretty much every trip (ring-necks, sage grouse, chukars, huns (gray partridge), valley quail, Canada geese, mallards, wigeon, usually a pintail or two, and miscellaneous other ducks, sometimes a blue grouse or ruffed grouse). Believe me, it was a hunter's dream come true, almost every weekend. Lots of public land (BLM) also.

Jack

During my 50 plus years of hunting I probably spent more time deer hunting than any other species But ny favorite outdoor activity was always trapping At he same time I started my life long hunting endeavor hunting cotton tail rabbits gray squirrels and wild ring neck pheasants The kind that will run ahead or sit tight and explode from cover right at you feet And they have some get up and go when they decide to fly Over the years I took to dove hunting and waterfowl hunting also And again I hunted them by what ever the conditions called for sneak hunting In other words spot and stalk jump shooting I would pick a wet windy day and sneak along a stream using my binos to spot waterfowl ahead Once I saw some it was slow moving using the cover to get within range Than flush them With some experience I often took doubles on ducks and once in a while triples Other times I would carry a few decoys and set up and calll to any ducks you would see moving around at the beginning of the day And on a few occasions I able to locate flyways and get shooting at waterfowl as they would fly by me And for me the satisfaction of being able to get what was available was the motivation to try to outsmart the game at it's own routine And just like running a trapline M y most enjoyable days checking traps was on the days I had a mixed bag of critters A couple fox ,coon a mink and maybe a muskrat t have a pretty good idea hunting birds where it was always possible to flush several different species of game birds was a different kind of fun I know it would ave been a great way to spend some time Thanks for your reply