Outdoors column by Virginia

• Thursday, February 18, 2016 Section Editor Virginia Hutchins [ 208-735-3242 • vhutchins@magicvalley.com ] • B5

Niagara Springs WMA Offers Scenic Hikes, Rides OUTDOORS

Shooting the Bull: Rock Your Glock with Magpul’s Magazines • B6

Idaho Loses a Wildlife Manager; Sick Hawk on the Mend

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met Randy Smith beside a pickup tailgate, where he was giving a lesson on pheasant biology and habitat to a crowd of teens and preteens — new graduates of Idaho’s hunter education program. ‌“If we didn’t have agriculture in Magic Valley, we wouldn’t have ring-necked pheasants,” Smith said that morning in October 2012.

On the tailgate, he propped a poster with four aerial photos of Minidoka and the town’s surrounding farmland, taken in 1951, ’68, ’78 and ’87. By the 1960s, he explained, irrigation had created incredible pheasant habitat — ditch banks, odd weedy patches — and the big bird populations to match. But by the time the ’78 photograph was taken, farmers had become more efficient in their use of both water and land, eliminating fields’ odd, unused corners. As conversion to wheel lines and pivot irrigation continued, more pheasant habitat disappeared.

That’s the long perspective you get from a man with 30 years’ experience in Idaho wildlife. And it’s the patient explanation you get from a biologist who took as much interest in people as in animals.

Smith retired as the Jerome-based regional wildlife manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in 2014. He died Feb. 4 after a battle with cancer.

Virginia Hutchins Outdoors Editor

Outdoorsmen and -women have flooded Fish and Game with condolences — remembering Smith’s warmth, his respect, his dedication to wildlife, his measured approach to difficult situations.

I could add to that list: his patience.

Smith, it seemed, had endless patience for explaining chukar population fluctuations or sage grouse lek preferences to a reporter unversed in Idaho game birds. At a hunter check station, he helped me understand the carcass measurements that illuminate deer nutrition and the population’s condition going into winter.

In October 2013, Smith was part of a Fish and Game research team measuring, weighing and dissecting walleye caught in gill nets at Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir, a project meant to provide data on the sport fishery’s health and condition.

The gill nets caught other fish, too, and Smith manned one of the measuring trays for non-walleye that day.

Smith announced species and lengths to Regional Fisheries Manager Doug Megargle, who typed them into a handheld computer.

Please see HUTCHINS, B7

TIMES-NEWS FILE PHOTO‌

Randy Smith, regional wildlife manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, explains pheasant habitat at a 2012 youth hunting clinic south of Twin Falls.

MIKE COTHERN, FOR THE TIMES-NEWS‌

In the Niagara Springs Wildlife Management Area, Beth Cothern approaches a waterfall on the Snake River Canyon rim.

MIKE COTHERN For the Times-News‌

Getting There

‌ ENDELL • As my wife and I walked W up the hillside, we stopped and looked back down at the country that makes up the Niagara Springs Wildlife Management Area.‌ The perspective gave us glimpses of places we had explored over several visits since last summer. Those outings, each in a different time and place, provided many surprises. Our fourth trip, in early February, again did not disappoint.

This time one of the wonders consisted of a historical road remnant that served as our path to the top of the Snake River Canyon’s north rim.

The grade was originally constructed around 1870 as part of a route that traversed the canyon and included a ferry crossing. We first angled up the slope before reaching a wall of exposed basalt. From there the road leveled off and hugged the bottom of the cliff for a quarter-mile before rising through a notch blasted from the rock.

After hiking through that passageway to the top, Beth and I relaxed for a few minutes and surveyed the extent of the holdings managed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Through the fog and haze of the latest inversion we could just make out the western edge that begins near the Clear Lakes Bridge. Between our vantage point and the river we could see rangeland, farm fields managed as wildlife habitat, windbreaks and several ponds. Tucked out of sight upstream around the canyon’s bend lay May’s Ditch, which is fed by the cascading Niagara Springs that originate just beyond the property’s

The Niagara Springs Wildlife Management Area may be accessed by following the Rex Leland Highway that enters the Snake River Canyon seven miles south of Wendell or by an informal trail just north of the Clear Lakes Bridge.

A pair of turnoffs from the River Road in Twin Falls County also provide access to the river.

There is no entrance fee at the WMA. The primitive trail system is unmarked, motorized off-road travel is prohibited, and access roads on the west end are subject to seasonal closures.

Information: Idaho Department of Fish and Game, 208-324-4359.

Details and a WMA map: Fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/ wildlife/wma/ eastern boundary.

“The Niagara Springs WMA has nearly four miles of riverfront access,” said Dennis Newman, the regional habitat biologist who oversees the parcel for the department.

The main reason the state purchased the land in the early 1970s was to guarantee sportsmen the ability to utilize such a unique property, he said.

In addition to the stretch of ground between the river and the canyon rim — and in some places, beyond the rim — the public’s holdings include several islands and a few small pieces of ground that provide access to the river from the Twin Falls County side.

While hunters pursue a variety of birds including waterfowl and stocked pheasants, and anglers can try to outwit not only hatchery-reared fish but also native redband trout, the area draws an array of other visitors throughout the year. Birders frequent the valuable resource, and many groups use the area for organized activities such as 3-D archery shoots and bird dog field trials. Besides hikers like us and a few mountain bikers, a considerable amount of horseback riding occurs.

“Its diverse user group makes the WMA the most visited of any in the Fish and Game’s Magic Valley region,” Newman said.

Susan Vance, a rider and member of Back Country Horsemen’s local chapter, brings her horses to the canyon most often in late fall and early spring.

“The area is a great place to keep them in shape,” Vance said. When snow and mud make the hills and mountains inaccessible, the area’s sandy soils provide a safe place for horses.

She also enjoys the WMA’s location in the center of the Magic Valley. The area is close enough to join up with a friend after work.

Regardless of the particular motives for visiting or the means of travel, the WMA’s scenery offers uniform appeal.

On a seven-mile horseback loop that Vance often rides, a few trail segments parallel the river.

“We love seeing all those birds — the place is so beautiful,” she said.

From our spot along the canyon rim, Beth and I enjoyed the area’s bigpicture charm.

Please see NIAGARA, B7

Love Wildlife? Join a Planting Crew VIRGINIA HUTCHINS vhutchins@magicvalley.com‌

J‌ EROME • The cost: a few hours spent carrying a bag of seedlings or digging holes for planting. The payoff: a chance to meet other people who care about Idaho’s land and wildlife.‌ The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is looking for volunteers to help plant sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings next month in areas burned by wildfires. Fish and Game plans two, or perhaps three, volunteer planting days: March 5: 2100 S. 1200 E., Bliss.

March 12: 1.5 miles north of King Hill on BLM Road (also called Dempsey Meadows Road).

March 19 (if this year’s 30,000 seedlings aren’t already planted): 12.5 miles northeast of Richfield on U.S. 93 at the Preacher Bridge turnoff.

Volunteers will meet at the planting sites at 9 a.m.; planting tools and materials will be provided.

In particular, Fish and Game is working to restore mule deer winter range that burned in the Blair Fire north of King Hill and the Preacher Fire south of Carey, habitat biologist Eric Freeman said.

“These native shrub communities provide food and shelter to a variety of wildlife including mule deer, elk, sage grouse and other upland birds, as well as songbirds

and small mammals,” Freeman said.

Over the past eight years, volunteers have planted 240,000 seedlings in the Magic Valley region, helping to restore hundreds of acres of important mule deer winter range.

With a notebook and camera, I followed a volunteer crew in April 2014, when Fish and Game was planting brush on charred slopes of the Big Cottonwood Wildlife Management Area near Oakley.

That day, I met a lot of the right sort of folks.

People like Jeff Ruprecht of Twin Falls.

Please see PLANTING, B7

VIRGINIA HUTCHINS, TIMES-NEWS FILE PHOTO

Rich Hayes of Jerome helps the Idaho Department of Fish and Game plant sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings in burned areas of the Big Cottonwood Wildlife Management Area in April 2014.

Thursday, February 18, 2016 • B7 SNOW REPORT

It’s Still Winter in the Mountains

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armer weather has moved in the last week or so, but it is still winter in the mountains of the Sawtooth National Forest’s Minidoka Ranger District.

The Snotel sites at Magic Mountain, Bostetter and Howell Canyon are all showing well over 100 percent of average snowfall.

There is a chance for a little new snow toward the end of this week, so get out and enjoy it while it lasts.

For the latest conditions and happenings at Pomerelle and Magic Mountain ski areas, check their websites: Magicmountainresort. com and Pomerelle. com.

David Ashby Snow Ranger

change the snowpack; be avalanche aware, and check the Sawtooth Avalanche Center for the latest reports: Sawtoothavalanche.com.

Snowmobile Trails

Cross-country Ski Trails

Trail grooming is ongoing in both Cassia and Twin Falls counties with great riding conditions and lots of snow. The South Hills, Howell Canyon and Sublett division are all groomed regularly.

Be sure you are prepared for the winter elements with appropriate winter clothing and gear.

Never ride alone, and tell a friend or family member where you are going and when you plan to return.

Warming conditions will

The High Desert Nordic Association is working hard to keep the trails groomed in Rock Creek with the help of Magic Mountain. Rock Creek Short Loop, Pettit Campground, up to Diamondfield Jack, Penstemon Campground, Elk Basin and Rogerson Road were all groomed Friday. There are good snow conditions throughout the area.

Visit Skihdna.org for trail maps and contact information, and visit the club’s Facebook page

for the latest grooming updates. Monthly meetings are the second Wednesday of every winter month, where you can get involved with trail maintenance, youth development and regular meet-ups. The next meeting is 7 p.m.

March 9 at Idaho Joe’s in Twin Falls.

Weekly Tip

Always make sure you and all your traveling companions are prepared to be out in the winter elements before you leave home. Stay safe and enjoy your national forest this winter.

David Ashby is the recreation manager for the Minidoka Ranger District of the Sawtooth National Forest.

Goose Hunting Opportunities Available JEROME • The spring “light goose” hunting season is open in southeast Idaho.

The season on blue, Ross’s and snow geese runs through March 10 in Area 4. The season in Area 3 continues through March 10. The bag limit is 20 per day and 60 in possession.

The white-fronted goose season is also open in Area 3 through Feb. 21 with a bag limit of 10 and 30 in possession.

Area 4 includes Bingham County west of the west bank of the Snake River, east of the McTucker boat ramp access road, and west of the American Falls Reservoir bluff; and Power County, except below the American Falls Reservoir bluff and

those lands and waters within the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.

Area 3 includes Ada, Boise, Canyon, Cassia, Elmore, Gem, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, Owyhee, Payette, Twin Falls and Washington counties.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game reminded goose hunters that Fort Boise and Payette River wildlife management areas and that part of Roswell Marsh Wildlife Habitat Area south of Idaho 18, and the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, including the 101 refuge islands on the Snake River from the Canyon-Ada county line to Oregon, are closed during the spring light goose season from Feb. 1 through March 10. Maps of the

refuge and Snake River islands: www.fws.gov/refuge/Deer_Flat/ map.html.

In addition, electronic calls and unplugged shotguns are allowed only for hunting light geese when no other seasons are open. These hunting methods are allowed for the light goose seasons in Area 4 from Feb. 13 through March 10 and in Area 3 from Feb. 22 to March 10.

Hunters need a 2016 hunting license and a state migratory bird permit. Last year’s federal duck stamp is valid through June 30.

For information, see Fishing and Game’s “2015 Waterfowl Seasons and Rules” brochure or Fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/hunt/ rules/?getPage=66.

Holding Wild Steelhead out of Water Viewed Differently in Idaho, Washington

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daho and Washington have conflicting state laws that demonstrate how people separated by a border — even fishermen and biologists — can be ruled by opposing beliefs.

Anglers continue to be confused and conflicted about the differing fishing regulations, especially the stands the two states take on handling wild steelhead and salmon.

Both states enforce rules that prohibit snagging and require anglers to use barbless hooks in the Columbia and Snake river systems mainly to satisfy federal endangered species protections that apply to some wild stocks.

Steelhead with an intact adipose fin cannot be reduced to possession and must be released.

Hatchery-raised steelhead have their adipose fins clipped before they are turned out into the rivers and swim to the Pacific Ocean to mature. When they return to their natal streams a few years later to spawn, the clipped fins distinguish the hatchery fish from the wild fish coming at the same time. These marked hatchery fish are the ones anglers can catch and keep for eating during open seasons.

But one distinct rule difference between the states gets scrutiny every time a photo is published of a lucky angler holding a big, wild Idaho steelhead out of the water on a boat before it’s released.

Washington prohibits anglers from taking wild steelhead and salmon out of the water for a photo before the fish is released.

Idaho doesn’t go that far.

“Idaho Fish and Game thinks it’s important for anglers to be able to take pictures of fish (including steelhead) as this will enrich their fishing experience and enhance their memories well into our future,” Joe DuPont, regional fisheries manager in Lewiston, said when I queried him about the differences in state rules.

“This is why we give the directions in the fishing regulations pamphlet on how to release fish and properly hold a fish for a photograph (pages 40, 49 and 50).

We do not believe holding fish out of the water in this manner will increase their mortality.”

(Sturgeon are an exception. They cannot be removed from the water in Idaho.)

Rich Landers Spokesman-Review

Rules aside, a recent photo published on Spokesman.com/ outdoors of a wild steelhead being held on a boat before being released generated plenty of attaboys and angler envy. The image also prompted concern.

“As a lifelong steelhead fisherman, I was stunned at the picture you put in your article about fishing the Clearwater,” wrote Tuck Miller, a former licensed outfitter and guide. “That is obviously a wild fish that’s protected by a number of regulations…”

“Lifting large, wild steelhead out of the water dramatically increases their mortality within two hours,” he said. “Fishermen killing large, wild steelhead due to improper handling is unacceptable.”

Miller cites studies that indicate significant handling mortality of wild large steelhead. “The death rate rises exponentially as fish size increases,” he said.

Jim Fredericks, Idaho Department of Fish and Game fisheries bureau chief in Boise, says those studies are based on incomplete research and not conclusive. He said he’s confident Idaho rules sufficiently protect the fish.

However, the amount of time a fish is exposed to air factors into the fish’s chances of survival, according to a recent survey of studies about the impacts of exposing fish to air detailed in the journal Fisheries.

The survey concludes that an angler should take no longer than 10 seconds to remove the hook, snap a photo and return a fish to water.

Air exposure causes inadequate oxygenation of the fish’s blood, known as hypoxia, and damages the gills, causing injury that increases with the time the fish is exposed to air, the study says.

Reducing air exposure is critical when the landed fish is exhausted and water temperatures are beyond normal range, especially in sensitive species, said co-author Katrina Cook. She is a PhD student at Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory at the University of British Columbia in

Vancouver, B.C. Groups such as the Native Fish Society and Trout Unlimited see the survey as evidence to their “Keep Them Wet” campaigns for catch-and-release fishing.

Authors of the survey say anglers give a trout the best odds of survival if they unhook the fish while it’s submerged in a knotless mesh net.

Rainbow trout mortality has been shown to be highest from air exposure when the trout has struggled to escape. Survival is higher for fish that remain calm.

“Idaho appreciates that some fishing groups are trying to discourage their memberships from lifting fish out of the water for prolonged periods,” Fredericks said.

Some groups have appealed to Fish and Game managers to follow suit with Washington.

“We respectfully explained our reluctance,” Fredericks said.

“When you look at the population-level impact the time out of the water for a photo has on these fish, it’s very minimal.

“Prohibiting people from a neat opportunity to take a picture seemed unnecessary, although we agreed to put additional guidelines in the rules pamphlet, including recommendations to use nets rather dragging fish up on the rocks or bouncing them in the bottom of a boat.”

Good handling minimizes injury, he said, noting that Idaho is undertaking its own research on the impacts of air exposure to fish as well as to their progeny.

“But the last thing we should be doing is vilifying anglers who catch and release fish in a good way.”

Idaho Fish and Game recommends precautions such as keeping a camera ready and having a plan when the fish is lifted out of the water to support it properly, reduce loss of mucous and scales from the fish and minimize air exposure.

Some of the differences between our two bordering states are dramatic. For instance, marijuana use that is legal in Washington could result in a jail sentence in Idaho.

Lifting a wild steelhead or salmon totally out of the water is an infraction in Washington. It’s not in Idaho, but the practice is still worth contemplation, and perhaps refinement.

Visit us at magicvalley.com

Hutchins Continued from B5

“RBT 406” was a rainbow trout, in millimeters. “LSS 540” was a largescale sucker.

“They’ll all be rounded anyway,” Megargle said, getting a reaction — and laughter — from Smith and the biologist handling the other measuring tray.

Smith had been killing his eyes trying to read millimeters, he said. But he kept announcing exact measurements anyway: RBT 347. Chiselmouth chub 171.

That seemed to me an insight into Smith’s character.

What’s a little eye strain to someone who craves accuracy?

••• Good news for bird lovers: A sick ferruginous hawk found unable to fly near Murtaugh Lake in late January is on the mend.

The hawk — found by Burley birder Linda Wilcox and recovering in the care of volunteer raptor rehabilitator Julie Randell of Kimberly — suffered from a type of pneumonia or a lung infection. After a course of antibiotics, the hawk’s lungs are clear.

“He’s eating on his own, and he’s gaining weight, which is good,” Randell said Tuesday.

On Saturday, she and her husband moved the bird out to their “hawk house” — a 16-by16 building where they can keep it quiet.

“Now that he’s in a more open area, he might start moving around a lot more,” she said.

At the veterinary office where Randell took the hawk shortly after its capture, X-rays showed no broken bones. But there’s still something — perhaps soft tissue injury — that needs time to heal.

“He does have what we are considering a slight shoulder problem,” said Randell, who intended to give the bird

Niagara Continued from B5

We reviewed several spots explored during previous outings and retraced those steps from afar. Twice we had hiked along the river upstream from Clear Lakes Bridge. There at the WMA’s west end, 89 acres were added in 2002 as mitigation for wetlands that were lost when a new highway grade was built.

During those visits we walked by several constructed wetlands and then meandered through a forest of mostly willows and locusts along the river, another unique feature seemingly out of place in the midst of a desert. After hiking through the woodlands where we flushed deer and quail, we arrived at a parking lot at the end of a dirt road that crosses the WMA from the east. A stream of water that poured over the canyon rim above us captured our attention each time.

On our latest visit, we planned to walk the rim, find the waterfall, and view it from above. After scrambling along the road trenched through rock, we had only a mile to cover, but even that stretch offered surprises.

We began finding feathers, scattered randomly and in piles, along the canyon rim.

Pheasants, ducks, a northern flicker and other birds appeared to have been devoured. We noticed a pair of red-tailed hawks working the canyon rim and then what looked to be an eagle off in the distance. It appeared that the prime wildlife

Planting Continued from B5

Wielding a planting bar, Ruprecht looked for spots where fallen juniper could be “nurse plants” to provide shade and capture moisture for the seedlings.

“I’m constantly trying to figure out where the sun would be at the hottest time of the day, and where the shade would be,” Ruprecht said.

Among that day’s volunteers were families, members of the local Audubon chapter, a Boy Scout troop, Civil Air Patrol cadets and an 81-year-old Hagerman woman.

A Fish and Game wildlife habitat manager told the 2014 crowd: Concentrate on

another week or 10 days before assessing it again.

Of course, the bill for all those mice keeps growing. And the Randells are volunteers.

But some birders have taken note. Organizers of last week’s Hagerman Bird Festival invited Randell and her husband, Robert, to come and be honored at a dinner, and birders passed a can to contribute cash for the couple’s raptor food bill.

“Completely out of the blue,” Randell said.

Randell is a shy woman.

She was reluctant to take the spotlight, but she did it for the birds.

••• For his senior project, high school senior Hayden Cowden of Twin Falls will lead a free clinic on freestyle skiing at Magic Mountain Resort.

The freeskiing clinic for ages 6-18 is set for 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 20, and Hayden welcomes beginner to intermediate skiers.

Magic Mountain said young skiers can pre-register with Sue Miller at suzettemiller@ ymail.com to receive a free day pass to attend the clinic. To see some of Hayden’s skills, check out his video promoting the clinic on the ski resort’s Facebook page.

••• Soldier Mountain Ski Area’s cat skiing is finally up and running, offering full-day tours into the Smoky Dome backcountry. Skiers ride a 12-passenger snowcat carriage with flat-screen TV and big windows.

“For all of you that have been waiting for us to get our permits, thank you for your patience,” the resort posted Saturday.

Virginia Hutchins is the enterprise editor of the Times-News and Magicvalley.com; reach her at vhutchins@magicvalley.com or 208-735-3242.

habitat down below and perfect perches above made for an ideal combination that favored birds of prey.

“We do have a fairly robust raptor population,” Newman confirmed later. He said the winged predators include redtails, a pair of osprey and two species of owls. A welcome addition to the WMA came when a pair of nesting golden eagles took up residence several years ago. He once saw an eagle snatch a duck out of midair above one of the ponds near the river.

Next the canyon rim led us to a series of large, nearly dry ponds. Constructed under an agreement between the North Side Canal Co. and Fish and Game, the ponds not only provide more wildlife habitat but also clean sediment and nutrients from irrigation water before it enters the river. Even during the winter a small flow, fed from seep water, departs from the last pond and pours over the canyon’s lip.

While Beth angled for the best perspective to photograph the falls, I looked through binoculars at the surrounding landscape. A great blue heron perched on the cross arm of a power pole above the canyon.

Ten swans, likely tundra, circled the river and gracefully slipped down onto calm water at the tail end of Boulder Rapids.

On the near shore, perhaps a quarter-mile away, a porcupine balanced on a willow tree’s bare limb 20 feet above the ground.

The sights reminded me once again to remain alert while visiting this landscape. You never know what you might discover.

north- or east-facing slopes where the seedlings won’t have to face 100-degree sunlight that sucks moisture from the ground. Look for spots where water will collect. Bury the roots entirely. Close all the air out of the hole. Take three big steps before choosing another spot.

The seedlings that survive the first year could live for decades. Besides feeding elk and deer in winter, native bitterbrush and sagebrush help control erosion and capture snow and runoff for the rest of the ecosystem.

For information on the planting projects or to sign up as a volunteer, contact Freeman or TanaRae Alberti at 208-3244359, eric.freeman@idfg.idaho. gov or tanarae.alberti@idfg. idaho.gov.

TIMES-NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016 |

B5

OUTDOORS

A new place for disc golf?

Golfers explore design for potential Rock Creek course

mitted.

But envisioning a disc golf course in a neglected stretch of Rock Creek Canyon is exactly what he and fellow golfers were trying to do the afternoon of e were crouching to ma- Oct. 6.

In its capital improvement neuver under scratchy budget, the City Council in late Russian olives — and August approved $8,000 for placing each footstep to avoid creation of a new disc golf course thistles, stinging nettle, hidden in Twin Falls. That covers only mud bogs and the cost of baskets and tee boxes, nameless nastiness — when Kim- Twin Falls Parks and Recreation Director Wendy Davis said; all berly disc golfer Brandon Merzlock the labor of creating the course must be donated. turned to me.

As it happens, Twin Falls has “Can you see a disc golf club with a history of the golf course?”

VIRGINIA volunteer course building and a HUTCHINS he asked.

I plucked a weed hunger for more.

So Davis asked Disc Golf DC seed from my sock owner Mike Stradley and other and shook my head. members of the Southern Idaho “I can’t either,” Merzlock ad-

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Chuckers club to draw up a proposal for a disc golf course in the stretch of Rock Creek Canyon between Blue Lakes Boulevard South and the Twin Falls Livestock Commission stockyards — a stretch interrupted by the College of Southern Idaho’s fish hatchery.

The city owns canyon-bottom land between Blue Lakes and the fish hatchery, and its Urban Renewal Agency owns the property between the hatchery and the stockyards.

Combining the two parcels, could the Chuckers design a disc golf course they’ll love?

“It’s not the long bomber course we were hoping,” Stradley told Merzlock when they met Oct. 6 in the canyon.

Please see HUTCHINS, Page B6

VIRGINIA HUTCHINS, TIMES-NEWS

Disc golfers Mike Stradley, left, and Brandon Merzlock discuss the potential for a new disc golf course inside Rock Creek Canyon on Oct. 6.

Owyhee Desert: adventure paradise

An excellent way to spend a fall day. And we weren’t the only ones with that idea.

On the water we passed an Idaho State University physical education class led by Bob Ellis, the university’s outdoor recreation coordinator. Ellis chose the destination — as we did — from “Kath and Ron’s Guide to Idaho Paddling: Flatwater and Easy Whitewater Trips,” this year’s revised and expanded edition of Katherine Daly and Ron Watters’ guidebook ($19.95, Ronwatters. com).

“I’ll definitely go back there,” Ellis said when I got in touch later.

Besides birds, he reported spotting “a couple of exceptionally large beavers.” Lucky him.

The calmest stretch: From the boat launch at the south end of Park Lane upstream to the developed portion of Massacre Rocks State Park, the river’s flows are moderate. That’s where park manager Kevin Lynott and his staff tell inexperienced paddlers

The Owyhee Desert is a sportsman’s paradise and a test of your backcountry skills. It covers about 9 million acres in Idaho, Nevada and Oregon, and it’s among the most remote and unpopulated areas in the Lower 48 states.

According the Bureau of Land Management, it includes 517,000 acres of designated wilderness and 325 miles of Wild and Scenic rivers.

It’s also part of Idaho Department ROGER of Fish and Game PHILLIPS conservation officer Brian Perkes’ patrol area, which presents some interesting challenges. If he covered 100 miles a day, it would take him 25 days to patrol all of his area, and much of it is in the Owyhees. Perkes is one of a handful of Fish and Game officers who patrol this lonely corner of southwest Idaho.

He recently assisted fellow conservation officer Brian Marek investigating a suspicious elk kill near the Oregon border where the elk was shot and butchered within 50 yards of a main road.

The following day, he was investigating another elk killed near the Nevada border. That was in addition to a three-day backcountry patrol deep in the most remote and inaccessible parts of the Owyhees.

The Owyhee Desert is a challenge for enforcement, but make no mistake, Fish and Game conservation officers are out there. They have access to the same modes of transportation as hunters and other recreationists, and they’re keeping an eye on the area. The message is simple: Even if you’re in the middle of nowhere, don’t assume no one is watching.

About a year on the job, Perkes is learning the vast landscape and how to navigate it, and he passes that knowledge on to hunters who are fortunate enough to draw a coveted biggame tag there, or who venture out to hunt upland birds. Perkes

Please see PADDLING, Page B6

Please see PHILLIPS, Page B7

VIRGINIA HUTCHINS, TIMES-NEWS

A kayaker enjoys a calm stretch of the Snake River at Massacre Rocks State Park on Oct. 15.

Fall paddling on the Snake Try Massacre Rocks’ calm stretch of river VIRGINIA HUTCHINS

vhutchins@magicvalley.com

AMERICAN FALLS — Between rainstorms, October is gorgeous weather for paddling a calm stretch of the Snake River.

And for a family without whitewater skills, Massacre Rocks State Park is an attractive place to do it.

A mile and a half of flat water offers at least a three-mile round trip, and another two miles of river are fine for paddlers with the skills to navigate some eddies and swifter current. The rewards: fine birding and some of the best geological sights you can find in the Snake River Canyon.

Logistically, this is an easy trip to plan. The river here is slow enough for an up-and-back paddle, so you won’t need to arrange a shuttle. And you can put your boat in the water just minutes after leaving Interstate 86. The park’s main boat launch — at the south end of Park Lane — has a

VIRGINIA HUTCHINS, TIMES-NEWS

The stretch of river at Massacre Rocks State Park is great for birding.

Here, a pelican avoids boaters. vault toilet, plenty of parking, two long docks and a kiosk where you can borrow a life jacket.

I shouldn’t have to say this, but I will anyway: A life jacket is an absolute necessity. Don’t even think of putting your kayak or canoe onto the river without one.

My husband and I launched

our tandem kayak there Oct. 15 and paddled upstream — that’s to your right as you face the river — watching gulls, pelicans, ducks and raptors. Clouds put on a show in the sky to accompany the drama of canyon cliffs, but we never got more than the lightest sprinkle.

Easy, colorful fall hike: Washington Lake SCOTT MCINTOSH

Idaho Press-Tribune

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STANLEY (AP) — A couple of years ago, a group of us hiked to Kane Lake in the Pioneer Mountains in early October. It was a perfect fall hike, as the aspens were turning a vibrant shade of yellow. Our tents had frost on them in the morning, but the afternoon was warm in the sharp fall sunlight.

The main drawback was that it was kind of a difficult hike. It was about 4 miles, but the elevation gain was pretty steep, going from about 7,000 feet to more than 9,000 feet. There were some downed trees on the trail and a rocky portion that made for tricky

footing. When we got to Kane Lake, I could feel the effects of the altitude, with the beginnings of a “headband headache” and shortness of breath. In the end, it was worth it, as Kane Lake is beautiful and secluded, and the fishing was great.

But if you’re looking for a similar hike that’s not quite as challenging, I would recommend Washington Lake in the White Clouds, north of Sun Valley and south of Stanley.

You can get there either by going through Sun Valley on Idaho 75 or taking the Banks-Lowman Highway to Stanley. The turnoff for the Forest Road 209 to the Fourth of July Lake trailhead is well marked

about 14 miles south of Stanley on the east side of Idaho 75. From there, it’s a bumpy 10 miles to the trailhead.

When we went in early September, some of the aspens were already turning yellow, highlighted among the evergreens.

October should be even better.

As with many backcountry areas in Idaho anymore, it seems, this area had its share of fire-damaged stretches. But once you get on the trail, burned areas are few.

The trailhead has a sizable parking area, a sign-in sheet and a vault toilet. Before you head out on the trail, take a few minutes to Please see HIKE, Page B7

SCOTT MCINTOSH, IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE

Kathryn Hunter takes in the sunset over Washington Lake on Sept. 10, northeast of Sun Valley in the White Cloud Mountains.

OUTDOORS

B6 | Thursday, October 20, 2016

Times-News

COURTESY PHOTO‌

‘First antelope,’ Kaylah R. Bingham writes. ‘He was shot at 34 yards in Fairfield.’

COURTESY PHOTO‌

Dina Hardaway with her central Idaho bull elk taken in the high country. This is her first bull elk.

COURTESY PHOTO‌

‘In Unit 52A, my son Brody had a great hunt opening morning while watching this nice antelope and his herd of five does,’ Stephanie D. Anderson writes.

Share your best outdoor photos On Magicvalley.com, our photo galleries showcase ‌ Idahoans’ outdoor adventures. And we’d love to see you contribute your shots.

Contributing your photos is easy at Magicvalley.com/ submit. Be sure to include some details about your shot, such as when and where you took the photo, and the name of anyone who’s pictured.

On this page, we share a few of our readers’ recent submissions.

COURTESY PHOTO‌ COURTESY PHOTO

Danny Bryant photographed two adult mountain goats and a kid working their way along the mountainside between Thunder Lake and Lightning Lake (Triangle Lakes) in the White Cloud Mountains on July 30.

‘My father, uncle, a friend of my father and I went to Unit 44 for a hunt that I drew,’ writes Katelyn Jackson, 16, of Hagerman. ‘After lots of hard work and the amazing support from my family, I was able to shoot the biggest buck I will probably get in my life. It was a 5x5 — 24 inches high and 27 inches wide.’

Paddling From B5

VIRGINIA HUTCHINS, TIMES-NEWS‌

Mike Stradley, left, compares space available for a new disc golf course inside Rock Creek Canyon with the size of an existing course elsewhere in the canyon.

Hutchins From B5

It wouldn’t be a championship course with par-4 and par-5 holes, Stradley predicted, but the club still has room to design an 18-hole course that would relieve congestion on existing courses at the CSI campus and the county-owned Rock Creek Park. The club has turned away would-be contestants from its Twin Falls Classic tournament for two years now, and on nice days almost every hole at the CSI course has golfers simultaneously.

“It’s getting more and more packed at the courses,” Stradley said.

On a Google Maps printout, Stradley marked approximate property lines of the city and Urban Renewal land. On top, he laid a same-scale cutout of the existing Rock Creek Park disc golf course. About the same size, he concluded.

But a lot of questions remain.

Stradley outlined some of them as the golfers walked the weedy property: Could any rim land be used for parking?

(Parking location is a big factor in determining a course’s flow.) Could the golfers build bridges to cross Rock Creek, and what standards must they meet? (Golfers don’t want to waste the sizable space on the opposite side of the creek.)

Could the volunteers bring in big construction equipment?

Dig? Remove fences? Rip out trees? Plant trees? Spray weed killer? Fill in swampy pockets?

Davis knows she’ll need to round up a lot of answers for the club, including exact property lines. And she’ll have to take some of the questions to the city’s economic development director, Nathan Murray, who’s also executive director of Urban Renewal. But first Davis wants Stradley to compile a proposal that outlines the needs.

“We have the money and we can get started, but I don’t know how complicated it needs

to be,” she said this week.

A disc golf course could be a healthy development — not only for golfers but for the unused property in the canyon.

“It’s been really unkempt for a long time,” Davis said, recounting a reconnaissance visit there with Murray that involved stinging nettle.

“Getting people using spaces is healthy for it as far as eliminating the things that go on that you don’t want going on down there.”

When I followed the golfers there Oct. 6, we found two vehicles cutting cookies in an open area crisscrossed countless times with dusty tire marks. And Merzlock pointed to trash in the weeds.

“This is the kind of stuff disc golf would get rid of,” he said.

That day, he and Stradley brainstormed ways to make holes in short spaces more challenging and interesting: An island? A pyramid? An outcropping from the canyon wall?

“We could make it our own little Hippodrome,” Merzlock said, referring to a North Augusta, S.C., course with gimmicky holes.

These golfers have standards; some gimmicks are cool and some aren’t. I didn’t pretend to understand the nuances.

But I did see the glimmers of inspiration.

“I can see holes I want to make already, but you can’t do that until you get the whole picture,” Merzlock said.

Stradley hopes to have a new course playable by next year’s Twin Falls Classic, even if the design continues to wiggle for a few years. And he hopes this space won’t become a multiuse park — even though golfers know how to “play nice” with everyone else at the other two courses in town.

“My hope,” he said, “is this is a disc golf sanctuary.”

Virginia Hutchins is enterprise editor of the Times-News and Magicvalley.com; reach her at vhutchins@magicvalley.com or 208735-3242.

to stay until their skills improve and they’re comfortable handling their boats.

The park rents out canoes and kayaks in summer — typically from Memorial Day, after high spring flows drop to safer levels, to just after Labor Day, a cutoff dictated by staffing. But there’s nothing wrong with bringing your own boat this time of year.

“From September to mid-October is typically a great time to paddle because flows are a little slower, water is a little warmer,” Lynott said.

One drawback: Interstate 86 parallels the river here, and you’ll never leave the range of traffic noise.

As Ellis put it: “You could almost feel the buzz of the traffic.”

Faster current: As you paddle upstream, you’ll pass Goat Island on your right; in river terminology it’s “river left,” because the island would be on the left side of the channel for someone facing downstream. Soon after, Beaver Island will be to your left (“river right”) as you pass the park’s campground. If you want to stick to the calmest stretch of water, turn around here.

If you instead paddle past Beaver Island, you’ll encounter stronger currents where the river is funneled into a narrower channel and eddy lines where competing currents fight each other.

“If you’re not prepared for that, it can take control of your kayak or canoe and you get in trouble,” Lynott said.

Capsized in the river, even strong swimmers might find their muscles don’t work. “All the way into June, that water is below 50 degrees,” Lynott said.

But upstream of the islands, the canyon cliffs get a lot more interesting — volcanic lava rock, dramatic layers of lake sediment and eventually Eagle Rock, part of an ancient lava dam broken by the prehistoric Bonneville Flood.

A beautiful stretch of river. My husband and I turned around shortly before Eagle Rock, which sits in the middle of the river and gives its name to the class II rapids around it.

Bonus tip: From about November to March, unless upstream dam releases keep the water level too high, the rapids below Eagle Rock become dry rock. Anglers can walk out on them and fish the ribbons of streamflow, said Lynott, who looks forward to fishing that spot every year.

“Below Eagle Rock is actually great fishing water,” Lynott said.

He added, mostly joking: “You shouldn’t write that, because people will be competing with me.”

Getting there: From the Magic Valley, head east on Interstate 84, then take Interstate 86 when it splits off from I-84.

Massacre Rocks State Park is beside I-86, 40 miles east of Declo.

Getting in: A daily $5 motor vehicle entry fee is required year-round — unless you have

VIRGINIA HUTCHINS, TIMES-NEWS‌

Geological history is on display in Massacre Rocks State Park, and the river offers unequaled views.

VIRGINIA HUTCHINS, TIMES-NEWS‌

Birds’ nests cling to rocks that hang over the water.

VIRGINIA HUTCHINS, TIMES-NEWS‌

Mark Hutchins prepares to launch a tandem kayak at Massacre Rocks State Park on Oct. 15. the $10 annual Idaho State Parks Passport available through the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Getting comfortable: Need to boost your water skills before taking on the stretch of river above Beaver Island? Come back to Massacre Rocks State Park in the summer. The staff provides 15 or 20 minutes of instruction before renting out canoes and kayaks.

And the park offers occasional summer workshops that cover self-rescue skills such as re-entering a capsized boat. Practicing in the water gives participants a larger comfort zone as paddlers.

“Two kinds of paddlers: those who have capsized, those that will,” Lynott said. “The shock of being in the water is something you need to get over.”

For workshop dates, watch the park’s Facebook page or its website, Parksandrecreation.idaho. gov/parks/massacre-rocks.

A final tip: For less experienced paddlers, a kayak is a better idea here than a canoe because your center of gravity is lower.

“I seldom put inexperienced paddlers in a canoe,” Lynott said.

“I’ll always put them in a kayak if I have a choice.”

M 1

• Thursday, March 24, 2016 Section Editor Virginia Hutchins [ 208-735-3242 • vhutchins@magicvalley.com ] • B4

OUTDOORS

How to Protect Big Game while Hunting for Shed Antlers • B5

Tell Those Guys I Made It to the Hut

‌I

want Dave Lentz and Valdon Hancock to know this: I’ve seen the hut. ‌Dave and Valdon are two remarkably helpful members of the High Desert Nordic Association who two winters ago helped my husband and me get started as cross-country skiers and last winter introduced us to the Elk Basin Trail in the South Hills. Let’s just say that I didn’t show much promise as a beginner.

Still, that scenic trail — which we access from the top of the chairlift at Magic Mountain Resort — immediately became our favorite. Mark and I were regulars there this winter, using a segment of the snow-covered 500 Road to complete the loop back to the ski resort parking lot.

One tempting detour is the Thompson Creek Trail, which leads to the High Desert Nordic hut — a typical destination for the club’s group outings. Several times this winter, Mark and I set off for the hut. But until Saturday, we never got there.

I have various excuses, of course. 1) It was early in the season and I was still too wimpy. 2) Our mapreading skills weren’t up to snuff and we expended too much energy floundering through deep snow. 3) Sometimes — even when the trail was groomed and navigation wasn’t an issue — we turned back because the equation of weather conditions and time of day made it seem wise, or the snow was starting to crust over with ice.

(I know Valdon and Dave will be aghast to read No. 2.

The Nordic club’s leaders have done everything possible to show the way with maps and trail markings — everything except escorting us there themselves. And they’d have done that readily if we only had asked.)

Saturday, Magic Mountain’s last day to operate its ski lift this winter, was gorgeous. We felt up to it.

We had plenty of daylight left. We knew the way from previous almost-madeit attempts.

Tarp never looked so good.

Inside the tarp-covered

Virginia Hutchins Outdoors Editor

shelter are a woodpile and a stove — over which a boot dryer hangs — bunks, lanterns, cooking pots and the other thoughtful gestures of men trying to help other people enjoy the woods in winter.

And we do, Valdon and Dave. We really, really do.

••• Emery Pass, on the west side of City of Rocks National Reserve, is still closed by snow. Several vehicles attempted to cross Emery Pass last week, and all turned back. Some were stranded overnight.

Don’t approach City of Rocks from the Oakley side, via Emery Canyon, or attempt to break through the pass from the east, reserve managers said.

They plan to open the road as soon as possible, which they estimate as April 15.

Roads into City of Rocks from the Almo side are open and passable for all vehicles to Bath Rock, and for four-wheel drive vehicles to Parking Lot Rock.

The nearby Castle Rocks State Park is almost snowfree, and roads are dry.

••• Volunteers planted 50 acres of riparian vegetation along the South Fork of the Boise River in 2014 and 2015. On April 9, Trout Unlimited, Mountain Home Girl Scouts of America, Mountain Home 4-H, Mountain Home Air Force Base and other groups will gather to plant again.

And they’re looking for help. Volunteers will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Boise National Forest’s Mountain Home Ranger District, 3080 Industrial Way in Mountain Home.

Interested in pitching in?

Contact wildlife biologist Scott Bodle, sbodle@fs.fed. us or 208-587-7849.

Virginia Hutchins is the enterprise editor of the Times-News and Magicvalley.com; reach her at vhutchins@ magicvalley.com or 208735-3242.

COURTESY OF IDAHO POWER‌

An Idaho Power fish transport tanker releases thousands of trout into C.J. Strike Reservoir on March 16.

Magic Valley’s Fish Stocking Outlook PETE ZIMOWSKY For the Times-News‌

J‌ EROME • Although Idahoans pride themselves on fishing year-round, it’s spring and the fishing season is going full bore.‌ The Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Idaho Power Co. are stocking waters from C.J. Strike Reservoir throughout Magic Valley.

“March is a busy time of the year since things are warming up and ice is coming off,” said Douglas Megargle, Magic Valley Region fishery manager for Fish and Game. “Many low-elevation lakes and reservoirs have lost their ice and are either scheduled to be stocked shortly, or have already been stocked.”

The Magic Valley Region gets a lot of fish throughout the year, including about 254,000 catchable-size trout (10 to 12 inches long).

In addition, hundreds of thousands of fingerlings are stocked throughout the area, including about 10,000 Chinook salmon for Anderson Ranch Reservoir, 60,000 Henrys Lake cutthroat-rainbow trout hybrids for Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir, about 15,000 Henrys Lake cutthroat for Sublett Reservoir and 650,000 rainbow trout fingerlings scattered among Little Camas, Magic and Mormon reservoirs.

Fingerlings are young, finger-size fish that are allowed to grow to maturity naturally in reservoirs and lakes. They can be a lot wilder for anglers to catch than hatchery catchables.

Most of the trout that are stocked go in lakes, reservoirs and ponds, and also in several streams including Rock Creek; upper Big Wood River and some tributaries; South Fork Boise River above Anderson Ranch Reservoir; Little Wood River; and Billingsley Creek. Rivers and streams are stocked after spring runoff has subsided.

The Magic Valley Region also stocks 1.7 million walleye fry when Fish and Game can get them. There’s a large group of walleye aficionados in Idaho who seek the game fish in Salmon Falls Creek, Oakley and Oneida reservoirs.

Southern Idaho anglers also got a bonus besides all the fish stocked by Fish and Game. Idaho Power

PETE ZIMOWSKY, FOR THE TIMES-NEWS‌

The Magic Valley region’s waters get about 254,000 catchable-size hatchery trout throughout the year. is stocking is 50,000 pansized rainbow trout at C.J. Strike Reservoir. The company alternates the releases between Cottonwood and Jack’s Creek access points.

C.J. Strike is a popular fishing and camping spot where Idaho Power owns and maintains four campgrounds and a day-use park.

“These fish will provide a lot of opportunities for anglers this spring and summer,” Idaho Power biologist Ben Reingold said in a release.

Idaho Power’s federal licenses to operate its hydroelectric facilities on the Snake River require the company to preserve and enhance recreational opportunities. As part of that effort, the company stocks various locations along the Middle Snake each year.

The fish are raised at a Hagerman Valley hatchery and are about 10 inches long when released. Those that aren’t caught right away can grow several inches per year, according to Reingold.

Some trout released by Idaho Power have metal jaw tags. Anglers are asked to report any tagged fish they catch by recording the tag number, date, the reward value (if any) and the approximate location where the fish was caught. They can call 800-388-6011 and provide information that includes their name, mailing address, telephone number and whether the fish was kept or released.

Anglers who report

tagged fish through the tollfree number are entered into a drawing for $1,000.

Other Fishstocking Notes‌ More trivia from Megargle about fish stocking in the Magic Valley: • The sources: The Magic Valley Region is stocked mainly by the state’s Hagerman Fish Hatchery. However, fish also are delivered to the region by the Nampa hatchery, Hagerman National Fish Hatchery, American Falls hatchery, Grace hatchery, Mackay hatchery and Niagara hatchery. “It takes a team, and they work hard to get those fish out for Idaho anglers,” Megargle said.

• The majority: Most fish stocked in the region are rainbow trout. Most are sterile to protect the resident cutthroat and redband populations.

• The size: Something new over the past few years is that Fish and Game has switched to stocking fewer but larger rainbow trout: 12 inches long. Research showed that the larger trout are caught at nearly twice the rate of the traditional 10-inch trout.

• The others: Other species stocked include golden trout, yellow rainbow trout, Yellowstone cutthroat, rainbow-cutthroat hybrid, brown trout and grayling (or Arctic char).

Golden trout, cutthroats and grayling go into alpine lakes. The yellow rainbow

trout, or banana trout as it is nicknamed, is stocked at the Hagerman Wildlife Management Area and local ponds. It’s a novelty trout, but some anglers say they fight and taste better.

If you see a yellow trout in a pond, that means the pond has recently been stocked.

Incidentally, they are often mistaken for golden trout.

Largemouth bass and bluegill are typically stocked by trapping them from one fishery and transplanting them in another.

• The region: Magic Valley is unique in that there are many large irrigation reservoirs that were built for irrigation storage but provide the opportunity to create and maintain fisheries.

“These fisheries are challenging to manage given the huge fluctuations in available water, but we would never look a gift horse in the mouth,” Megargle said.

“We are very grateful for reservoirs such as Salmon Falls Creek, Magic, Oakley, Little Camas, Mormon and others.”

• The schedule: For more information on stocking, check out Fish and Game’s links: Fishandgame. idaho.gov/public/fish/ stocking/speciesByDate. cfm?region=4 or Fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/ fish/?getPage=229.

When looking at the list of waters to be stocked, anglers should understand that the dates are best guesses.

Please see STOCKING, B5

CSI Offers 15 Ways to Learn a New Outdoor Sport TIMES-NEWS ‌TWIN FALLS • There’s no need to feel daunted by the skills and equipment for needed for Idaho’s outdoor recreation.‌ The College of Southern Idaho and its Outdoor Recreation Center offer a lineup of low-cost opportunities to learn, and they’re open to the public. Even better: The college provides the gear, such as bikes or boats or ropes.

CSI students, faculty and staff get discounts; the prices shown are for everyone else.

Climb‌ COURTESY PHOTO

Climbing instructor Shawn Willsey demonstrates anchor configurations at City of Rocks National Reserve for College of Southern Idaho’s intermediate climbing class.

“Intro to Climbing” Clinic: 5-8 p.m. April 14. Learn proper climbing techniques, rigging in safely and how to rappel from the

rock face; taught by CSI climbing instructor Shawn Willsey and the ORC. No experience necessary. All gear provided. Meet at the west side of the Dierkes Lake parking area. Register: Ann, 208-7326475. Cost: $40.

to a destination, spend an hour doing sun salutations and morning stretches, then finish the loop.

Includes transportation and yoga mats if needed. Meet at the ORC. Register: Ann, 208-732-6475.

Cost: $25.

Hike‌

Bike‌

Box Canyon Hike: 5:30-8 p.m.

April 2. Explore a hidden local gem on foot. Explore deep springs, a 20-foot waterfall and a unique canyon landscape on this fivemile loop. Open to any experience level. Includes transportation.

Meet at the ORC. Register: Ann, 208-732-6475. Cost: $10.

Hike & Yoga in the South Hills: 9 a.m.-noon April 16.

Participants will hike with mats

Mountain Bike Mondays at Auger Falls: 5:30 p.m. April 11 and 25 and May 9 and 23. Beginner to advanced riders. Meet at the Auger Falls parking lot. All gear provided. Register: jtwiss@csi.edu by noon each Monday. Cost: $15 (free if your bring your own gear).

RoadRides: 5:30 p.m. April 4 and 18 and May 2 and 16. Learn Please see LEARN, B6