Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - August 25, 2014

When was the last time you broke out your fingerless fishing gloves, a neck gator and a hat when you were fishing Idaho in August? Who would have thought it would come to pass this season? Ideally we are trending back to a more normal August this week, but at this point we could have a snow-nado for all I know!

So, short of a Snow-nado, forest fire, flood or some other trick Mother Nature has rolled up her sleeve, perhaps we can get back to some summertime hatches and world class fishing. Silver Creek has benefited a great deal from the cloud cover and the extra water in the system and with the return of the sun we can expect the return of the Trico spinner falls, the Hopper action and Callibaetis afternoons. This may ramp back up slowly, but the fish should be hungry and ready to take advantage of some lighter conditions and more consistent hatches.

For those of you with guns and dogs, the beginning of the Upland season starts this week. Grouse opens on Saturday and the word is that there are a lot of Grouse this fall! This is a great bird to hunt in the cool forest early in the morning while we wait for temperatures to come down. Hunters can avoid rattlesnakes and overheating dogs by taking advantage of this time of the day at this time of the year.

Dove hunting opens on Monday! If you haven’t checked yet, Idaho Fish and Game announced this:

The Fish and Game Commission has approved liberal limits in response to new harvest strategies for North America's most abundant game bird. The daily limit for mourning doves will be 15, and the possession limit will be 45. The season will last 60 days, from September 1 through October 30.

The new harvest strategy approved by the Pacific Flyway Council is designed to conserve mourning dove populations while minimizing annual regulatory change. While this may be confusing to Idaho hunters in the first year, in the long run the goal is to provide more consistent seasons and limits in the future.

Great news for Dove hunters and foodies alike, as Dove is certainly one of the best tasting game birds out there. We are coming quickly into the finest time of the season for outdoors people in Idaho. So get out there and cast and blast this weekend. Be sure to have all your licenses updates and be sure to have your migratory bird stamp for Doves!

 Happy Fishing and Hunting Everyone!

Opening Day of Forest Grouse Season

John Huber, Winston and Boone

My newest puppy Boone, who will begin work on the Picabo Angler Pheasant Preserve next season, took his first steps today, going on his first Grouse hunt! He is very proud of himself in this picture, although older and wiser Winston Dog on the right, may have had more to do with the limit, Boone still did a fantastic job, following the old guy around and smelling what he smelled and tracking what he tracked! At the end of the day the important thing is he learned...

Boone and Winston with an opening day limit of Forest Grouse.

Grouse Hunting Near Sun Valley, Idaho

Grouse Hunting Near Sun Valley Idaho

A favorite time of year for many men, women and upland dogs in Idaho is upon us - Grouse Season! It’s time to shake out last year’s feathers from that old upland vest, maybe take a quick trip to the gun range for a tune up, and give your pup one last pep talk about what a good bird dog he or she is! Then it’s off to the field with guns and noses held high.

If you are new to hunting Grouse near Picabo, Sun Valley, Wood River Valley or Stanley here are a couple of quick tips to help get you get in the game. The most important things to keep in mind are hillsides, water and berries.

Grouse love to be near a clean, fresh water source. This can be a little creek, a big river or the smallest spring on a mountain side. Be sure that Grouse are always connected to a particular source of water. This is amplified during the hot month of September when we do most of our Grouse hunting and is especially true on a drought year like we are having this season. When water is scarce and the heat is up, be sure those Grouse are within several hundred yards of a water source.

Winston the English Setter pointing a Blue Grouse near Sun Valley, Idaho

Berry fields are another big piece of the formula. Snow Berries, Choke Cherries, and Currants are a favorite for Grouse and a major food source, along with insects like Grasshoppers and some seeds, aspen leaves and pine needles. These later foods are ingested as the ripe Berries begin to vanish from the woods. During drought years, berry fields can be harder to find rich with fruit, but look in shady groves on hillsides and on the edges of Aspen groves. 

Now, just find a hillside, avalanche shoot or stream bank that has water, and berries and is in a quiet place, and let your dog hunt! It is good to move quietly and watch your dog intently. Working up a steep hillside you should see your dog begin to track in a straighter and straighter line as they close in on their quarry. Like most covey birds, don’t panic if you can’t get a shot off on the first flush you see, chances are there will be more.

Blue Grouse and Ruffed Grouse are the most common Forest Grouse in the Sun Valley area and as we head toward the desert and farm country at the foothills of the mountains and forest one will encounter Sage Grouse and Sharptail Grouse. These birds are true Grouse, but live a very different life. Check back as we approach fall for more info on hunting these wonderful species as well!