Earlier this year if you asked Idaho Fish and Game how the trout were doing in Island Park’s Warm River, you might have gotten a shoulder shrug.

That’s because the last time the river was surveyed was in the mid 1980s, nearly 40 years ago. To get a better handle on this unique spring-fed tributary of the Henrys Fork River, nine Fish and Game biologists and technicians conducted an abundance survey last month about a mile downstream from the Warm Springs that feeds into Warm River. Some of the findings of the survey surprised John Heckel, fisheries biologist.

“I was kind of surprised at the abundance of juvenile fish,” Heckel said. “It’s great rearing habitat. It’s super clean water. There are a lot of invertebrates so there’s a lot of bugs in there and then there’s a lot of cover with the weeds. There’s quite a bit of timber in there too and those kinds of in-stream habitats are great protection for juvenile fish. There were thousands of juveniles.”

The survey crew found an estimated 1,200 fish per mile using a recapture abundance calculation method. Using the same analysis broken down by species, biologists estimated 772 brown trout, 753 rainbow trout, and 55 mountain whitefish per mile, Fish and Game said in its survey report. Most of the fish were less than 8 inches long. A handful of brook trout also popped up in the survey, but in small numbers. Nongame species found included Paiute and mottled sculpin.

The staff used a towed barge electrofishing setup and two backpack electrofishers to sample the fish population.

“When you think of a typical trout fishery that is a spring (fed) creek, you often find some really big trophy sized trout in spring creeks, but we didn’t capture any that were over 18 inches,” Heckel said. “It doesn’t mean that they’re not in there somewhere, but I guess I was a little surprised we didn’t capture any bigger fish. That reach of river we surveyed does seem like a nursery area.”

Heckel believes mature brown and rainbow trout are migrating up Warm River from Henrys Fork to spawn and only a few big fish remain as permanent residents.

The crew also conducted a survey upstream of Warm Springs in the Pole Bridge Campground area where the stream is smaller, using backpack electrofishing.

“That was 100 percent brook trout at Pole Bridge,” Heckel said. “You’re getting more into the headwaters at that point. So if folks want brook trout fishing, the upper Warm River has a lot of fishing.”

Heckel said Fish and Game doesn’t expect to let the river go another 40 years before its next abundance survey.

“It’ll be good to monitor this on some kind of a cycle,” he said. “We have to work that out. It probably wouldn’t be an annual survey because it’s not a large, well-known river that gets a ton of pressure, but it would be good monitoring so we have some up-to-date data to tell people and to monitor the health of the fishery.”

Heckel speculated that the river’s lack of access points along the nearby roads and its being in grizzly bear country may hold back some anglers.

“You know, that could be the reason why not many people fish it, is because of that grizzly bear presence,” he said. “We found a lot of scat on the road driving in there and on the bank of the river when we were doing the survey. So, it’s there. They’re in there pretty thick.”

The month of May will see some heavy duty stocking efforts by Idaho Fish and Game with more than 65,000 rainbow trout going into several locations around the Upper Snake Region and more than 32,000 trout in southeastern locations.

These are all catchable-size trout in the 10- to 12-inch range.

One notable stocking that didn’t make any of Fish and Game’s April reports was 38,750 rainbows dumped into Ashton Reservoir this past week.

“They had them ready and decided to do it last Monday and Tuesday,” said James Brower, Fish and Game regional communications manager, of the Ashton Reservoir stocking. “They put the fish near the boat ramp just over the river bridge (north of town). There’s plenty of fishing up and down the bank there and people fishing off the dock have done pretty good.”

Of the 65,000 fish scheduled for May, Ririe Reservoir will get 18,000 in the middle of the month and Island Park Reservoir is slated for 9,600. Birch Creek is due to receive two stockings during the month for a total of more than 5,000. The Henrys Fork will get three stockings during the month totaling about 7,500 trout.

Brower said spring is an ideal time to get out while the fish are more active.

“It’s a good time while the weather is a little bit cooler before some places heat up,” he said. “Some of those ponds the water gets kind of warm and the fish kind of turn off a bit. But while the water is still cold the fish will be active and should be biting.”

Southeast Idaho waters are also being prepped for the big summer fishing season.

“We have 31 stocking events in the Southeast Region in the month of May alone,” said Jennifer Jackson, regional communications manager with Fish and Game. “Some of those places are going to be hit more than once. We’ve got more than 32,000 fish to be stocked at these different sites in southeast Idaho.”

These sites include the Bear River, Crowthers Reservoir, Deep Creek Reservoir and several smaller ponds. Montpelier Reservoir is due for 5,000 fish later in the month.

“We’ve got Memorial Day coming up at the end of the month and people are getting excited to get out fishing and enjoying the summer weather, so this is the big push getting us ready for fishing season,” Jackson said.

In the Salmon area, about 3,500 trout will be planted in local ponds and at Mosquito Flat Reservoir. The Hayden Creek Pond will receive 1,000 during the month and Mosquito Flat Reservoir will also get about 1,000 toward the end of the month.

For specifics on planned fish stocking locations and schedules, go to Fish and Game’s Fish Planner online at idfg.idaho.gov/fish/stocking#stocking-schedule.

It was a case of an accident waiting to happen.

Before the worst could become reality, the Caribou-Targhee National Forest implemented an emergency trail closure this week for the hiking/horseback riding Lead Draw Trail just south of Pocatello. The area is also a popular unofficial shooting range. The unusual closure halts trail use but continues to allow recreational target shooting.

“With the number of reports we’ve heard regarding near-misses between target shooters and hikers, I could not in good conscience keep the trail open as it currently sits,” said Kim Obele, Westside District ranger. “It was only a matter of time until we had a tragedy and someone was seriously injured.”

Most of the reports have been circulated on social media by hikers who talk of bullets flying too close for comfort, sometimes across the trail or in their direction.

“It seems like with more people recreating and more new users coming out, there are more conflicts happening with that area,” said Sheila Larsen, recreation manager at the Westside Ranger District. “We don’t want to wait for an accident to do something.”

The temporary trail closure expires July 31. By that time, the Forest Service hopes to have a permanent solution.

“This time we don’t have a plan that we’re trying to sell to the public,” Larsen said. “We’re asking people to be part of the conversation to help us figure out what is the solution. Is it rerouting the trail? Is it closing it to shooting? Is it something else?”

Larsen said the Lead Draw Trail is generally not frequented by seasoned hikers because of its unofficial status as a target shooting range. Last year, the Forest Service issued an informational video and service announcements after poor behavior and particularly close calls along the trail. Firefighters battled a blaze at Lead Draw in June 2020 caused by an exploding target. In October 2020, a Pocatello hiker went to a local TV station to talk about target shooters sending bullets in her direction as she hiked down the trail.

“People have gone there and had an incident there, and they don’t go back,” Larsen said. “It’s the new users that go because they’re not aware that it is an unofficial shooting area.”

Larsen said fortunately the Mink Creek corridor south of Pocatello has several stellar trails for hikers and others. The Forest Service is pointing outdoor recreators to alternate nearby trails such as the Crestline and Walker Creek trails. Although the trail itself is closed, access to the Lead Draw area will not change.

“This is kind of non-conventional to close the trail and keep the shooting,” she said. “But looking at all the opportunities for hiking around Pocatello, there’s so many and there’s not a lot of safe opportunities for safe shooting.”

The Westside Ranger District is encouraging public comments and suggestions. Contact Sheila Larsen or Robert Harris at the district by calling 208-236-7500 or via email at Sheila.larsen@usda.gov or robert.e.harris@usda.gov.

It was a case of an accident waiting to happen.

Before the worst could become reality, the Caribou-Targhee National Forest implemented an emergency trail closure this week for the hiking/horseback riding Lead Draw Trail just south of Pocatello. The area is also a popular unofficial shooting range. The unusual closure halts trail use but continues to allow recreational target shooting.

“With the number of reports we’ve heard regarding near-misses between target shooters and hikers, I could not in good conscience keep the trail open as it currently sits,” said Kim Obele, Westside District ranger. “It was only a matter of time until we had a tragedy and someone was seriously injured.”

Most of the reports have been circulated on social media by hikers who talk of bullets flying too close for comfort, sometimes across the trail or in their direction.

“It seems like with more people recreating and more new users coming out, there are more conflicts happening with that area,” said Sheila Larsen, recreation manager at the Westside Ranger District. “We don’t want to wait for an accident to do something.”

The temporary trail closure expires July 31. By that time, the Forest Service hopes to have a permanent solution.

“This time we don’t have a plan that we’re trying to sell to the public,” Larsen said. “We’re asking people to be part of the conversation to help us figure out what is the solution. Is it rerouting the trail? Is it closing it to shooting? Is it something else?”

Larsen said the Lead Draw Trail is generally not frequented by seasoned hikers because of its unofficial status as a target shooting range. Last year, the Forest Service issued an informational video and service announcements after poor behavior and particularly close calls along the trail. Firefighters battled a blaze at Lead Draw in June 2020 caused by an exploding target. In October 2020, a Pocatello hiker went to a local TV station to talk about target shooters sending bullets in her direction as she hiked down the trail.

“People have gone there and had an incident there, and they don’t go back,” Larsen said. “It’s the new users that go because they’re not aware that it is an unofficial shooting area.”

Larsen said fortunately the Mink Creek corridor south of Pocatello has several stellar trails for hikers and others. The Forest Service is pointing outdoor recreators to alternate nearby trails such as the Crestline and Walker Creek trails. Although the trail itself is closed, access to the Lead Draw area will not change.

“This is kind of non-conventional to close the trail and keep the shooting,” she said. “But looking at all the opportunities for hiking around Pocatello, there’s so many and there’s not a lot of safe opportunities for safe shooting.”

The Westside Ranger District is encouraging public comments and suggestions. Contact Sheila Larsen or Robert Harris at the district by calling 208-236-7500 or via email at Sheila.larsen@usda.gov or robert.e.harris@usda.gov

Nonresident regular deer tags for the coming hunting season have already sold out, the earliest in recent history, Idaho Fish and Game announced Friday.

Fish and Game expects that nonresident whitetail only tags will sell out soon.

“Fish and Game has sold out of nonresident deer and elk tags for the past five years, and sell out dates have consistently gotten earlier,” the department said in a news release. “Nonresident tags go on sale on Dec. 1 for the following year.”

“This was the first year that the (Fish and Game) Commission implemented a percentage cap by game management unit for nonresidents,” said James Brower, Upper Snake Region communications manager. “They had to choose basically where they had to go.”

Brower said caps for nonresidents was between 10 and 15 percent per game management unit. The overall number of nonresident deer tags remained the same.

“What did change was the number that could hunt in any particular unit,” Brower said. “That likely added to the urgency for nonresidents to get the spot that they wanted. Some of those units were sold out within a very quick period of time.”

About 2,900 nonresident elk tags are still available out of a total of 15,716.

Last year, nonresident tags for elk sold out June 17, deer tags sold out June 26 and whitetail only tags July 26. Previous to that, nonresident tags sold out in August or later during the fall.

Idaho resident deer and elk tags are not limited by quotas.

Fish and Game said there are still ways for nonresidents to obtain a tag. They can:

• Apply for a controlled hunt, and if selected, a nonresident can buy the controlled hunt tag. (Nonresidents are limited to 10 percent of all controlled hunt tags.)

• Buy a returned nonresident tag, which if available, will go on sale at 10 a.m. on April 22 on a first-come, first-served basis. Tags available will be published online at 10 a.m. on the Tuesday preceding the sale. Afterward, returned tags will be sold (including elk tags) on these dates: May 20, June 24, July 22, Aug. 5, Sept. 2 and 16, Oct. 7 and 21 and Nov. 4.

• Hire an outfitter if the outfitter has nonresident tags available. Fish and Game sets aside 1,985 tags for outfitters.

Frequent winter visitors to Teton Pass and surrounding areas will eventually bump into a smiling skier with a bright orange jacket with an embroidered logo reading “Teton Pass Ambassador.”

The Teton Backcountry Alliance has recruited seven skilled volunteers to help with the load that for many years fell on the shoulders of Jay Pistono. Pistono and recently, Mike Penterson, work for the Bridger-Teton National Forest to promote safety, a sense of community and sustainable access for visitors in the wintertime. Now, the Bridger-Teton will have seven more helpers.

“With the winter of COVID and the dramatic increase of backcountry use and the helluva winter we’re having, all of which are related to each other, we thought it would be good to have more boots on the ground,” said Teton Backcountry Alliance director Gary Kofinas. “People who can basically be there for folks. We have a lot of out-of-towners. If you’ve gone over Teton Pass recently, you’ll see there’s a lot of licenses that are not nearby folks.”

The idea of backcountry ambassadors has been used successfully at other popular areas experiencing crowding in places such as Colorado and California. This program is a formal arraignment with the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Kofinas said ambassadors help visitors orient themselves and check to make sure people know what they’re getting themselves into and answer questions.

“They help by saying, ‘Hey, I see you’re from out of town, do you know where you’re going? Do you have the proper equipment? You realize it’s a high avalanche day?’ Not necessarily tell people where to go, you can’t do that, but just to be there as an information source,” he said.

Kofinas said they can also help a little with the perennial issue of parking.

“They are not parking attendants but they are helpful with that whole line-up of cars on top of people waiting. It can be a little disorganized,” he said.

The ambassadors plan to be seen at the top of the pass, in the overflow lot, in the Phillips parking lot or at the Old Pass Road parking area, “or just out skiing.”

Kofinas said to bring the new ambassadors up to speed, they shadowed Pistono for a day or two.

“We want them to be friendly and non-confrontational,” he said. “Hopefully people will give them a smile.”

The new ambassadors are Ariel Kazunas, of Jackson, Wyo.; Brian Siegfried, Jackson; Anthony Campolattaro, Wilson, Wyo.; Natalee Stimpson, Victor; Randy Roberts, Wilson; Daniel Nagy, Driggs; and Anna Gibson, Teton Village, Wyo.

As the saying goes, the third time’s a charm.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Idaho State Police with the help of Idaho Fish and Game and others, shutdown U.S. Highway 20 near Sugar City for just under 15 minutes and played crossing guards to about 170 elk for the third winter in a row.

“It seemed like they knew the routine,” said James Brower, of Idaho Fish and Game who was at the scene.

Brower said almost like clockwork, the elk came down from the Teton River Canyon at the same time as the past two years. They massed just south of Sugar City near where the Teton River, Idaho Highway 33 and U.S. Highway 20 meet. The elk had definite ideas about where they want to spend the winter.

“The Sand Creek (Desert) is where they want to be,” Brower said.

Fish and Game offered up snacks to the 500- to 700-pound animals in hopes of keeping them away from the highway. Madison County Sheriff’s deputies also helped patrol the area hoping to keep them off the roads.

At about 2 p.m. Tuesday, the elk gathered in a field near Highway 20. With a little coaxing, and a closed highway, the elk marched across the road heading west.

“They came out into the open and we didn’t have to encourage them too much,” Brower said.

“This was a well-coordinated effort and we would like to thank (Idaho State Police), (Idaho Transportation Department), Madison County and all of the many landowners involved in making this happen safely,” said Doug Petersen regional conservation officer.

Brower said one of Fish and Game’s biologists who “is good at counting large groups” counted 171 elk.

Brower said this is the third year in a row that the elk moved from their historic wintering area in Teton Canyon and have followed the river down toward Sugar City and Rexburg.

In 2019, six elk from this herd were struck and killed on Idaho Highway 33 shortly after midnight.

Signs were erected this past week in the area to minimize disturbance to the elk, but some people have gone out of their way to harass the animals.

“Several snow machines were documented chasing a group of elk along the Teton River on Sunday afternoon,” Brower said. Chasing wildlife is illegal. He said some minors were detained in the incident.

“Please be respectful and give wildlife some space, especially during this time of year when they are extremely vulnerable,” Petersen said.

Last February, large groups of elk were escorted across the highway on their way to the Sand Creek Desert. The elk remained there until spring when they trickled back toward the Teton River canyon.

Brower said there are more elk wintering in the Teton River canyon but they hope they don’t have any major winter travel plans. But elk are known to sometimes move into the area south of Sugar City.

Officials urge the public to keep their distance and motorists to slow down while driving through the area.

“Motorists should continue to use caution in the area and keep an eye out for wildlife crossing roads,” Fish and Game said. “It is possible for additional elk to be in the area next to the highway and they may decide to cross on their own at any time.”

Fish and Game said it will continue to monitor the situation.

Fish and Game has three emergency conditions that can trigger winter feeding. Those include preventing damage to private property, such as damage to haystacks; public safety concerns, such as elk congregating near a busy highway; and harsh winter conditions.

The Forest Service reports that an effort to allow heli-skiing for the first time in the Centennial Range near Island Park is still stalled at the beginning of the process.

“We’re still working on the application and what it would take for me to even accept that application,” said Caribou-Targhee Forest Service ranger Liz Davy.

Davy said the Forest Service was approached about a year and a half ago by the Yellowstone Club, a private group in the Big Sky, Montana, area, with the idea of taking clients heli-skiing to five different areas in the Centennial Range.

The Yellowstone Club dropped their interest in the proposal, but another company has taken up the idea.

After consulting with a Forest Service biologist, three of the areas were taken off the possibility list.

“We necked it down to two because of conflicts with wildlife and concerns of what use in those areas would do to wildlife, primarily wolverine,” she said. “There’s a lot of concern from our wildlife biologists about the effects of helicopter use on denning bears and wolverines.”

The two possibilities remaining are the Sawtelle Peak area and the Reas Peak area.

While things are still in the preliminary idea stages and no permits have been issued, Davy said she has already received “hundreds of comments and most of them are not supportive, but also a lot of them are form letters.”

The organization Winter Wildlands Alliance erroneously posted on its website that “the Caribou-Targhee National Forest is about to issue a permit for commercial heli-skiing on the north side of Mt. Jefferson and several of its neighboring peaks in the Centennials” and requests followers to write the Forest Service.

Davy said her office may issue a research permit this winter season to allow guides from the company to snowmobile into the area and explore its safety, potential landing and pick-up sites and avalanche potential. But many questions remain before her office will even accept an application for heli-skiing.

“The next step would be for them to complete a full-blown application that addresses our questions,” she said. “We may have additional questions as this rolls along. I have to decide whether I will even accept the application or not. I have criteria that I use to evaluate applications. If it meets all the criteria, I can accept the application.”

Once an application is accepted, the Forest Service will conduct an environmental analysis which includes taking public comment.

Davy said heli-skiing is controversial in the places it’s allowed in the Rocky Mountains. Heli-skiing operations have been operating out of Jackson, Wyoming, in the Bridger-Teton National Forest for decades. A day of heli-skiing is advertised at $1,550 per person.