POCATELLO — A woman in South Pocatello claims she recently found multiple mountain lion paw prints in her yard.

According to LocalNews8, the paw prints led to the woman’s Koi pond, though it is unknown if the cougar ate any fish in the pond.

LocalNews8 also reported that the woman’s residence is located near Country Club Drive, not far from where a local family encountered a mountain lion in a tree last month. That sighting on Feb. 18 was reported when a local family was walking their dog on nearby Hilo Drive.

According to the family, the cougar was spotted in a cottonwood tree before it jumped onto the ground and ran off. There were no injuries. 

A few weeks before the Feb. 18 encounter, residents reported a mountain lion near Cedar Lake Road.

The area also made headlines last winter, when Fish and Game relocated a mama cat and her four kittens after they made themselves at home among the human residents of the Johnny Creek area.

Jennifer Jackson, regional conservation educator for Idaho Fish and Game, said it is not unusual this time of year to see mountain lions or to find cougar tracks in the snow in areas in Pocatello and outside of city limits. Jackson also said the tracks found in the woman’s yard could belong to the same mountain lion that was spotted on Feb. 18 in the cottonwood tree.

Jackson encourages anybody who encounters a mountain lion near their property to contact Idaho Fish and Game immediately at 208-232-4703.

IRWIN — A 47-year-old snowmobiler from Idaho Falls was found dead on Tuesday after being buried by an avalanche near Palisades Reservoir.

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office said the body of Troy Leishman was found near the upper bowl of Sheep Creek about 6 miles from the trailhead at approximately 4 p.m. Tuesday.

According to authorities, Leishman was snowmobiling with friends in the area when he was buried by an avalanche.

Though he was pulled out of the snow, authorities said he succumbed to his injuries.

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Bonneville County Search and Rescue, Star Valley Search and Rescue, Swan Valley Fire and Idaho Falls EMS. Leishman’s friends and families also assisted in the recovery.

The incident on Tuesday near Palisades Reservoir is the latest in a string of snowmobile deaths in the region. Last month, two snowmobilers were killed by avalanches in the Island Park area.

On Jan. 10, Idaho Falls resident Adam Wayne Andersen was killed while snowmobiling following an avalanche in the Centennial Mountain Range. Less than two weeks later on Jan. 20, Raymond John Moe of Missoula, Montana, was killed by an avalanche while snowmobiling with friends near the Idaho/Montana border.

Authorities are warning that avalanche danger remains high throughout the region and will continue to increase as temperatures warm up during the rest of the snowmobiling season.

IRWIN — A 47-year-old snowmobiler from Idaho Falls was found dead on Tuesday after being buried by an avalanche near Palisades Reservoir.

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office said the body of Troy Leishman was found near the upper bowl of Sheep Creek about 6 miles from the trailhead at approximately 4 p.m. Tuesday.

According to authorities, Leishman was snowmobiling with friends in the area when he was buried by an avalanche.

Though he was pulled out of the snow, authorities said he succumbed to his injuries.

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Bonneville County Search and Rescue, Star Valley Search and Rescue, Swan Valley Fire and Idaho Falls EMS. Leishman’s friends and families also assisted in the recovery.

The incident on Tuesday near Palisades Reservoir is the latest in a string of snowmobile deaths in the region. Last month, two snowmobilers were killed by avalanches in the Island Park area.

On Jan. 10, Idaho Falls resident Adam Wayne Andersen was killed while snowmobiling following an avalanche in the Centennial Mountain Range. Less than two weeks later on Jan. 20, Raymond John Moe of Missoula, Montana, was killed by an avalanche while snowmobiling with friends near the Idaho/Montana border.

Authorities are warning that avalanche danger remains high throughout the region and will continue to increase as temperatures warm up during the rest of the snowmobiling season.

IRWIN — A snowmobiler was found dead on Tuesday after being buried by an avalanche near Palisades Reservoir.

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and Bonneville County Search and Rescue responded to the upper bowl of Sheep Creek about 6 miles from the trailhead at approximately 4 p.m. Tuesday.

According to authorities, an adult man who was snowmobiling with friends in the area was buried by an avalanche.

Though the man was pulled out of the snow, authorities said he succumbed to his injuries. His name has not been released pending notification of his family.

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and Search and Rescue would work throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to bring the man’s body out of Sheep Creek.

SODA SPRINGS — Whoever wins first place at an ice fishing tournament on the Blackfoot Reservoir on Saturday will win an ATV.

Tightline Outdoors is holding the event from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. The fishing guide service, which holds multiple ice fishing events throughout the Rocky Mountain Region every winter, said there are thousands of dollars in prizes, with door prizes being given away every few minutes.

However, the grand prize is an ATV.

“No gimmicks!” the tournament’s website said. “The single heaviest fish wins. Period.”

The event organizers are encouraging participants to register early because events may be capped due to conditions. Registration and additional information can be found at www.tightlineoutdoors.com. It costs $45 to register early, while it costs $55 on the day of the event.

INKOM — Pebble Creek Ski Area will be celebrating this year’s Winter Olympics with a variety of special events on Feb. 17.

The first event will be the Stacy Smith Race, where kids ages 16 and under will have a chance to compete for a gold medal in a slalom race on Pebble Creek’s Aspen beginner’s area. The event is open to both skiers and snowboarders.

Once the scores are tallied, the top three in each age category will be presented gold, silver and bronze medals. Though Stacy Smith Races are held multiple times every ski season, the Olympic event will feature a specially built three-tiered Olympic-style podium.

As the young skiers and boarders stand on the podium, they will be presented with their medals by a Paralympian Jacob Rife, a Pocatello High School graduate who started his career at Pebble Creek. Rife won medals at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Paralympics in Nagano and Salt Lake City.

The Stacy Smith Race on Feb. 17 will begin at 1:15 p.m., with the awards presentation to follow. Competitors can register for the event until 1 p.m. There is no entry fee, but the competitors need a $20 lift ticket to compete.

Later on in the evening, a Snow Ball will be held in the lodge. As Best By Yesterday, an alternative band from Pocatello, provides the live music, the Lava Flow Fire Dancers will perform in front of the lodge.

Then, just after 7 p.m., a torchlight parade will held near the Sunshine lift. The best way to view the parade is from the lodge’s deck. However, the lights from the skiers’ torches as they make their way down the mountain can be seen from miles away.

According to Pebble Creek, the torchlight parade is a medical fundraiser for Kim Peck, an outdoor enthuasist whose medical condition has made it difficult to work at his job as a contractor.

Participants in the torchlight parade must be at least 18 years old and be an expert skier or snowboarder. Though the suggested donation is $50, participants can donate more if they like.

There is no charge to go to the Snow Ball or watch the torchlight parade. Discount night ski tickets will be available at Barrie’s Ski and Sports in Pocatello.

The opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will be held on Friday. The games will continue until Feb. 25.

POCATELLO — Authorities are asking residents to use caution while outdoors after a mountain lion confronted a man south of Pocatello late Friday night.

The encounter occurred around 11:30 p.m. at Fort Hall Mine and Portneuf roads when a mountain lion walked up to a man who was checking the game cameras he had posted near the intersection, authorities said.

The big cat startled the man and he quickly retreated to his pickup truck and drove away, according to the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office.

The man, who was not injured during the encounter, then contacted the Sheriff’s Office and deputies were sent to the area to investigate.

As of early Saturday morning, the deputies had not located the mountain lion.

The man’s identity has not yet been released.

The Sheriff’s Office is urging the public to be careful while outdoors because a mountain lion is definitely in the area.

Last month authorities fatally shot an injured mountain lion in the Buckskin Road area east of Pocatello after the big cat killed a resident’s dog.

Residents are being encouraged to contact local law enforcement immediately regarding any mountain lion sightings.

The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at 208-236-7111.

ST. CHARLES — Officers with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game are currently investigating the poaching of a bull elk in Bear Lake County.

According to the Bear Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the elk was discovered by Fish and Game officers in St. Charles Canyon on Saturday.

The animal, which had been stripped of all quarters and its antlers, was located at the national forest boundary halfway between the entrance to St. Charles Campground and the Cache National Forest sign.

Investigators believe the poached bull elk was dumped sometime around New Year’s Day.

In Game Management Unit 78, where the animal’s body was found, there has been no bull elk hunt open for several weeks, except for a muzzleloader cow hunt that concluded on Dec. 31.

Anybody with information regarding this elk poaching is asked to call Fish and Game Officer Cameron Sena at 208-576-9067 or the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999.

The Bear Lake County Sheriff’s Office said a reward may be offered for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the elk’s illegal killing.

A variety of ski and snowboard lessons will be held at Pebble Creek Ski Area in Inkom throughout the month of January.Sessions for the Little Star, Super Star, and All Stars programs are scheduled to begin Jan. 6 and 7.The January Junior Boarder progra…

With the Pebble Creek Ski Area’s beginner-level Aspen area set to open next Tuesday, the Inkom resort’s management has announced that ski and snowboard lessons will be held each day from Dec. 26 to 31.

“Christmas Stars” is for kids ages 4 to 12 who are just starting out or already skiing. The $40 cost includes a lift ticket and a lesson from 1 to 3 p.m. More days are available for $35. Rental skis cost $15 per day.

The Start Skiing and Start Boarding program is available for those 10 and up. This one-day ski or snowboard program includes a morning and afternoon group lesson, a beginner area lift ticket and rental equipment for $35.

First-time lessons are taught in the morning and afternoon. For those who would like to improve their current skill level, there is a morning lesson only.

For the morning lesson, check in by 9:15 a.m. to get the equipment, with the lesson starting at 10 a.m. For the afternoon lesson, check in by 12:15 p.m., with the lesson starting at 1 p.m.

Private lessons are also available at $70 for the first person and $25 for each additional person of the same ability level and includes beginner-area lift tickets. Rental skis and snowboards are $15 each.

Family lessons with two instructors are also available.

Reservations are recommended but not required. To make reservations, call Pebble Creek at 208-775-4452. Visit PebbleCreekSkiArea.com for more information about the lessons.

The Aspen area will be open to all skiers and snowboarders from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting Tuesday. Resort officials said the upper mountain will open once there is sufficient snow.

On Thursday, Pomerelle Mountain Resort in Albion announced that it will hold a partial opening today.

The mountain’s EZ Rider Triple Chairlift and the beginner-level Magic Carpet area will be open for daily operations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Pomerelle lodge will also be open, including food service and ski and snowboard rentals. The snow school will offer group lessons at 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Kelly Canyon Ski Area in Ririe opened for the season on Wednesday.