Every year, I conduct 50 to 60 seminars at various outdoor shows, stores and events all the way from Texas to Vegas and sometimes on up to Alaska.

But one of the most fulfilling and fun events I get to participate in is the Scooter’s Youth Hunting Camp in Emmett, Idaho. It’s a cool deal.

To show how popular that it is, this year it filled up with 250 kids in 47 seconds. Wow, that’s unbelievable.

Scott McGann started it 17 years ago mainly to help young single moms with their kids. He knew without a dad in the family that the chances were slim for their kids to be able to get into the outdoor world unless they got some help.

It’s a topic that is near and dear to him. If it hadn’t been for his granddad, him and his brother wouldn’t have ever been introduced to the outdoors. Consequently, Scott is a hardcore outdoorsman.

I’ve helped with the camp since about 2005. It just keeps getting better and better. It’s one of the most fulfilling outdoor events of my year.

Here’s how the event works: Years ago, kids mailed in their registrations. As time passed, we had to move to an online registration to keep it organized.

It is always the first Saturday in May. Some years the weather is perfect. One year it was cold, rainy and windy. I mean real windy. And some years it has been scorching hot. Since that year a decade ago, Blue Lizard sunscreen has supplied sunscreen packs for all of the kids. But get over it. Weather is a part of the outdoors. Not all trips are on bluebird sunny days.

On Saturday morning, the kids all get in line to get signed in. They are divided into six groups and given color-coded bracelets. Next, we say the Pledge of Allegiance and then a local pastor says a prayer. Then it’s off to the races.

Group one will start at the trap throwing station. Group two goes to the .22 range. Group three goes to the blackpowder range. Group four goes the archery range. Group five goes to the knife sharpening/gun gleaning station. Group six goes to the survival station.

After their session, they gather in the meeting area, where chairs are set up in front of the podium for them to sit. A seminar will be conducted by a pro-staff member. Then they will go to session two and repeat throughout the day. I love the seminars. They’re informative and I always learn new hunting techniques.

The seminar instructors aren’t newbies. We’re talking like Rockie Jacobsen with Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls and Supplies (his son Cory is an eight-time world champion elk caller), the Carp Cartel and the list goes on. At lunch, they all convene for a great lunch of hot dogs and hamburgers cooked by volunteers. Lunch is free for the kids thanks to an unbelievable response from local businesses.

After lunch, the stations are completed and then comes Scott’s favorite time — the Kid’s Raffle! Local businesses and all manner of outdoor company’s items have been donated for the kids drawing. There are some super cool prizes. Bows, backpacks, hunts, a fishing trip and the list goes on.

I can’t even begin to list all of the companies. Knives of Alaska, Smith’s Consumer Products, Blue Lizard, Otis, Birchwood Casey Sporting Goods, Fur-Fish-Game magazine, Spyderco, Swab-its, Puma Knife Company, Leupold: It’s a long, long list.

It’s a good day to be a kid!

A fun deal for the adults is the raffle table. There are all kinds of cool items on the table and all of the proceeds go to support the camp. It’s a first-rate camp, and all the kids get to go free because of donations and volunteer help. There’s not one person that is on paid staff. I like that.

While on that topic, I see a lot of causes start off for a good reason but then it ends up someone tries to turn it into a money-making profession. I understand how that happens. You think this doesn’t take a lot of time? We start having camp meetings in January. Then there’s all the legwork getting donations and things set up. I understand how someone wants to turn it into a profession but I think they tend to lose the pureness of the goal in the process.

We have a meeting tonight, then one final one next week and then it’s game on. I can’t wait.

Tom Claycomb lives in Idaho and has outdoors columns in newspapers in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana.

He also writes for various outdoors magazines and teaches outdoors seminars at stores like Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop.

BOISE — Multiple seasons of elk poaching have caught up to two men who now face jail time, hunting license revocations and thousands of dollars in fines and restitution.

In September 2016, Jonathan Blaschka, 36, and his companion Charles McCall, 41, both of Mountain Home, gunned down two bull elk during an archery-only season near Yellow Pine, Idaho. This, despite the fact that both men held valid archery elk tags for the area. Blaschka returned to the Yellow Pine area in September 2017 and used a rifle to poach a large bull elk and a cow elk, again during the archery-only season.

Using information obtained via the Citizens Against Poaching hotline, Fish and Game Conservation Officer Jon Hunter and a team launched an investigation that led to the seizure of a firearm, cellphone, elk antlers and elk meat stored at Blaschka’s residence. In one text message found on Blaschka’s cellphone, he boasted of shooting multiple elk, wounding another and shooting until he ran out of bullets.

Earlier this month, Blaschka appeared in a Valley County courtroom for formal sentencing by Judge Lamont Berecz on seven wildlife violations including two counts of poaching a bull elk, two counts of possession of an illegally taken bull elk, poaching a cow elk, possessing an illegally taken cow elk and using an elk tag belonging to another person.

Blaschka was sentenced to 30 days in jail — to be served during the next four months — and was ordered to pay nearly $9,000 in fines, court costs, processing fees and restitution. His hunting privileges were suspended for four years, and he also received two years of unsupervised probation.

McCall was fined $1,380 and lost his hunting privileges for one year.

Conservation Officer Hunter credits the case to a concerned, anonymous citizen who brought the suspected poaching to the attention of Fish and Game.

“With an average patrol area of over a thousand square miles, Idaho conservation officers cannot be everywhere at once,” Hunter said in a statement. “We depend on ethical hunters to be our eyes and ears in the field and encourage them to report illegal wildlife activities.”

In addition to the CAP hotline, persons with information regarding suspected wildlife crimes may call the Fish and Game Nampa office at 208-465-8465 or the Fish and Game McCall office at 208-634-8137 weekdays and the Idaho State Police at 208-846-7550 on weekends.

IDAHO FALLS — The 25th annual East Idaho Fly Tying/Fly Fishing Expo got off to a busy start Friday at the Shilo Inn.

The event, which each year draws top tiers from around the state, the nation and the world, this year attracted nearly 130 tiers, along with numerous vendors, outfitters, guides and fishermen. An estimated 200 members of the public attended the event.

The expo continues from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. For information, visit srcexpo.com.

The event is organized by the Snake River Cutthroats, the local chapter of Trout Unlimited. On Friday, a host of tiers held classes and gave one-on-one demonstrations for attendees looking to learn new patterns.

Kelly Glissmeyer, a tier from Rigby, held demonstrations showing how to tie an innovative stonefly imitation which has been featured prominently in the national fly fishing press.

Articulated flies are ones that involve tying a movable back end onto a fly tied on a hook. Some streamers, subsurface flies meant to imitate small fish, have long been tied using an articulated technique.

But Glissmeyer’s “K.G.’s Booty Shaker” fly – so named because the stonefly’s abdomen is allowed to wiggle around as the fly dances across the surface of the water, imitating the natural movements of the insect – is the first major articulated dry fly pattern, he said.

“It simulates a little more life than some of the patterns we use,” Glissmeyer said. “It hits right; it floats right; and it fishes right.”

Glissmeyer said the fly has seen a great deal of success on both the South Fork and Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. He was inspired to create the Booty Shaker when a friend showed him an idea for another articulated dry fly. But perfecting the fly took time. Even with 40 years of tying experience, Glissmeyer said it took him two years of work to get everything right.

Glissmeyer said he spends a great deal of time at similar expos around the country, but the East Idaho expo holds a special place in his heart.

“This is the best show I’ve been to, and I’ve been to numerous shows around the United States,” he said.

Another tier at the show was Paul Shurtleff, who traveled from Springville, Utah, for the expo. While he spends most of his time fishing high-mountain streams in the Beehive State, Shurtleff said his roots in fly tying and fishing reach back to Idaho Falls.

Shurtleff said his brother, a local teacher several years his senior, helped him tie his first fly around age 10. Thirty years later, he’s won state awards in Utah for his dry flies and is sponsored by a number of tying material companies.

“It’s kind of a trip down memory lane to see the Snake River again,” he said.

Shurtleff said he spends as much or more time tying as he does fishing now. He focuses on tying flies to match local hatches, flies that will be good for catching fish, but he said for him tying is an art and a meditative exercise.

“I tie flies to catch fish, but they’re as worthy for a shadow box as they are for a fish’s mouth,” he said.

Shurtleff works a full-time job, and said he won’t consider tying for a living.

“I have no desire to turn my passion into a job,” he said.

This year’s expo also brought in the national leader of Trout Unlimited.

“Idaho Falls has to be in contention for the best place to live in the country in terms of fly-fishing,” said Chris Wood, the organization’s national president and CEO.

Wood said fly fishermen are the largest force for cold water river restoration and conservation in the nation, and that’s what makes events like the expo so important for improving rivers.

“Fishing is the gateway drug to conservation work,” he said.

Wood said that’s been especially true of the Snake River Cutthroats. Not only have they been effective in raising funds for large restoration projects – they’ve donated about $344,000 to such projects in recent years – but local Trout Unlimited staff said they know they can always count on getting large numbers of volunteers for conservation measures such as willow planting and riparian fencing.

A prime example, he said, has been the group’s effort, in partnership with Simplot, Monsanto and Agrium, to improve and restore the headwaters of the Blackfoot River in the eastern Idaho highlands above Blackfoot Reservoir.

Matt Woodard is Trout Unlimited’s manager on the project, and he’s also done extensive work on conservation projects on the South Fork of the Snake River.

“When I need volunteers, I always know I’ll get them,” he said.

Are mule deer numbers declining in Southeast Idaho?

The question is being asked by many hunters in the region. The answer isn’t as simple as some believe and is hard to completely understand without a lot of research, listening to people who are involved in the research or hopefully both.

First of all, in two of the areas where I normally hunt mule deer, it seemed like we saw fewer does and practically no bucks, even when scouting those areas last spring, summer and again a month before hunting season opened. However, a small group of hunters claiming to see fewer deer may reflect more on that group’s scouting and hunting skills rather than being a factual statement of mule deer numbers.

If you read Idaho Fish and Game’s website, it says that, “Mule deer are widespread in the central mountains and southern deserts of Idaho, while white-tailed deer dominate the northern forested areas of Idaho.” That is a pretty broad statement about the state as a whole, but doesn’t really address the issue of declining mule deer numbers, if in fact they are declining.

A better statement from Fish and Game is “Winter is the major regulator of deer populations.” Fish and Game goes on to say that even in a mild winter, if the deer survive, a drought after winter means less forage available. That means they may be less fit to survive the next winter.

Although this past winter has been a mild one and more fawns are expected to survive, we have had some harsh winters where fawn survival was around 25 percent, which could be a possible reason we didn’t see as many deer while hunting in 2017.

The winter of 2016 was devastating for fawns. Only 30 percent of mule deer fawns survived. The bucks would have been two points during the 2018 hunting season. Although 2016 fawn survival was well below average, Fish and Game insists that it was not catastrophic to the overall mule deer population. However, yearling bucks (2 points) typically account for a decent number of the mule deer buck harvest.

Fish and Game also points out that prior to 2017, mule deer populations were trending upward for several years, and the chances of a healthy population of mule deer during the 2018 hunting season looks good.

I appreciate the positive outlook that Fish and Game tries to present, but fawn mortality rates during winter months and less forage during droughts aren’t the only issues facing mule deer.

Unfortunately, quaking aspen forests are decreasing in the state of Idaho and the southeastern portion of the state is no exception. Traditionally, quaking aspen provide high-quality forage for mule deer, as well as hiding deer and providing a thermal cover. Aspen communities provide critical summer habitat for mule deer because they provide a rich diversity of grasses, forbs and shrubs that provide cover and needed nutrition for the winter months to come. The quality of aspen forests is as important an indicator of mule deer survival in mild or harsh winter conditions.

Idaho’s Mule Deer Initiative has identified aspen as a keystone species and an indicator of ecological integrity and biodiversity. Aspen play an important role in mule deer ecology from gestation through adulthood. Summer range may play an even more important role in mule deer populations than winter forage. The loss of aspen communities with the protective cover they provide for mule deer may also make them more vulnerable to predators.

Many years of successful fire suppression have resulted in a decline of aspen forests and an increase in coniferous forests. Because aspen forests are second in plant diversity only to riparian areas, the Mule Deer Initiative is actively working to increase aspen communities to benefit mule deer as well as other wildlife.

So the answer to the question at the beginning of this column is yes: We are seeing a decline in mule deer numbers as well as devastating and mild winters, drought conditions and declining Aspen forests. The good news is that we know what is causing the problems and Fish and Game, along with hunters, fishermen and other outdoor enthusiasts, are working hard to restore the aspen communities, do research on Idaho’s wildlife and solve other habitat issues.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.

Two Nampa men who went fishing together Sunday and didn’t return home have been found safe, according to the Nampa Police Department.Wade Osterhout, 32, and Larry Brewer, 48, were reported missing Monday by their families during separate calls to polic…

TWIN FALLS — Melissa Barry knows that waterfalls are an easy sell when it comes to attracting tourists.

In early 2017, large amounts of snowmelt inundated Idaho’s streams and rivers, bringing these scenic attractions alive in a rare way. Shoshone Falls roared over the 212-foot ledge, peaking in mid-April at 22,000 cubic-feet-per-second. The news went viral, and waterfall tourism spiked.

As visitation dropped off during the cold winter months, Barry — the director of Southern Idaho Tourism — came up with an idea to bring everyone back. After all, who could resist the idea of Shoshone Falls lit up at night with multicolored lights and a nifty laser show?

The City Council last week approved her proposal for Lights & Lasers at Shoshone Falls, scheduled May 17 to 19.

“This is kind of building on that momentum,” Barry said. “I’m going to make sure it’s a high level of professionalism, and it’ll be a great event.”

The event will include family-oriented vendors, food trucks, a medical station and lost child booth, and a 20- to 25-minute light and laser show choreographed to music. The lights and lasers will bounce off the falls and the crowd and can include pictures and animation, she said. Barry had initially hoped to do the event around Christmas, but icy roads made it a hazard.

Tickets are available at visitsouthidaho.com. General admission is $12, children 12 and younger cost $6 and children 5 and younger can come for free. Limited platform viewing costs $50 per seat. But hurry and get your tickets, soon: Two days after the event was posted to Facebook, more than 7,000 people said they were interested.

Buses will shuttle people each of the three nights from the River Christian Fellowship Church, 4002 North, 3300 East, beginning at 8 p.m. The show will begin at full dark, likely around 9:45 p.m.

Can’t make it to the light show? There are still plenty of opportunities to see southern Idaho’s waterfalls in all of their glory. Here’s a list of Barry’s nine must-see waterfalls in the area:

1. Shoshone Falls

Why you should go: This one is ranked No. 1, naturally — it would be blasphemy not to include it, Barry said.

“It has a presence,” she said. “You walk up to it and it’s just bigger than life.”

Shoshone Falls is the pinnacle of all other waterfalls in the area — so much so that it’s been nicknamed “Niagara of the West.”

When you should go: The best time, in Barry’s opinion, is in the evening as the sun is setting and orange and pink reflect on the water.

As of Thursday, Shoshone Falls was flowing at about 15,000 cfs.

“That’s probably going to last at least through the end of April,” Idaho Power Co. spokesman Brad Bowlin said.

The park is open from 7 a.m. to dusk.

Cost: There is a $3 vehicle fee ($25 seasonal pass) to park down there, but you can walk if you choose.

How to get there: Head east on Falls Avenue East and turn left at 3300 East. Stay on the road that leads into the canyon.

2. Cauldron Linn

Why you should go: The sheer sight of it, of course.

“It almost makes you dizzy,” Barry said. “It’s an insane amount of power.”

And if it’s running over 10,000 cfs, it’s common to see extreme whitewater kayakers going over the falls, she said.

When you should go: Barry recommends you try to go by June, if you haven’t gone already. After that, there may not be much water to see. The time of day doesn’t matter as much here.

Cost: Free

How to get there: Drivers can take U.S. 30 to Murtaugh. At the far northeast corner of town, follow 3425 North to the Murtaugh Bridge over the Snake River. In Jerome County, the road becomes 1900 East. Follow the road out of the canyon for about a mile. You will see a BLM sign pointing to Cauldron Linn at the first gravel road to the right. Drive 1 mile east on 1475 South to 2000 East, then turn right and go south to the canyon’s edge.

You can park and walk into the canyon from there, or you can drive if the road is passable, but stop at the rim first to check the condition of the road before continuing into the canyon.

Barry recommends bringing a high-clearance vehicle to tackle the terrain — and prepare to do some walking. You will also need to watch young children carefully because there are no safety fences.

The easiest way to get directions if you’re unclear is to ask one of the businesses in Murtaugh, Barry said.

3. Malad Gorge

Why you should go: This waterfall has a significant drop, and you can stand on a footbridge right above it, Barry said. There is also a park, visitor center and hiking nearby. Barry warns against trying to whitewater kayak here because it has been known to crack people’s kayaks.

When you should go: Spring is the best time to see these falls, Barry said.

Cost: There is a $5 vehicle admissions fee into any unit of the Thousand Springs State Park. A $10 annual Idaho State Parks Passport will get you in all the state’s parks for free for a year.

How to get there: If you’re on Interstate 84, take Exit 147 at Tuttle. Signage will point to west on 2350 South and north on Ritchie Road to the Malad Gorge unit of the Thousand Springs State Park.

4. Minnie Miller Springs

Why you should go: It’s a neat view because of nearby Ritter Island and a cattle farm, Barry said. Not to mention the spring-fed, crystal clear water surrounded by moss. There are also nearby hiking trails and boat tours offered by 1000 Springs Boat Tours.

When you should go: Barry doesn’t notice the flows changing much here year-round. But she recommends going in the morning when you’ll see more wildlife, especially birds.

Cost: Free

How to get there: Thousand Springs State Park Ranger Eric Whittekiend said if you take Exit 155 from Interstate 84, you should turn left toward Hagerman. After about 3 miles, turn left onto South 1500 East. Follow the brown wooden signs toward Ritter Island.

The island is technically not open until Memorial Day, Whittekiend said, but it is open at times in good weather. If the gate is open, park at the Idaho Power parking lot and walk across the island. You can also see the springs from the gate, or from Highway 30 at the Thousand Springs Resort, he said.

5. Niagara Springs

Why you should go: “It kind of almost spider-webs down the canyon,” Barry said.

There’s also a lot of greenery around the falls, and visitors can go fishing and picnic nearby. Vehicles can drive right up to the falls and park on the side of the road, she said.

When you should go: This one is good to view year-round, Barry said, and at any time of day. But if you want to fish, go early.

Cost: There is a $5 vehicle fee for parking.

How to get there: Take Exit 157 from Interstate 84. Turn south, away from Wendell, on the Rex Leland Highway. After about 5 miles, there will be a big curve in the road and you’ll want to follow signs to the left, then immediately to the right, Whittekiend said.

Southern Idaho Tourism notes that the road to the springs is narrow and steep.

6. Twin Falls

Why you should go: If nothing else, you should go because the falls is Twin Falls’ namesake, Barry said. But there’s also a nice park nearby run by Idaho Power Co. with boat docks and hiking trails, restrooms, barbecue stands and picnic tables. Idaho Power has started to allow people to reserve the picnic shelter online.

The waterfall itself isn’t the most picturesque, in her opinion, and unlike its name, there is just one falls there now. It’s currently running about 10,000 cfs, with 5,000 cfs being diverted through the power plant, Bowlin said.

Visitation here has increased as the population has grown and the economy has improved, Bowlin said. The park is also the take-out point for the Murtaugh Reach.

When you should go: This park is open year-round and has plenty of shade for midday visitors. Barry thinks sunset is the best time of day for viewing. March through early June is recommended.

Cost: Free

How to get there: The turnoff for this is pretty much a straight shot from that to Shoshone Falls. From town, take Falls Avenue East until you reach North 3500 East and turn north.

7. Auger Falls

Why you should go: This is a different kind of falls than you’re used to expecting, but Barry says it’s still a sight to see.

“It’s not a plunging waterfall, it’s more of a cascading waterfall,” she said.

When you should go: Auger Falls is good to see in either high water or low water, Barry said. However, she notes that summertime is hot down there as there isn’t a lot of shade.

Cost: Free

How to get there: From Blue Lakes Boulevard North at the north end of Twin Falls, turn west onto Canyon Springs Road and take it down into the Snake River Canyon. At the road’s end, you’ll find a trailhead parking lot at the park gate. From there, you will need to hike or bike into the falls.

8. Perrine Coulee waterfall

Why you should go: The dramatic plunging factor over the side of the canyon makes this an iconic waterfall to see, Barry said. You can also get a view of the I.B. Perrine Bridge, and take a trail and go right behind the waterfall.

“You really can’t beat that setting,” she said.

Cost: Free

How to get there: Take Canyon Springs Road into the Snake River Canyon and look to your left. There is a pullout area on the shoulder of the road but watch for pedestrians and other vehicles. Barry suggests pulling over on your way back up the grade versus on the trip down.

9. Ross Falls

Why you should go: The scenery here is beautiful with mossy ferns and a nearby stream and bridge, Barry said.

When you should go: Spring is the best time to go, but summer isn’t bad, either. Any time of day is fine.

Cost: Free

How to get there: If you are headed to Magic Mountain Ski Resort on Rock Creek Road, the trailhead is 2 miles north of the resort. While there is a turnout area for parking, visitors will have to hike 10 to 15 minutes to see the falls.

“People of all ages can do it,” she said. “It’s a fun, family-friendly hike.”

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana officials on Thursday rejected a plan to limit commercial fishing guides on the Madison River that flows out of Yellowstone National Park, a top fishing destination where the number of days spent angling has more than doubled in recent years.

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously voted against the proposal after multiple guides, outfitters and other anglers spoke out against it.

They generally agreed that something needs to be done to alleviate the crowding but believe the commercial guides were being unfairly singled out and didn’t have enough input in developing the plan.

“I’m not sure that targeting merely commercial users in the Madison will get at the problem we’re trying to resolve, which is some crowding and some conflicts during about a six-week period during the summer,” said Richard Lessnar, a former executive director of the Madison River Foundation who lives in Cameron.

The plan proposed by the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks aimed to address the increasingly crowded river, where the total number of angler days has gone from 88,000 in 2012 to 179,000 in 2016.

The most significant increase in use has been by out-of-state tourists, with about three-quarters of the anglers along the upper portion of the river near Yellowstone from out of state, according to a draft environmental study by the department.

Many of those tourists are using guides, and the number of fishing trips by commercial outfitters increased 72 percent between 2008 and 2017.

Fisheries officials say the crowds have also brought greater conflicts between anglers and more litter in the river, and that the increased traffic could eventually hurt the river’s fish populations, which have remained stable up to now.

The plan proposed by the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks would have capped the number of commercial fishing guides at the current level of about 200, which is one of the highest numbers of permitted guides on any river in the state, according to FWP fisheries manager Travis Horton.

The new rules also would have barred guides from certain stretches of the river on different days and prohibited commercial outfitters altogether in a portion of the lower river. Anglers also would have been barred from using vessels to access parts of the river designated for wade and shore fishing only and glass would have been prohibited on the river.

Outfitters and guides said restricting portions of the river on certain days would create bottlenecks on other stretches. Another unintended consequence would be that guided fishing trips could actually increase under the proposal if all 200 outfitters use their allotted 10 trips per day, they said.

Moreover, the plan doesn’t address private, noncommercial anglers who make up more than 80 percent of the year-round use, they said.

FWP director Martha Williams said she heard the comments loud and clear.

“We’re more than happy to hear the comments and go back to the drawing board to some degree,” Williams said.

A few dozen members of the public attended the first public meeting Tuesday night at the College of Eastern Idaho concerning the proposed Idaho grizzly hunt.

Idaho’s proposed hunt — in which a single, hopefully male, grizzly would be taken — follows the official decision to delist the Yellowstone grizzly under the Endangered Species Act. Wyoming also plans to hold its first grizzly hunting season in decades, while Montana has opted not to commence a hunting season this year.

The number of bears which can be taken in each state is determined by what portion of the Yellowstone grizzly’s habitat lies in each state. Since Idaho has only about 8 percent of the habitat within its boundaries, the Gem State has far fewer potential hunting tags allocated to it under the delisting agreement.

Staff from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game laid out their proposal for the hunt, the units in which hunting could take place and the rules that would have to be followed by the hunter who draws the tag. Both the use of dogs and hunting over bait — common means of hunting bears and other large predators in some places — would be banned.

Hunting would take place largely in Fremont County, with small portions of northern Teton County included.

The proposal, which isn’t a final plan and could be altered, is expected to come before the Fish and Game Commission on May 10.

Fish and Game Regional Bear Biologist Jeremy Nicholson went over the timeline of the recovery of the Yellowstone grizzly, from near extinction in the early 1970s, when there were fewer than 200 bears estimated to be living in the ecosystem, to today when there are an estimated 718.

“Range extension and population recovery is a success story,” Nicholson said.

Nicholson said over the last decade, bear numbers in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem have been relatively stable, indicating the area was at or near carrying capacity for the grizzly.

“We’ve successfully recovered another endangered species,” said Wildlife Assistant Bureau Chief Toby Boudreau.

But the grizzly still inhabits only a tiny fraction of its historical range, which once included virtually all of North America west of the Mississippi from far northern Canada to southern Mexico. Today, only a handful of grizzly populations remain in the contiguous United States, and the Yellowstone segment is the second largest. The largest population is in northwestern Montana on the Canadian border.

Regional Wildlife Manager Curtis Hendricks said the proposal is for the single bear to be taken in a controlled hunt that is organized along the same lines as other controlled hunts in Idaho. The tag will be issued through a lottery system rather than through an auction system, as is done for exclusive hunts in some states. The major difference, Hendricks said, is that in 2018 an application for the grizzly hunt won’t prevent applying for another controlled hunt.

There are two main reasons, he said. First, grizzly delisting plans are the subject of federal litigation, so it’s possible that the hunt could be blocked by the courts.

Second, because of the late date at which the drawing will take place, many who have already applied for other controlled hunts could be excluded.

A major concern for groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity, one of a host of groups suing the federal government to block delisting, is if the hunter who draws the tag accidentally takes a female rather than a male grizzly. While wildlife managers argued the interstate agreement regulating grizzly hunting allows flexibility in the case a female is killed — either by working with neighboring states to make sure the overall number of females taken is proper, or by counting excess female mortality against future years — Center Senior Attorney Andrea Santarsiere said the plan doesn’t go far enough to protect females.

“Saying they can figure it out later if they kill too many female grizzly bears is completely irresponsible,” said Santarsiere, who is based in Victor.

Hendricks said concerns that hunting will endanger the recovery of the grizzly are misplaced.

“We haven’t put this much energy into getting grizzlies delisted to do anything that would endanger that,” he said.

Trophy hunting of the grizzly has also been strongly opposed by Native American tribes around the nation, including the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, which issued a news release reiterating its opposition late Thursday.

“No grizzly bears will ever be hunted on Shoshone-Bannock lands, and my tribe will oppose any attempts to hunt grizzlies in our recognized ancestral homelands,” tribal Chairman Nathan Small said in the release.

The release argued the decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and wildlife management agencies in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana to allow trophy hunting violates principles of tribal sovereignty and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.

“The tribes consider the grizzly bear to be a brother/uncle to our people, and there are ceremonies and songs for this animal,” said councilman Lee Juan Tyler in the release. “We hold the grizzly bear in high regard, and harvesting of this animal will affect our tribe and all other tribes as well.”

Either I’m a miserable planner, I’m too busy, or PETA is plotting against me so I can’t get out and harvest some organic fish!

This marks the fourth week that I’ve been trying to go crappie fishing. OK, most of the delays have been weather-related. It’s hard to get in the crappie fishing mood if it’s snowing, if it’s cold or if there are gale-like wind conditions, but I’m going this Friday no matter what.

A buddy caught quite a few perch four weeks ago, so if the crappie aren’t biting, no biggie, I’ll go hit them. Here’s the conditions that we need for the crappie fishing to get hot. The experts say that crappie start moving out of their wintering holes when the water temperatures hit 45-50 degrees.

At 55, they stage off their spawning grounds. For us here in Idaho, that means they’ll be out in the channel in about 30-40 feet of water.

At 60, the males move in to fan out the spawning beds, and when it hits 60 to 65 the females move in to spawn and it’s time to rumble.

I like to hit the lake a few days early because I don’t want to be late for the spawn, plus you can catch fish before they move in. When I’m jigging out deeper, I’ve noticed that they’ll be biting super-light. I flip my jig out as far as I can and let it sink to the bottom. To aid in sinking, I clip on a small split shot. When it hits bottom I slowly pick up the rod tip and then let it down and reel in a half crank. Repeat all the way back to the boat. I’ll have them hit all the way back to the boat. Whether they followed it off the bottom or are up high suspended, I don’t know.

I’ve never liked using them, I thought they were for gunsels, but a couple years ago I started using Crappie Nibbles. I like the Sparkle ones. Put one or two on your hook and it will increase your hits big time.

A lot of times I’ll hook a worm on and flip it out the back of the boat. I just use a medium-sized split shot to get it to sink. Over the course of the day I’ll pick up another 15 fish on this set-up. Catfish, perch, crappie and even some bass.

If by the time you get out, they are already up along the bank spawning, here’s how to catch them. I put on a thin pencil bobber and about 12-18 inches below a small jig. I’m sure some colors are better than others but I use red, yellow or chartreuse. Then put on a plastic like the Lake Fork Trophy Lure Co. Boot Tail Baby Shad in the 2 1/4 inch size or Mister Twister Black/Chartreuse tube jigs.

Flip the above set-up right up against the bank, like 12 inches away from it. I don’t know why it matters but I do a lot better if I use pencil bobbers as opposed to the old red and white round bobbers. Keep your line semi-tight so if one hits you can react immediately. You don’t want to jerk it and rip his lips off, but pull up the tip of the rod and start reeling.

Many times the bobber will barely start skating along the top of the surface. You’ll have to use your own judgment as to whether to wait to set the hook or let him take it better. It seems like half the time you’re wrong.

So you’ll have to judge as to which lake you’re on if they’ve moved up and started spawning already or if they’re still staged out further. Next article hopefully has some pics included with a table full of crappie!

Tom Claycomb lives in Idaho and has outdoors columns in newspapers in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana. He also writes for various outdoors magazines and teaches outdoors seminars at stores like Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop.

In the aftermath of an ongoing emergency, there are two viable options that are placed before people. One, you can bug in and hope that you have enough stored in your house to wait out the emergency. Or two, you can bug out. This is where a bug-out bag comes in.

A bug-out bag, also known as a 72-hour kit, is a simple bag that is usually under 25 pounds and can help someone survive for 72 hours or longer with the gear inside. A bug-out bag has four essentials that need to be in the bag, with the possibility of adding more.

Water: Water is the most important thing to have in a bug-out bag. Unfortunately, water is extremely heavy and carrying 3 gallons (which is the recommended allotment for one person in an emergency) would equal 24 pounds. There are options you can add to your bag to help alleviate the weight. Water is most important because a person can only survive 72 hours without water, whereas someone can go three weeks without food.

• Water Bottle:
• Any type of water bottle will do. A collapsible one will help with saving room in your bag, but a Nalgene or other hard plastic bottle is recommended to have on hand.
• Water Purification:

• There are water purification tablets that come in tiny bottles. They are very handy but when you run out, you must start boiling the water before drinking.
• Water Purification method (recommended):

• The Sawyer Mini Water Filter ($20 at any sporting goods store) is the best for size and purification needs. It filters 100,000 gallons of water and doesn’t take up much space at all.

Food/food prep: Even though someone can last three weeks without food, it is not recommended in a crisis. Pack durable foodstuffs that have a high caloric content and are non-perishable.

There are some non-perishables that require water, so take it into consideration when packing your bags.

• MRE (Meals Ready to Eat):
• These are a staple of military personnel and emergency preppers. The reason is because they have high caloric content and are vacuum-packed. They usually have all the necessary items for a meal, though some need water, too.
• Protein Energy Bars:

• Even though some taste nasty, they are great for keeping energy (because you will be hiking away from a stable environment — likely over 5 miles). Recommended protein pack is 10 to 15 grams per bar.
• Portable stove:

• If you are looking for a hot meal a portable stove is recommended. I recommend Solo Stove ($60) because it creates a hot cooking area by using found materials (like leaves and sticks). It cools quickly and takes up little room. It doesn’t require any fuel tabs or gas.
• Utensils/Pots:

• There are durable cooking mess kits ($20 to $80) that are extremely useful. It is not recommended to have plastic utensils because they tend to break easily. Metal is best, even though you do need to clean it.

Warmth/Fire Starting: It doesn’t matter what time of year or where you will be bugging out to, the cold has a way of creeping up on people. Being able to maintain a fire and stay warm with clothes will help you maintain a better mood as well as keep animals away.

• Fire Starter:
• This can be anything from waterproof matches, a magnesium fire starter, a lighter, etc. I highly recommend having more than one method of starting a fire. Sometimes in the hike, there are things that get wet or broken, and if you have more than one option to start a fire, the stress is alleviated.
• Cotton Balls soaked in Petroleum Jelly or a tube of carpet glue:

• This is an odd assortment of items to have in a bag, but both of these items are wind-resistant and can help start a fire even if the materials are wet. Make sure both are sealed in baggies so they don’t leak over everything in your bag.
• Clothing:

• A recommended assortment is more than five pairs of socks, two to three pairs of pants, two to three underwear, a long-sleeved shirt, hat, gloves, bandana, and a medium-weight jacket or fleece. Having an assortment helps keep you dry and comfortable.

Shelter: Even with a simple tarp, there are many options to creating a suitable shelter. Some people swear by having their own tent, sleeping bag and ground mat. This is OK as long as you are capable of carrying the weight over long distances. A tarp and rope is all one really needs.

• First Aid Kit:
• Assortment of pain meds, Band-Aids, muslin or an all-in-one kit. You will be the doctor so be prepared with what tools you may need.
• Hygiene:

• Toilet tissue, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, sanitary pads, wash cloth, soaps and hair cleaning products. These help in a crisis and help elevate mood.
• Tools:

• Shovel (small and durable), weapons, survival tool and machete.
• Lighting:

• Flashlights (with batteries), solar-powered items and candles.
• Radio:

• I have this in my bag because I feel it is essential. There are options of hand crank, solar-powered, charging, etc.

I highly recommend packing up your bag and starting to go on walks with it. You may be surprised at how heavy it can be after a few minutes. Try a few days camping with just your pack to see what items you may need to add or take away. It is a surprisingly simple item that can save your life.

Emily Thornton is currently working on her masters in communication at Idaho State University. She enjoys writing, racing after her son and playing games with her husband.