25 February NO MORE WILDERNESS! February 25, 2019By George McQuiston Announcements, General Information Public Land, Wilderness Area 0 Wilderness is beautiful, we can all agree on that, but not being able to access that beauty is one of the problems with creating MORE wilderness. The current wilderness in Idaho is not being managed properly to allow access so how do they think they can create more and keep up with its management? If you are reading this, I can only assume you either hunt and/or fish or at least condone those acts and if you do participate, you probably use public lands. The Salmon-Challis National Forest is in the midst of a forest plan revision. They are at the part in the process where they are doing inventory study on “potential wilderness areas”. Folks, this is a crock. As much as I love our public lands system, and I do, we do NOT need more wilderness! During a recent local public meeting about this issue, over one hundred people showed up from a town of only 1000. Ten percent of our town’s folks showed up and the resounding consensus in the room was, “NO MORE WILDERNESS!” We were told that although we locals would be affected most directly, they were correct in stating that it is “the public’s” land and that they are getting comments from all over. We all know that means that the green groups are lobbying for more wilderness. The problem is, these groups lobby for wilderness in areas that they probably have never visited or never will! We are asking you to take a minute and submit your comments. Obviously, we hope you comment to ‘not create more wilderness’, but even if you disagree with us, please take the time to submit your comments. This is OUR land and it is and should be managed the way the owners think it should. The Forest Service, God Bless them, are NOT the owners. They are simply the managers managing property for “We the People” as we direct them too. Let’s direct them to manage these lands responsibly…for multiple use for the benefit of the most “land owners” and to not just default to wilderness because it sounds good to some folks who have never stepped foot out of a city. If you hunt, fish, hike, ride horses or recreate at all on public ground, make your thoughts known. This is YOUR land! Tell them how to manage it! Comments are “best by February 28” (their words), so please click this link to submit your comments: https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public/CommentInput?Project=49464 Related Posts Spring Bear Drop Camps With Idaho’s 2022 spring bear season beginning in a few short weeks, we are grateful that we are almost fully booked for our guided hunts, but we still have availability for spring drop camps for those DIY hunters who to prefer the challenge of hunting on their own and more of the spot and stalk element of bear hunting. This is a more affordable option over guiding, puts you in charge of your own schedule and may just be the ticket for that pent up wintertime cabin fever! Bear Rifles Conversations about bear rifles, or any species-specific rifle, seem to start and end with cartridge selection. There is much more to a rifle however, than the chamber. 10 Reasons Why Idaho is THE Best Place to Hunt in the West in 2014 1. Tags…Idaho has tags 2. Game…Idaho has always, and is doing even more so now, producing good QUALITY elk, deer and bear, and now we can even hunt wolves. Idaho Fish & Game Commission Extends Wolf Hunting and Trapping Seasons Idaho Fish and Game recently extended wolf hunting seasons, opened more areas to wolf trapping and extended trapping seasons over most of the state. Changes went into effect immediately on February 20, 2020. Wolf hunting season in Frank Church Wilderness game units 20A, 26, and 27 has been extended by one month. The Value of Drop Camps There are three basic strategies for setting up a hunt out West: hunt from an outfitter’s fully-equipped camp with a guide; hunt from an outfitter’s drop camp without a guide; or, organize a full DIY hunt, using your own camp equipment. Drop camps sit smugly between the other two set-ups as far as pros and cons are concerned, and they just might provide you the best overall value of the three. Cost is the primary consideration for most people who choose to hunt from a drop camp. Getting Physical on Big Game Hunting Physically-fit hunters have a much better chance of tagging a trophy in mountainous country than hunters who are not physically fit. That was my grand epiphany after my first week of elk and deer hunting in Idaho—having moved here from flat land. My sentiments echo those of Walt Prothero, who in his book, Mule Deer Quest, opens the section on “Getting Ready” with, “I view physical conditioning as the most important aspect of getting ready [to hunt deer in the West].” I couldn’t agree more. Comment (0) Comments are closed.