1 January Saying good bye to the old and hello to the new January 1, 2017By George McQuiston Announcements, General Information Happy New Year, Hunting, Thank you, Livestock, Wild Idaho Outfitters 0 The sun has set on 2016 and has now risen on 2017. For us here at Wild Idaho Outfitters, 2016 will go down as one of our best years ever. Many positive things happened, from opening new trails, to a record harvest, to our greatest number of return hunters, to being able to get all our equipment off the mountain in one day and in good condition (this one was huge), to being able to put a new name , , to our livestock business, to most everyone who hunted with us actually living (yes folks that one is a joke, all who hunted with us lived) and to simply being able to make a living while enjoying a lifestyle where we get to meet, and get to know, so many wonderful and amazing people from all over the country and from all walks of life! As we have said before, most hunters come as customers and leave as friends and this past year seemed especially so. We have made some great friendships in the backcountry of Central Idaho that we really appreciate and we always look forward to making more. One memorable conversation with a hunter this past year happened with a Neurosurgeon from the Detroit, MI area. As we were discussing us homeschooling our kids, he said the bad thing about homeschooling is the lack of socialization in homeschooling. Then I asked this hunter, “Where else does a ten year old and a twelve year old get to meet a Neurosurgeon from Detroit?” To which he simply responded with a smile and quiet nod of agreement. One of the sad casualties of the outfitting business is watching your favorite livestock age and end up having to get relegated to the ranks of retirement stock and even more sad is to watch them pass on to the happy hunting trails in the sky…some (usually the not so good livestock), you want to help head that direction faster, but with these special few, it is especially emotional. This year we did not lose any animals to the hunting trails in the sky, but 2 of our old school regulars, Jack and Sally, moved onto the retirement pasture. They have served us and our hunters for many years and the prior outfitter as well. They are both over 30 years old now and we have discovered that the steep and rugged nature of The Frank is simply too much for them these days so they will play out the rest of their days doing pony rides and light wagon work on flat ground between long stints of simply enjoying life in the pasture. On the bright side, we had an amazing foal crop this year with Darling Creek Livestock and look forward to seeing the breeding program we have in place produce hard working registered mountain riding/ pack stock,that grow into Frank Church wilderness trail eating machines! We have a band of quality mares expected to start delivering our first 2017 babies beginning mid-March and we always look forward to seeing the new babies and watching them develop. We so look forward in the new year ahead to meeting and making new friends and to renewing old friendships here in what we affectionately call paradise aka Central Idaho! So to all those who hunted with us in 2016 and prior, and to those who have booked already for a 2017 Idaho adventure, Thank you and Happy New Year! Related Posts Ode to the Good Ones Sally was found dead with her head in the feeder on March 24, 2023. Jack had to be put down a week and a day later. He had been having trouble getting up for a while but with his sister Sally gone, he apparently lost his will to stand. When George bought Wild Idaho Outfitters in 2005, included in the purchase was livestock (horses and mules). Part of this livestock was a pair of Percheron mules named Jack and Sally. They were supposedly around the age of 20 at that time. Happy New Year 2020 As we say goodbye to 2019, we hope that your year is ending on a positive note. Ours is because of the new friends we made and the old friends we got to see again in hunting camps, and we look forward to seeing again come spring or fall 2020. We hope that your holidays have been blessed with good times, good friends, good food and making good memories. Good Guys Win One! It appears that finally, logic, laws and good common sense has prevailed over anti-wolf emotional sentiment for once. A federal judge has denied a lawsuit for a temporary restraining order against active IDFG participation in wolf management in the Frank Church wilderness. Good News Short Lived Well last week we had some good news but since then the fire has continued to grow. Conditions have been optimal for the fire and we have been in Stage 5 conditions for several days. Finally a Little Good News Well after some high winds on Tuesday that increased the fire activity tremendously and increased the acreage currently burned by these fires. Finally we get some good news. With some cooler temps and higher humidity the fires did not grow much if any just remained burning within there current perimeters. Rediscover Idaho By now all the western states’ draws are out and odds are good you didn’t draw a tag. Well, neither did most of the people who play the draw game. Maybe it is time to give Idaho an honest chance look see. Comment (0) Comments are closed.