Big game on the move in eastern Idaho – East Idaho News

“Elk on the proper – elk on the left!!!! I exclaimed as my rock-hunting companion was driving us throughout the INL early Tuesday morning. Mike was in a position to dodge the elk as they crossed the street.

That herd of elk has been giving the early staff out on the location a gauntlet to run within the pre-dawn morning darkness. With the time change this weekend, the night commute may even turn out to be an impediment course.

It’s that point of the 12 months when the massive sport animals are migrating from the mountains right down to the desert flats and generally, getting right into a pushing match at 70 mile per hour with them leaves no winners. Final 12 months simply north Hamer, there have been over 20 head of elk hit and killed alongside Interstate 15. Already this 12 months a number of elk have been hit on U.S. Freeway 26 and Idaho Freeway 33 together with quite a few deer and antelope.

Tuesday night whereas heading house from looking rocks round Challis, we noticed one other massive herd of elk close to Challis together with two herds of bighorn sheep. We additionally noticed over 50 head of deer from Challis to Arco and a number of other herds of Pronghorns alongside U.S. Freeway 93.

With a predicted storm on Wednesday, I known as my pal Steve Meyers and we deliberate a visit to Lone Pine alongside Birch Creek to see if we might catch the bighorns shifting out of the mountains as their rut must be beginning. The cloud coated windy Snake River Plain gave method to principally sunny skies with much less wind as we turned off Freeway 33 on to the Salmon Freeway west of Mud Lake.

Pronghorns dotted the low sage on the INL property, and we handed a lifeless one which didn’t survive a collision, however the ravens had been having their breakfast, grateful that somebody had ready quick meals for them. As we neared Lone Pine close to the mouth of Cranium Canyon, a herd of mule deer and a small group of Bighorns had been feeding in a discipline. A bit of additional on we noticed a bigger herd of Bighorn with a ram chasing after a feminine.

We later bumped into the rancher, and he informed us that the ewes and lambs had moved down on his property only a week earlier than and the mature rams had confirmed up on Monday.

“Final night time we had 41 head right here close to our tools with six massive rams within the bunch,” he informed us. “It’s nonetheless early for his or her rut, but it surely ought to begin within the subsequent week or 10 days. The Division of Fish and Recreation are planning on eradicating a few of them which have a illness. They need to attempt to make these Bighorns disease-free, however I’m not certain when that can occur. Essentially the most I’ve ever seen right here had been about 60 head and it’ll get thrilling because the rut will get going.”

The snow on the excessive peaks of the mountains will proceed to push all the massive sport animals right down to the sting of the mountains. This is not going to solely create a possibility for them to be noticed, but in addition enhance their probabilities of being hit by autos.

Different good locations to look at these magnificent animals are on Freeway 93 from Challis to Salmon, at William’s Lake are close to Salmon and close to Hebgen Lake in Montana.

Steve and I took the chance to drive as much as see the charcoal kilns used nearly 100 years in the past to supple warmth for smelters on the Nicola mines. He had not visited them for about 20 years and so they have weathered since he final noticed them. On that brief journey again to Lone Pine we noticed deer, elk and extra pronghorns working the meadows close to Birch Creek.

In your travels, please be alert to the migration routes of the massive sport animals. The Idaho Division of Transportation have positioned blinking warning indicators in probably the most used areas, however till the animals study to make use of automated crosswalks with blinking lights, just like the BYU-I college students use in Rexburg, it’s as much as us to at all times be vigilant.

Have an thrilling and a protected week. I’m praying for some chilly climate to freeze over some lakes so I can do some ice fishing, I’ve obtained my gear prepared. It’s also time to hang around the chook feeders if you would like some leisure from them this winter.