Spring and Summer Projects

Spring and summer at Shepp Ranch always bring a flurry of projects. This year, in addition to the normal filling the woodshed and getting the garden ready we redid the welcome gate at the bridge and are now reconstructing the 110 year old Copenhaver barn that we use as a tack shed.  It is going well and very fun! Please join our facebook page to see pictures of our progress.

Wellness Retreat- This years Wilderness Wellness Retreat put on by Darcy Williamson of From the Forest.

Focused on medicinal plants of the Salmon River with forays to Polly Bemis ranch for Chinese medicinal plants, Buckskin Bill’s for Mountain Man medicinals, Reho Wolfe’s for Homestead medicinals and Indian Creek yew forest for Native American medicinals. Each evening participants worked on learning to make different tinctures, salves, balms, soaps and beverages from the days’ gatherings. It was a great 4 days. The workshop is planned again for next year in early May.

Big Water and Black Bear on the Salmon

By Gary Lewis

Originally Run in Boating Sportsman

Idaho’s River of No Return divides some of the most remote backcountry wilderness in the Lower 48. Windswept ridges, steep mountain meadows and clear-running creeks run down to the river. And every canyon has a bear…

A breath of wind blew down the canyon, but its treetop rustle was lost to the murmur of the river – running at 13,500 cubic feet per second – the pulse, its every crash, its ebb and flow and eddy.

Swallows hunted insects above the water and a long-billed bird dipped on a stone near the boat ramp. On the northern bank, yellow spots of color showed against the green grass. I checked my watch. It was almost 11:00am.

On the wind came another sound, the whine of twin fire-breathing 460 Fords. As it grew closer, the beat of the engines filled the narrow canyon. The boat streaked down through the rapids and passed the ramp. Mike Demerse lifted a hand and waved when he saw us.

We shipped the gear on board – duffels, packs, rifle cases and groceries brought by one of the ranch hands – then Mike fired the engines and backed in.

He turned the boat in a circle then pointed the bow upriver into the rapids. On step, the boat threaded between boulder and cut every corner in inches of water. Each turn in the river opened new vistas up long, steep canyons.

Spring Unleashed

Switch-backed game trails snaked down green hillsides to touch the river. There! Whitetail deer in the willows. There! Elk, their flanks dappled by pine-filtered sun. 30 minutes later, the canyon walls seemed to part ever so slightly, then a long grassy lawn came into view and Shepp Ranch was visible on the northern shore.

Spring is supposed to arrive on the 20th of the month named for the Greek god of war. As the days march on, the snows melt, the river rises and the hillsides turn green. Black bear in their dens find their way to the sun. But this year, the snow kept the potential locked in a month longer. We saw spring unleashed in May.

Guide Rex Hubbard, Tim McLagan and I hunted the first evening in a drainage north of the ranch. A sea of green grass on the ski slope-steep hillsides was stippled with color. White prairie stars, purple larkspur and the tiny maiden blue-eyed Mary showed off their springtime color. But it was the arrowleaf that caught Hubbard’s attention.

“We look for the arrowleaf balsamroot,” he said. “That’s how we know when the bears are out.”

“I guess I should warn you that we might see rattlesnakes,” he whispered. He indicated a little white flower – a trillium. “When we see these, we see snakes.” Thanks Rex.

As if on cue, a yard-long reptile slid across the trail behind Tim’s boots. We hadn’t taken ten steps. Since I was the only one that had seen it, my heart assumed the responsibility of racing scared for all three of us.

Minutes later, Tim spotted the first bear, a sow with yearlings. We watched the trio for an hour. The big female had a heart-shaped blaze on her chest, visible when she rose on her back legs. She made short work of the salad, shearing the stalks, crunching the leaves and the flowers. Her offspring padded along behind and scrambled to catch up when she woofed for them.

We compared notes over dinner. John Milton and Bill Moe with their guide, Dave Von Essen, had watched a small bear in the bottom of a canyon; close to water and close to the best feed.

Spring hunts are designed to control predation. Bears take a fierce toll on newborn elk calves. If food is scarce in the summer, bruins wreak havoc in river camps and in the gardens of the few ranches along the river. Bear numbers are so high that Idaho offers a second tag in some units.

The Elevator

The next morning, the tops of our legs on fire, we climbed ‘the elevator,’ a switch-backed scar of a trail cut straight up the face of a cliff. We topped out on a finger ridge, poked along the crest and probed the shadows. There, 50 yards above the creek, but a long way below us, was a bear.

Its long, unrubbed coat shined cinnamon when it passed through patches of sunlight. Rex ranged the bear with his rangefinder. I missed with the first shot but the bear gave another chance.

“302 yards,” Rex whispered. My .30-06 is sighted for a hundred-yard zero; the 165-grain Nosler AccuBond drops 14 inches in 300 yards. To allow for the angle, I calculated nine inches high and squeezed. 20 minutes later, we started down the slope. The bear had come to rest along the creek.

On the third day, we rode horseback along a narrow trail. A big black bear in a canyon kept us busy, as we waited for another look. When the wind changed, we got our glimpse, but that was all. Again, Rex showed us the little ‘rattlesnake’ flower and whispered its name.

Ten minutes later we were in our saddles headed back down the five miles to the ranch. The trails snaked up and down, in and out, carved along the sides of the mountain. One stirrup nearly touched the ground on our right side, the left stirrup hung out over a cliff. Rex’s horse, Belle, dislodged a 30-inch serpent, which dropped into the trail in front of Tim, mounted on Buttercup.

This time it was a real rattler and we almost had a rodeo on a 12-inch trail, 200 feet above Crooked Creek. Belle spun around to stomp the snake. Buttercup turned a tight circle and Pete, my mount, merely backed up a few paces. Cool equine heads prevailed and the rodeo was averted.

Our last full day of hunting, we saw a bear early and watched as it fed out of the canyon into the fog. Below us, the river raged, brown as chocolate milk. Shattered trees bobbed through whitewater waves.

Across the canyon we searched out the arrowleaf and examined each blackened ‘stump bear’ with our binoculars. Rex promised he’d say no more of rattlesnake flowers.

Back at camp, we heard the thump of the big V8 as Sara Jean came into view. John and Bill climbed out and walked up the bank. Their guide, Dave Von Essen had a satisfied smile on his face.

John and Dave had spotted the bear at over three hundred yards as it fed in a patch of wild onions. While they watched, the animal stretched out on a rock and went to sleep in the sun. Rather than take the shot, John elected to see if he could get closer. Over the next hour, the pair kept the wind in their favor, crossed the canyon and climbed to the top of the ridge.

With 40 yards left to go, a grouse flushed and that woke the sleeping bear. He spun up from his rock and turned to get a look at what was coming. That’s when John shot him.

Skinned, the boar measured five-feet, eight inches from nose to tail and six-feet-even from claw to claw. Layered with fat, the well-fed boar was as round as a barrel.

By the end of the trip, four of us, with our guides, had seen 19 bears. Nearly half of them were color-phase black bears: blonds, cinnamons and browns. Sitting on stand one afternoon, Bill Moe saw a wolf.

Five days after we started, we boarded the Mary Belle again. The river was swollen with snowmelt to a measured 36,500 cfs. Deadfall and debris swirled in eddies. Rex Hubbard watched the water for bobbing trees. I watched the hillside for arrowleaf and examined each black stump for legs and a head.

In the Lower 48, some of the best hunting is far beyond the end of any road and the ground is so steep that it is out of the reach of the best pilots and the most maneuverable tail-draggin’ airplanes. That’s the way it is on the Salmon River, but you can get there with a pump and a shallow-running boat. And a good pair of boots for that trail up and away from the river.

# # #

To order a signed copy of Deer Hunting send $24.95 to Gary Lewis Outdoors, PO Box 1364, Bend, OR 97709 or visit www.GaryLewisOutdoors.com.

Location

Shepp Ranch, Idaho

N 45 degrees 26.080’

W 115 degrees 39.934’

2098’ elevation

License and Tags

An Idaho non-resident hunting license is $141.50. A non-resident bear tag costs $151.75 and a ‘bonus’ non-resident special bear tag costs $31.75. A junior hunting license costs $7.25 and a junior bear tag costs $6.75

The deadline for applying for a controlled hunt is May 31. Results are available by July 10. For a controlled hunt or general season deer tag, the resident pays $19.75 and the non-resident is charged $258.50. If tags are still available, hunters can purchase a second tag at the non-resident price.

Elk tags are limited and often sell out by September. Residents pay $37.50 for an elk tag, while non-residents pay $372.50.

Under the Junior Mentored Hunting program, children aged 12-17 that hunt with an adult can pursue deer and elk at reduced rates. A license costs $7.25, a deer tag is $10.75 and an elk tag is $16.50. The price is the same for resident and non-resident youth.

Thanks to a law passed by the 2000 Legislature, you can use a non-resident deer tag to take a black bear or mountain lion instead of a deer, as long as deer season is open and the season is open for the species taken.

For rules booklets and nonresident license applications call (800) 635-7820. For more information, call the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at (208) 334-3700 or click on http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/licenses/.

-GL

Shepp Ranch Jet Boats

The Shepp Ranch Mary Belle is a 31-foot Miller Marine with twin 460 Fords and Legend Pumps. This boat is all about utility with big stern decks that can be used to transport building materials, saddles, hunting gear, ATVs and people. Seating is positioned amidships with benches on each side.

For hunting, Mark Demerse or one of the Shepp Ranch guides, employs the Sara Jean, a 26-foot Bob Smith boat, powered by a single 460 Ford and a Berkeley Pump. Both boats are directed by stick steering, a Bob Smith innovation. “Bob Smith was the first guy to install stick steering in a jet boat,” Demerse said. “He was in an accident and had broken both arms. He designed stick steering so he could drive with two casts on.”

-GL

Price and Contact Information

A four-day spring bear hunt at Shepp Ranch (www.sheppranch.com) costs $1800 per person. Non-hunting guests/observers are welcome at a cost of $1140 per person.

Mike and Lynn Demerse, Shepp Ranch Outfitters. HC 83 Box 8000, Cascade, ID 83611-8000. Tel. 970-963-2888. Email: shepp@sheppranch.com Web: www.sheppranch.com

Fall Hunting along the Salmon River

Known for its rugged mountains, the Salmon Region holds good prospects for success on mule deer. The terrain and lack of hunting pressure allow backcountry mule deer bucks to grow old.

Grass land and sagebrush steppe give way to timberlands in the high country. Look for more timber on the north-facing slopes. Some units have good road access, while others have very few roads, giving the hunter a chance to get away from the crowd.

The Salmon Region is a good bet for the hunter who likes to see a lot of deer with lots of opportunity for young to average-size bucks. Many hunters take advantage of the general season in this part of the state, but controlled hunts allow hunting later in the year and a good opportunity to pursue mule deer in the rut.

In several units, deer, elk and bear seasons overlap, giving hunters the opportunity to hunt multiple species at the same time.

Good numbers of mule deer and elk can be found in many units. Your best opportunities for big bucks and bulls are in the kind of rugged country that discourages the faint of heart.

-GL

Gear List

Bolt-action Ruger .30-06

Leupold 4.5-14x scope equipped with A.R.T. reticle

Versa-Pod bipod

Alpen Teton 10×42 binoculars

MOTHER pack

Gerber Santiam folding knife

Game bags

S.P.O.T. satellite personal tracker

Rawhide Gear scabbard

Bushnell laser rangefinder

SportHill camo jacket

Visa Endurance primary layer

Fanny pack with survival gear

Compass

GPS unit

Wilderness Athlete energy bars and energy gel

-GL

August 2008- sitting at the picnic table surrounded by the comings and goings of dozens of hummingbirds while the ice cream churn does its magic is a sweet way to spend a Saturday afternoon at Shepp Ranch.  In talking with a guest today I found I had been remiss in summer updates!  Yes we have been busy but in a great way and not at all in the smoky stressful atmosphere of 2007′s summer.  So…the update…all is well at Shepp Ranch. We made it through high water from the winters heavy snows unscathed.  The river came up to the 9 on the measuring tree which puts the river on the lawn near the strawberry patch and makes it so  you can step right off the jetboat on to the front lawn.

The weather has been beautifully mild, no days hitting 100 on the chestnut tree thermometer and so far only a half dozen hot nights where it took longer than normal to cool down.  The stream fishing has been great and with nearly everyone practicing catch and release these days it makes for some fun action at the dam and bridge holes.

The beach in front of the cabins is sand all the way to the river and into the eddy.  All the rocks are currently buried under several feet of beautiful Salmon River sand.  Of course I love it when I am traipsing back and forth to the river for my swims but the tractors find it difficult to find traction and so we have been having to keep it wetted down to settle it to some degree.

The garden is going great guns, the challenge this time of year is it takes all the time harvesting berries, broccoli, tomatoes and other yummy veggies and so the weeds quickly gain hold and threaten to swallow all of Charles hard work.  The harvest is plentiful though and it makes it into somewhat of a scavenger hunt where the reward is a basket of bush beans or the first eggplant.

Between the high snows and the high river we weren’t able to get our riding stock in until July this year. They all wintered well and are fat and sassy and happy to be home.  Belle, our 4 year old mare out of Annie, is getting worked as a riding mount and keeps things interesting for Rex!

We have had a great staff this year. Ashley and Pete are expecting a baby in November so she has left recently to return to her home in Grangeville to await Petes return from fire season in Utah and the arrival of their baby girl Frances Rose.  Allison is on the river guiding for the summer so stops in occasionally and will return in early September.  Dave and Gini are both working at home in Driggs this year and will be back here for hunting season.  Charles is cooking up a storm to a large number of guests and excited to get up to hunting camp for cooking the early hunts out of Fawn Lk camp before putting in 50 days of cooking for steelhead fishermen.  Rex has been keeping busy fixing whats broken and guiding guests on their daily adventures.  He recently checked out some hunting trails that were burned over by the fire and found over 100 trees waiting for he and his crew to conquer with their crosscut saws, bars, levers and wedges.

We were fortunate to have several new faces enter our lives here this summer.  Roy has done a great job of keeping the lawn watered and then mowed and weed eated.  We all know how contrary it seems each summer to water lawn so that it will grow only to cut it back a few days later.  It is a vicious cycle that he has kept at with a spring in his long step and a smile on his face.

We have had a great group of teenagers spend the summer working here.  Elli has been here most of the summer except for a break to go home and help hay.  She spends her days helping in the kitchen, harvesting berries and helping keeping the cabin ship shape. Kyl has been in the kitchen at Charles right hand for several weeks, learning the ropes of making meals and has really got a handle on his cookie technique!!

We were also lucky to have Colton, Rachel and Alec each spend a few days with us.  Our special treat was three weeks with Jeanie, a friend of a friend of Shepp Ranch who turned out to be a real bright spot in our teen summer help roster.

A new young couple has joined our ranks, Matt is our wrangler ranch hand for the fall.  He will be lending a hand wherever needed while learning packing.  He is very handy already with the tractors and sprinkler system.  Megan is our housekeeper and her cheery attitude and willingness make her enjoyable to have in the kitchen and she keeps her work area spotless and organized, a real plus for me!

Mike and I are well, we spend our days bouncing from one thing to the next…Mike in a never ending stream of boat trips to the boat landing, Buckskin Bills, the swimming hole and fishing holes at Warren Ck and Sheep Ck.  Me running up to the office and down to the beach and all points in between greeting guests, watering flowers and lending a hand wherever needed.

Well the ice cream churn is done and Charles says dinner is in a half  hour so I am off to clean up! Thanks for looking in on us and I will post lots of pictures soon!

August 13, 2008

The Turnbull family is here with a group of friends this week and it is a beautifully sunny week with clear skies, a full moon and the river is finally warming up. It is fun to watch Tims nephews grow up and share his special place with his group of friends.

A few weeks ago some relatives of Pete Klinkhammer came for a visit bringing lots of positive energy to the ranch in their quest for knowledge about Petes life here.  Here is a link to some pictures they have dug up showing the ranch buildings and Petes time with his nephews.

PeteKlinkhammerSheppRanch

Last weeks guests put up a website yesterday and here is the link for some fun pictures of their time here.

Gilton 2008 vacation at Shepp Ranch

The sun is working its way down the hillside above the Polly Bemis ranch and I can smell Charles muffins coming out of the oven so I will close for now!

August 31, 2008

Happy Labor Day!  Labor Day is always a turning point in our season.  It marks the end of our summer trailriding season and the beginning of our serious commitment of energies to getting ready for hunting season.  We have cleared the trail Fawn Lk and started getting camp equipment there.

This weekend we had the happy event of Laurie Clemons and Lee Mitchells wedding.  Laurie had been a guest here with her family and Lee is a former rafting guide.  They had 24 family and friends here and it was perfect weather.  80 degree days and not a cloud in the sky.  

Many thanks to all of our great guests for such a wonderful summer.  The difference between this summer and last was so extreme! No smoke, fun volleyball games, peaceful cookouts up the canyon.  Laughter and cheering filled the days.  Thanks and hope to see you all again soon!

It has been a great spring at Shepp Ranch. The Rattlesnake fire of 2007 left us with a scorched landscape that has grown in green and lush. The morels have been delicious and the wildflowers have carpeted the hillsides. Spring steelhead fishing brought many friends and long time clients to visit and a good time was had by all.

The elk, deer and bighorn sheep all seemed to have wintered well in spite of the deep snows. The deer are everywhere you look, the elk are starting to calf, over 30 bears have been spotted and we are starting to see Rocky Mountain Bighorn lambs along the river.

Charles has a great garden planned and partially planted. We are already eating asparagus and an abundance of fresh lettuces. Allison is busy with pruning, yardwork and keeping the 1500 greenhouse plants watered and tended. Ashley is working on cabin spring cleaning and maintenance and has the strawberry patch in the best shape ever in hopes of a bumper crop of jam to fill the freezer with. Mike and Rex are keeping busy with their “honey do” lists and Rex is trying to refill the woodshed. With the long winter and cool spring we used more firewood than normal but one benefit of the fire is that it left us an abundance of readily available firewood. Rex is learning to drive the jetboat in hopes of obtaining his Coast Guard license this year. Dave and Gini came over for an anniversary raft trip followed by some bear guiding. It is always great to have them here. Katy came out west to help with the Wellness Retreat so for a few days we had 4 Shepp Ranch cooks in the house! Rex, Charles, Katy and Gini all enjoyed visiting and telling cooking stories while filling our bellies with all kinds of delicious treats.

Darcy Williamsons Wilderness Wellness Foray was a huge success and we enjoyed all the field trips and the knowledge she shared. We are already in the planning stages of the 2009 event. The Wellness Retreat had a vegetarian menu and it was fun to stretch our taste buds and enjoy some lighter but filling fare.

Our spring bear hunts were successful with many more bears spotted than harvested. Every hunter had opportunity and went home with happy memories of their time at Shepp Ranch. We saw several sows with cubs including one set of new cubs so that bodes well for future years!

The large amount of snow still evident on the hillsides has us preparing for a high water event on the Salmon River in the next few weeks. We are gathering materials for our spring projects and will spend the next month carpentering, painting, gardening and doing maintenance in preparation for our summer schedule.

We still have summer Guest Ranch space available and a dozen or more groups of rafters scheduled for overnight stays. If you are thinking of combining a stay at the ranch with a Main Salmon River rafting trip we would be happy to work with you in picking just the right outfitter to suit your interests and the makeup of your group.

We arrived home safely on February 24th accompanied by Lew, Chuck, Charles, Ashley, Pete and Charlie. There was an ice bridge at Bull Ck that was easily broken through and we all gave a big cheer as we neared home! We found Rex and Chad waiting for us at the ranch with stoves on and the lodge warm and comfy. The next few days were full of cabin opening and snow shoveling. Rex had to deal with more snow than the ranch had gotten for several years and there were piles 6′ high where he moved snow out of the way. All was well at the ranch with all the animals thriving under his care.

The fishing was normal for spring, good between periods of snowmelt. The melting snows and ice have caused intermittent muddiness but there were lots of good days. The Wisdom/Himmelreich/Drake/Albers group gave it a 2nd try and managed to land several dozen fish over a 2 day period. They spend alot of time with their lines in the water!

For a look at some of our spring catch check out our Photo Album page. If you fished with us and have some pictures from your trip we would love to have them to share on our site!

Our last group just left and the river is a little cloudy from the Lemhi river runoff. The crocus are blooming, the greenhouse is started and we should see our 1st daffodil anyday.

If you are interested in joining us for spring steelhead fishing in 2009 let us know. We have some weekday openings. We plan to open February 27th, 2009.

Happy New Year! Snow covers Shepp Ranch and the river is iced up. Rex is caretaking this winter and he has his hands full taking care of Paris, our milk cow, and the mules and cats. He has caught a few fish and is keeping busy with saddles and other winter projects.

Mike and I acquired a new puppy, a black lab by the name of Bess. Cane, our young springer spaniel, is enjoying the company and when they are not wrestling and running they are curled in a tight ball napping. We are heading to Baja Mexico for a few weeks of fishing (a real busmans holiday) and reading and relaxing.

Charles returned to his job at Berryhill & Co, a Boise restaurant, for the month of December and is ready to hit the road and get a little R&R in during January before returning to fix more wonderful meals at Shepp Ranch during the 2008 season. Anneliese has signed on with an international volunteer group and will travel to Peru for six weeks to teach indigenous children Spanish as a second language. She is excited and will return to the ranch in the spring for a few months before starting Stanford in the fall. Ashley will return as housekeeper, for which I am thankful since it was so nice last season to have someone so thorough in charge of keeping things picked up. We all felt a lightening of our loads with her arrival. Allison and Jeff have been spending time hunting, snowmobiling and doing winter recreation. Allison has to return to school soon and Jeff will start getting ready for the farming season. He has assured us of his presence for guiding this year which makes us smile! It was great to have Dave and Gini at the ranch last fall for their 23rd season and they are back at home in Driggs enjoying their home and the winter there. Cheyenne spent a semester in Bellingham and is hoping to meet up with Mike and I in Baja Mexico soon for some surfing and fishing. Chuck is spending time in Boise doing some construction and getting the boats ready for another year and also hopes to join us for some fishing and sun.

Our “Wilderness Wellness Retreat” put on by Darcy Williamson May 8-11 is filling up and we are all very excited to have her come and share her knowledge. We still have a few spaces so let me know if you are interested.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and we hope to see you in the New Year!

Our elk season started out painfully slow as our first group of hunters experienced a four day delay while waiting for the Gospel Hump Wilderness Area fire closure to lift. Everyone came to the ranch as scheduled and whiled away the hours cracking walnuts, catching up on reading and taking short hikes to stretch their legs. While I fretted and stewed the guests and guides remained calm and their patience paid off! When they finally did get to go hunting it was great. Four bulls in three days put us right back on schedule!

The second hunt was also a great success and everyone filled their tags. The weather was just right with high snow and cool days.

Jeff also got to guide a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep hunter and they took a nice young ram while hunting from the ranch.

The third hunt was a long awaited treat for Jerry and Garrett Holbrook, a grandfather/grandson from Olympia Washington who had really been looking forward to this trip. Garrett tagged out for both deer and elk. The other two hunters also did well and are already booked back for next season!

Early November brought Indian Summer to the canyon. A full moon, daytime highs in the 60′s and clear skies conspired to make for elusive elk hunting. Elk were spotted on ridges in the distance but without the distraction of the rut or high snows to gather them in the side canyons they were hard to hunt. Two spikes were taken (trophy meat!) and a nice mule deer buck. An enthusiastic group of hunters combined with the hard work and positive attitude of the guides and Ginis great cooking resulted in the hunt still being successful!

Our last hunt of the 2007 Season brought long awaited fall rains. The cold rain/snow mix made for challenging hunting conditions and wet clothes! The hunters braved the elements and bagged a couple of 4 point bulls and 3 mule deer, one a dandy , over 28 inches wide.

The end of the season brought snow almost to the ranch and the guides made a 17 mule roundtrip to bring the camp off the hill.

A day of unpacking, tent hanging and horseshoe pulling leaves them with just the ride out to finish the 2007 season.

Rattlesnake fire a little too close for comfort.

Fall Steelhead Fishing 2007 pictures

Welcome to our new website and our first foray into blogging! We are very excited to have the site up and are working at learning how to navigate and improve the site.

It is the end of our 2007 season and things are winding down here at the ranch. It has been an exciting year. This spring we got a good jump on projects that had been on the list for a few years, remodeling the bathrooms in the front duplex and changing the layout of Tim’s cabin.

On July 13th we experienced a lightning strike just off the ranch property. By early September it had turned into the 100,000 acre Rattlesnake fire. The area around the ranch upstream to Campbells Ferry bridge, downstream to Sheep Ck and up Crooked Creek almost to Dixie were all involved as the fire did its work, leaving a mosaic of heavily burned, lightly burned and untouched. We were very lucky to get instant support from the Nez Perce National Forest and did not lose a single building! Our hunting area saw lots of fire but many of the aspects of it are favorable and our hunting success has been great. The Main Salmon River canyon was closed for boating from early August to early September due to the smoke and fire but we kept busy feeding and boating firefighters. The fishing this fall started out slowly and is just beginning to pickup. As often happens after a fire, the ground along the river was vulnerable during the early fall rains and we had muddy conditions in early October. The grass is growing like crazy now and the hills are a beautiful bright green with lush new growth.

Life around the ranch goes along smoothly. The garden did well in spite of limited late summer sunshine; keeping us supplied with berries, fruits and lots of veggies. The cow had a new calf and is producing all the milk, cream, ice cream and butter that we can eat. Belle, our 4 year old mare, returned from training in Colorado and is working her way into being another good riding/pack mount like her mom Annie. Lots of kittens and the spaniel, Cane, keep kids entertained and are good for warming your lap on these cooler days. The bears in the area spent the fall trying to beat me to the orchard fruit, we split the plums and pears, and they got all the peaches and apples. For the first time in 30 years they showed a liking for walnuts. We had two different sets of sows with cubs here and often in the morning you would catch one or the other in the lodge walnut tree sneaking an early morning meal. The fall colors have been spectacular and we just had our first frost this morning.

2008 will hopefully bring a new workshop that we are very excited about! Spring at the ranch is a great time. There are always lots of wildflowers, elk, deer and bighorn sheep to view and enjoy. The weather is mild and the water is high enough to boat to Buckskin Bills Museum or Reho Wolfes place. Now we are working on putting together a 3 day workshop May 8-11 with Darcy Williamson of “From the Forest” in McCall. http://www.darcyfromtheforest.com She is an herbalist, instructor and author specializing in wild medicinal and edible herbs. If you are interested let she or I know so we ensure the success of this new venture. I will have more information on this as it develops.

As always we have several rafting trips stopping in for the night during next year. If you want to see the Salmon River Canyon from a float boat without the heat and the crowds a spring trip is a great opportunity. Historian and river guide Wayne Johnson has 4 trips scheduled for April offering lots of scheduling flexibility. www.salmonrafting.com Each night is spent at a different lodge which means no sandy sleeping bags! Several other outfitters offer trips during the spring and summer seasons and all bring a little different approach to the trip ensuring something for everyone! See our links page for other outfitters. I will add more information on each of these trips as the year progresses.

We hope you join us in 2008!

Please feel free to write with ideas and suggestions for the site! Those of you who have been here before might have ideas on what we should “show off”, while those of you who are unfamiliar might have ideas on what information would be useful to include.