Big Creek I - Edwardsburg

As a sort of `primer' to Dad's guided bighorn sheep hunt a few weeks away my Dad and I went to the upper end of Unit 26, Big Creek, to kind of look around and perhaps see some sheep. And maybe (hopefully) fill a deer tag

I drove up to meet my Dad at the Cabin in Donnelly on Wednesday afternoon.  The unusually cold and wet September had brought on a sort of anxiety causing me to pack a lot of clothes and other stuff.  Indeed as I drove south the mountains south of Grangeville (Gospel Hill, Buffalo Hump, and the Seven Devils) had significant new snow.

Thursday morning, after a nice breakfast at the Cabin, we headed out.  I kept my bow ready as all of the drive from the Cabin to Profile Summit would be open for either sex deer, archery, and from Profile on it would be open for rifle, bucks only.

Near Lick Creek Summit we came across a domestic sheep kill, right in the road.  It appeared one wolf had held the sheep by one of the haunches, while the other tore out it's lower jaw (and jugular), and then left the animal otherwise intact.  We reported the kill to the [seemingly disinterested] authorities.

At Yellowpine we stopped for [another] breakfast.  Perhaps the density and elevation of the clouds, and the colder temperature, brought on a necessity to `fatten' for the winter.

At Profile we parked and headed out east over Coin Mountain.  The cloud level was relatively low, but clearing.  Snow from earlier was still intact in places. The scenery was fantastic.  From the near side of Coin we watched a big black bear sleep, lounge, and otherwise pass the time on a small knob.  Neither of us had a tag - so we just watched.  On the other side of Coin we looked into the Belvedere Creek drainage.  It had been decades since I had been there last.  It is truly a beautiful place ... from Coin looking into the whole upper Belvedere Creek drainage and the magnificent Pinnacles.  Pancho Lake (our name, as all the lakes in the drainage are officially un-named) sparkled below us.  In the distance we spied a really nice Billy Goat - so big that at first I passed it off as non-animal.

We debated going forward or back or dropping to the lakes to fish.  We didn't have a necessarily early start (two breakfasts plus another coffee/maple bar stop in McCall) so we decided to back out and set up camp before dark.  On the way back across Coin we watched the bear again, just passing the time.

We set up camp along the road between Jacob's Ladder Creek and Lick Creek (not the same Lick Creek as the wolf kill).  While Dad made dinner I climbed the hillside above camp north of the  Logan Lake outlet.  With the remaining daylight I climbed about 1500 ft, looked for sign, and took in the scenery of the magnificent Big Creek / Edwardsburg valley.  A nanny and kid mountain goat came out to feed at the top of the chute I was climbing.  Perhaps 1000 ft above the valley floor, there did appear to be some sign - though unclear (to me) whether deer, sheep, or goat.  I took video and glassed the opposite mountainside south of the mouth of Lick Creek.  It was getting dark, and the terrain slightly dicey; I got a bit nervous, and got down just at dark.  Dinner was ready.  Nice.

This time of year it's dark by a bit after 8 pm.  We talked and went to bed by 9 pm.  It was 8 pm-ish my time.

We awoke after light, had breakfast, and decided to go up the Lick Creek Trail, and then break out north to look at some of the side-hills.  We didn't get all that far up.  What looked like beautiful terrain - timber, open hillsides, aspens turning yellow - was indeed beautiful - but there was no game, and little `sign'.  We came down.

After a road recon up Logan Creek toward Elk Summit, which likewise didn't produce, we headed back to camp.  After a late lunch and small nap, Dad dropped me off a mile or so north of Edwardsburg while he went on by Rokon back up toward Elk Summit.  I climbed about 1500 ft and then glassed the mountainside opposite across Big Creek.  I was getting into some sign - some of which appeared to be sheep - some definitely deer - and some maybe goat.  But still not a single deer, or sheep, sighting.

I descended on some decent game trails heading toward Edwardsburg.  Dad and I made radio contact ... he was returning to camp on the Rokon.  He would go to camp, trade the bike for the truck, and come back and pick me up.  I hit the road - and not more than 30 seconds later he rounded the bend and scooped me up.

During dinner we marveled at the lack of game, and the folly of our current government practices.  On one wall of the out-house at the Big Creek Airfield there is a big poster encouraging care in the forests so to prevent wildfires.  But on the opposite wall there is a similar size poster showing how good fires are, and indicating how `bad' to have mature forests.  `But what is wrong with a mature forest? ... Isn't it as natural as one that is burned?  (What if it got mature NATURALLY!!!)  And if fires are so good - why not start more of them?'

And why do we have government inspectors standing around making sure a few tons of sediment don't go into a creek at a road crossing, where somewhere else in the forest we have fire fighters standing and watching a fire (`let it burn'), denuding hillsides that with the next rain will dump millions of tons of sediment into creeks?

(I love my country - but now you see why I find legal, legitimate ways to pay as little in taxes as possible???)

And the wolves ... the wolves planted in Idaho aren't the ones that are native.  There already are native wolves, or were.  Instead, the planted wolves are the Canadian wolf - known to kill and let lie - kill just for fun, or horror, if you're the animal being killed.  No, introducing the Canadian wolf - and displacing the native wolf - isn't natural at all!!!

And so while people sit in far away places and decide how many [hundreds] of [Canadian] wolves are the `correct' number for Idaho - our forests are being emptied of deer, elk, and now domestic animals.   And while people in far away places decide which fires to `let burn' - and which to fight - our forests are turning into big fire rings and are being washed to the sea. 

Just maybe I wouldn't be so worked up if we'd killed a deer - but indeed the only deer we saw the whole trip was a single doe in the McCall city limits - maybe the only safe place left.

So we slept on these things, and other matters.  We awoke the next morning to another heavy frost and beginning of a blue-bird day, had a nice breakfast, broke camp, and headed back to civilization.  On the drive out I assimilated what I learned in 27 and determined we were just a bit off in our search for sheep.  (And, no, I won't tell you which direction.)  There are perhaps not a lot of sheep at the upper end - but it only takes one to fill a tag.  We discussed where we could hunt next at the upper end, and, with excitement, my Dad's coming guided hunt at the other end.