Chinook seasons open Saturday

The spring Chinook salmon fishing season will open April 25, on parts of the Clearwater, Lochsa, Salmon and Snake rivers.

The Chinook salmon return to Idaho this year is forecasted to be similar to the returns observed in 2014. As of April 15, over 13,500 Chinook have crossed Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River, while 70 fish have crossed Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River. 

Fish and Game tailored the 2015 fisheries proposals to meet hatchery broodstock needs, focus fishing efforts in areas where hatchery fish are most abundant, and still allow fishing in river reaches that anglers have grown accustomed to fishing in recent years.

In the Clearwater Basin, except for the South Fork Clearwater River, limits are set at four fish per day, only one of which may be an adult. The possession limit in these parts of the Clearwater River drainage will be 12 fish, only three of which may be adults.

In the South Fork Clearwater, lower Salmon, Little Salmon and Snake River fisheries, anglers will be allowed to keep four fish per day, only two of which may be adults. The possession limit in these fisheries will be twelve fish, of which only six may be adults.

These areas will be open seven days a week. The season limit will be 20 adult Chinook salmon for seasons prior to Sept. 1. 

Only Chinook salmon with a clipped adipose fin, as evidenced by a healed scar, may be kept. Only adult Chinook salmon must be recorded on the salmon permit. An adult Chinook is any adipose fin-clipped Chinook 24 or more inches from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. Chinook salmon less than 24 inches (jacks) count against the daily limit but need not be recorded on the salmon permit. 

An angler must cease fishing for Chinook salmon once they have retained their daily, possession, or season limit of adult Chinook salmon or their overall (fish of any size) daily or possession limit of Chinook salmon, whichever comes first. 

Other rules and special restrictions for the Chinook salmon fishery are in the 2015 spring Chinook salmon brochure available at Fish and Game offices, license vendors, and online at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/fish/?getPage=110. 

The Commission will consider Chinook salmon fisheries on the South Fork Salmon and upper Salmon Rivers at its May 20 meeting in Lewiston. Fish return to those areas later than to the Clearwater River and Rapid River Hatcheries, giving managers more time to develop fishery proposals for those areas.

Lolo Trail Muzzleloader Club Spring Fling is May 2

By Dusti Howell 

The Lolo Trail Muzzleloader Club would like to invite shooters, spectators and traders to our black powder, patched and round ball firearms Annual Spring Fling shooting event on Saturday, May 2.

The event is held at Wolverton’s Cabin, 2852 Wells Bench Road, Orofino, and the start time is 10 a.m. The fee to participate in the shoot is $7 per person.

Prizes for the top three Mountain Men, Mountain Women, and Young Trappers will be awarded. The main events are a rifle and pistol trail, hawk and knife throw, and rifle paper shoot. Extra points are awarded for dressing in 1800 attire, but doing so is not mandatory.

Our other event is our “running deer.” This is a moving deer target and the fee is $1 per round. The winner gets half of the pot! 

After the shoot there will be a potluck, with the club providing barbequed hamburgers and hot dogs. Please bring a side dish, beverage, and your chairs. We will present the winners and draw for the door prize. 

We will also be selling drawing tickets at six for $5 dollars or $1 each for a Thompson Center .54 caliber muzzleloader rifle (pictured). The winner’s name will be drawn July 19, at our second shooting event of the year, our 39th Annual Rendezvous. This event is July 17-19 at Reggear’s Tree Farm, Loseth Road, Orofino.

LTML can’t wait to see all of you there!

For any questions regarding both events you can view our flyers on “Orofino Chamber of Commerce” website and/or e-mail lolotrailmuzzleloaderclub@yahoo.com and/or call Dusti Howell at (208) 476-9471, Guy Walker at (208) 435-4814, or Larry Kaufman at (208) 827-0018.

Corps proceeds with Dworshak forest, vegetation management; awards sale of beetle-infested Dworshak timber harvest

On March 3, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded the sale of 122 acres of timber in the area east of Dent Bridge at Dworshak Reservoir. The approximately two million board-feet of timber was selected for harvest to contain and control an outbreak of Douglas fir beetle.

The timber sale was awarded to the Idaho Forest Group, of Grangeville, under a competitive-bidding process. Harvest will begin after the migratory bird nesting period, no sooner than Aug. 1. Proceeds from the timber sale - bid at $40.94 per ton or approximately $444,125 - will be used for site restoration after harvest, plus preparation for future timber sales and Dworshak natural resources efforts.

Forest and vegetation management activities are a year-round effort on the 29,318 acres of land surrounding Dworshak Dam and Reservoir. 

During the weekend of March 7-9, Natural Resources staff at Dworshak Dam and Reservoir worked with Clearwater-Nez Perce National Forest fire crews to conduct prescribed burning in the vicinity of Dicks Creek and Elk Creek Meadows. This prescribed burn is part of the Elk Creek Meadows Stewardship Project initiated by the Corps several years ago to restore ponderosa pine ecosystems. Logging in this area has been completed. Prescribed burning will reduce fuel loads left from logging, improve wildlife habitat, and enhance the area for ponderosa pine regeneration. 

The Corps is also developing a Vegetation Management Environmental Assessment (EA) for Dworshak lands based on the project's five-year vegetation-management plan to address forest-health issues and habitat-restoration projects. Planners anticipate inviting public comments for the Vegetation Management EA and an associated draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) planned for spring this year.

Corps proceeds with Dworshak forest, vegetation management; awards sale of beetle-infested Dworshak timber harvest

On March 3, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded the sale of 122 acres of timber in the area east of Dent Bridge at Dworshak Reservoir. The approximately two million board-feet of timber was selected for harvest to contain and control an outbreak of Douglas fir beetle.

The timber sale was awarded to the Idaho Forest Group, of Grangeville, Idaho, under a competitive-bidding process. Harvest will begin after the migratory bird nesting period, no sooner than August 1. Proceeds from the timber sale - bid at $40.94 per ton or approximately $444,125 - will be used for site restoration after harvest, plus preparation for future timber sales and Dworshak natural resources efforts.

Forest and vegetation management activities are a year-round effort on the 29,318 acres of land surrounding Dworshak Dam and Reservoir. 

During the weekend of March 7-9, Natural Resources staff at Dworshak Dam and Reservoir worked with Clearwater-Nez Perce National Forest fire crews to conduct prescribed burning in the vicinity of Dicks Creek and Elk Creek Meadows. This prescribed burn is part of the Elk Creek Meadows Stewardship Project initiated by the Corps several years ago to restore ponderosa pine ecosystems. Logging in this area has been completed. Prescribed burning will reduce fuel loads left from logging, improve wildlife habitat, and enhance the area for ponderosa pine regeneration. 

The Corps is also developing a Vegetation Management Environmental Assessment (EA) for Dworshak lands based on the project's five-year vegetation-management plan to address forest-health issues and habitat-restoration projects. Planners anticipate inviting public comments for the Vegetation Management EA and associated draft FONSI planned for spring this year.