Outdoor column
Five photos of animals taken by hunters were on display at Far North Outfitters five days after the Aug. 30 opening of the season.
They included a bear, two white-tails, an elk and a mule deer.
“One's real nice,” store clerk Jack Bliss said about the mule deer in the velvet taken with a gun by Justin Webb of Bonners Ferry.
Overall, the season seemed fairly quiet early on.
“The elk season is a little slow right now, but they are starting to bugle,” said Bliss, who had the chance to take a few smaller bucks, but is waiting for something a little bigger. He also saw bucks that recently lost their velvet.
• Ryan Farrens, who took a record white-tail in the velvet on the first day of the 2007 hunting season, is looking at the Idaho record book again.
The 13-year-old son of Chad and Tanja Farrens of Moyie Springs took a white-tail in the velvet on Sept. 2 that nearly rivals last year's deer. Last year's deer had a gross score of 155 4/8 after it was taken and holds the record for the largest antlered deer taken by a youth in Idaho and the second largest overall taken in the velvet with a bow.
This year's deer, which had a gross score of 138, could be the second largest deer taken by a youth.
Ryan's not done hunting. He has a second deer tag and also hopes to get a bear and elk with his bow.
• Bill Leach, owner of Bill's Fish Taxidermy in Bonners Ferry, says the fishing is picking up on Lake Pend Oreille.
“The days are getting a little shorter, and shorter day lengths are triggering fish into the feeding mode,” Leach said. “We limited out (on small mouth bass) in two to three hours.”
Some fish weighed up to 3.5 pounds.
Perch are biting on white curly jigs.
“We did really well on jumbo perch,” Leach said. “We caught dozens and dozens up to 12 to 13 inches.”
Small mouth are hitting anywhere there are rocky structures. Perch are hitting in the weedy flats, where water is 9 to 14 feet deep.
Hot spots include Pack River Flats, Bottle and Oden bays, and Sunnyside.
• Just a reminder that Panhandle Friends of National Rifle Association's 6th Annual Dinner and Auction will be Saturday, Sept. 20, at Kootenai River Inn.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the social hour beginning at 6 and dinner served at 7:30. Tickets are $30. No tickets will be available at the door.
The evening will include gun raffles, live and silent auctions, drawings, limited edition firearms, custom knives and NRA commissioned-art.
One-half of proceeds generated through NRA dinners in Idaho benefit youth, hunters, shooters, collectors and gun owners. Money raised at last year's event in Bonners Ferry included $2,400 for buying target rifles and a gun safe for Kootenai Valley Junior Rifle Club.
For tickets, call Paul Wells at 290-6382 or Bill Bustillos at 267-6015.
• Idaho Fish and Game developed the Sportsman's Package several years ago to provide resident hunters and anglers with an all-encompassing license and permit package at a discount.
Since then, Fish and Game has added a few permits, such as a two-pole fishing permit, which are not included in the Sportsman's Package. And several sportsmen have requested changes in the package to include only the most commonly used licenses, tags and permits.
Fish and Game is reviewing the package and wants to know what hunters and anglers would like in the package. If they could customize their own Sportsman's Package, what would it include?
To find out, Fish and Game is soliciting public comments. Go to the questionnaire at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/public/ or ask a local Fish and Game office to print out a form that can be turned in or mailed to Sportsman's Package, IDFG, P.O. Box 25, Boise ID 83707.