I am zeroing in on this area as an area I want to focus on for rifle hunting of deer, bear, and elk in the coming years. I would most likely be hunting the Oregon side. As I understand it, this is VERY rugged country and the wise man either drops in from the top on horses, or is taken up the river on a boat and hunts up.

I would appreciate any knowledge and experience and tips and so on that anyone has!

Thank you.

-jeff

top down is highly preferrable, the walk up thats teep broken shale sucks big ballz. been doing it for about 15 years now and always produces godo lightly pressured deer btu is not for the faint of heart either

By saying the "Oregon" side I assume you mean Hell's Canyon and not the Snake River Canyon near Twin Falls right? If so you are right about it being tough country. I hunt the Idaho side, and for deer (mulies) and bear I like to push the brushy draws at lower elevations near the river. You see elk there too but I think the better elk hunting is along the forested rims and ridges. Across from Pittsburg Landing and the Oregon side of Brownlee Res. looks good. Don't forget your shotgun...there are lots of chuckar and forest grouse.

I hear you gotta watch out for falling rockets over in that canyon.



You can't get away with mentioning snake river without expecting someone to derail your topic a bit.

Jeff, it's a Friday.

Forgive me but.... you've been hijacked.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsq3dWTrRWA

No worries Dave! That's about the most polite hijack I've ever seen anyway <g>.

Hey, I'm just glad someone noticed the topic. Was starting to think it was gonna die quietly...

Yes, I'd be hunting Hells Canyon if I was on the Oregon side. So... coming in on a boat and then setting up a camp a bit up off the river and hunting up in the mornings is not so hot, huh? Dang. I kind of like the idea of being IN the canyon.

Well, perhaps a drop-camp with horses is the way to go.

What I LOVE about that canyon is that I'm hearing it's very rugged. I like that. I'm seeing in the reg's that it's a tag witha high success rate. And it sounds like a guy is hunting relatively undisturbed critters. I like all of those things!

-jeff

We put a boat in on the Oregon side below Oxbow dam, crossed the river and camped on a little flat right next to shore on the Idaho side, then hiked up.

And up, and up, and, you get the picture...

Two ways to look at it. You can hike uphill to hunt and then drag some big elk/deer downhill, or hike down and then drag uphill. I'd vote for the former.

Also, when you walk uphill in the morning you're fresh, then walk downhill in the evening when your butt is dragging.

There is a lot of game on up there, though, so it is worth the effort.

Jim,

That's sort of my thinking. I really don't like doing steep downhills in the morning; it hurts my knees.

Does that river require any kind of special boat to do what you describe, or will any ol' "ski boat" do it?

-jeff

On monday, while fishing for Steelhead, I saw about 40-50 head of elk on the West side of the river just above Heller Bar. The elk were right on a nice flat, near the river but....we didn't see a single bull in the bunch.

There are parts of the river especially below the Hells Canyon dam itself that are pretty rough, but between Brownlee and Hells Canyon the river runs wide and smooth mostly.

We used a "regular ol' boat" about 12-14' long with a small outboard like this:
http://www.apolloduck.com/new/detail.phtml?id=380

We put in at a boat ramp and rode downriver a mile or so to a small cove where a creek met the river and put in there. It looked like a great spot to find rattlers and black bears coming down to drink. We kept expecting to hear one outside the tent but all was well.

Go here:
http://www.cbr.washington.edu/crisp/hydro/
and click on the links to Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon. Not the greatest pictures of the country but shows how it starts out right from the river. Not real technical hill climbing, not like you'd need ropes and stuff, but it goes way up and up. Once you get on top there are valleys and bowls and such, some pockets of timber but mostly open grass and brush.

If there was ever a reason to get a real mountain rifle like a Kimber WSM this would be the place to justify it.

Jim,

Thank you so much for the links! Extremely helpful. I'll go click 'em now.

Edited to add- wow, the terrain is sure different around those three dams!

You guys hunting deer or elk over there? How'd you do?

-jeff

It was a controlled hunt and I didn't have a tag, was just going for the weekend camping trip and to act as a pack animal for a friend. He was after mulies so, of course, we saw three different herds of elk with some real nice bulls well within range, had a decent black bear run a few yards right past us, but only saw a couple buck deer too far away to shoot.

But it was fun even with all the hard hiking, there was lots and lots of sign, particularly bear and elk, and some magnificent views.

And at that time, at least (around 1995), no roads in that area and even better no ATV's running all over creation. We didn't see another soul for two days, to me that alone was worth the effort.

Guys I have been told that is limited camp sites along the river I don't know if that was true or not?

JIm-I'd be for thinking a jet would be best in there, it sounds like you use a prop and get away with it is that right?

Thx
Dober

Yeah, Mark, that's what I'm wondering too. If I can get up there with a cheapo prop boat... heh heh... then that gives me something to save money for, since it's probably not next season but the one after than I can hunt there.

I'd bring an extra prop for sure. OTOH, that's a big river and they've got it damned up in several places so it might be more like a moving lake than a river.

On the Oregon side, the Hell's Canyon elk tag is 90% public land and has a 40-something percent success rate. Plus it looks like I can pull a mulie tag every other year or so up there too, which has a 50-ish percent success rate... and it's nice rugged country to say the least... and I'm hearing tales of undisturbed animals... so... preliminary indications are that I will be focusing some attention on that area.

The idea of a boat is nice because I can beg, borrow, or buy one and it won't need a stall and vetinarian visits in the off-season. However, one guy so far on this thread has said that going in "down low" is not the way to go.

In PM's, I've been talking with a guy who's guided a bunch there in years past; I'll see if I can get him to the thread. He wasn't real hot on the idea of the horse drop camps, saying that the operators tend to drop people in spots that are convenient to THEM, not so much where the hunting is best. Heck if I know.

-jeff

That would be my way of thinking as well (about the drop camps).

Dober

Yeah... however I've heard it said that "a guy would have to be insane to drop into that canyon without horses or mules" or words to that effect.

I like the idea of boating in, packing a camp up away from the river a ways (well, or not... who knows, maybe right on the river would be great), and then hunting UP in the morning. On my last elk hunt, I found that camping on the edge of a nearly impossible canyon, expecting to drop into it every morning, just doesn't work like a guy might hope. At least it didn't for this guy.

On the other hand I can go UP in the morning with gusto! Don't know why that would be.

But the lay of the land might make it such that getting all the way up to where the elk are is not practical on a daily basis from a camp by the river...

-jeff

If I were taking a prop boat up into Hells Canyon, I would put in a Heller Bar, take a spare prop, and then do a lot of praying. Breaking the prop is only one of the things you might have to plan for. How about knocking the lower unit off your engine? You really are stuck then. Take a jet boat or have someone with a jet boat take you up the river and pick you up. As my guide told me last week, "If you take a prop up here you either better be damned lucky or damned stupid." It can get really expensive in a hurry.

It's pretty much jetboat.

Our paid hunters used to come in from Lewiston, or somewhere near there, and we'd meet them where Temperance Creek meets the Snake. Then, we'd pack them and their gear up to camp.

Yeah, you can pack down on foot from the top and kill stuff, but you'd better take fire makin's, a knife and fork and lots of ketchup because you might end up eating an elk right there.

I was packing elk quarters up to the top (at Warnock Corral) and horse feed down (camp was near the cabin on Temperance Creek) for several days and we had all our stock tied up either with my daily pack or with hunters. I came upon two guys who were about five miles down from the top on the Temperance Creek trail. Oh yeah, and they had two decent six-point bulls down. They were in serious trouble and they knew it.

They offered me $100 each to haul their bulls to the top.

Sorry, all of my horses and mules were full of elk pieces. I saw then again on the way down and they were, let's say, just a bit disheartened. And I saw them on the way up the next day (the price offered went up to $500 cash money) and on the way down. Hey, my critters were full. On the third day, our hunters were getting pretty full, so the outfitter sent me up with four empty horses (with Deckers) and orders to help the guys out for free.

And they were GONE.

One of the mysteries of my life will always be where the Hell those guys went. I saw them both, and all their pieces of elk, on the way down and I was where they should have been at about 10:00 AM the next day. They did not have time to run out and get a skyline helicopter and there were no other horse/mule units in the area.

Anyway, it's fine to hunt the top on foot; I always liked Monument Ridge, Lightning Creek and the Indian trail(whose name I've forgotten) to the west of Warnock Corral. Or you can camp on the river and hunt up; that way, all elk parts are a down-haul.

Personally, I don't like drop camps because most outfitter usually places them in a circle, so a rider can service the loops of camps in a single day's ride. That approach doesn't necessarily put you into good game country. And, of course, the outfitter is ALWAYS going to save his best game country for his guided hunters. That's just the way it is.

You know, it's one thing to sit here, all nice and cozy, typing schit into the computer and acting all manly. It is a totally different matter to stand at Warnock Corral or PO Saddle (or , for that matter, even Granny Springs) and gaze down into the canyon. Even better, to be a few miles DOWN INTO that miserable bastard of a canyon. This, my friends, is about as rough a country as exists. A wise man respects it and he takes absolutely no chances in this country. You can die there ... and I've come very, very close.

Steve

So is it tougher than the upper Minam in the Eagle Cap? I've been thinking about poking around further east but I'm not hauling ponies that far if the terrain is any tougher than that. I lost one horse this year and hope to never have that happen again, although I do know it's a risk we all take.

I wouldn't even entertain the thought of taking a prop boat between Heller bar and Hells Canyon Dam. That is expert only water and I know guys who won't take their own jet boats up that section simply because they don't know the water well enough. Almost every year a jet boat goes down in that section.

If you do start at the river, and elk are the target, I'd definetly plan on taking a lightweight spike camp and staying up at the elevations the elk are at. The trek up and down 3000-5000 vertical feet everyday will wear down even the toughest guys after several days. Especially since it may well take a couple hours of hard hiking just to get where the elk are hanging. And a two hour hike back down in the dark, in that country is no joking matter. The country right above the river can be deathly if you hit the wrong place and get into the cliffs. If you do plan on hunting off the river, I'd go as late in the season as possible and hope for a bunch of snow on the top.

I've hunted from the top many times and much prefer to glass down and spot elk and then move on them if they are within reach.

"You know, it's one thing to sit here all nice and cozy, typing schit and acting manly"

Man isn't that the truth! All I have to do is crack open a photo album to get a reality check on what that country is like. That country is as intimidating as any I've ever been in and you are exactly right, a guy could die there.

We were in there once and a jet boat got upside-down in Wild Sheep Rapids, kinda near where Saddle Creek dumps into the Snake. If memory serves, five folks died in the boat wreck and four stayed in the upside-down boat. It was kinda weird how the boat was held down on the bottom with the water rushing over it.

They found the one body right aways and sent in a special crew to extract the dead folks.

Like I said, the Canyon can kill you. And it can do it in a bunch of different ways.

I've packed a bit in the Eagle Cap and, at least, the country I have experience with down Temperance Creek (and Rush Creek and Salt Creek) is rougher. You really cannot paint that with a broad brush. Let's put it this way; there are lots of places you would not dream of killing an elk .... mostly because there would be no chance of getting him out.

Mountain horses are needed. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen rigs come in with flatland horses and they got really stove up. The horses need to be used to rough mountain country; they ain't pretty, but they are the best kind of horses (in my opinion).

Steve

Friend Lonny,

It's double-true.

Steve

Definately have to agree that a prop motor is definately out of place here.

Awful terrible terrain here in this canyon. I believe this is probably the deepest chasm in N. America.

I've spent 30 yrs in Idaho and have only been in there once on a jet boat trip. Hunting there would be an unreal and grueling experiance.

Lonny, if you've ever seen PO Saddle, you'd remember it. According to legend, the cliff is a full-mile down. I don't know if it is, but the initiation is to stand on the abyss and piss over the edge. (I did it!!!) Guys who have vertigo and balance problems prolly should not do this.

Anyway, if you're on the ridge above Steamboat Creek, you look dead into the face of the cliff that is supposedly a mile high.

One afternoon, another guide and I were messing around killing elk and schit when we saw a hunter (he had a rifle) halfway up the absolutely vertical part of the cliff. It was getting dark fast and we were shoulder-deep in elk guys, but we really had to feel for the guy. It was cold, prolly zero, and the poor bugger was gonna spend the night ON THE CLIFF.

We were out there at first light, to haul pieces of dead elk, and he was gone. Dunno if he was going up or going down, but he apparently made it off of the cliff.

It's one of those things you remember.

He took a chance; I hope he did not pay the price.

Steve

Yes, it is considerably deeper than the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Hell's Canyon has benches and it is more gradual, but it is something like 1,500 feet deeper.

Steve

Mine all have mountain experience, two have tons of it, one is young but he's doing well so far. The one that fell had the trail bust loose under one hind hoof and there really wasn't a chance for recovery no matter what kind of horse he was....except that one with wings, Pegasus. The fall was 300 feet on really steep scree and rock. I've had a few wrecks in 15 years but never even really lamed up a horse until that day.

OK, so if I'm understanding this right, the way to hunt that canyon is to show up clueless, with new boots, and just dive on in?

:-)

Sheesh... well, I can see why the hunting is so good there! Sounds like a very tough place. I'm even more interested in it now- not because I have illusions of my toughness- but because it sounds like a really special place on the planet, and the best way to get to know those places is by huntin' them. Other than growing up there. Plus, the reality is, if a place ISN'T hard to hunt then it's overrun, and the hunting probably sucks anyway.

Are ATV's a problems there these days?

-jeff

Everybody has horse wrecks and rodeos. That just comes with the territory.

Man, one night about midnight, we were going down the Temperance Creek Trail in the moonless dark. It was raining and the mud was running down the trail like the gray-goo out of the back of a cement truck.

The outfitter's horse either didn't see a ninety-degree left turn or just plain skidded through it on his butt .... and down over the frickin' hill and into a downed pole thicket. And I was right on his back mule's butt. By the time it was over, four of us riders and all of out pack horses and mules were messed up in the steep pole thicket.

It was wet, absolutely dark and we had horses/mules wrapped around trees and all kinda schit. And, of course, we could not use flashlights to untangle the mess because we would night-blind out horses.

Two of us were kinda dinged from falling off our horses and down into the creek (one of those would be ME). Eventually, we got all the stuff figgered out, the pack animals reassembled and re-tailed and we went on our merry way to Temperance Creek Camp.

If I remember properly, the four of us killed four elk the next morning. BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG. Four shots, four elk; the way it should be done.

Steve

There you go. And don't sight in your rifle.

Steve

Even hard to hunt places can get a bit over-run when publicly advertised before thousands of hunters looking for something better.......

Good point... how do you kill a thread on this forum again? Let's see... we need it to get SO out of hand that Rick pulls it... hmm... I got it!!

"Would you hunt Hell's Canyon with a round in the chamber?"

That should do 'er!

;-)

-jeff

Usually all it takes is me posting on it......

Just saw one of Cabela's hunting shows where the hunter had a hot tube with the safety on and was behind the PH and the tracker most of the time. It was a plains game hunt, not dangerous game.

jeff, take a ride in a jet boat up the river....it will answer all kinds of questions. one option you have is to charter a ride up and float down on something nice and cozy like my 16' AIRE lion cataraft...it takes that tough water like a champ.

bring your scattergun......lots of chukar

Thanks C&B!!! I didn't draw that unit last year even with pref points. Now that a few hundred other hunters are thinking about the area, I wonder if my odds went up or down......

It's a tough canyon to work, steep and long climbs. Remember, you've got to get back up on top, once you decend. I worked this area as a Forest Service smokejumper almost 50 years ago, and we found it tough to either climb out or decend to the bottom of the canyon with our 110 pound packs.

The knees just took a terible beating going down and the lungs worked hard while climbing.

I have fished up and down that area on the river and its pretty open an walking up on game is a no no IMO...I would rather camp on top and do my walking about 1/3 of the way down and along the river..I think you could get a pack horse about anywhere in there if your good with horses...I am pretty sure I could actually pick my way around there on a horse and not have to walk much unless I shot something..Its steep but it not what I call rough..

If you camp on the river I would be trying to shoot something when it comes to water and I have seen a lot of deer and elk on the river itself..

There are also some holes to hide it and ambush deer right on the river..These holes were dug and rocked up by the plains indians ions ago for that specific purpose and I see no reason why the wouldn't still work and I have seen game at that sight.

Jeff: Our party of 3 has hunted the Idaho side for 18 seasons so far doing deer and elk. I prefer not to divulge my specific spots. We miss about every third year because we also do other out of state ventures and run out of time or money. Here's a rather scattered list of critical thoughts.

We boat in and hunt up, usually doing the first half hour to 40 minutes in the dark to gain altitude by taking on a hog back. One has his best look at game by being at equivalent or higher elevations than the targets. One can elect to take an easier climb by following drainages up, but he will be looking up at all times and the game above have the real advantage. Most drainages are also brush choked and support good stands of poison oak.

Most of the time one is actually hunting an opposing ridge or side hill. That is you are on one ridge, and do most of your glassing into the valley below and at minor drainages, rims, outcrops, and brush pockets on the hillside of the next ridge over. When game beds, one drops to the valley, takes a parallel ascending drainage either side of the target, climbs to an equal or higher elevation than the target, then side hills to a vantage point within range.

Downed critters will often slide all the way to the bottom. If not, we typically drag or push them down before gutting (keeps ones carcass cleaner). Deer are halved and elk are quartered for back packing. Do not let anyone kid you, going down slope on those steep hills is a real bitch on the knees either loaded or unloaded. If possible, we take the shortest down hill route to river with game, cache it, then do the retrieve with a boat.

We have tried a little hunting from the tops, and find 4 major disadvantages. 1) If there is any road access, one will have competition. That competition though will seldom drop down very far, but a lot of them are rock rollers 2) As most ridges have convex surfaces, one can see the immediate ground in his vicinity, but can see very little of the area that lies below on your ridge or in the valley bottoms. 3) When one does spot game on the opposing ridge, he will have even further to decend and will still have to climb again to reach the target. 4) While packing down hill is a bitch on the knees, packing uphill is a bitch on the entire body. It makes for very looonnnngg days.

A few other things on my list... There is no way to cheat mother nature (gravity). Carts, sleds, or any type of drag for moving meat will go only one way = straight down. In much of that country, one can stand erect, stick his arm out to the side, and touch the ground. If dragging something down hill try to get a buddy to help with an up hill restraining rope. Being run over by a dead antlered critter is not fun. DO NOT wrap or loop any portion of a rope to your body.

Given those hills, a back pack is an absolute must. Always take the back pack on the hunt, as one can come in with the first half without doubling his travels just to retrieve a frame. Don't drop the pack to complete a stalk. If the animal moves, you might go another mile or more and have to come back to retrieve things (I've done that one).

Nothing is a casual jaunt (go equipped to spend the entire day and endure any possible weather). It's too strenuous to do an AM hunt, drop back to camp, and then do a PM hunt.

Have the toughest most dependable boots money can buy and live in those boots for months before the hunt. Ankle support is also a must. I live in my boots year round. Bad backs, weak ankles, and those with blown knees should not even think of applying. Be in the best shape possible.

Good binos are a must as one spends well over half a day glassing. If you don't want to pack a spotting scope, rig up with a 6-18 or 6-24x rifle scope.

Never leave without a flashlight (done that one too). Hunt only with time tested buddies (not one who wants to leave when he has tagged out), and have a plan should one or another not return in the evening (We will go looking the next morning). Don't even try weekend ventures as it's a day in and setting up camp and a day breaking camp and getting out. We typically schedule 9 day outings.

Boats, motors, props, fuel lines, shear pins, rifles, scopes, and tents can and will fail. In those 18 seasons I have needed 2 backup rifles (one bummed up scope, and one scope that leaked and fogged). Not all take backup rifles, but there is always 4 rifles availalbe for 3 hunters.

We also go with 2 boats. In 4 of those seasons, one boat or the other was towed back to a landing, and we have rescued 2 other parties with boat issues (fishermen). Leave some GPS coordinates for camp and an alternative site (someone will score your chosen site) with an outside party, and rest assured a cell phone WILL NOT work there.

I am not trying to discourage you, but it is tough. Over the years we have had 7 individuals plead to share our experiences. Each of those made one season and then said thanks but no thanks. Our original 3, however, are still hanging in there and that's fine. Three people is about the most one can disperse from a single point and give each their exclusive turf each day. Given our dependence on the boats, we don't like any needless travel once we're in place. It's an environment most will only read about, but it is worth the effort. Happy trails, but hope I don't see you there.

Very well said 1minute.

Another I might add, which you touched on, is having GOOD partners. This is no hunt to try out guys who may not be as serious as you. If you aren't willing to completely suspend your hunting to help a partner pack his elk and him do the same for you, you might want to look elsewhere also. I've seen several hunting realtionships go south when one in the party kills an elk waaaaaay far off the beaten track and the others are forced to stop hunting and pack meat for a couple days virtually ending their hunts. This is the case in the canyon because it can take a couple of days of hard packing to extract a bull.

And like 1minute said, everyone wears a pack capable of taking meat out the first trip.

Also, carry a decent supply of pitchwood and be prepared to spend the night out on a kill. Been there, done that and it is a long, cold bitch.

By the way, radios don't work well in the rough terrain of the canyon.

Steve

Thanks 1minute for the informative post! PM sent...

It sounds like shots tend to be longer, if you are primarily hunting the next ridge over? How's the wind?

-jeff

Yeah, from his post, you could surely tell that 1minute has "been there." Hats off.

Steve

Jeff,

Don't let these guys scare you off ... the Snake River unit can be hunted without any more effort than climbing McKinley (in Winter) or rafting the Colorado during a flash-flood. While there are cliffs and rim-rock areas that are unclimbable without ropes and pitons, you can choose to not hunt those spots. Maybe the fact that you'll probably see Mountain goats and Bighorn sheep during your hunt, should be a clue ?

The canyon Rim to Snake River may be > 5,000 feet of vertical, but you don't have to cover that much vertical during your hunt. For a newbie to the unit, I'd actually recommend going in from the top. With the road out to Sommers Point and Mormon Flat being closed off, those with horses (no ATV's allowed) can go some 16-18 miles North and pick which side canyons to drop off into. The further North you head, the more gentle the ridges down become and the numerous benches provide great camping sites to start your hunt from (versus camping right on top).

There are lots of springs and most draws have water (year round), so take a filter and go freeze dried if you back-pack in. Think cold, windy (5-30 mph), fog, rain and/or Snow, steep ... and 200-450 yard shots.

I'd recommend taking a prospective hunting partner (don't hunt it alone) during the Summer and burning a few tanks of gas, to drive over there and scout the area from the top (Hat Point rd thru Inmaha). Not all of the top is Wilderness, so Mountain-bikes may be legal on the old roadbed. We scouted it in July on dirt bikes years ago, (when it was open to trucks and 4x4's). (Don't forget your spotting scope, terrain maps and a GPS)

There is also lots of good hunting in the (much less deep) canyons running North, that are West of the rim (previously mentioned by others) and while you will compete with guided camps if you go in over 4-5 miles, there are still elk to be killed, within the first couple miles of the road.

One last note .... this place gets SNOW in October - November ! ... take along chains for all four corners ... even if you don't need them on the drive-in, put them on once you get there ... cause you'll almost assuredly need them, on the way out. Chains come off in seconds if you don't need them. Nothing like having to put-on chains in a hurry while bugging out, in a snow-storm, in 14 inches of snow ... in the dark !!

Silver Bullet

Shoot well ... Shoot Once !

Thanks a lot Silver Bullet for the great post. I'll print it out and look over a map with it in hand.

Question for those who've been there- do you think a spike-only elk tag is a tag worth hunting? Worth the 9-hr drive and so on?

I can pull a Snake RIver spike tag this season. The big decision I'll need to make is whether to hunt spikes over there, or any-bull Roosevelt elk over here on the west side of the Cascades. Either way, I'll also get a pref point towards the eventual goal of a Hells Canyon bull elk tag.

The nice thing about the spike tag would be basically doing some great scouting while still having a chance at an elk. But, as far away as it is and as hard as the hunting sounds, I'm wondering if a spike tag is a worthy hunt?

-jeff

Jeff: Range of shots can go either way. My closest was about 10 feet. Walked to within about 30 feet of a buck feeding up a hillside ditch. With only his back visible, he fed to within about 10 before lifting his head to take a look around. I could actually hear his teeth grinding as he ate.

One can go to the long side too. My longest was probably close to 450 on an elk. Did not own a range finder then. Using a 7 Rem mag and gave him about 8 inches of air over the back.

Average is probably in the 100 to 200 range. Given the rugged topography, one can typically work in and blind side most critters.

I spoke with one of my elk camp buds last night... we'll have to decide if a spike tag warrants the effort. Spike elk tags can be excruciating to hunt...

-jeff

Having fished the Hell Canyon and shot some chuckers there and observed the Nez Pierce trail from the boat..I would like to know if that trail is still negociable by horseback..The Nez Pierce did it, so why not a good hand with horses still go that route. It would be a way to camp on the river and go up half way and hunt across the canyon each day???...

its doable as many guys have said but takes determination and sheer conditioning of mind and body. A buddys dad guides for salmon and steelhead out of heller bar and more then once we have debated having him drop us and pick us up but my buddy si not that dedicated yet and as his dad also famrs 1000 acres of private land whitetails are easy for him on flat land

I'm talking with the other guys involved. If it starts looking all systems go, then the conditioning would start now, basically!

Hey, something to work towards...

-jeff

From the sound of the Canyon in these posts, perhaps you should practice by climbing El Capitan in Yosemite. A buddy of mine did it; only took him five days or so.

I've never been to the Snake's canyon; y'all are successfully scaring me from trying a hunt there!

Macrabbit: The Canyon country is really quite huntable. I'm presently 61 and feel like I may have about another 10 more seasons in me. After that I will post some GPS coordinates and name names. Conditioning will obviously facilitate things, but one does not need to be a ripped hulk to get by.

Simply give yourself plenty of time (days), take only the best equipment, don't over exert one's self, and above all be safe.

I'm often climbing in 20 degrees with no shirt on and layer up when I stop. On warm days, climbing is a bear. On truly warm days, we may quit climbing by 9 or 10, sit at a super vantage point until 5:30 or 6, and then hunt down a drainage or alternative ridge to get back to camp.

While jump shooting is rare unless one really stalks in close, my practice is to move at a pace that keeps my heart/breathing such that I can sit down and shoot at any moment. If I begin to sweat, I slow down even more. One can do about 2 miles out and 2 back, and have actually hunted about 8-10 square miles. The avantage is the country is tipped on edge and one can see a lot of surface area from one point.

As to hiking, I tend to be one that plods along at a constant pace. Another partner goes 50 mph for 60 seconds and then takes long pauses to suck air and look around. Both techniques seem to work and we get there about the same time.

If one is really lazy, he can boat the river and scope lots of country and game from an opposing bank. Game seems to be low in early morning and one would only really put in the work if he saw a worthy target. I've frequently seen deer within range of the river. Elk, however, tend to be higher up. Nearly every drainage has springs and water, so game is not really forced to the river to drink.

There's a lot of room in there, as we have gone entire seasons without seeing another big game hunter. Get your maps out and make some plans. 1Minute

That'll soon change if everyone keeps talking up the area.....

My conclusion is, it SUCKS, and we should just let this thread DIE!!