Saturday was opening day in Idaho. Bird count is lowest it has been in years. Started hunting at about 8:30 or 9:00am, didn't look at watch but Sun was just barely coming over the mountains.
Started hunt on top above Rock Creek. Heard a few birds. Saw one bird but was flying just under the ridge so by the time I could get a shot, it was out of range.
Heard LOTS of shooting below us. Hunted till about 11:30am and took the ATV's down to the reservoir road.
Along the road hunters were stationed at the outside curves. We stopped for lunch on the road to watch. Apparently birds were hugging the lake from lake to about 1/4 way up the hills even at midday. Every few minutes a single or small covey would fly down to the lake giving hunters a shot. In the 15 minutes we ate we saw 3 hunters get a bird, without dogs, just standing on the road between the hills and lake.
Heard lots of shooting at the next bend from us. Put my sandwich down, picked up my shotgun and got a bird that had broke towards our direction. Only take of the day. Was too crowded on the road so we decided to pack up and go trail riding instead of hunting till 3:00pm.
Thoughts: Should have fished all day on the Idaho side next to or from the bank, anchored below the road hunters and shot at their breaking birds.
With this week's rain birds may venture further from water, but opening day they didn't seem to want to get too far away.
Started hunt on top above Rock Creek. Heard a few birds. Saw one bird but was flying just under the ridge so by the time I could get a shot, it was out of range.
Heard LOTS of shooting below us. Hunted till about 11:30am and took the ATV's down to the reservoir road.
Along the road hunters were stationed at the outside curves. We stopped for lunch on the road to watch. Apparently birds were hugging the lake from lake to about 1/4 way up the hills even at midday. Every few minutes a single or small covey would fly down to the lake giving hunters a shot. In the 15 minutes we ate we saw 3 hunters get a bird, without dogs, just standing on the road between the hills and lake.
Heard lots of shooting at the next bend from us. Put my sandwich down, picked up my shotgun and got a bird that had broke towards our direction. Only take of the day. Was too crowded on the road so we decided to pack up and go trail riding instead of hunting till 3:00pm.
Thoughts: Should have fished all day on the Idaho side next to or from the bank, anchored below the road hunters and shot at their breaking birds.
With this week's rain birds may venture further from water, but opening day they didn't seem to want to get too far away.
