Local State Parks

[KinleyWater]

I've bitten the bullet, so to speak and put down cash for a spring* bear hunt in the north of Idaho. This will be a back country hunt, so I've been working to get in shape. Yes, I know it's a long ways away, but the better shape I'm in, the better the hunt will be.

Anyway, one of the things I've been doing is trail running at a local state park. Every morning that I go there, which is 3-4 times a week, I see rabbits in abundance in the grassy fields. I see between 3 and 4 does and at least one fawn. Two weeks ago, I nearly tripped over a turtle which was meandering along the trail, and last week, I flushed a big old turkey off a hillside over a drainage.

The point to all of this is: your local state park may not be as shiny, or big, or grand as the national ones, but there are still tremendous opportunities to see amazing wildlife. I want to encourage everyone to get out to a local park and see what is there; you might be surprised what's more or less in your backyard.

 

[Guy Miner]

Good luck on your bear hunt!

Washington has some great state parks!

I volunteer regularly at one, Confluence State Park, where the Wenatchee River joins the mighty Columbia River. All I do is trail maintenance stuff. Cutting trees & limbs, cutting brush, getting rid of weeds, rebuilding gates & view points. That sort of stuff. It's good physical work, does me some good and I enjoy. I also do a lot of wildlife photography at that park and walk the dog there a couple of times a week. We walked 4 miles there this morning.

The other one, Squilchuk State Park, is a couple of thousand feet above town, administered by the same Ranger, and is a terrific place for hiking in summer & snowshoeing in winter. I've got a 5.4 mile loop route that gains 1,100+ ft, and I try to hike it at least twice a week, year round. My dog loves it too. There's elk, mule deer, bear, coyotes, squirrels & rabbits there along with quite a bit of bird life. Nearby are a couple of lakes where I sometimes fly fish.

So many great state parks!

Regards, Guy

 

[Guy Miner]

You're right about the wildlife - here are some I've seen at Confluence State Park, particularly in the "Horan Natural Area."

I dearly love our state parks, which is what moved me to volunteer there about one day a week.

Regards, Guy

 

[KinleyWater]

Guy,

Thanks for the well wishes, I think it's going to be a heck of a trip. And thanks for volunteering. I know accolades isn't why you do it, but I learned a long time ago that a little gratitude helps the world go a long way.

I've been to Wenatchee a couple of times and it's it absolutely beautiful up there. Those are amazing pictures; the moose is my favorite.

 

[Elkman]

I live in a rural area, and hike almost daily. The animals I have seen while only being a short walking distance from my house have been, bears, cougar, bobcat, deer, turkeys, elk, red tailed hawks. eagles, crows, skunks, opossum and numerous other smaller animals. Its gated and fenced private land, whom we share a common boundary, with far fewer humans than in a park. I love being out early and do take pictures, but nothing near the quality that Guy and others post here.

 

[Guy Miner]

Thanks for the compliments on the photos guys. I've been selling some photos the past two years or so. The moose is real popular.

Elkman - fenced private property like that is something to treasure. One of my favorite things to do when I hunt in Wyoming - after I've my pronghorn & mule deer down - is to take a drive through the ranch with my Jeep and my camera & binoculars. Wow! The wildlife I see! The rancher/outfitter gets a big kick out of it, he likes that I do it. I send him some photos of animals I find on his ranch.

This was last October, on his ranch, along the Little Powder River:

I've never hunted whitetail on his ranch, always mule deer, but I'm thinking I'd like to hunt whitetail there.

Guy