Saw one wolf, two rams, dozens of deer, hundreds of elk but no bear. Pics added

[Okanagan]

Good time with son and grandson in Idaho, helping my grandson hunt for a bear.  We glassed vast amounts of country, beautiful, but never spotted a bear. We saw one wolf, two bighorn rams, dozens of whitetails and mule deer and over 300 elk. 

Having trouble posting pics.

My son asked me to go a day early and take him to the places in the Blue Mountains of Washington State where I camped and hunted with my Dad.  We camped in my Dad's favorite spot and cooked elk steaks with bacon and eggs over a campfire. Good vibes.

Down in the canyon along the Tucannon River a black wolf crossed the road close in front of us and then worked its way up a mostly open steep hillside.  Midday in bright sunlight and we got a lengthy good look at it.  First one either of us had ever seen in the lower 48.  I got one poor pic of the wolf, not worth posting anyway. 

[Hawks Feather]

Sounds like you had quite the adventure. I always appreciate your updates.

[Okanagan]

Got a work around for photos, using an old version of Imgur software.  I'm a klutz.

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In the pic below, grandson still burrowed in his bag as daylight comes on.  Near the center of the pic is a light green flat plateau.  A big herd of elk is in the lower right corner of that flat, which is a good five miles from the camera.

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We looked over a lot of square miles of country.  Forgot to mention that we saw lots of turkeys and lots of chukars. 

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[nastygunz]

Purty country. Looks kind of like the motherland in some ways except we are 96% covered in trees.

[FinsnFur]

Absolutely H U G E country
I love that last pic with the river running through the valley.
In your best guess...how wide is the widest point of that little bend in the river, we can see in the pic?

[Okanagan]

Absolutely H U G E country
I love that last pic with the river running through the valley.
In your best guess...how wide is the widest point of that little bend in the river, we can see in the pic?

I'd guess 125 yards wide at the widest point in the bend.  Might be only 100, and there are some narrower swifter sections.  That's the Salmon River in the pic, about five miles upstream from Riggins, where the Little Salmon River joins it from the left.

The Salmon is the River of No Return.  The road in the bottom by the river visible in the pic goes up the river several miles, then ends.  For many miles above that there is no road, and the canyon is deeper than Grand Canyon.  River rafts, jet boats and hiking trails from there on.  Actually, one time my wife and I flew in a bush plane into an airstrip at an isolated log house about in the middle of the long roadless stretch.  She made a deal with the owner and it was her anniversary present to me that year.  Not bad!

Oops.  Just corrected my statement that the Salmon River canyon is the deepest in the US.  Hell's Canyon is deeper.

[FinsnFur]

I'd guess 125 yards wide at the widest point in the bend.  Might be only 100, and there are some narrower swifter sections.  That's the Salmon River in the pic, about five miles upstream from Riggins, where the Little Salmon River joins it from the left.

The Salmon is the River of No Return.  The road in the bottom by the river visible in the pic goes up the river several miles, then ends.  For many miles above that there is no road, and the canyon is deeper than Grand Canyon.  River rafts, jet boats and hiking trails from there on.  Actually, one time my wife and I flew in a bush plane into an airstrip at an isolated log house about in the middle of the long roadless stretch.  She made a deal with the owner and it was her anniversary present to me that year.  Not bad!

I thought it look like a pretty scenic river to take the kayak down but...after that I'm going to have to pass.  

[Okanagan]

I'd guess 125 yards wide at the widest point in the bend.  Might be only 100, and there are some narrower swifter sections.  That's the Salmon River in the pic, about five miles upstream from Riggins, where the Little Salmon River joins it from the left.

The Salmon is the River of No Return.  The road in the bottom by the river visible in the pic goes up the river several miles, then ends.  For many miles above that there is no road, and the canyon is deeper than Grand Canyon.  River rafts, jet boats and hiking trails from there on.  Actually, one time my wife and I flew in a bush plane into an airstrip at an isolated log house about in the middle of the long roadless stretch.  She made a deal with the owner and it was her anniversary present to me that year.  Not bad!

I thought it look like a pretty scenic river to take the kayak down but...after that I'm going to have to pass.  

If you are fairly proficient at paddling white water, it could be a fun trip on hot summer days.  I would not attempt it in a sit on top kayak, and IMO anyone who cannot do an Eskimo roll should not do it in a sit inside yak.  I've never seen any rapids that are really hairy, but I've only seen a fairly small portion of the river.  It is big strong water really swift with standing waves up to three feet tall and long sections of such.  For a few miles downstream from Riggins a recreational kayak would do.

[Hawks Feather]

Jim,
   Those rapids would be a 'piece of cake' for an Olympic kayaker like you. In fact I bet you could do it in your fishing kayak and not even need to get that carbon fibre model wet.

[Okanagan]

We could do a Fins and Fur Salmon River raft trip.  Lot of raft and jet boat companies in Riggins.  My son, his wife and his grown kids plus one girl friend did a half day raft trip there a year or so ago and loved it.

Jim could paddle along side the raft and then drift along side it when his yak flips. 

I think the River of No Return just meant that it is so constantly swift that if you go down it, you can't come back up.  That was true till jet boats were invented.

[FinsnFur]

Yah speaking of Olympic kayaker, I KNOW I can do an Eskimo roll
I do one every morning around 2:15am when I wake up to take a leak. Wrapped and tangled in the sheets I find myself in a frantic Eskimo roll to find the exit before I piss myself.
So the kayak method should be 'a piece of cake' yes.

[Okanagan]

Yah speaking of Olympic kayaker, I KNOW I can do an Eskimo roll
I do one every morning around 2:15am when I wake up to take a leak. Wrapped and tangled in the sheets I find myself in a frantic Eskimo roll to find the exit before I piss myself.
So the kayak method should be 'a piece of cake' yes.

    

[Hawks Feather]

Okanagan,

   You do know that not everything you read on the internet is real, don't you? I think Jim's first part is true, but with a kayak is questionable. 🤣

[Okanagan]

Okanagan,

  You do know that not everything you read on the internet is real, don't you? I think Jim's first part is true, but with a kayak is questionable. 🤣

Golly.  I believe everything I read on the internet.  You are crushing my trust in my fellow man.

[nastygunz]

Lol.

[Okanagan]

Might as well fess up that I (think) I saw a bear off highway 95 as we headed down that fierce long grade (Whitebird grade?) south of Grangeville where the highway slopes continuously down for five miles or more as it drops toward Riggins and the Salmon River.  We were doing 60 down the four lane with great grass slopes above us on the right, and I saw a black bear walking broadside 300 yards up one of the big draws.

 He was walking through those yellow spring flowers and I only saw him for a second or less.  Terrible place to stop, fairly heavy traffic, no pull outs, but public land.  We went back at the first possible turn around but never saw him, and didn't try very long.  Within 40 feet of where I saw him he could walk over a spur ridge out of sight, and we weren't keen on dropping a hunter with rifle beside the busy highway to head up the wide open slope with no cover. Only places to pull off were truck runaway lanes. 

That was the only bear we saw.