Return to the Good Ole Days

By Clair Kofoed, Wildlife Biologist Most long-time bird hunters in the Treasure Valley are aware of the existence of Ft. Boise Wildlife Management Area (WMA) off highway 95 northwest of Parma (although we still get a few people that have lived here all their lives and have never heard of it). It is one place the office-bound bird hunter can still go to spend an early morning chasing roosters or a teenager can try to bag a greenhead (mallard) after school without worrying about rattling the windows on the subdivision that has invaded the old hunting spot. At 1,200 acres, Ft. Boise offers plenty of room to stretch your legs and give a four-legged hunting companion (a dog is almost a necessity in the extra heavy cover) a much-deserved workout. Game-farm rooster pheasants are released up to three times each week during hunting season. Generally, a bird is at least seen - and for the more experienced user - bagged. Ducks can also be seen and sometimes taken, although weather patterns and drought in the northern duck rearing areas make that experience a little less certain these days. The area really shines as a "go to" for the urban hunter and also plays a major role in letting young hunters bag a bird and keeping old timers in the game. What the hunter will generally not experience, however, is solitude; the WMA can get pretty crowded. When your consider Idaho is the 3rd fastest growing state, it's easy to see that the valley will never be like it was ten or even five years ago. Because of this, users of Ft. Boise WMA need to be especially conscious of sportsmanship, safety and simple good manners when hunting on the area. Then there's the issue of safety. I'll never forget the opening-day sight a few years ago of a pheasant hunter with about half a dozen pellet wounds in his face, but luckily, none in the eyes. A simple orange hat could have prevented that accident. Because of this incident potential and the increased popularity of Ft. Boise, beginning this year, all upland gunners will be required to wear hunter orange on all WMAs where pheasants are stocked. Remember also that shotgunners should never shoot at a bird unless the area behind it is totally clear. The blue-sky rule is a good one; unless you see blue sky around the bird, don't shoot. A three-pound bird is not worth risking someone's health and though there will always be another bird, eyes are irreplaceable. Avoid shooting at low birds flying in front of heavy cover. Do you really know what's behind that bird? If you are entering a field and see hunters already there, you may want to wait until they leave, or move off to hunt another area. Often times, groups without a dog will work over a field getting nothing, and hunters with a well-trained dog will ferret out several birds in the grass that had just been walked through! Don't assume the area is hunted out and give up; wait a bit and give it a try. Also, birds often get pushed into an area immediately after it has been hunted. For waterfowlers, be courteous of the folks that arrived before you; don't crowd them, or shoot at birds circling over their decoys. Stay at least 100 yards away. Avoid shooting at ducks that are out of range thinking, "if I don't shoot them, the next guy will." This sort of bad behavior can degenerate into shouting matches and worse; regulations to limit hunter numbers! For all hunters, this next rule should be a no-brainer. Please pick up all of your garbage and other litter, including empty shotshells. It's amazing how they can pile up in the area. And clean your birds at home. The last thing the next person wants to see is a pile of guts, garbage and feathers. Hunting and fishing in the Treasure Valley, compared to the opportunities for people living in Seattle or L.A., is like the "Good Ole Days." With a little courtesy and common sense, we can keep it like that for many years to come.