Outdoors

This is an annual reminder that a number of nearby fishing waters will be closing for the year at sunset on September 30. Those waters include the following:

CARSON CITY, Nev. — If you are a sportsman or a sportswoman who hunts, fishes, camps, owns dogs, reloads ammo, cooks wild game, photographs, etc., you might want to take the time to visit www.modernsportsman.proboards.com.
About now, you're probably asking yourself, “What in the heck is this?

By Nevada Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources
From Southern Nevada to Lake Tahoe and all parts above and in between, state, federal, local and volunteer firefighting resources have responded to numerous lightning- and human-caused wildfires across Nevada so far this year. The state has lost about 94,000 acres to wildfire this summer, which is significantly less than the five-year average of 428,084 acres a year.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — As I noted earlier this year, one of California’s two Free Fishing Days will be over the Labor Day holiday weekend on Saturday, Sept. 3.
The other Free Fishing Day was back on July 2. You can fish, all day, without a fishing license.
You will be able to fish wherever you like in California, without the need for a fishing license. However, you will need to abide by the rules and regulations that govern whatever water(s) you will be fishing.

By the California Department of Fish and Game
The Californians Turn In Poachers and Polluters program (CalTIP) will give up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of trout thieves. The thieves are responsible for stealing approximately 1,000 trout from the San Joaquin Hatchery last weekend.
The toll-free, 24-hour CalTIP hotline is 888-334-2258.
The value of the fish and the cost to repair the damage to the hatchery elevate the crime to a felony.

By the Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association
Healthy living is a way of life that many seek to experience and practice on a regular basis in today’s often hectic and demanding world.
For those looking to slow down a bit and experience inner peace, then the Shasta Cascade region is a great place to do just that.
Many of the majestic mountains, along with the spring water found throughout the region are said to have special powers and qualities by local Native Americans.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — This is a reminder that if you enjoy fishing the waters of the State of Nevada, you might be interested in entering the 2011 Ormsby Sportsmen's Association annual fishing contest.
The contest is open to only OSA club members, it is still open and it will run until Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24). It's inexpensive and if you're interested, here is some information:

If you’re someone like me, summer’s sweltering heat is not much fun.

I am an outdoors person who dearly loves the cold, frost, ice and snow of winter, and I absolutely and totally wilt at this time of the year.

I am miserable and grouchy during these hot weather months.

I hate the weather anytime it gets past 80-85 degrees. So, when it gets hot, I either hide in the tree shade in our backyard, stay indoors where it is delightfully air conditioned or go high in the Great Outdoors to avoid the miserable heat, especially in the month of August.

With our summer temperatures currently in the 90-100 degree range around Carson City, it is unbearably hot for this poor, sweltering soul.
I am a winter person, not a summer person, and do not like hot weather!
Thank goodness for those of us who live in this part of the United States, we can temporarily escape that miserable summer heat by finding coolness at the higher elevations of our nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Last Wednesday morning (July 20), Elaine and I did just that.

We traveled to Kit Carson Pass on California S.R. 88 with a three-fold purpose in mind:

CARSON CITY — With our current long daylight hours, hot weather, gusty afternoon winds, low humidity and vegetation rapidly drying out, you need to be aware of the ever-increasing fire danger surrounding us.
Our countryside is tinder dry, and it would only take a moment of carelessness, sparks from target shooting, illegal fireworks, a hot vehicle muffler on a dirt road, an abandoned campfire or a tossed cigarette to create a roaring inferno.

How would you like to take a mid-to-late summer vacation at an out-of-the-way location, right here in the State of Nevada? 
If you are interested, did you know that our very own White Pine County is home to one of the nation's least visited and Nevada's only National Park — The 77,000 acre Great Basin National Park?

If you've never been there, here is a whole bunch of useful information:

PRESS RELEASE — When the sun goes down over Lake Tahoe, deep and clear water of a different kind awaits guests at a first-of-its-kind “Sundays at the Pool” indoor nightclub now featured through summer at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa in Stateline.

On Monday, July 4, several Northern Nevada law enforcement officers will team up for a sobriety checkpoint at Lake Tahoe. Personnel from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Sparks Police Department, Washoe County School District Police Department and the Nevada Highway Patrol will be staffing the checkpoint on July 4, said NHP Trooper Chuck Allen in a news release.

By Don Quilici
California has two Free Fishing Days associated with holidays this year. The first Free Fishing Day in 2011 is on July 2 (for the Fourth of July) and the second is on September 3 (for Labor Day).

By the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
A bear enters the cab of a truck on Boulder Mountain.

Two young bears peak through cabin windows near Hobble Creek.

And, just a few days ago, a mother bear and her yearling cub are seen wandering in Ogden Canyon.
Black bear sightings are being reported across Utah.

From northern Utah to points down south, people are seeing bears across Utah right now. And in places they've never seen them before.

By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
Despite Nevada's unseasonably cool spring, anyone who has been around awhile knows it won't be long before the 100-degree days are here for the long haul. That means outdoor enthusiasts will need to take extra precautions to guard their well being while recreating in the outdoors.

Last week, Kevin Law of Carson City and I joined Gene (“Gino”) St. Denis of South Lake Tahoe, California for a morning of Mackinaw (Lake) Trout fishing at Lake Tahoe.

Gene is a longtime, good, personal friend and he is a premier sport fishing guide at South Lake Tahoe, known as Blue Ribbon Charters, 530-544-6552. He has fished Tahoe for some thirty years (the last twelve years as a fishing guide) and is one of the top, if not the top, guides at that lake.

Pyramid Lake, which is located about 30 miles north of Reno-Sparks, will close on Thursday, June 30 to fishing for Lahontan cutthroat trout.
That large, desert lake (roughly the same surface size as Lake Tahoe) has a three-month trout closure, each year, from July 01 to September 30. On Oct. 1, it will re-open for the 2011-2012 cutthroat fishing season.

It’s now official: Systems Consultants, the private computer firm in Fallon that conducts the annual computerized drawings for Nevada’s big game hunting tags, has posted the results of the 2011 drawings at Internet website www.huntnevada.com for the whole world to see.

There were a whole bunch of winners and a heck of a lot more losers in this year’s drawings for tags for Pronghorn Antelope, Mule Deer, Rocky Mt. Elk, California Bighorn Sheep, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mt. Bighorn Sheep and Rocky Mt. Goat.

Here’s an advance notice of something very special in the Outdoor world that will occur in just 10 days:
Draw a great big red circle around the date of Saturday, June 11 on your calendar and then plan to have a fun-filled day in the Great Outdoors.

By the California Department of Fish and Game
If you’re in the outdoors anywhere in California this spring, you might cross paths with one of the state’s most common predators – the coyote.

Clever, nimble and quick, the coyote may at first glance appear to be more of a nuisance than a direct threat. But don’t let your guard down, the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) warns.

Beginning Wednesday, May 18 and ending on Sunday, May 22, Elaine and I took her 82-year-old Mom, Mary Bottoms, on a six-day tour of rural Nevada. It was her first-ever trip to all kinds of interesting places.

She has been a permanent resident of this state for the last 3.5 years, and prior to moving here from Greeley, Colo., she had visited us in Carson City a number of times. Those visits had been made by either train or bus and were always along the I-80 corridor from Wendover to Reno. That was all she had ever seen of the State of Nevada until this particular trip.

Last week, I wrote about all kinds of interesting, geographic information about my home town of Carson City.
This week, I am writing about all kinds of interesting, geographic information about the United States.

By the Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association

I’ve been having some fun roaming around on the Internet collecting all kinds of interesting outdoor-type information about Carson City.
And, I thought it would be fun to share that information with everyone who lives here or anyone who might be interested in my home town. So here goes:

01. Did you know that:
The urban portion of Carson City (here in Eagle Valley) has an elevation of about 4,700+ feet, as compared to the highest elevation point in all of the following states and the District of Columbia:
Alabama: Cheaha Mountain: 2,413 feet.

By the California Department of Fish and Game
The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) reminds campers, anglers and hikers enjoying the outdoors to take precautions to limit black bear encounters.

A key element to safe camping and recreating in bear country is to limit food odors that attract bears.

By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
With the arrival of spring, the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) reminds kayakers, canoe users and paddle boaters of all kinds that they are subject to the same equipment requirements and boating regulations as every other boat on the water.

Mile High Jazz Band celebrates Nevada Arts Day at Comma Coffee, across the street from the State Legislature, with a program of big-band jazz featuring vocalist Sheryl Adams. The performance will be outdoors in the courtyard, weather permitting.

Admission is $5 at the door, free for age 18 and under.
Information: 775-883-4154 or milehighjazz.com

It’s that time of the year for a widely-distributed and widely-read annual publication, Fishing The California Alps. Do yourself a favor and pick one up.

The outdoor newspaper is your personal guide to the fishing, camping, sightseeing and vacationing world in our general area and it has 56 pages of detailed, in-depth information provided by lots of experts in their specific areas of knowledge and experience.

Tim Baugh of Bridgeport, California and his publisher, Companion Press of Bozeman, Montana, have received a design award for Spirit of a Hunter, published in June of 2010.

PubWest, the leading trade association of independent publishers in North America, has announced the winners of its 2011 Book Design Awards contest, in which Spirit of a Hunter won a Silver Award in the Sports/Fitness/Recreation category.