Anglin with Anglen - 1973
Editor’s note: For 27 years, beginning Feb. 8, 1973, Ralph Anglen of Bonners Ferry wrote an outdoor column for the local paper that was widely read and used as a source of fishing and hunting information. It was called “Anglin’ with Anglen,” and was the real deal, the genuine item, written by someone whose socks were wet, whose toes were cold and who pulled no punches.
We will continue as space allows to reprint Anglen’s column solely for its pleasure and historical significance. Any typos, we leave as is. Readers are reminded that this column was written almost 50 years ago and conditions, including state fish and game regulations, have changed.
Sept. 27, 1973
This time of the year I wished I owned an oil well and a good four wheel drive vehicle. Now I don’t need either one but they would come in handy. I use grouse hunting as an excuse to get out in the fall but it is a beautiful time of the year and now and then I kill a grouse.
Grouse is the very best of the wild meat in my estimation but don’t think it comes cheap. You can probably buy the very best beefsteak at present day prices for what my grouse cost me. I just like to get in the pickup and drive and look at the scenery. I could do it every day.
Monday we were in Canuck basin, the side roads are rough and there is a tremendous lot of loggin going on there and in Deer Creek. If you go, watch for logging trucks. It was a beautiful day and we got two limits of grouse, five big blues.
Tuesday, I was on Hall mountain; west up the south side and I won’t do that again. Too steep and rough for the pickup and my tires. You can make it up Mission creek and down past the lookout alright. Lots of forest service rigs up there so keep your eyes open.
I drove through Camp Nine road and it is in good shape: no grouse though. I also drove on the new road above Robinson Lake. No grouse but this is a good road with a lot of beautiful scenery.
I came back through the Eileen cutoff. This road is rough and it looked like they were loggin in there; no grouse. Thursday, I was up Snow Creek. The Forest Service had a sign up saying road closed between Snow Creek and Caribou and it was. Should be open sometime this week if they finish their repair work. No grouse.
Friday, the wife and I drove up on Baldy and got a couple of grouse late in the evening. Once again the view is outstanding. I like to hunt in the rain if it isn’t too wet so really enjoyed my outings this past week.
Most of our grouse are young ones and it takes a limit for a mess so we will probably be eating grouse and fish for awhile during grouse season. I recommend any of these trips and there are a dozen others that make a delightful drive just any evening.
I have run into blue grouse on Hall Mountain, Queen and Canuck. There are stories of lots of them on Roman Nose but I haven’t been up there yet. I want to take a day and walk some of those ridges out.
Hope to get back to fishing this week; saw a boat on Dawson Saturday evening but don’t know how they were doing. I’ll go to Brush Lake when I go, and I would like to go to Sinclair again and maybe Dawson. For a man that doesn’t have to go to work anymore I sure seem to have a heck of a time getting all the things I want to get done, done.
The big eastern brook trout should be running up Dodge creek now and also running out of Robinson Lake. I’ve had some real good reports about the fishing in the rivers and I believe it was fished more this past year; should be good this fall too.
Talked to my son’s family in Garden Valley today. They killed a big bear on their back porch last week and they like the country but Eldon isn’t home very much as there is a lot of work to do down there.