Exploring God’s Great Outdoors – Where Did the Super Summer of 2024 go?

By Tom Claycomb III 

Where’d the summer go? I don’t know, but it is going out with a bang. I’ve lamented before but it is hard writing a once every two months outdoor column if you live in Idaho due to so much going on here. On a summer Tuesday I took Philip Bowden crappie fishing, which was still smoking hot. In 3 to 3½ hrs. we kept 57 and threw back about 25. Then two days later I took off on a backpacking/flyfishing trip. Then a couple of weeks ago Katy and I picked huckleberries and the end of August archery elk/deer opened! There’s so much going on that I‘m going to write on two topics this issue. 

Backpacking/flyfishing 

If you’ve never backpacked, don’t be scared. You don’t have to hike in 20 miles. On your first trip just go in a mile or two. See which items don’t work and which items you forgot. I’d like to include a list of necessary items but that would be a whole page in and of itself. Come to one of my backpacking seminars.
   Why backpack? Because you get into the backcountry where most people don’t go. There’ll be more fish and they’ll be bigger. But what if you only pack in four miles? Day hikers can still get there, right? Yes, but they’ll all take off three hours before dark to get out, which means that you’ll have the evening hatch to yourself. 

You’ll have a sense of freedom backpacking. You’re by yourself and have to hustle to stay alive. You’ll be in the beautifulist (is that even a word, or is it beautifulest?) country that God ever made. I love getting back to camp at dusk, building a fire, cooking dinner and setting by the fire watching bats swoop around, eating mosquitos. Finally I get up and drag myself to the tent. 

I don’t hardly ever keep trout, but there is something special about frying up a panful of little Brookies for dinner. I remember once Shawn Lee and I packed in on horses. He brought a black guy named Xavier from Boston that never had been on a horse and never had flyfished. We rode in and slapped up camp and Xavier and I hit the river. 

We caught a good mess and Xavier wanted to cook them for dinner; but when we got back to camp, Shawn already had dinner ready. Shawn said we’d build a rock ring in the river and eat them for breakfast. Xavier finally conceded. The next morning we ran down to the river only to discover that our fish were AWOL. We immediately thought Shawn was playing a prank on us but we finally figured that a rotten little river otter had stolen them. And at the end of the trip Xavier got thrown off his horse, so he can say he’s a genuine Idaho boy now. 

Archery elk/deer hunting 

I started bow hunting back in 1979 I guess. In Idaho you can archery deer hunt and if you don’t tag one then you can rifle hunt, but elk are only either/or. Bow hunting can be frustrating. Fred Bear summed it up when he said, “The chances of hitting a ¼-inch limb in front of a buck are directly proportional to how big his rack is.” I have more hard luck bow hunting stories than the law allows. 

BUT… there are a couple of benefits to bowhunting. 

1. The weather is a lot milder than a lot of our rifle hunts have been. Think how many rifle hunts that you’ve gotten pounded by blizzards and frigid temps where your coffee pot freezes even though it’s in the tent.
2. The main reason you’ll want to archery hunt for elk though is that they’re bugling! There’s nothing like bugling in a bull within spitting distance. Even if you don’t tag one, if he comes in screaming his head off within mere yards, the whole week’s hunt was worth it.

You’ll want to learn how to call. Get a few tapes and learn what sound to make in which situation. Don’t worry about sounding perfect. Multiple times I’ve called in a horrible sounding bull and thought it was some gunsel newbie on his first hunt, only to discover that it was a real bull. My buddies make fun of my calling but I don’t care – I get the elk called in despite their ragging on me. 

Get out scouting to find a good spot to hunt and what their patterns are. Also, if you’re like me, I never have time to practice enough. So practice, practice, practice. 

Well, we’re out of space. I’d encourage you to get out and enjoy God’s beautiful creation. 

Christian Tip #5: I’d encourage you to try this. I’ve only started doing it this week but when I wake up and say my prayers, I ask God to use me that day. It’s worked twice this week. Tuesday, Philip and I passed a couple that had a blow-out. He couldn’t get his tire to let down but it had the same system that my old truck does so we were able to help him out. When we were leaving I said, “God bless.” That way he knew that it wasn’t because we were good ol’ guys and give us the credit. He’d know that it was because of God. 

Then backpacking I had a weird deal happen. I’d parked at the trailhead and was loading up my pack. Two young ladies came up the trail that’d been flyfishing. We talked about fishing a few moments then suddenly one of the women said, “Oh no, my key is gone. I set in on top of the back tire.” She looked all over to no avail. I crawled under the rig to see if it had fallen on the axle. 

I don’t have a clue why I said it, but I said, “Well, a pack rat might have gotten it.” We’d given up hope, but the thought hit me to walk over to the embankment behind us since I’d mentioned the pack rat. There was a pack rat hole and a key bob lying about 18 inches from the entrance. Wow! I told her I had experience with this since my wife is always losing her keys. I can’t name how many times we’ve prayed and then found them. The woman profusely thanked me, but I said, “Thank God.” That way she’d give the credit to God instead of me. 

You might try for 10 days asking God to use you and see if He does. He might even have you partner up with a pack rat to get Him glorified! 

For more information about anything in this column, including equipment or gear, contact Tom at [email protected].