It's Time to View Wildlife in the West
In early spring, the snows are drifted deep in the high country
forcing the deer and elk to the foothills. You'll find them
congregated on the south and west-facing hills exposed against
the snow or bare slopes. Often, you will see them by the hundreds.
This time of year, you'll also find smaller mammals
and birds. You'll see eagles roosting in stark trees, sage
grouse and Hungarian partridge scurrying though the sage or
on the edge of fields, and pheasants hunkering in cattail
marshes. In the northern states, there is still ice on the
ponds, but once the ice leaves the marshes, ducks and geese
will stage by thousands waiting for the Canadian and Arctic
prairies to open.
In Eastern Idaho, there are great places to drive
and see wildlife this time of year. In mid-February, we traveled
to Salt Lake City from Idaho Falls and saw hundreds of deer
along the road. They are congregated along I-15 in two areas:
the Portneuf Canyon just south of Pocatello, Idaho, and for
a 10-mile stretch just north of the Utah-Idaho border. In
both locations, there are some secondary roads where you can
meander and watch for animals. Stop at one of the tiny towns
in the area like Malad City or McCammon and ask one of the
locals for suggested drives.
In the Idaho Falls area, visit the hills above
Heise and then continue up the secondary road into the canyon
of the south fork of the Snake River. In the morning and evening
you will see hundreds of mule deer and an occasional whitetail.
We drove up the unpaved canyon road the other evening and
saw lots of deer, an occasional bunny scurrying through the
sage, and ducks, geese, and swans along the river. You're
your camera handy; the lava bluffs and cliffs in the canyon
are striking. Bring your binoculars. You may see deer within
30 yards of road, but most will be 100 to 200 yards away.
Please stay on the road. Hiking around deer will spook them,
and they will use needed energy fleeing from you. In many
areas, including this one, the Department of Fish and Game
has forbidden off-road trespass to protect the animals.
In early February, we drove from St. Anthony
on Highway 20 -- the highway that goes from Idaho Falls to
West Yellowstone -- west to the little town of Hamer on I-15
and Camas
National Wildlife Refuge. In an afternoon's drive, we
counted 16 moose and nearly two dozen eagles, and we saw hundreds
of elk and antelope. In the wildlife refuge, we saw pheasants,
Hungarian partridges, porcupines, a lone coyote, and well
over 100 whitetails.
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