Idaho, 20A..Frank Church Wilderness

[Nambaster]

U could just kayak across the river where stoddard pack bridge used to be and hunt your way up stoddard creek trail.

I‘ll warn you about the Stoddard pack trail. It is 2.1 miles up the switchbacks until you see new terrain that you couldn’t just see from the road. The first deer you will likely see are going to be up Color Creek. The water is rough right at the bridge and most people cross over at the confluence. I did come across some huge buck tracks way back into Stoddard Creek but the trail is washed out from erosion between Reese Creek and Nolan Creek. So to get to Stoddard Creek you are clinging onto a cliff side for dear life.

Everytime I drive by the Stoddard pack trail and I see hunters hiking out empty handed I can’t help but feel sorry for how much effort they put into it. There are a few yearlings that hang out along Anita Creek along the main.

Based on the virtue of how much effort you put in crossing the river and hunting steep as hell mountains, it is a significant challenge. 200” bucks have come out of there, but it’s rare to see a 2 point up there.

 

[Nunyacreek]

Fly in. It will be a superb adventure and the flight alone is worth cost of the hunt. I have not hunted in 20A but have hunted in 27 a bit, so my info is zilch relative to deer distribution. However, flying in is always awesome and who cares what the hunting is like, the adventure will be in the bag.

 

[JLS]

I‘ll warn you about the Stoddard pack trail. It is 2.1 miles up the switchbacks until you see new terrain that you couldn’t just see from the road. The first deer you will likely see are going to be up Color Creek. The water is rough right at the bridge and most people cross over at the confluence. I did come across some huge buck tracks way back into Stoddard Creek but the trail is washed out from erosion between Reese Creek and Nolan Creek. So to get to Stoddard Creek you are clinging onto a cliff side for dear life.

Everytime I drive by the Stoddard pack trail and I see hunters hiking out empty handed I can’t help but feel sorry for how much effort they put into it. There are a few yearlings that hang out along Anita Creek along the main.

Based on the virtue of how much effort you put in crossing the river and hunting steep as hell mountains, it is a significant challenge. 200” bucks have come out of there, but it’s rare to see a 2 point up there.

This is a very accurate assessment of the Stoddard access. I’d book a flight before I’d do this.

 

[ccc23454]

All this experiance/info and challenging hunt talk made me think this is might be why wyoming has a nonresident restriction on wilderness hunts. The only thing worse at least in lower 48 than the frank could be the thorofare..lol

 

[Irrelevant]

All this experiance/info and challenging hunt talk made me think this is might be why wyoming has a nonresident restriction on wilderness hunts. The only thing worse at least in lower 48 than the frank could be the thorofare..lol

ha. That's funny. Have you been to the Church?

 

[JLS]

All this experiance/info and challenging hunt talk made me think this is might be why wyoming has a nonresident restriction on wilderness hunts. The only thing worse at least in lower 48 than the frank could be the thorofare..lol

Lolz. Cough......bullshit........cough.

 

[ccc23454]

ha. That's funny. Have you been to the Church?
[/QUOTE
last week was most recent

 

[mcmc]

I've also been curious about accessing 20A during November as well. Great info on this thread--thanks everyone.

One question I have that I don't think's been answered yet (at least directly) is: how hard would you anticipate it is to drive to/from the Stoddard Trailhead on what google calls Salmon River Rd / NF-030?

SNOTEL data suggests that barring some big storm, the road shouldn't have more than a few inches of snow, but I could easily be overlooking some critical information and have never been there.

 

[JLS]

It’s easy to get down the road. The problem is the bridge is gone. To my knowledge it’s never been rebuilt after it burned.

 

[mcmc]

Thanks JLS. Good to confirm that. I've got a boat so I might explore crossing somewhere and hiking up from there.

 

[JLS]

I still see the Stoddard switchbacks in my nightmares.

 

[mcmc]

Hahaha looking at the map, I can imagine how that might happen. I think I'm still at the stage where that one part of my brain is trying to convince the other part of my brain to pursue this idea by rationalizing away multiple glaring problems that will become overwhelmingly apparent come November.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Thanks JLS. Good to confirm that. I've got a boat so I might explore crossing somewhere and hiking up from there.

Bridge is still gone.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

I still see the Stoddard switchbacks in my nightmares.

This post makes me realize how I've changed in my approach to things. I hiked the trail the first time in 2013 I was in my 20s still and thought it was a cake walk (minus the momma grouse that attacked the shit outta me). Now I drive by it and look at the trail and think why would anyone do that. Not saying I wouldn't do it just saying I think about it now. Haha

 

[JLS]

This post makes me realize how I've changed in my approach to things. I hiked the trail the first time in 2013 I was in my 20s still and thought it was a cake walk (minus the momma grouse that attacked the shit outta me). Now I drive by it and look at the trail and think why would anyone do that. Not saying I wouldn't do it just saying I think about it now. Haha

My nightmares aren't about the physicality of the climb. They typically include flashbacks to horses and mules falling and rolling, and seeing pack boxes explode and leave shit strewn all down the mountainside. Then, it always ends with the rattlesnake buzzing directly underfoot as I'm trying to find the last of our crap. Oh, and then there's the intense moment of panic when one of the pack horses stumbles as we are limping back across the bridge and hooks his pack box on the hog wire, nearly causing a catastrophic rodeo in the middle of the bridge span.

I have plenty of fun laughing at outfitters who take clients on "hunts" that involve a 1985 Suburban and an alfalfa pivot. Stan Potts used to outfit in Stoddard Creek for eons. I met him the day of my nightmare. He was kind, polite, offered us advice, told us where we were all fugged up, and then reassured us with "I've been there". What a tough old bird. I have the utmost respect for the man. He was able to make a living running hunters into some of the mosts rugged country in the lower 48.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

My nightmares aren't about the physicality of the climb. They typically include flashbacks to horses and mules falling and rolling, and seeing pack boxes explode and leave shit strewn all down the mountainside. Then, it always ends with the rattlesnake buzzing directly underfoot as I'm trying to find the last of our crap.....

That makes sense....I got a couple older buddies in their 70s that I golf with and they used to hunt that area with horse and mule way back when. And they have told me some serious horror stories about that trail. If I remember correctly they lost a horse on that trail. The one guy did harvest a good ram up their tho.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

@JLS i have heard the same about stan. The guy who killed the ram knew him fairly well and always speaks highly of him. Actually had what I was told was Stan's favorite mule deer spot showed to me. We were gonna hunt it this past season as my buddy had the tag if It didn't take us so many days to pack out that elk. Sadly we never made it into the spot, but its definitely marked for another season.

 

[BigHornRam]

Good book by Stan with stories from the good old days. He took a bad fall, spent the night on the mountain before being helicoptered out in 1999. Tough old guy!

The Potts' Factor Versus Murphy's Law: Stan Potts: 9781931291040: Amazon.com: Books

The Potts' Factor Versus Murphy's Law [Stan Potts] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Potts' Factor Versus Murphy's Law

www.amazon.com

 

[BAKPAKR]

My nightmares aren't about the physicality of the climb. They typically include flashbacks to horses and mules falling and rolling, and seeing pack boxes explode and leave shit strewn all down the mountainside. Then, it always ends with the rattlesnake buzzing directly underfoot as I'm trying to find the last of our crap. Oh, and then there's the intense moment of panic when one of the pack horses stumbles as we are limping back across the bridge and hooks his pack box on the hog wire, nearly causing a catastrophic rodeo in the middle of the bridge span.

Maybe you had something to do with this mule’s demise.