Snowmobiling Nevada

Nevada’s vast mountain ranges provide many opportunities to get out and enjoy the outdoors. In the summer and fall months most of the ranges are easy accessible by foot. However in the winter heavy snows blanket many of the peaks across the state making another means of access necessary. One very popular way of doing this through the use of snowmobiles. Snowmobiling has been a part of my life since I was a baby, riding around the ranch with my parents. Today I still ride my sled when ever the weather permits.

There are several desirable destinations for snowmobiling in the state. The Sierras in the west, the Jarbidge/ Independence range in the north, and the Rubies in the east that are literally in my back yard. These ranges offer a variety of riding opportunities that will provide riding for all skill levels. Just as the riding opportunities vary so do the snowmobiles that people use to explore these areas. In the past ten years performance has greatly increase in modern sleds. Today factory snowmobiles can have upwards of 180 horsepower and are extremely light weight. With these new advancements people are able to access areas that they were unable to reach years before.

Below is a video I made last season snowmobiling in different areas around Nevada.

Ruby Marshes

The common perception of Nevada is that it is a large, dry, lifeless desert with limited resources. This is understandable and even expected if your exposure to Nevada is passing through on Interstate 80. Venturing away from the main highways and populated areas takes you into Nevada’s best places. One in particular is the Ruby Marshes.

The Ruby Marshes, also know as the Ruby Lake Wildlife refuge is located roughly 5 miles to the south of Wells and is part of a 40,000 acre refuge. Comprised of lush marsh, meadows, and grasslands the refuge is a haven for wildlife of all sorts. Sitting at the foot of the Ruby Mountains, over 200 springs feed the marsh and wetlands providing habitat for fish and waterfowl alike.

Located near the middle of the refuge is the Gallagher State Fish Hatchery. Named after my great grandfather, the hatchery provides fish for the refuge and many surrounding bodies of water. It also serves as a breeding and nesting ground for canvas backs and other migratory waterfowl. The marshes is a outdoors mans paradise offering fishing, hunting, and camping opportunities.

Are there any places off the beaten path that you like to visit?

Pine Valley

It has become some what of a family tradition that on Thanksgiving weekend all the men in the family go to Pine Valley and hunt ducks and chukar. This year was no different, Friday morning we loaded up in the truck and headed for Pine Valley. Located 10 miles south of carlin, Pine valley is a ranching community that supports large herds of beef cattle.

Pine Creek runs down the center of the valley and provides stock and irrigation water as well as habitat for migrating ducks and geese. My dad, brother, uncle and I mad a plan for the to split up into pairs, starting at opposite ends of the field we would work the creek till we met in the middle.

Ryan and I started on the north end, sneaking our way from tule patch and open spots looking to jump ducks off the water. We had good luck jumping ducks and when the day was over we had 10 ducks to bring home for dinner.

Do you and your family have any Thanksgiving traditions?

Tule Lake

As I said in my last post, I think I need t stick to shooting things. So today I did just that. My friends Preston, JD, Nate, and I woke up at 3 am to head for Stillwater. Well before the sun had risen we arrived at the ramp, threw on the waders, put on the headlamps, and jumped in JD’s john boat. We navigated through the dark, making our way through the scattered tule patches headed for our favorite hole in Tule Lake.

Stillwater Wildlife Refuge is located 14 miles to the northeast of Fallon. It has numerous lakes and caches scattered over a vast area. Some of the bodies of water you are allowed to take boats on, other only walk into, and some are restricted hunt areas. This allows for water fowl to have a sanctuary to feed and rest during their migration to the south for winter.

After scattering the decoys and grassing in the boat we sat and waited for shoot light ( 15 minutes before official sunrise). Once the sun rose we patiently waited for the birds to start moving. Within 10 minutes birds were up and we were able to call some into the decoys. We had a steady hour or so when birds would come in every 10 minutes or so before the movement died down. At around 10 am we decided that there were not enough birds working and not enough hunters to push birds off the water, so we began packing up.

We ended up harvesting 5 birds, far from our limit but they were enough for each of us to get some shooting in and all of us enjoyed the morning hunt.

What activities do you and your friends like to get out and do?

Until next time, get outside and enjoy the outdoors.

Wandering the Walker

My Sierra Nevada fishing escapades continue. After the failed attempt at Pyramid chasing Cutthroat trout we decided to try another fabled water way to the south, the Walker River. We stopped in Fernely for a quick linch and made our way south towards Yerrington.

Since neither of us had ever been there before and being to stubborn to ask for direction we had quite the adventure trying to find the river. We ended up in Schurz, a small indian reservation to the south east of Yerrington. After running all over the areas trying to find the river acces we finally found the dirt road leading to it and made our way toward Weber. Once reaching the river we we slightly let down.

The flow was way down and very little water was coming down. We made our way up river hoping to find more promising water to fish. We found a hole that looked promising and proceeded to fish for about a half hour. After zero bites and no sign of fish we had beer to ease the pain of failure and decided to come home. Sierra Nevada waters have proved to be tough on two Elko boys.

Have you had better luck or have any tips or tricks for these waters?

I think I need to stick to shooting things…….

Chasing Fish Tales

Early this week my normal fishing buddy Wade and I had come up with the bright idea of driving out to Pyramid Lake early in the morning and trying our luck at some Lahontan Cutthroat. We both have heard the stories and seen the pictures of the massive trout that are taken from the lake but neither of us have ever gone after them before.

So this morning we set out for Pyramid Lake. Our morning got of to a rough start when i got pulled over in Wadsworth for speeding. After getting the ticket we finally made it to the lake and waded into the water with our fly rods and big flys. Traditionionally people fish from ladders that they wade out with to stand on to avoid getting cold. I took a ladder and Wade did not so needless to say I fished much more comfortably.

We tried three separate spots with a menagerie of fly assortments to no avail. None of the other anglers along the shore seemed to be having any luck either. It was a humbling day but a learning experience. I learned some new casting techniques and made friends with a BIA cop. Needless to say we came home bummed out but look to redeem ourselves tomorrow.

Have you ever had great expectations and worked your hardest to fulfill them and it just didn’t pan out? I’ll let ya know how tomorrow goes.

 

Consalidation

My previous posts have covered a wide variety of topics from fly fishing, to chasing cows. The central idea of my blog has been questioned by some followers so I want to take a chance to clarify the intentions of my blog so that my readers can better appreciate my posts.

Having spent my life growing up in Nevada, I have come to love all that this state has to offer. I love the wide open spaces Nevada has and this blog is dedicated to the ways that I have found to enjoy those spaces and intended to inform others of these opportunities. Here in Nevada we are privileged to have the amount of public land access that we do and we should utilize that access to our fullest advantage.

Whether its hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, skiing, or just getting off the couch and going outside, Nevada has something to offer you. In the upcoming posts I will write about our upcoming sheep hunt, more bird hunting, snowmobiling, and much more. If there are any activities you are curious about or would like me to discuss please let me know.

Cold Springs

This morning I decided I would start my four day weekend off right by going out for a morning chukar hunt in Cold Springs, a valley to the north of Reno about 20 miles. As anyone who lives in the Reno area knows, this morning was the first wintery morning we have had this year so I figured  I had better dress accordingly. After I got layered up and all of my gear together, my dog Gus and I jumped in my Bronco and headed north.

Gus is my border collie who is just barely a year old, border collies are traditionally cow dogs so bird hunting would be out of his normal day to day activities. I figured he would enjoy the hike and he is smart so maybe he could retrieve birds if i got into them. So off we went. In about 15 minutes we had made it to where the payment ended and the dirt roads began. We headed north up the valley looking for sign of chukar or possible places to start looking.

As I have mentioned in previous posts chukar’s dwell in slide rock areas on steep hillsides. With this in mind Gus and I hiked a few draws to find no birds. Finally farther up the valley maybe another 8-9 miles I came across a spring that looked promising, perched atop a very steep hill with a large draw feeding alongside. This had to have birds in it so Gus and I were off again. Once again lots of ground covered and zero birds found. By this time my legs had a good burn, my fingers were becoming numb, and my distain for the little birds had grown to a point that I know longer wanted to search for them. Gus and I loaded back in the bronco, blasted the heater and made our way home. Hopefully tomorrow proves to be more promising.

How did you spend your first day of winter weather?

 

Lamoille Canyon

Nevada has any hidden gems as far as remote outdoor destinations are concerned. One of my favorite areas, if not my favorite place to be is Lamoille canyon. Located 20miles to the south of Elko on State Route 227, the canyon is them main access into the Ruby Mountains. The Rubies are a vast stretch of rugged mountains that stretch nearly 80 miles and Lamoille Canyon is located in the middle.

The area is nearly all forrest service property with public access points scattered throughout. Outdoor enthusiasts can gain access to the thousands of acres from countless miles of trails that have been built after time. If you are interested in rock climbing, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, bird watching, snowmobiling, skiing, or any other outdoor activity you enjoy, Lamoille Canyon is the place for you.

In my life I have used the canyon to facilitate all of the above mentioned activities for me and my friends. With high alpine lakes and spring fed streams, Lamoille Canyon offers great fishing for adventurous anglers. With the canyon entrance being only 3 miles from my house I try to get up there and fish at least once a week when I am home. Brooke trout and rainbow trout are the usual catch however there have been Mackinaw pulled out of the hugh elevation lakes measuring upwards of 30 inched.

Wildlife is very abundant here and includes deer, mountain goats, mountain lions, rocky mountain sheep, beavers, and countless bird species and smaller mammals. Being a national forrest hunting is allowed but it must be done without the aid of motorized vehicles. Whatever your activity of choice, Lamoille canyon offers the perfect area to get away and enjoy the outdoors.

What is your favorite place to get away?

 

 

Flying Start Aero

Over the past year I have picked up a new hobby that has consumed a lot of my free time and even more of my money. I have taken up flying and am pursuing my private pilots license. Flying has been in my family for two generations and I hope to be the third. To facilitate this dream I have employed the help of John Brown and Flying Start Aero, a flying school located here in Reno, NV.

John started Flying Start Aero many years ago in Minden, after an illustrious career in the corporate world. Owning locations in Mammoth, South Tahoe, and Reno he has serviced much of the western United Stated with flight instruction as well as air taxi and other aviation services. Today John focusses his attention on his Reno office and sports the states most technologically advanced fleet of Cessna airplane for training and rent. With all of his airplanes being 2004 or newer, renters are assured they will receive training in the state of the art equipment.

I fly a 2004 Cessna 172 Skyhawk equipped with a Garmin 1000, this means the plane has a glass cockpit, where all of the gauges and displays are digital. The 172 is a very common trainer plane, being a 4 seat, high wing, naturally aspirated plane. I have just under 40 hours of instruction of the plane, 40 is the minimum you must have before getting your license. Flying Start Aero guarantees you will solo between 13-18 hours which is a great confidence booster for any young pilot. i was able to solo in 14 hours and look to receive my license shortly.

Flying Start Aero offers a great opportunity for citizens of Northern Nevada who wish to leave their earthly bounds and learn to fly. It has given me the opportunity to learn a new and exciting skill as well as explore much of Nevada that I wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. John offers friendly instruction that leads to a great experience and a new found ability.

To contact Flying Start Aero to inquire about lessons, rentals, or scenic flights you can call (775) 856-3655 or visit flyingstartaero.com .