A press release came over from Idaho Department of Fish and Game. If you're one of the many who complains that the department never listens to hunters and anglers, here's your chance to give your opinion.

F&G developed the Sportsman’s Package several years ago to provide resident hunters and anglers with a convenient all-encompassing license and permit package at a discount.

Been out and about a lot this summer up in the mountains but haven't flushed any forest grouse.

I'm also getting questions from readers who haven't seen them either.

There's no way of getting a handle on forest grouse populations because Idaho Fish and Game doesn't do any surveys on ruffed, blue and spruce grouse.

The hunting season for grouse starts Monday. Can't believe hunting season is already here.

Has anyone seen grouse while backpacking or camping this summer?

The bird is always a mystery.

The ninth annual Sawtooth Salmon Festival is Saturday and in Stanley and it is definitely a time to celebrate the return of Idaho's sockeye salmon.

That's my pick for recreation this weekend. All the stuff will be from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday with the celebration headquarters in the park next to Mountain Village on the south side of Idaho 21.

A new brochure on Idaho’s rivers, which is available from the Idaho Division of Tourism, is a great quick glance for info on the state's rivers.

The 4- by 7.5-inch brochure features all of the state’s major rivers, including 21 pages of information from river length and class (difficulty) to put-in and takeout spots.

It also has a fold-out map on the inside cover showing visitors where each river is located.

You can get a copy of the brochure by going online to www.visitidaho.org/publications.

This reservoir can't buy a break. We get a great winter that fills most reservoirs, but Little Camas still gets drained.

This just came from Idaho Department of Fish and Game:

"Little Camas Reservoir in Elmore County will be dry or nearly dry by late summer. Fish in the reservoir will have a high likelihood of dieing as water levels drop. For these reasons, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game opened the reservoir to salvage of fish."

Thieves that break into recreation fee sites do double damage.

First, they steal money that is needed to maintain and improve valuable recreation sites that are getting a lot of use, and second, they damage the fee boxes, which cost money to replace.

File this under the "who would have guessed" category.

New research on hunter demographics shows more women per capita are attracted to elk hunting than most other kinds of hunting, according to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Saturday afternoon at the Banks launch area for the Main Payette was wild.

The parking lot was totally maxed with spill over across the highway at the parking lot at Banks Cafe and also down the county road downstream from the parking lot.

I got there early in the day. Big mistake. I got a parking spot against the hillside on the west side of the lot and by the time I ran the river and came back to get the car, there were two rows of cars stacked against the row I was in, leaving me trapped.

If you're into photography you'll love one of the programs at Craters of the Moon near Arco.

OK, it's a long ways to drive from Boise but there's an opportunity to learn some neat stuff.

You'll learn how you can take better photographs of your favorite national park by joining American landscape photographer Terry Halbert on Aug. 23 at the park.

There's a photography in the classroom program from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the park's visitor center. It starts off with some classroom instruction on photography settings and techniques.

Got word this week that the trout are really hitting at Lost Valley Reservoir.

Try trolling with spinners or maybe dunking a worm and marshmallow. An angler told me that it's a great place to take the kids or grandkids fishing.

This is good news. I remember when Lost Valley Reservoir was lost as a fishery. The perch had taken it over and you couldn't throw out a spinner without getting a four-inch perch on the line. Perch have been a problem at the reservoir over the years.

It's good to know the trout are doing really well up there now.