Owyhee Jack's Meanderings

Over the course of a lifetime spent exploring the west, Owyhee Jack has discovered a number of locations which others might enjoy visiting.  The intent of this section is to share some of the details about these amazing places and to provide directions so that others are able to access them.   These outings are broken down by the following major geographical areas:

Note: These sections of Owyhee Jack's Meanderings have been hyper-linked directly to the indicated web pages.  You can select the photos or the blue, underlined and italicised titles to jump directly to the topic indicated.

Safety notice (there are a bunch of them):

Basic Preparations Before Starting Out On An Expedition:

This section of the website is dedicated to promoting being active and exploring America's backcountry.   For your safety and the safety of those with you, precautions must be made prior to heading out the door.  For more information, you might want to reference my book: "Everyday Emergency Preparedness". 

• Know where you are going.  Preferably, have a GPS that you are proficient with and map-out your route before you leave.   Take printed maps of the area you are visiting with you .  Ensure that your GPS can be operated from and charged by your vehicle's battery.

• Have a GPS type device capable of transmitting a 911 request via satellites.  Do not rely upon a cell phone which require cell towers.  Much of the backcountry has no cell phone coverage.

• Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back.  Share the above route with them.  Please make sure to let them know when you do return.

• Ensure your vehicle is in top-notch condition and that your spare tire is sound.  If you do get a flat, consider your adventure over and go home; don't continue to go further (or carry two spare tires).

• Traveling with others and having multiple vehicles is the safest approach.

• Have jumper cables AND a charged jump-start box

• Have a significant amount of water and emergency food with you.

• Carry a basic tool kit with duct tape, wire, and 5 Minute JB weld.

• Carry a bucket, shovel, and axe, and maybe a fire extinguisher

• Carry a First Aid kit and know how to use it

• Carry multiple fire-starting devices

• Carry a good flashlight

• Have a tow rope or tow cable

• Carry wool blankets or sleeping bags

• Take an extra pair of glasses and any critical medication you take daily

Self Protection:

I feel compelled to share my perspectives regarding safety precautions against assaults due to wildlife and from humans.

In the late 1800's when much of the west was being settled, those who lived in the areas where we now adventure in would NEVER have considered heading into the wild unarmed.  I ask you, what has changed since then?  NOTHING.  We have the same wildlife threats that they encountered.  The desperados who lived at the time are represented today by drug dealers, drug addicts, simple troublemakers.  In ever-expanding areas of the west there are now members of the Mexican Cartels.  

When visiting the actual backcountry, there simply are not many people around.  Those who you might encounter are there doing the same thing you are which is enjoying nature.  These folks are not a concern.  The people you meet in these locations will help you when you needed it; and you should be willing to help them as well.

However, some people you meet in the outdoors may not be so friendly.  I believe that the greatest risk from humans occurs in the areas that I call: "The Fringes".  The fringes are defined as those remote areas where anyone can easily get to, and where law enforcement is not a simple 911 call away.

The fringes are often locations for nefarious activities.  Campgrounds and picnic areas near larger towns tend to draw partiers.  Greyback Gulch campground outside of Idaho City, Idaho is one such location.  Snivley Hot Springs in eastern Oregon is another as is Kirkham Hot Springs near Lowman, Idaho.  These are known party locations.  Party locations imply alcohol in excess, drugs, and poor judgment.  Where there are drugs, there are drug dealers.  All of these folks are people you should be wary of, and especially so when you are with your family.  In any of these locations and situations, you might be faced with multiple intoxicated young men which is a red flag warning sign anywhere.  

Continually assess what is occurring around you and identify which situations might constitute a risk.  Immediately define an action plan.   Be prepared to act if necessary.  Then act quickly.

Situational awareness is the number one tool for avoiding conflict.   Those campers who are obnoxious at night will usually exhibit some of those traits during the day as well.   Loud music, a trashed campsite, loud trucks, driving fast are all clues to be heeded.   Should you encounter such a situation, the prudent action is to leave; and to leave before trouble happens.  

If for some reason leaving is not possible and if a situation is escalating, then you will need an equalizer.  The only viable equalizer in a situation like this is either a firearm or the authorities; and the authorities will not be there.  So there is only you ... and your firearm.  

OK, now on to the critters.

We have all heard the stories of the big-bad-wolf, bears, cougars, and rattlesnakes; Oh My!  Yes, these are all present in abundance in America's west.  However, these are not the species of wildlife that I believe will most likely harm you.  My perspective of the animals to watch out for are: dogs, cattle, ticks, and mosquitos.

• Every farm or ranch you pass by has dogs.  Shepphards keep powerful guard dogs to protect their flocks against predators.   In addition, there are feral dogs in most communities and some of these might be rabid.  All of these dogs have no qualms about taking a bite out of your leg, or worse and a pack of wild dogs is as dangerous as a pack of coyotes.   I was sitting on a dirt bike in the driveway of a friend's, friend house in Idaho City.  As the man's dog ran towards me, his last words were "don't worry, he won't bite"; right as the dog clamped onto my calf.  My tough nylon riding pants prevented a nasty bite.

• You are going to encounter cattle on your outings and the cattle you run into spend their summers on the open range.   To me, at this point they are no different that wild bison.  They do not like to be messed with.   My buddy who lived across the street when we lived at Mountain Home Airforce Base in 1964 had an exciting experience.  His family had just purchased a brand-new Jeep Wagoneer.  The family drove up to visit Silver City and encountered a range bull on the road.  The bull proceeded to destroy one complete side of their brand-new vehicle.  Leave range cattle alone, stay well clear of them.

• Ticks carry multiple diseases including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease.  Simple precautions using appropriate spray-on bug repellent containing DEET or Permethrin will prevent major illnesses.  Wear light colored clothing and tuck your pant legs into your socks.  Check yourselves often, especially in the spring months.

• Risk from mosquitos is similar to that for ticks.  These days they can carry the Nile Virus.  Once again, simple precautions with bug repellent will prevent major illnesses.

This being said, there is always the potential on these outings to encounter other species of potentially dangerous wildlife, and you need to be prepared to defend yourself. 

I have pulled a firearm on wildlife on three occasions.

• The first situation was encountering a good-sized black bear at about 10 yards while bow hunting for elk. The bear ducked into a chaparral bush and disappeared right in front of us.  I drew a .44 magnum and kept it pointed at the location where it ducked into the bush while we walked by on the tight trail.  We never heard from it again.   Personally, I do not want to rely completely on bear spray.  Bear spray works well if the prevailing winds are in the right direction; but it is not 100% effective.  To be fair, firearms are not 100% effective either.

• My second situation was pulling a firearm was on a range bull near the road to the "Hole in the Ground" in Idaho.  We were unloading our ATV and this Hereford bull started bellowing and slowly walking towards us circling around the truck.  He stopped right in front of the truck and let me know we were not welcome.  He kept this up for about 5 minutes.  I just sat on the ATV with my .44 out.  He eventually felt like he told us off adequately and left.  At 10 yards, the super-hot .44 magnum rounds I was carrying would probably not have even slowed him down.

• Third time I pulled a firearm was for the above mountain goat.    I first saw him at about 50 yards as he was walking down a ridge trail on Snowbank Mountain.  The Idaho Fish and Game did not even know that there were mountain goats in that area.  This photo is blurry because I was trying to photograph him with one hand while I held a snub-nosed .357 in the other hand.  I did my best to let him know that I was there including waving my arms over my head and yelling at him.  He got to within about 20 yards of me, looked at me with disgust in his eyes, turned 90 degrees, walked down the hill around me, and then he headed right back onto the trail again and then just walked off.   Male mountain goats are known to be quite cantankerous, and you can see that he had an impressive set of horns that could have done a lot of damage.

• I had a fourth encounter where I almost drew my .44 magnum.  We were outside of Silver City during an ATV ride.  An old, old, old black angus bull was in the middle of the trail just staring at us.  I quickly backed up about 20 yards and held onto the grip of my revolver.  The bull was so old and stove-up that he walked by bending at his mid-section, dragging a leg forward, and then straightening himself out.   He hobbled to the side of the trail and began bashing a tree.  Ever few hits he would glare back at us.  After repeating this several times, he hobbled off and we booked it out of there.  You just cannot predict what these giants are going to do.  

None of these wildlife situations resulted in a physical confrontation, but there very easily could have been.   I never needed to fire a shot, but I was sure glad that I was armed.

With all the above taken into account, I advocate being armed when visiting the back country with a firearm powerful enough to protect against big, tough-bodied wildlife.  In many areas of America, this approach may be frowned upon.   It is prudent here.  You may want to review my book on handgun selection:  "A Beginner's Guide to Selecting a Handgun For Self-Defense".  This is a highly complex topic with both practical and legal implications.  If you choose to carry a firearm do so responsibly and continually update your training with it.   I will end this discussion of carrying a firearm in the outback with a simple mental exercise.  

When you go to start your truck and are met with a dead battery, and you and your family are 30 miles from pavement with darkness approaching; would you rather be armed or unarmed?