Q: I have a friend who is heading up camping with a young Min-Pin and I started thinking about the stories I heard about hawks and other large raptors taking out "the treasured family pet."
Me being the Internet-fueled font of wisdom that I am, I went looking for factual evidence before I even said anything to my friend who is a worry-wort about her new puppy.
I came up with a lot of anecdotal comments but no solid evidence.
D.S., E-MAIL
A: We have a small Tibetan spaniel that goes camping, canoeing and hiking with us. We've never had a hawk, eagle or other critter swoop down and attack her while we were outdoors. She does have two 70- to 90-pound retrievers for hiking buddies.
But to give you a straight answer, I don't think your friend's puppy is going to be critter bait if folks keep a close eye on it and keep it close to them while hiking or camping.
It's best to keep it on a leash while in camp.
People have problems when their dogs disappear over the horizon and are never seen again.
You've got to be careful, even if you're just going for a walk in the Boise Foothills. A dog running loose and not under control can go sniffing off trail and possibly get tangled up with a rattlesnake.
Even large dogs can get into trouble if they are not supervised.
When we are camping, I make sure there aren't any raccoons, skunks or coyotes on the prowl before I let the dogs sleep outside at night on a leash. If I suspect any critter activity, the dogs get to sleep in the camper.
I wouldn't leave the puppy tied up outside a tent or camper at night or if folks decide to go on a hike without the dog. Your friend might leave it in the car in the shade with plenty of ventilation if it's not too hot.
If it's too hot, take it in a day pack (with its head hanging out to the top of the pack, of course).
- If your friend is going to be camping up in wolf country, which is a majority of the places north and east of Boise, you might take the advice of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game:
- Keep the dog on a leash if possible, because dogs running loose, away from people, may attract wolves.
- If the dog runs loose, bring a leash to restrain the dog if wolves or wolf signs like tracks or scat are seen.
- Learn to recognize wolf signs. Knowing the signs associated with dens, rendezvous sites and kills will help avoid them.
- While camping, don't leave food out that may attract critters.
- Make noise or put a bell on the dog collar to alert wolves that humans are with the dog. Fish and Game says wolves are more likely to avoid contact with a dog when they are aware that humans are nearby.
Your friend should have a lot of fun with the puppy while camping and hiking as long as it doesn't run loose and it stays in sight.
Dogs and camping and hiking go together.
Q: I have been fishing the Snake River, Brownlee Reservoir and C.J. Strike Reservoir for years, and the carp seem to be getting a lot worse than they used to be.
Has anyone ever researched the idea that they could be harvested commercially, and processed into dog food or fish food or fertilizer or whatever?
It would sure help the game fish if they could be culled successfully without harming the gamers.
JOE SIMON, E-MAIL
A: Heck, they're selling gourmet cat food made out of a lot more expensive fish than carp.
Why not Carpe pour Chat. Sounds pretty tasty.
OK, seriously, there is one person harvesting carp commercially for cut bait in Idaho but that's about it. It's for fish bait.
Commercial fishing for carp was a little more common back in the '60s, '70s and '80s, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
A couple of businesses were trying to harvest carp as ethnic food but they went out of business. Carp is considered a prized food in other countries. It turned out not to be a money making venture, and shipping was too costly.
Idaho does have commercial fishing laws that would allow the catching of carp for a business, but until there's a way to make it pay, we'll have zillions of carp in our lakes, reservoirs and rivers.
It doesn't sound like you can make a buck with carp.
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