Happy Canada Day to anyone north of the border reading this over your morning coffee. 🇨🇦

For the rest of us, welcome to another Wednesday. If you're reading this, you made it to the middle of the week — and Idaho just handed you a reason to actually pay attention to your gear closet.

Grab your coffee (or something stronger) and let's get into it.

Here's what's worth reading about this morning:

THE LEAD STORY

Starting today, if you're running a transmitting trail camera on public ground, glassing with thermal, or flying a drone to pattern an elk herd, you're now on the wrong side of Idaho law — at least between August 30 and December 31.

Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 939 back in April, and it passed the legislature about as lopsided as these things get: 67-1 in the House, 29-6 in the Senate. That's not a partisan fight. That's hunters telling other hunters to put the phone down.

The law doesn't touch your standard SD-card trail cam — pull the card, do it the old way, you're fine. What it kills is the real-time stuff: cell-linked cameras on public land, night vision, thermal optics, and drones used to scout or hunt big game and game birds during the fall window. Predator control, livestock protection, and wounded-game recovery are all carved out as exceptions.

READ FULL STORY →

QUICK HITS // FROM AROUND THE WEST

Wyoming to cut wolf harvest in half near Yellowstone: A distemper outbreak hit wolf pups hard last year — survival rate dropped to around 37%, and the population in the Wolf Trophy Game Management Area hit a 20-year low. Proposed 2026 cap: 22 wolves, down from 44. Read the full story.

Colorado halts wolf releases for 2026: After a cease-and-desist from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service over where CPW was sourcing wolves, the state is pumping the brakes on reintroduction for the year — even though they'd already signed a $400,000 contract for the next batch. Read the full story.

Idaho controlled hunt draw results are live: Deer, elk, pronghorn, fall bear, turkey, and swan results dropped this week. Capped elk zone tags (minus Sawtooth) go on sale July 8 at 10 a.m. MDT. If you applied for a controlled elk hunt, you're locked out of buying a capped zone tag until five days after sales open — don't get caught flat-footed. Read the full story.

Idaho sage-grouse comment period closes Monday: Lek counts are down statewide, and tag numbers dropped from 5,030 to 4,280 for 2026. The state's also floating a fixed Sept. 15 opener instead of the current "third Saturday" rule. If you've got an opinion, you've got until midnight Monday, July 6. Read the full story.

OUT WEST // FISHING REPORT

South Fork Snake River — salmonfly hatch is on: Flows are running high and strong out of Palisades Dam (around 13,400 cfs), pushing fish tight to the banks. That means float days, not wading, but it also means the salmonfly hatch is firing — big foam-line dries in the mid-morning window before afternoon thunderstorms roll through. This is peak season on one of the best dry-fly rivers in the West. Read the full report.

Snake River below Hells Canyon — Chinook closed early: Idaho closed Chinook retention on the Snake below Hells Canyon Dam back on June 4th by emergency rule after limited returns hit the harvest quota early. The section stays closed until August 18th. Bass, sturgeon (catch-and-release only), and trout are still fair game in the meantime. Read the full report.

Columbia River — sockeye run is down from the 10-year average, but there's still a window: Oregon and Washington's preseason forecast puts the sockeye return at 274,900 fish, below the recent 10-year average of about 314,000. Retention opens June 23 and runs through July 5 — that covers the Fourth of July weekend. Adult Chinook retention is closed downstream of Priest Rapids Dam this summer due to a low 40,700-fish forecast, but hatchery steelhead and jack Chinook retention is open through July 31 from Astoria up to Pasco. Read the full report.

Astoria — ocean salmon is on, tuna's next up: The Pacific out of Astoria opened for Chinook and hatchery coho back on June 20th, and it's fishing well on the days boats can cross the bar. Albacore tuna season kicks off late July and runs into September — worth booking early if you want in on it before Buoy 10 takes over the calendar in August. Read the full report.

QUOTABLES // WORDS TO LIVE BY