Boat into Frank Church ?

lucascole76

New Member
Apr 14, 2011
9
0
Looking for any info on anyone you has ever boated into the the FC for mule deer in Nov?

Been into the Frank via Airplane several times and I am not a fan of flying.

Not wanting to take my own boat but more looking to see if anyone knows any transportation services that provide this .

Thanks
 

tim

Veteran member
Jun 4, 2011
2,420
1,067
north idaho
I have floated the middle fork half a dozen times, and the main a couple times. Shoot me your questions. These rivers do have alot of regulations on them. Some you have never dreamed of. Ie packing your feces out with you.
 

Ikeepitcold

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 22, 2011
10,023
1,609
Reno Nv
I would think there are some guides that could help with your questions or take you if that’s an option
 

mallardsx2

Veteran member
Jul 8, 2015
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I planned a trip to get flown into one of the remote airstrips. I had everything lined up and planned with maps printed and everything. Then my buddies found out there were Grizzlies and wolves and all backed out.

I would still like to do it. But I need some friends with "true grit" lol.

From what I read we would have been lucky to have killed anything. It is my understanding that its not what it used to be.
 

mntnguide

Very Active Member
I planned a trip to get flown into one of the remote airstrips. I had everything lined up and planned with maps printed and everything. Then my buddies found out there were Grizzlies and wolves and all backed out.

I would still like to do it. But I need some friends with "true grit" lol.

From what I read we would have been lucky to have killed anything. It is my understanding that its not what it used to be.
Grizzlies in the Frank?... not that I ever heard of while I guided in there for 3 years. Wolves, of course, but they will be anywhere you go in Idaho. .. as to the OP question, I personally would fly into a strip before wanting to boat in November. That weather can get nasty quick, and there is nothing warm about being on the river that time of year.. maybe from the riggins side you can find a boat to take you up, but remember there are lodges who are outfitters that have horses hunting that stuff, and they don't hunt from the river bottom for a reason. Unless you get lucky with a pile of snow, deer won't be down low still and you will have a long ways uphill to go to get into good numbers of animals IMO.

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lucascole76

New Member
Apr 14, 2011
9
0
I planned a trip to get flown into one of the remote airstrips. I had everything lined up and planned with maps printed and everything. Then my buddies found out there were Grizzlies and wolves and all backed out.

I would still like to do it. But I need some friends with "true grit" lol.

From what I read we would have been lucky to have killed anything. It is my understanding that its not what it used to be.
Interesting I didn?t think there were grizzlies in there . We have flown in the last several years and killed pretty nice bucks . Didn?t see any wolves or grizzlies . Like I said just not a big fan of flying


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mallardsx2

Veteran member
Jul 8, 2015
3,904
3,218
Well the runway I was looking at looked hardly enough to land a DJI phantom drone on....lol Somehow they are landing planes there...lol
 

tim

Veteran member
Jun 4, 2011
2,420
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north idaho
Jet boats are not cheap. If you float in from corn creek, it will take a couple of days to get down to mackay bar. getting out would be easy from mackay bar to vinegar creek or carey creek, but then you have the cost of shuttling you vehicle. the main is not a cheap shuttle. Flying is the cheapest route unless you have lots of time to float, but when floating you have limited amount of time on the river. But I only really know about permit season on the main, but permited rivers are permitted rivers and there is a lot of logistics to deal with.
 

BKhunter50

Member
Jan 14, 2017
81
22
Canton, Mississippi
I looked into doing this last year. As some of the guys have mentioned, you need a permit to be on the river and if you float it yourself, the longest the permit allows you to be in there is 7 days. Not enough time to float, hunt and get out of there.
 

tim

Veteran member
Jun 4, 2011
2,420
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north idaho
recreation.gov is where you get permits for the river system. It should be a piece of cake to get a permit at that time of year. But it would be one very cold run. fair amount of easy rapids and a couple of difficult rapids to contend with. The folks at buckskins bills live in the canyon year round. Great summer time run, the ice shouldn't be to bad, the middle fork ices over.
 

Bonecollector

Veteran member
Mar 9, 2014
5,861
3,667
Ohio
I planned a trip to get flown into one of the remote airstrips. I had everything lined up and planned with maps printed and everything. Then my buddies found out there were Grizzlies and wolves and all backed out.

I would still like to do it. But I need some friends with "true grit" lol.

From what I read we would have been lucky to have killed anything. It is my understanding that its not what it used to be.
Let me know when to be ready bud!
 

tim

Veteran member
Jun 4, 2011
2,420
1,067
north idaho
The frank is an amazing place. Way more than hunting there. over 2,000,000 acres of wilderness.
I try to spend a week a year in there. this year was on the middle fork of the salmon. One of the premiere multi day whitewater trips, 102 miles long from the put in at boundary creek to the take out at cache bar. The main salmon is an 80 mile float from corn creek to carey creek.
 

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zpooch

Very Active Member
Aug 11, 2016
531
88
Wyoming
Tim if you ever need a tag along on a river trip...count me in haha. And I think I stumbled across a post of yours on mtbr about how to pack a pistol while out mountain biking after you ran into some wolves....pretty cool!