Hello from the High Sierras

[High Desert Hawker]

Hi, My name is Janice. I live in the beautiful Sierra Nevadas in California. I am a master falconer but have not been able to practice
the sport for the last 10 years. I gave it up to advance my career, but then I was injured on the job last year and they "cannot accomodate" me. I always planned on getting back into falconry and now I have time, so I'm taking advantage of it. Things have changed a bit so I am doing a lot of catching up on this forum. Thanks for all the great info.

[trillionairess]

(welc) Welcome Janice. The folks on here are great and have a lot of experience! And a couple of us are a little crazyy, but you'll enjoy the company.

[redtailfalconer]

(welc)

[outhawkn]

Hi janice ..we meet again..............(welc)

[idbirdman]

Hello Janice, glad to have you here. Stephen

[Bryant Tarr]

(welc) Welcome aboard!

[Bodarc]

Hi Janice

Glad to have you aboard!

:D

[Chris L.]

Janice,
Welcome back to falconry and to welcome to NAFEX. WE have a great group on here. Please let us know if you need anything

What have you flown in the past?

[everetkhorton]

Janice:
Welcome, have fun and post often.

[sakerjack]

Welcome from the Great White North!!

[kenbro77]

Welcome and looking forward to seeing your post, I was curious though, I heard that if you do not practice falconry for a certain amount of time you have to repeat the apprenticeship. Is this true?

[chamokane]

welcome, Janice.

[raptrlvr]

Welcome Janice. What part of the High Sierra's are you in. I send 2 weeks every year camping/fishing on the Tioga Pass Road. Been doing that for almost 30 years.

[High Desert Hawker]

Thanks everybody, for the welcome. No Kenny, I didn't have to repeat my apprenticeship, all I had to do is renew. I almost feel like an apprentice though. When I did my apprenticeship I couldn't find books. I had to have our town library order them from "big city" librairies. The internet wasn't around yet. I've really only had the influence of 2 or 3 falconers, so having something like this forum is AWESOME for me. I'm learning a whole lot.
raptrlvr, My husband grew up in Lee Vining and I grew up in Mammoth, we live down in the Owens Valley near Bishop now. Are you going to be coming back to Ca. for more vacations? I'd love to meet you.

[chamokane]

Janice,
I lived near Barstow for a few years when I was a kid, in the '50s, but I had never been to the Owens valley. In 2001, one of my Peregrines took off and ended up getting picked up a couple of months later in San Bernardino. I had to drive down there to get her and I took highway 95 to get home. You live in some beautiful country with the desert, water, and high mountain peeks.

What kind of game do you have there, and what kind of bird do you plan to fly?

[raptrlvr]

Janice, yes we will be doing the High Sierra's again this year. I camp in Big Bend on Lee Vining Creek which is just off the Tioga Pass Rd. Then we hit all the lakes with my float tube. We fish Grant,Tioga, Ellery, Saddlebag and all the other lakes near there. I have spent many hours in Lee Vining at the grocery store, Nicely's and Bells sporting good store. We used to take our showers at the trailer park at the end of town. I will be up there sometime in September.

[High Desert Hawker]

Dave, I would love to trap a passage prairie. As far as game, we have CT and jacks, they are having a bad year, but I'm starting to see a few more. we have tons of quail, ducks and I even saw a few pheasant the other day. I'd like to make a dent in our crow population too.
Jim, I hope we get a chance to meet. Have you tried the food at the Mobil station ? It's really good -thumbsupp world famous I do believe

[raptrlvr]

Janice,
Yes, I have tried the food at the Mobile station. I believe the chef is rated as a 3 to 5 star in all the travel books. I really didn't care for the food there. Not only that, but, it is very expensive. I would rather drive up the pass to the Tioga Lodge for breakfast. They only have seating for about 15 people, but, I am always up there early to fish and never have any problems as far as waiting line. My favorite lake to fish is Tioga Lake at the far end about 1/2 mile from the back gate to Yosemite.

[awahl]

I have camped and fished up there a lot. Our favorite place to camp is Convict Lake. I have seen grouse there too. I have seen goshawks up at Silver Lake several times. We have thought many times about moving to the Bishop area. I really love the Owens Valley! Welcome to the forum Janice!

[raptrlvr]

Andy, I have fished Convict Lake many times. Caught some nice browns out of there. We go a little farther north to Tioga Pass Rd because of the camp ground that we stay in. We have been camping there for almost 30 years. It only has 17 spaces with no hook ups and running water every other camp site. First come first, serve, no reservations. Right on the heavily stocked creek with deer and bear coming through. My daughter grew up going to this camp ground and for years only a few people knew about it. Once you go there, you go back for the rest of your life. You are right in the middle of the tall pines and the biggest rig you can get in there is a 30 footer in a couple of the spaces. Most spaces are set up for 25 to 28 footer. I take a tent and my wife and I stay in that for 2 weeks. Ah yes, the Taj Majal.

[High Desert Hawker]

Jim, My husband grew up at that ranger station compound right there at the bottom of Tioga Pass. He used to hunt and fish those hills. Gorgeous area, when your here are the leaves starting to turn yet on the aspens?
My favorite place to fly my first rt was right at the bottom of Convict Lake Rd he used to soar on the thermals and take bunnies. One day I watched as this Golden eagle came down in this stoop and just hammered a sage grouse. Killed it dead. That was a sight.clapp
Back 10 years ago or so, I knew of a couple of goshawk nests, they are snowed in right now. I may have to take a ride up there this spring and look around.

[raptrlvr]

I will let you know when we go to the Sierra's. You can come up to the camp grounds and sit around the fire with us. My wife and I always camp with her parents. I have flown my birds in the meadows just above the ranger station you are talking about. We used to go to the ranger station to make our phone calls. I have pulled goshawks from that area also. There is a sage grouse breeding area just north of Convict Lake and Mammoth airport where you are allowed to wildlife view. Maybe Andy and his family can come up also for some excellent trout fishing.

[awahl]

I am seriously thinking of trying a passage gos next year. I have wanted a gos forever, but never got around to doing it. We are planning on going over there late in the summer sometime. I will let you know when I do. By the way, I am pretty sure that I have caught fish where you are talking about. If I remember right, its a few miles up toward Tioga Pass from Lee Vining? There are a couple of small campgrounds back down a road that goes to the left if you are going from Lee Vining? Sheila's Grandpa was the camp host at June Lake for a few years. He showed us around that area. Actually that reminds me of Twin Lakes campround up a little farther. I know there are goshawks around there too.

That hill just as you enter Convict Lake on the right? Is that where you caught bunnies? I used to take all my imprints with us on trips. I flew a coopers hawk there for the first time, as well as a falcon or two. I always imagined that would be a great spot to soar hawk a red tail.

Small world huh?

[chamokane]

Dave, I would love to trap a passage prairie. As far as game, we have CT and jacks, they are having a bad year, but I'm starting to see a few more. we have tons of quail, ducks and I even saw a few pheasant the other day. I'd like to make a dent in our crow population too.

I've found passage Prairies to be great birds. There's at least a chance that a Prairie could catch all the types of game that you mentioned.

I noticed that I left the 3 off highway 395 in my other post, sorry about that. It's a fun highway to drive. It passes within 21 miles of my place in Washington.

[High Desert Hawker]

Andy I spent many days of my apprenticeship in the area between Convict Lake road and Sherwin Creek. The area where all the sage grouse are. (when they are not over across the highway by the green church) My rt would go up soooooo high. (great memories) yeah, it is a small world.
I would love to come up and sit around the campfire. I haven't done that in a while. That would be nice. A campfire up in the mountains is about one of the best smells there is.

[raptrlvr]

OK, then lets put it together. Andy, the road you are talking about is the right road. It dead ends into the power plant and the camp grounds I go to is the last one before the power plant. We know the camp host and they always save us a spot as this camp ground fills up fast. Janice, we will save a chair for you around the campfire. Great trout fishing just up the pass about 7 miles. We don't fish the creek anymore because its just too easy to catch fish. We leave those for the kids. I have caught 5 lb rainbows {stocked} out of that creek in years past. Besides that I like to float tube out into the lake and fish.

[Falcon Boy]

Here's a picture Jim sent me to post-

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/apprenticefalconry/TiogaPassPanocopy.jpg

[raptrlvr]

This picture of the Tioga Pass {High Sierra's} was taken from the meadow just above the ranger station. Its actually 5 different shots stitched into a panormic. The wonders of PhotoShop.

[awahl]

The Eastern Sierras are pretty amazing! I really enjoy the sage and trees. I have always enjoyed the trees, but sometimes it feels a little confined. When you can drive a couple of miles, or just turn your head in a different direction and see the wide open sage, it is perfect. I will keep in touch about our trip. Being a teacher, we go camping a lot in the summer.

[Rudd]

Janice, yes we will be doing the High Sierra's again this year. I camp in Big Bend on Lee Vining Creek which is just off the Tioga Pass Rd. Then we hit all the lakes with my float tube. We fish Grant,Tioga, Ellery, Saddlebag and all the other lakes near there. I have spent many hours in Lee Vining at the grocery store, Nicely's and Bells sporting good store. We used to take our showers at the trailer park at the end of town. I will be up there sometime in September.

I love that area. Use to go camp and fish there every yeark. Caught my biggest trout in Tioga and use to love heading to Sabrina. I need to make another trip up there, it's been almost 10 years.