Visitreno.com
is excited to present this series of articles by noted author and poet,
John C. Evanoff. John will tell us about Nevada history and cover some
of the more remote and unusual things to see and do in Northern Nevada.
When I think of October in Nevada, I always think
of Nevada Day and the parade in Carson City at the end of the month,
but I also am reminded of the first day of fishing at Pyramid Lake
and the upland game hunting season. The first cool days of the fall
present themselves to summer weary residents as the perfect time
to get in a trip to the desert or mountains before the first snows
fall. Inviting as that may seem, it’s also the last month
you can really do any hiking without too much to worry about concerning
weather.
My father and I used to always get up early on
October weekends in the late 1950’s to go chucker and sagehen
hunting or fishing for cutthroat trout and sometimes both on the
same day. Sage Grouse hunting has now narrowed to just a couple
weeks between the last part of September and the first part of October,
but it can still be productive if you scout your territory a week
before you go hunt. Chucker and Quail are much longer seasons extending
into February and you can sometimes bag a limit of both and still
have time to go fishing. Later in life I spent some October weekends
in the early 1970’s hiking and hunting in the nearby Sierra
Nevada mountains for antlered mule deer. Many times I would see
five point or better bucks and would not take a shot simply because
I was more interested in even bucks. Those days ended up being more
about hiking than hunting, but I enjoyed them just as much.
The best fall hunts in my early years were in the
Granite’s north of Gerlach or the Rainbow’s east of
Fallon, but one of my favorite hunting hikes in October was the
route up to Hunter Lake. With the many colors of fall blending with
the crisp and often times frosty mornings, I would be up two hours
prior to dawn making my way up to the top of Hunter Lake Drive where
I would park for the day and begin my hike with my shotgun and rifle
both strapped to my back. The shotgun was for grouse or quail. Most
of you will find it much easier to park near the Patagonia outlet
near the intersection of White Fir St and Woodland Avenue off of
Mayberry Road west of Reno on W. Fourth Street. That trail will
take you up the creek all the way to Hunter Lake. Most of the hiking
I enjoyed was on the eastern face about a mile closer to Reno. The
old Hunter Lake road still goes up to the top, but is hard to get
to because of all the homes that were built. You have to know where
it starts and then weave around the housing project to get to it.
The easier method is to find the trail across the Truckee River
from Patagonia until you get to Hunter Creek and then find the high
trail, which is well marked away from the creek. It’s hard
to believe this trail is so close to Reno and hardly anyone hikes
it. Once you get to the grassy meadows and the forest about three
miles up the trail, you begin to see the wildlife everywhere. The
colors are amazing in the fall so bring a camera. Total length of
the hike is about seven to eight miles round trip. There are parts
of the forest at the top which are extremely dense and the canyons
make for some interesting hiking and viewing of wildlife. The hike
is a day trek so take plenty of food and water. A good topo map
of the trail is an asset. Hunting is very restrictive in the area
and most hunting access is now contained through the Garson Road
exit at Boomtown and up into the Mount Rose Wilderness. Read all
hunting restrictions and regulations from the Nevada Fish and Game
Department. You must have permits to access this hunting area and
all game is heavily regulated with special tag limits for deer and
special permits for upland game. For hikers, watch for signs of
hunters and be aware of your surroundings at all times. Wear something
bright so you are visible for a long distance and bring binoculars
to look down on Reno and a cell phone to call your friends to tell
them you are looking down on them.