We have heard from many pickers around the Rocky Mountain region that this years huckleberry crop is as good — or maybe even better — than the 2009 season. Rainfall and spring temps were ideal for growing a bumper crop of juicy huckleberries.
The Spokesman Review has picked up on the excitement in their recent article:
Landers: Huckleberry season has pickers bursting with excitement
…The huckleberry season is underway at lower elevations and the pleasure is working its way up the region’s mountainsides as the berries ripen….
…The picking season generally starts in this region in the first or second week of July at elevations around 2,400 feet, such as the stretch of lowland between Priest River and Priest Lake. Snow cover is needed to insulate the plants to survive during the winter, so huckleberries are rarely found at lower elevations.
The berries are ripening at higher elevations this week, but the peak range of ripe berries occurs in August….
…“Last week I was in the woods with some friends and we found many ripe huckleberries and many more that were not yet ripe,” said Phil Cooper, Idaho Fish and Game conservation educator in Coeur d’Alene. “Most plants were very heavy with berries, so it should be a banner year for picking.”…
Yes, it sounds like a good year to go huckleberry picking!
