Payette River Wildlife and Fish

Wildlife
Payette River WMA sports one of the densest Canada goose nesting populations in the lower 48 states. Hundreds of goose pairs nest in the area, together with mallards, gadwalls, northern pintails, American wigeon, green-winged and cinnamon teal, common goldeneye, lesser scaup, redheads and wood ducks. Over 1,000 white-fronted geese and other waterfowl species settle on the area during spring and fall migration.

Each spring finds hundreds of sandhill cranes resting and feeding at the WMA on their way to nesting grounds further north. The river is a natural travel route for a variety of other wading and shore birds. Snowy egrets, great blue herons, black-crowned night herons, American bitterns, white pelicans and long-billed curlews are often seen cruising the river or moving stealthily through shallow water in search of food.

Bald eagles are frequent winter residents, while golden eagles, rough-legged hawks, merlins and prairie falcons pass through the region in spring. Red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks, northern harriers and American kestrels commonly nest and raise young on WMA lands. Great horned, long-eared and screech owls also nest among the tree and shrub thickets of Payette River WMA. The recent release of wild turkeys on Payette River WMA’s Birding Islands segment boosted the number of upland game bird species found in the area to three. The WMA’s heavy cover provides excellent habitat for ring-necked pheasants and California quail which range over most WMA lands, nesting, feeding and raising young.

The large amount of riparian habitat provides food, cover and nesting opportunities for a variety of water-loving songbirds. Marsh wrens, yellow and Wilson’s warblers, lazuli buntings, northern orioles and yellow-breasted chats are often seen and heard in the riparian areas of Payette River WMA. Upland sites are home to western meadowlarks, sage thrashers and western bluebirds.

Mule and white-tailed deer are the only large mammals residing on WMA lands. Though mule deer are much more common than their smaller cousins, Payette River WMA supports limited numbers of both species, making them difficult to see. Deer are generally active in the early morning and/or at dusk, feeding in open fields near cover.

While large mammals are scarce, small mammals are common to Payette River WMA. Muskrat, mink and beaver patrol the waterways of the Payette River and reside in some of the WMA ponds, sloughs and canals. Raccoon, skunk, red fox and coyote are all found on WMA lands, but like their larger counterparts, can be difficult to observe.

Reptiles and amphibians found on Payette River WMA lands include gopher snakes, rubber boas, racers, short-horned lizards, bullfrogs and western toads. The waters of the Payette River are home to rainbow trout, large and smallmouth bass, crappie and channel catfish. WMA ponds contain healthy populations of large and smallmouth bass.