Cold meadows/Chamberlain basin elk hunt

[Jlrineer1]

Anyone have any info on the cold meadows/Chamberlain basin area? Myself and a friend are headed out to Idaho the first week of October. We're coming from PA so a mid summer scouting trip isn't going to be possible. We have tags for Elk, Deer, Bear, and Wolf (God bless Idaho and their veterans tag prices). Looking at the maps and talking to some aviation companies the terrain seems a little more bearable in that region so we have it narrowed down to two airstrips. I am just wondering if anyone has any pros or cons for one or the other that would be helpful. We have a few spots within 3-5 miles of both strips picked out on where we'd like to set up a spike camp. Any info would be appreciated, heck even putting us east coast boys on some wolves would make our hunt.

Thanks

 

[BuzzH]

I haven't hunted cold meadows, but I've worked out of there a few times.

Its a great airstrip for sure and you're right, compared to other areas in the Frank its not bad.

The one thing I would do is make sure that the trails you plan on hiking have been cleared, also make sure they exist. Lots of trails have been abandoned in that country and depending on funding, workload, fire season, etc. some of the trails are not cleared annually.

Lots of that country has burned and even when I was there, it was starting to turn into a lodgepole sapling jungle, probably worse now would be my guess. Pay attention to where you camp, don't camp in a place with lots of standing dead trees and be mindful of that. I've been working a few times and have had trees come down when the wind picks up.

Did not see wolves, but saw bears, elk and deer while I was there...nothing worth killing as far as I'm concerned.

Some pictures:

Guard station:

View from the Guard Station:

Stayed one night in the bunkhouse there:

 

[BuzzH]

Phone booth at Coyote Springs:

Visitor at the phone booth:

Heading toward Coyote Springs, probably 2 hours from the Guard Station. The trail from here to the phone booth had not been cut out...blowdown was terrible on the trail.

Headwaters of Trapper Creek, had some work down in the bottom, full day hiking out and back from Coyote Spring:

 

[BuzzH]

Cottowood peak, looking down toward Stoddard...honestly, I don't hate elk enough to shoot one from where this picture was taken.

Old vice at Cold Meadows...apparently to put your head into when you kill something too far away from the airstrip:

Guessing that vice was made in 1913???

Have fun on your hunt, its big, wild country...if it were me, I would be really picky about anything I shot. That country is no joke with, or without horses, and packing elk out of some the places I worked would have been heinous.

 

[Jlrineer1]

Cottowood peak, looking down toward Stoddard...honestly, I don't hate elk enough to shoot one from where this picture was taken.

Old vice at Cold Meadows...apparently to put your head into when you kill something too far away from the airstrip:

Guessing that vice was made in 1913???

Have fun on your hunt, its big, wild country...if it were me, I would be really picky about anything I shot. That country is no joke with, or without horses, and packing elk out of some the places I worked would have been heinous.

Thanks Buzz, just having pictures to give me an idea of terrain is a big help. I like the idea of a challenge to get an elk out, in reality though anything we decide to shoot is going to have some serious discussion. There's no sense in risking injury or worse over a rack and some meat. That being said we're really in it for the experience, and maybe to help ID out with their wolf problem if we can. We have another 25 years before we're probably to old to do this kind of stuff so we're going to do it while we can.

Thanks


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[EddieSuss]

Did anyone hunt this area recently? With the fires around Chamberlin last year, anyone been in since and have a field report? I?m headed into the area in two weeks for mule deer. I was thinking Cold Meadows may be better.

 

[Idhikker]

How did it go? I fear not good. Low game numbers in there these days from my experience and talking to a lot of guys.