First Idaho Elk Hunt

[Celtic Clamper]

I am really wanting to do an out of state DIY hunt in Idaho for a bull elk. I would like the chance to tag a muley also if possible. I can do archery or rifle. I don't care how many tines the bulls have, just that it has antlers. I have hunted CA mulies for years, but tired of our systems here. I know this question has been answered before, but herds/weather/land changes. I am in decent shape. I have good gear, and will most likely be with 1 partner. I will be travelling up from Central CA. The expirience is as valuable as filling the freezer. Can anyone familiar with Idaho give me some pointers? I am planning this for a 2018 hunt. Thank you in advance.

I have looked at the Idaho DFG website. I am having trouble selecting the hunt that I want. I am looking for the best chance to tag, not the biggest rack I can find. There is way more options on their hunts than I am used too.

 

[kidoggy]

welcome to the forums. first pointer I would give is, go down to intro section and introduce yourself to the forum. then jump in and get to know some folks and let them get to know you.there are many here willing to help but many won't until they see you to be worthy of their time.
second pointer... check out the tailgate section and read the pm looking for help thread.

I am from idaho and will answer general questions, if I can but you won't find many giving up honey holes.

there are many over the counter opportunities here .

I here great things about the east side of state. LOL that was a joke meant for ivorytip.



it would be helpful to know more about what your interested in also.. time of year ? early or late seasons?backpack hunt? horses? motel or camp? do you have a particular unit in mind yet?

 

[johnsd16]

First thing you need to decide is what will be your emphasis for this hunt: archery or rifle. Idaho has two basic tags for elk; A and B. You are restricted to one zone which is usually comprised of a few units or parts of units. In general, the A tags are geared toward the archery hunter and you get all of September to hunt with a bow, then a short firearms season in October. The B tags usually have two weeks in September, usually missing peak rut, and then a longer 10+ day October firearms season. A few units are quite a bit different and some have September rifle hunts. Also, some allow for any elk to be taken by archery, others are bull only for all times. Spend some time reading through the different zone tags, not A and B, and decide based on that what seasons and areas for the goals of how you'd like to hunt.

 

[Celtic Clamper]

Thank you kidoggy. I have been reading over this forum for years. Kept having computer problems that prevented me from finally getting to login. I am not looking for honey holes at all. I will do my own hunting. I am not looking for a handout either. I love exploring anywhere in the wilderness. I am just hoping to better understand the options. Out here in CA you have a tough yime hunting public land. I have been doing it for years, but just getting tired of it. On average we have a 6% chance of filling a tag. Its pretty hard hunting, so I am no stranger. I am tired of the crowds. There are literally spots that have hunters every 300 feet after a snow. I am looking at exploring somewhere new. I prefer to camp, and strike from camp daily. I can drag a trailer if needed but prefer to be more mobile. I can hike most terrain, and prefer to be away from people. I like to leave the truck and hunt from foot, or a tree stand. I don't have horses, nor do I plan to rent any. That would be very fun, and I spent many hot dry days horseback. I just am not looking to spend the money on a horse hunt. I also prefer a DIY hunt. I will hunt early or late season. It would be incredible to hear the elk bugling, as I frequent the elk reserves out here just to watch and listen to them. I was told to look at the Elk City area, but after researching it seems that many others are already there. I am a meat hunter. Antlers don't taste good. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

 

[Celtic Clamper]

Johnsd16, thank you also. I will hope to hunt for 1 week solid, then return again if possible. I can cover ground quickly or slowly as needed. I can come up and scout also. I have never been to Idaho and I really do not want to be fooled by a topo and pic some treacherous hell hole. I will bow hunt if it gets me closer to the rut. However, I would also rifle hunt if I can hunt if that bests my odds as I really do not want to miss the 1 shot I may have. I have no problem if blessed with a cow. Filling my freezer is my goal. Thank you. I will do some more homework.

 

[kidoggy]

PLENTY OF OVER THE COUNTER UNITS AVAILABLE TO GET A COW. hunting public land , there is always plenty of people out but if you put out some effort you can usually get away from them. sometimes it is possible to use those other hunters to your advantage I have one area I hunt , where I have noticed the elk often use the same route to escape hunters and often return within a couple days to same spot they got spooked out of. so instead of trying to make a tough stalk, I just sit and wait for the other hunters to spook em right to me. been a pretty successful tactic over the years.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

PLENTY OF OVER THE COUNTER UNITS AVAILABLE TO GET A COW. hunting public land , there is always plenty of people out but if you put out some effort you can usually get away from them. sometimes it is possible to use those other hunters to your advantage I have one area I hunt , where I have noticed the elk often use the same route to escape hunters and often return within a couple days to same spot they got spooked out of. so instead of trying to make a tough stalk, I just sit and wait for the other hunters to spook em right to me. been a pretty successful tactic over the years.

Solid advice rite here. Idaho has a ton of hunters in the OTC units.

 

[ScottR]

PLENTY OF OVER THE COUNTER UNITS AVAILABLE TO GET A COW. hunting public land , there is always plenty of people out but if you put out some effort you can usually get away from them. sometimes it is possible to use those other hunters to your advantage I have one area I hunt , where I have noticed the elk often use the same route to escape hunters and often return within a couple days to same spot they got spooked out of. so instead of trying to make a tough stalk, I just sit and wait for the other hunters to spook em right to me. been a pretty successful tactic over the years.

I have noticed a trend over the years. The young guys do a lot of moving, the old guys do a lot of sitting. If the old guy knows where to sit...he kills elk.

There is one saddle in particular that I know an old guy sits at the edge of the Forest Service/BLM line with about 800 yards of rope and his winch. He waits for the first major snow storm and heads up the hill. Shoots the cow of his choice as they move up the hill then winches it to the back of his truck.

 

[Celtic Clamper]

Thank you for the info. I can cover some ground but was taught "If you don't know which squirrel is making the noise, you are moving too fast!" I have also used the pressure of others to help me. Are there areas with populations of mule deer as well as elk? Or are they so competitive that I really need 2 different hunts? During CA deer season, we tend to have so few archery deer hunters, that if you can find a buck during archery he usually is not too afraid. Is that the case up there? Or are there enough bow hunters to make them weary? Thanks again. I am reading as much as I can. Studying maps, reports, forums, etc.

 

[kidoggy]

no , you don't need two different hunts . there are plenty of opportunities for both at once. I believe there are mule deer in every unit in idaho. same can't be said of elk but they are in most units.

there are lots of archery hunters , to be sure and one unit will vary from another , so .... it could be that way but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Celtic Clamper]

Ok. Thanks again Kidoggy.

 

[Joe Schmo]

Well sir. I think you can get more help if you narrow it down a little re: 2 trips, archery/rifle, zone(s), deer, elk, both, etc.
I will tell you one thing...I learned a ton about idaho this year. We went on a big mule deer hunt and we had A BUNCH of leftover tags when the smoke cleared. We started looking at opportunities just to fill our tags...Holy smokes!!! I think for one it would be fun to plan a hunt, then plan a backup hunt for a second go at em, a second ID adventure, you could hunt both species on said second hunt/trip or just one. Like I said...it depends on the unit. For example many of the A (archery) bull tags will have a late cow muzzy season or something like that. Also if you hunt deer you can find hunts from 1 Sept to January. I know it's overwhelming, you just gotta narrow it down a little.
PS: We come from a very high pressure area in WA and in many places in ID we be like...you call this crowded?

 

[Celtic Clamper]

Thanks Joe. I am still looking into what I want to do. Being from CA, I usually scout preseason, bow hunt which ends up usually being more scouting, then rifle hunt. I am just not used to having this many options. Let alone the over the counter tags. It is also tough having to choose between bow and rifle. I could even go muzzle loader. There is just crazy options. One thing that I do jave going for me is that I dont care what size the antlers are. I just really want the meat, and a first elk kill. I have heard friends talk about being really close to bulls during archery, and not getting a shot. I also can probably go up 2-3 times. So without knowing what an area looks like during the season, it makes scouting that much more difficult. I know that while hunting here in CA, I have scouted and found great spots. Then come the season and the place is crawling with hunters and the game is gone. I have alot to look into.