Welcome from MN! I have a buddy who lives in Rapid. Love the Black Hills. This spring will be my 18th consecutive year chasing turkeys in the hills. A lot of fun memories out there.
Are you leaning Rifle, Muzzleloader, or Archery? Kind of depends what you are all wanting to get out of the hunt. Me personally i like early season hunts when they can still be in velvet but im sure many would pick hunting the rut etc... if you are thinking high country tags, maybe you can get...
I generally feel the most optimistic early morning on the fresh start of a new day verses evenings. But like many have mentioned success can happen at any time in the field.
If you are doing a drop camp, a mini van would probably do just fine getting to where you need to go. Maybe a family member or friend of one of you has one you could borrow, or shop around closer to your hunt for a rental from either of your locations to see whats the better deal.
Thanks for your service Team4LongGun, I've never hunted Idaho so cant say anything firsthand. But definitely sounds like wolves add a whole new element to the equation. Keep pounding away in a new area next year and success will happen eventually.
I dont have a laid out plan but sounds like you have a great head start on a lot of people. Hopefully you are in an area like SW Wisconsin where there are some hills that you can get some miles in with a weighted pack and your hunting boots. Thats the main thing i attempt to do as much as possible.
There is a mini master diaphragm from Rocky Mountain hunting calls for narrow palates. That may be something to try.
Does the metal band fit your palate ? If so you can try trimming the tape portion with a scissors.