Idaho Elk

Pwells10

WKR
Joined
Feb 26, 2018
Messages
582
Message me. Basically born around those three units (37/37a/51). Congrats on a great tag too
 

mmcdonough

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 28, 2019
Messages
202
Location
Lake Country MN, Transplant from ID
Hunted the lost river range about 17 years ago for a week and a half. We saw lots of elk but as all elk in Idaho now I'm sure their behavior's changed quite a bit with wolves in the equation. It's amazing country, really steep and high elevation. It's about the steepest country in the state. Make sure you're in shape! We were there rifle opener the year I went and there was still lots of rut activity so I'm sure that part of it hasn't really changed.
 

sneaky

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 1, 2014
Messages
10,112
Location
ID
Thanks man, I sure will! I just created my account yesterday so Rokslide is gonna make me wait 7 days I think before I'm allowed to send a PM.

Just curious when you used to hunt unit 37, did you prefer a certain area? Right now I'm focused on the North end of the unit near the Salmon River and then the Eastern side of the unit. The area around the Donkey Hills looks promising but again there are a lot of roads in this unit so it could be difficult to pull away from others. I'm going to try to find some good drainages I can hike into and hopefully bump into some elk. Any idea on where the heavily trafficked areas are so I can avoid them?
Best advice would be to wait til you can PM and not list any areas you are considering on a web searchable forum post.

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OP
B
Joined
Aug 16, 2020
Messages
55
Location
Idaho
I just returned to ohio from scouting 37a and 51. It is definitely some rugged country
Thats a hell of a road trip for some scouting! I pulled a nice bull elk out of unit 50 last year so I'm familiar with this general area but of course the terrain is a lot more extreme in unit 37.
Best advice would be to wait til you can PM and not list any areas you are considering on a web searchable forum post.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
10-4, I went ahead and deleted my post. Just hate when guys ask for information without showing that they’ve put time in on their own to figure stuff out. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Messages
14
Hey All,

I recently moved out to Idaho and got lucky enough to draw the controlled hunt for elk in Unit 37. This is a pretty cool unit that contains Mt. Borah, the tallest mountain in Idaho. This is a rifle elk hunt that begins October 1st so I'm expecting some rut activity still going on. I've stared at maps of this unit quite a bit and my initial reaction was this unit has a lot more roads than I'm used to. I'm hoping I can zero in on some areas where I can do some long day hunts and avoid the constant buzz of vehicles passing through this unit. The good thing is there are only 100 tags for this unit so I'm not expecting huge crowds but I'd still like to stay away from others whenever possible.

I just wanted to post this and see if any hunters had drawn this same tag or have spent time hunting this unit. Just curious to see what the heavily trafficked areas are and what locations in the unit hold elk. My game plan is to hunt the Eastern Side of the unit and try to hike in before first light and glass up the edges of timber. My girlfriend and I recently had our first child earlier this month so my scouting time will be quite limited. My plan is to hit it that first week in October and try to capitalize on some rutted up bulls. If anybody has any advice for a sleep deprived dad, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks everybody
I drew the same tag this year, been up there twice scouting this summer, headed up next weekend for a third time.
 
OP
B
Joined
Aug 16, 2020
Messages
55
Location
Idaho
I drew the same tag this year, been up there twice scouting this summer, headed up next weekend for a third time.
Right on! I’ve done a bunch of e scouting but daddy duties have kept me from putting boots on the ground. I’m gonna get out there a couple days before the opener to do some driving and eyeballing of certain locations I have circled. Cant wait to get out there and get to hike around with my rifle again.
 
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Messages
14
I ended up shooting a 5X5 on the third morning. My opinion is big country and not a lot of elk, plus like you said 75 degree days and full moon didn't help. I am 5 hours away so I was committed to the first week only, if you were a local and could afford to hunt that unit the entire month of October I would bet it would be a much better tag.
 
OP
B
Joined
Aug 16, 2020
Messages
55
Location
Idaho
Yeah I was under the assumption that it was going to be an easier hunt then it ended up being. I was into elk just about everyday but its pretty tough closing the distance in some of those big wide open drainages. Once you bump a herd out of a drainage its difficult knowing they won't be back for a few days and you need to go out and find a new spot to hunt. I went through my plans A, B, C & D before I finally got mine. Idaho Fish & Game website led me to believe there were going to be a lot of bigger bulls in the unit but the biggest bull I ended up seeing was a nice 5x5. I heard one camp got a nice sized 6x6 but I wasn't able to see it.
 
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Messages
14
Agreed, I would describe it as OTC tag type quality and quantity but Controlled tag pressure. PM me, apparently I am a noob and cannot PM on here and would like to know what area of the unit you were hunting.
 

G8ters

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 12, 2020
Messages
236
Thank you for the update. I’m excited for my trip to Idaho in afew days.
 
Joined
Mar 10, 2017
Messages
11
Message me. Basically born around those three units (37/37a/51). Congrats on a great tag too
If you are still willing, my son has a youth only cow tag for that area and we are looking for any tips or Info that may help us?
 

Spoonbill

WKR
Joined
Jan 15, 2020
Messages
817
If you are still willing, my son has a youth only cow tag for that area and we are looking for any tips or Info that may help us?
Try asking one of the ranchers in the area. Chances are low you can get permission but you never know, someone may let your son shoot one that has been attacking their hay stacks.
 

Benlee2

FNG
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
2
Message me. Basically born around those three units (37/37a/51). Congrats on a great tag
I just drew the same tag for this year and was wandering if you had any pointers for unit 37. I am a little concerned with how open the unit is. Any info about the unit and this tag would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
 
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