Idaho Help

lintond

lintond

WKR
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Mar 17, 2013
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So I've been doing a lot of arm chair scouting this winter... Not sure if it's just because I'm bored or what but I got a wild hair to take my limited elk hunting skills across state lines. Apparently the grass is greener on the other side of the fence (snake river) because now I'm considering going to Idaho for elk season. I'm trying to get some insight on a unit/area to start my in-depth scouting because right now I'm a little overwhelmed!

For those of you that have some Idaho knowledge I am looking for a general area that doesn't get hammered with weekend warriors and takes some effort to hunt (wilderness, limited roads, etc...), and gives good OTC opportunity for archery. I've started to wrap my head around the A vs. B tag choice. My hope is you guys can point me in the right direction and then I can take my internet skills from there. I'm not looking for that trophy unit or anything. My main goal is to have decent elk numbers and not have to fight off hunters at every turn. I'm aiming to go in for 10 days or so on a solo excursion. The benefit of being able to shoot a damn wolf has my interest too (see my wolf post from last season)! After doing a little research my initial thought is the McCall or Sawtooth areas. Am I on the right track or should I look elsewhere?

Due to distance and limited time off it's doubtful I'll get to do a scouting trip, so I'm trying to gather as much intel as possible! Thanks in advance for any advice you might offer!!
 
McCall zone is listed as meeting population objectives but I don't have any first hand info. Sawtooth is below objectives but that doesn't mean it should be ruled out. The fires from the past few years should make for some good hunting and 10 days should be enough time to close the deal... maybe.
 
Thanks for the help guys. Do you guys know how Idaho treats OTC tags. Are they only good for on unit or the entire zone?
 
They are good for the entire Elk Management Zone that is usually comprised of several game units. The majority of the zones that you are discussing are pretty good. My rule if thumb is to pick a zone that is convenient for you to get to, and then spend as much time as possible getting to know it.... statistics lie. It only takes one elk to make a good season.
 
Sawtooth has a set number of tags on first come first serve basis. They are already on sale for nonres i think. In years past they never sold out, this year they probably will due to all the new burn areas north of stanley.
 
If the USFS keeps 48 closed from the Beaver Creek fire last year it will help drive people that way as well I would think.
 
Thanks for the advice. Terrapin I like your attitude! One elk is all I need.
 
I haven't hunted McCall area, but have explored it a bit. I've heard elk numbers are so/so. There's some good spots, but you need to learn it and find them. Much like anywhere else, but might take longer. Also a decent number of hunters due to proximity to Boise and relatively easy hiking. Also, if I remember correctly it's not terribly mountainous and mostly timber. At least relative to Eastern Idaho. Sawtooth is below objective. When I was there, locals blamed the wolves. Looks like a beautiful area though. The eastern side of the state has intense terrain. Killer hikes, so you can easily ditch people if your legs can handle the
vertical. Nice mix of terrain (heavy timber on north slopes and open meadow on south). Good glassing, but wolves definitely an issue. In my experience they can really screw up the elk hunting. So tough call on where to go. I'm contemplating where to go OTC this year myself.
 
Bughalli said:
I haven't hunted McCall area, but have explored it a bit. I've heard elk numbers are so/so. There's some good spots, but you need to learn it and find them. Much like anywhere else, but might take longer. Also a decent number of hunters due to proximity to Boise and relatively easy hiking. Also, if I remember correctly it's not terribly mountainous and mostly timber. At least relative to Eastern Idaho. Sawtooth is below objective. When I was there, locals blamed the wolves. Looks like a beautiful area though. The eastern side of the state has intense terrain. Killer hikes, so you can easily ditch people if your legs can handle the
vertical. Nice mix of terrain (heavy timber on north slopes and open meadow on south). Good glassing, but wolves definitely an issue. In my experience they can really screw up the elk hunting. So tough call on where to go. I'm contemplating where to go OTC this year myself.
Click to expand...

I don't want to kill myself for no reason, but since I'm young and dumb :) if I can't outsmart all the other hunters I'll try to out hike them. That's part of my motivation for getting into the back country. Besides being an awesome experience hopefully it lets me leave the day hunters and ATV hunters in the dust.
 
i did idaho.

it was brutal. i gathered intel and found myself in an area so littered with blown over trees. it looked like god had a big jenga game, lost, and just left the pieces there. climbing over and around that stuff qualifies as torture. we did 10 days hard!!! hard!! we only saw one elk. we saw more moose!! and deer.

elk..one. we killed him tho :)

i cant give you any specific..cus the guy that helped me made me promise not to pass on any info. i admit..i saw very few other hunters. probably becasue they got the memo about the jenga pieces laying around. i think i saw 3 other guys.
 
Jenga logs are the worst. Glad you got an elk for your efforts. I'm still working on my internet scouting. Hopefully I can pick a good spot.
 
Does anybody have a helpful resource for wolf populations around the state? Would like to avoid them if possible.
 
Jason Snyder said:
You're not likely to avoid them unless you go far southern Idaho.
Click to expand...

Sorry not trying to necessarily get away from them 100% just know they effect elk behavior and numbers. So if there is a high concentration I might skip looking at a certain area.
 
Wolves are pretty widespread. You need to find the areas within the areas.....and nobody is going to give those up :) Cover ground, Dive off the ridges into the brush covered sidehills, and bugle in the last three hours before daylight from various vantage points. Good luck!
 
Thanks again everybody for the help! I know Idaho has quite a few wolves and in some areas are even removing them. Just wasn't sure how much of the state had them. Oregon's wolf population is pretty isolated to the NE (for now). I'm starting to narrow in on some locations. :)
 
I hunt a high grizzly and wolf concentration area, Yellowstone ecosystem. The elk are much more wary and extremely jumpy. They are also in tighter groups. I figure wolves eat elk so if there are wolves it's a good bet there are elk too, just the opposite as my above post lol... I have hunted the area that I do for over 30 years so that definitely helps for finding elk. Good luck with your hunt when you decide which direction you're going.
 
Seriously speaking don't concern yourself with wolf population just pick an area & hunt! Elk live in specific elk environmental areas wolves or no wolves. Seek out long running draws with water in bottoms & basins surrounded by north & south facing mtns, you will locate elk in them as well as nearby them. Let your calling & glassing do most of the work, it's more productive than burning boot leather void of those two hoping lady luck shines upon you! (grin) When calling for location remember that's your objective, you are locating them not trying to call them to you, very important part of the strategy.

ElkNut1
 
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