Idaho Unit 4

[Alan G]

This is my first trip to Idaho, and I picked up a mule deer tag for Unit 4. Plan to hunt in October of next year. All I have heard so far is that it is rugged country. Does anyone have any information, things to watch out for, good starting points , or just anything that could get me going in the right direction for this unit. Not asking for secret spots or honey holes, just some general information.
Thanks in advance,
Alan

 

[Ross]

A very tough unit for mule deer…wolves abound and just not a lot of Muley type country….plan on scouting alot…dense vegetation and october tends to be a lot of rain, transition weather and foggggy….hope for an October like we just had…if your tag is good for whitetails there are some bruisers….good luck

 

[Ryan Avery]

Tough unit for Muledeer is a understatement,
there's just not very many in this unit. Like Ross said there are some very good whitetails.


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[psirus7]

The roads in there can be tight for a full sized vehicle and it’s tough to cover a lot of ground. Like lots of other places in North Idaho, I find eastern ambush tactics to more relevant than spot and stalk. It’s low elevation and dense, so there are limited opportunities for glassing.

 

[jimmy33]

A very tough unit for mule deer…wolves abound and just not a lot of Muley type country….plan on scouting alot…dense vegetation and october tends to be a lot of rain, transition weather and foggggy….hope for an October like we just had…if your tag is good for whitetails there are some bruisers….good luck

Yeah…that


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[BAKPAKR]

I think you probably got a regular deer tag rather than a mule deer tag. As @Ryan Avery and @Ross said, mule deer hunting in Unit 4 will be tough. I don’t think it is a particularly rugged unit, but it is brushy, very brushy. Also, unless the season dates change for 2023, you could not hunt mule deer in October in Unit 4. It was open 11/1-9 only. Good luck on your research and hunt.

 

[Alan G]

I think you probably got a regular deer tag rather than a mule deer tag. As @Ryan Avery and @Ross said, mule deer hunting in Unit 4 will be tough. I don’t think it is a particularly rugged unit, but it is brushy, very brushy. Also, unless the season dates change for 2023, you could not hunt mule deer in October in Unit 4. It was open 11/1-9 only. Good luck on your research and hunt.

So a regular deer tag allows you to hunt either species? I do see that the seasons are split, WT Oct 10- Oct 31 then Mule Deer or WT Nov 1 - Nov 9 (based on last years dates). Am I understanding that correctly? This will be my first time hunting Idaho so I am sorting through all the regs. We were trying to get a unit further south, but the online sale was a mess yesterday. We were logged in at 10 am and didnt buy our tags until around 6 pm. Just from looking at the information from Parks & Wildlife, Unit 4 has a better WT population than MD pop.

 

[BAKPAKR]

So a regular deer tag allows you to hunt either species? I do see that the seasons are split, WT Oct 10- Oct 31 then Mule Deer or WT Nov 1 - Nov 9 (based on last years dates). Am I understanding that correctly? This will be my first time hunting Idaho so I am sorting through all the regs. We were trying to get a unit further south, but the online sale was a mess yesterday. We were logged in at 10 am and didnt buy our tags until around 6 pm. Just from looking at the information from Parks & Wildlife, Unit 4 has a better WT population than MD pop.

I think you are understanding correctly now - WT only 10/10 - 10/31 and WT or MD 11/1 - 11/9 with the “regular” deer tag. There is also a “white-tailed” deer tag that gives you the same dates in unit 4 for WT, but no MD option. Confirm which one you have in case you would bump into a MD.

I would hunt the last week of season because you might catch the beginning of the rut and there will be less people around since elk season will be closed.

I would also buy a reduced price mountain lion tag and a wolf tag. The chance of bumping into either is slim, but both tags are cheap. You would likely never forgive yourself if you had an opportunity at a wolf or lion but had no tag.

 

[Alan G]

I think you are understanding correctly now - WT only 10/10 - 10/31 and WT or MD 11/1 - 11/9 with the “regular” deer tag. There is also a “white-tailed” deer tag that gives you the same dates in unit 4 for WT, but no MD option. Confirm which one you have in case you would bump into a MD.

I would hunt the last week of season because you might catch the beginning of the rut and there will be less people around since elk season will be closed.

I would also buy a reduced price mountain lion tag and a wolf tag. The chance of bumping into either is slim, but both tags are cheap. You would likely never forgive yourself if you had an opportunity at a wolf or lion but had no tag.

Thank you for the help.

 

[Bullzeyez61]

I would not hunt the later season there without having a set of tire chains, some straps, and a chainsaw if you are planning to get off the main roads with a truck. Maybe a come-along if you got the room for it.

 

[Elknutty]

As BAKPAKR said, get a wolf tag, reduced bear tag, and a lion tag.
It would be good of you to consider joining the “ Foundation for Wildlife Management” too! Your membership fee goes towards keeping the wolf population in check, for folks that like to hunt big game here in Idaho.

 

[Wrench]

I had this tag this year. Last year I saw 20 ish mule deer and probably about as many whitetail bucks. This year I saw two whitetail deer and killed a runt buck as it was the ONLY buck that I saw all year.
Unit 4 deer are in a bad spot right now.

 

[Wrench]

100% agree on the predator tags. You have good odds on a potential opportunity.

 

[Alan G]

I had this tag this year. Last year I saw 20 ish mule deer and probably about as many whitetail bucks. This year I saw two whitetail deer and killed a runt buck as it was the ONLY buck that I saw all year.
Unit 4 deer are in a bad spot right now.

Do you know what impacted the deer numbers?

 

[Ross]

Unit 4 is one of the highest densities of wolves in the state winter extremely tough back in and wolves clean house in the winter..if I told you how good hunting was a decade ago you would think you were in Wyoming

 

[Wrench]

High fuel prices keep some of the houndsmen at work instead of in the field....which doesn't help keep cats and bears in check. Two bad summers brought some blue tongue issues and as Ross said, you're in the heart of wolf country.

I live 60 miles west of unit 4 in what used to be epic deer country.....I have not seen a whitetail deer in 2 years and my mule deer population has dropped from seeing 15-20 per day to 5-10 per year.

 

[Alan G]

High fuel prices keep some of the houndsmen at work instead of in the field....which doesn't help keep cats and bears in check. Two bad summers brought some blue tongue issues and as Ross said, you're in the heart of wolf country.

I live 60 miles west of unit 4 in what used to be epic deer country.....I have not seen a whitetail deer in 2 years and my mule deer population has dropped from seeing 15-20 per day to 5-10 per year.

Thanks for the information

 

[NILowe]

Very tough md unit but they’re there. If you have the regular tag a whitetail hunt would be much more enjoyable

 

[Pierce]

I think you probably got a regular deer tag rather than a mule deer tag. As @Ryan Avery and @Ross said, mule deer hunting in Unit 4 will be tough. I don’t think it is a particularly rugged unit, but it is brushy, very brushy. Also, unless the season dates change for 2023, you could not hunt mule deer in October in Unit 4. It was open 11/1-9 only. Good luck on your research and hunt.

You can bow hunt for mule deer aug 30 - oct 30


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[BAKPAKR]

You can bow hunt for mule deer aug 30 - oct 30


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Hmm, I thought the early archery season closed September 30, not October 30: