Idaho unit 44 mulies

[300stw]

wondering if anyone has spent much time in 44 chasing mulies,

looking to glean some info on a couple areas, have talked to couple successful hunters and a biologist from Idaho on the area.

trying to confirm some ideas on a schedule to hunt, come early 3 or 4 days and scout and hunt 5 or 6 days, wait and come out oct 8-9 and sit on some of the high passes for the deer coming out of 43,,,

looking for ideas or?
I am in east Montana, could trade some info or?
thanks

 

[Idahohillboy]

Great tag I hunt 48 and 43. Never drawn 44 tried a lot. Most of my experience is with 48 the earlier deer are more open but you should be able to find some true giants in this unit. The genetics are good. I would say your idea for October is a good one but maybe the 9th and 10th would be better opening day being the 10th. However I swear the deer know the unit boundary... You do find a few giants that wander off the border of 44 in 48 sometimes so maybe that is where the 43 and 48 deer go opening day when all the flat land yahoos show up on ATVS. Less pressure. Deer get funny in October I would maybe try early September when they are still more in the open and also I have seen some monsters on the edges of the cultivated fields out there on the east end of the unit like Willow Creek area. Have fun I grew up in Hailey and have friends that have drawn 44 I will ask them and message you back if I remember they shot some beauties out there.

 

[PathFinder]

I'm not too sure about the whole early migration out of 43. I hunted a migration route out of 43 last year and I never saw it happen. An old local guy told me they don't leave until the run starts if there isn't enough snow to push them off.

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[Idahohillboy]

That is correct Pathfinder they do not start migrating until the Snow knocks them out of the high country usually the end of October early November however I think what 300stw was referring to and I may be wrong is waiting on all the traffic from the opener in 43 to kick some of the bucks back over into 44 due to the fact they probably get early pressure that pushes them into 43 from 44 since that is a longer hunt... Not sure if this is why he was hunting the 8th or the 9th but opener on the 10th in a general probably knocks some of those bigger ones back into 44. The migration does not really kick in until early November. There are some big guys that hide low though near the cultivated fields.

 

[PathFinder]

That makes sense, that border area around Deer Mountain gets tons of pressure on the general opener. I spent some time looking down low on the private when I was up there in May. There were an impressive number of bucks down within a mile of the highway.

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