Island Park ID

[Don Qui Puncher]

hey guys im doing my first archery elk hunt this September and looking to get an otc tag. a buddy of mine who used to hunt island park suggested the area, he hasn't been there in 7-8 year but said hes killed a lot of elk there. hes hoping to hunt the weekends with me and another friend who will be there for 2 weeks, and we'd be on our own for the rest of the week. if anyone has any info on this are id appreciate it. im not looking for any info on where to go, but more so what to expect, terrain, pressure, glassing/binos/spotter, is it worth getting a deer tag also, camp at a trailhead or pack in, grizzly's. im hoping he'll be able to put us in the neighborhood of some elk but it almost seems like a crapshoot for them to be in the same areas they were using 7-8 years ago. he mentioned unit 61 but we have no problem bouncing around. any info is appreciated

 

[Fullfan]

Lots and lots of Wolves. Last time I hunted it in the special draw we had snow. Never saw an elk or elk track, just lots of wolves tracks. Good luck

 

[cowboy]

I have a cabin there - it gets way too much pressure in my opinion. Lots of people with bikes, 4 whlrs, and utv's.

 

[HookUp]

Lots of elk, decent amount of pressure. If you work for it you will have success.

 

[elkguide]

Was in there 2 years ago and as has been said, lots of hunting pressure and lots of wolves.
Used to hunt there and see lots of elk, moose and deer but the wolves have changed the populations of everything except hunters.

 

[rcfireninja]

I rented a cabin there in June for a family trip. We plan to hike around that area, MT and Yellowstone. If I see any elk or sign will let you know.


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[TheTone]

Hunted it for years and never saw a wolf while hunting. There has been a fair amount of wolf harvest in that area since ID has had seasons so I doubt the population is really growing too much.

Lots of variation in terrain; you can hunt above timberline steep mountains or almost flat timber to sagebrush.

Take bear spray, have it accessible and know how to use it.

I had a lot of fun hunting that country and could pretty much guarantee I would at least see a couple really big bulls every year.

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

awesome thanks guys, I cant wait to get out there. ive fished around that area a few times but this will be my first time elk hunting, my buddy said he never had a hard time finding them there but he hasn't been in years and a lot can change in that time. ill have bear spray and a 10mm.

 

[Elkhntr08]

Pick up a deer tag, you can use it for a cat or bear. Also grab a wolf tag, you never know.

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

I planned on getting a deer tag also, I didn't know you could get a wolf tag as well. many deer in that unit? I saw a 4% success rate for archery in unit 61

 

[Jon Boy]

Ive hunted most of the unit during a late season hunt. It varies greatly in terrain from the park line, to the flats around island park to the entire centennial range from island park to Spencer. I found elk most every where. Never did run into wolves. Be aware if you are hunting any where near the park. There was an archery hunter attacked a few years back.

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[Elkhntr08]

There are mule deer there, just not big ones. Freezer fillers. First year in Idaho, I had one come out of the timber into the meadow I was in and stood at 30 yards. I was in shock and stood there like an idiot. We just looked at each other. Never saw a bear, but found several kills. Bear spray is a must. Listen to the elk. We hunted our butts off in the timber and the elk were bugling in the flats. It is a good place to hunt and you can find good bulls.

 

[TheTone]

One reason for the archery deer success being so low is that most people probably aren't hunting deer very seriously during September and most deer harvested are probably just incidental to elk hunting.