Mule Deer Hunt Dates - Idaho General Season - When to Hunt

[Behlftball]

I have drawn a general season non-resident Idaho mule deer tag. The dates (assuming they follow last year and I'm not mistaken) are Oct 10th- Nov 3rd. I will be hunting public land in a mostly public unit.

If you had one week to hunt, would you rather hunt the first week when the bucks are still a bit undisturbed from pressure for the first couple days (Oct 10th-16th) or the last week when they are getting closer to the rut (Oct 28th- Nov 3rd)?

 

[willfrye027]

Opening day if you can get there early to scout. Late season is a bit of a gamble on the weather being cold or snowy.

 

[phall]

I think it depends on your unit. I have a tag in the mountains and was talking to a local today and he said that the only real thing that gets the big deer out of the high country is going to be deep snow.

 

[270Hunter]

I think it depends if you’ll be able to scout or not. If you can scout I would say be there opening day, if you can’t I would say go late and pray for weather.

 

[Andrew12gauge]

Seasons are set already, nothing is changing. There is a lot of rutting action in mule deer the last week of October in my experience, if a unit is open through the 31st I always wait to the end to really focus my efforts. You’ve got an extra 3 days.

As an aside I mostly hunt southern Idaho and wanted to look at what units are open through the 3rd, found them and it’s absolutely nuts to me that all of the units with those dates are open to unlimited doe hunting for mule deer.


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[Grizz208]

I would hunt that last week. Youll see some rutting action.