Selway elk

[CAH]

Just bought my Selway zone tag last night and was hoping some of you fine folks would help me out. What can I expect?? I hear elk numbers are down but there are still pockets of elk out there.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice/tips!! I’ll be going in October so maybe they will start to move down?

 

[idahohikker]

Elk numbers are relatively low to almost average. Better than 2010 but lower than many other zones in Idaho because of predation. The wilderness experience is great though. You'll want to cover a lot of ground with your glass and move every day or two to find animals. October is a harder hunt usually. All about the glassing outside of the first week of October. It's not a trophy unit so you may want to shoot the first legal elk or maybe the first mature bull.

What time are you going? Even the cows and spikes don't normally migrate much in October, unless there's a good snow. Bigger bulls usually move in November. So you'll want to be in the higher elevation parts of the zone. This usually doesn't mean starting at the Salmon River. But, watch for snow because those high elevation roads can become nasty quite fast. Chains and a shovel are recommended just in case.

 

[CAH]

Thank you! I’m heading over the 19th-29th. It’s good to know to start looking high first! I’m not looking for a trophy just the experience and hopefully some meat for the freezer.

 

[OleWI21]

The Selway is steep and thick. Hunted the early season last year and had over a foot of snow fall the first day. Really sucked getting back to camp only to find our tent collapsed. Prepare for everything. Be prepared to put on a lot of miles. Did A LOT of walking but found some elk. Just couldn't put everything together.View attachment 72899 View attachment 72898View attachment 72898.

 

[CAH]

Another question I have is hows the water situation in this unit? Will I be okay if I pack in a few nalgenes, bladder and water filter system??

 

[idahohikker]

Ya, in most areas from my experience.

 

[Flydaho]

Water is readily available in the Selway unit, you shouldn't have a hard time finding it. Like OleWI21 said, it can be steep and rugged and snow can come early. October could be anything from 60's-70's during the day or snowing and 35. Just watch the weather as you get closer, but have gear for either situation in your vehicle that way you can take what you need, or adjust as the weather changes. What part of the unit are you headed in to?

 

[CAH]

Thank you both! If you ever want to get out and do some pheasant hunting or walleye fishing in ND, let me know I owe ya!

Im going to try to head into the northern part of the unit I think after doing a little map work so far. Plans change though and I will see as I do my research.

 

[Flydaho]

No worries CAH! I'll definitely hit you up for some pheasant hunting if I ever make it out that way.

You are heading into the northern part? You won't be disappointed with the scenery. If you come in off of Selway Road (turning at Lowell, ID) that is a slice of heaven. That area is absolutely beautiful. If the new owners of Three Rivers Resort have the restaurant open, stop it and give them some business if you get the chance. If you are driving further east on HWY 12 and accessing from Powell Ranger Station (i.e. hoodoo lake road/Elk Summit/FR360), be careful, those roads can get a ton of snow in a short amount of time. Enjoy your time out there.

 

[BAKPAKR]

It is beautiful country. I have done some hiking around the Crags on the north end. One March, my college roommate and I hiked/skied up over Bear Creek pass on the Montana line and came out at the Race Creek Campground at the end of the Selway River Rd coming up from Lowell. I wish I would have had the Altai Hok skis I have now so I wouldn’t have had to carry a separate pair of ski boots.

It is also big country. How do you plan on getting in there and how many others will be going with you? Will you be backpacking in or will you be using pack animals? If you are by yourself and on foot, you could have a real tough time even getting to a decent spot and then, if you get a bull, well...

 

[CAH]

Thanks bakpakr! I’m going with another guy and planning on the backpack style. It should be a good time and a challenge for sure. I’ve been preparing my body (even though it still won’t be enough). So hopefully I can find em and get them out.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I used to live and hunt in the Panhandle zone. My experience up there pretty much mirrors that of Idahohikker’s — with the exception of an early, big snow year, the period of time you are planning on hunting was the toughest. In the past, IDFG would let a person exchange a tag before the season started. I don’t know if they still do that. If they do, and if your schedule allows, you might think about trading in your A tag for a B tag. There are still a few available. If that needle in a haystack is bugling, it is much easier to find.

Regardless of when you go, make sure to get a wolf tag or two and a discounted mountain lion tag. And take a predator call just in case you hear wolves howling close by.

 

[CAH]

Thank you, I know it’s going to be tough to find em that time of year, but I work construction and that’s the earliest I will be able to get out... already got my wolf tag and hope to take one of them critters if anything. I know they won’t be bugling but my plan is to look for some old burns and do a ton of glassing. Any other tips on how to start my search??

 

[idahohikker]

What about November? That should be better.

 

[BAKPAKR]

In 1991, I bought a 1989 revised Selway Wilderness map that was put out by the Forest Service. The scale is 5/8” = 1 mile. It has topo lines every 50 meters. Open areas are white and forested areas are green. I used it for moose hunts in 1991 and 2008 and many bear hunts and packing trips in between. I still have it in case I go back in that area. I just did a quick search on the forest service map store site but couldn’t find a new version (or even the version I have). If you could find something similar, I would recommend getting it. Then, mark all of the trailheads for the section you are interested in, pencil in a radius from those trailheads showing your estimated max distance for packing an elk out and study those areas on GoogleEarth in search of spots that fit your criteria.

I am in the process of doing the same thing right now for a Wyoming moose hunt I am going on this fall.

Good luck.

 

[Haneydew]

About to buy my tag. As of last night there were 60 b tags out of 320 left. I'll be there September 15 the thru the 21st. Coming in from the Darby side on county road 468. Been looking at a few trails on the Idaho hunt planner and Google, just hope that it is still an actual trail when I get there. This is more of a scouting trip for a longer hunt next year. I would like to keep up with the status of how your hunt goes. I know first hand the hours and hours of research and info gathering that it takes to plan something like this! It will just be me and my girlfriend this trip and we will wilderness camp with hammocks. Gonna try to stay light and cover as much ground as possible. I've learned a lot about equipment and such on this forem, wish I would have started this hunt years ago as I will turn 50 in August, but I hope I still have a few years left to be able to do a true wilderness hunt. Good luck!

 

[Danny Hoey]

How did your hunt end up?

 

[ndbuck09]

Curious as well?

 

[CAH]

WHAT A HUNT!!

Never saw an elk in 7 days and over 50 miles on the boots. I have two regrets, I wish I would have backpack camped and I wish I would have gotten off the trails earlier in the week. As this was the first time to the area, I stayed on the trails the first few days to get a feel of the landscape. Later in the week, we started to bomb off the trails and work our way through the thick stuff just cow calling as we went. I saw 3 whitetail does in 7 days and that was it. I know in some people's eyes it wasn't a success because I never saw anything, but I learned what I was made of (steep, steep STEEP), and my father and I had an absolute blast in some of the most amazing country God created.

There were two times that we smelled the elk and found fresh sign, but it was so thick I couldn't see anything. One night after it was pitch black, we bumped an elk on the walk out. I never saw him but I know it was an elk because it sounded like a horse running through the trees. All in all, I will be returning to the zone, it's now my goal to take an elk there. I will say that the areas I hunted, were impossible to glass. Also, it was 60-70 degrees during the day and a full moon at night. This made for some tough hunting. We talked to 5 other hunters and out of all 5, we had seen the most for critters with the 3 whitetails.

P.S. Beef stroganoff is the best mountain house flavor and the chicken and dumplings doesn't fully rehydrate.

 

[Gun&BowSD]

WHAT A HUNT!!

Never saw an elk in 7 days and over 50 miles on the boots. I have two regrets, I wish I would have backpack camped and I wish I would have gotten off the trails earlier in the week. As this was the first time to the area, I stayed on the trails the first few days to get a feel of the landscape. Later in the week, we started to bomb off the trails and work our way through the thick stuff just cow calling as we went. I saw 3 whitetail does in 7 days and that was it. I know in some people's eyes it wasn't a success because I never saw anything, but I learned what I was made of (steep, steep STEEP), and my father and I had an absolute blast in some of the most amazing country God created.

There were two times that we smelled the elk and found fresh sign, but it was so thick I couldn't see anything. One night after it was pitch black, we bumped an elk on the walk out. I never saw him but I know it was an elk because it sounded like a horse running through the trees. All in all, I will be returning to the zone, it's now my goal to take an elk there. I will say that the areas I hunted, were impossible to glass. Also, it was 60-70 degrees during the day and a full moon at night. This made for some tough hunting. We talked to 5 other hunters and out of all 5, we had seen the most for critters with the 3 whitetails.

P.S. Beef stroganoff is the best mountain house flavor and the chicken and dumplings doesn't fully rehydrate.

Sounds like our hunts were mirrored. It was my first time chasing elk in the Selway last year. Started way up high in the snow (followed wolf tracks up almost the whole way). Didnt see a critter for all the days of hiking and glassing. Dropped down to lower elevation almost to the river and saw 2 whitetail does. And later, a lone muley buck I ended up putting a tag on. Learned a lesson on steep. My initial plan was to hike up this ridge and do this and that and be able to see into this bowl. Yeah right. Let me tell you the difference between what you think you see on Google and on foot, incredibly different! Woo. Anyways, good luck in there! That is some beautiful country. May the hunting gods be with you this season!