Unit ** Deer in Idaho

[tito_zako]

Hi everyone!
A friend of mine drew unit in Idaho for deer. He has no hunting experience whatsoever, so I will go with him to help out with basic hunting knowledge; to mentor him essentially; and teach him how to quarter deer if he get’s one; those kinds of things.
I have a lot of experience under my belt by now, but majority in mountain settings hunting for deer/elk/bears.
I haven’t pursued deer the type of desert environments like unit **is made of.
Any pointers as to, for instance, what kind of habitat/terrain features do deer prefer in this landscape, or any tips you can give me for my education, I will greatly appreciate; it will make me be a more effectice help for my friend in locating deer.
Also, are there resident deer in this habitat? Or is it just wintering grounds for deer from Nevada, like elk do?
Thanks in advance!


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[Spoonbill]

Make sure you have good tires, a good spare and a patch kit, not a lot of services down that way. If memory serves there is a sign stating as much when you get on highway 51.

 

[Rotnguns]

This for sure. Also, a compressor. Be very mindful of your sidewalls in ruts - lots of jagged rock in that area and it's very remote.

 

[tito_zako]

thanks!!
lot’s of sharp rocks there, then?
is this mostly towards the border with NV?


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[Rotnguns]

I'm not familiar with the south part towards Nev, but have done lots of prospecting around the east into unit ** and into the Owyhees. Lots of volcanics, and we got into some sharp slate in some of the higher parts (we were looking for opal and jasper). Blew out a tire on our Bronco, had a good spare though. Lots of trails and in the summer months, you'll see some folks around on horses and ATVs and dirt bikes. This time of year, not sure if that's the case, the farther away you are from 51.

 

[bpeay4]

Lots of Roads down there. Take ATV or side by side if you have one as others have mentioned the roads can be gnarly; I would honestly just try to cover lots of ground until you locate deer.

 

[tito_zako]

thanks everyone!
Other than transportation; any other info? specially on deer habitat/patterns?


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[Spoonbill]

You have a better chance of finding a Leupold that holds zero than you do of getting anyone to post on a public forum about where to hunt in a specific unit.

 

[d16ridgehiker]

You have a better chance of finding a Leupold that holds zero than you do of getting anyone to post on a public forum about where to hunt in a specific unit.

Geez Spoonbill.... He never asked where to hunt. He asked about terrain features and whether there are resident deer or not.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Geez Spoonbill.... He never asked where to hunt. He asked about terrain features and whether there are resident deer or not.

He's asking without asking.

 

[tito_zako]

He's asking without asking.

that statement reveals more info about you than anybody else.
it’s a unit I haven’t hunted; a type of landscape I don’t know.
I probably never hunt it for myself either, because I don’t apply for that unit and the draw odds are horrible anyways.


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[Spoonbill]

that statement reveals more info about you than anybody else.
it’s a unit I haven’t hunted; a type of landscape I don’t know.
I probably never hunt it for myself either, because I don’t apply for that unit and the draw odds are horrible anyways.


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If you want to teach your buddy how to deer hunt use this hunt to teach him how to find deer. Getting out and looking for deer will teach you more about the unit and where deer hang out than anything anyone on this forum can offer you.
The horrible draw odds tell me that the unit is popular for a reason. I assume its a late season tag, which would dictate to me how I would be scouting. Good luck and let us know if your buddy is successful.

 

[tito_zako]

If you want to teach your buddy how to deer hunt use this hunt to teach him how to find deer. Getting out and looking for deer will teach you more about the unit and where deer hang out than anything anyone on this forum can offer you.
The horrible draw odds tell me that the unit is popular for a reason. I assume its a late season tag, which would dictate to me how I would be scouting. Good luck and let us know if your buddy is successful.

thanks!!! that’s what I did… found some areas of interest on maps and shared that with him to help him narrow down what to scout boots on the ground.
We are heading out soon for actual hunting, I’ll report back on outcomes.
Some comments I received from ppl that hunted this unit for deer say it’s overrated as far as trophy bucks go…
We’ll find out for ourselves!


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