Hunting in Idaho
- Thread starter Kodiak
- Start date
Jim, I am probably one of the least experience Idaho hunters but I have been hunting there on and off for about 10 years. Did well some years in the early ones, and not so good later on. There are still decent numbers of elk in the spots not hammered by wolves, but the areas I have hunted in were pretty wolf infested, so I go skunked... Not all the wolves by any stretch, but I hunted hard my last time there, to see 3 elk, after 7 days of hunting. Just isn't like it was early on. There are others on here that can fill you better, but these areas I hunted were right around McCall. I know there are some great units though and even with the tough elk hunting, I haven't been there yet, when I didn't wanna leave. I am a HUGE fan of Idaho. Just hope the furry little pups can be put into check to let the elk come back a little. Really is a beautiful place.
What area(s) are you looking at?
Bill Casey (Elkman) is a good reference on the elk as well, he has hunted Idaho since the 60's and has taken a couple!
What area(s) are you looking at?
Bill Casey (Elkman) is a good reference on the elk as well, he has hunted Idaho since the 60's and has taken a couple!
- Thread starter
- #3
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,314
- 5,983
Kodiak":3fjxxd4r said:
Sounds like a polite way of speaking. :lol:
I think that for whatever reason many people buy the general tag prior to the controlled hunt draw and it may be a requirement if you use a paper application.
Idaho has it sold of of tags since the upped the price. $460 to hunt deer is a lot for a general tag. 300ish tag 160ish license
There are some good general hunts but they are hunts not shoots. Every year someone gets some dandys on those hunts
Idaho has it sold of of tags since the upped the price. $460 to hunt deer is a lot for a general tag. 300ish tag 160ish license
There are some good general hunts but they are hunts not shoots. Every year someone gets some dandys on those hunts
Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
- 17,746
- 5,822
Ten years ago hunting in Idaho was a good idea, and worth a great deal of attention from non-residents.
Good hunting can still be found there, but the wolves have really changed things. Not good for the non-resident hunter.
Guy
Good hunting can still be found there, but the wolves have really changed things. Not good for the non-resident hunter.
Guy
- Thread starter
- #8
wildgene
Handloader
- Jul 4, 2011
- 1,597
- 2
Kodiak":1bhptg0d said:
...depends on what part of Idaho yer looking @, but, yeah, I've killed 20 or so elk & bear, & a few more deer in N. ID, & there's still some "fair" opportunities up there. Lot of the "major" herds/ areas have "crashed", lot of the smaller herds have thrived. You're not going to "glass" huge herds of migrating elk, lots of places you can be standing in the middle of dozens of elk & only see an occassional 6" patch of brown hair...
...you might want to check "Leftover Tags" on the WYG&F website...
baltz526
Handloader
- Sep 25, 2005
- 1,074
- 8
I really liked hunting Idaho for deer as a nonresident. Then they raised the price. None of us have been back. It was not that good.
Idahotrophyhunter
Beginner
- Feb 18, 2011
- 182
- 0
Please stay away from idaho, we have nothing here to shoot, elk are extinct, deer don't grow horns, and the wolves are becoming pets of those in Sun Valley...Terrible place to hunt....
....wait a minute in the last 5 years I have killed 4 elk 6 deer 2 antelope a wolf and bear...maybe you just have to hunt hard.
....wait a minute in the last 5 years I have killed 4 elk 6 deer 2 antelope a wolf and bear...maybe you just have to hunt hard.
baltz526
Handloader
- Sep 25, 2005
- 1,074
- 8
I tagged out on deer every year we hunted Idaho. I had no problem finding deer. Idaho just priced us out of the state. Now they get none of our cash. Over time all the states did exactly the same thing. I'll hunt Oregon, Until they outlaw hunting. Then I'll move to another state, become a resident and get the cheap tags.
To see the effects of the Wolves in Idaho all one has to do is look at the elk regulations. I lived their from 1975 until 2007 and was very successful. I primarily hunted north and east of Boise in the Sawtooth's but have also hunted elsewhere. The season lengths have been cut in half in most areas and in my old area a limit on the number of tags has been imposed. Idaho used to sell out of their non-resident deer and elk general tags, now they cannot give them all away. If you live there and can monitor your local herd you can certainly do well. If you don't, you will probably be disappointed. There are better states to hunt, which are also cheaper.
- Thread starter
- #18
The problems started before the wolves. Fish and Game has raped the game herds for all they are worth for years. The public has voiced it's opposition to many of the things they've done but it always falls on deaf ears. Once the wolves got well established that was the final nail in the coffin but they surely shouldn't face the brunt of the blame. F&G had the herds in poor conditions prior to them. It's kind of funny (and sad at the same time) that they say many places in the state are at or above objectives for elk numbers. I think they just lowered there "objectives" to better match the numbers we have now because I doubt there is anywhere in the state with better elk numbers since the intro of wolves. Some places are damn near decimated. The head wolf biologist told me they really couldn't afford to have a elk hunt in the area I've hunted in for much of the last 20+ years. He said the herd wasn't even sustaining itself as far back as 2007. Guess what? We still have a season. They don't even reach the wolf kill quota in the area, and never have, yet they wont allow trapping or others means of take. Not very smart as far as management goes.
BeeTee
Handloader
- Jul 27, 2011
- 400
- 0
Following the big forest fires we had in 2000 here in western Montana, the elk numbers (and hunter success) peaked in 2005 as a result of the 500K acres of new grazing and a decimation of the invasive weed called Spotted Knapweed. Unfortunately, that also coincided with a wolf number explosion, which resulted in a crash of the local elk and deer numbers since 2005, despite the new forage opportunities and a closing of hunting districts (i.e. West Fork of the Bitterroot).
McCall, ID is a beautiful area - looks like a resort town. I first visited the small town of McCall while on a motorcycle tour in 2009. BT
McCall, ID is a beautiful area - looks like a resort town. I first visited the small town of McCall while on a motorcycle tour in 2009. BT
