Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Boy did we screw up

We didn't draw in Idaho's controlled hunt drawing so we'd planned to hunt in Stanley Basin, unit 36. They have a quota on resident tags of about 1250. There will be a 2d chance drawing the 1st week or so of Aug and we've always waited until then to see what tags are available before buying OTC tags in 36. In past years they've usually sold out around mid Sept. For some unknown reason, this year they sold out in July, before the 2d chance drawing. Obviously, we aren't among the purchasers. So, we have to find a different place to hunt this year. There's no shortage of tags but we'll have to drive a lot farther and hunt where we don't know the country.

seeing new country is bad, how?

Age. I'm the youngest of my group at 65. South central Idaho is VERY steep and rugged. At our age, it's nice to know where we're going that we can handle the climbing and be able to get an elk out.

Stanley sold out early? It seems that Idaho is having increased demand for it's tags.

These are resident tags. I wonder if non-res are selling like that, too. In years past, we've bought ours in mid-Sept.

Hi Rock Chuck,

I hope that you're successful in finding a tag.

When I started hunting elk, I caught on that hunting elk during OTC hunts was extremely difficult. After a few seasons, I went with the flow: trying to get in a premium area. After a few OTC hunts, I knew I was done with them. I saw more hunters in Colorado during an OTC elk hunt than people at Disneyland on a summer holiday.

I began acquiring bonus points. After about ten years, I could have gotten in a great area, but years of orthopedic surgeries just about ended my hunting career. But I continued applying for bonus points. Finally I had enough to get in what some call the best trophy elk unit in the USA. After this year's hunt, I will go back to acquiring bonus points. While I know I'll won't live long enough to get back in to the area I will hunt this year, I think that 10 ought to get me in a great area I know. It's where I hunt mule deer. I have seen monster bulls in that area.

As long as I don't schedule any more scalpel dates, I ought to be able to hunt, hopefully, 10 more years. My surgeon has told me that eventually my left shoulder will have to be replaced. If I can't prevent it, such a surgery will assuredly end my hunting career.

You might want to try for cow permits if it's meat you're after. Many states offer OTC cow permits after drawings. I have never shot a cow elk, nor have I applied for a cow elk tag. It's not that I am opposed to shooting a cow elk. I would were it only meat I was after. I want a legitimate chance at an authentic trophy bull. I'll settle for less, but it's the chance of a trophy that I'm after.

BTW, a 418 bull was taken out of the unit I'll be hunting this September. So I know that I have at least a chance at shooting a trophy bull. Whether Mother Nature cooperates is another story entirely. If I knew I was going to shoot a trophy bull, it's be called shooting as opposed to hunting, and I want to go hunting, not shooting.

Rock, I wish you the absolute best.

Does anybody get away from the roads anymore?

Got to agree with huntsman. I hunt Colorado every year and hardly see any other hunters once past a certain distance.

Pfffff!
That's just crazy talk.
You can't have a handy bar & grill without roads...

Hey Rock that kind of sounds like the same dilemma for all of us 60 year old non-residents. Long drive, no scouting.

At least until I just started accepting cow tags and hunting the same area of Wyoming. Still got the long drive but I am learning the country.

Best of luck on your hunt.

Are you looking at the Sawtooth Wilderness? I spent a week backpacking there and it can definitely get vertical.

Rock, that is a shame I really like the Stanley area and will spend a week there again this year trying to find a wolf. I will then head to Salmon which is mostly new country for me and I can commiserate about the steepness. However tough I never have to fight the crowds in Idaho. With any luck the Steelhead will arrive before I depart. Good luck w/ your hunt.

mike r

Well, ya won't see SanSuzy there, then.....

Lucky me.

mike r

We've been hunting mostly cows for the last few years but always in draw hunts. There are very few OTC cow tags in the south half of the state. I have a string of very experienced llamas who are adept at getting the meat out but some of those mountains are daunting even for them, let alone a horse. They do let us get back in farther than most day hunters, though.

You'll prolly see more WA residents over there now that most of western Washington timberland has went to pay access.

Hunting away from roads wasn't the problem. ATV's can be one hell of a problem. And I ain't met a CO hunter yet that didn't own an ATV. Anyway, I was in S/W Colorado. It was one of the better OTC areas, which made it very popular. I wouldn't doubt that it's a draw area now. Anyway, hunter orange was everywhere. And regardless of how far one hiked in, one could periodically hear the hum of a distant ATV.

I knew the area because I knew a couple guys that lived there. I was dialed in to a good area. Apparently, resident elk hunters knew of it, too. One of the spots I was told to try looked like a damned parking lot. Nearly all plates were Colorado with Texas plates not too far behind. I didn't even try.

The area where we hunt mule deer in Utah is one of the most remote areas I've ever hunted. We're probably the only hunters with out-of-state plates. I have seen huge bulls in that area. Beginning next year, I'm going to start accumulating bonus points for that area. While it isn't the best trophy area in Utah, it ain't hard to find 360-class bulls.

If I ever tried to hunt CO again, it would be mule deer in a limited draw area on the west side of the state. If you hunt CO, you probably know of the area of which I'm referring. It's pretty darn popular. It is hard hunting, but there are some big mule deer in there.

You won't see me anywhere, but I've seen your mug behind the wheel of your pick up, stirring up a contrail miles long, while you were drooling Skoal down your drawers. You made the front cover of "Western Road Hunter" that year. I still can't figure out if you shot that spike buck or if you ran it over with your pick up while you were stuffing more snuff in your spout.

good one, Suze.....

If you didn't try to hunt you shouldn't complain about how bad the hunting was. I have seen a lot of big animals hit the dirt in areas with lots of hunters




You have basically just described everything west of I-25

Much of southern Idaho's good elk country isn't available to atv's. In some places they're illegal but more often the terrain is just too steep and rocky to use them off the roads. I have a '99 atv and in all those years, I've packed exactly 1 elk with it. The rest have been on by foot or with llamas.