Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Idaho results

Struck out, tough year. Come on coues deer and Montana antelope

Struck out myself. Going over the counter.

Oldest daughter and I drew an early buck tag and an extra doe. Good news after striking out in Wyoming yesterday. Should be a good year in Idaho.

My son drew unit 40 late rifle deer.

Congrats to Thomas!! That will be a super fun hunt for you guys!

Thank you 805!!!
Im really excited for him.
He and I drew a late rifle deer tags here in Cali too.
Gonna be a fun fall!!!!

Nada for me as well.

I’ll be slumming it OTC again this year. I’m used to it. I’ve drawn one tag in 26 years.

Dave

Zilch. We've drawn our favorite cow hunt 5 years in a row but missed this year. We'd applied for low % hunts for deer and antelope so missing on those is no surprise. There are plenty of open deer hunts.

No luck this year

Kid got a 45 Deer License. He's stoked!

First bull draw tag in 24yrs of trying

Zip. Neighbor drew bull moose in 1-1. Took him 6 years. His wife drew a few years ago in 3 years. Lucky folks.

My 12 year old son drew one of the best late season desert Trophy bull tags in the state as well a extra youth doe tag. He also has a Wyoming cow tag. Could shoot two deer and two elk this year 😳

Shiit, some members kiddos did well. Good luck boys, don’t forget to post pics, some epic tags got drawn here!! 👍

Here are the pics from what I'll get with my tags from the draw.
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I got nothing, again. I am sure glad you don't have to draw for Wolf tags.


mike r

Cheap and you can buy 15 of them.

the 1st year they were delisted I bought 5 NR tags. That may have been a little optimistic but I discovered the Sawtooth Vallley. Walking around Idaho while carrying a rifle is pretty cool.


mike r

I had 2 on me last year.
Sure as heck, you dont have them and you will surely see them.

My kid will have one come November.

I've found wolf tracks many times but I've only seen them once and was in a pickup at the time. They don't stick around waiting for you to stop and get out a gun. 2 years ago, I was tracking some deer along a ridge in fresh snow. It had quit snowing only an hour before and the tracks had no new snow in them. Suddenly, the tracks took off at a run down off the ridge. I knew I hadn't spooked them so what did? A few more steps and I crossed at least 5 sets of wolf tracks coming up the side of the ridge, also made since the snow stopped. I was close but never saw them.

Put in for a cow tag. Struck out.

I always put in for Cali Sheep in Idaho, so I can't put in for the good deer or elk draws. I guess the 2nd draw is always an opportunity...

Dave, everyone always touts Idaho’s draw system, I’ve applied for deer, elk and antelope, all 3 for 20 years, haven’t drawn a damn thing...

Jud,

I know many don’t like Idaho’s approach, but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Preference points and bonus points are a pyramid scheme imho, and screw incoming hunters like my son and daughter.

Idaho’s system may suck....but it sucks equally for all of us.

I only apply for REALLY good tags (with low draw odds), so I can’t really complain and I’m certainly never surprised when I don’t. It is what it is. I usually manage to do okay with the OTC tags.

Dave

Do Powerball or MegaMillions give preference points? Nobody seems to complain about that. You take your chances equally with everyone else who buys a ticket.

Idaho's system is the only fair one. I've been persistent and lucky. Points and bonus point systems are a cash cow for the F&G outfits, nothing more!
Just my opinion
Good Luck and Good Hunting
Lj

I got a lifetime license before I left the state...which means my name gets thrown in the hat with the residents. I always put in for a Cali sheep tag so obviously odds still suck but I'm running right at 20 years trying. It's frustrating but is what it is.....

no luck here.

Ed

1 Archery Antelope tag - haven't drawn a rifle tag for deer or elk in way too long. Open rifle deer hunts = shoot a 2 point on opening day or don't get a deer. Archery hunts have become extremely crowded. I'm lucky I'm as old as I am and got to see what it was like before the State's population doubled and the Idaho Department of Money (err Fish and Game) fixed the draw system.......

I consistently draw elk tags in 3 different states. I WANT TO HUNT, i could care about big bulls, big, bucks or other "big" animals, I just want to hunt. So if you want to draw a tag and hunt, put in for cow tags, spike tags, late season opportunities. It's not about the size of the animal it's about HUNTING. There are numerous outlets online as well as on F&G websites that show you draw percentages, success ratios, and the like using them is easy, even for a computer idiot as myself.

is there a lottery oversight for drawing? I think they should publish the result.

It's certainly not as good as when I started hunting Idaho in the mid-80s, but there are still a lot of good bucks and bulls to be killed in Idaho with OTC tags. Unless people stop having babies, that dynamic isn't fixable by anyone or any "system".

Most importantly to me (and most Idaho hunters I know), there still a LOT of OTC tags available. States like Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and the like might have easier hunts and bigger animals on average, but none of them offer the opportunity Idaho does for the "average" guy to simply go out and pursue bucks/bulls/bears year after year.

Any changes that decrease those OTC opportunities is movement in the wrong direction imho. You know what they say about opinions though.

Dave

Gonna have to be some management changes in several states as well, Washington, Oregon and Idaho for sure. States Oregon and Wyoming where the lions share of permits go to max point holders are flawed too, unless you got in on the ground floor, like I did in Wyoming a guy will never hunt one of the premier units more than once if he’s lucky. I’m still greedily holding onto my Wyoming points, waiting for the best units. Until then I’ll bitch about draw systems, or be happier than a pig in shiit when I draw!! Until then there’s several hunts a guy can do yearly if he’s savvy and snoops around a little.

Correct. Lots of them. Every year.
The average may be a 2x2 but that's because lots of folks shoot the first legal thing they see. There's nothing wrong with that, but plenty of mature deer and elk are in the general areas.

A 2x2 mulie will often be hanging out with a bunch of does his 1st year. Those who hunt near the roads will find him as the does are easier to find. The bigger bucks will be high and hidden, not with the does until the rut starts in Nov.

Younger boy drew the 55/57 youth buck tag for the Oct.5-31 timeframe. Have heard that there are some large-ish 2x2s in that neck of the woods!

Lots of places have bigger 2x2s, but units 55 and 57 sure have some big 4x4s too. The genetics are there, no doubt.

Good luck with that hunt.

I like 2x2's.😂😂😂

55 will be a great hunt.post pics.

Killing Tomorrow’s Trophy's Today..... 🤣

I got a wolf in Wyoming a couple of years ago. The are classified as predators in parts of the state and he walked by me while I was watching a clear cut for elk. I have seen at least 8 or 9 since they were reintroduced.

If any y'all have input on Idaho 55/57, I'm all ears. Have heard so far to go high, go low and go middle...all the bases covered! The kid is sturdy and we can be anywhere public in that unit at any time, for any length of time, barring feet of snow.

55/57 are almost flat land compared to units to the north like 48, 49, & 50

Pretty excited, this will be my daughter's first year hunting. We drew an extra doe tag, whitetail, and she also drew a youth cow tag.

I see deer and elk tags are now sold out.. wow rough economy!! 😂😂

Got drawn for unit 41 Late Buck Mule Deer. Hoping I can time it right and get there when the Rut/Migration are a factor.

Nice draw! 👍