Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Idaho unit 46 dispersed camping

happy Sunday Gents,

I was fortunate enough to get a unit 46 general deer tag for this coming season. I've never been past Glenn's Ferry so that part of the world is a new adventure for this old flat lander.
I've downloaded the hunt area into google maps and started forming somewhat of a game plan. I plan to be boots on the ground Oct 1 and spend the time prior to opener trying to find a deer or two to hunt. Not looking to pick anyone's brain about deer as I have plenty of time to scout.

I've got the wall tent camp and side by side ready to go. I'm planning to head down to the southwest corner of the unit and start in the area between clover creek and the brunneau river..

Would anyone comment on dispersed camping areas or the campgrounds that exist - water is the main need, wood and scenery second and third.. Gonna take in extra fuel when it's time to hunt as it looks to be a looooong way to anywhere down yonder..

This trip is my retirement gift to me.. Gonna spend the entire month of October in Idaho or a combination of Idaho and Wyoming.. Me and the dog Ranger have an adventure planned.

Unit 46 is largely managed by the BLM and State, millions of acres there so camping will not be a problem. You will need a good map or a tool like onx Hunt its a app you can put on your phone and will help you find your way around. There are a few good gravel roads in the unit and hundreds of miles of two track for access. It will be hot, and is not heavily populated with deer. Vegetation is sparse, I would concentrate along the canyon rims and water. There are some others here who live near there who will hopefully chime in.

I am not following you…a general tag for only unit 46, or you got a general tag and plan to hunt unit 46?

As far as camping, there may be a few developed BLM campgrounds down there but it is legal to just pull off established roads onto a wide spot and camp, as long as you're on public ground. Water is tough to come by down there unless you’re in the canyons.

General season tag specific to unit 46

Thanks for the feedback fellas.

General season deer tag implies anywhere in idaho , i had one last year.

Huh…unless things have changed recently there isn’t a unit specific general deer tag in Idaho.

Good luck, in any event.

I don’t believe Idaho has any more general tags. They are all zones specific. If you have a unit 46 tag that is the only unit that you can hunt.

This is a recent (2022) change I believe.
Resident hunters must have finally had enough of the Non-Resident SNAFU.

And I think the NR quota was reduced as well. Made BOY happy...

I have no doubt…I’m surprised he hasn’t told me all about it, multiple, multiple times. He and I are hanging out right now, as a matter of fact.

Best thing I ever did before leaving Idaho was get my lifetime license, so these non-resident restrictions don’t affect me and I haven’t paid attention.

Unit 46 is big and it's dry. It's mostly BLM land and you can camp anywhere...although I would avoid the Saylor Creek Bombing range. There's actually lots of water out there but it's all in the bottoms of deep canyons. There are no campgrounds or potable water supplies. You might do well to filter any water you take out of creeks. Just because the map shows a creek doesn't mean it's wet. Many of them are seasonal and October is in the off season.

Years ago we hunted the Clover Creek canyon near the Juniper Ranch a lot and there were some very nice bucks. Back then, the season was in November, during the rut. They changed the season to Oct and that made a big difference. In Oct, the deer aren't there, or at least they stay well hidden. Once in a while, I'll go back out there during the season but I haven't seen any bucks in the last several trips. I just like the area. Clover Creek canyon is a wintering area. I don't know where they migrate in from but normally they don't move in until after the season.

If you take an ATV, there are many miles of single track roads. The BLM has miles of fences for grazing allotments and sometimes you'll drive a road for miles to find a gate. Some of those wire gates are a real bear to get open and closed. Always leave a gate open or shut like you found it.

Usually Oct is dry but it you should get a good amount of rain, the soil is treacherous. The bottom will go out of the roads and you can easily get very stuck. Winching yourself out only works if you have something to hook the cable to and sagebrush isn't strong enough.

Thanks much Rock Chuck. Great info. This is an adventure far more than a hunt. Pulling the trigger is secondary.

Is he up there or are you at his place? I've been waiting to see some dead turkey pics from him.

We are in the north country on the adventure of a lifetime, in more ways than one.

I am listening to that annoying, high pitched noise he makes as we impatiently wait for weather to clear and baggage to arrive.

Native wimminz and brews are on the day’s curriculum again. Many very, very homo things have been said and gestured, again. You’d be proud.

Turkeys are going to have to wait till late April this year.

Good luck! He can get a bit antsy when waiting on weather. LOL.