Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Idaho fly-in hunts, any recommendations?

Tons of backcountry airstrips in that state, anyone have any recommendations for a fly-in dropoff DIY hunt? I've never hunted ID, just was through McCall a while back and got to thinking about giving it a try some year. Maybe for a buck. Any experiences, good/bad/indifferent? Thanks in advance.
sd

Maybe Flying B ranch in the Middle fork of the Salmon. Can't speak of them but I was thru there and it looked like an intresting place.

Don't waste your time the wolfs have been cleaning house, don't settle for bread crumbs. I hunted the Chamberlain Basin in the frank Church of No Return Wilderness will never do it again. Do a search on this forum and AR and you will find lots of sound advice.

It's doable. I did it with a pard for bighorns. IMO, a great adventure is to fly in and hunt from a raft on the river. Way good times!

I've flown into the Flying B many times, also landed at the forest service strip a mile down the river at Bernard, kind of a spooky place to land.
Haven't been in there for a number of years & I've heard the deer & elk have been severely over hunted........by wolves.
You can fly out of Challis or Salmon & its a short flight, you will need reservations to stay at the Flying B. I think they probably still have my sourdough recipe for hot cakes (flippers).
The Mahoney air strip up the river is another good place to land if the air is right, probably the same thing with the wolves though.
Dick

Friends used to fly in there every year for elk and deer. Stoped a few year ago because of the wolves. I know an outfitter in there and he says the same. Wolves have decimated the deer elk moose in that area.
Shame

Dont come to Idaho. Our hunting has seriously declined. Bad winters over hunting and the wolves have really decimated the game populations. I have packed into the frank church since I was kid. We havent gone back for the last 5 years due to the above.If you want to hunt Idaho as a non resident start applying for draw hunts.

I flew into Moose Creek from Orofino in '93, 96, and '99. My dad and I hunted with Ken Smith of 62 Ridge Outfitters. I've kept in touch with him since and they moved into another area towards Boise. He said the hunting was not as good as it used to be but did not go into details. It was beautiful, tough country and some of the best memories hunting with my Dad.

RH

Why not Wyoming? hunting much better succes rates a lot better. If you want a back country hunt in Oregon, Reds Horse Ranch in NE, Oregon on the Minam River. But you can also drive to the ranch, from there its all wilderness. Good luck on your search.

eagle Cap in NE OR remote area with good elk and deer pops.

That is where I am heading this year

Superdave It is hard to beat Colorado deer unless you get into some special hunts like the southern Utah Paunsaugant etc... which can be expensive and good luck getting a tag. The Bookcliffs have historically been good find a secluded spot.
If I were to do a fly in I'd go to Schaffer Meadows MT. or Jarbidge wilderness in north central NV. Not sure on an actual strip in NV. just have the pilot drop you off on an unmarked airstrip. During hunting season all the pilot/hunter enthusiasts seem to congregate around designated air strips. They are thinking the same thing you are.
A couple of years ago I drew a deer tag in Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness. I had a hunting outfit pack me in on horses and drop me off solo for a week. The country is absolutely breath taking but did not see a single deer but I heard the wolfs. They are slowly moving into the area. The bucks are in the 21-24" category, occasionally some one gets lucky with a 28".
The best remote hunting I found is float hunting. If the area is not to your liking float aways and continue hunting. You are not stuck in one spot as in drop camp. You don' have to pay high flying fees and you can use the same raft year after year. You do't have to maintain animal stock or wrangler it frees you up to relax and hunt. Summer rafting can be tons of fun while scouting for the hunting season. Just my humble opinion. Good luck to you.
Charles

After living some 40 years in McCall and the vicinity,that ain't such a good idea anymore.It use to be..Hooking up with Arnold aviation out of Cascade and McCall air service used to provide some good hunting at different ranches and airstrips throughout central Idaho.Now days it is a crap shoot to find Elk back in.There still are some there but not in the numbers of old.

Find the wolves these days and you will find the Elk.

Jayco

Thanks guys. That all sounds about like the word-of-mouth advice I'm hearing too. I'm just looking for new and interesting buck hunts that won't break the bank. I wasn't sure if the wolves were hammering the deer as bad as the elk.

CO is good, I'm just starting to think how many tags I'm actually going to draw over the next couple decades and it's a little depressing. That leads a guy to start applying all around him and hope for better odds.

Flying into a backcountry strip, depending on where it's at, just sounds like a reasonable good to get a headstart into some wilderness areas. Could be fun with or without a punched tag.

Thanks again.

sd

That's what it is all about and you would have the time of your life...

Jayco

Here is a link to McCall Aviation/Salmon Air. These boys can take you to any back country strip you want in Idaho.

http://www.mccallaviation.com/

Good luck.

L.W.

That's where we filled up the P210. Reading their literature in the FBO got me thinking about it. Of course, it's all written to make it sound like the land of milk, honey, and B&C entries. I still think it could be some big fun, just need to research the area and odds more.