Weiser River Elk

[Maxxis31]

I was curious if anyone would be willing to share a little info about the Weiser river unit. I'm kind of hoping since most of Weiser river is pretty mellow country that most of the people will be in the easier stuff. I will be archery hunting, and know finding elk in crowded units typically means nasty country which is OK with me. I will be on solo and am most likely going to be hunting and camping off my back since I could easily end up somewhere very quickly that I don't want to hike back out of in the dark.

I know a lot of guys talk about the unit being overcrowded but honestly, after doing the math there are way fewer people per acre than in the area I hunt here at home. I archery hunt a unit that has over double the number of archery hunters and is about 15% smaller than any of the units in Weiser River.

Any info or advice on elevation and what types of terrain elk tend to be found in or even not hanging in would be helpful, places that are crowded would be helpful so I could do everyone a favor and avoid those spots. Also, I am curious how many people actually use motorcycles to hunt, I've hunted several units in ID with my bow and most have single tracks and I cannot remember seeing a motorcycle with a bow onboard one time. I know a lot of people hunt off of ATV's and UTV's but I'm hoping the open motorcycle trails are just used by enduro guys out of a joy ride.

I plan to make several trips over prior to the season but that's a long way away and I will be doing a lot of map scouting until then. I will also most likely drive down and see what's wintering up off of the river to get a good idea of what kind of bulls I should expect. I'm planning on hunting in ID for about 18 days total and can hunt longer if that's what it takes. I'm also not planning on putting an arrow into anything except a mature bull so the likely hood of me eating the tag is high.

Thanks in advance for any info,
PM's Prefered

 

[Elkmagnet]

Check Idahos motor vehicle restrictions.
31 has a lot of private land issues and crowding read Idahos trespassing law carefully.

 

[Maxxis31]

Check Idahos motor vehicle restrictions.
31 has a lot of private land issues and crowding read Idahos trespassing law carefully.

31 is next door (Brownlee Zone), but 22 is in the unit and the motorized hunting rule doesn't apply, 32 & 32a the motorized hunting rule is in effect though. I believe that means all of the ATV and Motorcycle trails are open through the season in 22 but not in the other 2.

 

[Elkmagnet]

My apologies I ment 32.
Your thoughts are all good so far.

 

[BackofBeyond]

Lots of elk up Rock Creek!

 

[MTLabrador]

Lots of elk up Rock Creek!

Rock Creek IN MONTANA THO

 

[BackofBeyond]

I hunted 22 for several years, shoot me a PM with any questions and I’ll do what J can to answer them.

 

[brymoore]

31 is next door (Brownlee Zone), but 22 is in the unit and the motorized hunting rule doesn't apply, 32 & 32a the motorized hunting rule is in effect though. I believe that means all of the ATV and Motorcycle trails are open through the season in 22 but not in the other 2.

It might be the worse unit I have seen for violating the motor vehicle laws. People drive everywhere. Miles past gated trailheads. This was archery hunters. Lots of road hunting too.

32/32a aren’t backpacking units. There’s no reason to backpack to get only two miles from the road. I haven’t hunted 22.

Lots of private land. It does cause issues with access and herds moving onto private.

You’ll find elk. Elevation isn’t relevant as I’d expect elk to be everywhere in the unit except for the lower Chukar type country. Elk I saw during archery season were pushed into heavy timber.

 

[TheTone]

Rock Creek IN MONTANA THO

Multiple rock creeks in Idaho. I’ve seen elk up one even

 

[Wild Bill]

It might be the worse unit I have seen for violating the motor vehicle laws. People drive everywhere.

Hunted 22 last year and yes, illegal motor vehicles everywhere. Lots of dirt bikes riden off trail.

 

[wa_archer]

Been interested in scouting this area a bit this summer. Had a chance to get the A tag during the Sh@t show that was the NR draw but didnt know a thing about it only hunted the east/central side of the state prior. It is fairly close to where i live in WA though.

 

[Maxxis31]

Been interested in scouting this area a bit this summer. Had a chance to get the A tag during the Sh@t show that was the NR draw but didnt know a thing about it only hunted the east/central side of the state prior. It is fairly close to where i live in WA though.

I was 6700 in line and actually this tag was # 4 or 5 on the list but was all that was left, I plan on making the most out of it!

 

[Martin Heilman]

Good luck....

 

[PrivateIdho]

I was curious if anyone would be willing to share a little info about the Weiser river unit. I'm kind of hoping since most of Weiser river is pretty mellow country that most of the people will be in the easier stuff. I will be archery hunting, and know finding elk in crowded units typically means nasty country which is OK with me. I will be on solo and am most likely going to be hunting and camping off my back since I could easily end up somewhere very quickly that I don't want to hike back out of in the dark.

I know a lot of guys talk about the unit being overcrowded but honestly, after doing the math there are way fewer people per acre than in the area I hunt here at home. I archery hunt a unit that has over double the number of archery hunters and is about 15% smaller than any of the units in Weiser River.

Any info or advice on elevation and what types of terrain elk tend to be found in or even not hanging in would be helpful, places that are crowded would be helpful so I could do everyone a favor and avoid those spots. Also, I am curious how many people actually use motorcycles to hunt, I've hunted several units in ID with my bow and most have single tracks and I cannot remember seeing a motorcycle with a bow onboard one time. I know a lot of people hunt off of ATV's and UTV's but I'm hoping the open motorcycle trails are just used by enduro guys out of a joy ride.

I plan to make several trips over prior to the season but that's a long way away and I will be doing a lot of map scouting until then. I will also most likely drive down and see what's wintering up off of the river to get a good idea of what kind of bulls I should expect. I'm planning on hunting in ID for about 18 days total and can hunt longer if that's what it takes. I'm also not planning on putting an arrow into anything except a mature bull so the likely hood of me eating the tag is high.

Thanks in advance for any info,
PM's Prefered

Hey brother! How did your hunt end up going in 22? I am just finding Hunt talk forums. I wish I would have seen this back in the day. I have hunted that zone my entire life and would have been happy to give you some things to help you out.