Idaho General Deer Hunt

[DaveA27]

Started on a different thread and thought it was more appropriate here. I'm from Idaho and have really started pushing hard the last few years as my sons are now becoming teenagers and able to hike and hunt more aggressively.

For anyone hunting general season deer in Idaho, have you seen significant decline in number and quality in the last half-dozen years? I keep hearing stories of "the way it used to be" and "it ain't like it once was". Is it obvious that the general deer season is taking a turn for the worst in Idaho?

 

[brymoore]

We’ve had two significant winter kills in the last five years. One was 100% of fawns, the other 50%.

 

[Xbolt]

Thats just idaho residents trying to discourage anyone from hunting the state.
Google it and idaho is ranked 2nd for trophy quality mule deer #1being colorado.
Idaho has tremendous mule deer and elk hunting in many of the general units "dont let. This wolf /bad winter/over crowded bullshit discourage you. Idahos deer & elk numbers are growing
They are just about on par with montana's elk population
Id=120,000. MT=138,000
We do extremely well every year. in idaho for deer and elk

 

[44hunter45]

I'm no biologist but....

I have seen significant drops in age class for mule deer in Units 14 and 18.
I hunted the Salmon side 20 years ago on private and there were 190+ bucks everywhere (we had doe depredation tags). All that land is owned by Texas corporations now and locked up tight. IDFG tells me that where I hunted mule deer then is now firmly whitetail territory.

It is true that there were major winter kills in the last decade, and a disease die-off. This winter may have the potential to do it again.Cheat Grass has left a mark in Idaho as well.

To look at it more empirically, you have to go to the B&C records. Ryan Hatfield's two volumes, "Idaho's Greatest Mule Deer" make it pretty plain that there are fewer entries in the books in recent years. Right now, Ryan is the SME.

I don't have any monster deer hanging on my wall, but I would not pass on one. A great experience and the chance to tag a 4 1/2 YO buck is still there.

Even Jack O'Connor only had one Idaho Mule Deer in the books. It came out of Unit 13.

 

[Red Fox]

I hunted 10 of the 14 day season, didn't see a single buck. We scouted two days before season finding a drainage with 2-4points in and on opening day there was over a dozen hunters there as I watched the bucks run into MT. This is the first time I hunted for deer this early so hard to say if this is normal. May go back to the whitetail only take next year so I can hunt later as I never seen anyone else out that time of year.

 

[wyoboypt]

My buddy up in northern Idaho says wolves have changed the numbers a lot.

 

[FI460]

I've hunted northern Idaho almost every November since 2008. I stopped hunting my favorite spot in 2015 due to pressure.

I moved to a nearby spot with poorer visibility. I don't believe I've experienced a decline in deer numbers. I just dont get as good a look at each individual deer.

I see more people than I did 12 years ago, but no fewer deer.

 

[DaveA27]

I took my son up this morning for a doe hunt. I've hunted this same draw 4 years in a row, all on the last week of the season. Normally see a single truck at the bottom and might run into a hunter. This morning, we parked next to 4 trucks and we were sharing the mountain with 4 other groups.

I don't have a depth of experience, but this year, in the easy to reach spots, I have seen more than almost all of the previous years combined. Wonder if it's CoVid, or the ridiculous wave of new people moving into Idaho. It was a real bummer. We chased 5 does up the drainage, but they got bumped by a group that was walking right up the creek bottom.

Time to find a new spot!

 

[Noah roberts]

Beware going into owyhee county Idaho. The people in charge there are rabid Biden supporters the sheriff hired to run the place. They are anti-gun and anti-hunting. they harass hunters and look for reasons to confiscate harvested game and guns. I hear they are going to ramp up a huge assault weapons confiscation campaign if Biden wins. My advice is to stay out of the way of any LE in that county.

 

[2rocky]

Beware going into owyhee county Idaho. The people in charge there are rabid Biden supporters the sheriff hired to run the place. They are anti-gun and anti-hunting. they harass hunters and look for reasons to confiscate harvested game and guns. I hear they are going to ramp up a huge assault weapons confiscation campaign if Biden wins. My advice is to stay out of the way of any LE in that county.

Noah, I appreciate your attempt at humor. Welcome to Hunt Talk. I'm gonna go down to Grasmere, or maybe Murphey with a Biden sign. I'm sure you will be there to help me greet all the supporters that want to shake my hand....
After hanging out with the Tindalls, Nettletons, and Mike Hanley from JV, I know I can find plenty of wolf loving pacifists to commune with....


Tell us a little about yourself

 

[Noah roberts]

It wasn’t a joke, you should ask the Nettleton’s about the two liberals from nampa and what the have planned. Not Very many people know because they are keeping it quiet. Maybe you know someone in the sheriff dept there. They would confirm it.

 

[Noah roberts]

Me, I’m retired and love hunting elk. I live in south Idaho. I get a cow tag in unit 41 every year, but after what I’ve heard, I’m going for 46.

 

[HuntDon]

I think deer numbers are down across the state. Is it a significant decline? I don't know. While out in the mountains I saw more elk than ever. I personally think the elk population is growing which could contribute to deer having less habitat. IDFG recently posted this on their website: https://idfg.idaho.gov/press/winter-surveys-show-high-numbers-mule-deer-fawns-upper-snake. Good news for the future of deer here in Idaho.

 

[1_pointer]

Started on a different thread and thought it was more appropriate here. I'm from Idaho and have really started pushing hard the last few years as my sons are now becoming teenagers and able to hike and hunt more aggressively.

For anyone hunting general season deer in Idaho, have you seen significant decline in number and quality in the last half-dozen years? I keep hearing stories of "the way it used to be" and "it ain't like it once was". Is it obvious that the general deer season is taking a turn for the worst in Idaho?

I don't know of a mule deer locale where that isn't the story...

A pard in ID said he saw much fewer decent to big bucks this year, but did find quite a few smaller ones. He attributes this to the winterkill a few years back. Hard to have 5yo bucks when a whole bunch of the fawns died 5yrs ago...

 

[MlyHunter35]

I have hunted Idaho the last 4 years in a row. It isnt easy and I cant compare it to what it was but I can say its been fun and I still have killed bucks on 50% of my tags so its been worth it to me. I have seen several 4+ year old bucks even in the more heavily hit winter kill areas of southeast idaho.