Idaho Sawtooth N/R elk tags go on sale 5/11 at 10 am mt

[Huntin' Fool]

They'll sell out quick. Thought I'd help some out here. A or B - it will be a good tag this fall.

 

[blueridge]

Sold out in less than 2 minutes.

 

[CouesKelly]

Had a B tag in my cart- could't check out fast enough! Anybody know a trick to snag these tags quickly? Gonna try again for a turned in tag on the last Thursday of the month opportunity.

 

[Antler Dad]

Got 2 Elk B tags for me and my son!! Me and my wife did it on 2 separate computers simultaneously.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

lol one area I have not and probably will never hunt..... just an FYI there’s better units to hunt.
Matt

 

[Nambaster]

I agree with Matt. There is a lot of Hype for the Sawtooth tags and most everyone who camps at a chance to buy them ends up disappointed. Idaho has much better units.

 

[ida homer]

I agree with Matt. There is a lot of Hype for the Sawtooth tags and most everyone who camps at a chance to buy them ends up disappointed. Idaho has much better units.

+1

I've hunted it off and on since 2010. My uncle and cousins have hunted it since the 80's. Everyone wants a tag because everyone wants a tag.
You want what you can't have.

I hunted the "B" tag last year, ran into multiple NR's and residents that were struggling to find elk. They
all seemed defeated, let down & surprised. They have been general units for decades. They don't have big bull genetics. It is the epicenter
of the western wolf reintroduction. There are some pockets of good elk hunting in there, but you gotta work. I enjoy hunting the zone,
but local knowledge helps of course.

 

[Irrelevant]

+1

I've hunted it off and on since 2010. My uncle and cousins have hunted it since the 80's. Everyone wants a tag because everyone wants a tag.
You want what you can't have.

I hunted the "B" tag last year, ran into multiple NR's and residents that were struggling to find elk. They
all seemed defeated, let down & surprised. They have been general units for decades. They don't have big bull genetics. It is the epicenter
of the western wolf reintroduction. There are some pockets of good elk hunting in there, but you gotta work. I enjoy hunting the zone,
but local knowledge helps of course.

Interesting, I've spent quite a bit of time in that unit just recreating the last 5 years during the summers and I would disagree. But I don't live there and have never hunted it the fall.

 

[brymoore]

I spend a lot of time in the unit and my experience is similar to Matt’s (twsnow). It’s a general unit on tag restrictions because of below average elk numbers. Can you find elk? Yes. Can you find an average bull? Yes. Is it a above average unit? No.

IDFG has trouble communicating that is it restricting tags in some units because the animal numbers are below average and need less hunting to recover. These downgrades shouldn’t be a signal to hunters that the unit is now a tag more valuable than a general tag.

 

[ida homer]

I spend a lot of time in the unit and my experience is similar to Matt’s (twsnow). It’s a general unit on tag restrictions because of below average elk numbers. Can you find elk? Yes. Can you find an average bull? Yes. Is it a above average unit? No.

IDFG has trouble communicating that is it restricting tags in some units because the animal numbers are below average and need less hunting to recover. These downgrades shouldn’t be a signal to hunters that the unit is now a tag more valuable than a general tag.

Nailed it, 100%.

Everyones grandpa hunted around Stanley for elk back in the hay day, so that also adds to the demand.

 

[Idhikker]

Nailed it, 100%.

Everyones grandpa hunted around Stanley for elk back in the hay day, so that also adds to the demand.

My grandpa hunted east of Cascade in the Sawtooth Zone. Really broke the mold. Haha

 

[kwyeewyk]

In my limited research of Idaho this zone came up as one of the higher success rates, I assumed that was part of the high demand, are the harvest stat numbers misleading? Outfitter supported maybe?

 

[Steelhead556]

I hunted it last year with a deer tag, buddy had a B elk tag. The pressure was high all around stanley, we did not fill our tags. I found enough sign in a couple places I might consider an A tag assuming less atvs and wall camps, but there werent many deer there either.
Atv use beyond trails and on motorcycle trails. Might consider wilderness if the game was there.
Learning opportunity, great views, lots of pressure in mid October

 

[ida homer]

Everyone wants to hunt the nice sage brush / lodge pole interfaces with nice views in 36. Much easier to glass and make stalks.

Easier to get away from the pressure in the other 3 units because no one wants to deal with that deadfall and brush. I have found decent bulls
that I'm convinced are un-killable. That's my barrel.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

That's my barrel.

I've waded through some similar brush fields in the Lolo. It's enough to make a guy lose his mind at times.

 

[Idhikker]

Everyone wants to hunt the nice sage brush / lodge pole interfaces with nice views in 36. Much easier to glass and make stalks.

Easier to get away from the pressure in the other 3 units because no one wants to deal with that deadfall and brush. I have found decent bulls
that I'm convinced are un-killable. That's my barrel.

View attachment 140331

TW, what the heck happened with your awesome WY elk thread and your starter packs (sorry the one guy was annoying about it)? The people want more.

 

[Huntin' Fool]

I'm a retired forest surveyor. That is some tough cruising. Worked all over the northern rockies in my younger days. In northern Idaho and western Montana the alder thickets and pacific yew can slow you down too.