Non Resident Idaho Mule Deer

[Hannibal]

How about a slightly different approach? Plan your hunt to include several days or more in each and every one of the units you've mentioned. Your OTC license and deer tag (or tags should you purchase a second tag) allows you to hunt mule deer in each and every unit offering a general season. You won't find any noticeable disparity in deer numbers between any of the units you've been considering unless you're considering hunting mule deer in the Panhandle units. The information provided by members in this thread gives a pretty clear assessment of what you can expect as a first time nonresident deer hunter in Idaho. However, bear in mind that no matter which unit or units you choose to hunt you're going to encounter other hunters, on foot, atv or on horses. And the Frank Church Wilderness is no exception.

 

[jeffraines]

You ready? I've never divulged this info...probably shouldn't.
Find the area with the most road hunters in it, go there and don't road hunt. You're welcome.

This works anywhere FYI. Hell, you get 100 yards off the road and you'll be in deer in areas like this. I've seen some pigs get pulled out of areas that road hunters drive past 100x a day.

 

[huntid73]

+1 on Hannibal's suggestion. I am a resident and have some spots that are pretty locked down, but I still keep my options open. Pre-season I will computer scout and go out and look at areas in three to four different units just in case one area is too pressured or the deer just haven't moved into that spot yet. You might also be surprised how quickly some of the unit boundaries come up on you when you are looking for good areas to hunt. The nice thing about the Idaho general deer tag is that almost the entire state is open to hunt on it.

 

[Fire_9]

Don't be scared of the Frank. It's rugged but I started hunting it at 14 years old without any issues and it is an awesome experience. I have no experience with the rest of the state but I have never had a bad trip into the Frank. As far as logistics it's not that hard to figure out. Call 4 or 5 charter services and figure out which one is the best deal and show up with your gear and pray for good weather. The downside can be the weather. I've had to spend a couple nights in the airport and I've been stuck in the backcountry for a few extra days. I know most of these guys have way more knowledge on hunting Idaho but I would look hard at flying in. It's a great experience. Shoot me a PM if you have any questions

 

[dmcrobb12]

Thanks everyone for the help. I sat down with my brother and showed him what I had all planned out and he never bothered telling me two months ago when I started planning the trip that his final intake for schooling starts October, so it looks like I might start from scratch and we will all be bowhunting. Most OTC zones I liked for rifle were only open Oct10-24th for general. Most the zones I found for archery start August 30th - September 30th. It will be a tough hunt with a bow I imaginebut we will still have a blast. is there anything I should change in my game plan heading early September instead of mid October??

 

[Steelhead]

Hunt higher elevations

 

[Hannibal]

Nope, not a thing. You certainly won't have to deal with the ever present problem of what we refer to in Idaho as "road hunters" during archery season though I wouldn't be too surprised if their "skills" haven't morphed from vehicular firearm to archery methods of hunting. Good luck

 

[dmcrobb12]

Nope, not a thing. You certainly won't have to deal with the ever present problem of what we refer to in Idaho as "road hunters" during archery season though I wouldn't be too surprised if their "skills" haven't morphed from vehicular firearm to archery methods of hunting. Good luck

We have TONS of 'road hunters' here in Alberta, which is why I tend to stick to archery tackle. Does anyone have any experience with unit 21A and unit 30. 21A seems to have a decent success rate.

I've also read that some units have excessive OHV traffic are there any areas in particular I should steer clear of?

Also once I end up picking a Unit I choose to hunt (seems like I will never find one) how does a guy access the land. Is there a way for a guy to find trailheads, or places to leave a truck ect...

I also just wanted to thank all of you for the kind responses. I really appreciate it. I was very hesitant joining this forum and asking for tips being a Canadian and what not. If any of you ever want to hunt Alberta or come fish the west coast of BC let me know. Our rules in Alberta are a lot stricter than yours so if you were to come up you would need a hunter host and I would gladly take any of you guys out.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

I have been researching Idaho as well for a hunt I plan to do this fall. Here are some helpful sites I found:

Can look at trails, roads, etc. here:
https://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis/huntplanner/mapcenter/

Alternatively (and I prefer) for google earth, get unit boundaries here:
https://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis/huntplanner/mapindex.aspx

Get roads, trails, wilderness boundaries, etc. for google earth here:
https://trails.idaho.gov/pages/kmzdownload.html

That is what I'm working with right now. I'll let you know if I find anything else useful as I plan my hunt.

Good luck!

 

[dmcrobb12]

I have been researching Idaho as well for a hunt I plan to do this fall. Here are some helpful sites I found:

Can look at trails, roads, etc. here:
https://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis/huntplanner/mapcenter/

Alternatively (and I prefer) for google earth, get unit boundaries here:
https://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis/huntplanner/mapindex.aspx

Get roads, trails, wilderness boundaries, etc. for google earth here:
https://trails.idaho.gov/pages/kmzdownload.html

That is what I'm working with right now. I'll let you know if I find anything else useful as I plan my hunt.

Good luck!

Thank you that helped out a lot!!

 

[dmcrobb12]

Does anyone have any experiences in 21A for mule deer. I cant seem to find anything on 21A regarding mule deer just elk. I've searched google and other forums such as eastmans, rokslide, biggamehunting.net, and few more and none of them have anything really on 21A.

The harvest stats on 21A seem fairly well. 55 hunters, 28 harvests(52% success rate), 107 days hunted, more does killed then bucks but that doesn't bother us, we just want to see animals and have some fun chasing them around a new area.

 

[Hannibal]

Bro, first time non resident hunters (and resident hunters also) are always confused, frustrated and sometimes overwhelmed by the deer hunting options and opportunities offered when deciding where to hunt in Idaho. Mule deer, whitetails, archery, rifle, Panhandle, Southeast, terrain, statistics etc.. It's enough to cause one to drink. The members who've offered advice have ' been there and done that'. We feel your pain and try to simply the decision making for you but you've got to start somewhere so base your decisions on the experience of others who are more experienced and knowledgeable. You're making things more complicated than is necessary. There won't be any noticeable disparity in deer numbers, public access etc. wherever you go in any or all of the units you've mentioned. So, pick a unit or units, plan your upcoming hunt and enjoy yourself. We promise you, you'll love Idaho and the opportunities it offers wherever you choose to hunt.

 

[dmcrobb12]

Bro, first time non resident hunters (and resident hunters also) are always confused, frustrated and sometimes overwhelmed by the deer hunting options and opportunities offered when deciding where to hunt in Idaho. Mule deer, whitetails, archery, rifle, Panhandle, Southeast, terrain, statistics etc.. It's enough to cause one to drink. The members who've offered advice have ' been there and done that'. We feel your pain and try to simply the decision making for you but you've got to start somewhere so base your decisions on the experience of others who are more experienced and knowledgeable. You're making things more complicated than is necessary. There won't be any noticeable disparity in deer numbers, public access etc. wherever you go in any or all of the units you've mentioned. So, pick a unit or units, plan your upcoming hunt and enjoy yourself. We promise you, you'll love Idaho and the opportunities it offers wherever you choose to hunt.

Thanks Hannibal. This was pretty refreshing to hear. I have been confused, frustrated and overwhelmed trying to figure out where to go. I will take your advice and that of other members and just enjoy it like you say. I continue to look at pictures and watch videos and I cant wait to make it down there. Idaho seems like an amazing place and I'm probably getting to excited to early. I guess I let the planning part of it drive me nuts but I wont let it happen again. Thanks again!!

 

[Hannibal]

Idaho rules. If you need help 'fine tuning' your hunt send me a pm anytime, eh.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

After you refine the area you are planning to hunt, I use the following site to download maps:

https://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/usg...8&uiarea=2&ctype=areaDetails&carea=$ROOT)/.do

I like to print on 11x17 then cut and tape together multiple maps to make a larger map as opposed to having all the individual ones. You can just do individual maps if that suits you better too. I just like having the bigger picture all in one. Once they're taped together I "laminate" them by just using packaging tape. I'm sure there are better ways, but this has worked for me.

 

[ida homer]

Hannibal nailed it.

The most difficult part about Idaho for NR's is where to start. The number of options and opportunities over the counter is overwhelming. You'll get the grass is greener syndrome when trying to pick units, and that can be your pitfall. It happens to me. I'm always wanting to try new units, areas, etc just to see new country. I don't rely too heavily on unit statistics. The difference between most of the OTC units is negligible, as mentioned above. Harvest statistics are mainly skewed by outfitters, predator counts and land access. And the only way to know most of those variables is time spent in the country.

The guys that seem to do the best pick a unit or two and learn them very well over a 3-5 year period.

 

[Steelhead]

1. Just make up your mind:
Pick a general place and go
2. Adapt:
Have 15 spots picked out within 20 miles of base camp, plan specific hunt routes, 5 or 6 mile hikes, you'll find something cool. Guaranteed.
3. It'll be awesome:
It'll be awesome!!

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Here's a link to the shapefile for land ownership data in Idaho:

http://cloud.insideidaho.org/webApp...a\anonymous\blm\RLTY_SMA_PUB_24K_POLY.shp.xml

You can upload this directly into google earth pro or convert using a program such as QGIS. I was having issues getting some of the polygons to show up in Google Earth, so I ended up using arcgis to split some of the polygons and convert to google earth format. I will PM you with info on how to get that file and save you some of the work if you are interested in it. I always like to look at land ownership to see where I can hunt/can't hunt and potential entry points, etc. The area I'm looking at is almost entirely public, but still nice for entry points.

 

[IdahoRob]

If you are looking at Sept, then I'd rethink the Frank Church. There are places with roads that you can access and camp, then backpack from there on day trips. Plenty of deer and easy to get away from any hunters. You can pickup an elk tag also for the same time. It's not easy terrain by any stretch of the imagination, but beautiful and there are big deer there.

 

[dmcrobb12]

Well with all the advice from everyone on this forum and a few others we have the trip planned. We're going a little different route with the style of hunt we initially had. We will be staying at Waters Edge RV park in north fork (used to be called Josephines) we booked for a week second week of September. After talking with a few biologists and fish and game in the area they said we'd have a good chance at elk, so its a deer and elk hunt favored towards elk if conditions are right. We hope to hit pre rut. In Alberta that's the best time to call in bulls I find before they're cowed up. We will be bringing the 4 wheelers to get to locations a couple locals were willing to share with us, park the quads in the morning and head out hunt all day then come back to camp. I figured this will give us more opportunities to see different areas and places we enjoy for future years. I'll still be bringing my pack incase I want to hike back and spend a night. We'll see though. I'm just happy I am not stressing over it anymore. We will be hunting Unit 21 and 21A.

I cant thank you all enough for the help you guys have been. If you have any other pointers id love to hear them! you've all been great.