Semi-Live Whitetail trip. Somewhere in Idaho. -OR- how Mark learned to STHU and just enjoy the tag

[Wild Bill]

Turned into a chainsaw trip.
Connected the two ends of the road. Had to cut out 5 snags. Started with the one that turned me around last week.

Every one of them had the alpine torn up from people driving around

Let’s see them drive around now. Heyduke Lives!
View attachment 376447
Had time to record an IG rant about people who spend $30k on a SxS but can’t buy a chainsaw.View attachment 376450

Good work. That pissed me off everywhere I see it.
I was turkey hunting with a friend who kept driving wide of 4-6” deep puddles on top of gravel. Finally I explained to him how he was damaging the adjacent ground by avoiding the puddle and he looked at me like I was from Mars. Though the was smarter than that. Guess he needed to get learnt.

 

[westbranch]

Turned into a chainsaw trip.
Connected the two ends of the road. Had to cut out 5 snags. Started with the one that turned me around last week.

Every one of them had the alpine torn up from people driving around

Let’s see them drive around now. Heyduke Lives!

Had time to record an IG rant about people who spend $30k on a SxS but can’t buy a chainsaw.

Or if they do have a saw, they cut it only wide enough for the SxS and you can't fit a pickup thru.

 

[44hunter45]

Or if they do have a saw, they cut it only wide enough for the SxS and you can't fit a pickup thru.

This!

One more cut is all it would take.

 

[44hunter45]

Wrap up - Did not see any deer this weekend, but quite a few elk. Some were the same elk I saw last week happily on private ground.
I have explored every viable drainage in the unit now. It is surprising how much different habitat there is in this unit based on elevation and aspect.

This weekend being effectively the last weekend of spring bear in this unit, there was a lot of traffic. I expect October will not be much different. I plan to be where they are not.

 

[44hunter45]

It’s on. I’ve been sick for a couple of days with the man flu. No one else home to baby me so I had to suck it up.

Heading to the unit this morning. Left home two hours late after a disorganized load out.

Just got the truck back from the body shop last night and now I’m going to put the scratches back on it.

3 hours drive to the unit. Odds of seeing any deer pretty low today but if you’re not in the unit the odds are zero.

Overnight tonight and back home Sunday. Taking my last three days of PTO WTF this week for a five day trip.

Raining at home. Expecting snow conditions in the unit. Went to bed thinking a quick jaunt with my lever gun. Nope. Full rain gear, chains and shovel.

 

[44hunter45]

Leaving pavement. May update tonight if I have signal.

Got Franz old fashioned donuts. Superstitions fulfilled.

 

[44hunter45]

I guess I deleted my offline maps from my scouting trips. Came out to get signal and download.

ATV madness. The secret to this will be to find a place where they are not. My path today has a new waypoint every 1/4 mile. Instead of a blue line, it is a line of red dots. Waypoint names like “passholed by ATV” and “ Oregon tent city.”

One unexpected highlight was a local guy who saw me parked reading a map and stopped to ask if I had any questions.

Still good people out there.

 

[44hunter45]

Not my best day ever. Never again on opening weekend. I finally found a place I felt safe to do a still hunt without getting shot at. I ended up walking right into a camp.
It is just so insanely crowded. No off road etiquette. I’ve never come so close to road rage.

On the up side. I saw a mountain lion. No shot.

Total deer sightings. Two muley does.

 

[44hunter45]

Back home due my family custodian duties. MRS pinged this morning that the oven had died again. Parts on order for that. I keep telling her that one of these times we will be out of luck on the parts for a 46 year old LP oven. It is hard as hell to find LP wall ovens. The guy that built the house only ran 14/2 Romex to the 120Vac outlet in the range cabinet. If I convert to electric I have to run a 30 AMP circuit. Just another home repair adventure.

Now I have to go to the basement and replace the cold water valve on the LG WashTower.

If I'm a good boy, I will get to go climb a tree this evening.

 

[44hunter45]

Back home due my family custodian duties. MRS pinged this morning that the oven had died again. Parts on order for that. I keep telling her that one of these times we will be out of luck on the parts for a 46 year old LP oven. It is hard as hell to find LP wall ovens. The guy that built the house only ran 14/2 Romex to the 120Vac outlet in the range cabinet. If I convert to electric I have to run a 30 AMP circuit. Just another home repair adventure.

Now I have to go to the basement and replace the cold water valve on the LG WashTower.

If I'm a good boy, I will get to go climb a tree this evening.

@BAKPAKR - If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

I had a couple more trailhead jerk incidents this evening. Before you throw the "Mark is ranting again" flag, think about that I never had a butthole hunter incident in my life until last year. Well, one when I was about 10 years old, but we were poaching anyway. Poachers are all buttholes by nature.

I have tried to be helpful to anyone that reaches out to me on HT for advice on Idaho hunting. That door is closed. Don't bother anymore. I'm starting to think that Matt Rinella is right. But not that anyone should start another podcast about it.

All the national statistics say that hunting license sales are down and hunters are declining in the general population. Can someone explain to me why it seems like every hunter in the world is in Idaho this week?

I've seen plates from Minnesota, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Wyoming, and Alaska. Hell, even one from British Columbia. I actually recorded the counts of plates I saw this weekend and 60% were NR. So much for a 10% cap on controlled hunts. All the draw losers bought OTC uncapped tags. That puts them in my GMUs. I'm even agreeing with the Wyoming people who want a NR cap across the board.

I've seen camps full of Idaho 1A, 1F, 1G, 2B, 2F plates. Why? The hunting in these GMUs is not that good. Why would you come here? Stay TF home.

Almost every trailhead has one or more diesel pushers with a trailer full of ATV or UTVs behind it. Get off my (public) land! Is this the cost of admission to hunt public in Idaho now?
The odds of finding a trailhead without a pickup parked are about as good as finding a virgin in Las Vegas.

What is the point of getting to a trailhead first when the SxS with 6 people in it wave to you as they drive past you and go deep?

Idaho needs a return to Idaho status for former residents, and a cap on general NR tags.
Idaho needs to limit ATV and UTV use to certified handicapped hunters only.
Idaho needs a 10% cap on first time NR applicants.
Idaho needs to cap all NR in all GMUs, "return to Idaho" hunter should have a separate cap.
Idaho needs to raise NR license and tag prices immediately.

I finally found solitude. I found a trail so gumboed that the mechanized boys were afraid of it. I slogged 1 1/2 miles this evening and loved it. Saw two WT does.

Ironic that IDFG felt the need to have a Hunting and Technology user group to explore trail cams, riflescopes and other gear; but lets ATVs and UTVs run wild behind locked gates. It seems that IDFG is more interested in the publicity that they are "doing something" than actually addressing threats to fair chase. Not blaming the CO's, they can't be everywhere all at once. Who gives a crap if I own a Leupold VX-6HD scope if as a walking hunter I can't compete with mechanized hunters? I'm not the threat to fair chase.

 

[F250]

“Get off my ( public) land”!” “Stay TF home.”. Really ??? Perhaps you should reimburse me for all the Federal taxes I pay

 

[Forkyfinder]

Idaho needs a return to Idaho status for former residents, and a cap on general NR tags.
Idaho needs to limit ATV and UTV use to certified handicapped hunters only.
Idaho needs a 10% cap on first time NR applicants.
Idaho needs to cap all NR in all GMUs, "return to Idaho" hunter should have a separate cap.
Idaho needs to raise NR license and tag prices immediately.

I actually met a guy from Idaho here. I couldnt help ask why he chose here (and associated fees) over Idaho and it was ATVs/UTVs having unlimited access and not enjoying it. Thought that was kind of suprising at the time but i guess his story carries some validity based on what youre saying.

 

[Matthew57]

@BAKPAKR - If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

I had a couple more trailhead jerk incidents this evening. Before you throw the "Mark is ranting again" flag, think about that I never had a butthole hunter incident in my life until last year. Well, one when I was about 10 years old, but we were poaching anyway. Poachers are all buttholes by nature.

I have tried to be helpful to anyone that reaches out to me on HT for advice on Idaho hunting. That door is closed. Don't bother anymore. I'm starting to think that Matt Rinella is right. But not that anyone should start another podcast about it.

All the national statistics say that hunting license sales are down and hunters are declining in the general population. Can someone explain to me why it seems like every hunter in the world is in Idaho this week?

I've seen plates from Minnesota, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Wyoming, and Alaska. Hell, even one from British Columbia. I actually recorded the counts of plates I saw this weekend and 60% were NR. So much for a 10% cap on controlled hunts. All the draw losers bought OTC uncapped tags. That puts them in my GMUs. I'm even agreeing with the Wyoming people who want a NR cap across the board.

I've seen camps full of Idaho 1A, 1F, 1G, 2B, 2F plates. Why? The hunting in these GMUs is not that good. Why would you come here? Stay TF home.

Almost every trailhead has one or more diesel pushers with a trailer full of ATV or UTVs behind it. Get off my (public) land! Is this the cost of admission to hunt public in Idaho now?
The odds of finding a trailhead without a pickup parked are about as good as finding a virgin in Las Vegas.

What is the point of getting to a trailhead first when the SxS with 6 people in it wave to you as they drive past you and go deep?

Idaho needs a return to Idaho status for former residents, and a cap on general NR tags.
Idaho needs to limit ATV and UTV use to certified handicapped hunters only.
Idaho needs a 10% cap on first time NR applicants.
Idaho needs to cap all NR in all GMUs, "return to Idaho" hunter should have a separate cap.
Idaho needs to raise NR license and tag prices immediately.

I finally found solitude. I found a trail so gumboed that the mechanized boys were afraid of it. I slogged 1 1/2 miles this evening and loved it. Saw two WT does.

Ironic that IDFG felt the need to have a Hunting and Technology user group to explore trail cams, riflescopes and other gear; but lets ATVs and UTVs run wild behind locked gates. It seems that IDFG is more interested in the publicity that they are "doing something" than actually addressing threats to fair chase. Not blaming the CO's, they can't be everywhere all at once. Who gives a crap if I own a Leupold VX-6HD scope if as a walking hunter I can't compete with mechanized hunters? I'm not the threat to fair chase.

I hate to rub salt in the wound but right now they’re proposing to remove several units from the motorized use restriction area, which I think is nuts. I have to think this is a request by some group? Maybe go leave a comment and vent a little more because that seems like the wrong direction.

 

[44hunter45]

I hate to rub salt in the wound but right now they’re proposing to remove several units from the motorized use restriction area, which I think is nuts. I have to think this is a request by some group? Maybe go leave a comment and vent a little more because that seems like the wrong direction.

They have made this latest comment submission as difficult as possible - IMHO. Several docs to read and digest, with individual comments.

Lots to unpack there. Like Non-Resident Landowner tag quotas comprising up to 50% of the total NR cap. I keep reading that section and it's so vague I can't tell if it is a net add or subtract to NR who don't own land here. If I were a NR, I would want that language cleaner.

I have submitted comments regarding the MHR. This is not a R vs NR issue, but something IDFG has let get out of control across the board. Since the MHR is subject to the privileges allowed by the landowner or managing agency, it is too complex. Many NF have absolute goat trails that are marked open for full sized vehicles. My GMU is not a MHR unit, but it would not matter based on the USFS travel rules.

 

[David58]

When it becomes a money issue - meaning there is a way to make money at it - it goes to crap. Just moved to ID myself, and hoped to hunt a LOT as I am running out of years. But if ID is even worse than NM for off road use, NonResidents (well, in NM it it more resident poachers and high paying NRs with outfitters), and general lack of woods manners, may be putting my hunting guns in cosmoline and just going fishing.

David58

 

[44hunter45]

When it becomes a money issue - meaning there is a way to make money at it - it goes to crap. Just moved to ID myself, and hoped to hunt a LOT as I am running out of years. But if ID is even worse than NM for off road use, NonResidents (well, in NM it it more resident poachers and high paying NRs with outfitters), and general lack of woods manners, may be putting my hunting guns in cosmoline and just going fishing.

David58

Calmer now. I think the answer is to avoid the rifle opener.

 

[Matthew57]

They have made this latest comment submission as difficult as possible - IMHO. Several docs to read and digest, with individual comments.

Lots to unpack there. Like Non-Resident Landowner tag quotas comprising up to 50% of the total NR cap. I keep reading that section and it's so vague I can't tell if it is a net add or subtract to NR who don't own land here. If I were a NR, I would want that language cleaner.

I have submitted comments regarding the MHR. This is not a R vs NR issue, but something IDFG has let get out of control across the board. Since the MHR is subject to the privileges allowed by the landowner or managing agency, it is too complex. Many NF have absolute goat trails that are marked open for full sized vehicles. My GMU is not a MHR unit, but it would not matter based on the USFS travel rules.

Where did you see that language? Must have missed it.

 

[brymoore]

When it becomes a money issue - meaning there is a way to make money at it - it goes to crap. Just moved to ID myself, and hoped to hunt a LOT as I am running out of years. But if ID is even worse than NM for off road use, NonResidents (well, in NM it it more resident poachers and high paying NRs with outfitters), and general lack of woods manners, may be putting my hunting guns in cosmoline and just going fishing.

David58

Off road abuse depends on the area. I saw it bad in N Idaho. I got into a couple of arguments with people jumping gates.

Where I’m at closer to Boise, I don’t see it as often. It does happen but not everywhere. I argue with the gate jumpers around here too. Kids got $500 from BHA from one guy.

 

[44hunter45]

Where did you see that language? Must have missed it.

RTFM to me. I misinterpreted the acronym NRL in docket No 13-104-2401. I assumed Non Resident Landowner. Actually Non Resident Limited.
A hunt in which residents can buy unlimited OTC, but NR have a cap. The section that threw me has to do with how allocated tags effect NR tag limits.
It makes sense to me now with the correct definition applied.

Section 505.3.a.


This is not supposed to be an actual policy or rule change, but a re-org of the code to comply with Zero-base Regulation. It says they added language to support new policies

"The agency has added language around the newly adopted non-resident draw framework approved by the
Commission through temporary rule. This rulemaking adds a provision to hunt turkeys through the Landowner
Permission Hunt and Landowner Appreciation Program; adds a new Herd Health Landowner Permission Hunt; and
adds stronger language highlighting the illegality of sale, marketing, or purchase of Landowner Appreciation
Program tags. Language was added to the bighorn sheep auction and lottery tag sections to provide more
opportunities for Hells Canyon hunters."


"Zero-base Regulation Rulemaking: This rulemaking concerns the comprehensive review in compliance with Executive Order 2021.01. The agency has identified some technical, duplicative, and non-substantive modifications that may be evaluated for integration."

 

[44hunter45]

Heading back in today. Burning the last of my 2025 PTO.

No whining or whinging. Last day kill standards apply. All in.