My son and I drew the rifle elk tag for 29 in the second draw for Idaho. We are long time Idaho residents and I had this tag 20 years ago. I went down labor day and realized I had not hunted or seen probably 98 percent of the unit last time I hunted. I hunted the west side last time and this year we want to come in from the east or lemhi side. I was wondering if anyone has experience with the last week of rifle season? We will be down for first week but if we dont fill both tags wondering about timing of return trip. Any archery hunters who would be willing to share areas with good activity after their hunt we would return the favor and have hunted all over Idaho last 30 plus years. We have hounds that need to get out starting tommorow so not sure I will get down again until right before rifle around Sep 28-29
unit 29 idaho
- Thread starter Trap
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Silver15tacoma
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- Nov 2, 2020
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I’ve had good luck in the Devils Canyon and Leodore Hill areas waiting for elk to come out of the ag fields.
thanks !
I got few responses (1) 
but will provide update. I know a lot of people are worried about blowing up units or hunts. You probably cant do that to 29.
The number of elk we found was good. We went down 3 days early in hopes of figuring out the country and locate a few elk. We found a good number and they were bugling. The night before the opener we checked the hayden creek drainage main trailhead just to see what the trafffic might look like. 11 different vehicles parked there. Numerous horse trailers, mountain bikes and goats. It was a crap show but that is where we covered a lot of country and located a good number of elk. We went in as number 12 ha ha. This is something I would never consider in my home hunting area. Most of the hunters went in the day before and seemed to have blown the elk out.
That night we bumped one drainage over and glassed up a nice six point. The country is pretty big so 4 hours later we were in the zone. He had moved but did bugle. We got close but ran out of light. We didnt feel we had really bumped or bothered him so we went back to the glassing spot to find him and get a plan. Its a decent hike to the glassing spot so we arrived a little over an hour before light. A guy from california was parked there. To get to this spot it is literally a single ridge. I was a little pissed but did not want to be the guy following up the same skinny ridge.
Went to plan c. We hiked down into the 3rd spot we had located elk before season. All was good and 3 bulls were bugling in the thick timber. We were trying to formulate a plan when we spotted 4 hunters coming down one ridge and 2 coming down the other. The elk went to bed or got out of there. We went back that night and waited on a ridge and the elk came out on a far hillside. Was a nice bull but couldnt close gap beyond over 1000 yards before dark. We are good out to 700-750 and shoot at steel on a regular basis at that range. So we try to set that as our max and will get as close as possible. Next morning we are back in and the usual circus of other hunters are crawling in there bugling and cow calling.
Because we went early (mistake) we were on day 6 but really only 2.5 hunting. We decided to leave our wall tent and come back after the first week was over and maybe some hunters clear out.
We came back at the end of the second week of season. We had snow which I thought was good for tracks etc. The elk hunters were mostly gone but deer hunters were out which was fine. All of the areas we knew from scouting seemed to be void of elk. We went to the other side of 29 (west) where I hunted when I had the tag 20 years ago. Put on a hellacious hike into a place I found a lot of elk 20 years ago and there were none. We ended up debating on how to possibly shoot a spike and I decided we needed to go home ha ha.
I have had the tag twice. First time I shot a 5 point but seen some good bulls I just could not get to. This time we are 0 for 2. I think we have been 8-10 years? straight on harvesting elk but 29 pretty much kicked our butts this year.
Thoughts on 29. This hunt has gone downhill compared to last time I had the tag. There is a good number of elk and some better than average qaulity bulls. They need to reduce the tag numbers to make it a qaulity experience. We hunt the panhandle normally so we understand pressure but Hayden creek was the worst I have seen. If I could do it over I would not go to hayden creek. This could change from year to year based on the hunters. Every year is new tag holders who might choose different spots. We also checked out big timber creek and it was crowded as well.
I have had mixed experience with mid level easier to draw tags. What you gain in qaulity is offsett by lack of knowledge. There will be nice bulls taken this year for sure, but the advantage lies with hunters who have been hunting the country on a regular basis.It is hard to scout and really have knowledge of the area when you are 7 hours away. I would think a bowhunter hunting the unit otc would do good with this tag. I wont put in for it again. I have had 2 easier draw tags that resulted in great animals and 2 that were a bust, 1 that I was able to harvest an average bull. Just has me rethinking what tags I really want to put in for.
One last thought,I always want to go early before season and locate elk right before it opens. For me this has been a terrible tactic. I have done this on 3 different draw tags and every time other hunters flock to the same elk opening day. I had one group put their wall tent right where the elk herd came every morning and evening. That was the day before season.,
Not a very good elk story but maybe that helps the next guy out. Thanks for all the info fellas
but will provide update. I know a lot of people are worried about blowing up units or hunts. You probably cant do that to 29. The number of elk we found was good. We went down 3 days early in hopes of figuring out the country and locate a few elk. We found a good number and they were bugling. The night before the opener we checked the hayden creek drainage main trailhead just to see what the trafffic might look like. 11 different vehicles parked there. Numerous horse trailers, mountain bikes and goats. It was a crap show but that is where we covered a lot of country and located a good number of elk. We went in as number 12 ha ha. This is something I would never consider in my home hunting area. Most of the hunters went in the day before and seemed to have blown the elk out.
That night we bumped one drainage over and glassed up a nice six point. The country is pretty big so 4 hours later we were in the zone. He had moved but did bugle. We got close but ran out of light. We didnt feel we had really bumped or bothered him so we went back to the glassing spot to find him and get a plan. Its a decent hike to the glassing spot so we arrived a little over an hour before light. A guy from california was parked there. To get to this spot it is literally a single ridge. I was a little pissed but did not want to be the guy following up the same skinny ridge.
Went to plan c. We hiked down into the 3rd spot we had located elk before season. All was good and 3 bulls were bugling in the thick timber. We were trying to formulate a plan when we spotted 4 hunters coming down one ridge and 2 coming down the other. The elk went to bed or got out of there. We went back that night and waited on a ridge and the elk came out on a far hillside. Was a nice bull but couldnt close gap beyond over 1000 yards before dark. We are good out to 700-750 and shoot at steel on a regular basis at that range. So we try to set that as our max and will get as close as possible. Next morning we are back in and the usual circus of other hunters are crawling in there bugling and cow calling.
Because we went early (mistake) we were on day 6 but really only 2.5 hunting. We decided to leave our wall tent and come back after the first week was over and maybe some hunters clear out.
We came back at the end of the second week of season. We had snow which I thought was good for tracks etc. The elk hunters were mostly gone but deer hunters were out which was fine. All of the areas we knew from scouting seemed to be void of elk. We went to the other side of 29 (west) where I hunted when I had the tag 20 years ago. Put on a hellacious hike into a place I found a lot of elk 20 years ago and there were none. We ended up debating on how to possibly shoot a spike and I decided we needed to go home ha ha.
I have had the tag twice. First time I shot a 5 point but seen some good bulls I just could not get to. This time we are 0 for 2. I think we have been 8-10 years? straight on harvesting elk but 29 pretty much kicked our butts this year.
Thoughts on 29. This hunt has gone downhill compared to last time I had the tag. There is a good number of elk and some better than average qaulity bulls. They need to reduce the tag numbers to make it a qaulity experience. We hunt the panhandle normally so we understand pressure but Hayden creek was the worst I have seen. If I could do it over I would not go to hayden creek. This could change from year to year based on the hunters. Every year is new tag holders who might choose different spots. We also checked out big timber creek and it was crowded as well.
I have had mixed experience with mid level easier to draw tags. What you gain in qaulity is offsett by lack of knowledge. There will be nice bulls taken this year for sure, but the advantage lies with hunters who have been hunting the country on a regular basis.It is hard to scout and really have knowledge of the area when you are 7 hours away. I would think a bowhunter hunting the unit otc would do good with this tag. I wont put in for it again. I have had 2 easier draw tags that resulted in great animals and 2 that were a bust, 1 that I was able to harvest an average bull. Just has me rethinking what tags I really want to put in for.
One last thought,I always want to go early before season and locate elk right before it opens. For me this has been a terrible tactic. I have done this on 3 different draw tags and every time other hunters flock to the same elk opening day. I had one group put their wall tent right where the elk herd came every morning and evening. That was the day before season.,
Not a very good elk story but maybe that helps the next guy out. Thanks for all the info fellas
