Idaho Elk 2017 Unit 39

[Andrew12gauge]

Do what you must lol


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[nphunter]

Man I saw my thread had blown up to 3 pages and was stoked thinking someone had spilled the beans on elk hunting for me Two whole pages of bickering about tag prices and out of state hunters with zero useful info was pretty disappointing to see

I will happily be giving ID my money for the foreseen future, I would be happy to offer advice for deer or elk hunting here in NEO also via PM if anyone is looking to hunt here or has recently moved here. I hunt OR hard and do well, ID just gives me a chance to extend my season and be able to hunt branch bulls with my boys every year when they are old enough.

 

[Idaho CTD]

I would focus on the areas with higher success rates like the Salmon and Sawtooth zones. You can kill elk in any zone in ID with enough effort but why not pick a place that continuously has nearly double the success rate of 39? 39 is a zoo except for the early cow muzzleloader hunt. I killed one of my bulls last year in a unit with under a 10% success rate the previous year but it was not in a place that was easy to pack him out of.

 

[Andrew12gauge]

In my experience in 39 if the elk are there in the late archery portion of the season they will be there during the rifle elk season, the area I hunt in 39 has elk using it pretty much year round, I've seen elk there during just about every month of the year anyway at elevations ranging from 3500-6000 feet, it's a big area but I know if I put the time in I can usually find elk


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[freediver111]

Oregon guy here, but I did the late archery deer hunt in 39 about 4 years ago. Tough but fun.
I remember seeing elk most days, and I can pm you the area I was in. I have a co-worker that hunts 39 rifle elk about every year. He has some success, but he hunts with horses so he can go deeper. The three devils area always intrigued me whenever I was on the OR side spring bear hunting. Not too far to get to from North Powder! Are there general elk hunts in that area?

ID elk is on my list. Doing a late season mule deer hunt in MT next year, and might try ID elk the year after.

 

[nphunter]

Oregon guy here, but I did the late archery deer hunt in 39 about 4 years ago. Tough but fun.
I remember seeing elk most days, and I can pm you the area I was in. I have a co-worker that hunts 39 rifle elk about every year. He has some success, but he hunts with horses so he can go deeper. The three devils area always intrigued me whenever I was on the OR side spring bear hunting. Not too far to get to from North Powder! Are there general elk hunts in that area?

ID elk is on my list. Doing a late season mule deer hunt in MT next year, and might try ID elk the year after.

This has been my experience as well, i have spent 3 weeks on the late hunt in the past two years. I saw quite a few elk both years, I agree it is a tough hunt but it is a blast and one more chance for me to get out. I archery hunt here in OR and Deer hunt during rifle season with my wife and kids, the early Nov. time frame is one of the main things drawing me to 39, it gives me time to button up all of my OR hunting.

My buddy and I drew Snake spring bear tags this year and will be taking our boys over sometime at the end of April. I've though about some of the Weiser River or Hells Canyon stuff but am not sure my dad could hunt is some of that country. One of these years i plan on doing Archery in 31 for elk. Most of Easten ID isn't too far from me, I grew up in North Powder but recently moved to Lagrande.

A P.M. would be great if you don't mind, i would return the favor if you ever decide to do the elk hunt there.

 

[Idaho CTD]

Probably the best hunting, after opening day, is the last 8 days of the season in November for both the Sawtooth and Salmon zones. I usually hunt opening day wherever I hunt and then hunt the last week of the season. There were over 4000 hunters in 39 in 2015 and the only killed 600 elk in the rifle season. There were less than 3000 rifle hunters in all 4 Salmon zones and they killed about 850 elk. 39 is a big unit but it's crowded when 4000 people are in the woods.

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

Unit 39 is one of those places that is all about finding those little pockets. I grew up hunting it and I doubt it is any different today. Lots of animals in spots you wouldn't think to look in that area, especially elk.

 

[nphunter]

Thanks for the replys fellas!

 

[Idaho CTD]

What muledeerfanatic said is true but at times those holes can get blown out by other hunters too. The season is so short in 39 the pressure is pretty intense compared to other units. Usually by the end of the season in the Salmon/Sawtooth the hunter numbers are less than half of what they are early in the season and it's usually the best time to hunt. Some people don't like hunting in the snow I guess.

 

[nphunter]

What muledeerfanatic said is true but at times those holes can get blown out by other hunters too. The season is so short in 39 the pressure is pretty intense compared to other units. Usually by the end of the season in the Salmon/Sawtooth the hunter numbers are less than half of what they are early in the season and it's usually the best time to hunt. Some people don't like hunting in the snow I guess.

Thanks, i don't mind the snow but we will have a floorless Shelter with a Ti Stove we are backpack hunting out of, should be able to find either a wind blown ridge or a nice Southern exposure to set up on.

 

[ReyMar2013]

I'm heading to Idaho this year (2017) for an elk/mule - I'm already committed to the Salmon area but I wasn't sure if that was the best bet to get a nice elk or mule deer. Can anyone provide some feedback or some advice as where to go?

Thanks

 

[bigdesert10]

I'm heading to Idaho this year (2017) for an elk/mule - I'm already committed to the Salmon area but I wasn't sure if that was the best bet to get a nice elk or mule deer. Can anyone provide some feedback or some advice as where to go?

Thanks

The critters are where you find them. The problem with someone giving you a specific trailhead to hit on here is that you won't find a place to park when you get there because every other Joe Hunter on this forum will go there too. Call IDFG, or search their website for harvest data. Search on a gps app like OnX hunt or something similar for potential areas to hunt. Biggest thing is just to get boots on the ground and learn the area first hand. That might mean you get skunked your first year, but you will see more success as you return in following years.

People have put in a lot of work scouting these areas and it's not really fair to blow up their areas by posting details on here for everyone to see. The guys that hunt those areas a lot are not likely to give away their best areas and the guys that will put an area on blast have only been their once or twice and don't know what they're talking about anyway.

If you want someone to put you on an animal without doing your homework, hire a guide. Otherwise, use this forum as a resource for techniques and tips on how to find the animals and what to do when you find them, and gear or safety considerations for the climate and terrain you're facing.

Otherwise, welcome to the forum and best of luck on your hunt.