Elk City Unit. Idaho.

Classyusa

FNG
Joined
Feb 21, 2021
Messages
19
I want to preempt this by saying that I don't want anyone's honey hole or even general areas.

I have a '21 Elk City B Tag and Unit 14 Deer Tag ( I will apply for the mule tag when the time comes).

The success rate for unit (specifically unit 14 where I also have a '21 deer tag) is pretty high the last few years, 20-26% it looks like. I have heard from locals of that unit, that I hunt with in other states, that there are a lot of elk in the unit. But I also hear from nonresidents that hunt there that they go entire seasons without seeing elk.

What is the real scoop? If a guy is willing to go farther,steeper and deeper than the ATV hunters, day after day, is this a good elk hunt? Or have the wolves destroyed the unit ?

I have to schedule a few hunts with dates overlapping this hunt. I want to find out how much of a priority I should make this hunt ( Elk City B/ Unit 14 Deer).

Again, not looking to get info on your secret ridge. Just curious how much of a priority I should make this hunt this year.

Any constructive input is appreciated.
 

87TT

WKR
Joined
Mar 13, 2019
Messages
3,431
Location
Idaho
Hunted deer there a few times. Never saw an elk other than down near the Hwy. Lots of Mule deer and quite a few whitetails. The guys I saw with elk had horses. A lot of private and have heard that the elk move down there once the shooting starts and are ambushed by the locals. Good luck
 

Praxeus

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 1, 2019
Messages
150
I hunted unit 14 a few years back....wont say where :). Shot a 6 point 300 class bull....not an easy feat and we worked our rear ends off doing it. The challenge is finding them....same old song and dance. However---- they are there.
 
OP
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Classyusa

FNG
Joined
Feb 21, 2021
Messages
19
Honey holes....geeeze when will it end?!?!Please donate your money to our great state and post your utter disappointment this fall when you leave skunked. Thanks, and try again next year.
I clearly said I wasn't asking for honey holes. Did you read what I wrote? These kind of posts are generally " I am going Unit X can anyone tell me how to hunt it , where to go and PM me so we can get together and you can show me around." Definitely not the direction I was going with this post.

I have hunted Unit 6 a couple times and get into elk basically everyday. The amount of human pressure is as bad in Unit 6 as I have seen anywhere. I understand how frustrating Idaho general seasons can be. I have just gotten conflicting information on 14/Elk City and wanted to get some info to sort out the BS.

Your negativity isn't needed.
 
OP
C

Classyusa

FNG
Joined
Feb 21, 2021
Messages
19
I did read what you wrote. If you’re willing to go farther than any atv hunter you should be willing to scout it for yourself prior to seas
I did read what you wrote. If you’re willing to go farther than any atv hunter you should be willing to scout it for yourself prior to season.
Uh Huh. .. It's February. So you're suggesting that I scout February elk activity for an October hunt?

That seems pretty productive. Do you have any other cutting edge tricks like that that you can share with the forum? 😂
 

ndayton

WKR
Joined
Oct 31, 2017
Messages
343
Location
Oregon
I clearly said I wasn't asking for honey holes. Did you read what I wrote? These kind of posts are generally " I am going Unit X can anyone tell me how to hunt it , where to go and PM me so we can get together and you can show me around." Definitely not the direction I was going with this post.

I have hunted Unit 6 a couple times and get into elk basically everyday. The amount of human pressure is as bad in Unit 6 as I have seen anywhere. I understand how frustrating Idaho general seasons can be. I have just gotten conflicting information on 14/Elk City and wanted to get some info to sort out the BS.

Your negativity isn't needed.
Don't take it personal, but its a running joke on Rokslide when a new member joins and asks a unit specific question but starts off with "not looking for your honey hole". The better you get at figuring out information on your own the more protective you will be about not sharing it as it only takes one loud mouth on an internet forum to blow a good spot up.
In regards to unit 14 you may be able to out hike the ATV riders but you will not out hike the hunters with horses and the terrain there is no joke you also have to keep an eye on weather as you could easily get snowed in.
I would say if you are into elk everyday in unit 6 you will be disappointed in unit 14.
Good luck on your hunt.
 

87TT

WKR
Joined
Mar 13, 2019
Messages
3,431
Location
Idaho
Last two years there was enough snow in 14 at the mid to higher elevations to keep 4x4's and ATV ands UTV's out so that won't be an issue. Everything in 14 is either up or down. Like I said before, the elk tend to move down into the private. If you don't have stock it is really difficult to find and recover elk there.
 
OP
C

Classyusa

FNG
Joined
Feb 21, 2021
Messages
19
Don't take it personal, but its a running joke on Rokslide when a new member joins and asks a unit specific question but starts off with "not looking for your honey hole". The better you get at figuring out information on your own the more protective you will be about not sharing it as it only takes one loud mouth on an internet forum to blow a good spot up.
In regards to unit 14 you may be able to out hike the ATV riders but you will not out hike the hunters with horses and the terrain there is no joke you also have to keep an eye on weather as you could easily get snowed in.
I would say if you are into elk everyday in unit 6 you will be disappointed in unit 14.
Good luck on your hunt.
I don't take anything online personal. I have been contributing to probably a dozen forums over the last 20 years.

There are always two kinds of people:

1. Those there to learn and share.

2. The know-it-alls that compensate for something in their real daily life by being passive-aggressive online.

On forums you take the good with the bad.
 
OP
C

Classyusa

FNG
Joined
Feb 21, 2021
Messages
19
Last two years there was enough snow in 14 at the mid to higher elevations to keep 4x4's and ATV ands UTV's out so that won't be an issue. Everything in 14 is either up or down. Like I said before, the elk tend to move down into the private. If you don't have stock it is really difficult to find and recover elk there.
Thanks. This is valuable information.
 

Brendan

WKR
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
3,871
Location
Massachusetts
I don't take anything online personal. I have been contributing to probably a dozen forums over the last 20 years.

There are always two kinds of people:

1. Those there to learn and share.

2. The know-it-alls that compensate for something in their real daily life by being passive-aggressive online.

On forums you take the good with the bad.
Conversely something you should be aware of - posting unit numbers online (at all) is something a lot of people disagree with entirely, and there's been discussion here before on whether it should be banned from the site completely because there've been a lot of places ruined by doing it, even when it was well intentioned. So when you say "Take the good with the bad" - many people view these threads as some of "the bad."

And, another angle is that it happens so often there have been threads discussing all of the purposefully misleading information that gets thrown in on public threads when people do it to make any and all information suspect.
 
OP
C

Classyusa

FNG
Joined
Feb 21, 2021
Messages
19
Last two years there was enough snow in 14 at the mid to higher elevations to keep 4x4's and ATV ands UTV's out so that won't be an issue. Everything in 14 is either up or down. Like I said before, the elk tend to move down into the private. If you don't have stock it is really difficult to find and recover elk there.
Thanks. That is valuable information.
Conversely something you should be aware of - posting unit numbers online (at all) is something a lot of people disagree with entirely, and there's been discussion here before on whether it should be banned from the site completely because there've been a lot of places ruined by doing it, even when it was well intentioned. So when you say "Take the good with the bad" - many people view these threads as some of "the bad."

And, another angle is that it happens so often there have been threads discussing all of the purposefully misleading information that gets thrown in on public threads when people do it to make any and all information suspect.
Understood. I appreciate this post and I am aware of people disagreeing with posting units online.

I don't disagree with it though so I will continue to have open dialogue. If asking if wolves have decimated a certain unit to the point that a hunter may not want to make that tag a priority upsets anyone, then they can be upset or they can get over it.

To me, It is a capped unit that will sell out every year in the foreseeable future. Talking about it on this forum or any other isn't going to drive any more or any less hunters into the unit.

That is just from where I sit. Everyone is free to agree or disagree.

IMO. There are much more damaging resources online that a few forum conversations will never compete with. Where I grew up there are elk but it is generally a meat hunt(rifle). You shoot what is legal when you see it or you will probably eat tag soup. Locals consider rag horns nice bulls. However, there are certain websites that claim "average bull size 280"."

So I ask you(anyone reading), what is more damaging ;

A. websites claiming that a hunter can expect a 280 bull from that unit(OTC tag less than two hours from a metropolitan area)

or

B. Someone asking what to expect from that unit on a forum and me(or anyone else with knowledge of the unit) responding " 280" isn't a realistic expectation. You can reasonable expect to find elk. Consider it a meat hunt and don't pass on a legal bull. Expect to see more people than elk since every flatlander from the city read online that they can expect to harvest a 280 bull . Bring rain gear , a boot dryer and expect wet optics."

There is plenty of damaging information out there online about every unit. I joined this forum because throughout the years of lurking it seemed like a place with knowledgeable folks who try to cut through B.S.

With all of the fairytale information online and high fence trophy episodes on tv driving instagram hunters out into the field, some actual discussion about realistic expectations of hunts might do some good.

Just my opinion though.
 
Joined
Jun 4, 2015
Messages
95
A couple of those posts above describe what I didn’t have the time to say. Scout in February..sure if you want to. I see elk everyday on my drive in to town. Then again I’m a ten minute drive from 14. Good luck with your honey hole!
 
OP
C

Classyusa

FNG
Joined
Feb 21, 2021
Messages
19
A couple of those posts above describe what I didn’t have the time to say. Scout in February..sure if you want to. I see elk everyday on my drive in to town. Then again I’m a ten minute drive from 14. Good luck with your honey hole!
Thanks. I hope you find something positive to dwell on today. Good vibes Duramax.
 
Joined
Sep 13, 2016
Messages
2,046
Location
Idaho
I spend a lot of time in the southern portion of 14. For a capped elk and LE mule deer unit, it's much busier than one would think. Multiple big camps at gated roads and trailheads. Access is pretty limited to main system roads and the roads that are gated generally have multiple vehicles parked there. Without stock, it's tough to get past everyone.
 
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