Idaho resident first timer. Help!

[honestcomrade]

Just trying to get started harvesting my own wild meat.
Been in Idaho a few years and I think I'm finally ready to get out and find some wild game, hopefully of the deer variety.

Have:
- A 350 yard sub-moa load in 7mm08 and a Tikka to send it
- Some okay wilderness gear, including some well worn backpacking stuff
- Experience backpacking
- Entry level Glassing/ranging setup
- 2 weeks off work whenever I need
- Hunters education and Idaho resident hunting license
- Gas money
- Empty freezer and wall space
- Immigrant upbringing involving cooking and curing all kind of wierd animals
- Friendly demeanor
- Patience


Don't have:
- Any hunting experience, small or big game
- First hand knowledge of field dressing
- A truck
- Anybody to tag along with
- A weak stomach
- Enough cash for an outfitter

Anywho I'm definitely in the market for some advice to get started, but hopefully looking more to tag along with somebody experienced and willing to take a newcomer under their wing in this fascinating experience of hunting in the West.

 

[downthepipe]

Where do you live in Idaho?
Are there any areas with public land nearby that you have explored before?
Any areas in Idaho you want to explore more?

My advice:
-deer and elk are almost everywhere in Idaho. Hunting is only about a month or two of the year, so the important thing is don’t get so worried about hunting and just spend time on a high lookout in your area at dawn and dusk with binoculars and work on spotting game. Half of hunting is knowing how to access an area, where the water is, etc. that is not all found in October but throughout the year.
-put in for controlled hunts this month in the units near and around where you live. If you draw a lottery tag, you will have better chances to kill an animal.

 

[Spoonbill]

Idaho BHA has offered a class on field dressing animals. You can also contact fish and game and see if they offer any how to classes.
Small game hunting would be a good place to start. Grouse and small game hunting is fun and you don’t need a dog to do it.

 

[Dos Perros]

If meat is a priority, I would personally skip the backpacking. Just day hunt. I bet there is plenty of sagebrush country you could drive through and glass every so often, or access some glassing points pretty close to a road. Get some does down and build your skills.

 

[ID_Matt]

Youtube is a great source for field dressing. My recommendation would be to put in for some of the antlerless hunts in the november time frame. They are a good starting point - easier hunts with higher success. Will give you some of the basic skills before you dive completely in. I would also find a buddy and tag along during the general deer in October. There is a steep learning curve to the general hunts in my opinion. It can be daunting to hunt an area that has 14 pickups at the trailhead and orange on every hill side.

 

[cbat]

Where do you live ?
I am in Sandpoint if you need to reach out for help .

 

[honestcomrade]

Thanks a bunch for the great advice all!

I'm in Boise but am willing to travel anywhere in the state during October to tag along and learn during the general.

For the controlled season, it sounds like my best bet is to apply for a couple of southwestern Idaho units and spend the rest of the spring and summer eScouting, exploring, and glassing to identify ingress, water, camping spots and animals.

Just want to throw out a free beer offer at anybody who wants to talk through some of this in person.

Thanks again!

 

[rclouse79]

I still remember using the butt-out tool and slinging a gutted coues deer over my shoulders for the pack out before I knew any better. Watching as many youtube videos as I could on the guttless method was a game changer for me.

 

[Customweld]

Welcome to Idaho!
A couple of thoughts come to mind:
Study up on the gutless method. Get the guts out and hide off . It's messy, but they aren't going to need those things anymore, just get them out the best that you can.
Have a solid plan for when that animal hits the dirt. In example, are you going to need help for a long pack out? Do you have a buddy on speed dial for that? Answer that one and move on to the next question.
You and the animal are back to the truck. Now what? Do you have a spot to hang it ? Are you going to butcher yourself ?(I highly encourage that part). Wild game processors here in the valley are getting pretty slim. I think there were only 2 in Boise last year.
Have a backup plan for your backup plan. Run the scenarios through your thought process and try to solve each one through.
Keep asking for advice. Most of the hunters I know are good folks and will help at the drop of a hat (especially if you have an elk down and need help on a packout). I have helped folks that I didn't know pack an elk out. I have had folks I didn't know help me out.

 

[honestcomrade]

I've taken a lot of advice here and formed a plan including scouting and eScouting. I packed all my gear and visited one location in my first choice unit and found the following:
- A local shed hunter on his dirtbike coming back on the same drainage trail I was hiking. He was very friendly and wanted to chat - with what looked like a pretty big antler on his back, he shared that another mile or two down the trail there's a sagebrushy/timbery ridge that usually has 2 nice bucks on opening day.
- I need to get some more training in to be able to get as high up as I think I want (5,000 - 8,000 ft. ridges surrounding that drainage) for a backpack hunt.
- I need to do at least a night out in order to get more experience on the mountain with all my gear

I added a lot of gear after that day trip, but I have some concerns. I am smitten with the idea of stove so just picked up an SO Silex and SO medium U turn - how feasible of a shelter plan is that for 8,000 ft in central Idaho early-mid october? It seems like it should work for me just solo, but I'm curious how others feel about that plan. I am also concerned about sleeping in a floorless shelter during scouting time just because of rattlesnakes during the summer. So next trip I will bring a more traditional double wall backpacking tent (not ultralight, just shy of 6 lbs). If the extra weight kills me, I might spring for the Silex nest for the scouting times (unless I'm way overestimating the prevalence of snakes in central idaho).

Other outstanding questions:
- If I draw an either sex tag, since it's my first hunt and I'm very interested in meat, I'm inclined to just shoot the biggest doe I see. If the unit ends up being as packed with hunters as some people have suggested, how does that strategy sound? Should I not care about spooking someone's big buck stalk by blasting one of the does he's chasing?
- How do I choose a camp? Obviously I'd like to be close to water, but don't mind being higher up a ridge so I don't have as big a hike before first light each morning. I've been looking for something flat and protected from the elements, but looking for more advice.
- Should I hang food? was planning on bringing stuff sacks and paracord anyhow, and I don't think it's grizz country...

Thanks again!

 

[Bigbenhunter98]

I've taken a lot of advice here and formed a plan including scouting and eScouting. I packed all my gear and visited one location in my first choice unit and found the following:
- A local shed hunter on his dirtbike coming back on the same drainage trail I was hiking. He was very friendly and wanted to chat - with what looked like a pretty big antler on his back, he shared that another mile or two down the trail there's a sagebrushy/timbery ridge that usually has 2 nice bucks on opening day.
- I need to get some more training in to be able to get as high up as I think I want (5,000 - 8,000 ft. ridges surrounding that drainage) for a backpack hunt.
- I need to do at least a night out in order to get more experience on the mountain with all my gear

I added a lot of gear after that day trip, but I have some concerns. I am smitten with the idea of stove so just picked up an SO Silex and SO medium U turn - how feasible of a shelter plan is that for 8,000 ft in central Idaho early-mid october? It seems like it should work for me just solo, but I'm curious how others feel about that plan. I am also concerned about sleeping in a floorless shelter during scouting time just because of rattlesnakes during the summer. So next trip I will bring a more traditional double wall backpacking tent (not ultralight, just shy of 6 lbs). If the extra weight kills me, I might spring for the Silex nest for the scouting times (unless I'm way overestimating the prevalence of snakes in central idaho).

Other outstanding questions:
- If I draw an either sex tag, since it's my first hunt and I'm very interested in meat, I'm inclined to just shoot the biggest doe I see. If the unit ends up being as packed with hunters as some people have suggested, how does that strategy sound? Should I not care about spooking someone's big buck stalk by blasting one of the does he's chasing?
- How do I choose a camp? Obviously I'd like to be close to water, but don't mind being higher up a ridge so I don't have as big a hike before first light each morning. I've been looking for something flat and protected from the elements, but looking for more advice.
- Should I hang food? was planning on bringing stuff sacks and paracord anyhow, and I don't think it's grizz country...

Thanks again!

To answer a couple of your questions:
your tent and stove will be perfect for early October. One thing I do when I’m planning a hunt is to look at historical weather for that area and that gives me a good idea for what to pack.
Another thing I’ve learned through trial and error is to plan your camp spot carefully. You don’t want to be camping right in the middle of an area where animals tend to hang out or where the wind will blow your scent to them. We like to sleep on flat spots, and so do the animals- so just be cautions of that. Sometimes setting up your camp in an area with trees is better because animals tend to bed where they have a combo of good visibility and good wind to help them detect threats.

 

[downthepipe]

When it comes to camp and shooting a doe: if it’s public land, you do what you want to do if it is legal and safe; don’t worry about other people. You do not need to hang your food. The main thing about picking a camp is to think about where you want to glass from at first light. Consider where the sun is rising and how much country you can see from that vantage point. Don’t camp on a sky line and don’t camp more than 20 minutes from your first vantage point (if you can help it). It’s very tough not to stress out about other hunters, but as long as you don’t intentionally mess with another person’s stalk, then just follow your ethics and be respectful.

 

[Customweld]

When it comes to camp and shooting a doe: if it’s public land, you do what you want to do if it is legal and safe; don’t worry about other people. You do not need to hang your food. The main thing about picking a camp is to think about where you want to glass from at first light. Consider where the sun is rising and how much country you can see from that vantage point. Don’t camp on a sky line and don’t camp more than 20 minutes from your first vantage point (if you can help it). It’s very tough not to stress out about other hunters, but as long as you don’t intentionally mess with another person’s stalk, then just follow your ethics and be respectful.

Sound advice.

 

[sneaky]

That sagebrushy/timbery ridge is where he wants you to go so you can push deer to him on opening day. Take advice like that with a few grains of salt