Lemhi, Idaho Elk Hunting Blues

[MWElk hunter]

Splittin hairs

Sorry, I was just trying to answer the question. I hadn't seen that you had already answered it. Certainly not trying to split hairs.

 

[roosiebull]

We went to Idaho for my first time and went to the Lemhi district. We hunted Montana last year on a general tag and It's tough to describe how many more hunters were in our chosen unit in Idaho. It wasn't multiple vehicles parked at the trailhead, it was multiple vehicles parked at each drainage. All the campsites were full and more people came from RV sites in Leadore. In two weeks we did not hear a single bugle - Not one. We saw a grand total of 16 elk, all by way of still hunting. My son actually shot one, but after two hours that night and six hours on our hands and knees the next day we finally lost blood and the tracks intersected a number of others. It was heartbreaking. He must have only hit one lung as we had definite lung blood on a pass through shot. I did see one world-class bull, which was cool, but you would expect to see more animals after hours of glassing, hiking over 100 miles, and trying different techniques. I don't know if it was just the large number of hunters that made the elk so quiet but it was surprising and vastly different than our Montana experience. We did go to other drainages but the one had even more people - a literal zoo! We finally moved all the way to the other side of the range but had three trucks pull up after we set up camp. All the elk we found were between 8,500-9,000feet. It was a tough hunt and we should've had one but you would like to get more encounters. I think that they are simply selling too many tags for that unit and Idaho Fish and Game needs to correct the problem. We did see most of our elk as other hunters started pulling out early because they weren't seeing any elk and some of them were pretty serious and committed hunters. I don't know where to go next year but if Fish and Game doesn't correct this issue it won't be back to the Lemhi.

you cannot gauge a whole region by your one time experience when you were there for the first time.... you proposing what fish and game should do based on your one and only trip there is borderline delusional.

your post reminds me of the californians who move here to oregon and want to change things to be more like california. i bet there were a bunch of people that had a good hunt in that region, and appreciate the opportunity to go hunt..... maybe start focus on bettering your next trip, and try not to blame your hunt on how the state manages the game.

in every crowded unit there are little pockets where the crowds aren't.... seek those out. a big part of elk hunting strategies these days is adapting to hunting pressure, and finding those areas that aren't pressured.

i know words on forums don't always come across how they are meant to, but your post seems like a self centered rant.

if you drive around here during elk season, it looks crazy crowded.... i RARELY see anyone while i'm actually hunting. public land elk hunting success has a lot to do with attitude and doing things the rest of the hunters don't want to.

 

[wind gypsy]

I think what was so frustrating is that we were able to call with results in MT last year, so I was expecting something similar and I just don't know why we couldn't get an answer.

That's hunting. Last year in MT we got caught in the middle of 10+ rut crazed bulls. Killed one after calling it away from cows, across 500 yards of open valley, up an open hillside to a tiny little spattering of trees we could barely hide in. Seemed like they were committing suicide.

Same area/time this year, not a single locate bugle got a response.

I don't think Montana's management is the cause of the different experiences.

 

[MWElk hunter]

you cannot gauge a whole region by your one time experience when you were there for the first time.... you proposing what fish and game should do based on your one and only trip there is borderline delusional.

your post reminds me of the californians who move here to oregon and want to change things to be more like california. i bet there were a bunch of people that had a good hunt in that region, and appreciate the opportunity to go hunt..... maybe start focus on bettering your next trip, and try not to blame your hunt on how the state manages the game.

in every crowded unit there are little pockets where the crowds aren't.... seek those out. a big part of elk hunting strategies these days is adapting to hunting pressure, and finding those areas that aren't pressured.

i know words on forums don't always come across how they are meant to, but your post seems like a self centered rant.

if you drive around here during elk season, it looks crazy crowded.... i RARELY see anyone while i'm actually hunting. public land elk hunting success has a lot to do with attitude and doing things the rest of the hunters don't want to.

Love the Proverb. We quoted that throughout our hunt to inspire us to keep going. I'm sure there are things we can do to improve. It was just a LOT of people. After they left it was better. At the end we were the only people left with a camp and the only truck we saw till the last night when we were pulling out. Forgive me for not liking crowds. I live off the grid and can't see a neighbor. Maybe there were even more people because of Coronavirus. I'm not sure but it was still fun. I love the terrain and the animals. It was simply a statement on quiet elk and large crowds.

 

[roosiebull]

Love the Proverb. We quoted that throughout our hunt to inspire us to keep going. I'm sure there are things we can do to improve. It was just a LOT of people. After they left it was better. At the end we were the only people left with a camp and the only truck we saw till the last night when we were pulling out. Forgive me for not liking crowds. I live off the grid and can't see a neighbor.

use that information for your next trip..... let the masses have it early, then start your trip when the pressure resides. i don't like crowds either, and work hard to avoid them.... i'm not going to do it. i would rather lose a day of hunting to scout out a spot with less pressure, it would be worth it.

opening weekend is pretty much chaos in any OTC elk unit, labor day weekend is too, then the last few days. during mid week the first couple weeks, a lot of those crowded places turn into ghost towns, like there isn't a season going (some spots get pressure all season) there is a lot you can do to have a better hunt next time, and it's not reliant on Idaho reducing tag numbers.

plan your trips to avoid the really busy times, seek out those places that have less pressure, and go to places that aren't convenient or obvious. just accepting what you saw is how things are will yield the same results. i know it's easier said than done, but like i said, giving up a morning hunt to go find a spot not getting pounded may be the best option sometimes..... look on google earth and find habitat that looks hard to get to. some spots still get pressure, but just how people operate, the pressure will not reach that area until 10-12am.... go the extra step and hike into there in the dark and have it to yourself for a few hours..... there are things you can do to improve your situation.... gotta be a little creative and work harder than the next guy.

nothing about OTC elk hunting is easy, that's part of the fun, having consistent success when things are tough make it that much more satisfying.

 

[roosiebull]

another thing about tag numbers....

you know how many fewer tags they would have to sell to make a noticeable difference in pressure? it would have to make it so you could only hunt every 4-6yrs best case..... that's not good. most of us who hunt OTC every year (i don't put in for any elk hunts) are content with the opportunity, and know we can turn it into a good hunt..... and even kill bulls on a regular basis.

sure, it would be fun if elk hunting was like an old school primos video, but i would rather hunt every year, than have to wait 10yrs to hunt a unit with big, dumb, unpressured bulls all over..... i know there are pockets of unpressured elk in otc units, as well as trophy caliber bulls, and i have the chance to find them every single year..... they just aren't everywhere, but that's what makes it special when you find them.

 

[SemperHunter]

This sounds like it was a great time. Not ideal necessarily but great all things considered. I only hope we can see elk and have an opportunity at a shot like y'ou guys did when my friends and I travel to Idaho in a few weeks for B tag. I know for a fact it is going to be an absolute zoo due to 22 being shut down but we've already spent the money on the tags and thousands on equipment to make the trek for this opportunity. I've been dreaming of elk hunting since I can remember and this will be my first time. I know it won't be ideal but we're going to make the best of it.

 

[MWElk hunter]

another thing about tag numbers....

you know how many fewer tags they would have to sell to make a noticeable difference in pressure? it would have to make it so you could only hunt every 4-6yrs best case..... that's not good. most of us who hunt OTC every year (i don't put in for any elk hunts) are content with the opportunity, and know we can turn it into a good hunt..... and even kill bulls on a regular basis.

sure, it would be fun if elk hunting was like an old school primos video, but i would rather hunt every year, than have to wait 10yrs to hunt a unit with big, dumb, unpressured bulls all over..... i know there are pockets of unpressured elk in otc units, as well as trophy caliber bulls, and i have the chance to find them every single year..... they just aren't everywhere, but that's what makes it special when you find them.

Well said. And we certainly will change our approach next year. It's one of the reasons I started this thread. I have had some good PMs about tactics and such. It does seem like going later may be better. I'll miss the great change in Minnesota's hardwood forests, which will be a bit of a bummer, and hard because I am a landscape and nature photographer by trade. We have no problem going in deep and leaving with Orion greeting us in the morning and on our return to camp. That's a given. We did grab a large breakfast on a couple mornings b ut on a whole we are out before sunrise and it does help.

 

[MWElk hunter]

This sounds like it was a great time. Not ideal necessarily but great all things considered. I only hope we can see elk and have an opportunity at a shot like y'ou guys did when my friends and I travel to Idaho in a few weeks for B tag. I know for a fact it is going to be an absolute zoo due to 22 being shut down but we've already spent the money on the tags and thousands on equipment to make the trek for this opportunity. I've been dreaming of elk hunting since I can remember and this will be my first time. I know it won't be ideal but we're going to make the best of it.

Congratulations. I think the B-tag is limited so you might see less people and from what I saw I should have been on the other side of the range as there were less people on the Pesimori side.

 

[SemperHunter]

Congratulations. I think the B-tag is limited so you might see less people and from what I saw I should have been on the other side of the range as there were less people on the Pesimori side.

I'm in the Weiser area and that is the highest capped area for B Tags at 3560 Resident Cap and 430 NR Cap. Nearly 4000 elk tags limited from 3 to 2 Units. It's going to be a cluster of the highest order.

 

[MWElk hunter]

I'm in the Weiser area and that is the highest capped area for B Tags at 3560 Resident Cap and 430 NR Cap. Nearly 4000 elk tags limited from 3 to 2 Units. It's going to be a cluster of the highest order.

Oh..... That will be pretty crazy. Makes the people that I ran in to look a little small-time. I wish you well.

 

[SemperHunter]

Thank you! We're going to make the best of it. Luckily, having been in the military, we're accustomed to adapt, improvise and overcome

 

[Rob5589]

Yeah..... The smoke was obnoxious. California needs to get their act together and cut some trees and make some fire lines. Between the smoke and dry air I kept getting a bloody nose. Maybe I'll have to try a different drainage.

You're certainly correct but, you can blame Oregon for that smoke. This time.

 

[MWElk hunter]

You're certainly correct but, you can blame Oregon for that smoke. This time.

Actually, the entire Left Coast - Washington, Oregon, and California, right?

 

[Rob5589]

Actually, the entire Left Coast - Washington, Oregon, and California, right?

Pretty much

 

[MWElk hunter]

Does anyone on this thread have advice on dealing with thermals in draws and up high? In both instances they don't seem to be consistent, even when they are consistent elsewhere. I came up the back side of the mountain so I could approach from above with the thermals blowing up but once you get within a couple hundred feet of the top they switch all over the place - or at least they did for me and then it's game over.

 

[dreamingbig]

Prevailing coming over the top hitting the thermal coming up on the other side usually equals a toilet bowl. You will have a steadier wind just slightly off the top (either side).


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[IdahoElk]

Does anyone on this thread have advice on dealing with thermals in draws and up high? In both instances they don't seem to be consistent, even when they are consistent elsewhere. I came up the back side of the mountain so I could approach from above with the thermals blowing up but once you get within a couple hundred feet of the top they switch all over the place - or at least they did for me and then it's game over.

Welcome to the mountains

 

[AaronMColeman]

Does anyone on this thread have advice on dealing with thermals in draws and up high? In both instances they don't seem to be consistent, even when they are consistent elsewhere. I came up the back side of the mountain so I could approach from above with the thermals blowing up but once you get within a couple hundred feet of the top they switch all over the place - or at least they did for me and then it's game over.

You should see most of my onX tracks. Zig zag all over again he place just following the thermals/prevailing. Not ideal but you gotta go where the wind takes you.

Lastnight I had a plan to come up this back side of a ridge and work into a basin I’d heard bugles in the other day. Never made it. Following the wind I ended up all over the place but could never get to the basin I wanted. Maybe I’m not the best hunter but I feel you have to follow the wind.

 

[jmez]

Welcome to the mountains

Why I chuckle when the eastern WT hunters say it's impossible to "hunt the wind" in their location.

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