Unit 36B Idaho

[Munch]

Hello all. I have settled on unit 36B for next year elk. Does anyone have any information on this unit? Not looking for any spots in particular just general information. What is the terrain like? How about wildlife populations? I talked with biologist but he had little information.

 

[idahohikker]

Archery or rifle? My experience was during the rifle seasons. I hunted there for cows last year because of the long season due to my schedule. I did eventually find elk but it was a lot harder than it should of been. I think that since the unit is so accessible and hunted hard, elk stay in the timber a lot during the day. I found many more deer than elk. You can look at survey numbers found on the Fish and Game website to get an idea of populations. However, they are somewhat deceiving since a good number of elk come from other units to winter there. The surveys show barely at objective for bulls. Take out the outside elk and you'll find the population isn't in the tank but it's low-to-average. The other thing that surprised me is the lack of trophy quality for elk in the area. I talked with bios who have flown the whole zone on multiple occasions and they said they very rarely saw anything at or above 300". I think you would need to get in the most remote and rugged parts of the unit to get away from people and give yourself decent odds of success. The terrain is generally pretty steep but there are a few places to get relatively far from a road. Feel free to PM if you'd like.

 

[idahohikker]

Have you already bought your tag? They're sold out for nonres. If so, PM me if you want. There's some places I'd recommend checking out. 36b probably wouldn't be the first unit I'd hit.