ID Unit 56

M

mbaldo2005

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Does anyone know how the hunt was in Unit 56 last year? Heard it was a zoo up there, but lots of bucks were taken. The unit used to be a draw, and the IDF&G opened it up to a general season last year. My brother was up there hunting a different unit and took a drive over to 56. He said there were camps everywhere and tons of hunters.
 
your right, it was a zoo. more hunters and vehicles than ive ever seen hunting. i normally try to avoid those hyped up hunts but i had to see what it was all about. they needed traffic lights at the intersections. after a couple days several hunters must have got fed up and left. i believe the stats say 18% success last year. i saw several small basket rack 4 points and smaller bucks taken. the biggest i saw was my cousins and when we were checked by fish and game they said there was another big non typical that they checked but that was it that they had seen for big bucks taken. my cousins was in the 170's typical. i think it was an ok hunt but got way too much hype for the end result last year. everyone talked about it last year and i suspect few will talk about it this year. travis
 
I was in the southern portion of 56 last year. Yes there were hunters everywhere, and not that many deer where I was. I've read different on posts from other hunters here, but they must have been elsewhere (probably higher) than I was. I didn't see any deer in camps or trucks and the F&G officer who checked us said he had checked bucks through but hardly anything big. Thought I'd share this part of an article in the Idaho Statesman about that unit that I'd wish I'd read before going into that unit and getting all worked up about it.
Deer numbers are still down in unit 57, another controlled hunt area, and in unit 56, which will offer a general season this year.
"It's going to take a few more years to get them back to the numbers we'd be happy with," Palmer said.
He added there's been quite a buzz among deer hunters about Unit 56, which will have a five-day any-buck season from Oct. 5-9.
The area has been under two-point restrictions for years, and it's also known for producing big bucks during a late-season controlled hunt.
Palmer has received calls from all over the country about hunting in that unit. "There's going to be a pile of people down there," Palmer said. "It's going to be crazy."
Harry Morse, F&G regional information officer for the Southeast Region, said he's also been fielding calls about Unit 56.
"I bet I've had a hundred questions about that," he said.
But Morse said people may be disappointed. Spring counts found less than 15 bucks per 100 does, and the big bucks typically don't come out until late season.
"You're not going to get a crack at getting those big bucks out of the heavy timber," he said.

I guess to answer your question- back in the day it was a trophy hunt and everyone thought it was going to be the same now which for some (being me)it wasn't all that great and for others it might have been.
 
Our family ranch is located just a few miles from unit 56 and I have hunted that unit and the one across the road (73a) for many years.
For 2004, I made it a point to AVOID unit 56. I just didn't want to see the zoo/slaughter. I talked to some old timers that went down there and one of them told me they saw 5 bucks and watched all of them get killed in about 5 minutes.

Personally, I found a "less well known" area and saw a total of 4 people NOT in there pickups. Not as many deer but a much better experience.

Why did F&G do this? My understanding is that the hunters asked for more opportunity, so the unit was opened up.

Some landowners across the road in 73a were happy it was opened as it took some pressure off their unit. They noted that when 56 went to 2 points only the pressure in 73a went way up as all the traditional hunters went across the road. Poaching has been rampant in 56 as it is open for "2 pts only" during the same time that the neighboring unit is open for "any buck". Basically, if you poached a big buck in 56 you only had to make it to the highway and you could claim it was harvested in 73a. I think that contributed to the low buck:doe ratio after years of "limited" harvest. I will tell you that there are lots of 2 pts in that unit and some really good bucks but they stay in the timber until late season.

You should also remember that in the "old days" when 56 was over the counter the general deer hunt went from 10/15 through 11/3. Last year the any buck season went 10/5 - 10/10. Much tougher buck hunting in early october. Also, the freeway through black pine on the west side of unit 56 has had a drastic impact on the herd as it split a migration route. Herd counts are about 1/2 of what they were prior to the freeway being completed.

My feeling is that there will be significantly less pressure in 56 in 2005 than 2004. The hunt dates will be 5 days later (starting 10/10) so it will probably be a better experience this year.

Good luck to all, and remember, there are good bucks in every unit in southern Idaho. Hunt hard!
Lance
 
IDhunter - I sent you a P.M.

Here are some pictures of a couple of "average" bucks I have taken in your "neck of the woods".

2001 buck - 4x4, 27" wide with great eyegards.
42bb1bce04de8bcb.jpg


2002 buck - small 4 point with decent deep forks. Running shot at 200 yards, in the head - Pure Luck.
42bb1bfa050d4e07.jpg


Thank you all for responding to my post.
 
I would like to second what idhunters, idahobuckskin and orion23 have said about unit 56.
Here's my 2 cents.
I hunted 56 a couple weekdays during the middle of September. In the mornings I would glass and saw a fair number of deer. In the afternoons I would drive some of the roads for a couple hours to get to learn the country. I was surprise how many guys I saw archery hunting there with over half of them being out of state hunters. During the archery season I never saw a buck that I wanted to put a stalk on. Instead of trying to fight the crowds when the rifle season opened I hunted other units.
According to the F&G harvest data there were 367 bucks killed in unit 56 last year. In 2003 there were 161 bucks killed in unit 56. There was also a controlled hunt for youth that included unit 56 in 2003 and 2004 but the F&G don't put out info on how many deer were killed on this youth hunt in unit 56. Basically there were way too many bucks killed in unit 56 last year. If I remember right the buck to doe ratio was around 12% when the F&G counted them this last winter. The doe to fawn ratio and the number of collard fawns that survived the winter in that area was very encouraging but I wouldn't be looking for a trophy buck during the rifle hunt in unit 56 this year.
 
mbaldo2005,
Thanks for sharing the pictures. Good luck on the draws if you applied in Idaho this year.
 

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