Ready to hunt high

calibuckill · Jan 24, 2012

Ready to hunt high

Just got done reading David Long's book "Public Land Mulies" as well as Mike Eastmans version of hunting the high country for Mule Deer and i have never been more excited to hunt mule deer this fall. I have bought an over the counter tag for Idaho the last three years and I hunted with the motto and theory that the more miles you put into hiking the better chance you had of killing a big buck. I have found that this is not true! Having hiked in the hundreds of miles the last few years and not seeing a buck over 30 inches I was needless to say getting extremely discouraged. The books written by David and Mike are such a huge eye opener for me that it makes me laugh thinking about how my buddy and i hunted. I never realized that there is such a science in killing big bucks and that the majority of big bucks live above 9000 feet. Last year i made it above 9000 feet maybe once. With that being said I was hoping somebody on this site who does well hunting the Central mountain ranges in Idaho by Challis, Howe or Leadore could give me some helpful hints on hunting high. My buddy and i are in great shape so the physical side of the hunt is not a challenge. I know being from California will not help the cause but its not by choice so please go easy.

missalot · Jan 24, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

I think the first thing you need to do is get the idea of a thirty inch buck out of your head. Certainly, they are there, but it will take being at the highest elevations AND putting on the miles is what you should expect in Idaho. Keep in mind that these guys are hunting Utah and Wyoming, which I would think would have a greater number of thirty inchers available. Back in the heyday of Idaho.....yes, but now many hunters rely on the late seasons to produce those type of bucks. One last thought, much of the country that is that high in Idaho would require you to be part billy-goat to access. Good luck.

mmwb · Jan 24, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

I think that even the guys that are in great shape find some of those hunts challenging. The longer you are there the more it'll take out of you. That is part of the challenge and reward of it. Cameron Hane's Backcountry Bowhunting is also a good read and I think he addresses the real mental challenges better than anything else I've read. I think a lot of hunters are defeated mentally before physically.

HunterHarry · Jan 24, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

I
>know being from California will
>not help the cause but
>its not by choice so
>please go easy.

Don't apologize for being from California.
If you chase Blacktails in the Trinity Alps wilderness for a few years you will be prepared to hunt muleys anywhere they live.

jims82 · Jan 25, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

I've read those books as well and they changed my life. I see many more big bucks now than I ever did before. The key is to get as high as you can and let your glasses do the hiking. Find a place that you can glass miles of country at a time this saves alot of energy. Good luck.

hunter_614 · Jan 25, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

I hunt Utah and Idaho and spend most of my time in the high country and there are more nice bucks in Idaho simply because they do not get as many hunters as Utah. That being said there is no guarente of getting a 30 inch deer. I have one that is 31" the rest are 24 to 26" I am proud of all of them they are all unique and carry a special memory from the hunt. The best thing about the high country is there are less people and you get to see beautiful country. When you do get a deer you know that you have earned it and have a great hunting memory that absolutely trumps the road hunters. Best advice I can give is hike in the dark to get up high before light, move slow and glass alot. And scouting never hurts either. Also it does not always matter that you are in shape or not those steep angles can wear blisters on your feet in a hurry so make sure you have good boots and maybe do some side hilling in advance to get your feet tougher.

carterj16 · Jan 25, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

its fun hunting this way and you will see good deer, 30" are tough to find. a tall 24"that scores good is a lot easier to find. use the optics and sit where u can see lots of country

hntnfsh67 · Jan 25, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

Harry,

That looks a lot like the back of Thompson Peak? Am I right? Had some great trips from Canyon Creek over the divide. Beautiful county and your right, those hills will get you in shape for anywhere!
thanks

Matt
"Opportunity is missed by most people
because its dressed in overalls
and looks like work."
Thomas Edison

fatrooster · Jan 25, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

Don't always expect to find all of the big bucks above 9,000'. They can be anywhere so look everywhere. The idea of being up high is that you can see more country and look down at them. As stated above, glassing with your optics will change your hunting techniques forever. Get a quality spotting scope and quality binoculars and let your eyes do the walking. If you do not find a buck you want after a couple of days of watching a particular canyon, then move on. There's nothing better than hunting muleys. fatrooster.

tx_packmule · Jan 25, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

no doubt.. big bucks can be just about anywhere they feel comfortable. Even up high I've found big deer in the deepest, thickest nasiest canyons you can imagine and the only way to really kill one was to be able to keep track of them for several miles a day.

MichaelJ · Jan 25, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

Another thing to remember is time of year. In September a lot of the bucks can still be out in the open. Once they are hardened up for a few weeks they can hold up in some dark nasty timber waiting for weather to push them down. I like the comment above of "walk slowly"... you get fooled in that big country thinking you're going to glass up a buck far away when you have just as much chance busting one out at 50 yds!

Mike

timberline · Jan 25, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

i am very familiar with the challis salmon area. ive hunted there for years. Lik ethe posts prior have said, just cuz you are high dont expect a 30 incher. the area has to have the genes to produce a 30", which some areas just do not. That is where scouting pays off. You can get an idea of what the area's potential is and base you hunt off of that.

High country is extremely fun and challenging. be ready for rapid weather shifts and long packs. pm me if you need more info on the area, i would be glad to give you some pointers.

HayZeus · Jan 25, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

PM sent

swbuckmaster · Jan 25, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

It makes me laugh when you here someone say the big ones are up high. No the big ones are where they are. All it takes is a buck to make it one more year and there big. I've seen big ones in back yards at the tops and everywhere in between. But it sells more books saying you have to out hike everyone else to find them.

Heck I think the eastmans have killed there best bucks on privite prop in Kansas.

DownThePipe · Jan 26, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

>i am very familiar with the
>challis salmon area. ive hunted
>there for years. Lik ethe
>posts prior have said, just
>cuz you are high dont
>expect a 30 incher. the
>area has to have the
>genes to produce a 30",
>which some areas just do
>not. That is where scouting
>pays off. You can get
>an idea of what the
>area's potential is and base
>you hunt off of that.
>
>
>High country is extremely fun and
>challenging. be ready for rapid
>weather shifts and long packs.
>pm me if you need
>more info on the area,
>i would be glad to
>give you some pointers.

I've guided in the Challis area with White Cloud Outfitters. Trust me, there are very few bucks that reach the 30" mark there. Do yourself a favor and look at the Idaho record book and see where the 30inch bucks come from. Try the spots above 9,000 feet near Atlanta.

TOPGUN · Jan 26, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

That is one beautiful and tough looking piece of real estate!!!

calibuckill · Jan 28, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

Thanks guys for the pointers and the heads up. Ill do some more research and start the scouting process in early July. Ill also post some pics of some bucks that i hopefully see. Ill keep you posted.

missalot · Jan 30, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

Try
>the spots above 9,000 feet
>near Atlanta.

Well, since someone mentioned it.....yes, but keep in mind, I believe thay have a LE early tag there that will get those big bucks down into the heavy cover. As steep as it gets and very open. There are no easy hunts there!

cabinfever · Feb 1, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

There are probably more big bucks killed below timberline than above timberline, however, my most memorable hunt took place at over 12k ft in CO and ended with a 190 high country monarch. I have since taken a bigger buck, but the hunt was not nearly as memorable. I have hunted from Alaska to Mexico and everywhere in between, but nothing is more exhilirating than hunting big velevt bucks above timberline.

Only certain pockets of timberline country hold deer. Locate those pockets and you will find success for many years to come.

bonepicker · Feb 1, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

My first buck was at about 10K feet. I'll just quote travishunter3006 and say "it was a big bodied 2 point"

I think the high country can hold large and small bucks, that year I saw way bigger bucks low than I did high (after I filled my tag of course, being 13, I shot the first buck I saw)
The high country is alot of fun to hunt though, it is a unique experience and always rewarding, even if you don't kill anything. Good luck and post up pics after your hunt!

wybighorn · Feb 1, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

I shot my best buck to date as low in elevation as I could get. I hunted the pinion junipers the last week of the season.

325wsm · Feb 1, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

>It makes me laugh when you
>here someone say the big
>ones are up high. No
>the big ones are where
>they are. All it takes
>is a buck to make
>it one more year and
>there big. I've seen big
>ones in back yards at
>the tops and everywhere in
>between. But it sells more
>books saying you have to
>out hike everyone else to
>find them.
>
>Heck I think the eastmans have
>killed there best bucks on
>privite prop in Kansas.

+1 swb I live in an area that has some very good high country, the two best bucks I have ever killed on the unit were in the low country 20 minutes from my house, in a canyon nobody ever bothers to hunt because they are all in a rush to get to the high country. The big bucks are where the are and that place is going to be where nobody is bothering them.
I like the high country but the problem is everybody else seems to like it too

MarshallBill5 · Feb 1, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

Like many others on here have already said the big bucks are where they decide it is safe to be. Not always in the high country. I have worked my tail end off looking over the high country and have seen some nice bucks. My biggest buck to date is only 17 inches wide. I passed on the much wider buck cause I wanted one with mass. He isn't the heaviest buck at the bases but he carries what he has all the way to the top. Both my little brothers have killed 30+ inch bucks and they both got them way down low in places that you wouldn't think would hold deer let alone a big buck. Take your time walk slow and look into every little nook and cranny. Trophy's aren't always measured by the width and the score.

Yoyak · Feb 1, 2012

RE: Ready to hunt high

IMO, there is nothing better than taking a high country mule deer as far as deer hunting goes. But it's not always the place for big deer.

Here is my experience:
Low Country- 220" and 195" gross
High country- still trying to break 180"

They just live a tougher life up there.