IDAHO ELK HUNT

[HORSEPACKER]

My Son and I are putting together an elk hunt in the Salmon Region in Idaho.. Has anyone hunted the area recently? We were just wondering what to expect; number of hunters, elk numbers, camping locations, what the weather might be like around the end of Oct. etc. Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[Huffmad]

what units? I hunt 20a 26 and 27 these are middle fork units.

 

[HORSEPACKER]

We thought units 21 and 28 looked pretty good as far as accessibility. Our plan was to set up a main camp on the river and branch out with horse camps and travel the roads to get a feel for the country. Our biggest concern was that if access is good it will probably be really popular.
What kind of weather would be typical for the end of Oct. in that area?
Thanks for the reply.

 

[Outdoordan]

I took a bighorn in unit 21 last year. I would have to say that most of the elk are up on top, meaning, up about 3-4,000 vertical feet above the river. That isn't to say that you don't see some cows along the river early, but I would say most of the elk are up at altitude. The problem with staying by the river is how long it will take you to travel to the top. On most of the roads it takes atleast an hour of grinding up switchbacks to get to the top. If I were you I would camp up on top. I think the hunting should be pretty good up there, good looking country. Another bit of advise would be to do a scouting trip with the family, get some river time in, and go up on top to scout for elk, just my thoughts..

 

[HORSEPACKER]

Congrats on the bighorn. Thanks for the info and good advice. A scouting trip is a good idea. It sounds like I might have trouble getting a horse trailer to the top?

 

[Idhillsnhorns]

For unit 21A and 28, get ready to see more people than elk. Weather is totally unpredictable around Salmon. Getting a horse trailer to the top in many parts of 28 is possible but very washboardy and lots of traffic. good luck

 

[HORSEPACKER]

We don't mind hunting with others but a lot of hunters can be frustrating. We will try getting at least 2-3 miles from the roads if we can and hunt on foot. Sounds like horses might just be a liabilty. Thanks for the help.

 

[NWduck]

I hunted last year out of Salmon in the Frank Church Wildersness. I won't return until the wolves are gone. We heard or saw wolves everyday out of camp. I got lucky and took a 300 bull but was the only one to connect. 2 other guys didn't see animal. I shot my bull 8500' living in the rimrocks trying to get away from the predators. I also saw 5 bears and we killed a lion off a big mulie he freshly killed.

 

[HORSEPACKER]

I heard the wolves were a problem but was not sure exactly where. Must of been a lot of work packing out your elk. How far were you away from camp? Were they grizzly or black bears? I think either one can be hard on elk calves.