LAST EDITED ON Nov-13-04 AT 10:49PM (MST)[p]idahobowhunter,
When IDFG took away the only unlimited muzzleloader Mule Deer hunt in Idaho, lots of muzzleloading hunters were quite upset and rightly so. Yes, the old hunting area was getting more crowded every year and decent bucks were becoming just a dream, so some changes were indeed needed. When F&G asked for impute from muzzleloader hunters and nobody showed up but the good old boys from the traditional longrifle club, so the replacement hunt was deemed as a traditional only hunt. Regardless of your personal weapon preference, the inline guys have no organization or voice in this state and because of that they lost big time?enough said.
Next, F&G told anyone who would listen about this great new late unlimited muzzleloader hunt in unit 52. 52 is a real trophy unit with no general season and a controlled rifle hunt that is highly prized and extremely tough to draw with some real bruisers taken over the years. After hearing that news, guys were really getting excited, buying roundball rifles and scouting the unit.
Then the 2004 regulations came out and the chit really hit the fan because without telling anybody F&G set this hunt up to include only a very small portion of unit 52. First, they created a big buzz about it only to stick everybody in the worst part of the unit. Not to mention the new hunt area is no bigger than the old, overcrowded area and it has even worse trophy potential,in my opinion. To make this long story a little shorter IDF&G screwed all muzzleloading hunters, inline and traditional guys alike.
About this time myself and everybody I know were really pissed. We'd call the Magic Valley F&G office and the local biologists and CO?s would tell us that it's gonna be a high quality hunt with good potential, so we put in for the tag and start spending gas money scouting. Well, after a few trips and hundreds of dollars down the gas tank it became very clear that F&G was not telling the truth, again! Like you mentioned this is a small area with lots of private property and one of the areas wintering hotspots was burnt to the ground in August of 03? and hasn't been used by deer since. Also, a landowner in the center of this area was really mad about this hunt taking place in his neck of the woods and he started trying to close the public road that runs into his ranch. Saying that all the people are going to bother his horses.
Now it's like September, and when we'd call the Magic Valley office and tell them the facts about their hunt their story would start to break down a little, heck my buddy pressed the issues about this crappy hunt and in response the C.O. just laughed. He finally said "We just need some deer taken out of this area and the traditional hunters are the most likely to shoot the first deer they can, regardless of size or sex." So now we finally have the motive behind all the half-truths, exaggerations and outright lies. They want a depredation hunt, and behind all the B.S. that's all they gave us.
I never did buy this tag because of this whole experience. I sure hope I am wrong about this hunt, but besides your report I haven't heard anything. My friends and I all choose to hunt elsewhere. Congratulations on your deer. I am glad you made the best of your time afield.
Greg