For about the last 15 years or so my family and I have been making the treck to Idaho to chase Whitetails. We have had a lot of fun and its become on of my favorite hunts. Mostly because its time that I'm able to spend with my dad. The majority of the time I'm a bow hunter who likes to hang out as far from the road as I can get. However, in Idaho we do a lot of road hunting and four wheeler hunting in the area. They have a ton of roads that are closed off to all traffic but fourwheelers, bikes and walking. You can go for miles and ride around seeing a lot of gorgeous country. We have a great time riding around and talking. Our ritual is to go up for five days in November. If the weather cooperates the rut starts somewhere in that period and it is a blast. The ammount of deer that we see is unbelievable.
Two years ago we went up and hit the rut right at the end of our hunt. We hunt with some friends and we were seeing some great bucks but not getting much. My dad sat on an overlook watching a ridge while my friend Mike and I were walking around trying to find a buck we'd been glassing a little while earlier. We heard my dad shoot a once and he got on the radio to let us know that he had a buck down. I have to say that the area we hunt is steep......steep enough that there are a lot of areas that you cant even hike. Thats where dad shot his deer. It was crossing a steep area and rolled a LOOOONG way down the hill. He and Mike were trying to find it and I was working my way over. I acted like I was a lot farther away than I was. They were having a dificult time finding the deer because he rolled down the hill into some nasty stuff. As I walked across I came up on the deer. He was a good buck. I carried him down across a stream and over to where a small road was then I called dad and Mike. They had thought that I was still a canyon over chasing the big buck and were wondering if I'd ever get over to help find the deer.
Dad and his deer
The next morning Mike and I were pushing a stand of pines back to the truck. We had seen and missed a smaller buck earlier that morning and I really didnt think that we'd see anything that close to the truck when this buck jumped up. He turned and looked at me and the view of him on the skyline was one of the prettiest I've seen. He took a couple of steps and I took him. It was a great drag back over to the truck
The next morning on our way back up to hunt we saw another buck what was very wide. He was in a good place that we could get too and shoot so we did and I filled my last tag.
We saw a few more bucks and were not able to make it happen for Mike until the last morning. We were headed back to our spot when we saw another nice buck that Mike was able to get a shot at. He took this buck and we were done for the 2006 year.
The 2007 season started out with a bang. My youngest brother had just got back from his mission and was excited to get back to the hunt. Its a ten hour drive to our hunting area and we usually drive all night so that we dont waste any precious hunting time. Its usually an interesting drive because the roads we take get us into some out of the way spots. Last year on the way up we saw a nice muley buck in the road. He had been hit and his back end wouldnt work. He was in a cliffy area right next to a large river. There was NO shoulder with a cliff on one side and the river on the other. We got out and tried to figure out how to get him out of the road. There was no cell signal and we were worried that someone else woudl wreck if they came around the corrner and tried to miss him. It was an experience to get him out of the way.
We made it to our hunting area about an hour before light. We deided to pull over and sleep before we went into town and check in to the hotel. After a quick nap I was excited and ready to go. I changed clothes woke up dad and bo and started up an old road. About 2 minutes up the road I looked up a hill and saw a nice buck (i really didnt know how nice though)chasing a doe. I started yelling at dad and Bo to get out. I wanted bo to have the first shot. Both of them were in there skivvies and not able to get out and up the hill. I was a little anxious for them to get ready and everone was a little tired. That buck made it up into some trees. But seconds later another nice buck, slightly smaller came out. Again I tried to get Bo and dad dressed to get out and take the buck. They were trying to get ready but dad who was no where near ready to depart the truck said "just get out and shoot the dang buck" Which I did. Seconds later another buck came out. Bo who my gunfire put into high gear lept out of the truck and ran up the hill......in his long johns socks and tee shirt. He made a great shot on the second buck and five minutes into the hunt had two nice bucks down. When I hiked up to my buck I was kicking myself for not shooting the first. The second buck was smaller than the first and he was a great buck. Bo's buck was a nice one too. My other brother Toby came up to help pull the deer over to the truck. He had just there with a couple of friends.
The next few days were warm and the hunt slowed down. We picked up another nice deer for Bo and Toby also got a great buck.
The last couple of days were great. I had a friend and his dad come up too meet us. I shot a pretty buck that night and we met my friend. He wanted to see my deer and then showed me the one that he shot. I think his was a little bigger.
Here is the meat poles for both years
Anyway we've had some great times up there and I thought I'd share a couple.
Andy
Two years ago we went up and hit the rut right at the end of our hunt. We hunt with some friends and we were seeing some great bucks but not getting much. My dad sat on an overlook watching a ridge while my friend Mike and I were walking around trying to find a buck we'd been glassing a little while earlier. We heard my dad shoot a once and he got on the radio to let us know that he had a buck down. I have to say that the area we hunt is steep......steep enough that there are a lot of areas that you cant even hike. Thats where dad shot his deer. It was crossing a steep area and rolled a LOOOONG way down the hill. He and Mike were trying to find it and I was working my way over. I acted like I was a lot farther away than I was. They were having a dificult time finding the deer because he rolled down the hill into some nasty stuff. As I walked across I came up on the deer. He was a good buck. I carried him down across a stream and over to where a small road was then I called dad and Mike. They had thought that I was still a canyon over chasing the big buck and were wondering if I'd ever get over to help find the deer.
Dad and his deer
The next morning Mike and I were pushing a stand of pines back to the truck. We had seen and missed a smaller buck earlier that morning and I really didnt think that we'd see anything that close to the truck when this buck jumped up. He turned and looked at me and the view of him on the skyline was one of the prettiest I've seen. He took a couple of steps and I took him. It was a great drag back over to the truck
The next morning on our way back up to hunt we saw another buck what was very wide. He was in a good place that we could get too and shoot so we did and I filled my last tag.
We saw a few more bucks and were not able to make it happen for Mike until the last morning. We were headed back to our spot when we saw another nice buck that Mike was able to get a shot at. He took this buck and we were done for the 2006 year.
The 2007 season started out with a bang. My youngest brother had just got back from his mission and was excited to get back to the hunt. Its a ten hour drive to our hunting area and we usually drive all night so that we dont waste any precious hunting time. Its usually an interesting drive because the roads we take get us into some out of the way spots. Last year on the way up we saw a nice muley buck in the road. He had been hit and his back end wouldnt work. He was in a cliffy area right next to a large river. There was NO shoulder with a cliff on one side and the river on the other. We got out and tried to figure out how to get him out of the road. There was no cell signal and we were worried that someone else woudl wreck if they came around the corrner and tried to miss him. It was an experience to get him out of the way.
We made it to our hunting area about an hour before light. We deided to pull over and sleep before we went into town and check in to the hotel. After a quick nap I was excited and ready to go. I changed clothes woke up dad and bo and started up an old road. About 2 minutes up the road I looked up a hill and saw a nice buck (i really didnt know how nice though)chasing a doe. I started yelling at dad and Bo to get out. I wanted bo to have the first shot. Both of them were in there skivvies and not able to get out and up the hill. I was a little anxious for them to get ready and everone was a little tired. That buck made it up into some trees. But seconds later another nice buck, slightly smaller came out. Again I tried to get Bo and dad dressed to get out and take the buck. They were trying to get ready but dad who was no where near ready to depart the truck said "just get out and shoot the dang buck" Which I did. Seconds later another buck came out. Bo who my gunfire put into high gear lept out of the truck and ran up the hill......in his long johns socks and tee shirt. He made a great shot on the second buck and five minutes into the hunt had two nice bucks down. When I hiked up to my buck I was kicking myself for not shooting the first. The second buck was smaller than the first and he was a great buck. Bo's buck was a nice one too. My other brother Toby came up to help pull the deer over to the truck. He had just there with a couple of friends.
The next few days were warm and the hunt slowed down. We picked up another nice deer for Bo and Toby also got a great buck.
The last couple of days were great. I had a friend and his dad come up too meet us. I shot a pretty buck that night and we met my friend. He wanted to see my deer and then showed me the one that he shot. I think his was a little bigger.
Here is the meat poles for both years
Anyway we've had some great times up there and I thought I'd share a couple.
Andy
