SE hunt

Cactusbuck · Oct 12, 2018

Today we arrived in Soda Springs. Tomorrow we hunt deer. Sunday I scout for elk. A buddy has been here hunting deer the past two days. He has counted around twenty does per day. A few smaller bucks have been with them. Yesterday he saw a big five point. His standards are high and he let it walk. However, he encountered a hunter that had killed a super buck. Today he started walking in the dark and counted about thirty vehicles going past.

idabigbuck · Oct 13, 2018

Good luck on your hunt! I would love to hunt Eastern Idaho some day! Sounds like you will have some company on the mountain. Be sure to post some pics of the hunt!

Deepcolor · Oct 13, 2018

Good luck Cactus, hope you guys do well.

Cactusbuck · Oct 13, 2018

Thank you guys for the encouragement. This morning we spotted three bulls and about forty five cows. It was fun seeing so many elk even though they were in a unit I'm unable to hunt. We did encounter lots of hunters on the roads but less pressure than Arizona it seemed to me (that's where I live). In regard to deer, we spotted over thirty does and fawns. The bucks were elusive today though. It began snowing here in the hills this evening and it made spotting impossible. After today I have a greater respect for you guys that climb these steep towering mountains. Packing meet out must be brutal! Hopefully, we'll find out tomorrow.

Derekg12 · Oct 13, 2018

I'm down near Preston and not as much luck down here. The snow hit us today too. e saw a few doe but that was it.

Derekg12 · Oct 14, 2018

Any intel on good areas would be helpful. I walked 10 miles and didn't even see.a doe. Thanks and good luck.

Derekg12 · Oct 14, 2018

Another tough day of hunting in Preston Idaho. I walked about 8 miles and didn't;t even see a doe. Any help with some intel would be appreciated

tworivers · Oct 14, 2018

See the big mountain range to the west of town?
Hike to the top of that.... sit down glass all the aspen pockets, pine patches along the shadowy edges. Bucks love the shade, edge cover, first and last light.

RIP Lil Bro' "Huntnfever"

huntfishall1 · Oct 14, 2018

Only advice I can offer is to find a good vantage point where you can see some good deer country....sit there and glass, then glass some more...then repeat. I've never been a huge fan of walking around unless you really know the area well, it will just put the deer on high alert as they usually see/hear/smell you first. Use your energy to get to a good glassing point. Good luck and keep hunting hard!

Cactusbuck · Oct 14, 2018

The deer seem to be hanging half way up those tall peaks in Unit 76 between Soda and Montpellier. It seems like we've been climbing about 1200-1500feet from the road as close to private as possible. Big bucks have been scarce but lots of deer.

Cactusbuck · Oct 14, 2018

And we're avoiding heavy timber to see the deer. They seem to like those wide open barren hillsides with sparse cover. Some of the guys in our group are using spotting scopes and some are doing a lot of walking. Both methods are working but neither better than the other.

Derekg12 · Oct 14, 2018

Thanks... We will keep at it. Good luck

twsnow18 · Oct 15, 2018

One post contradicting another. Open hillsides vs. edges of cover. Every area is different.

Deer are where they are and they aren't where they aren't. Keep looking DerekG. Move locations if needed.

Derekg12 · Oct 15, 2018

We moved out towards Montpelier today. We saw about 15 does but no bucks. We will try it again tomorrow. We have two more days to get it done. Thanks for all the help.

Cactusbuck · Oct 15, 2018

The past two days our whole group has only spotted one three point buck. The good news is there seems to be about a 90% fawn to doe ratio. This morning four of us hunted elk in Unit 75. Awesome country and some decent amount of shooting. However, we only saw does and grouse. Tomorrow morning we're going after deer for the two youth hunters who arrived Sunday night. Good luck everyone.

Cactusbuck · Oct 16, 2018

This morning we spotted a group of deer with two smaller bucks. One of the youth hunters shot a three point. One shot at four hundred yards behind the front shoulder. That was his first buck and he was very excited. Actually, we were all very happy. My Dad shot a coyote which he kept for taxidermy. Tomorrow morning we're going after elk.

Derekg12 · Oct 16, 2018

We hunted Unit 77 on Copenhagen Basin Road all day. We didn't see a thing. Heading back towards Montpelier tomorrow (Unit 76

Derekg12 · Oct 16, 2018

We have been hunting Unit 77 quite a bit and didn't see any signs of Elk.

Cactusbuck · Oct 17, 2018

Tonight we saw sixteen does and fawns. We were at 8000 feet and expected to find a gnarly buck. One of the youths jumped a raghorn bull this morning. He had a round chambered but the gun was slung over his soldier. We found a small pocket where it looks like a few bulls are hanging. It appears they are feeding on a sparsely timbered south facing slope and bedding nearby. We're going to give them a day to calm down and try again Friday.

Cactusbuck · Oct 18, 2018

Today we shot a five point bull. We heard it bugle and saw it going through a clearing. I told the youth to get set up for a shot and ranged it. The boy was fiddling with the grass in front of him so I took the shot and missed. The boy shot and hit a high lung shot. We spent the day packing meat. That youth hunter is tagged out. His brother has been hunting mule deer. Today they had another group of hunters spoil their stalk. Last day tomorrow. One guy is hunting elk and I'm taking the boy for a buck.

grizzly · Oct 18, 2018

Great job. Congrats!

Grizzly

Cactusbuck · Oct 19, 2018

This morning the young guy got a shot at a decent buck. We discovered his gun was shooting off. He fell a few days ago and that's probably why. It wasn't a total loss though because he found a monster bull elk shed in the sagebrush country on unit 78. Also, we saw a guy that shot a nice six point bull down that way this morning. It was a pretty cool ending for a fantastic trip. Thank you guys for all your help. We really enjoyed the Caribou Inn at Soda Springs. Good luck!

Derekg12 · Oct 19, 2018

Thanks for your help along the way! We headed back home yesterday! The last night night we saw a small forkie but passed on it. We will try again another time. Congrats on our amazing successes!

Cactusbuck · Oct 20, 2018

Here are some pics

Cactusbuck · Oct 20, 2018

Derekg12, my pleasure and I'm so glad you found some deer. Our group had a total of seven deer tags and we filled one. If we had seen the five point on the last day instead of the first we might have tried killing him but I'm glad it worked out the way it did. We must have seen at least three hundred does and fawns. We only saw twelve bucks in eight days of hard hunting. One five point, two small four points and small three and two points. In my opinion, the bright spot was the high fawn to doe ratio.