Idaho Unit 43 opinions and suggestions

Let me start out by saying I really appreciate you all for sharing your insight and experiences. My daughter and I have learned a ton just by reading all of your posts. So thank you guys and gals.
I spent 10 brutal days hunting mule deer in unit 43 in Idaho mid-season last year. I saw a total of 2 bucks, and they were both 2x2's. I thought i'd let em grow up some more. I just didn't see much deer. I've been told and you read all the time that the deer push out of 43 and head into 44&45. I will not give up on this place, I love everything about it. Was wondering if anyone had any helpful info on particular areas to cover. I'm not asking for honey holes or lunker ponds, just some areas you think will be fun for me and my daughter to hunt this year. If you don't feel good about posting it for the world to see then pm me. Again thanks for everything.

Semper Fi

Cannot figure out how to PM. PM me and I will give you some advice based on the fact that you are a Marine and I respect that.

Thank you. That means a lot. Yea good point, I cant figure it out either. Here's my email [email protected] feel free to send me whatever you have. I really, really appreciate it idahohillboy

additionally if anyone can explain how the hell to private message someone, that'd be great.

When you log in at MM the next screen is the main Forum page, look right above and look for INBOX that is where you find your "PM" messages.

Brian
http://i44.tinypic.com/es7x8z.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks Bryan. Love the stack devil dog

To send a pm click on the little envelope to the right of the screen name of who you want to correspond.

I hunt 39 but it's similar country. There are plenty of deer.

A few thoughts.The end of the hunt is usually a lot better. Also, make sure you're in good sagebrush habitat. Deer seem to be harder to find and less abundant in more classic elk habitat. I think higher elevation is usually a good idea for bigger bucks. Getting away from pressure is key.

Are you focused on glassing from high points and not walking around?

Yea. Last year I felt I did quite a bit of hike based on me not seeing deer at first light and dusk. Maybe I'm the issue and just need to hunker down and be more patient. You guys have been awesome. I can't tell you how appreciative I am for your feedback.

Semper Fi

I'll be in the border area of 39/43 this October. I'd be more than happy to discuss what I find there for deer with you when we get back home. I'll likely be back in 2018 too, but my old man and I will be looking for Elk instead.

Best of luck this fall!

NorthStar, have you finalized your plans? I'm excited for you, even though the winter kill might make the hunt a little harder.

PM me for elk spots when you plan for 2018.

>NorthStar, have you finalized your plans?
>I'm excited for you, even
>though the winter kill might
>make the hunt a little
>harder.
>
>PM me for elk spots when
>you plan for 2018.


After seeing the regs come out a couple weeks ago, I think we're good to go. It's all over now but the waiting. Gonna be a long Summer!

Pay attention to this fella, OP, he won't steer you wrong.

Thank you. I appreciate your response. Good luck to you this year.

I hunted in south east idaho last year. I went high and found very few bucks. The majority of the bucks were down last year. Most people forget that last year in September we had a HUGE snow storm that dropped about 3 feet of snow in the high country around 9/15/16. By the 25th or so it had melted down to a foot. Bucks on the Wasatch in Utah went back up. Bucks in areas that migrate...didnt. They began their journey to the winter grounds. They guys by the roads last year nailed the bucks. The guys like me in the back country...missed the boat for the most part. The area you are talking about is an area deer have a good sized migration. I imagine many of the deer migrated towards winter ground. That September storm was the biggest dump of snow I have seen in the 24 years I have been hunting. When we went up late September to hunt on the Utah Muzz hunt there was up to 3 feet of snow drifted in the shade. There was 1 foot of snow in the sun at 8500 ft elevation. The bucks came back but we were on the Wasatch so they can go up and down the mountain in 1 hours time. The bucks in migration units tended to take off last year. I know I was not the only one that missed this phenomenon in Idaho because some guys showed up on horseback and asked us how the hunting was up high. I said we didnt see anything...not even a doe. He rolled his eyes and took off for a one week hunt in the basins we had just covered. The next day he came out....loaded his animals without saying anything...and went home. I think he could see there simply was nothing left in mid October up high in migration units.

This actually helped my next hunt a bit which was in Zion. The Zion unit is a huge migration unit. The deer headed out early in September when that storm hit. By October 20th when the rifle hunt started they were already seeing bruiser bucks showing up in Arizona. The migrated about 2 weeks early. I also missed this opportunity since I didnt understand the migration.

Learned a lot about hunting migrating herds in 2016. Watch the weather. Usually not a massive impact in September but this last year was not typical and therefore if you hunted a migration unit you needed to understand where the deer went in order to get a buck.....ultimately I ended up getting a decent buck in Idaho and it was up high. A few bucks will stick it out. However, I believe I shot the buck in an area he had migrated to. It was on a high peak but it was 10/15/17 and the snow had been melted for weeks. I believe he was low, got pushed up by hunters, and was slowly working his way back to the high country. I saw two bucks pushing 30 inches shot by hunters on walks with their kids by the trail heads. They had on flimsy orange plastic vests they had just bought at the gas station. Those were the lucky guys this last year.

Not sure if all this helps but it may explain that in your unit...because of all the snow in Sept....the bucks may have mostly pushed on.

"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato

Great insight aspen. Thanks. I'm headed out there in june for some scouting. I'll let you know hoe it goes.