58-1

[Idaho75]

I drew the tag, boys and girls! I have hunted this area extensively for over 2 decades...now I live in Reno and haven't been in the country for a few years. Has anybody seen any good bulls in 58 59 59a recently? I have never crossed birch cr and hunted 58, but looking at maps, there is some good looking country over there. Does anybody have much experience hunting that country that could give me some info? I CAN NOT WAIT for November!

 

[7mmgilbert]

I had the tag last year, found a good bull in September in unit 59 but never found him in November, ended up eating the tag. I have seen trail cam pictures from this year of a couple of good bulls.

 

[Idaho75]

thanks for the reply!I am assuming by the unit 59 you were hunting the spencer area or east medicine lodge? I have killed many elk out of there, and there are good bulls, but there is also a ton of pressure from archers and muzzleloader hunters. If I may ask, could you narrow down where you hunted and also do you know what areas the trail cam pics came from? I am thinking of 59a-58 more, just due to the more remote areas I can get into that don't get pounded so hard. I have hunted the lower crooked cr drainage a lot, and it is brutal country with less elk, but better mature bulls, in my opinion. The backside of Heart mountain and back of crooked cr are also good areas if you can get in there! Feel free to pm me! Thank you again!

 

[7mmgilbert]

PM sent

 

[Idaho75]

Thanks for the pm 7mm! I am still trying to figure out how to reply to it, I have a couple of questions. Good info though!

 

[kilowatt]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-16-15 AT 10:32AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jul-16-15 AT 10:28?AM (MST)

Idaho75....when you log in on MM and the main forum page comes up, look over to the far right and click on the words MailBox or maybe it is Inbox and that is where you will find your message from who ever sent you one. Then below the message you can reply back to the sender and NO ONE sees the message except the two of you.

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

 

[Idaho75]

Thanks, Kilowatt! Do YOU have any thoughts on this hunt?! Have you ever been in any of the country?

 

[HalfAce]

It seems like you know those units well and have alot of boots on the ground experience. All you got to do now is hunt it hard.

I cant give you any specific info on your units on the Idaho side as ive never hunted them, But have hunted the Montana side quite a bit. I would just add some of my experience and what i have seen.

Late October, i have seen a handful of big bulls mixed with the cows, but soon after opening day (like Oct 25th or so), any bulls ide consider "big" leave the cows, and only some raghorns sometimes stay with the cows. If you are seeing lots of cows, your in the wrong place, so go look higher in elevation and farther away (good general rule), in thicker cover for the bigger bull your lookin for.

One last thing of note, some years there is some pretty significant pressure on the Montana side Thanksgiving weekend when your season is still in play, which sends some elk over and into Idaho unit 59.

 

[Idaho75]

HalfAce, I really appreciate you taking a moment to give me some info. Thank you. Of particular interest to me is the Montana season...is this a general season hunt or draw hunt you are referring to? Do you see many real good bulls on that side of the border? I will be hunting 2 weeks solid and am looking for a 350 bull. They are in there somewhere! I personally have seen a 375 bull, a 360+ bull, and the sheds from a bull that topped 400 3 years in a row that ended up dying in winter due to an arrow in its sinus cavity! (the guy had his winter hole pegged, obviously, and would find the sheds within a couple hundred yards every year, started as a 370 and progressed) Thanks again!
-Rhett

 

[HalfAce]

I sent you a PM Rhett.

 

[destroyer350]

>HalfAce, I really appreciate you taking
>a moment to give me
>some info. Thank you.
>Of particular interest to me
>is the Montana season...is this
>a general season hunt or
>draw hunt you are referring
>to? Do you see
>many real good bulls on
>that side of the border?
> I will be hunting
>2 weeks solid and am
>looking for a 350 bull.
> They are in there
>somewhere! I personally have
>seen a 375 bull, a
>360+ bull, and the sheds
>from a bull that topped
>400 3 years in a
>row that ended up dying
>in winter due to an
>arrow in its sinus cavity!
>(the guy had his winter
>hole pegged, obviously, and would
>find the sheds within a
>couple hundred yards every year,
>started as a 370 and
>progressed) Thanks again!
>-Rhett

You're digging up bulls from quite some time ago to compare with whats there today, the shed bull and the mid-sized bull in the store came from the 90's when there was a spike only general and very few controlled tags. Since then f&g have given out alot of early & lots of late any bull tags. Quality is way off from those days!! While the shed bull was a nice bull no way he makes 400 any year!!

 

[Apatkelley]

I was lucky and drew the same tag. I haven't ever hunted this area for elk and could use any advice I can get.

 

[Idaho75]

If you live close, spend time in the country. Water is key early. Spencer and some of the medicine lodge country get pounded. I don't know much about 58 on the west side, but I have buddies that tell me it is the same. Find country away from access, there is lots of it. More elk mean more hunters and usually lesser bulls because of it. Find the out of the way stuff with a few elk and you will find better bulls. Spencer is the easiest country in the hunt, and also has the most access. Montana has a general hunt through the 29th for any bull right across the border,which also keeps the quality down in the spencer and some of the medicine lodge country. If you get out for some scouting, let me know if you are seeing much!

 

[Idaho75]

Oh destroyer, you are a naysayer! The bull in dubois is a 'mid size' bull to you? The shed bull, well I admit it didn't quite make 400, but it did go mid 390's for a couple of years, so I rounded up, big deal! There was a 365 taken out of the back of medicine lodge two years ago (source, sheriff of Clark cty), a 364 taken out of the birch cr side 3 years ago, a great 6x8 taken from the west side of birch cr within the last 5 years (source family member of successfull hunters on both bulls)...they are out there, get off the ATV buddy, the big ones never hear them after they get over 4-5 years old! The 375 out of scott canyon I know the hunter personally, great pedestal mount. Some of these are from a while ago, but the genetics are in there, you just have to be willing to find the ones who live to be old enough to get there! I might not see anything over 350, but it won't be for lack of effort, for sure. I am just stoked for the opportunity to have the tag and have a chance!

 

[destroyer350]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-25-15 AT 02:45PM (MST)[p]I'm a naysayer? Yes mid-sized, put a tape on him, now the other bull in there is actually a big bull, at one time world record muzz bull but taken on the east side of hiway, shed bull, carry the same last name as the feller that found him, clark co. sheriff, went to school with him, tends to get the big eye as he has seen 400in bulls everywhere. I've hunted the unit archery, early and late rifle with friends and family since they started these controlled hunts & have had pretty good success. And don't mention atvs, if I can't walk there I have plenty of horse power in the pasture to get me there, most can't keep up! Hunted these units extensively over the last 40 yrs and pretty much know what to expect. Definitely not what it use to be, but is it possible, I guess anything is possible. Oh and keep thinking the 4-5 (raghead) plus year old bulls don't hear a vehicle, lots of them get shot out of the seat of a vehicle during these late clusters. Any way didn't want to sound like a prick, oh well, good luck, and one piece of advice don't chase all the ghost bulls the locals tell you about most around here have a bad case of the big eye!!!!

 

[destroyer350]

Bye the way, it's not that we don't have the genetics to grow big bulls, as we absolutely do, there's one problem & that is age. It takes a bull at least 8yrs for a bull to reach at least his potential, if not older. When I was guiding they aged all bulls taken, best bulls were between 9 & 12 yrs of age. Some bulls could be pretty good at 6 or 7, but who knows what they would have been if they had reached 10yrs. Killed lots of bulls well into their teens that would go 350 plus. oldest bull I had a hunter harvest was 18yrs old (verified by utah division of wildlife) that scored 368. Youtube, Tracy Valdez elk hunt for video. Good up front weak in back, but still a nice last day bull with a bow!!!!

 

[Apatkelley]

Thanks for the information Idaho75, makes a lot of sense. Sent you a PM.

 

[Idaho75]

Where would you go to find an 8+ year old bull in this hunt, destroyer? Send me a pm with that, I would like to talk with you about some of the country I plan on hunting, and you obviously are very familiar with it.
Thanks!