Super Tag Game Plan

[Murdoc34]

My good friend drew the grand daddy of tags in Idaho this year. After the initial "you are the luckiest sob" wore off, we started researching and talking to everyone we could to make a plan on how to make the most of this tag. I live in the Treasure Valley and he lives in Northern Utah. This is what we came up with and we'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions:

Unit 55, early rifle(Aug 15-
He will be able to scout this throughout the summer since it is about 3 hours from his house.

Unit 40, archery (Aug 15-Sep24)
I will be able to scout in this unit throughout the summer.

Unit 45, muzzleloader (Oct 1-14)
If we don't have one down or located by mid September, we'll start spending time in 45.

Unit 45, rifle (Oct 15-31)
All of October we plan on spending in 45

Unit 40, rifle (Nov 1-24)
All or nothing if we make it to this point of the hunt

As I said, we'd love to have any input if you have any suggestions.

He's a great individual and has taken some awesome trophy's with all three weapons over the years that he's really had to work for. He's also helped me and many others in getting into some incredible animals. We're both is good shape and still young enough and crazy enough to go that extra mile.

We've traditionally been DIY hunters, but recognize with this tag, it would be worth spending some money on any landowner trespass fees or a guide who has access/knowledge of a particular area or buck. This is one area that if anybody has suggestions on, we really could use some help.

I plan on sharing the stories with the forum throughout the next few months as they unfold. It should be pretty awesome to be a part of a hunt that many of us only dream of.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or ideas on making the most out of this tag. Good hunting!

Brady

 

[raven]

A great tag, a once in a lifetime opportunity for a nice buck.

You might consider 44 for early october and 45 for the last two weeks. I would spend August and September scouting those two units and learning access. One of the southern ID units would be a good choice for November.

 

[KingCrow]

+1 with 44 in lieu of 55 (unless you have time for both).

 

[shelbys]

44 Rifle opens Sept 15th and there are some great bucks in there.

 

[BPKHunter]

Focus on scouting areas that hold deer over the summer, which includes 45. Have fun.

 

[luckyg]

I know that Steve Alderman with Lowland mulies knows 45 as good as anyone. You might want to check with him. Seems like a good guy.

 

[Yoyak]

Pretty solid game plan based solely on the season dates. But I wouldn't be planning where I want to hunt based on dates; I'd be planning where I want to SCOUT based on trophy quality, access, knowledge of the area, and harvest stats. The time to start scouting is now. He needs to go find a buck he wants to kill, then hunt him on the opening day for that unit. Everything else, like the October or later rifle hunts should be a fall back plan if your scouting doesn't pay off. I think a lot of people make the mistake of thinking these premiere units are easy and a guy can just show up and shoot a giant. When the reality is they are great units because of the potential to find a giant, not how easy it will be to find one.
Hope this helps.

 

[watchin24]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-05-11 AT 11:47PM (MST)[p]U

 

[watchin24]

I spend a lot of time in unit 45. I would be willing to give as much info as possible. Pm me

 

[sethlopez85]

I thought my EX girlfriend had a big rack!! Wow congratulations nice work.

 

[sethlopez85]

.

 

[sethlopez85]

Sorry guys wrong I posted on the wrong form..

 

[dleonard3]

Seth, you say your post was a mistake, but we don't believe you. Don't brag unless you can prove it........... with photos.

 

[elkster9]

Too Funny! Good Luck on the Hunt!

 

[Murdoc34]

Thanks for the replies! That's good info on 44. I haven't spent much time there. I agree with what was said on the scouting. That's really a big part of why we chose the units/dates that we did. I live here in Meridian. I'll scout 40 for the archery opener. My buddy lives in Northern Utah. He'll scout 55 for the early rifle opener. Hopefully between the two of us, we'll be able to find a shooter. If those two units don't pan out, we'll start scouting 45 in mid september for the October dates. I'm going to have to start researching 44 now though. I really have no idea on that unit.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[Yoyak]

44 can be good but there is a lot of private. and some of the best bucks are on private. The remaining public land in the unit has 225 tag holders crawling around it.

 

[luckyg]

So if the tag holder wanted to hire a guide. Who would he hire and for what area? In Utah there are some high profile guys you could go to but who are the good ones in Idaho?

 

[buccaneer]

You would think outfitters would be knocking on your door once they found out you had that tag. But maybe not, I don't know how they would find out your contact information.

 

[luckyg]

I know the guy with the tag and if anyone has some info on a great outfitter let me know. Thanks

 

[tagsoup]

I think you have a great plan. That is almost step for step how I would do it. Except I wouldn't hunt the archery hunt in 40. And would hunt 44 instead.

 

[muleymaiden]

I have spent alot of time in all of the units you mentioned and unless you have 2-3 guys scouting every unit all summer long your completely waisting your time.Stick with the 2 best hunts in the state and find your deer there,44 or 45. PM me if I can help out any I live in these units.

 

[wstrntines]

From what my boss has told me about 55 early with a rifle you could kill a freakin slammer last year a guy he knows in the area told him he had a heavy 34" four point on his ground I dont know any of those other Idaho hunts because ive only been one year and that was last year on the late archery. And one thing I can say all the people I talked to with private property were very cool about letting us stock on bucks on their land I can honestly say the residents up there were very hopital down to earth people.