Idaho unit 36

[mikemcauley]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-22-05 AT 11:25PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Oct-22-05 AT 11:25 PM (MST)

You know, 50-60 degree daytime temps and bright moonlight at night just make a hard task harder. After 7 days of hard hunting in the Northwest section of unit 36, my buddy and I saw a few cows in a great area, but no bulls. All of our movement was on foot and we covered as much territory as we could. Sign was there, just no BOYS to be found. What the heck did we do wrong?

 

[MikeLonsford]

My Dad and I just got back (we live in Washington) from a week in Unit 28. I was really dissappointed we didn't connect with a bull. I had a great time hunting and camping with Dad for a week, but we still wanted to be successful. I did a lot of homework ( I thought) but didn't find out how bad the wolves were in this area. We did have a couple very fast opportunites that we didn't capitalize on. But sounds like we missed out on a great area by a couple years. Most people we talked to said where we were at in past years you could find 30 to 40 elk a day. I saw 3 in 7 days, with hiking up and down 1000' ridges several times a day and hiking/hunting at least 5 miles and as many as 10 in a day. My Dad saw 2 elk in that time. He did come across a small herd that had him surrounded in the dark woods but we never saw any of them. I believe in this particular area the wolves have the elk in a constant state of being hunted and therefore the majority of elk (that are even remaining in the area) are buried in the dark stuff throughout hunting hours and they are dead quiet as anything else means death by wolf. Don't know if there are wolves in 36 but it is killing the hunting opportunites in 28, IMO. We tried diffenet creek drainages around our area for 10 miles in all directions. We found lots of wolf crap with elk hair in it. Heard wolves at night, saw lots of older elk sign. Seemed like anything new had wolf tracks around it also. Apparently we don't hunt as well as the wolves do.

Mike

 

[mikemcauley]

It sounds like almost an exact repeat of what we went through. We were told that the wolves are not as big an issue as they are made out to be, although we saw plenty of their presence as well. Looking at it from a temperature standpoint, I don't think we had a chance because of the heat, 50-60 degrees in the daytime. Bteer luck next time!!

Mike M.

 

[MikeLonsford]

That very well could be one of the reasons why we saw so few. I was just dissappointed out of the 3 biologists I talked to about different possible areas to hunt, none mentioned wolves in this area. The only guy who mentioned wolves was another guy from WA who has hunted unit 27 and 28 for the last 10 years or so. He spent 2 weeks in unit 27 packed in during mid Sept and only saw 1 elk when he said they have called in 50 or so in trips before. He was concerned the wolves might be worse in 28 this year than past years. Our first night we were woken up 5 times by wolves, once with them a feww hundred yards from the tent. We ran into another hunter who had seen 2 wolves the day before, and I guess 5 miles from our camp a pack had killed a beef cow in the road a week before. It was just a rude awakening to our hunt trip I think. Also ran into a local who was practicing SSS.

We tried steep hillsides, open timber, dark timber, creek bottoms, sage areas, just about everywhere we could get away from roads, just didn't connect. Noticed the most good fresh sign in the creek bottoms and the steep open timbered hillsides facing SE-S-SW. Only saw passing through sign elsewhere. Wish we had another week to keep trying but unfortunately have to go back to work and help spell the wife with the 1 year old. I'll always wonder what the 6 point I saw would have been like on my wall if I'd of had another 2 secs or so with him in clear view. Oh well that's why it's hunting right. Good Luck to you if you're continuing the hunt!!!

Mike

 

[mikemcauley]

Absolutely we are. We'll wait for the moon to rise later and later at night and try agian the last week of the season which runs till the eighth. Your tactics were right on as far as I know, (although, I don't know much when it comes to hunting elk!!!) I guess it makes the actual taking of the animal that much sweeter huh? Either way, the fact that I don't have work on my mind or a cel phone ringing and I am out in God's country seeing things that few people see, it makes it ALL RIGHT!

 

[MikeLonsford]

Wish I could be out there too! You're right the moon was like a second sun last week giving the animals plenty of night time activity.

That part of Idaho and just north in Montana are really neat areas. Good Luck!

Mike