Idaho Sawtooth Planning

WSMHunter

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Hi everyone new to the forum and looking to pickup some information along the way. Iv been hunting unit 39 for both elk and mule deer but its turned into quite a zoo. I'm looking to move over to unit 43 and need some guidance. What elevation are you seeing deer at in the northeaster part of the unit. Some of the areas I'm looking at are significantly higher than I'm used to and I'm questioning whether its more elk habitat than deer. I'm not looking for anyone's honey hole but more or less a general area in the unit that holds good deer numbers with little pressure. Typically I go the last week of the season so I know a lot of this is dependent on weather. Thanks for any help!
 
Takes a lot to learn a new area! The grass is not always greener but sometimes it’s time for a change. Just figure how much time you have spent in 39 over the years and then invest that same number of hours this year in 43 and you’ll be all set! ?
 
43 is a zoo. ATV, UTV, Dirtbikes everywhere. Hard to get away from people. My buddy hunted it last year and was extremely disappointed. Better than no hunting though.
 
Im not stuck on 43 its just the closest unit in the general area Iv already been. If you could pick an over the counter unit what would it be?
 
People radiate out from Boise and inherently don’t want to drive far. Anything sub 3 hours from there is not much of a wilderness experience
 
So… All you’re looking for is a spot that has lots of deer and no pressure? But not somebodies honey hole… If you find that in any OTC unit, it’s a miracle! Not a honey hole. Just show up opening morning and follow the parade up the hill. I quit hunting all of those units a few years ago. Cause I wanna live… ?
 
I hunt 43 on occasion. Many of the locals in the Pine/Featherville area will tell you that the winter of 2017 was brutal for deer. Your best bet is to get on your maps and look at the ATV trails and look at the single track only and decide where you want to try. I have found in Idaho that although you might be tempted to think higher is better, the deer seem to be more like 5-7k feet and not 7-9k but that is just my experience; Idaho doesn’t have a lot of feed at those elevations. There’s no reason you shouldn’t try - there are people everywhere in every unit so just get out there and enjoy it. One thing you might consider is getting a buddy and take one vehicle to a very high point and park one a low spot and take a multi day hike/backpack trip - all downhill.
 
I thought 39 was crowded until I went to 43 what a zoo. 39 is such a huge unit you just have to go where everyone is not and you'll find animals sometimes you don't have to go to far to get away.
 

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