Top 5 Deer Units in Idaho

elkholla · Nov 13, 2012

Curious how you all would rate the Deer Units in Idaho. What units would be your top 5?

"Luck is often nothing more than preparation running into opportunity.?
-Some Smart Guy

deepforks · Nov 13, 2012

crickets........

Idahoshedhead · Nov 13, 2012

45, 40, 44, 22 late, 54 late

mickeymouseoutfitters · Nov 14, 2012

Colorado

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miker1 · Nov 14, 2012

How about top 5 units you have a chance of ever actually getting to hunt in.

HUNTNNW · Nov 14, 2012

I love how people say 22 is great always, but 18 is crappy and bad genes.. Its the same damn terrain and share unit border together! this is why 22 is better, because there is roads for all the road hunters.. unlike 18 down along the snake there isnt any and people cant road hunt it

WASHMULEYHUNTER · Nov 14, 2012

>How about top 5 units you
>have a chance of ever
>actually getting to hunt in.
>

So true. Idaho to me for quality mule deer is a draw unit state.

idahonative · Nov 14, 2012

40, 45, 44, 55 early, 67 late, 54 late.

ldjbuff · Nov 15, 2012

What about the 39-2 draw tag for archery..

Pre64 · Nov 15, 2012

There is good deer hunting to be had throughout the state. Best area is the one you know. IMHO.

LongRangeBangin · Nov 16, 2012

If you grew up in Oregon Like I did, then hunting the bottom of LAKE CLEVELAND would be a great hunt compared to what I was use too.

NickM · Nov 17, 2012

7mmgilbert · Nov 17, 2012

Agree with where you know the country the best, I have hunted in Eastern and Southern Idaho so based only on where I have seen big bucks on the hoof. 69, 67, 55, 57, 56

tchoate3 · Nov 27, 2012

>If you grew up in Oregon
>Like I did, then hunting
>the bottom of LAKE CLEVELAND
>would be a great hunt
>compared to what I was
>use too.

I am from Oregon, I haven't hunted Mule deer in Idaho, YET. I am going to, possibly next year. I would take the 5 worst Idaho units over the 5 best in Oregon from what I have seen and heard.

bern · Dec 23, 2012

washmuleyhunter are you serious,get out more, there is plenty of big bucks in general areas.

supersider34 · Dec 24, 2012

LAST EDITED ON Dec-24-12 AT 07:03PM (MST)[p]Actually, 1, 2, 3, 4, 4A
or literally, 1, 4A, 2, 4, 3

Here you go... Better ....LOL

FemoralArchery · Dec 24, 2012

>Units 1,2,3,4,5

Actually, 1, 2, 3, 4, 4A
or literally, 1, 4A, 2, 4, 3

Idahoshedhead · Dec 27, 2012

>I love how people say 22
>is great always, but 18
>is crappy and bad genes..
>Its the same damn terrain
>and share unit border together!
>this is why 22 is
>better, because there is roads
>for all the road hunters..
>unlike 18 down along the
>snake there isnt any and
>people cant road hunt it
>

Has to be one of the dumbest comments i've seen all year.

wawhitey · Feb 20, 2013

so what do you guys think about unit 1? im going to start doing some scouting out there this year since its not far from where i hunt in ne washington. looks like a lot of huntable land around bonner and boundary county. looking at google earth the area east of priest lake looks like a huge wilderness area. im primarily interested in whitetail and wolves, but unit 1 is open to muleys during the rut and i wouldnt mind pulling the trigger on a nice muley buck if the opportunity presents itself, tho i understand there are not very many around there.

twsnow18 · Feb 21, 2013

>so what do you guys think
>about unit 1? im
>going to start doing some
>scouting out there this year
>since its not far from
>where i hunt in ne
>washington. looks like a
>lot of huntable land around
>bonner and boundary county.
>looking at google earth the
>area east of priest lake
>looks like a huge wilderness
>area. im primarily interested
>in whitetail and wolves, but
>unit 1 is open to
>muleys during the rut and
>i wouldnt mind pulling the
>trigger on a nice muley
>buck if the opportunity presents
>itself, tho i understand there
>are not very many around
>there.

Well, I don't think anyone is gonna steer you away from scouting/hunting a new area. I bet you'd do pretty good, although I'm unfamiliar with the area. I know the NR's (if you are a NR?) that deer hunted in my area last year did really well, better than most of the residents. It was fairly obvious they had done their homework and knew the area inside and out, better than me, and it showed. I'm sure they didn't want to drive from another state on a whim crossing their fingers that there would be deer there.

tagsoup · Feb 21, 2013

I think a better way to ask what the top 5 units are in ID, is to ask what the top 5 draw units are and what the top five general units are.

Also I don't get why 22 is always considered to have way better deer than 18. I use to hunt 22 back when it was open to any buck and I never saw or killed anything that was great. And I never thought that when it went to draw only for better than 2pts that it would be a unit worth putting in for. The only reason that I hunted it was because it was about the closes unit in ID for me to get too. And I would usually scout it once during the summer.

"Go hunt for meat at Walmart."

customweld · Feb 22, 2013

Unit 22 and 18 are both horrible units and I suggest that they both should both be left alone.

customweld · Feb 22, 2013

Unit 18 is a good example of a unit with average genetics. It has been limited draw since I can remember. Very rarely does it produce a B and C buck. If you use all of the arm chair biologists arguements there should be 200 inch bucks hiding around every tree.Unit 18 has every thing that should produce Booner bucks every year. Extremely limited access, good habitat, low tag distribution yet you don't see huge bucks in there. With that being said it is a good unit to hunt if you want to get away from the crowd and see some nice mature deer.

ID_Elkmagnet · Feb 22, 2013

Adams and Idaho counties historically produced many of the states largest bucks. Its NOT the genetics. They didn't charge. Its definitely NOT the genetics. Look up the b&c records.

Justin

Justin

customweld · Feb 22, 2013

LAST EDITED ON Feb-23-13 AT 00:02AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Feb-23-13 AT 00:01?AM (MST)

I'm not disputing that Adams County produced great deer. The Council Mountain side grew bucks with great mass and width.The Cuddy Mountain side grew bucks with great highth and tine lenghth. If it isn't genetics what is it? Cosmic forces?

ID_Elkmagnet · Feb 23, 2013

Many smarter men than me are trying to figure that out. The puzzle is missing a piece. Poaching? The genetics are there tho. I don't think the draw odds are worth a 22 tag but am very curious about the next few years. The random b&c is going to walk out of those trees.

Justin

HUNTNNW · Feb 24, 2013

we need more thinking the way u do of 18 customweld...Ill keep applying

idelkslayer · Feb 25, 2013

There are many who believe that the genetics are no longer there. Historically Adams and Bear Lake counties produced the most B&C bucks but in recent history not as many. Some believe that this is due to increased numbers of controlled hunts in other parts of the state which displaced hunters Adams and Bear Lake counties. Adams and Bear Lake became overhunted, reducing the number of mature bucks and leaving the breeding to younger bucks. That would still preserve genetics except that inbreeding became common and that washed out the good genetics. Ryan Hatfield did a good write-up on this in his book "Idaho's greatest Mule deer"

Is that the full answer? I don't know.

nick · Feb 25, 2013

The genetics are still there , it's hard for them to reach full potential when they only get 2 years to do it.

HUNTNNW · Feb 25, 2013

many on here seem to think everyone and their dog uses the internet and post pics and discloses where said animal was taken...far far from the truth..I can say that I saw 2 bucks in 2 years taken in a unit that people say have bad genes that went 200 and 203.I also had the pleasure of seeing locals pics of harvest from the said units in the 175 and bigger, but u know the units are dead..I was seeing 30 bucks a day in the 2-4 yr old range with great potential..all they need is age. not to include what we saw that are still alive..

22 and 11 are so desirable cause people can ROADHUNT...

HUNTNNW · Aug 20, 2014

>Unit 18 is a good example
>of a unit with average
>genetics. It has been limited
>draw since I can remember.
>Very rarely does it produce
>a B and C buck.
>If you use all of
>the arm chair biologists arguements
>there should be 200 inch
>bucks hiding around every tree.Unit
>18 has every thing that
>should produce Booner bucks every
>year. Extremely limited access, good
>habitat, low tag distribution yet
>you don't see huge bucks
>in there. With that being
>said it is a good
>unit to hunt if you
>want to get away from
>the crowd and see some
>nice mature deer.

You obviously dont spend time in 18. Does everyone that draws a buck tag post their kills to a forum? or go around spewing where they killed a 180+ buck? Hell no! I personally know of several in the area that were never posted on here or any forum for that matter and never entered into BC.