Anyone have pics of unit 18 Deer?

Hunted this last year, lots of crab claw 20 inch four points running around, gets a lot better at the very tail end of season if it turns cold or gets some weather.
 
Dont get to excited, a good one might be found now and then but I hunted like 16 days in there 2 yrs ago...the genetics arent that good...both me and my buddy took nice symetrical 4x4s, aged 6.5 and 5.5 yrs old at the check station, prime of there life and both scored right at 160, they honestly were the best bucks we could find...you will see lots of game, some days i seen 20 bucks...its a fun unit to hunt, awesome to glass in etc, just not the quality you think you would find...I whitetail hunted it the yr previous and seen a pretty drop tine buck, you might get lucky but i covered alot of country and couldnt dig anything up that got me excited....
 
+1 on not too exciting...we've hunted it off and on for a decade and killed the 3:5 of the biggest bucks we saw, a couple 165s and 2 in the 170s and that was it. heard/seen of a couple off the private ground down low on the salmon side that were better. most of my crew has moved on to other draw units...
 
5842idaho_and_oregon_09_047.jpg


Heres the buck I shot in 09 like said in previous post Quality is down saw a bunch of 3x4 buck in that 22-25 range with no forks.

Brian
 
I have hunted it a few times on the south end. There seems to be a dominant 3 point gene down low between Rapid River and the Seven Devils Road. Everyone is right about shallow forks. A guy would think that there would be some absolute monsters in there.
 
Nice buck... I would be happy with that buck...I have taken only 3 muleys..none that big,predominatley around here is whiteys so thats what I hunt and elk.
 
I have done more research and have talked to many people in person that have hunted this unit "alot"... I have been told not to shoot a buck under 180" unless that last day. I now know of a 240" buck taken in 2009... I just purchased a tent from a fellow who also has hunted this unit and surrounding areas for 20 years.. He has taken 190" bucks in unit and buddys also..saw pics. Not to include some of the monsters they saw they couldnt get to. Overall I have been steered by many to hunt pittsburg landing..but anyone who hunts this serioulsy says if ya want to shoot a decent or spendly buck hunt here and to see lots of deer.

The other thing we noticed and have heard from many who hunt here..say the majority of people who hunt this terrain road hunt it or shoot the first decent buck..not much effort put in by most.
 
good luck....but its not a trophy unit imo....there will be a few nice ones killed just like any other unit, but the majority of mature bucks your going to see will be 160 class deer..
 
Have you ever been in the unit? If, not you will see very soon why most of the guys that hunt it do so from the road.

If you just got a tent from a fellow, I hope it is light weight.

It is a fun unit to hunt, but I would not put much hope into a first timer, "holding out" for a 180 on the last day... From what I have ever seen in there, that is ridiculously over-optimistic.

To be honest, I have seen or found more sheds from whitetials that are BIG or got me excited than mulies. Not to say that a big one is not to be had. I have seen a couple of them and every once in awhile you hear stories of a giant...

I have hunted and killed elk and mule deer in the unit. Not exactly from the roads either.
 
I have been in the unit...was down last weekend scouting it...I also spend considerable time springer fishing outta riggins. I bought a tent form a very seasoned and knowledgable guy that spends lots of time there...lots of pics to back up his talk..got alot of good info. The tent is not a pack tent, base camp..Montana canvas tent. I knew the first time we hit the top at Cold Springs that majority hunt from their rigs.. I have hunted lots of areas that are half of what this terrain is and most never venture more than a 1/2 mile from the rig. We also met some guys up there who hunt it alot out of Boise..they had some pics on their phone of harvested bucks. This year was rare one up in the hills from what we were told... everything was so lush and green still..hopefully grow them antlers to maximum potential this year!
 
huntnw, good luck on your hunt! I took a buck that grossed 184 from here last year. Awesome coutry and fun hunt. Be prepared for lots of company if you are base camping on the cold springs road. With all the seasons opening on the same day (elk (cow and bull) deer (muley and WT)) it can get quite busy. I found that it actually got more crowded the closer to the wilderness you went. Last year was odd with an ongoing search for a lost person in there just prior to season kind of messed things up for some I think. But with the terrain in there it's obviously not that hard to get away from the crowds;)

Anyway, it's a spot that I really enjoy and I'm sure you'll have a good hunt.

ps: find any ripe huckelberrys up there yet??

dman
 
LAST EDITED ON Aug-16-11 AT 01:53AM (MST)[p]Yeah we saw the signs posted this year for the missing guy. I dunno where we will be base camped. I have the first 2 hunts solo and have changed where I will hunt... 8 mile trip in for 3 days at a time. The last 8 days of season my buddy will join me. Plan accordingly to what I have seen the previous 2 weekends. Dman do u have any pics of your buck?

How was the rutting activity when u were there?

I didnt see any hucks when we were there.
 
Wasn't much rut activity on my hunt but it only lasted one day:) What I gathered from other folks that I spoke with was that later on in the season there will be some rut activity. So, it will get better as the season progresses. But, in all honesty, the rut won't peak until season is over, in Nov.
I do have pics in fact you might want to check out the latest Eastmans hunting journal. It's in there along with the story.

dman
 
That was a great story dman I always like to see deer from my home state.It also shows some of the naysayers what kind of deer you can get anywhere in Idaho.Its always up to the tag holder in the end so make it what its worth to ya and have fun with it and take a camera like dman did.Good luck
 
LAST EDITED ON Aug-19-11 AT 01:24AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Aug-19-11 AT 01:22?AM (MST)

I will have to check it out! I looked online at the magazine.. the latest one on there is the elk issue june/july? I will have a camera...it may be filmed also for Trophy state of mind.
 
Dman,
That is a nice buck and a great story. When I read it last week I thought it might be a unit 18 hunt.
 
dman,
If you wouldn't mind I could use a pm from ya on some information regarding this unit. Not looking for honey holes, just want a general direction to pack in and hunt hard. Going to scout this soon and hopefully get a good feel for the country. Any advice would help.
Thank you
 
well now after drawing the tag and now reading the comments posted by many!... WORST area to hunt is pittsburgh landing area which from my hunt down here is where 80% of the guys hunted cause it was easy and accesible by road..never have I seen so many lazy asses in my life hunting...road hunters galore and now truly realize the posts by a few here lol saw 0 crab clawed 4's and 0 3x4's ...3 pts yes and forks..tons of young 4x4 bucks with tons of potential.
 
Went up there monday whitetail hunting, glassed 7 mule deer bucks, 1 was a solid 160-170 class buck, another was along ways off but had a solid frame couldnt make much else out, before i glassed my whitey up and tipped him over....the whole north end of that unit can be glassed almost from the road or a short distance walk from the road, its only a few that decide to drop into the holes after them...from low saddle to the north of the unit a short walk to any point or end of a ridge you can glass off into either the snake or salmon...if you wanted away from "road hunters" you should have went in to windy saddle or went in from black lake.....
 
I was no where near road hunters where I hunted and complete opposite end of unit...it was a observation I made while helping some friends who were camped at pittsburg landing...and a good reason why i didnt hunt that part of unit.
 
Ok, i geuss i missed the thread but yeah, definatly not far off the road near the lookout from my geuss....nice deer though.
 
"I was no where near road hunters where I hunted and complete opposite end of unit...it was a observation I made while helping some friends who were camped at pittsburg landing...and a good reason why i didnt hunt that part of unit."

so how far from the road was your buck shot? sounds like the guys posting above know the area you were in based on your pics. i could care less if you were close to a road, but when you rag on others for it......
 
LAST EDITED ON Nov-14-11 AT 11:29PM (MST)[p]I was in the bottom of that area and shot up to the buck also the bucks were not visible to anyone on the said road u had to get out..and that area cant be road hunted.. the road up is only open on one side and then it dead ends. I was back with my buddy and filled his tag and then camped at Pittsburgh landing and witnessed that zoo as some friends were down that had tags.
 
How do you figure it's only open on one side of the road? The only time your out of unit 18 on that road is the quarter mile between the cattle guard and Windy Saddle.
 
I meant the upper reaches... then the road ends...keeps the road guys out of the area since there isnt much to drive lol
 

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