SE Idaho

[Jazz]

Just wondering if anybody has been in this area hunting this past year and what it holds these days? Are there still winter kill problems from the mid and early 90's?

Jazz

 

[destroyer350]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-31-09 AT 04:32PM (MST)[p]Huntin sucks, but it does hold lots of opportunity!!!!!

 

[Muleys24Seven]

I hunt more in E Idaho and not too much in SE Idaho but overall deer numbers are down due to harsh winters the last few years. Deer populations were hit real hard in 07/08 winter across most of Idaho and had another tough year in the winter of 08/09, especially in E Idaho where fawn mortality rates were the highest in the state.
There are still big bucks around but this last year was by far the toughest hunting season for me. I probably scouted over 15 days and hunted 16 days...never punched my tag.

The potential is there but its tough.

 

[Jazz]

By chance did you hunt SE of Montpelier near the Utah border?

 

[Moosey69]

Jazz I have hunted alot south and north of Montpelier in the last 10 years, and I can tell you there is great country, great genetics, and horrible game management. It is a general deer tag (anyone can get a 2nd tag too), wolves have been spoted in the area, I've cut lots of lion tracks and a few years back there were even reports of a grizzly in the area. From what I've seen the Buck to doe ratio can't be more than 10:100, and alot of those bucks are 2 & small 3 points. There are roads everywhere, and just when you think you found a secluded place you walk up a huge hill and find a ridgeline road coming in from the other side. I like being able to get a tag every year but I really hope the IDFG pulls their heads out of their a$$ and makes the units around there a limited quota (Res and Non-res) like they had for non-residents a few years back. That way the folks who wanted to hunt there every year still could get a tag, but they could limit the amount of bucks killed and start building back up a mature buck population. It could be one of the best places for Deer and Elk in Idaho but right now its not very good at all!

 

[Jazz]

Moosey69,

Thanks for the info. I hunted there from about '85 to '92 and as you mention saw and killed many very very good bucks and a few "great" ones. Without question it was and still is my favorite place to hunt mule deer. I was there about 4 or 5 years ago and it appeared that the quality was still way down from the earlier winter kills. I haven't been watching of late but then I thought I saw where the tags were "general". I would agree it will take some time to build up. Limited entry would be helpful I'm sure.

Thanks

Jazz

 

[timberline]

Better check the regs again. I thought unit 78 was controlled.

 

[Moosey69]

>Better check the regs again. I
>thought unit 78 was controlled.

?????? It is,I read the previous posts and no one said it was not. They made it a controlled hunt a couple years back, but the post was about SE Idaho and 78 is one small unit out of several there. If you mean that one unit going controlled is going to fix the problems, its not. While its a positive first step the whole region needs alot more help.

 

[HNTBIGBULLS]

I would not waste your time or
money, The deer herds are the
worst they have ever been, and
the game and fish are doing
nothing about it, it is horrible
to see the devastation that is
happening to all of Idaho's deer
herds! Oh but they did drop the
prices of non-res tags!

Such B.S. like that is going to
help there deer herds!

 

[idahoan]

Yeah jazz it needs a lot of help, if you get anything over 24" your living right, like was said the buck to doe ratio for mature bucks is like maybe 2-3 :100. its not good. Lots of two points one year and the next about the same ammount but no big bucks? maybe one here and there.

 

[Cozmo8]

But they are not going to drop the price. The Commission thinks it will cost them too much money.

 

[Muleymemories]

Making units here and there controlled is not the anwser. Where do you think hunters flood to when a unit in their area goes to a controlled hunt? You guessed it, next door!! How about the brilliant idea of ending some units on the 24th and keeping the unit next door open until the 31st. Come on it doesn't take rocket science to figure where everybody and their dog is headed for the last week of the hunt. Make no sense to me!!

Yes, SE idaho is a has been. Has the genetics but needs the management IMO..


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