Unit 40 Late Deer

El Gringo

El Gringo

Very Active Member
Messages
1,165
My Brother in law got lucky and drew this tag this year. I’ll be along to help him find some bucks. New area for us, and wanted to see if anyone is willing to talk to me about migration, pockets of Deer, etc.

For the record, it’s not for a kid, or a dad, on his last leg. Neither of us are veterans, or cancer survivors…… Just a couple of capable dudes, looking to have a fun hunt and kill a big ol buck. Happy to help guys with Colorado, NM, Arizona, Wyoming, or any other way I can help and add value to others.

Thanks in advance!!
 
theirs not a lot of secrets to be learned there. best advice is have a side by side and a couple spotting scopes. see a buck any where near 170 shoot it
 
JPickett said:
theirs not a lot of secrets to be learned there. best advice is have a side by side and a couple spotting scopes. see a buck any where near 170 shoot it
Click to expand...
Got all the equipment and an arsenal of optics….. probably won’t be shooting anything that size.
Haven’t been in the unit in November, and I assume the Deer migrate and move to rut grounds…. it’s a big unit. Maybe “no secrets” to you guys living in Boise…..
 
I’ll be there with a bull elk tag in late Oct. From what I know I would agree with JPickett. They tend to rut earlier in Nov then say a Montana mule deer.
 
holding out for a real big buck could pay off maybe. im in there a lot in the winter. its a fun hunt but i wouldn't call it a trophy hunt or premier unit. a 170 buck is a really good buck in there.
 
JPickett said:
im in there every year coyote hunting when the deer rut is on. id shoot a 170 4x4
Click to expand...
You’re the perfect guy to talk to then! Coyote and Lion hunters know all the country…..

If you were going to pick a 10 day window to hunt, for the best rut action, when would you choose?
 
whats the dates? about smack middle of November typically. the last few years have been real mild so it looked like later in the month was better. cant really go wrong the last two weeks of the month
 
JPickett said:
whats the dates? about smack middle of November typically. the last few years have been real mild so it looked like later in the month was better. cant really go wrong the last two weeks of the month
Click to expand...
Nov 1-24

Our initial plan was to start around the 10th
 
Weiserbucks said:
More than a few of the better bucks will be dead before the 10th. I'd show up a little earlier if you can swing it.
Click to expand...
yeah, i mean your not going to beat the local guys to bucks they know are there, and i still say the "better bucks" are 170 bucks on whole. yes theirs bigger deer. if wanting to come for the best window of deer activity to increase what your seeing i still say end of the season.
 
I will add my 2 cents Jpickett is spot on with the 170 class deer, I also spend a ton of time in 40 smoking yotes & trapping bobcats . Been on many a late hunt over the past 15 years, with lucky tag holders, I have watched guys pass on 150 to 170 bucks many times. Only to eat their tag, I can honestly say I have NOT seen a buck over 180 in all of my travels in over 8 years. Idaho F&G has ruined this unit by managing it for 2 point only & the local Boise area meat hunters !!
 
the proximity to Boise is a big factor. its not far away and really its not that big of a unit for the amount of people. so F&G needs to make it an opportunity.

i hear guys on my sites that this is there hunt, they talk about all the two points they see and then about how they cant wait to draw the buck tag....never really made sense to me but their happy so who am i to say different. I've never applied for this tag and never will. just not my cup of tea for a draw
 
I hunted back in 92 when there were better bucks running around! I hunted it around the 6th of November and bucks were constantly on the move looking for does. Hunt close to the Oregon boarder.
 
Go through Oreana taking the gravel road out of town going SW toward the mountains. The foothills about 4500ft will hold a lot of deer toward mid Nov getting rut ready. Pick a 2 track and bring an OnX or whatever as the area is spotted with private. Did find one of my biggest muledeer antler sets in those foothills guessing it was 180+. There are a lot of hidden canyons and some forgotten mines that are fun to explore in the area. Good luck and hope the deer will push down by the time you get there. Stop by the old spanish church thats pretty cool.
 
For those that know the area well, how much pressure do the bulls get in there with all the deer hunters? I’m looking around the higher peaks in mid October for a shooter bull.
 
I've only really seen elk around the silver city area. Never hunted the area but I know there is a lot private there.
 
JPblind said:
Go through Oreana taking the gravel road out of town going SW toward the mountains. The foothills about 4500ft will hold a lot of deer toward mid Nov getting rut ready. Pick a 2 track and bring an OnX or whatever as the area is spotted with private. Did find one of my biggest muledeer antler sets in those foothills guessing it was 180+. There are a lot of hidden canyons and some forgotten mines that are fun to explore in the area. Good luck and hope the deer will push down by the time you get there. Stop by the old spanish church thats pretty cool.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Much appreciated guys
 
He’s been very lucky on hunts with me over the last 2 years, he’s shot a high 80’s and a high 70’s buck, so we’re going to be looking for something great…. Who knows, you can just look and have a good time.

I will commit to letting you guys that have helped, how the hunt went and send pics if we whack one…..
 
There's a few hogs in there on any given year, but between the archery guys, poachers, the 2 point slaughter, private property and almost 200 gun tags, it's a tough hunt for a really big buck.

I hope you guys have fun but you gotta be realistic.
 
Weiserbucks said:
There's a few hogs in there on any given year, but between the archery guys, poachers, the 2 point slaughter, private property and almost 200 gun tags, it's a tough hunt for a really big buck.

I hope you guys have fun but you gotta be realistic.
Click to expand...
I’m kinda glad it’s not my tag! There’s already some self-imposed pressure setting in.
 
I had the tag last year. JPickett and Weiserbucks gave similar advice and they weren't wrong, I'd definitely take their advice. We saw tons of deer. Plenty of bucks to look over, but no giants. The biggest deer we had seen was a 3x3 with probably the longest back tines I have seen. It's a really fun hunt if you go into it with realistic expectations.
 
BMosh said:
I had the tag last year. JPickett and Weiserbucks gave similar advice and they weren't wrong, I'd definitely take their advice. We saw tons of deer. Plenty of bucks to look over, but no giants. The biggest deer we had seen was a 3x3 with probably the longest back tines I have seen. It's a really fun hunt if you go into it with realistic expectations.
Click to expand...
Can I ask, what dates you guys hunted? Good rut action? I understand last year was warm and dry, so that is a major damper on the daytime rutting activity
 
BMosh said:
I had the tag last year. JPickett and Weiserbucks gave similar advice and they weren't wrong, I'd definitely take their advice. We saw tons of deer. Plenty of bucks to look over, but no giants. The biggest deer we had seen was a 3x3 with probably the longest back tines I have seen. It's a really fun hunt if you go into it with realistic expectations.
Click to expand...
I love big 3 points! You shoot him?
 
I find it hilarious that people think that the two point only hunt is wiping out all the bucks. Come November there's always post about how there's only small bucks. I've had the archery tag and I saw at least one mature buck over 26" every day.
I took my wife out there 2 years ago for a easy deer hunt on the last day of the general season and saw a really nice heavy 4x4 around 26-28" huge swelled up neck following a group of doe that was October 24. I would hunt the first 5 days and the last 5 days. Who am I kidding, I would hunt as much as I possibly could. It's a impossible tag to draw
 
It’s always interesting getting input from different people on the same unit or the same season….. Everyone sees things through their own lense. To me, if I can find one or 2 next level bucks, that’s fantastic. 180 Plus bucks are just special in most places.

I was on a rut archery Deer hunt years ago with a good buddy of mine, and we were glassing with big glass off tripods, in big, open country. We were seeing 5-10 bucks a day, and making a stalk pretty much every day. It was solid. We even were on a really big deer (for the area) for 4 days in a row. It was a pretty damn solid hunt….. I talked to several other hunters on the exact same tag, and most of them couldn’t find a 3 point to save their lives, and it was “Terrible”, no mature bucks, or no bucks at all… worst ever….. Lions, Coyotes, Drought, Elk, Chupacabra, Bigfoot, etc. etc.

So it goes… take some salt with it all. He’ll probably shoot a 165 4 point, after it’s all said and done…..
 
Yes, so many want a hunt that has Deer like the Henry's- - get real, they are very smart bucks that get huge by hiding and the Henry's is a special place. Some bucks are out there in Idaho but most people find 170 or less bucks even on good units. A <180" buck is special. A Rut hunt does raise the odds of finding big boys that are lowering their guard to do the "Wild Thing "..
 
El Gringo, I drew this tag in 13, thought id hunt the 10th through the end if needed. I was late, rut was on when i got there. Passed a solid 180 buck the first tuesday i was there, covered alot of country with a good horse and mule and the right tools to find nothing better, went back and killed him on sunday, 182. Weather turned bad, 40 from the north and cold, shoved everybody into town, looked at a bunch of bucks in trucks,none better. I love to hunt, if he wasnt so damn pretty id a stayed in the game, im sure theres better in the thick. Took a hammer in 15 on the 28th of oct. full rut 4 does about 150 miles east. The feed was heavy in 13, if you can swing it id hunt the opener and stick. As pretty a country as there is to hunt muleys in, good luck to ya.
 
StocknBone said:
El Gringo, I drew this tag in 13, thought id hunt the 10th through the end if needed. I was late, rut was on when i got there. Passed a solid 180 buck the first tuesday i was there, covered alot of country with a good horse and mule and the right tools to find nothing better, went back and killed him on sunday, 182. Weather turned bad, 40 from the north and cold, shoved everybody into town, looked at a bunch of bucks in trucks,none better. I love to hunt, if he wasnt so damn pretty id a stayed in the game, im sure theres better in the thick. Took a hammer in 15 on the 28th of oct. full rut 4 does about 150 miles east. The feed was heavy in 13, if you can swing it id hunt the opener and stick. As pretty a country as there is to hunt muleys in, good luck to ya.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input!
 
JPickett said:
I love big 3 points! You shoot him?
Click to expand...
I didn't. Was the first evening I was there, just getting dark. For having such long back tines, he was kinda crabby up front. Cool buck though. In hind sight, I'd probably shoot him knowing what I know now. Looked over a ton of of 23-25" 4x4s and ended up with something in that range.
 
El Gringo said:
Can I ask, what dates you guys hunted? Good rut action? I understand last year was warm and dry, so that is a major damper on the daytime rutting activity
Click to expand...
I planned for the entire season. Probably Hunted 8 days or so. A lot of rut activity the first week. We had some decent weather first couple days then it got warm. Still saw plenty of deer each day. Didn't stick around for the last week but heard it was good.
 
El Gringo said:
It’s always interesting getting input from different people on the same unit or the same season….. Everyone sees things through their own lense. To me, if I can find one or 2 next level bucks, that’s fantastic. 180 Plus bucks are just special in most places.

I was on a rut archery Deer hunt years ago with a good buddy of mine, and we were glassing with big glass off tripods, in big, open country. We were seeing 5-10 bucks a day, and making a stalk pretty much every day. It was solid. We even were on a really big deer (for the area) for 4 days in a row. It was a pretty damn solid hunt….. I talked to several other hunters on the exact same tag, and most of them couldn’t find a 3 point to save their lives, and it was “Terrible”, no mature bucks, or no bucks at all… worst ever….. Lions, Coyotes, Drought, Elk, Chupacabra, Bigfoot, etc. etc.

So it goes… take some salt with it all. He’ll probably shoot a 165 4 point, after it’s all said and done…..
Click to expand...
Unit 40 buck.
9E0BD078-1463-492A-90B1-8BE3E52F1C11.jpeg
 
DeerMadness said:
Yes, so many want a hunt that has Deer like the Henry's- - get real, they are very smart bucks that get huge by hiding and the Henry's is a special place. Some bucks are out there in Idaho but most people find 170 or less bucks even on good units. A <180" buck is special. A Rut hunt does raise the odds of finding big boys that are lowering their guard to do the "Wild Thing "..
Click to expand...
?
 
Those are the types of bucks that you shouldn't pass in 40 unless you know for a fact that there's a better one available on public or private that you can access.
 
JPickett said:
Looks like an old picture too. That unit isn’t what it was even 10 years ago
Click to expand...
I gotta hand it to ya, with your assessment!! The age class is pretty miserable so far. We have looked at quite a few deer, and definitely haven’t seen a buck over 3 years old
 
i did hear of a 190 buck coming out of there this year. didn't see it but my buddy saw the pic and said its about right. its possible still, just maybe not probable
 
same buddy has the tag this year. best he's seen was about a 28" buck that would probably be 170's. that's a shooter all day long in there. somehow he messed it up...
 
I have been down in 40 several times over the last couple of weeks & the Biggest buck I have seen was a 20" 4x4 he was with 4 other dink bucks & 7 does right off the road, All the alfalfa fields close to JV had does & fawns in them Might have be 40 all together. We have been hunting yotes & on most of our stands we are walking in close to mile off the main roads & we have only crossed a few doe & fawn tracks. But Hey shooting Forkies & does has NO affect on the deer herds !!
 
It’s pretty obvious that the management is lacking to maintain quality. We’re definitely looking for a needle in the haystack.
 
Apparently F&G decided there were NOT enough animals to count this year, after 15 plus years of being there EVERY opening weekend with their check station setup on top of Marsing Grade was NOT needed this year !!
 
My wife drew 40 this year as well. Oldest buck weve seen is 3.5 years old. Pretty abysmal hunting. Crazy how few deer we've seen overall.
 
It’d actually be a fun hunt if it wasn’t so tuff to draw. The odds don’t reflect the quality for sure. Guys draw it and think there in for a 200” buck. Your not. Road hunt the hell out of it, have fun eating snacks snd drinking hot cocoa and shoot the first 25” buck you see when your done with the box of doughnuts
 
Last edited:
JPickett said:
It’d actually be a fun hunt if it wasn’t so tuff to draw. The odds don’t reflect the quality for sure. Guys draw it and think there in for a 200” buck. Your not. Road hunt the hell out of it, have fun eating snacks snd drinking hot cocoa and shoot the first 25” buck you see when your done with the box of doughnuts
Click to expand...


My 2 hunters insisted on hunting the north side of the unit the whole week, so that’s the lense that I saw the unit through…..
It was worse than you described. We saw a lot of deer, but I KNOW we never saw a 4 year old buck, nor anything that was 25”. My guess is there might be a few older bucks hiding in the parts of the unit with more private, and thicker cover, but my guys refused to “leave fish to find fish”.

If that’s the quality a guy can expect, there’s no way it will be on my applications in the foreseeable future.
 
El Gringo said:
My 2 hunters insisted on hunting the north side of the unit the whole week, so that’s the lense that I saw the unit through…..
It was worse than you described. We saw a lot of deer, but I KNOW we never saw a 4 year old buck, nor anything that was 25”. My guess is there might be a few older bucks hiding in the parts of the unit with more private, and thicker cover, but my guys refused to “leave fish to find fish”.

If that’s the quality a guy can expect, there’s no way it will be on my applications in the foreseeable future.
Click to expand...
Not where I would be…
 
JPickett said:
Not where I would be…
Click to expand...


I don’t believe you ever offered any kind of guidance, however, now that we’re done, and there was an opportunity to help, I appreciate the confirmation, that, according to you, we were in the wrong place the entire time.

I did kill a couple of your Coyotes for you. There seems to be a healthy population.

I’m glad this one is over, especially since it wasn’t my tag. I probably won’t be repeating.
 
Well you didn’t ask. Couple other guys on here did and I was happy to help. That being said, you likely didn’t miss much. My opinion on the unit goes for the whole thing
 
I was up on Cow Creek and Trout Creek on Saturday and was surprised at how few deer I seen. Saw one small buck with 4 does. I know the unit holds some booners, hopefully I will draw the tag one more time in my lifetime, if I do I know right where to be. Sorry your hunters struck out El Gringo.
 
OLDHORNHUNTER said:
Not sure how to get it done but Fish & NO GAME needs to do away with the stupid ass 2 point & all doe hunts in 40 41 42 & 22 .. They have flat out destroyed the deer herds in these units !!
Click to expand...
yup........
Crazy how many incredible bucks there used to be in 40 before they went to a draw and forky hunt in i think 1989.
I grew up hunting unit 40 in the 70's & 80's and just took it for granted, wish I could have a few of those seasons back to do over.
 
runamuk said:
yup........
Crazy how many incredible bucks there used to be in 40 before they went to a draw and forky hunt in i think 1989.
I grew up hunting unit 40 in the 70's & 80's and just took it for granted, wish I could have a few of those seasons back to do over.
Click to expand...
I drew the 40 late buck tag back in 1999 we saw well over 30 bucks a day that were 3 point or better and most were right off the road !! Hell used to see 100's of deer during the winter down there & it really didn't matter what part of the unit you were in !! Sure as HELL don't see them now
 

Similar threads

WHT_MTNMAN
Any help with CO migration/3rd season info
Replies
23
Views
1k
Founder
Founder
R
54 Oct deer
Replies
0
Views
328
rtoreson
R
B
CO Unit 67 2nd Rifle Mule Deer - take trailer?
Replies
6
Views
757
jls456
jls456

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos

Member Gallery Photos and Videos!

Dark Antlered Trophy Buck
IMG_9634.jpeg
P1089049.jpg
IMG_7949.jpeg
NIFG9433.JPG
Resized_20240719_060922.jpeg
Resized_Screenshot_20240719_064326_Gallery.jpeg
IMG_3870.png
4E3F8F74-B785-4F02-A2B6-F223DCAA2D9E.jpeg
Elk 2.jpg
20191102_083307.jpg
IMG_4241.JPG

Idaho Hunting Guides & Outfitters

Bearpaw Outfitters

Idaho Deer & Elk Allocation Tags, Plus Bear, Bison, Lion, Moose, Turkey and Montana Prairie Dogs.

Urge 2 Hunt

We focus on trophy elk, mule deer, whitetail, bear, lion and wolf hunts and spend hundreds of hours scouting.

Jokers Wild Outdoors

Trophy elk, whitetail, mule deer, antelope, bear and moose hunts. 35k acres of private land.

Back
Top Bottom