Idaho Whiteys

Jeff, I hunt whitetail every year in Idaho. It works great because the Idaho whitetail hunting immediately follows the Mulie season in Eastern WA (Where I live).

I'll send ya a pm and drill ya a little later on if you dont mind. I shot a coues last year and wouldn't mind getting a common white-tail next.

No problem at all Jeff. The tags are OTC, the hunt is during the rut, and there is plenty of huntable land (At least where I go).

Jeff, below is a link to the pics from last year's hunt and a third pic of some of the bucks we've pulled out of the area.

http://www.muleymadness.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1774

well now ya got me real interested, those are some great bucks. Me and a couple guys from Salt Lake are talking about coming up, will have to see how work goes and what kind of money I have laying around, and then theres the wife factor.

Well, let me know and I can help point ya in the right direction. There are some great bucks out there but the tags are either sex so you'll go home with venison one way or another (I took a big dry doe last year after missing on a great buck). The first two pics are of my Brother and his son.
The picture attached is the one I took two years ago.

J0n, another MM member here, also hunts the same general area (The GMU just north of the one I hunt). He may be able to help out also (I don't want to put ya on the hook J0n, just tryin' to help another member out).

If you folks are up there this year maybe we'll hook up and actually meet in person.

No prob AGCHawk. I've only been up there once and it was last year. I only had a day or so to hunt but, AGC gave me a couple tips and I ended up shooting the first deer that gave me a good shot, a nice doe. After not getting drawn for anything again this year my Dad and I have been talking about heading up there to give it a more concentrated effort. Like Hawk said there are a lot of deer and plenty of public land so if you hunted hard for a few days I imagine you should be able to get a crack at a nice buck.

I'd like to meet up sometime, I've got a pretty good spot in NE Utah that hold some good bucks if you ever get the itch to come here let me know.

uh hum. Jeff i dont know anything about idaho but i got the itch. and im in your area. what a treat. :) hint hint.lol

Man, I'd love to hunt Utah some day! Of course, I have the same issues you spoke about Jeff....money and family. That's why I hunt ID, in addition to my home state hunts (WA). I live right on the boarder of Idaho so the trip costs me nothing (I wake up in the morning and am in Idaho in about 3 minutes...another 45 minutes to my prefered huntin' area). Maybe after I retire I'll have to take you up on that offer. (less than two years!)

I'll try to hook you up either way though! I love to see others bag a nice buck ALMOST as much as gettin' one myself (Even better is the fact that I don't have to field dress it or drag it out...LOL)

man now i am gettin excited about some whites i tohught about trying idaho but i have way to much going on this year maybe next!

Well Ox, I am more than happy to help out any MM member if they decide that they want to chase N ID Whitetail. I'm not some great guide or superb hunter....but I do hunt em every year and can at least give ya a head start if ya like.

I do not have any hook-ups on private land or anything either. It's all OTC on public land...but there are a lot of deer and a lot of land.

While in school I hunted whitetails in N. Idaho, they are all over the place. It almost like grouse, shake a tree and they fall right out. I do miss the either-sex tag (I'm in S. Idaho now where its buck only and two zones are 4 or better only). They were fun to hunt because I saw something everytime I went out, and there is so much open land to hunt on up there. Have fun.

Say Hawk, could you give us a little info on what it costs to buy an OTC out of state tag.
You've got my interest up too.
We have been talking for several years about trying for a whitie, and we thought we'd have to go to eastern Wyoming to hunt and I guess that the CWD is getting bad there.
Also please tell us when the hunts are.
If they are rut hunts they are probably after all the hunting around here are only memories.
These other guys will have to offer you a Utah Muley hunt cause there are no deer where I live.
But if you ever draw a Pahvant elk tag I could show you a good time.
The rifle elk hunt started here today and I rode up the canyon tonight to see how a friend had done the first day and he's seen so many big bulls he doesn't know what to do next.
His wife has a tag too and she broke her foot just before the hunt so she can't walk. the guys in the camp next to her showed her a 360 bull that they spotted. They didn't want anything like that on opening day so they showed her where to look and she got a shot of two but missed.
I took up a horse and trailer and dropped it off for them to use if they want to. then she could ride back off the road some and not have to try it on crutches. She is a real sport to even be out there trying as bad as her foot is. But then it's really a once in a lifetime hunt so you gotta try.
I'll go back tomarrow and chech and see how they did.

Treetop, you don't have to "offer me" anything in order for me to help ya out. You just have to be a Muleymadness member and a decent individual. Since you are certainly one and seemingly the other I'm more than willing to help out. (With that being said, if I ever have the opportunity to hunt Elk on the Pahvant I just might take ya up on your offer :) ).

A nonresident Idaho license is $141.50 and the "Whitetail only" deer tag is $258.50. It may seem steep to some folks but I live right on the Idaho boarder and spend as much time there as I do here in WA. Plus, I generally buy the combo hunting/fishing license since I do a lot of fishing in ID too.

If you are interested in this hunt and want to hunt the rut you MUST buy a "Whitetail only" tag and not a regular deer tag. If you buy a regular tag you can still hunt whitetail (you can hunt Mulies on the regular tag also) but you will only be able to hunt 10OCT07 through 03NOV07 in the units I hunt....it ends before the rut begins. The "Whitetail only" tag will allow you to hunt either 10OCT07 through 01DEC07 or 10OCT07 through 20NOV07, depending on what unit you are in.

The 6 units I hunt are split, with the season in the northern 4 (5, 6, 8 and 8A) running through 01DEC07 and the season in the southern 2 running through 20NOV07. I can get you info on other units in N ID if you need them. However, the six units I listed above are the ones in which we hunt.
(All the Whitetail I've posted here came from those units)

It's a blast to call these bucks in during the rut too. We rattle and use calls with a modified "spot and stalk" type method. Although my brother will occassionally use a tree stand, we normally stay on foot, walk and track, and use natural ground blinds while hunting. My favorite memory involves a buck that we never got a shot on:
My brother was rattling and calling while I was stationed about 20 yards ahead of him and to his right watching a couple trails in case a big bruiser came lookin' for trouble. We had called for about an hour with no luck when I signaled him that we should move on. When we stood up..."SNORT!"...a HUGE buck came running in RIGHT BETWEEN US! He must have been stalking the calls and when he first saw movement mistook us for his rival! He was as surprised as we were as I think we ALL jumped outta our shoes!! He snorted, leapt, took a turn almost in mid air, and bolted back into the thick stuff. Since he was between my brother and I, I couldn't get a shot off but just stood there dumbfounded!!! Man, it was cool as heck!

Anyway Treetop, as I stated with the others, if you're ever in my neck of the woods or plan on making a trip up there, let me know. I am more than willing to help you guys and gals out if possible. I will NEVER guarantee that you'll get a shot at a nice buck but I will say that there are a lot there and your chances are very good. We have a great success rate out there, as you can see by the pics, but in hunting there is never a guarantee....and that's what makes it fun!

Lastly, I will probably not be able to make it out there for the whitetail this season. Certain military obligations have come up and I may be shipping out. I will know more in the next two weeks and will let everyone know when I find out for sure but I am still willing to help out as much as possible. Just drop me a line!

Good lcuk my friend and keep me posted.

WOW AG thanks for the info. I have been on this forum for quite a while now and I'm still amazed at how friendly and willing to help everyone is. It's sure different than what I see on some of the other forums that I sometimes read but never post on.
It isn't likly that we'd be coming up hunting this year. Things take a while to plan and make time and moner for. But planning is half the fun.
If you are in the military then you're one of the people that are remembered in my prayers.
Thanks for all that you do to keep this country safe.

If your still looking for some spots i know lots of areas up north that are full of whitetails too many i think!!

Hi guys,

I dont mean to crash the thread but my buddy from AZ just informed me that he bought a Non-res white tail tag, and is planing on coming up here the last week of Nov to hunt whities with me..I am from southern, ID and the farthest north I have hunted is around New Meadows, I have been doing my research and near as I can tell units 8 & 8A look like decent units to start?? I would really appreciate any help to point us in the right direction, any other suggestions as far as areas, or tactics, We are not looking for trophies, but a chance at decent bucks would be great, we will shoot does on the last day if it comes to that. Thanks in advance for any info.

-Ed

hghcountry, welcome to MuleyMadness! (Yes, we EVEN talk whitetail every now and again here...LOL)

Did ya read the thread? As I stated earlier in the thread, I hunt quite a bit in 8 and 8a. Do ya have any questions outside of what I already posted? Feel free to ask away or you can PM me and we can do it that way. I don't mind either way.

I only ask one thing. If ya score, take a lot of pics and fill us in here at MM when the hunt is complete.

AG,

Well I waited till the last minute, but I just did get my whitetail tag before they sold out, so we will be headed north for the last week of Nov for sure!
Also I went back and re-read the thread, very good info, just a couple questions, What is the access like in unit 8, it looks like there is a decent ammount of private land, also how is the hunting around Dworshak Res? We will take a bunch of pics for sure! I might bug you a little more as the hunt gets closer, thanks!


-Hghcountry

hghcountry, bug me all ya want my friend!

Access in unit 8 is pretty decent. Plenty of free land to hunt around there...at least I have never had any problems at all. I usually hunted around the Deary/Boville area and had no issues.

As for Dworshak res...man, I haven't hunted up there since I was a kid (I lived in Orofino for quite a while). I know it was great back then and I've heard that it hasn't changed much since then. However, I am not sure about land access and that sort of stuff. Again, it's been too long. I'll ask around and see what I can find for ya.

GOOD LUCK! I wish I was joinin' ya but I am getting ready to ship out again and will miss the season. Keep us posted@!

I have been making the trek up to Northern Idaho to chase Whitetails for the last few years. I'm wondering if I could get some advice on rattling. We always hit the 15-20 of Nov. and most of the time the bucks are getting into the rut. We mostly spot and stalk, but I've tried to rattle a few times and I've yet to have anything come in.

adamsoa, WELCOME TO MULEYMADNESS!!

I am in a bit of a hurry but wanted to let ya know I saw your question. I'l try to get to it within the next 24 hours. I'll let ya know how I do it (Take it for what it's worth...LOL).

GOOD LUCK!

Sounds good. Thanks

adamsoa, sorry for the delay. I'll outline how my brother and I do it..but we are by no means "experts". However, we seem to do OK so something must be right!
I'll outline everything we do:

1) To start, we completely de-scent our clothing and gear. I use scent-free detergent and de-scent spray on all my whitetail rut hunts. It's probably not completely necessary but when I am trying to convince a big buck to come to my calls I don't want him winding me. I pack my gear in a scent free bag and carry it in my truck. We'll head to our parking spot and change into our hunting clothes before we head into the woods. That way we don't get the truck smell, house smell, coffee, breakfast, etc on our clothes and gear. (These bucks are rut-crazy but not completely stupid. They will, in a lot of occassions, circle an area before entering. Even if you set up with favorable wind, thier circling will eventually bring them downwind of you...even if it's for a short period)

2) I also try to get scent markers out a week or so before I hit an area. However, a lot of times I am moving from one area to another so this is something I do on a limited basis.

3) If the bucks aren't quite rutting heavily yet, or I'm hunting a bit early, I use a "light" calling set. I'll rattle lightly and for brief periods with about 20-25 minutes between rattling sessions (Each rattling session lasts around 5-10 minutes). I'll also throw a doe bleat in every now and again. Basically, I try to similate two buck "feeling themselves out" as the rut approaches. In other words, I try to keep it lighter than I would during the rut or the post-rut.

4) If they're really rutting I "bump up" my rattling sessions to around 10-15 minutes apiece with about 15-20 minutes between sessions. I also use my grunt tube both during the rattling session and during the rest periods. Again, a doe bleat or two thrown in is also part of my "game plan". I also make sure my rattling sessions are much more vigorous than the pre-rut sessions. I'm really trying to similate two bucks fighting over a young lady.

5) As the rut nears the end, I pick up the pace a bit as far as the rattling goes. I use the same time-line as I do during the rut but I hit the antlers much harder. The bucks don't seem to be as "ambition" during the post rut so it takes a bit more heavy rattling.

6) Although my brother will occassionally use a tree stand, we usually do a modified spot and stalk when hunting the N ID whitetail. Naturally, we have our "favorite" spots with plenty of natural ground cover that allows us to cover entrance/escape routes. However, we will also look for fresh tracks/sign while walking. If we cut something promising, we'll slowing pursue until we find a nice spot to stop and start calling. Remember though, during the rut the bucks are on the move so keep alert at all times...they'll sometimes appear when you least expect it!

I have no idea how others go about doing it but we've come up with these processes over the last few years. Most of it was derived by trial and error but it seems to work pretty well.

Well my friend, I hope this helps. Like I said, I am by no means an expert and do not claim to be. It always helps to be lucky and stay persistant. That is by far the best advice I can give ya. GOOD LUCK and keep us posted on the upcoming hunt!

I'm heading up to Idaho in 9 days for a 9 day hunt. We will be up at the Clearwater 12 from the 11th to the 20th. I have a couple of tags burning a hole in my pocket. :thumb I'll let you know how it turns out.

Good luck Adam!!! I'm lookiin' forward to some great pics!

Idaho was great this year!!!

Sounds good, having trouble with the images though?

How do I post them?

Click the "Browse..." button, then find the file on your computer

Then click "Add Attachment"

Then click "Submit" and it should work great.

Brett