142 (Almota) or my usual....hmmm?

[cvandervort]

Anyone on here familiar with 142? A buddy of mine invited me to hunt his family's property over there (i'm on the westside), but I was also invited back to a Swakane unit deer camp for the second year...

Hunt a different unit entirely, or stick with one that produces good deer that you're more familiar with? Decisions, decisions....

[bobcat]

There's no way I'd pass up an opportunity to hunt private property in Almota. Lots of deer, and both whitetail and muleys. You can hunt Swakane anytime.

[Tbar]

Almota is a good unit (can be). It's the hunt you were invited to on the breaks or the grain fields.  The fields can be great or you can walk for days and not see a whitetail. I do like the fields because there is always a level of mystery provided by terrain.  The breaks can be productive with mulies and there are definitely some big Mule deer there. It does get kinda frustrating with all the slick 2 points in the unit (some fully mature).

[Tbar]

Oh and did I mention the breaks are steep?  If you hunt the breaks in the early season there are lots of snakes, never bothered me but made it a little uneasy hearing the rattles in the darkness.

[Mxracer532]

I got alot of family in that unit and know tons of people there also. What general area? Town??

[cvandervort]

Not entirely sure about the town...
I'm a bit apprehensive because I'm used to the mountains, not rolling prairie!
I guess I have some time to ponder...

[Timberstalker]

Not entirely sure about the town...
I'm a bit apprehensive because I'm used to the mountains, not rolling prairie!
I guess I have some time to ponder...

You may not classify it as rolling prairie after you kill a deer at the river and pack him back to the wheat!

[Tbar]

 
The river sits at less than 500 feet of elevation and the wheat is 2500-3000. That's a grueling hunt if you traverse from top to bottom a couple times in a day.

[bobcat]

Yeah I got a laugh out of the "rolling prairie" comment. 

However, it COULD be relatively flat, just depends on where in the unit the property is.

[Todd_ID]

  That was my thought too.  If you haven't seen the canyon you'll be hunting, then you'd be best off sticking to what you know.  Take a trip over and see it before you decide.  Find out exactly how and where you'll be hunting, and then while you're walking that area envision yourself there trying to kill a deer.  You'll know then.

[Kyle1112]

I've hunted a large chunk of that unit on the breaks of the snake river and have been up and down the "rolling hills" of my section since I was 12(I'm 30 now). I've killed deer in there all the way up till I switched to archery. My great uncles and close family friends are wheat farmers. The killer isn't the elevation climb it's the scorching heat with no relief for both you and your game till the vehicle. Mountains at least have trees to provide shade ya know. Are you going for rifle?

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[T-Dozzer]

Grew up hunting 142. Got tired of all the shananigans out there and moved one unit over. Where you are in 142 defiantly makes a difference. Last deer I put down  in that unit took 5 hours in 90 deg heat to hike out. It only rolled a ways, but man it was a steep hell hole getting it out. That being said, if you got good private access I would take it.

[cvandervort]

Okay, okay....the "rolling prairie" comment was a quote from my friend that owns the property...so back off! haha
I went to school and worked over there, so I should have seen the jeers coming from a mile away!
I'm excited about the opportunity, but, like I said before, I just found out about it, and have yet to check it out in person. All I know is that it IS farmland. I'd be stoked if that included some terrain to break it up.

[countrystyle4life]

Well this one of my regular units. It can be a great place to provide some monster bucks feeding in high protein crops. I would ask and see what the hunting pressure is going to be on the property you will be hunting. If its anything thing high it can get frustrating. Its not uncommon to hear a gunshot about every 30 minutes on opening day in high pressure areas.  However it can provide some monsters as well, more so in areas that pressure is very limited. 30" wide isn't a hard to get in a well managed low pressure area.  Also ask what the terrain is because you can go anything from crop fields to the Breaks and they are called the breaks for a reason. I shot my 142 buck last year at 10:21 a.m. in a canyon and it took me till 4:30 to get to my truck at the gate on the river (and I was going downhill lol). I would say ask questions and look into it if it sounds good spot I would go for it, its a fun place to hunt!

[jjhunter]

A 30"er?  I must have been doing it all wrong in 142 the last 23 seasons?