Idaho deer!

[quackkiller]

Ok I have not made very many posts on here but read just about everything. I recently just got a howa 300 win mag and am planning on going to Idaho this year. I have done a little reasherch on units and stuff like that, but what would you guys reccomed going to Idaho for whitetail or Muleys... I have never hunted with a rifle only archery since I was 11 years old, I am 22 now. Any information on the state would be awesome thanks ahead of time much appreciated!! 

[Bigshooter]

Hunt the northern 1/3 or the state for whitetails and hunt the SE corner for mule deer. 

[quackkiller]

That's what I have heard but I also have heard that the northern part of Idaho gets purdy pounded, is that nessasary true? I have been thinking about the unit 39 over there out of Boise in the sawtooth national forest, mainly because I have heard that there is a good population of whitetails and Muleys in That area.

[Bigshooter]

That's what I have heard but I also have heard that the northern part of Idaho gets purdy pounded, is that nessasary true? I have been thinking about the unit 39 over there out of Boise in the sawtooth national forest, mainly because I have heard that there is a good population of whitetails and Muleys in That area.

Unit 39 is the most heavily hunted unit in ID.  And i'm sure with it being so close to Boise is why.  Northern Idaho doesn't get hunted anywhere near as hard as 39 does.  But good bucks do come out of 39.  I'm not sure you will see many whitetails in 39.

[deerhunter_98520]

I went for whitetails this last season and I'm hooked...heading back again this year....I was going to try mulies this year but my buddy wanted to go whitetail again and it didn't take much convincing to go rattle some whitetail again 

[buglebrush]

Northern Idaho gets pounded, and is a jungle.  I would look at Central for sure.

[quackkiller]

I would figure the 39 would get pounded aw well as the units surrounding bigger cities. I just figure if I do what I do here and get off the main road systems and go deep I would essentially get into more and bigger deer. But I am still on the fence as far as do I want to kill a mule deer or a whitetail. So that's the main thing I guess I need to figure out haha. Was kind of wanting to find an area where they have both.

[WA hunter14]

i live in 10a and id say it gets pounded, but entirely by people on 4 wheelers an mtn bikes, they all seem to kill nice bucks and so do i and all my friends. plenty of deer if your willing to put in the time( about a week) and weather plays huge part in it. this last year one day i saw 16 different bucks within 3 miles of my house and the next day only 4 and hunted hard! weather and moon.

[quackkiller]

I plan on taking a week off of work for this hunt. Would it be a better idea to take the first week of November or middle? Is the 10a a better high hunt? All whitetails in the 10a?

[WA hunter14]

there are a few mulies along the river breaks of 10a but not many and its mostly private, most ppl hunt 10a around thankgiving to hit the rut and easy to take time off work. personaly i hunt all through the season but hit it hard starting about the 15th and till the end. Alot of the locals dont even go out until the rut hits and when it starts everyone knows, driving home from work ive had 6 bucks in the headlights, bucks are out all day in fields. When it does start its on crazy but doesnt last long like that, slows down and becomes steady normal rut behavior. theres tons of roads and tons of ppl hutning them but like i said if you put in the time and especially if your willing to do something different and away from ppl you will kill a buck, its just finding one big enough to put the tag on. For me work slows down to only 40 hours a week in october and i get laid off nov8th and just hunt so i see the whole season, and hunt all the time.

[quackkiller]

thanks for the info I am going to get the onx hunt maps for Idaho and do a little research on a few places over there. It's just too hard to choose if I want to go after a whitetail or Muley!!!

[kentrek]

Depends how you'd like to hunt....personally rattling in whitetails is a blast...but then again glassing up a bug mulie wouldn't be bad either 

[quackkiller]

Well I have hunted whitetails a few times, shot my first doe last year! I have killed a few blacktail bucks and does. And have been Muley hunting for the first time last year as well, did not get into many deer, but seen a solid 150-160" whitetail about 450 yards away and could not get on him got busted by a spike, so that's the main reason I got a 300! Just want to give it a shot! I am just on the fence, I've never rattled in any deer, sounds fun but I like the sounds of going ridge to ridge, glassing and just vein anxious to see what's over the next hill!

[elkboy]

For whitetail, you could hunt National Forest in north Idaho, or take a trip out earlier in the year to knock on doors at lower elevations where lands are mostly private.  Some of the timber companies offer permits for their lands as well.   Whitetail rattling is great in mid- to late November.  Like some previous commenters have said, get away from roads.  I'd recommend finding old burns or old clearcuts, and get up high in a decently open area to rattle. 

I don't know much about muley hunting in southern Idaho, but I do know that mule deer are pretty rare north of the Palouse River. 

[kentrek]

Well if your anxious at all I'd definitely use that to your advantage and go all in for mule deer....rattling whitetails you can do later in life when sitting back in a stand for 9 hours reading a book sounds like a nice way to spend the day....nothing worse the rattling up deer and being impatient 

[elkboy]

Well if your anxious at all I'd definitely use that to your advantage and go all in for mule deer....rattling whitetails you can do later in life when sitting back in a stand for 9 hours reading a book sounds like a nice way to spend the day....nothing worse the rattling up deer and being impatient 

   Rattling whitetails does take some patience and faith in the method!  And no cardio benefits, other than the intense exercise of grabbing an antler and dragging... 

[quackkiller]

Alright I think I am convinced (I think) to kill a Muley! Now I just need to do some searching on good units! Although rattling in a white tail sounds like fun! Time for maps!

[buglebrush]

Alright I think I am convinced (I think) to kill a Muley! Now I just need to do some searching on good units! Although rattling in a white tail sounds like fun! Time for maps!

You won't regret it.  Enjoy the process.  I find that organizing gear, picking the area, getting in shape, etc... are all part of what makes hunts so memorable.  For me hunting truly is a year-round activity. 

[quackkiller]

I know I love the process for the next season but I hate the wait! Oh well it's all worth it in the end when your hard work in the off season pays off even if it's just physically.

[elkboy]

You won't regret it.  Enjoy the process.  I find that organizing gear, picking the area, getting in shape, etc... are all part of what makes hunts so memorable.  For me hunting truly is a year-round activity.

Couldn't agree more.  Target shooting, watching birds and other wildlife in the off-season (keep eyes sharp), studying maps, hiking, backpacking, talking to other hunters, reading books and magazines... all of it is "training day" for the next season!  Plus it keeps my hunting addiction somewhat fed until opening day...

[quackkiller]

Yes target shooting is what I need to do! Just need to figure out what scope I want to go with, have been looking at the Nikon monarch and vortex viper pst. I recently got a howa 300 with the Nikki game King scope for my birthday at the end of the month but I want to upgrade the scope to something good!

[buckandbullminingco]

Yes target shooting is what I need to do! Just need to figure out what scope I want to go with, have been looking at the Nikon monarch and vortex viper pst. I recently got a howa 300 with the Nikki game King scope for my birthday at the end of the month but I want to upgrade the scope to something good!

Vortek vortek vortek  hands down one of the best you can buy.  From there cheaper models to expensive ones. Plus the warranty is hands down the best.

[quackkiller]

What about the leupold 4.5-14x50 CDs?

[7mag.]

What about the leupold 4.5-14x50 CDs?

Very good scope, I have one. Vortex and Leupold are the best affordable scopes, in my opinion. To step up to Swarovski and Night Force, double or more the price.

[quackkiller]

What redicle did you get? Did you get the mail in turret? How do you like it?

[7mag.]

Duplex reticle, short MOA turret with zero stop. It only gives one full revolution with the zero stop, ends up being 14 minutes, but the zero stop is massively important to me. I'm only going to shoot 500, maybe 600 yards max at an animal any way.

[quackkiller]

What are you zeroed in at?

[7mag.]

What are you zeroed in at?

I'll send you a pm, or call you later so we don't hijack the thread any more.