Idaho Unit 43

[Dhoey07]

Well......harvest statistics and google earth tell me that is where I should spend my 2017 September.  Any information or advise from someone who has stepped foot in that area would be greatly appreciated!! 

Danny

[go4steelhd]

I'm assuming you are elk hunting? But weather you are elk hunting or deer. You need horses or a dirt bike. It is really big country. I have done a back pack hunt in there 7 miles in. Good luck and enjoy the area it's awesome country

[Dhoey07]

I'm assuming you are elk hunting? But weather you are elk hunting or deer. You need horses or a dirt bike. It is really big country. I have done a back pack hunt in there 7 miles in. Good luck and enjoy the area it's awesome country

Yes, elk. 

I have neither, but am willing to put a camp on my back. 

[go4steelhd]

I would highly recommend taking a drive over and check it out before you buy tags. The area has some big bulls. But game is very spread out. And back packing could help. That's not where I see the issue. You may or may not find elk in the basin you choose to hunt then it will take you three hours to hike to the next one, this is where I see it being a tuff hunt. I would PM I think it's Big Mike on here or run a search. He hunted it last year. I'm willing to bet he will tell you the same as I have. I'm not trying to talk you out of this area. I would just do some more hands on research

[Sakko300wsm]

I hunt there and it's very weather dependant - and never would without a quad

[boneaddict]

It's extremely intimidating without a wheeler or bike under you.   I thought, oh I can out backpack the best of them.   It's extremely open country with huge trails covering the ridges and guys covering the trails.   It's an atv heaven.   Here in Washington, you see all these rigs running around with their wheelers strapped in the back of their ride.   There they use the heck out of them.    It's very difficult to hunt 43 well without one.

[andrew_in_idaho]

All I ever hear about hunting in those units is either hunting basins that are 7-10 mile ride and 3-5 mile hike beyond the end of the trail(those guys are successful) or a 3-5 mile hike into a basin only to have bikes and wheelers riding by constantly and blowing up every setup, and those guys are obviously not successful. I looked into that zone for elk hunting but everything I heard points me in another direction


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dhoey07]

So it sounds like, drive your 4-wheeler or dirtbike, from basin to basin and bugle until you get a response. 

That's not what I was hoping for at all 

[andrew_in_idaho]

I don't even know if it's that. It's hunt hard in steep country only to have a four wheeler or dirt bike ruin most of your opportunities kind of hunting. Or I have some buddies who ride "trails" if you want to call them that where two of the three will have to get off and walk their bikes through quarter mile sections because they are afraid to ride across it. I won't go in there with them. I have too much to live for and can find elk in easier to access areas


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dhoey07]

Well, I guess I'll look into the Weiser River Zone a little more. 

I just don't think I can stomach another bugle-less September.....you only get so many Septembers.

[Sakko300wsm]

Weiser area is part  32a and I wouldn't hunt that without a quad either . I hunt that as well