Idaho first time

[ThurstonCokid]

Well I just got off the phone with Idaho’s game department and purchased my very first Idaho deer tag. I’m thrilled to say the least. I will be in Holbrook Idaho working potato harvest up until the season starts. I will have a ton of time to give it a shot! If anyone wants to comment or message me any tips I’d be super appreciative. I have downloaded Idaho on onx and already starting to check it out. Anyways i will keep everyone updated! I just finished my last quarter of college this past month so i need to go blow some steam and hunt! Good luck to all as 2019 season is almost here!


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[Karl Blanchard]

Congrats. Idaho is amazing and miserable all at the same time. She does not give up good animals easily, butthey are there for the taking.  What general area are you looking at?

[ThurstonCokid]

Congrats. Idaho is amazing and miserable all at the same time. She does not give up good animals easily, butthey are there for the taking.  What general area are you looking at?

I have done some research and since i will be south east corner for job i will start there. And slowly make my way north west! I still have a ton of info to go over from the regs as well as onx so no super specifics yet. Regardless I am excited for the experience!


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[ThurstonCokid]

I arrive the 18th of September and will have a couple days to scout before the October 10th starter as well!


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[time2hunt]

You have a perfect job  to start making contacts and getting permission from those farmer 👍. 


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[ThurstonCokid]

You have a perfect job  to start making contacts and getting permission from those farmer 👍. 


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That’s what I’m thinking! Hopefully meet a bunch of land owners


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[ThurstonCokid]

Currently working in Idaho until harvest is over. I have been in unit 56 scouting slightly but haven’t turned anything up. I think the game plan will be to hunt unit 50 and then head west all the way back to Washington hunting along the way. Hoping to be able to post pics!


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[Taco280AI]

I'm hunting the SW area, am finding lots of elk, but very few deer so far.

[lewy]

Congrats. Idaho is amazing and miserable all at the same time. She does not give up good animals easily, butthey are there for the taking.  What general area are you looking at?

   Been in some seriously beautiful but humbling country there

[ThurstonCokid]

Well a little update. I hunted from the opener until yesterday. I have been seeing 30-70 deer a day. I am in the south east part of the state. On the second morning I saw a very nice buck that I had in my crosshairs but it was at a full run, so i didnt have a good enough shot. Yesterday i saw a small 3x4 and did not shoot. I am pumped to get after it next weekend in a new area.


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[dilleytech]

Sweet keep us updated. Looking forward to my first Idaho hunt soon.

[Taco280AI]

Seeing more elk, even black bears, but no deer in my areas.

[jstone]

Good for you. You found the deer I have been looking for. I was up in the top of 39 and saw 3 does in 3 days. Lots of wolf tracks. Deer numbers are destroyed in our old area. Not the way it used to be.
Good luck

[Taco280AI]

If you don't mind PMing where you're seeing the wolf tracks, I'll be after one later on. The more we can get the more it helps the herds

[ThurstonCokid]

I’m in the south east corner. 56 and 73a. No wolf tracks but i did almost put my tag on a cougar..


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[ThurstonCokid]

Well i ended up killing my 2nd mule deer ever yesterday. It was a small 4x4. I was tired and ready to head home so i told myself the first thing with 4 is down. Thank you guys for the encouragement! I will hopefully be back next year


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[Machias]

Congrats!!

[ThurstonCokid]

Congrats!!

Appreciate it!


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[Tapp8277]

Congrats! We're gonna need pics and the story!

[jagermiester]

Well i ended up killing my 2nd mule deer ever yesterday. It was a small 4x4. I was tired and ready to head home so i told myself the first thing with 4 is down. Thank you guys for the encouragement! I will hopefully be back next year


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Way to go!

[ThurstonCokid]

Will have pics and a story soon! Maybe tomorrow. I owe it to the hunt wa fam! Headed back to Washington now


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[tgomez]

Congratulations on your success.

[Birdgetter]

Nice job! Saw it on Instagram, nice buck. Looking forward to the story. 

[Taco280AI]

Yesterday hiking out with a quartered deer, I eventually make it to a horse trail at the same time as another hunter headed back in. 

"You see anything?" He asks... which I thought the answer was rather obvious given my pack. He only stuck to the horse trail, no issue with that - gives me better odds of finding deer before him when I'm off the trail. 

Anyway, in response to his question, I say yeah, there's four deer on that ridge right there. He doesn't bother looking. We talk for a minute, I see the deer are moving a little, so I glass them with my binos. "There's a buck" I say. "Where?" "Right there on that ridge, like I said." So now he lifts his rifle up and starts glassing the whole damn ridgeline with his scope! 

I don't see any binos with him, or rangefinder. Not wanting him to keep scoping the whole damn hillside I guide him on them. I've been helped out by others and like to help out if I can. Didn't hear a shot on my way out, and am glad this time. 

Where the [bleep] are your binoculars? 

[ThurstonCokid]

So i ended up being able to go to my Washington mule deer spot yesterday for half a day and fill my tag here as well. Sorry for no story yet. I promise it is coming!


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[C-Money]

Congrats on your success!

[X-Force]

Following

[ThurstonCokid]

Okay let me start with the beginning of Idaho! So in August i was in Wenatchee Valley finishing up my AA degree and taking 20 credits. These classes were all going towards a fruit and vegetable management degree (agriculture). Being from the west side i had no experience with farming or agriculture but it interested me more than anything else i could study.
Playing baseball was the main reason i was in school and the game really kept me going. August rolls around and i finish my 20 credits and my AA so it was decision time for me. I decided that before i finish out my bachelor’s degree in agriculture I should probably get some experience in it to see if it was something I would really like to pursue. I contacted a potato farm in Idaho and worked their harvest from September 12-October 18. (I bought my deer tag in august once i knew i was going to be there).


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[ThurstonCokid]

After harvest was over I loaded up my truck. Tent sleeping bag and cans of soup and headed out to the Wyoming border. I had previously day hunted around the farm, and almost got a shot on a dandy buck but due to not having a perfect shot at it i held back. The one thing that would’ve crushed my idaho experience would have been wounding one of these animals and not recovering it. So onto the hunt! My first day off the farm was a tough one. I found myself wandering through deep snow way up on the steep mountains. Wind whipping in my face there was times i had to take a break on the Insides of trees just to protect myself from the wind. I did find some migrating deer heading down the mountain! The first group was a group of 10 does. I also saw a 2 point buck. I headed back to the truck at dark for a very long night. Sleeping in the cold i woke up 5 or 6 times freezing my butt off. 0 degree sleeping bags mean 40 degrees lol.


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[ThurstonCokid]

The next day i started early! Back up into the snow. I was beat down by the weather and about mid day i decided to have a relaxing day and head down into a lower portion of the unit where i could hunt for an evening out of the snow. I started seeing  lots of deer and having a little better time also. I found an overgrown road and decided to hit the trail for the evening! About a half mile down the road i look up the mountain side and see a buck feeding by a small patch of trees. It quickly feeds into the trees not letting me get a solid look at it. I head towards the trees and soon the buck pops out and gives me a better look. I held my gun steady on it for a few minutes before deciding i was going to take it. I was tired, 50 days away from home living out of my truck and trailer got to me. I believe i couldve held out for a bigger buck but once i counted 4 points i decided to shoot. I was able to drop this buck in his tracks for a quick kill. Exactly what it deserved. No suffering. I got up to my buck and decided to gut it and try to drag it whole. I was able to get it to my truck whole but let me tell ya, mule deer aren’t light creatures. My hands and forearms made sure to thank me for that drag!


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[ThurstonCokid]

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[pianoman9701]

  Nice buck and thanks for the story!

[ThurstonCokid]

Now back to Washington. I had a decent night sleep and found myself in my favorite deer hunting city by driving my buddy to pick up his car at les Schwab. Of course i had to give it one shot. I headed up the mountain with him and down a few canyons. We got to the bottom 4-5 miles later and i decide to call it a day. Only seeing 2 does. I was planning on hunting late season whitetail and called it early because we were quite a ways from the truck.. well on our return to the truck we came over a hillside that we haven’t scanned yet and 75 yards downhill stands a decent 3 point. I quickly grab my rifle and send one down range dropping this buck. We were able to quarter it out and toss all of the quarters and meat into 2 game bags. Now i only brought a rifle down into this hike. (Extremely stupid) no pack no knives nothing else. My buddy had knives and game bags. We filled the game bags to the brim and headed back towards the truck.. i killed this buck around 5 pm i believe and did not get back to the truck till well past 11. It was miserable my advice ALWAYS BRING A MEAT PACKING PACK! I will never make the mistake again. THANK YOU GUYS FOR FOLLOWING ALONG! I have met and talked to some awesome people on this site. I’m not a site veteran but there is some great guys who i text and talk to often. Appreciate the feed back the tips and the advice that some have reached out and given me. Happy hunting and let’s have a great rest of 2019!!



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[ThurstonCokid]

Nice buck and thanks for the story!

Thank you pianoman!


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[ThurstonCokid]

Updated with pics and both deer stories!


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[Tapp8277]

Two great bucks and stories! Congrats on a great season 

[Machias]

Oustanding job, congrats on 2 very nice bucks!!

So did you decide Agriculture is something you want to continue to pursue?

[ThurstonCokid]

Oustanding job, congrats on 2 very nice bucks!!

So did you decide Agriculture is something you want to continue to pursue?

They offered me a full time management position and I’m debating it now.. i really do like the farm and everyone i was working with and do enjoy the work.. but potato season can go long and completely ruin a hunting season (which i am most passionate about)  the timing is the biggest downfall. I’m considering it but also looking at completing an EMT course to become a fire fighter


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[ThurstonCokid]

Two great bucks and stories! Congrats on a great season 

Appreciate it a ton! Thank you


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[grundy53]

Sounds like you had a great time. Congratulations on 2 good bucks!

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[ganghis]

Congrats on both bucks - thanks for the stories too!

[ThurstonCokid]

Thanks all!


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