Idaho Panhandle 2011

[Hornseeker]

Definitely dont go to Bumblebee... very crowded and NO ELK... they all migrated to the Blues...

[400out]

Definitely dont go to Bumblebee... very crowded and NO ELK... they all migrated to the Blues...

 

[Chuethou_b18c5]

I'll be zooming through a lot of these units this summer...eventually things will fall into its places...there's plenty of elk in the blues  but i'll just look for the lost one in the panhandle...

[huntnnw]

the entire panhandle tag holds elk.. just get out in the mountains.. find old logged out areas..u will find elk, theres a ton of terrain to hunt elk

[Chuethou_b18c5]

Thanks for the advice/tips guys....

[piledup]

hey buddy the tag u bought seems to be pretty good after looking at the stats. Ill be missing out on the scouting but hopefully i make it up there when season comes.

[KimberRich]

Looks like the Panhandle will be crowded with all us Eastern WA guys.   

If a guy can afford it, I don't see how people couldn't hunt Idaho also.  A short drive east and your in gret country.  Wish it was closer for me. 

[boneaddict]

Zooming through those units won't help you much.   They are THICK...bank to bank.     You can be standing 100 feet from 20 elk and not be able to see one of them.  Gotta love it.

[Machias]

Zooming through those units won't help you much.   They are THICK...bank to bank.     You can be standing 100 feet from 20 elk and not be able to see one of them.  Gotta love it.

You can be a heck of alot closer than 100 feet and STILL not see them!!!!

[boneaddict]

Thats for sure.
I had a bullmoose shredding, and I mean shredding a forest about 18 feet away and couldn't see anything but moving trees, antler tips and feet.   

[Chuethou_b18c5]

I'm sure Northern Idaho is pretty thick with my experience from picking huckleberries. I've just never seen elk up there so was just wondering what parts are more popular...I kind of have an idea where to look now. Should be a good experience...

[huntnnw]

Ill take the thickness of the joe area anyday over NE WA.. nothing compares to the underbrush here

[Chuethou_b18c5]

I have hunted the NE corner for the past 3 years, no luck. Some close encounters but just couldn't seal the deal. So that's why I decided to go with Idaho. Hopefully there's more elk and will be a little more chance than the NE corner.

[elkaholic]

You will get into them!!! From where I met you at up there you have no problem putting in the miles.

[Todd_ID]

You will get into them!!! From where I met you at up there you have no problem putting in the miles.

That's pretty funny!  And a darn good start to success in the Panhandle.  If you can find a place on the map that has no roads within 1/2 mile, then you can be pretty sure nobody is hunting it.  Pick 12 good looking places off the topo maps and Google Earth; check them out this summer to narrow it to 8; come hunting season you'll find 6 of them hold elk; you can go to a different one each day and take Sunday off for church, but more importantly you're not going back to the same place day after day getting busted and hunting smarter and smarter elk; that's a recipe for tag soup.  I stumble all around hell's half acre up there and never see a soul except when I come out to a road.  But getting from camp to where I want to take off you'd think we were being invaded based on the amount of camps and traffic; and that's during archery.  Rifle season is the time to set up the espresso stand at the bottom of about 4 of the major intersections in the St. Joe.  You'd make enough money to buy a cattle ranch not just a beef to replace not hunting for elk.