Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: TeacherMan on September 28, 2023, 08:22:34 PM
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I live in Unit 6 in Idaho and spend quite a bit of time in the woods but never really focused on mule deer in Idaho with the season only being 9 days here. With my hunting partner drawing this tag this year we plan on focusing on a big mule deer. I’ve been thinking of the Montana/Idaho border in unit 7 above Avery. We have mostly weekends, we do both have wheelers. We are definitely open to suggestions within the panhandle, we have thought about thanksgiving up above Sandpoint. Will keep everyone posted once we start focusing on the tag in November.
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Thoughts on when mule deer rut really occurs in north Idaho?
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We hunt unit 6 specifically for mule deer. i think the week after general season is the golden ticket. im not sold on road hunting, but i think using your wheelers, covering the most ground as possible the fastest and easiest compared to hiking and isolating yourself to one area. and divide and conquer too. so many roads to travel and explore, then meet up once you locate deer is going to be a good starting point.
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They start becoming killable about the 24th, very active by Halloween, peak about the 9th-11th, and activity starts to wane from there, of course the muley rut ebbs and flows like the tide depending what ridge you are standing on. There is a break before thanksgiving and then another surge.
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They start becoming killable about the 24th, very active by Halloween, peak about the 9th-11th, and activity starts to wane from there, of course the muley rut ebbs and flows like the tide depending what ridge you are standing on. There is a break before thanksgiving and then another surge.
I was hoping you would chime in 😂 I know whitetail and their habits but I’m not the mildly man and I know you are! So sounds like it’s a little earlier then than whitetail.
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Unit one has been very poor the last couple years. Not sure about East of there.
YES, I can only assume that was gods plan so we dont have a bunch of hybrids running around. First wave of muley is wrapping up as Whites are amping up
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I have put in for that tag for 15 plus years and have never drawn it. We have always done well for mulies in unit 1/2 the second week of November
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Back when we could hunt till the end of November, we would just hunt as high as we could get on the mountain. The mulies up in that country tend to stay up high late into the season in my experience.
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I have put in for that tag for 15 plus years and have never drawn it. We have always done well for mulies in unit 1/2 the second week of November
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Everything he puts in for he gets first try it seems 😂😝 Definitely plan on putting miles on looking for a wall worthy buck. Honestly if we can find him a solid mature 4x4 he will be over the moon.
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My college roommate owned two cabins in Avery. Used to spend a lot of time up there. That country produces a prehistoric kind of buck. The frames on those deer are just nuts.
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I personally had the tag in ‘05, but it was just Unit 1. I was active duty Navy and got one 3 day stretch to hunt it when I flew up from San Diego while we were in port getting our non-skid replaced. I think I bought a last minute overpriced ticket to Spokane, paid an Ensign $500 to take my duty day, borrowed a buddies pickup and climbed up in to the high country for a day and a half. Found an absolute giant…didn’t get him killed. Tough logistics back then :chuckle:
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That country produces a prehistoric kind of buck.
I love this description. There just aren’t a lot of deer there, but by golly when you find one, they usually leave an impression.
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I know a guy who found one side to a very nice muley up between periwinkle and bluff creek. The other side was found by a forest capital forester, they had it in there office. Land has changed hands a couple times since so its probably not still in the office. If I had the tag I would look hard up bluff creek
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tagging a long. I'll send a DM soon.
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That country produces a prehistoric kind of buck.
I love this description. There just aren’t a lot of deer there, but by golly when you find one, they usually leave an impression.
I love the description too 😂 I’ve found a few nice sheds up on the MT border above Avery but your right, you just don’t see the numbers.
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I've seen mule deer in area 6 was almost to the top of Marble Mt. And just east of Santa in the buck brush or whatever those giant shrubs are called on the south facing slopes.
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I’ve been messing with these muleys in that area. Yet to pull the trigger on one, but could have on smaller bucks. I have been holding out for a good one. I found a spot in the high country that holds a lot of Muleys. 2 years ago I was looking for a older buck and I kept holding off and waiting for November thinking a stud would show up with rut approaching. Oct 29th 7-8” of snow fell , but had all melted off in 3 days. It must of triggered their migration as I spent the next 3 days glassing and the deer vacated the country . Lesson learned. Well I hope to find my target buck next week, he’s bigger this year.
