hey, just throwing this up there: me and my partner (my cousin) are headed to the Salmon Zone, not too far from Challis on the dates listed. Anyone who has some advice, has hunted there before, or is planning on being in the same area during the same dates- any advice, ideas, or if you will be in the area and you want to hang/hunt just let me know. We're first-timers for elk but have about 40 years of whitetail hunting between us.
Thats awesome good luck. That terrain is great elk country. I would get up high an do some scouting from there. They sure do have some big bulls. I'm not sure but there is little cafe that had some excellent food.
my advice is just to make sure you are in the best possible condition and mentally prepare yourself for brutal walks! the more prepared you are the more fun it will be! Good luck!
Not too far from my neck of the woods. I don't know where Challis is, but the forest that we passed through to Lapwai was impressive, and I couldn't help but imagining being in the woods.
yeah I've been getting in shape for a few weeks (dropped about 15lbs in 3 months) and will really increase the strength training for the last month. Plus I ski in Deer Valley Utah every year so I'm somewhat used to 7-10k foot high peaks. My cousin....eh.....he's naturally stronger than me but smokes like a chimney and has been "too busy" to work out very much. We'll see how that works. Lapwai is literally on the exact opposite (western) side south west from Challis....Challis is close to the Montana border.
Find the wallows or water in the middle of the day if they become quiet. Sit on them. They will eventually come down to drink if they are up the mountain. Watch your thermals and wind. Good luck.
thanks - water holes is a good tip. We picked those dates because the moon is not very cooperative earlier that month. Full Moon is set for the 9th. We're also hoping that being later in the month the bulls will be more vocal. Seems like Sept 15th is the consensus as to the mean height of bugling activity. So we'll be hunting on the back half of the full moon at the "peak" of bugling. Hopefully that helps put us on bulls. Looks like it has been a pretty rainy year so far so I'm not sure what that means other than there should be plenty of water around and the bugs may be bad.
hello noodles, Gonna be up in your area on the opener. We'll be hunting a little bit south, around Leadore. There is going to be a lot of water in the area so I wouldn't focus too much on water holes early. Shift your tactics as the dates get closer. I don't live too far from the area and I think the forecast for the next week or so is cool and wet.
Our first jump off point is due west from Challis, so Leadore is east of us. We won't get up there until mid-month. If you don't mind, please shoot me a PM before I hit the road and let me know if they're bugling yet in your zone. I'm guessing the activity will be similar between our zones. Either way thanks for the precipitation update and good luck!
What unit will you hunt? Salmon zone is a big area that makes up several units 21, 21A, 28, 36B. I fought fire for 3 summers in Salmon and could maybe point you in the right direction. I do have one wallow I have a waypoint for which I found while messing around out in the mountains one day. I also have some great contacts with the Fish and game there who have me all lined out for my first archery hunt once I get the vacation time and money for it.
DIY Idaho Forecast for the next week is rain, rain and more rain. Temps will be about 15-20 degrees below normal. That should kick the bulls into the "Mood". I would practice up on your cow calling. These bulls will respond to that. There is alot of wolf activity in that area your looking at. Have a rifle around to help thin them out. I believe a wolf tag comes with your elk tag.... if not they are very cheap. John
Good luck, I hope you have a successful hunt. Sounds like your cousin is in for a butt kick'n as far as his conditioning and the mountains go. I can't imagine putting a trip like that together and not making time to get in shape for it. Hope it goes well and you are eating elk this winter. :D
Its finally starting to dry out a little bit. No more extended periods of rain for the near future. We actually had some snow in the Tetons above 10,000 ft yesterday! Should be a perfect opener. John
dnoodles, Im going to be hunting the Beaverhead zone this weekend through the next weekend. Ill let you know how the bulls are reacting. Good luck and let me know how your hunt went. Thanks, John
Exactly one week from now, I'll be hitting the road... Honestly, I'm starting to get a little anxious... did I shoot enough? (probably not) did I forget to buy something? (surely) am I in good enough shape? (uhhhhh...;let's hope so. Either way I'm way better off than I was 3 months ago.) Should I have bought a dirt bike? ( @ the bowhunting.com article Bowhunting Public Land Elk | Bowhunting.com Blog ) should I bring my .45 or my PLR-16? should I buy/bring a spare bow?
Idaho DIY Hello Noodles, I just got back from 10 days in the Beaverhead zone. Lots of elk this year!!! Lots of grass in the dark timber. Lots of water around. The rut is a little late this year. I had a few chances early last week and then things flattened out by the weekend. I'm going back for a couple more days this weekend and next. I think the rut and the hunting will get better as the full moon starts to diminish. John
Good luck fellas. I'm waiting for pictures and stories! When I left Wyoming on the 10th they were bugling a lot but were still in huge herds (150+).
