Idaho Bound!

[mdwest]

What number did you start out in line? I was 16k something and got below 2k before the Elk tag I wanted was gone. Maybe 1 hour and 45 minutes. Congrats on the tags.

I started about 27k…

We had a series of contingency plans in place but ultimately got exactly what we wanted…

We were genuinely fortunate

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Had to sit in front of the laptop for 3 hours this morning in the queue trying to get out of state elk and general deer tags for Idaho for the 2024 season... but...

We were SUCCESSFUL!

THe wife and I pulled an elk tag and a general deer tag for the panhandle, and then managed to get another elk tag and general deer tag for dworshak..

Ive got a good friend that works for the forestry service that lives in the Dworshak area that regularly hunts the panhandle thats going to serve as our "guide".. He bagged a monster 6x6 bull just a couple of weeks ago.. and manages to get on good elk and deer pretty much every year.. so we're extremely hopeful.. we've been planning this trip with another friend here in TX for the better part of the last year (he also managed to pull an elk and a general deer tag).. but with the way out of state tags work in Idaho, we werent too terribly sure things would work out..

Area 9 in the panhandle has a huge bear and wolf population.. so we plan on grabbing a couple of wolf tags as well and giving that a go...

Im more excited right now than Hunter Biden with a fresh baggie full of crack!

Anyone else making plans for a big stateside hunt of any sort in 2024?

@mdwest
I truly feel sorry for you merricans having a hunting system like that and short seasons to go with it.
The only seasons we have are for hog deer and waterfowl.
EVERYTHING else including deer can be hunted 365 days a year and hunters can travel to any state and hunt as long as they have an area or property to hunt on.
We are truly blessed with our hunting seasons, it's just a pity some of our gun laws such.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Lol for sure I’ve got all the gear for a 10 day backpack hunt so let’s make AH camp and find a 400 inch bull. I love the smell of smokeless powder and a hot 338 win mag in the morning

@john 1989
Prefer the smell of powder in a 35 Whelen. You can keep your fire breathing bitch slapping 338WM.
It won't do anything the Whelen can't do as good or better plus your hat will stay on your heed when y'all pull the trigger.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

We've got a 16 man yukon tent with a couple of wood burning stoves and a couple of old army cots... Im betting we could figure something out

Ive got a new 300 H&H that needs to get its legs stretched out next october

@mdwest
I'd hate to backpack that tent and stove into the wilderness each trip or do you have porters to carry it and set it up for you like the old time African safari's.
Bob

 

[mdwest]

@mdwest
I truly feel sorry for you merricans having a hunting system like that and short seasons to go with it.
The only seasons we have are for hog deer and waterfowl.
EVERYTHING else including deer can be hunted 365 days a year and hunters can travel to any state and hunt as long as they have an area or property to hunt on.
We are truly blessed with our hunting seasons, it's just a pity some of our gun laws such.
Bob

It really depends on the state you want to hunt in here..

In most of the southern US, and much of the southwestern US as well.. you just buy a license and the associated tag for whatever animal you want to hunt.. and then go hunt..

for example here in TX.. you can go to any wal-mart, or just about any sporting goods store.. or even download the state app onto your phone, and purchase a license, and then head straight to the woods and be hunting whitetail deer, or ducks, or small game, etc 15 minutes later... pigs are considered an invasive species and dont even require a hunting license anymore here.. just go out to the woods and shoot all you can...

in the western states however things are VERY different.. and can be outrageously expensive.. some states have lottery systems where you put in for a tag and then just a handful of people are awarded them (this is especially true for certain game that is being very carefully managed like certain sheep species, etc)..

In others, like Idaho, its a limited number of tags, and a first come, first served situation..

Thankfully I can hunt year round pretty easily here in TX.. whitetail season runs through early January.. but with muzzleloader you can extend things out almost to the end of Jan.. then you can pick up hogs and hunt them until it gets too hot to make it any fun (about mid June is as late in the year as I care to be out chasing pigs)...

 

[mdwest]

@mdwest
I'd hate to backpack that tent and stove into the wilderness each trip or do you have porters to carry it and set it up for you like the old time African safari's.
Bob

You can camp pretty much anywhere in the national forest areas of Idaho... I think our plan is (relying on the local expert I've got to actually make final decisions for us) is to camp fairly close to a hard top road that runs along the southern border of our intended hunting area.. we'll be able to drive the 4x4 trucks maybe a quarter mile off the road and use them to haul everything to the actual camp area..

We have a Polaris Ranger UTV, and one of the other hunters has a Yamaha UTV.. from camp, we'll use the UTV's to haul the hunters, packs, rifles, etc out to the general area we want to hunt (about 2 miles from where we intend on camping.. we'll dismount when we get to the area, and then spend the rest of the day on foot on spot and stalk type hunts hoping to find something...

at the end of the hunting day, return to the UTVs.. then drive those back to camp.. sit by the fire, have some dinner, etc.. until its time to sleep..

then get up in the early morning and repeat the process.. over and over again.. for about 10 days.. or until all tags are filled.. whichever comes first

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I had the privilege of hunting with some friends just outside of Preston, Idaho this year. We arrived the October 14th and were hunting on opening day. It was an amazing experience!!!

If at all possible, have a look at Day Mountain Ranch. It is a great property to hunt and you will not be disappointed.

Franklin Basin?

 

[Captain Munro]

Some of these posts are a little disheartening. A friend and I were planning a non-resident hunt for Idaho in 2025...Glad you got tags though!

 

[mdwest]

Some of these posts are a little disheartening. A friend and I were planning a non-resident hunt for Idaho in 2025...Glad you got tags though!

I think the key is to be logged into the Idaho website at least an hour early..

and then to also have a series of contingency plans for different locations..

within the first 10 minutes a couple of areas sold out..

but, my wife was WAY down the list (even though she was logged in an hour early, all of the early log ins are subjected to a randomizer that determines where on the list you are.. the reason you want to be early though is.. if you are on at the time the event goes live you are automatically at the end of a very very long line.. AND if there are IT glitches (there were some) you want to try to resolve them BEFORE the event goes live).. she was 41K and some change.. and she still got the tags we wanted..

If youre not dead set on a specific area and are willing to hunt wherever you can get a tag.. I feel pretty certain you can get one.. it just might not be the place you have your heart set on..

In our case we were very fortunate.. we knew we wanted to be far north.. our friend lives in Dworshak.. and he works and frequently hunts the panhandle.. coincidentally those were among the last two regions to sell out.. so even though there were 41K people ahead of my wife (and 27K ahead of me in line).. we both were able to grab an elk and a general deer tag..

our back up to our back up plan was mountain lion and/or bear.. if absolutely nothing was left for elk, my buddy has a good friend with dogs that has been successful several times on lions.. and my buddy also knows some exceptional bait sites for bear and was willing to start baiting the area for us long in advance of our planned hunt dates... bear, lion, and wolf tags are all still available as I type this on the idaho website (I think they might not limit those tags?)..

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Some of these posts are a little disheartening. A friend and I were planning a non-resident hunt for Idaho in 2025...Glad you got tags though!

It’s all random number generated. Don’t loose faith. Keep Colorado as an alternate plan as well. Your challenge will be both of you getting the same tag in ID with how they do the random generation. Western tags are getting harder and harder to get every year for non-residents. I personally apply in every state with Elk except WA, and OR. Most years I can get lucky with drawing a tag or 2, or snagging a CO tag over the counter.

Couple tips for Idaho, you’ll want to log into the system well before 10am or you bump to the back of the line (they say). I’d suggest logging in on your phone, and multiple computers to better your chances. I logged in on my phone after 10am and got a slightly lower number (178 numbers lower) than my computer which I logged into 2 hours before. My work laptop I logged in 30min prior and got the lowest number (upper 22,000 range). I’m sure i wasn’t the only person that tried to beat the system like this.

 

[Captain Munro]

Multiple login platforms is a good idea, I could do 4 at home if I steal the wife's computer haha.

 

[Jfet]

My plan in 2024 is to spend as much of September and October in Montana, and North Dakota being an upland bird bum.

 

[Matthias5662]

Having hunted in north Idaho all my life I can say with certainty that running into bears (black) or moose, or the occasional mountain lion or occasional wolf are somewhat commonplace if you spend any time sitting and glassing (this of course is dependent of the area you are in). If you are up high enough, say around Hart Lake, you'll likely see goats. There are also areas that have restrictions for UTV and ATV use so be sure your familiar with closures etc. Your local contact will be the best source of info for that. Car camping is a viable way to hunt but realize you should probably expect to hike further. As folks on here know, in general, the farther you go the more animals you will likely encounter. That said, I've had a 6x6 elk walk into camp when we were trying to teach a newbie how to bugle - we were not even trying - and no one had a bow handy! I've also had bulls wander into horse camp wondering what those funny smelling animals were. The one thing that is common every time is the unpredictability of the weather. Shirt-sleeve weather one day can transition to 4 inches of snow overnight. If you're prepared it's no big thing.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Multiple login platforms is a good idea, I could do 4 at home if I steal the wife's computer haha.

Given the number of tags, and number of people in the portal, I’m sure I wasn’t the only person who did the multiple platforms.

 

[steve white]

You can camp pretty much anywhere in the national forest areas of Idaho... I think our plan is (relying on the local expert I've got to actually make final decisions for us) is to camp fairly close to a hard top road that runs along the southern border of our intended hunting area.. we'll be able to drive the 4x4 trucks maybe a quarter mile off the road and use them to haul everything to the actual camp area..

We have a Polaris Ranger UTV, and one of the other hunters has a Yamaha UTV.. from camp, we'll use the UTV's to haul the hunters, packs, rifles, etc out to the general area we want to hunt (about 2 miles from where we intend on camping.. we'll dismount when we get to the area, and then spend the rest of the day on foot on spot and stalk type hunts hoping to find something...

at the end of the hunting day, return to the UTVs.. then drive those back to camp.. sit by the fire, have some dinner, etc.. until its time to sleep..

then get up in the early morning and repeat the process.. over and over again.. for about 10 days.. or until all tags are filled.. whichever comes first

Great you can use the UTV's--some states outlaw them and require horses or hoofing it yourself. Certainly wouldn't want to take them too far in--they do push a wave of game ahead of them.

 

[mdwest]

There are some areas in Idaho that have some "motorized vehicle" restrictions.. (counties in orange on map below).. but most allow them without too many rules..

We definitely plan on hoofing it for the most part.. thats all part of the fun and the experience IMO.. we're just planning on using the UTV's to get to the general area that we want to hunt.. which will enable us to camp further away from the area..

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Great you can use the UTV's--some states outlaw them and require horses or hoofing it yourself. Certainly wouldn't want to take them too far in--they do push a wave of game ahead of them.

Wilderness Areas don’t allow any motorized traffic, bikes, parachuting, or anything to gain access past the trailhead. You’re restricted to walking or horses. Even tool wise a chainsaw is a no go.

National Forests have different rules and it varies by National Forest. All of them (from my knowledge/experience) supposedly restrict anything wheeled from leaving designated roads or trails. BLM, and state owned public land has an entirely different set of rules and regulations.