To recap my season in one word – bipolar. I had four tags this year. First hunt was general elk archery in Colorado. Second was a general buck in Idaho. Third was a 4th season buck in Colorado. Fourth tag was a late season cow hunt in Colorado. In Part II we’ll discuss General Season Deer in Idaho.
This hunt goes from 15-25 October in most units. Obviously this time of year it’s not easy seeing good bucks, they are very nocturnal so the best time seeing them are morning and evening in the first or last 30-60 minutes of shooting light. The bucks have a couple weeks before the rut makes them lose their minds so they still have their wits about them. This time of year the bucks are mostly broken up from bachelor groups making spotting a single mature buck more difficult. In fact, this time of year is the most difficult to hunt for bucks and bulls. Bulls are worn out from the rut, spending much of their time in secluded areas by themselves until late November when they start forming up into bachelor groups and then larger wintering herds and super herds at lower elevations. Bucks on the other hand are broken up from their September bachelor groups preparing for their November rut. During these general season hunts, I like to go towards the tail end, this edges my bet of having snow on the ground making spotting easier as well as the occasional opportunity of seeing a semi mature buck checking doe in the morning or evening. You’d be hard pressed to find a really mature buck this early checking does, especially during daylight hours, more than likely you’ll spot one heading to or coming out of his bedding area.
I arrived with a week left in the season and on a Friday afternoon. I managed to hike back 4 miles for an evening hunt as well as orientate myself with the area. I found a few good glassing areas to hit up the next morning. After getting back to the trail head late that night, I crashed in the car for a few hours and headed out the next morning a couple hours before daylight to get to a spot I was hoping would pan out. The evening prior I saw an old access road about 500’ below me that seemed like a great spot to glass from. After studying onX I realized the road started close to the trail head that I was parked at and decided to check it out the next morning. Because the road skirted the side of the ridge it cut the shooting distance in half to the other side of the canyon, bringing the shot possibilities from the 400 – 900 range rather than 1000+ yard range. Another plus was the adjacent hill was southeast facing and would receive the morning sun, I figured it seemed like a great spot that could provide an opportunity to spot a buck heading up to his bedding area with the sun on his back.
At this point he was facing away from me with no shot, this lasted for a few minutes of him stopping, looking around, and walking another 10 yards and stopping again. At this point he was about to the edge of the ravine and was getting close to dropping down. I try to keep shots as natural as possible without yelling out to stop bucks in case they decide to bolt and not look back at you, but sometimes you have to do what you can if you want a shot opportunity. I let out a bucky sound grunt which I’m sure sounded great…,he stopped, looked back giving me a steep quartering away opportunity, and I squeezed it off, he hopped up, ran back towards me, and dumped in the snow within 30 yards. My Idaho buck hunt for the year was done in less than 24 hours of the start. My thought process was, if I had gotten a bull in archery I would have been more patient with meat in the freezer, but since wild game meat was getting low I was chomping at the bit to get something on the ground.
The pack out was heavy. I decided to take it all in one load, with the addition of late season clothing/gear the pack was bursting at the seams as I shuffled back to the trail head taking short shaky steps like a cat holding in a three day old number two. After getting into some cell reception and letting the boss at home know my tag was filled, I reorganizing the gear in my jeep and decided to turn the next three days in Idaho into a scouting trip before heading home. In order to feel justified carrying my rifle I bought a wolf tag and spent the remaining days hiking trail heads and marking future glassing spots. In closing, Idaho is a beautiful place, when I’m in the backcountry there’s a wild feeling that you get unlike other wilderness areas in the lower 48. The vast, rugged landscape of the Frank has a way of conveying this instantly and completely, which words truly cannot describe.
Backcountry Precision
Blood. Sweat. Reward