I wanted to tell a testimonial type story of my deer hunt this year. If anything give confidence to anyone on the fence about venturing into somewhere different and maybe new. I've been fortunate enough to grow up in Nevada and take advantage of stellar mule deer hunting opportunities paired with incredible public land access. Not to mention very low hunting pressure. I've lived in Utah the last 9 years and have found some really fun areas in the general deer units to ditch the big crowds and find some solid public land bucks to pursue. This year however I didn't draw in either state. It was the first year in a long time myself or a close family member didn't draw out for a deer permit. On top of that, I didn't draw out for a 3rd season CO tag as well. I was a little frustrated because the way it played out this year I had more time than usual this fall to hunt. Late May this year I was driving through Idaho listening to Randy's podcast on his 5 day hunt strategy and it really hit me I needed to make it happen. I had never hunted Idaho before and decided to go for it. I spent about a week researching Insider resources on Go Hunt and reading as much content as I could regarding the winter kill this year in Idaho. After a week I decided to get an OTC tag and start planning for an adventure in Idaho fall 2017. I love the areas I typically hunt in Nevada and Utah but frankly that wasn't an option this year and I wanted to spend time chasing mule deer this fall.
Here are my main takeaways for the awesome experience I had exploring beautiful mule deer country in Idaho and venturing into some incredible public land:
1. Having a scouting day is critical! I actually went and scouted 1 day a full week before the general OTC deer hunt started. I found 4 deer the entire day but it was very successful. Even though I didn't see loads of deer, I eliminated 4 basins that looked great on Google Earth because of camps, easy access, more roads than I anticipated and simply low wildlife activity (tracks, sign, etc.). Learning the road system and which roads are closed, washed out is so important. I found places that I wanted to hike into and visually map it out on which ridge lines/trails I wanted to use. There were canyons that had large camping areas that I knew would attract a lot of human activity once the hunt started, those I knew to stay away from. The scouting trip helped me narrow down where I wanted to start and put myself in the best position opening day. Honestly nothing new to what Randy preaches.
2. Get away from the crowds but don't get discouraged with other hunters. The second day of the hunt I was on a ridge with my dad for the whole morning. We had 4 different hunters come by us, chat and continue on. We ended up seeing the biggest buck of the trip while on this point. Nearly 2 miles away in a gnarly/thick ravine. Not everyone glasses and hunts as hard as you think. We were picking this group of 3 basins a part and found this buck. I learned not to get discouraged with the hunting pressure as it was something I wasn't used to. Glass, Glass and Glass!
3. OnX maps is so valuable. This buck appeared to be on private land but OnX maps confirmed it was 400 yards above the private line which confirmed the plan to go after him.
4. Previous hunting experience and understanding mule deer behavior in mid October was a key factor as well. Not going to lie. The bucks went into the trees early and fed out in nasty, gnarly terrain. That's what I love about them. Knowing these places helped us spend valuable glassing time in first and last light situations on the spots that mattered most and it paid off. The snow and cold weather was an advantage in many ways. Deer fed out a little longer but my favorite thing about the cold is it slows what I've found other hunters down. Fewer people venture from the truck.
5. Having multiple backup options is a bird in the hand I believe. If something doesn't work out, you're not wasting time asking yourself "where to now" without a solid game plan. The place we spotted this buck was a plan B. There were loads of hunters in the place we planned our second morning hunt and my E-scouting and my scouting day confirmed it would have been worth my time. It paid off as well.
I set a goal to go into a state I have never hunted before. Enjoyed every minute of the preparation from Gohunt insider research, finding a diversity of online content, talking to the public land agencies about access and simply getting away from people. All 3 days of hunted I averaged 11 miles hiking per day. I loved it. The 5-day strategy is a legit model to follow and I appreciate the push it gave me to go for something unfamiliar. I opted not to take my DSLR on the after stalk I ended up getting my buck and the cold air had frozen my iPhone so the only "field" photo I have is back at camp in the back of the truck. It kind of adds some of the uniqueness to my experience. Better yet I'm enjoying venison jerky, burger and steaks all winter long. Here are some photos from my adventure:
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Here are my main takeaways for the awesome experience I had exploring beautiful mule deer country in Idaho and venturing into some incredible public land:
1. Having a scouting day is critical! I actually went and scouted 1 day a full week before the general OTC deer hunt started. I found 4 deer the entire day but it was very successful. Even though I didn't see loads of deer, I eliminated 4 basins that looked great on Google Earth because of camps, easy access, more roads than I anticipated and simply low wildlife activity (tracks, sign, etc.). Learning the road system and which roads are closed, washed out is so important. I found places that I wanted to hike into and visually map it out on which ridge lines/trails I wanted to use. There were canyons that had large camping areas that I knew would attract a lot of human activity once the hunt started, those I knew to stay away from. The scouting trip helped me narrow down where I wanted to start and put myself in the best position opening day. Honestly nothing new to what Randy preaches.
2. Get away from the crowds but don't get discouraged with other hunters. The second day of the hunt I was on a ridge with my dad for the whole morning. We had 4 different hunters come by us, chat and continue on. We ended up seeing the biggest buck of the trip while on this point. Nearly 2 miles away in a gnarly/thick ravine. Not everyone glasses and hunts as hard as you think. We were picking this group of 3 basins a part and found this buck. I learned not to get discouraged with the hunting pressure as it was something I wasn't used to. Glass, Glass and Glass!
3. OnX maps is so valuable. This buck appeared to be on private land but OnX maps confirmed it was 400 yards above the private line which confirmed the plan to go after him.
4. Previous hunting experience and understanding mule deer behavior in mid October was a key factor as well. Not going to lie. The bucks went into the trees early and fed out in nasty, gnarly terrain. That's what I love about them. Knowing these places helped us spend valuable glassing time in first and last light situations on the spots that mattered most and it paid off. The snow and cold weather was an advantage in many ways. Deer fed out a little longer but my favorite thing about the cold is it slows what I've found other hunters down. Fewer people venture from the truck.
5. Having multiple backup options is a bird in the hand I believe. If something doesn't work out, you're not wasting time asking yourself "where to now" without a solid game plan. The place we spotted this buck was a plan B. There were loads of hunters in the place we planned our second morning hunt and my E-scouting and my scouting day confirmed it would have been worth my time. It paid off as well.
I set a goal to go into a state I have never hunted before. Enjoyed every minute of the preparation from Gohunt insider research, finding a diversity of online content, talking to the public land agencies about access and simply getting away from people. All 3 days of hunted I averaged 11 miles hiking per day. I loved it. The 5-day strategy is a legit model to follow and I appreciate the push it gave me to go for something unfamiliar. I opted not to take my DSLR on the after stalk I ended up getting my buck and the cold air had frozen my iPhone so the only "field" photo I have is back at camp in the back of the truck. It kind of adds some of the uniqueness to my experience. Better yet I'm enjoying venison jerky, burger and steaks all winter long. Here are some photos from my adventure:
View attachment 77667
