Desert hunting advice

[Jamen]

Hello everyone!

First off not looking for any points or anything of that nature. I will be going to SE Idaho this fall for a mule deer hunt. We have previously hunted the area for cow elk and i was successful story is somewhere on here. The plan this year was to apply for the controlled cow elk and if we got a mule deer tag during the Dec frenzy of how they do tags do a dual hunt. Well we got lucky enough to get the deer tag and after reading through the new big game brochure they put out, it changes our plans a bit.

What use to be a controlled hunt now turned into a capped resident only unit. They over doubled the tags for the unit but only residents can buy them in July. So my thought process was trying for a nearish by unit for cow elk and mule deer hunt first then go elk hunting. There is one elk unit neighboring where we will be for deer. It is a desert unit and i have never hunted the desert before, but i could imagine water and some cover from the sun during the day will be where to start. I reached out to a biologist they said it will be challenging given how flat most of it is.

My question is does anyone have any insight good or bad about desert hunting in Idaho? Debating if i should apply for the elk or just spend a bit more time mule deer hunting.

Thanks everyone! hopefully will have a story this fall for my mule deer!!

Jamen

 

[brymoore]

Hi Jamen,

I’m too lazy to look up the units to guess where you are hunting.

Most of the SE Idaho mule deer units moved to muzzy only hunts this year. Does this affect you?

I’ve been in the area and have hunted it some. I’m not sure if you mean flat, sagebrush desert or include the mountains. If there are mountains, the deer will be high. No mountains and you’ll have to figure out some type of terrain. Flat desert is going to be a hard hunt, in my opinion. I’d want mountains.

In general, I wouldn’t concentrate on water. Seems illogical but if you talk with guys with trail cameras, pics of deer at water sources are rare in comparison to elk. I wouldn’t ignore water but it wouldn’t be the main item I’d hunt.

 

[Jamen]

Hi Jamen,

I’m too lazy to look up the units to guess where you are hunting.

Most of the SE Idaho mule deer units moved to muzzy only hunts this year. Does this affect you?

I’ve been in the area and have hunted it some. I’m not sure if you mean flat, sagebrush desert or include the mountains. If there are mountains, the deer will be high. No mountains and you’ll have to figure out some type of terrain. Flat desert is going to be a hard hunt, in my opinion. I’d want mountains.

In general, I wouldn’t concentrate on water. Seems illogical but if you talk with guys with trail cameras, pics of deer at water sources are rare in comparison to elk. I wouldn’t ignore water but it wouldn’t be the main item I’d hunt.

I did not want to put units on here. Some people get bent out of shape looking for unit specific advice. I would gladly send you a PM about where i will be. The deer we have a decent idea where we will be going. It just threw us for a curve ball when they changed the elk, so was looking for another option.

 

[brymoore]

PM me.