Hi all-

I'm posting this to pick the brains of some of the more experienced elk hunters on the site, or anyone that will offer some advice.

Here's the deal...

I've been elk hunting about half a dozen times now. I usually hunt CO or MT with the bow. I've killed a nice 5x6 with the bow in SW CO, but that's it.
I'm starting to gain a general understanding about elk behavior, etc, however I've never rifle hunted til this year.

I've gained some access to land in Idaho in Unit 33.

My questions are, what kind of elk density is in this area?
What is the terrain like?
Hunting Pressure?
Good mule deer area, or not?
Finally, which rifle season do you guys reccomend (first week)?

Thanks in advance to everyone that responds.

JJ

I don't know squat about your area but I like your question. Nobody talks about elk density on these boards. The close but much more famous cousin is, "is there a lot of elk in an area?" They are not the same question. There can be a lot of elk in a particular canyon, or in a particular region of a unit, but they may be the only herd withing 100 miles or the elk are all in a relatively small area. It's said that 80% of the elk inhabit only 20% of elk country at one time. So if you run into that you herd you'll say "there is a lot of elk up 123 canyon" but the density may be very low for that general area. If something has moved those elk out of that smaller region good luck finding more if the density for a unit or larger region is low. I look for areas with a higher density because you're chances of finding elk that have moved on are much greater.

rather_be, thats a good point you brought up, and it is so true. Yes someone might see a lot of elk in a certin xyz canyon, but if the overall density is low in the general area. Then you might not see any elk at all if you are new and unfamiliar with the area, and don't know the honey holes yet.