RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

For you Tocs and for Brutal Attack if you're still checking in, may I ask a question? In your ID hunts, are you on public land? If so, how many whitetail bucks do you typically see in a full, dark-to-dark day in the woods? Do you see 130+ bucks? If so, how many do you expect to see per hunting season? Tit-for-tat, here's my dope from western MT.

Where I live in the Bitterroot, I'm averaging maybe 2 bucks per full day in the woods, and in parts of six season still haven't seen a 130+ buck. I have killed two 3 1/2 year old bucks there, and they net score 105 and 109. That age class will range from 105-120 in this neck o' the woods. This is on USFS land, now if a guy gets private land permission in the bow-only zone down on the river bottom the whole equation changes - that's where the big bucks are.

I've been scouting some country north of Missoula the past couple years, and it's just several levels better than the Bitterroot. You won't see many more bucks, still maybe 2 per day, but the age structure is better. Last season, with my tag already filled (the 140 eastern MT buck I mentioned), I went up there on the final weekend and just simulated a hunt, did everthing the same as I would hunting only left the rifle at home. I saw a 115-120 9-pointer on the last Saturday, and then really hit the jackpot on Sunday. I walked into 20 yards of a brute, even bigger than the buck I had tagged. This boy was 145-150. Man what a rush! I'm really psyched to hunt him. I've done some hard horn hunting up in that spot, still haven't found antlers off either buck I saw, but I have found sheds from two additional bucks, both 3 1/2 last year (est. gross scores of 105 and 120). Those two should score roughly 125 and 140 next year if my math is right, so I'm psyched.

RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

I hunt public land only. My dad and I have been hunting it for years. We are lucky to see 2 non-spikes in a season let alone a day. It's a brushy, steep, low deer density, area.

RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

I hunt an average of 9 to 10 days per season in Idaho,all on public land.While of course some seasons are better than others,we have been pretty fortunate.The deer density is decent,although there will be days that I hunt that I don't see a deer(two out of ten days this year)I think I saw a total of about 30 deer this year,seventeen of which were bucks.Only three of the seventeen bucks were likely 120 or better.The buck I took was a low 140's main frame 8 point.My two hunting buddies both took 5x5's rough scoring estimates would be 115 to 120 on one of them and 125 to 130 on the other.
I have gone entire stays out there without seeing a decent buck.For the most part we hunt pretty thick woods.We also have gotten to know some more productive area's the last couple of years out there.We are also fortunate in that we practically always have filled our freezers at home during our archery season,so once we are out there we are very patient.There are years where one or two of us will not fill our tag.It has always been because we have chosen not to though,if that happens.