Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

I have hunted in the Clearwater Region unguided for the last 6 years.The units that I hunt in are 8a and 10a.I have enjoyed reasonable success,but like anyone else who really loves to hunt I am always looking to do better,seeking out more information that will have me be more successful.So my questions are,what methods have you found to be most successful for Idaho whitetail hunting?Also why is it that Idaho whitetails Scrape so much and rub so little? I always see much more ground scraping than antler rubs.In the instances that I have found areas with numerous fresh rubs (aggressive ones) I have pretty much always seen good bucks after spending time in these areas.

RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

I find rubs all the time. You probably notice scrapes more often because they are fresh and being visited preseason and during the season. The method recommended would be determined by the nearness of the rut. Prerut rattling might work. I've never had much luck but I hunt in an area with low deer density. During the rut of course just about anything works, grunting, rattling etc. I prefer still hunting myself. I will rattle a little prerut and grunt some during the rut but I typically just still hunt a scrape line or sit oin a scrape that's being worked.


I can't figure out why anyone would want to come to Idaho for whitetails. We have one of the lowest deer densities in the nation and not really the best trophy production. I can see coming for mule deer but there are sooo many other states/areas that are 1,000 times better for whitetail. I only hunt here cause it's close.

RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

Thanks BrutalAttack,
I do see rubs just not as many as I see at home.Our bucks rub more and scrape less.I do know that there are many area's of the country where the whitetail hunting is much better than Idaho.I hunted with two outfitters out there prior beginning to hunt on my own.I didn't care for the experiences I had with either outfitter,so a friend of mine and I began to do some research,we made sure we were outside the guiding territory of both outfitters as a courtesy to them(Even though they didn't deserve that courtesy)the high road is always better! I really enjoy the country out there and there is a friend that meets us there from northern California.In fact as of next month he will be retiring to a fixer up that he bought out there.
The price is right,you can always buy a tag and relative to where we come from the hunting is excellent.I have been out there 8 years,the last 6 on our own.I couldn't imagine not going out there.It has become a home away from home.We ordinarily hunt from around november 10th through the 21st.
Thanks for your input.I have had limited success with Rattling,boy but when they come in hard it is quite a thrill! We do tree stand hunt quite a bit.I am trying to force myself to sit more.I am quite patient,but after having sat for many many hours during our bow season I am ready to cover some ground.

RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

I hunt some areas right across the border in MT, and am starting to sniff around in ID with the idea of buying an ID nonresident tag some year soon. I believe, like Brutal Attack, that still hunting is the way to go in that kind of country.

On rubs, just kind of an aside, it seems to me that for years I haven't found the number of rubs that I expected. In recent years I have become aware that bucks do a lot of rubbing on brush. I mean things like ninebark, little stuff, under an inch diameter, that leaves no classic rub blaze. I killed a 140 net buck last year, and I watched him for 30 minutes before the shot. He tore up two sage brush in that time, but no classic "rub trees". The day before I had a nice muley buck inside 20 yards tear up a sage brush right in front of me. (All this was in eastern MT.) This got me to examining little crappy clumps of brush back in my western MT haunts, and now that I'm aware I'm finding that many bucks seem to prefer to thrash a little bush rather than a big tree.

RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

I think it depends again, on the time of year. If they are rubbing to remove velvet then I can see them choosing some brush maybe instead of a single stem tree. If they are rubbing to apply pheremones via the preorbital gland or forehead then I would think a tree would serve that purpose better. I have seen deer rub on brush but it was mostly half hearted.

RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

From what I am accustomed to at home a dominant buck will make some huge rubs,rubs on thigh size trees.I don't know that in my eight years of hunting in Idaho that I have seen any rubs of that type.I have seen a number of rubs on wrist to forearm size trees.It is just interesting to me.There are many more 31/2 years and older bucks in Idaho than we have around my home area.In fact in the area in which I live if you shoot a 110 to a 120 inch buck you have shot a deer of a lifetime.I just recalled a rubbed area that I saw out there a couple of years ago that had a bunch of shredded rubs on 5 and 6 inch trees.I saw a very good non typical buck running a doe in that area that I couldn't get my gun on.(that was painful!)
That lends itself to another aspect of the comments you guys have made about still hunting.I do still hunt quite a bit,ordinarily from 10:00 or 11:00 to 2:00 or 2:30.the other parts of the day I am either in a tree stand or sitting.Some of the areas I still hunt are god awful thick,I try to get on the edges for silence and visability,I can't tell you how many times I have heard bucks grunting and running does but couldn't see them.It's exciting but frustrating.
I am not much of a clear cut hunter.I have sat on them a number of times and have hunted the edges while working my way in to other areas.I am actually surprised at how few deer I have seen in them.I prefer to hunt the woods.I look for areas that are not easily accessible by four wheelers.(I am always on foot)
Unless you have hunted out there you don't have an appreciation for how quiet the woods are,where a couple days of beard growth sounds loud against your fleece collar.At home we hunt with our ears,out there our vision is much more important.I have had deer come directly beneath me,coming in from my backside, while in a tree stand and never heard them coming.
I really enjoy the hunting out there! I appreciate your comments!

RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

I love to stand hunt, but have found that tactic generally unproductive in western MT. I believe the basic equation comes down to how much channelization (?funnelization, is that a word) a piece of country has going for it. In good funnel country, like eastern MT farm land with limited cover, a guy really should take a stand and stick to it all day. A good funnel stands out like a sore thumb and will produce deer sightings by the score. But over here, where cover is almost unlimited and the deer feed pretty much anywhere because there is no agriculture to draw them in, finding a "paying" stand site is next to impossible.
So, I have resorted to still hunting instead.

In still hunting, I try to think of it as "stand hunting on the move". In other words, I'm not covering much ground, anywhere from 50-200 yards/hour depending on ground conditions. I spend most of my time standing and watching in between steps. Even so, my hunting logs show that still hunting in this part of the state, even slowly, increases my deer sightings about 5-fold over stand hunting. Basically, I try to hunt along a likely travel route, or hunt perpendiculary across several parallel travel routs.

I like talking about this type of hunting, because this kind of "big woods" whitetail hunting like we do in eastern WA, northern ID, and northwestern MT gets short shrift in the hunting mags. They're almost all geared toward leased farmland in the corn belt.

RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

It's gets little play because it's frustrating, mentally taxing and not all that successful. But it's the best method when your talking big timber and dispersed feeding sites.

RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

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RE: Idaho Whitetail Hunting
 

I do quite a bit of still hunting out there and have enjoyed success with it.I do agree that you definitely see more deer but you also see more deer fleeing.I have gotten on top of some very good deer without being able to get a shot at them.I will continue to still hunt at least half of each hunting day out there.It is a great way to locate new area's,identify terrain features that are beneficial and also to hunt while you are doing it.I have learning experiences most every year while still hunting,slowing down is probably the biggest one.When I get in to an area with smoking hot sign getting the wind right and moving like a sloth is what it is all about! Twice this year I got busted by very good bucks in area's that I didn't think were that good.They were covering ground briskly and dang if they didn't both didn't see me before I saw them,another lesson learned!