Elk, Mule Deer, Bear & Wolf Hunting Blog

Happy Thanksgiving 2025

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Our 2025 season has officially ended and in keeping with a tradition that I am not sure who started, we flew “Old Glory” all the way off the mountain. She was flying high and proud all season in each of our camps!

November 23 was our last day pulling camp at our high camp, 8300’ above sea level, looking out over “the Frank”. It is always a melancholy moment as a lot has happened in the last 3 ½ months. Memories were made, friends revisited, new friends made, excitement, disappointment, opportunities gained or lost, all the emotions that come with hunting camp.

We are unbelievably grateful for an outstanding team of guides, cooks, and pack support. And we are especially thankful to all the hunters that joined us this year.

We are blessed to be able to operate on “our” public lands. Grateful, barely scratches the surface. With all the political B.S. that consumes our nation today, one thing that is so RIGHT with America is our public lands system! These are YOUR lands and my lands…they are all OUR lands and meant to be explored and enjoyed. We are simply grateful to be a part of it all!

As you gather with family and friends over this holiday weekend, reliving memories from wherever you hunted this year, be grateful for the time you have with family and friends and enjoy your time with them because next week it’s time to get serious about planning next year’s adventures. If they include Idaho, drawing applications begin December 5th.

Happy Thanksgiving.

(Photo: Ruth Albrecht)

Hunting Application Season is in Full Swing

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 12:00:00 GMT

It seems like hunting has evolved from planning an outdoor excursion with your family and friends that revolves around a hunting camp full of close friends and family to an exercise in becoming a Vegas odds statistician so you have the best chance at even drawing a tag.

Gone are the “good old days” of working all year to that last minute trip to the local hardware store to get your tag, go home to pack your hunting gear and then head out to your favorite camping spot with family and friends for opening day of hunting season. The younger generation probably doesn’t remember this, and it is truly unfortunate.

Now, it seems that “hunting season” is a year-round exercise in hunt applications in multiple states hoping to draw one somewhere, just so you can hunt. Now, obviously, if you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you can always resort to a farm/high fence hunt, but it turns out that there are only about 500 of those folks, so for those of us in the cheap seats, we must rely on luck of the draw. Or do we?

As for us “normal” folks, we just want to hunt. I don’t know about all of you that are reading this, but I truly just want to hunt. Application season seems like just a way to put a little hope in our souls that we “might” get to go hunting in our home state and in our favorite spot, but sadly, when the draw results come out, obviously more of us get a lump of coal than a coveted tag.

Speaking of the “good old days”, do any of you remember when you would buy your tag, go out opening weekend and harvest a “nice” 2-point buck, or even better a nice “4 by 4”. Man, you were on cloud nine and called (you couldn’t text a pic, you had to actually draw a visual picture in your friend’s mind with words) all your friends, relatives, and really anyone that would listen to hear your story about the “great” buck that you got.

Today, you know what we celebrate? That we even got a stinking tag! Check out social media in the spring and it is loaded with people who are so excited that they even got a tag. Kind of a sad commentary on our “hunting lifestyle” these days and painful reminder that there truly were “good old days” of hunting.

So as not to be too negative in my approach about this subject, there is still one small glimmer of hope, and that is Idaho outfitter allocation. If you are interested in booking with an Idaho hunting outfitter, us or any others who have an allocation, you can be assured that you will be going hunting the year you book. You will have a guaranteed tag and an opportunity to go out (hopefully with family and friends) and explore Idaho’s amazing backcountry real estate and big game.

Allocation, like anything worth while and regulated by government is on the chopping block this legislative session in Idaho. It seems that some don’t like outfitters having guaranteed tags so that nonresident people like you can come to rural Idaho, spend money locally and truly make a contribution to small town America. That’s right. You coming to rural Idaho towns with your sportsman dollars really does make a difference and us small town residents are truly grateful for your contribution.

So, get out there and play the “tag application game” in all those states (including Idaho), but be sure to visit with an Idaho outfitter as, at the very least, a “back up” plan to hunt this year.

Good luck in the draws!

Happy hunting, and as always, be sure to take a kid hunting!

Save Big on Idaho Spring Bear Hunts

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 09:00:00 GMT

This year marks our twentieth season here in Idaho and we are celebrating with 20 percent off on our Idaho spring bear hunts!

We love what we do and love sharing the woods with hunters from all over and hope to continue for another 20 plus years of guiding bear hunters. Can you even imagine saving 40 percent on a bear hunt to celebrate 40 years when that happens? Ha ha

We truly love spring bear season because after driving tracked machines in a sea of white all winter chasing wolves and mountain lions, the woods finally begin to come to life with signs of remerging plant life, early wildflowers beginning to bloom, the river opening up as the bank ice recedes and we get the horses off winter pasture to begin the bear baiting process.

As we get out and set the baits in April, we get to see all that nature has to offer and truly enjoy the experience as we look forward to sharing our love of the backcountry with those willing to invest in an Idaho spring bear hunt with us.

If you have been considering a spring bear hunt, but have just been waiting for the right time, maybe now is that right time to join us here in Idaho and save 20 percent!

Contact us today and let’s get you scheduled for your Idaho spring bear hunt! We still have some openings in May and June of this year.

Happy Hunting!

Looking ahead to 2021

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 11:00:00 GMT

As the sun set on the 2020 Idaho elk and deer hunting seasons, and since our emails were down, we took some time to reflect on this past year and the craziness that has consumed 2020, the thought that always puts a smile on our face is looking forward to next hunting season and next year’s backcountry adventures!

With tags sold out in most of the popular Idaho hunting zones already, no apparent end in sight of this “pandemic”, and a hostile political environment such as we have never witnessed before, what lifts us out of some of this doom and gloom is to set our sights on next year’s hunting seasons and outdoor adventures where we get to rekindle old friendships and discover new ones.

With all the negativity in this world, one thing that is consistent is our ability to still get out and enjoy our public lands, do a little hunting, hiking, horseback riding, fishing or simply enjoy the great outdoors for what they are…outdoors and not a quarantined hut somewhere in the middle of the city living vicariously through the internet and cable TV.

Now I know that most live in something far larger than a hut, but the point is that (in my opinion) nothing beats the real thing when it comes to outdoor adventure like watching the sunset from the top of a mountain or hearing the forest come to life as the sun rises on a brisk morning in some backcountry locale or listening to the water in a stream flowing gently in a mountain meadow covered with blooming wildflowers or watching the flicker of the flames in a campfire or hearing the sound of a bugling bull elk on a crisp fall morning or enjoying the hoofbeat of good livestock traveling a mountain trail, sometimes even imagining that we can hear our own heart beats as we feel it pounding in our chest as we crest that “next” ridge top. None of these sounds can be experienced in the city. One must get outdoors to enjoy this variety of symphony played by nature.

We just pulled our last camp and yet are already talking to our guides and “regulars” about next year’s dates for not only guiding, but our own outdoor adventures. We hope you are too and that you consider joining us in Idaho for your 2021 backcountry adventure!

George

That wasn’t supposed to happen aka Happy Late Thanksgiving

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 11:00:00 GMT

Man, I hate technology! Okay, I do appreciate my heated seats and steering wheel in the Ram pickup when the temps reach single digits, but it sure is frustrating when you have been on the mountain for 3 months and finally make it home only to find out your email server has been down for the last week and there is no remedy in sight.

That is what we came home to after we pulled our last camp this fall. The server evidently was damaged on a multiple countrywide spectrum, so the good news is they were not just picking on us. The bad news is that we were not up and running until Thanksgiving after almost 2 weeks of being down and some of November’s emails may be lost forever.

Hence the reason for the late Happy Thanksgiving wishes. We do hope you got to share the long weekend with friends and family and despite the “warnings” of impending disaster, that you hugged deeply and laughed out loud with those you love and appreciate in your lives!

We are incredibly grateful to all those who made the journey to Idaho, hunted with us this past year, and shared some of their time with us. It is always a pleasure to see old friends and to make new ones.

People are truly the reason we do what we do and love what we do!

As one major Holiday has passed and we head into the largest Holiday time of the year, we hope that your time with family and friends is truly blessed and that you know our lives are, because of those of you that have come into our lives! We are sincerely grateful our paths have crossed with yours!

I guess that we get to tell you that in a quick email makes technology not such a bad idea after all!

Happy late Thanksgiving!

George & the crew

Idaho Controlled-Hunt Application Period Now Open for Elk, Deer, Antelope, and Fall Bear

Fri, 01 May 2020 04:00:00 GMT

The tag application period in Idaho for controlled-hunt elk, deer, pronghorn, and fall bear tags runs from May 1 to June 5. Successful applicants will be notified by July 10, and tags must be purchased by August 1. Tags not purchased by August 1 will be forfeited to a second application period, which runs from August 5 to August 15. Idaho does not use a bonus/preference point system. As a result, hunters have more or less the same odds of drawing a controlled-hunt tag the very first year they apply as they do any other year.

To apply, residents and nonresidents must have a general hunting license, and pay an application fee of $6.25 for residents and $14.75 for nonresidents—per species. Unlike many other states, the cost of the tag is not paid for in Idaho until the applicant has drawn. Hunters who have already applied for a moose, bighorn sheep or mountain goat controlled hunt this year may not apply for any other controlled hunt (during the same year).

Worthy of mention in the Idaho tag-allotment system are “unlimited controlled hunts” for mule deer. These tags are available for late-season, rut hunts (November 1 – 18) in Frank Church Wilderness Units 20A, 26, and 27, and for an October hunt in unit 73. Hunters may only apply for these tags during the first controlled-hunt, application period, and some unlimited controlled hunts are designated as first choice only. Wild Idaho Outfitters operates in Unit 27, where these late-season tags (Hunt 1017) have offered outstanding opportunity for large, mature bucks in the past. Nonresident tags are limited to 51 tags for this hunt however, so it’s not truly unlimited. Another option is “outfitter allocation tags” for the same hunt, which Wild Idaho receives from Fish & Game, but they are in short supply due to high demand. There are no controlled-hunt elk tags or bear tags for Unit 27, as they are all sold over the counter.

Any of the November mule deer, controlled hunts that offer only 5 tags is going to be a good one to draw. (In controlled hunts with 10 or fewer tags, not more than one nonresident tag may be issued). There are also some very good controlled-hunt muzzleloader only mule deer tags offered in Idaho. Nonresident deer and elk tags are also valid to take black bear, mountain lion, or gray wolf instead of a deer or elk, if a general season is open for that species.

For detailed information and statistics on Idaho controlled hunts click on this link: https://idfg.idaho.gov/rules/big-game

The Wyoming deer and pronghorn tag application period closes June 1 and results come out June 18. The state of Wyoming allows you to purchase preference points only for deer, pronghorn, elk, moose and sheep from July 1 to November 2.

Good hunting,

Joe Cavanaugh

Spring Scouting for Elk Hunting Success

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Spring is one of the best times of year to get out in the mountains and scout new areas for the upcoming elk season, which won’t arrive yet for another 5 – 6 months. The air is fresh and invigorating, and as the snow melts it exposes game sign from the previous fall that has been preserved in a deep freeze all winter. Game trails, wallows, rubs, and even some tracks still appear fresh.

Timing is key when it comes to spring scouting though, as vegetation soon sprouts where the receding snow has exposed the wet ground to sunlight for the first time in months, and within weeks fresh growth will completely enshroud all ground sign. Rubs too, quickly loose their shine, making them more difficult to spot. In flat country, such as Northern Minnesota, the snow melts all at once, limiting the opportunity for spring scouting to about 2 weeks before ferns cover all traces of game sign left the previous fall. In mountainous country the timing is a bit more forgiving however, as the snow line recedes slowly in elevation. The trick here is finding the sign in the same elevation zone that elk occupy during hunting season (not where they have wintered).

I’ve found that bull elk tend to rut in the same areas year after year, much like whitetail bucks do; and that here in Central Idaho, elk sign from the previous year’s rut is an accurate indication of where bulls will be during the upcoming archery and rifle seasons. (Take note of that last sentence.) I can’t count how many times I’ve found bull-rut sign in the spring and returned in the October rifle season to find bulls in the same exact spot. So far, I have not been able to do this with mule deer bucks, for the sign they make during the rut does not correlate with where they’ll be during the pre-rut hunting season.

I’ve been scouting for big game sign in the spring now for over 30 years. Rarely have I encountered another hunter in the spring woods or noticed hunters’ vehicles parked at likely access points. How an outdoor activity that can be so beneficial to hunters is practiced by so few leaves me scratching my head. I’m not presenting spring scouting as a new concept either, for I read about it in whitetail magazines in the early 1980s. If you want to improve your hunting success—focus on hunting all year. Leave your fishing pole at home this spring. Instead, get out in the woods and figure out where the elk will be come fall.

Good hunting,
Joe Cavanaugh

Clarification on Idaho Fish & Game Nonresident License/Tag Suspension

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 17:57:55 GMT

There’s been some confusion about the temporary suspension of some nonresident licenses, permits, and tags sales by the Idaho Fish & Game Commission, due to COVID-19. So, let me clarify as far as big-game licenses and tags are concerned. At this time nonresidents may not purchase game tags for black bear, cougar, and gray wolf. However, nonresidents who had a written agreement with a licensed outfitter prior to April 4 are allowed to buy bear, lion, and wolf licenses, tags, permits for the outfitted trip. Nonresidents can also purchase general hunting licenses, as well as nonresident deer and elk tags (for this fall); and nonresidents who purchase a 2020 hunting license can still apply for controlled hunts that will occur this fall.

To sum it up:

Nonresidents who booked a hunt with an outfitter before April 4, 2020 are good to go this May and June for bear, cougar, and wolf, whether they bought their tags before April 4th or not.
Licenses and tags for bear, cougar, and wolf purchased before April 4, 2020 by nonresidents who are not hunting with a licensed outfitter are still valid for existing hunting, and trapping seasons, which remain in effect.
Nonresidents who did not have an agreement with and outfitter before April or who did not purchase tags before April 4, cannot buy tags for bear, cougar, or wolf for the time being.
Nonresident may still purchase general hunting licenses and currently available OTC nonresident deer and elk tags (for fall 2020).
Nonresidents who have a 2020 general hunting license may still apply for controlled big-game hunts which remain in effect this fall. (Elk, deer, pronghorn application period runs from May 1 – June 5.) (Moose, sheep, goat application period runs April 1 – April 30.)

The purpose of these new rules is to limit interstate travel to Idaho during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more details, including fishing licenses, see: https://idfg.idaho.gov/press/nonresident-licenses-permits-and-tags-sales-temporarily-suspended-fg-commission

And:

https://idfg.idaho.gov/press/fg-commission-amends-earlier-decision-and-allows-more-nonresident-license-tag-and-permit-sales

Hang in there, we’ll soon be hunting.

Joe Cavanaugh

Wild Idaho Outfitters Welcomes Joe Cavanaugh: Our New Blog Writer

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 05:00:00 GMT

If you hadn’t already noticed, Joe’s been writing our blogs since the January 31st post. Cavanaugh comes to us with a wide range of experience in the outdoors, and he’s also a graduate of Boise State University, with a BA in English/writing. He worked professionally as a copywriter for Bass Pro Shops before joining us, and his book “The Jungle Hunter” was published by Safari Press in 2000 (now out of print). Cavanaugh started guiding for Wild Idaho Outfitters in 2013, and he will be guiding for us again this year, full time.

Cavanaugh’s hunting experience started in the north woods of Minnesota, hunting whitetail bucks and black bear. At the age of 20, he traveled to Central America where local hunters introduced him to hunting in the jungle. He expanded his range to the jungles of South America, where he organized a series of DIY hunting trips, always in the company of local market hunters, Indians, or cowboys, into some of the largest expanses of wilderness left on Earth. These DIY hunts resulted in taking 3 jaguars, numerous tapirs, all 3 species of peccary, 5 species of South American deer, water buffalo, and numerous species of birds and medium-size game that most people would only see in zoos.

During the 1980s, Cavanaugh embedded with the Guatemalan Army as a photojournalist in the mountains of Quiche province. He also lived in an Indian village in Eastern Bolivia for 3 years, where he fished for the local market; and later he worked as a fishing guide in the same area. In Bolivia he survived a severe case of malaria, which took him 10 years to recover from. The bushcraft and survival skills Cavanaugh has picked up along the way would be difficult to match.

Joe Cavanaugh did not grow-up hunting the West—he came here as an adult and started from scratch. Since then he’s learned the terrain, the habitats of our game animals, and the license/tag process. George McQuiston, owner of Wild Idaho Outfitters, met Cavanaugh in a remote corner of the Frank Church Wilderness, where he had backpacked in all alone and shot a bull. We’re sure Cavanaugh’s insight on going West and learning to hunt new species in new habitats will be beneficial to all our readers. Cavanaugh offers practical advice, based on years of hands-on experience. He values woodsmanship and an understanding of nature over high-tech equipment. Wild Idaho Outfitters hopes you enjoy reading Cavanaugh’s blog posts, and that his advice helps you enhance your hunting success.

Good hunting,
Wild Idaho staff

Paperwork season is upon us (me)

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 23:00:00 GMT

(alternate title: “Let those cell phones ring and emails sing”)

Finally getting my office put back together after a hasty move that took place back in March. I have been having to live with chaos since we got the notice “you have 13 days to move”.

Don’t misinterpret that, as we were not being evicted in the formal sense for “not paying the rent”. We had been caretaking a ranch while we were remodeling our own, knowing there was no rush as this place had been for sale for 6 years.

Well, we were wrong. It sold and we had to move…quickly! And so, we did. We lived out of a camper at our home and in a tent in the backcountry. For some reason it seemed like we were camping all year!

The chaos came from a house completely gutted and a forthcoming spring bear season followed very closely by summer harvest season on the farm, all while trying to remodel a home, living out of the camper plugged into the project house and having to run to town for a shower at the new office space.

Fast forward past spring bear, summer harvest and all the fall hunting seasons and now we are settling into our newly remodeled home. We are just starting to unpack things like dead heads, antler mounts and some of my favorite pics of Kelly and the kids along with my favorite Tim Cox paintings. If you have not seen a Tim Cox painting, Google “Flowers for Mom by Tim Cox”. You will (or should be able to tell) why he is one of my favorite artists. The painting “Flowers for Mom” is a sold-out print and one of my all-time favorite paintings depicting (what I would describe) as the epitome of life in the rural west.

As we enter the new year, with a newly remodeled house and our (my) office finally complete, feel free to let those cell phones ring and emails sing talking about your plans for future hunts, regardless of your destination.

We always love to hear from folks even considering Idaho. Now don’t be surprised if we put on the “hard sell” for hunting with us, but we will generally end with, “even if you don’t book with us, you need to try Idaho”. We are so sold on what Idaho has to offer, that I personally suggest that whether you book with us, another outfitter or end up doing a DIY hunt, you need to come and explore all that Idaho has to offer at least once.

So, as you are surfing “2020 hunts” be sure to add “Idaho” to that search and come see all that “we” have to offer you, the hunter, in the way of adventure in 2020 and hopefully beyond.

Be sure to take a kid hunting with you if possible!

And don’t forget to vote the November 3 as the outcome may just determine whether or not we ever hunt again regardless of state or region.

God bless and happy hunting!

George

“Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Me” or “Preseason Hunt Planning Part 1!”

Sat, 04 Jan 2020 11:00:00 GMT

Even though this sounds directed to me and possibly self-serving, it is anything but that. If it were about me, I would be posing on this rig taking a big smiling selfie to tell the world how wonderful I am. Well, I assure you, there ain’t nothin’ sexy about a 54 year old chubby guy climbing up on his new elliptical trying to shed a few of those post hunting, pre- and post-Holiday calories, so all you get to see is an empty elliptical as a symbol of potential for memories to be made. Just like our public lands stand as a symbol to that same ideal.

It is honestly directed towards all of us who find ourselves somewhat vertically challenged and girth blessed with each New Year’s Day that passes and wonder if we are alone in this journey from “healthy” holiday sofa surfer to healthy mountain man/explorer looking to scale that peak ahead to look for a trophy animal on the other side.

My Christmas gift to me was this new (to me) elliptical (of course it was used; I don’t know if this new relationship will last) and my obvious New Year’s resolution is to actually use it to get myself in shape for Idaho’s 2020 hunting seasons that lie ahead in only 9 short months.

Now c’mon, am I the only one who has this goal…every year? Right? I doubt it. I am simply writing this to encourage any and all of you that enjoyed what the holidays had to offer, over and over again, to recognize that the sooner you start on that journey of health (for hunting purposes, of course) the sooner you will feel like you will be able to climb that mountain, cross to that next ridge or dive down in that deep timbered draw in search of what you believe to be a trophy elk, deer or some other mountain creature, knowing all along that regardless of the outcome, our memories seem to hover around “that time I climbed 3 different canyons” to get to where you are today.

The stories we as guides get to hear each year seem to revolve far more often around some epic adventure than the harvest of some animal. The effort put into harvesting that animal seems to be the real topic of discussion, rather than the animal itself. So, as your winter ahead evolves into hunt planning for your next adventure, maybe try to weave in a little pre-hunt workout. It will make your quest for your desired animal that much more attainable!

Good luck in your New Year’s resolutions, know that you are not alone, and best of luck in all your hunts that lie ahead. May you have cooperative weather, great camaraderie in your camp mates and most of all, remember to take a kid hunting if you can!

Happy New Year!

George

New Idaho Youth Deer Hunting Opportunity

Sun, 25 May 2014 10:21:00 GMT

Because of some recent changes in antlerless deer tags allowed in our area and recent Idaho laws changed involving private lands, Idaho and specifically Wild Idaho Outfitters is able to offer a new and unique youth deer hunting opportunity.

I have often wondered how we could “share the wealth” of an undersubscribed private lands antlerless deer hunting opportunity in literally our own back yard, knowing nonresident der tags are 302 dollars and thinking who on earth would pay 302 dollars for an antlerless tag? Then it hit me! Idaho has one of the best youth hunting opportunities in the form of reduced youth hunting tag fees in the country (in my opinion of course). So why not offer special youth antlerless hunts on the private land that we have access to?

So this year we are offering youth antlerless deer, short range weapon hunts through December for a very low and special price…yet to be determined We are working on logistics, but want it to be a comfortable lodge type hunt or motel hunt and short 3 days or so and make it affordable enough for an adult to want to bring their youth hunter to Idaho.

We will be working out the details over the next couple of weeks while back in bear camp, but if a short range youth deer hunting opportunity on private land holds an interest to you, please contact us so we can get you the details as soon as available. Also know the draw is on right now for this tag and is due by June 5th.