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Elk, Mule Deer, Bear & Wolf Hunting Blog

Here you will find information about our hunts, our area as well as special offers and issues that affect us or are important to us.

Ode to the Good Ones

Jack and Sally hard at work.
Sally was found dead with her head in the feeder on March 24, 2023. Jack had to be put down a week and a day later. He had been having trouble getting up for a while but with his sister Sally gone, he apparently lost his will to stand. When George bought Wild Idaho Outfitters in 2005, included in the purchase was livestock (horses and mules). Part of this livestock was a pair of Percheron mules named Jack and Sally. They were supposedly around the age of 20 at that time.

What Spring Bear Season Means to a Seasoned Wrangler

Darling Creek horse
March 20, 2023 is the first day of spring and this means Idaho spring bear season is right around the corner! Let me introduce myself, I'm Kelly Swingruber, my daughter (Tia) and I pack for Wild Idaho Outfitters and Castle Creek Outfitters. I also manage the livestock.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Gang at Wild Idaho Outfitters and Castle Creek Outfitters

Last ride of the 2021 season
As the girls rode the livestock out on their final ride of the season, heading for greener pastures at lower elevation and a winter rest, we couldn’t help but reminisce on how fast the last 3 months have gone and how grateful we are for what we get to do, the country we get to do it in, and especially for the people we get to meet.

Application Season Part 2

Apply Now for 2021 Idaho Controlled Hunts
It’s Round 2 of applying for your 2021 hunting trips to Idaho. By now you know if you drew a once in a lifetime tag, or tags in many other states, but Idaho is just now applying for elk, deer, antelope, fall bear and fall turkey tags for the 2021 season. If you have been unlucky so far in the other states, you may want to try Idaho since our OTC (over the counter tags) sold out in record time, it appears your only choice this year is to apply for a draw hunt or book with an outfitter who may still have some guaranteed elk and deer tags left. Antelope is always draw in most states I believe.

Spring Prep Underway

2021 Spring Prep Underway
With the days beginning to warm a bit and spring bear season just days away, it is time to ramp up our spring bear prep and get moving a bit faster. Horses need shod, bear bait moved to the backcountry, camps prepped, and wood socked in for the upcoming official opener of Idaho’s 2021 spring bear season.

Time to start the application game with spring bear first on the agenda

Now that the madness of 2020 is over, it is time to look ahead to 2021 Idaho hunting seasons and it seems the first of many “seasons” to come is application season. Idaho spring bear application season just opened and runs through February 15. You can apply online or at an Idaho Fish and Game license vendor in person.

Merry Christmas 2020

To say this year has been unique would certainly be an understatement. But has it really? It has had some unique “2020” behavior patterns for sure, but mankind facing adversity and having to deal with it is far from “unprecedented’. Mankind has been facing trials and tribulations since the beginning of recorded human history.

That wasn’t supposed to happen aka Happy Late Thanksgiving

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.

Wild Idaho Outfitters Welcomes Joe Cavanaugh: Our New Blog Writer

Cavanaugh hunting in Idaho 2019
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.