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. March 31, 2021By Monica Oliver Announcements, General Information, Guided Hunts, Spring bear season, Spring Fall Black Bear Black Bear Hunts, Guided Hunts, Idaho hunting, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Perspectives on Long-Range Hunting: Speed Kills Beginning from about the time Winchester necked the .30/06 case down to .270, long-range-hunting ideology has proclaimed: “speed kills”. Speed is measured by a bullet’s velocity in feet-per-second. Theoretically, a rifle chambered in a cartridge that produces higher velocities than your last rifle increases your odds of a kill by extending your effective range. August 3, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Guided Hunts, Idaho hunting, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Bear Hunting with Our Next Generation I had an exceedingly refreshing hunting experience this past spring-bear season. In camp we had 2 youths; one was a 12-year-old boy, Austin, who was hunting with his father, the other was my 18-year-old daughter, Suzy, who was our camp cook. July 27, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information, Guided Hunts, Spring bear season, Spring Fall Black Bear Black Bear Hunts, Guided Hunts, Idaho Black Bear Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts, Spring Bear Season, Spring Black Bear Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Bam, Bam: A Great Week of Bear Hunting Congratulations to Brandon, from Michigan, for taking 2 bears on a 5-day bear hunt with Wild Idaho Outfitters. Brandon took an old black sow on the first evening of the hunt, and a young blond boar on the last evening. Brandon stuck with it and remained optimistic through the entire hunt. July 20, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information, Spring bear season Bear Hunts, Black Bear Hunts, Guided Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts, Spring Bear Season, Spring Black Bear Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Spring Scouting for Elk Hunting Success 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. April 22, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Black Bear Hunts, Drop Camps, Elk Hunts, Guided Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts, Mule Deer Hunts, Youth Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Wild Idaho Outfitters Welcomes Joe Cavanaugh: Our New Blog Writer 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. April 8, 2020By Monica Oliver Announcements, General Information Black Bear Hunts, Drop Camps, Elk Hunts, Guided Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts, Mule Deer Hunts, OTC Tags, Over-the-counter Tags, River of No Return, Spring Bear Season, Youth Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Bear Rifles Conversations about bear rifles, or any species-specific rifle, seem to start and end with cartridge selection. There is much more to a rifle however, than the chamber. March 23, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Fall Bear Season, General Information, Guided Hunts, Spring Fall Black Bear Bear Hunts, Black Bear Hunts, Guided Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
The Value of Drop Camps There are three basic strategies for setting up a hunt out West: hunt from an outfitter’s fully-equipped camp with a guide; hunt from an outfitter’s drop camp without a guide; or, organize a full DIY hunt, using your own camp equipment. Drop camps sit smugly between the other two set-ups as far as pros and cons are concerned, and they just might provide you the best overall value of the three. Cost is the primary consideration for most people who choose to hunt from a drop camp. March 1, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, Drop Camps, General Information, Guided Hunts Drop Camps, Guided Hunts, Idaho Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Not too soon to start thinking about next year Well, it appears that Idaho has been rediscovered. That can be a good or a bad thing, depending which side of the fence you are standing on. This year’s nonresident tags in the units we guide, Area 27 and 28, sold out in record time and according to the fish and game commission, they seem pretty bent on reducing the amount of nonresident tags available in the future further exacerbating the tag acquisition process. Thankfully and gratefully, we as a licensed Idaho hunting outfitter are allotted a certain amount of guaranteed elk tags and outfitters in general have access to deer tag set asides. July 15, 2019By George McQuiston Announcements, Elk In Rut, Fall Bear Season, General Information, Guided Hunts, Mule Deer, Spring bear season, Wolf Black Bear Hunts, Elk Hunts, Guided Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Mule Deer Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »