5 December Why Hunt Idaho? December 5, 2014By George McQuiston Announcements, Elk In Rut, General Information, Guided Hunts, Mule Deer, Spring Fall Black Bear, Wolf Black Bear Hunts, Elk Hunts, Guided Hunts, Mule Deer Hunts, Wolf Hunts 1 Short answer. Because you can! Yup, that is the answer, because you can. As a sportsman/hunter first and an outfitter second, I cherish my opportunities to hunt out west and based on what I have discovered in my travels, reading the news and talking to hunters from all over the globe about hunting in “their” states, once again Idaho simply rises to the top as THE best place for an opportunity to hunt…bar none! Back in January of this year I blogged about the “ten best reasons to hunt Idaho in 2014”, well I am extending those 10 reasons indefinitely; certainly until someone can show me a state that has this much opportunity and on trophy animals to boot! After what we saw this year in the field and in talking to other hunters and outfitters, Idaho is simply THE place to hunt and unfortunately is the best kept “secret” out there. When I work shows in the east and ask hunters if they have ever thought of hunting out west or have ever hunted out west, it seems “they” all seem to think the west stops at Wyoming, Colorado and Montana. This doesn’t sit that well with a Utah and Idaho outfitter. Utah, unfortunately, gets lumped in with other states that are wonderful to hunt….if you can draw a tag. Unlike Idaho where tags are readily available over the counter, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Nevada are all draw states. I believe Colorado has over the counter tags for very short, choose your weapon seasons and no real predator hunting to speak of. In Idaho, you can hunt archery for a month and if unsuccessful you can pick up your rifle and head deep into a backcountry unit for another month and probably have just about as good of chance for a trophy size animal as almost any draw hunt in the west. All it takes is a little saddle time or foot soldiering to get off the beaten path. Even now at the time of this writing (December 1st) if you wanted to go hunt whitetails in Idaho you could head right in, purchase a tag and go hunting. What other states can offer that in December? And if you are willing to pick up a bow, you can still hunt elk and deer in some areas right up until the end of December. Wow! When it comes to predator hunting, Idaho is definitely second to none. Here in Idaho we can still hunt bears over baits or with dogs. Dogs have been outlawed in many western states along with baiting. We can hunt spring and fall with the same tag for bears and in the back country units you can even harvest 2 bears AND at a reduced price... again Wow! You can hunt mountain lions with dogs and you can even hunt wolves for an extended period of time. Heck some states have outlawed hunting mountain lions all together (you know who you are California) So if it sounds like I am proud of what Idaho offers, you better believe I am and as much as I wish everyone who reads this would book a hunt with us, I realize that many who read this will be Do it yourself (DIY Hunters), already booked with another outfitter or hunting with family and I am afraid the worst case is the poor soul sitting out all hunts “waiting to draw a tag in a trophy area somewhere else”. That truly is heartbreaking. Either way you make it to Idaho, by outfitter, DIY or family, just make it!…and bring a youth hunter with you because Idaho has, in my opinion, the best deal on youth hunting in the country! You will be very happy you did! Happy Hunting! Related Posts An Idaho Elk Hunt to Remember This is a “short” story about a hunter/client/friend of ours who is part of a group of guys we affectionately call the “Cali boys”. His name is Bill Bunch and someone in his group has hunted with us consistently for 11 straight seasons. He is one of those guys that in my opinion is a true sportsman. Let me explain. 10 Reasons Why Idaho is THE Best Place to Hunt in the West in 2014 1. Tags…Idaho has tags 2. Game…Idaho has always, and is doing even more so now, producing good QUALITY elk, deer and bear, and now we can even hunt wolves. 2010 Idaho Hunting Season Comes to a Close Hunting season in Idaho’s backcountry unit 27 comes to an official close on November 18 and this year the snow began to roll in about then. So after 2 days of packing out camp it was time to chain up and haul livestock over the pass to winter quarters and begin the drying out of tents, tack and equipment. Riding in to pack camp after the last hunter leaves is always sort of a bitter sweet journey. Spot Available for Late Season Idaho Mule Deer Hunt in the Rut Putting in for draw hunts in multiple states, at first glance, seems like it would increase your odds of drawing a tag…and you would be right…BUT it also increases your chances at drawing the potentially unwanted scenario of drawing 2 tags in 2 states and being married to a woman who only allows 1 hunt per year The 2016 Idaho fall hunting seasons are almost here We are just a few short days away from the 2016 fall hunting season here in Idaho. August 30 is the opener of most fall bear hunting units along with statewide general archery season for elk and deer. Here in Central Idaho’s wilderness backcountry units, we are fortunate to enjoy a two-month long rifle season, so our first opener is bear season and we are getting ready. Our first baits have now been set, camps are getting readied, and firewood is being cut and stacked and come next Tuesday we will welcome our first fall 2016 hunters here at Wild Idaho Outfitters. Sun Sets on 2015 Wild Idaho Hunting Seasons 2015 will go down as one of Wild Idaho Outfitters most successful hunting seasons of our career. Beginning with spring Bear hunting where we enjoyed a full 75% opportunity rate to our fall hunting seasons where we went just under 100% opportunity rate on an animal. And most importantly, almost everyone who hunted with us this year lived. Those few exceptions were probably a little ill anyway. Yes folks that is one of my corny outfitter jokes. Comment (1) George,<br />This is exactly why I booked my hunt with you. Can't wait to chase mulies with you next October! 10 years ago Comments are closed.