Ranger Rick
Well-Known Member
It's relative - 50 years ago, I'd see guys road hunting from station wagons, Buick LaSabres, two-door pickups and logging trucks. I'd also see horses carrying 270 pound hunters. I'd scout for a couple weeks, then on opening day, my buddy and I'd hike in 2 - 3 miles bugling & cow calling with a diaphragm call and a 2' PVC pipe. ~90% of the time we'd get an elk opening day, pack it out on our pack frames and get another elk on the next day or so. I used my Remington 700 BDL 7mm mag (bought it new for $199 at a dime store). There were only two different elk tags (Panhandle & General) in the 10-page Idaho FnG regs. With either elk tag, I could bow hunt with a 70#, 10% let off bow and also rifle hunt in one of the two elk regions in Idaho. I needed the week off after drawing back that bow and holding for an open lane for a clean, ethical kill.
30 - 40 years ago, the LaSabres were replaced with Nissan Sentras, extended cabs came out, the horses were still getting sway backs and ATVs were being used. I hunted the same way with the same success. The ID FnG regs were now now 30 pages long and resident hunting licenses and elk tags had doubled in price.
20 years ago, we're in the 21st Century. Some more road hunters, but with immigration and tax incentives the USA's population also grew to 280 million. The trucks got fancier and most were 4x4's. The horses never complained but there were plenty of 'em with the bends. I'd never been on a guided elk hunt, but the prices were way up there as the stock market & the COLA went up. Our success rate went down to 75% (4 out 5 or 6 years) as Idaho was experiencing the re-introduction of wolves (1995) {I won't go there}. And dang it, the FnG regs were now 80 pages long with a number system that required a college degree.
Now, it's 2020. There is less land to hunt as the Wilkes Brothers from Texas bought up thousands of acres of lumber company land and range that had been open to hunting. If there is orange paint on a fence post or even a tree, that means No Trespassing. The Woodhead wildfire closed my brother and my hunting area (after we scouted and used trail cams to get our hopes up). The FnG regs are now 150 pages plus weekly online changes (you can't be lazy or you will get a Misdemeanor citation = that's up to 12 months in jail plus fines. I have never been cited or even warned). There are $30,000 UTVs and $75,000 pick ups with Sirius radios and a GPS displays. Camp trailers the size of my first home with satellite dishes (it takes some work to get those satellite dishes just right for the BSU game). There are 350 million people in our country. On the roads and within two miles of the road, there are a lot of guys out - many of whom will have stories to tell but no elk meat on the table this winter. Tags sell out, residents can't even think about some elk tags because we have to wait a week to buy one IF you are unsuccessful in a controlled hunt application. So this year my younger brother (62) and I (68), had to hunt a new, open area (away from the fires, but in the same unit) that we did not have time to scout. We walked and climbed and bushwhacked it for about 9.25 miles (according to OnX and verified by Map my Hike) a day for five days. It was mid-October, but with the sleet, it seemed later. No success this year, so I'm determined to hunt harder next year. PS I just retired, and I am looking forward to hunting next year about the same way I have for the last 50 years. You see, it's all relative.
30 - 40 years ago, the LaSabres were replaced with Nissan Sentras, extended cabs came out, the horses were still getting sway backs and ATVs were being used. I hunted the same way with the same success. The ID FnG regs were now now 30 pages long and resident hunting licenses and elk tags had doubled in price.
20 years ago, we're in the 21st Century. Some more road hunters, but with immigration and tax incentives the USA's population also grew to 280 million. The trucks got fancier and most were 4x4's. The horses never complained but there were plenty of 'em with the bends. I'd never been on a guided elk hunt, but the prices were way up there as the stock market & the COLA went up. Our success rate went down to 75% (4 out 5 or 6 years) as Idaho was experiencing the re-introduction of wolves (1995) {I won't go there}. And dang it, the FnG regs were now 80 pages long with a number system that required a college degree.
Now, it's 2020. There is less land to hunt as the Wilkes Brothers from Texas bought up thousands of acres of lumber company land and range that had been open to hunting. If there is orange paint on a fence post or even a tree, that means No Trespassing. The Woodhead wildfire closed my brother and my hunting area (after we scouted and used trail cams to get our hopes up). The FnG regs are now 150 pages plus weekly online changes (you can't be lazy or you will get a Misdemeanor citation = that's up to 12 months in jail plus fines. I have never been cited or even warned). There are $30,000 UTVs and $75,000 pick ups with Sirius radios and a GPS displays. Camp trailers the size of my first home with satellite dishes (it takes some work to get those satellite dishes just right for the BSU game). There are 350 million people in our country. On the roads and within two miles of the road, there are a lot of guys out - many of whom will have stories to tell but no elk meat on the table this winter. Tags sell out, residents can't even think about some elk tags because we have to wait a week to buy one IF you are unsuccessful in a controlled hunt application. So this year my younger brother (62) and I (68), had to hunt a new, open area (away from the fires, but in the same unit) that we did not have time to scout. We walked and climbed and bushwhacked it for about 9.25 miles (according to OnX and verified by Map my Hike) a day for five days. It was mid-October, but with the sleet, it seemed later. No success this year, so I'm determined to hunt harder next year. PS I just retired, and I am looking forward to hunting next year about the same way I have for the last 50 years. You see, it's all relative.
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