unit 36 Idaho elk

[elkchaser2000]

hello from southern oregon..

could anyone help point me in good direction to head in this unit ??
I have hunted elk many years in Oregon , thought I would try to venture out to a new area...

thank you

 

[titeline]

We have hunted the Starkey unit for 2 5years the elk just are not there any more we are going to Idaho for the first time we are DONE with Oregon we hope to get a draw tag if not there are plenty of over the counter we have made tag soup for the last 8 years and our teeth won't handle a another season with out meat in the soup so we are bugging out of Oregon

 

[IdahoCTD]

You do realize that unit is where they released the wolves into Idaho 15 years ago right? I don't spend a lot of time in 36 but have hunted it in the past and have hunted in unit 35 (right next to it) for 20 years. In unit 35 the elk numbers are probably 10% of what they were 10 years ago. The biologist will say it's not true but you can't believe what fish and game says. They want you to buy tags. They shut down the muzzleloader cow hunt in 33, 34, 35, and 36 because the elk herd couldn't even maintain it's numbers back in '08. That was told to me by the head wolf biologist as they checked my wolf and I believe that from what I've seen in the field. A friend of mine killed a bull in 36 last year but he didn't see very many elk compared to 3 or 4 years before that when he hunted it. It's pretty slim pickens in central Idaho for elk. I would put in for a drawing somewhere if I was coming from out of state.

 

[elkchaser2000]

thats the sad thing....I already purchased a "B" tag for the sawtooth area...so, it looks like I am stuck hunting in one of those units... thats what I get for not doing better research before hand I guess....

 

[IdahoCTD]

I'm sure you can still put in for a drawing in May though. We saw quite a few elk still in 44 where a friend of mine drew and he shot a 6x6 opening morning. It's a tough draw but I'm sure your success rate if you drew would be considerably higher.

 

[screech]

i hate to say it but the idaho fish and game dont really actually manage fish and game they manage money. i would like to say you have to get a special draw tag in idaho to get into any large numbers of elk but even then there opening up so many hunts in the special draw areas that most of them are getting kinda sad looking too. unit 11 was real good and its still better than a normal area but theyve opened up so many different hunts there that its went down the drain. 18 is the same way. i got friends that get tags in 18 every year with land owner tags and the last 2 years they have filled 3 out of 4 and one of the ones they did fill out was on a spike. they hunt everyday of season and still havent been seeing the kinda bulls they used to.