Idaho Elk, Mule Deer and Black Bear Blog

Time to Think About Booking Your Spring 2027 Idaho Black Bear Hunt

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 23:53:00 GMT

Idaho’s 2026 spring black bear season literally just ended. Thankfully, fall bear season is only 2 months away so there is still a chance to hunt bears in Idaho in 2026.

This past Idaho spring black bear season was one for the books, with active baits, opportunities, beautiful bears, great people and full camps. We are grateful for all who hunted with us and believe that we made some friends along the way.

Opportunity rate was better than it has been for a few years and as you can see from the photo, some bears are already planting “seeds” for future years!

If you haven’t hunted Idaho (yet) for black bear, we have a couple openings this fall, but if your fall is already booked up, now may be a great time to start thinking (and planning) for an Idaho spring black bear hunt in 2027!

Good luck in the woods this fall, happy hunting and be sure to take a kid along!

George

Couple Spots Still Available for 2026 Idaho Spring Bear Season

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:42:58 GMT

It’s only April 15 and some Idaho areas are just opening up to spring bear season literally today. We have been open for 2 weeks and out putting bait out.

We sell bear bait here in Challis, Idaho and what is fun about that is getting to meet a bunch of bear hunters throughout the state. I have been asking some of my regulars to call me and let me know when the bears start hitting their baits as many have speculated on an early season this year.

Well, last week I got the call. One of my long-time customers called and said his first bear hit and that is almost 3 full weeks earlier than normal.

It is seriously time to get out and hunt Idaho spring bears and here is why. Central Idaho, compared to other parts of the west, is a true an anomaly. It is such a large piece of public roadless real estate that (in my opinion) the only 2 things that really affect our elk, deer and antelope populations is weather and predators and with these last few mild winters we have had, the survival rate has been good for those species, but more prey makes for more feed for predators.

It seems like all the “bad press” on elk number declines gets blamed on wolves, but we must not forget that black bears are predators too and need to be managed. So, if you don’t have plans for spring bear hunting in Idaho (yet) give us, another outfitter or at least get out yourself to do your part to protect our elk, deer and antelope babies that will be hitting the ground very soon!

Good luck, happy hunting and remember to take a kid hunting with you!

George

Official Opener of 2026 Idaho Spring Bear Season

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:46:36 GMT

April 1 is not only a Fool’s Day, but it is the day us hunters actually get to get out in the woods and hunt. Wait a minute…

Seriously, though, it’s that time again; time to get out in the woods! With this super mild winter we had this year, the ungulate population survival rate should be through the roof. The downside of that is there will be lots of babies for our Ursus Americanus, aka the American Black Bear, and they will be out on the prowl hunting those precious young fawns and calves. We need to be out amongst them and preempt their carnivorous ways with a well-placed bullet or arrow.

If you have never tried spring bear hunting or at least in Idaho, maybe this should be your year to give it a try. Whether with us, another outfitter, or on your own, spring bear hunting is simply a great reason to get off the couch, shake off those winter cobwebs and get outside doing your part to preserve the wildlife we love to pursue in the fall.

April 1 is the official opener for Idaho’s 2026 spring bear season, so get out and enjoy your public lands…and remember to take a kid hunting with you!

Happy (spring bear) Hunting!

Idaho’s 2025 Spring Black Bear Season is Officially Open

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 21:22:02 GMT

It’s officially official; Idaho’s 2025 Spring Bear Hunting season is finally open…just in time for a spring snowstorm of course, but hopes are still high for an amazing season this year. It has been a fairly mild winter, and the hills are showing more dirt every day. We are already heading out to get the baits set and camps ready.

If you haven’t made plans for your spring bear season yet, or you simply have a bad case of cabin fever, why don’t you give an Idaho spring hunt a try this year? We are offering fully guided over bait, behind hounds or spring bear hunt drop camps this year. There should be an option for anyone interested in getting out and chasing these Idaho bruins.

Happy hunting! Get out and enjoy YOUR public lands! And, as always, take a kid along!

Idaho’s 2025 Spring Black Bear Season is Just Around the Corner

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 10:00:00 GMT

I know, I know, the holidays just got over and it is still cold and white outside, but what a perfect time to begin thinking about what is truly important, where are you going to hunt spring bear this season?

Idaho’s 2025 spring bear season, I predict, is going to be one for the record books. Why? I am so glad you asked.

1. First, last fall’s berry crop was non-existent. Bears were out late scrounging for whatever they could find to eat and probably even cheering on would be deer and elk hunters, so that they could take a turn at a gut pile for some pre-winter calories.

2. Because of such a lackluster berry crop last fall, I predict that the bears will exit their dens far earlier than “normal” this year seeking to pick up on some lost calories from last fall.

3. This winter has started slow and continued so far to be very mild. What does that have to do with bears you ask? Now I am no biologist, but without heavy snow, big game survival (deer, elk, and antelope) will hopefully be much greater than usual leaving not that many carcasses for bears exiting their winter slumber hideouts to eat, so they head out on a journey for food that they will certainly find in abundance at our bait sites.

4. We will have lots of those bait sites loaded heavily with some of the best tasting (yes, of course we taste our bear bait) icings and sugar laden goodies you can imagine. A hungry bear will not be able to resist them, and we will keep the baits full, so the bears always have goodies to come back to!

5. If, on the off chance we get one of those sneaky nocturnal type bears, we will have dogs on hand as back up in case the need arises to get the job done.

6. Oftentimes, bear baiting gets a bad rap from the nonhunting world, but studies have proven that bear baiting is the best way to protect females with their young as new babies are almost always right at their momma’s side as she fills her belly at our bait sites. These females with cubs are protected and add an additional level of enjoyment in just enjoying watching “the show” as the cubs learn to navigate the woods with their mothers.

So, as you find yourself getting back to “normal” life after the holidays, why don’t you break up the daily doldrums by asking one of your coworkers, friends, relatives or best of all one of your own kids, nieces or nephews if they would like to join you out in Idaho for an opportunity at one of Idaho’s famous color phase black bears and Contact Us to book your hunt.

Hope to see you in the woods! And, as always, remember to take a kid hunting!

Cure Cabin Fever with an Idaho Spring Bear Hunt

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 22:49:22 GMT

The first day of spring is officially here! It has been a long time coming and it can mean only 1 thing: Idaho Spring bear hunting season 2023 is literally only days away!

With this winter feeling like it has been the longest winter in the history of all mankind…at least here in Challis, Idaho, cabin fever is running rampant, and we are ready to get out, start setting bear baits, shoeing horses and mules, riding colts, setting camps and simply enjoying watching mother nature come back to life after a long winter’s siesta.

If you haven’t made plans for your Idaho spring bear hunt yet, you are in luck! We still have a few openings for this spring, and they are indeed a sure cure for cabin fever. We offer hunts from Sunday through Friday beginning early May and can accommodate groups up to 4, 6 if it is all in one party. We love seeing kids and women in camp and can reserve a full camp for your family outing. Non hunting observers are always welcome with hunters in our camps as well.

If you have already made plans and find yourself in need of quality affordable bear bait, check out our inventory of affordable bulk bear bait. If you are simply heading out to the woods to hunt bears spot and stalk or have already engaged the services of another outfitter, then best of luck to you! Take lots of pictures, take time to soak it all in and most of all, take a kid hunting with you if you can! Remember, someone once took you hunting for the first time!

Contact us today about scheduling you for your 2023 Idaho spring bear hunt with Castle Creek Outfitters or Wild Idaho Outfitters, your bulk bear bait needs, bear baiting tactics or to simply talk Idaho hunting. It is certainly one of our favorite subjects!

Happy Hunting,

George

Ultimate Hunt Combo Possibilities

Tue, 25 May 2021 05:00:00 GMT

This year, for the first time ever, we are offering what I would consider an ultimate hunting combo.

In our Castle Creek Outfitters area, we have a very unique opportunity to hunt more species at one time than I am aware of anywhere, especially considering most hunts are closed by this time and most people are relegated to sofa surfing, watching hunting channels and patiently waiting for next season.

December, in area 28 of central Idaho only, one can hunt (provided they have the proper tags) elk AND deer with archery equipment. This time frame allows for harvest of either sex of both species, increasing your odds of success with a bow.

Big deal you say? We can already do that in September in most states. Stay with me. This is where it gets good. By December, the snow has begun to fly making tracking of mountain lions possible, add to that some wolf and coyote hunting opportunity and if late enough in December (after December 15th), you can even add bobcat to your wish list making this an amazing combo (in my opinion of course).

All over the counter elk and deer tags sold out within hours this year, but due to special outfitter set aside we are in possession of exactly 2 elk and 2 deer tags, and we want to share them with someone willing to “play in the snow” and chase as many animals at one time as possible.

We would intend to conduct this hunt (obviously) in December, and have you hunt deer and elk on your own during the day while your guide takes off before daylight to seek out fresh lion tracks that he can turn the dogs loose on and get after. When he finds a set to turn the dogs loose on, he would come find you and get after a cat. This would alleviate a lot of the boring down time usually associated with predator hunts and add to the affordability factor we are aiming for with this hunt.

Elk and deer would need to be harvested with archery equipment, but any predator hunting could be done with a firearm allowing better opportunity at wolves and coyotes.

This is our idea, and we are certainly open to others, but keep in mind that there are only 2 elk and 2 deer tags available.

A Couple Spots Still Left for this Spring Bear Season

Mon, 24 May 2021 21:48:33 GMT

The weather has been unseasonably warm and dry this year and the water level on the creek has been pretty steady helping us avoid the radical highs of a “normal” spring runoff, bears are active, and we got ‘em on camera.

We are looking forward to a productive spring bear season and have just a couple spots still available for June. So, if you don’t have any concrete spring hunting or fishing plans and can get away on short notice, contact us about dates and times for an Idaho spring bear hunt with us!

Happy hunting!

Spring Bear Drop Camps

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 22:34:39 GMT

With Idaho’s 2021 spring bear season beginning this week, we are grateful that we are pretty much booked up on our guided hunts, but new for 2021, we are offering spring bear drop camps for those DIY hunters who to prefer the challenge of hunting on their own and more of the spot and stalk element of bear hunting.

This is a more affordable option over guiding, puts you in charge of your own schedule and may just be the ticket for that pent up wintertime cabin fever!

We will pack you into a back country camp, drop you off, show you a couple of pre-baited sites you can sit in the evenings and leave you to your own hunting experience. We will then come pick you up at a predetermined time and hope to hear tall tales of faraway places and hopefully be able to congratulate on a well-placed shot on an Idaho bear!

For more info on this new option from Wild Idaho outfitters and Castle Creek Outfitters this year, contact us!

Best of luck with spring bear hunts this year and remember to get out and enjoy YOUR public lands!

Hunting with GPS/Map-Devices: Seeing Outside the Box

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Don’t get me wrong, modern GPS/map-devices, or map apps that make smartphones function like GPS/map-devices, are wonderful tools for the hunter. Being somewhat device challenged, I can only wish I knew how to use them. Some tech-savvy hunters I have run into recently manage to get around in the woods quite well with them. Despite their usefulness at assisting hunters from getting lost, I’ve noticed many GPS/map-device users fail to get the big picture because they can’t see outside the little box held in their hand. Many hunters can pinpoint the exact spot where they stood that morning on a map-device with close-up detail, although they can’t name drainage where they stood. What they don’t see is how the drainages and ridges in their hunting area fit and flow together, or in other words the “lay-of-the-land”.

For centuries humans have divided the geography of the mountainous West by drainages, which includes the all-important ridges between the drainages. For example, the boundaries of many hunting units are based on drainages. The complete hunter must be able to pan-out in their mind and see the entire drainage system in their immediate hunting area. This wide-scope view will enhance your understanding of game movements, as well as enable you to discuss game movement and hunting pressure with people who are familiar with the area such as your guide, local hunters, ranchers, or Forest Service personnel. You can use a GPS/map-device to show where you jumped elk that morning, but you’ll have to pan-out too far to guess where they might have fled to on your device’s small screen. You’ll either have to pan the map out in your head or go to the topo maps. A good method for becoming familiar with the big picture of your hunting area is to hang topo maps in your home or workplace where they are readily visible on a daily basis.

Of course, the ability to see the big picture in your mind, combined with the savvy to operate a GPS/map-device, offers maximum view. A group of three, unguided hunters I met last fall were already well familiar with our hunting area, even so each hunter carried a GPS/map-device of the same make and model. The GPS units not only displayed the user’s position superimposed on a digital topo map, but also revealed the positions of the other 2 companions at the same time. Knowing your companion’s position in a large tract of wilderness can be extremely useful, as well as huge safety consideration. These hunters could dive off a ridge in unison on 3 separate spurs, and remain in parallel formation on the descent. The country here is steep, expansive, and well forested, so keeping track of one’s companion by sight is not an option. Usually one or two of these hunters would use elk calls on their descent, and one or two would remain silent. Without the devices, it would have been difficult for them to stay in formation, decreasing the tactic’s effectiveness, and difficult for them to regroup once they reached the depths of the drainage. Their exceptional unity resulted in outstanding success.

GPS units carried by hunters started out as devices that brought them back to their parked vehicles. Now they are much more, though they’ll still help you from getting lost. Becoming too reliant on them is not a good idea though, as the GPS itself could become lost or stop functioning at the wrong time and place. A GPS/map-device should complement your map-reading and woodsmanship skills—not replace them. Being able to see the lay-of-the-land, outside the box, can bring you back without batteries, as well as improve your hunting success.

Good hunting,

Joe Cavanaugh

Happy Memorial Day

Fri, 22 May 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Memorial Day is here again, signaling the unofficial start of summer. There’s much more to it however, than picnics and beaches. Memorial Day is an official Federal Holiday in honor of military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. We shouldn’t forget that. Even if you don’t know anyone personally who has given their life for our freedom, you could still visit a national cemetery, attend a parade, or just sit down and reflect on our great country and what it took in lives to make it great.

God bless America,

Joe Cavanaugh

Controlled Hunt Results Got You Down?

Fri, 15 May 2020 05:00:00 GMT

The results for controlled hunts are out for most western states now, or they will be shortly. Hunters are either jumping up and down in exultation that they drew their coveted tag, or they’re staring out the window with a long face because they ended up with a chunk of coal in their stocking. There’s still time to apply for great hunts however, in the 2 states that hold out the longest with their application deadline—Wyoming and Idaho; Wyoming’s deadline being June 1st, for deer and pronghorn, and Idaho’s deadline being June 5th, for elk, deer, and pronghorn.

Castle Creek Outfitters operates in Unit 28, where there is an excellent, late-season, controlled-hunt for mule deer, which runs all the way through the rut in November (Hunt 1018). There are only 5 tags available however, and competition is fierce. There are no controlled-hunt, elk tags for Unit 28 (Salmon B), as they are sold over the counter; however, nonresident elk tags for Salmon B sold out this year in just 3 days (Dec. 1–3, 2019), and resident tags sold out within a week of that. Castle Creek Outfitters still has some “outfitter allocated” elk tags left for Salmon B, which are obtainable directly from the outfitter. These tags offer the opportunity for a great hunt, without having to roll the dice for a tag.

Good hunting,

Joe Cavanaugh

Choosing Prime Bear Bait Locations

Fri, 08 May 2020 05:00:00 GMT

You could argue around the campfire all night long as to what’s more important for successful bear hunting—the type of bait, or the location where you put the bait. The fact is, they’re both important, as they work in tandem to attract bear and hold bear to a specific area. It is common however, for hunters to choose a bait site based solely on what’s advantageous to them, and then try to draw the bear to it from afar, using stinky bait. This tactic can work, though a better method is to find a secluded spot and place the bait close to where you think a bear will pass and where the bear feels comfortable.

When selecting prime bait sites, I first look for travel corridors and natural choke points that constrict game movement. In the Northwoods, lakes, swamps, and rivers often funnel game; in mountainous country look for funnels and corridors created by cliffs, rock outcroppings, saddles, and drainages.

Bear rarely approach a bait in daylight without having adequate forest or brush for concealment. Don’t expect to lure bear out of heavy cover in order to give you a clear shot in the open. Bear live in the woods, that’s where they feel comfortable and they don’t like leaving it.

Another important consideration when selecting a bait site is the hunter’s blind. It too should have a concealed approach and use the predominate wind direction to your advantage. The blind should conceal the hunter well, and it should be comfortable enough for you to remain quiet for long periods while focusing intensely on the forest’s shadows. Since bears normally come to baits in the evening, the blind should be facing east with the setting sun at the hunter’s back. This will make it easier for you to see the bear and more difficult for the bear to see you.

When it comes to selecting a location for a bait site, the easy way is seldom the best way. Scout your area well and put some thought into it. Stay as far away from roads, trails, and parked ATVs as possible. Set the bait near perennial game trails, and spend equal time in selecting a concealed blind where you can see the bait well. If you do it right, you’re apt to put more time into hunting for a bait site, than hunting for the bear itself.

Always check with state-specific hunting regulations for rules and requirements for baiting bear, as regulations vary considerable from state to state.

Good hunting,

Joe Cavanaugh

Idaho Controlled-Hunt Application Period for Elk, Deer, Antelope, and Fall Bear Opens May 1st

Fri, 01 May 2020 04:01:00 GMT

The tag application period for Idaho controlled-hunt elk, deer, pronghorn, and fall bear tags opens May 1 and runs to June 5. Idaho does not use a bonus/preference point system for controlled hunts. As a result, hunters have the same odds of drawing a tag the first year they apply as they do any other year.

To apply, residents and nonresidents must have a general hunting license, and pay an application fee of $6.25 for residents and $14.75 for nonresidents—per species. Unlike many other states, the cost of the tag is not paid for upfront in Idaho, instead they are purchased after the applicant has drawn. Successful applicants are notified by July 10, and tags must be purchased by August 1. Any tags that are not purchased by August 1 will be forfeited to a second application period, which runs from August 5 to August 15. Hunters who have already applied for a moose, bighorn sheep or mountain goat controlled hunt this year may not apply for any other controlled hunt (during the same year).

Castle Creek Outfitters operates in Unit 28, where there is an excellent, late-season, controlled-hunt for mule deer, which runs from October 10, all the way through the rut, to November 30 (Hunt 1018). This hunt has produced some outstanding bucks in the past. There are only 5 tags available however, and competition is fierce. (In controlled hunts with 10 or fewer tags, not more than one nonresident tag is issued). Castle Creek Outfitters also receives 1 “outfitter allocation tag” for this hunt, which is in high demand. There are no controlled-hunt, elk tags or bear tags for Unit 28, as they are all sold over the counter. Nonresident deer and elk tags are also valid to take black bear, mountain lion, or gray wolf instead of a deer or elk, if a general season is open for that species.

For detailed information and statistics on Idaho controlled hunts click on this link: https://idfg.idaho.gov/rules/big-game

The Wyoming deer and pronghorn tag application period closes June 1 and results come out June 18. The state of Wyoming allows you to purchase preference points only for deer, pronghorn, elk, moose and sheep from July 1 to November 2.

Good hunting,

Joe Cavanaugh

Fine-Tuning Last Year’s Gear List

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 05:00:00 GMT

I imagine most people who prepare for outdoor adventures make a list of gear and clothing to take before they pack, that way they don’t forget any critical items like toilet paper. I make my lists in spiral notebooks, the younger generation probably makes their lists on smartphones. Years ago, I started saving my gear lists to make trip-prep more efficient the next time around. Lists can be quite specialized. I have gear lists for summer scouting trips, lists for deer hunting trips in the Ozarks, and lists for backpack, elk-hunting trips in the Rockies. All of them include gear and clothing specifically chosen for the activity and season at hand.

When I keep up to my tasks, I’ll get my gear list out several weeks or months after I take a trip and “fine tune” it. Basically, I cross items out that I took and did not need and add items that I did not take but needed once I was there. The list is then stored, until I begin preparing for a similar trip in the future. I date the covers of the spiral notebooks where I keep my lists, but they’re scattered about and can be time consuming to find. A better approach would be to organize your gear lists electronically, where they’re easily accessible.

April is a bit early to start packing gear for a fall hunt, but it’s not too early to start researching the gear you needed last year but didn’t have or repairing any gear that has been damaged. Going over your gear lists will remind you of these things. Waiting until the last minute might not allow enough time to make the right purchase decision, or the item you’ve decided on correctly might be sold out. You could also wait until the last minute to repair something and then find that you need a new one. High-end equipment is often expensive or critical to the outcome of your hunt, and the purchase of such can demand a great deal of thought. Availability can also be inconsistent.

Over the years I have accompanied some very skillful hunters who carry minimal equipment. Still, at some point each one of them has had to choose the gear they considered indispensable for a specific hunt; and the less gear one takes, the more refined the choices seem to be. To these minimalists, carrying a piece of equipment far from home that they don’t need is just as unacceptable as neglecting to take something they do need. Fine-tune your lists now and you’ll have it right by fall.

Good hunting,
Joe Cavanaugh

Castle Creek Outfitters Welcomes Joe Cavanaugh: Our New Blog Writer

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 05:00:00 GMT

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 big game hunts in Idaho in 2013, and he will be guiding for Castle Creek Outfitters and Wild Idaho Outfitters this year, full time.

Cavanaugh’s hunting experience started in the north woods of Minnesota, hunting whitetail bucks and black bear. At the age of 20, he traveled to Central America where local hunters introduced him to hunting in the jungle. He expanded his range to the jungles of South America, where he organized a series of DIY hunting trips, always in the company of local market hunters, Indians, or cowboys, into some of the largest expanses of wilderness left on Earth. These DIY hunts resulted in taking 3 jaguars, numerous tapirs, all 3 species of peccary, 5 species of South American deer, water buffalo, and numerous species of birds and medium-size game that most people would only see in zoos.

During the 1980s, Cavanaugh embedded with the Guatemalan Army as a photojournalist in the mountains of Quiche province. He also lived in an Indian village in Eastern Bolivia for 3 years, where he fished for the local market; and later he worked as a fishing guide in the same area. In Bolivia he survived a severe case of malaria, which took him 10 years to recover from. The bushcraft and survival skills Cavanaugh has picked up along the way would be difficult to match.

Joe Cavanaugh did not grow-up hunting the West—he came here as an adult and started from scratch. Since then he’s learned the terrain, the habitats of our game animals, and the license/tag process. George McQuiston, owner of Wild Idaho Outfitters and co-owner of Castle Creek Outfitters, met Cavanaugh in a remote corner of the Frank Church Wilderness, where he had backpacked in all alone and shot a bull. We’re sure Cavanaugh’s insight on going West and learning to hunt new species in new habitats will be beneficial to all our readers. Cavanaugh offers practical advice, based on years of hands-on experience. He values woodsmanship and an understanding of nature over high-tech equipment. Castle Creek Outfitters hopes you enjoy reading Cavanaugh’s blog posts, and that his advice helps you enhance your hunting success.

Good hunting,
Castle Creek staff

Trail Conditioning: Physical Prep for Big Game Hunting

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 22:35:52 GMT

Spring is here, and it’s time to step out of the gym and walk trails that match real-world hunting conditions. Or better yet, walk off-trail. Exercising on a treadmill or elliptical offers an effective method of strengthening leg muscles and enhancing cardio endurance, though these machines will never replicate the walking conditions you’ll encounter in the wilderness.

Whether you walk foot trails, horse trails, game trails or off-trail, the Earth’s surface where you step is not flat. Increase the grade on your treadmill, you say? I’m not referring to grade or slope. Backcountry trails are full of rocks roots, and logs. Whether or not the trail you follow goes uphill, downhill, or across level ground, your boot soles contact uneven ground, or relatively even spots amongst the rumble which you have chosen to plant your foot. Therefore, balance, agility, and keen eye-to-foot coordination are essential for maintaining an upright position as you walk and search for game. You can read a book or watch a movie when walking on a treadmill—not so on a mountain trail. Try it and you’ll soon be flat on your face. To condition yourself for walking on uneven terrain, you must exercise on uneven terrain. Practice on spending minimal time with your eyes focused on the trail, as you’ll see more game while hunting if you know where your feet are without having to look down every step. Like a wide receiver knows where his feet are as he searches for the ball.

It’s always best to wear hunting boot when exercising on trails to fully duplicate hunting conditions. This gets leg muscles accustomed to lifting full boot-weight, which syncs with eye-to-foot coordination so boots clear obstacles. Wearing hunting boots when exercising also develops calluses in the right spots. Get out there and toughen up.

Good hunting,

Joe Cavanaugh

Analyzing Controlled-Hunt Statistics: Priorities First

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 10:00:00 GMT

We’re well into controlled-hunt application season throughout most of the West. If you’re not already analyzing harvest statistics, draw odds, and overall scores and ratings on specific game units and seasons, you still have time to start. Facets that figure into the equation of best-choice-in-tags to apply for include: potential trophy quality; past success rates; hunting pressure; difficulty of terrain; accessibility of accommodations; and of course—draw odds. The place to start is to first analyze what you consider the most important components of a quality hunt, and rate them according to your personal priorities. Look for a realistic balance of what you consider most important for a good hunt and tag availability.

State fish and game departments provide statistics to aid hunters in making a choice in which tag(s) to apply for. The Idaho Fish and Game website, https://idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/big-game, offers information on the total number of tags per controlled-hunt, the overall success rate, total hunter days afield, and draw odds for residents and nonresidents. As a gauge of trophy quality, the site provides the percentage of bulls harvested with 6+ points, and the percentage of bucks harvested with 4+ points and 5+ points.

There are also some very useful websites and printed material from sources such as Eastmans’ Hunting and Top Rut that take game department statistics and crunch them with more statistics to come up with a rating system for each individual controlled-hunt. These sources can speed up your research time considerably. Keep in mind though, many of these second-source ratings weigh heavily on Boone & Crockett trophy standards. Again, tag-application selection really boils down to your priorities.

My personal priorities in the tag selection process start with minimal hunting pressure, as long as the hunt is balanced with a realistic opportunity at a mature bull or buck. Whether or not the mature bull or buck measures up to B&C trophy standards is less of a concern, though I’ll take it if it comes my way. Difficult terrain, to me, equates to less hunting pressure and better odds of mature animals. For elk and deer tags I’m willing to gamble with up to 1:15 draw odds, though 1:5 is much better; and I always have OTC opportunities in mind for backup, as I greatly cherish hunting each and every year.

The application deadline for Idaho trophy species tags (sheep/moose/goat) is April 30th. The deadline for elk/deer/antelope controlled-hunt tags in Idaho is June 30th.

Good hunting,

Joe Cavanaugh

Highly American Birthdays

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 11:00:00 GMT

March is a good birthday month for bad-ass Americans, as we have no less than four to remind you of. All four of these highly American figures define where we Americans come from and who we are. We must not forget them.

Happy birthday to these and all great Americans born in the month of March.

March 2 - Sam Houston (1793)

March 3 - Chief Joseph (1840)

March 15 - Andrew Jackson (1767)

March 17 - Jim Bridger (1804)

God bless America,

Joe Cavanaugh

General Sherman’s Birthday

Sat, 08 Feb 2020 11:00:00 GMT

General William Tecumseh Sherman was born on this date, February 8th, in 1820. You might be wondering why I’m reminding you of Sherman’s birthday. The answer is simple—because if I don’t, no one else will. I know this because in the 1980s, after I had been schooled in the US, I met several Guatemalan Army officers who knew more about our civil war than I did, and were using Sherman’s “total war” tactics to defeat their enemy. The flanking and turning maneuvers Sherman employed from Chattanooga to Atlanta against the Confederate Army and his subsequent march to the sea are epic in military history, and studied in military academies all over the world to this day.

Sherman is relevant to a hunting blog for his extraordinary fortitude. Though Sherman experienced set-back after set-back in his early years, he kept pressing on like the tank that bears his name to become a Major General by the end of the war, and one of the most celebrated personalities in his time.

All hunters can improve from a study of Sherman’s fortitude. Though we don’t normally encounter obstacles of the magnitude that Sherman did, we do nonetheless encounter obstacles frequently, such as inclement weather, steep slopes, or just plain bad luck. I am disappointed, however, at the number of hunters who quit before the end of a 5-day hunt when things don’t go well for them, even after months of preparation and anticipation. Fortitude is as crucial to a successful hunt as proper equipment or the ability to use our weapons proficiently—if not more so. Stick with it, stay pumped, and don’t give up.

God bless America.

Joe Cavanaugh