Idaho Elk, Mule Deer and Black Bear Blog

Time to Apply for Formerly OTC Tags this Year in Idaho

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 02:08:26 GMT

Seems the only constant in life is change and that adage seems to hold especially true in the hunting world. It seems to me that meetings are held and changes made “just because” every year and this year is no different!

Beginning December 5, 2025, nonresidents who want to hunt elk and deer in formerly OTC units will need to apply for those tags. The application period runs from December 5 to 15, 2025 with results being posted in early January 2026.

Now that we are 5 days into this process, what have we learned? One thing to remind you of is that these are only for formerly OTC tags and this draw is not about any trophy species (Moose, Sheep, or Mountain Goats), nor does it involve controlled hunts for elk, deer, bear, or antelope. These applications and draws will still take place in the spring.

Second thing we learned is that Idaho is NOT a “techy” state and do seem to make what you think would be easy, as challenging as they can. So, to apply it appears to be a three-step process.

1. Review the regs supplemental section to learn the number of the hunt you want you apply for.

2. Purchase your license online.

3. Then and only then do you need to click on (from your own personal account of course) the “Submit An Application” button and with the knowledge you gained from step one, you can now apply for a tag.

You can apply for up to 5 hunt choices on each application so it would seem that you are more than likely to get a tag, it simply may be your last-choice hunt if you apply for more than one.

We apologize for the repeated emails in this period to remind you. Not to be a pain, but because we often get busy and say, “I’ll apply tomorrow”, then the 16th shows up and now you are stuck hunting with an outfitter who still has tags instead of being able to hunt on your own. So, think of these emails as simply “gentle reminders” to stop procrastinating and apply for those tags you think you want to be able to continue your tradition of hunting in some of the lower 48’s most amazing country…Idaho!

Finally, if you want help, advice or just to vent about the drawing process, please contact us and we will be happy to assist or simply listen.

Best of luck in the draw and most importantly, always remember to take a kid hunting with you!

George

Cancellation Hunt

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 20:09:22 GMT

Somebody must have drawn some lucky tag somewhere because we had a last-minute cancellation. We have room for 3 to 4 hunters opening week of our combo season. We have 3 elk and 4 deer tags available for October 14-20, 2025.

Combo hunting in Central Idaho is one of the coolest ways to be able to get out and pursue multiple big game animals including elk, deer, bear and wolf.

If you haven’t drawn a tag or made final plans for this fall yet contact us about this hunt during opening week in Central Idaho’s Salmon River Mountains. This is a horseback hunt. Our camp is a drive in, but after that getting around is done on horseback, so it is best to be comfortable on a horse.

With the last few mild winters and the sheer numbers of game animals we saw last year and antlers growing this spring, we have very high expectations for this fall’s hunts!

So, check on your friends draw results, and if you drew the same “unsuccessful” tag, you still have a chance to hunt this fall.

Good luck!

One Door Opens, Another One Closes

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 10:00:00 GMT

It’s that time of year again when most states big game draw results are out and, as usual, most people statistically draw the proverbial “lump of coal”. As mentioned in another blog, Idaho’s application season ends this week, so there is still one more chance to draw a coveted tag in some “trophy” areas.

Or you could reach out to an outfitter…an Idaho outfitter specifically, who has guaranteed tags, purchase a hunt with them and actually go hunting this year verses sitting on the couch another year, “waiting to draw” a tag.

To be clear, are these “trophy” areas? Possibly not in the realm of Fish and Game modeling, but any place you can actually get out and hunt in the west, A) can produce a trophy; B) hunting itself is the goal more so than a trophy; and C) beats the heck out of NOT hunting!

All that blather leads me up to the point of this conversation. We had a cancellation on one of our most popular hunts in Castle Creek Outfitters allowing for room for 4 hunters opening week of our combo hunt (deer, elk, and bear) in unit 28. The dates for this hunt are October 14 – 20, 2025.

This is a horseback hunt with a drive in camp, so typical weight restrictions on what to bring are negated because of the drive in aspect, but most all the hunting the week you are there is done from horseback. Now, most people believe that horseback hunts are less physically demanding and nothing could be further from the truth. If you don’t believe me, step up on a chair about 20 times today and see if you can still walk tomorrow.

Horseback hunts are physically demanding, but also very rewarding in the shear tradition of a horseback hunt from wall tent camp. It is the essence of elk hunting in the west in my mind.

So, if you haven’t drawn that coveted tag, and still have 1 to 3 additional guys (hunts are 2 hunters:1 guide ratio) that are willing to spend a week with you in the back country, contact us and see if a horseback combo hunt may be right for you this year!

Happy hunting, and as always, remember to take a kid hunting with you!

Aaaand They’re Gone!

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 11:00:00 GMT

As has been the case for many a year, Idaho put their nonresident big game hunting licenses and tags up for sale on December 1, 2020 at 10 am.

It didn’t take long for those who logged on to the fish and game website to buy them that day to realize that it was going to take a little effort and a great measure of patience as there were literally thousands upon thousands of would-be nonresident Idaho hunters with great hopes and anticipation of getting an early Christmas present in the form of an elk and/or deer tag of their choosing.

Sadly, for many, their dreams of hunting this great state of Idaho were dashed at checkout when the tags were sold out more rapidly than one could enter their credit card number in the checkout cart.

Again, sadly, Idaho resident hunters were successful in reducing the number of nonresident tags so dramatically this year that many of the units’ tags sold out in literally hours verses weeks and months as in the past.

All hope is not lost however, as Idaho hunting outfitters will all have an allocation of tags this year available for nonresident hunters who choose to book with an outfitter for their 2021 and beyond Idaho hunting adventures.

So, if you still have an inclination to hunt Idaho, contact us or another Idaho outfitter and get “on the calendar” for next year and 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

Last Chance for Idaho Controlled Hunt Tags

Fri, 29 May 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Time is running out to apply for elk, deer, and pronghorn controlled hunts in Idaho—the deadline being June 5th. Idaho does not use a bonus/preference point system for controlled hunts, so you have just as good of a chance at drawing a tag as anyone else. All residents and nonresidents need to apply is a general hunting license and pay an application fee of $6.25 for residents and $14.75 for nonresidents, per species. The cost of the tag is not paid for until after you have drawn. If successful you will be notified by July 10, and the tag must be purchased by August 1. That’s a pretty fair deal, comparatively speaking.

Castle Creek Outfitters operates in the Salmon B elk-hunting zone, where there are no controlled-hunt elk tags as they are sold over the counter. This year however, nonresident elk tags for Salmon B sold out 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 offer you the opportunity for a great hunt without having to gamble for controlled-hunt tags. Unit 28 does have an excellent, late-season, controlled-hunt for mule deer, which runs all the way through the rut in November.

This is a highly sought-after tag with only 5 resident and 1 nonresident tags available. Fortunately, for us at Castle Creek Outfitters, we are in possession of the 1 nonresident tag and are able to guide the hunter who chooses to purchase it through us. So, if you or someone you know is in the market for a high quality mule deer hunt in November, contact us and let’s put together a hunt to remember!

If you can hunt the first week in November and choose to, we can add an elk tag to that hunt and make it a combo!

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

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

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

All-American Birthday of the Month: Mountain Man James Beckwourth

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 04:01:00 GMT

When I had the idea to acknowledge birthdays of early trappers and explorers of the American West, I quickly found that very few of them had recorded birth dates. Most were born in log cabins to frontier parents, who were more worried about survival than traveling back East to find a courthouse. A unique exception is the birth of James Beckwourth, which was recorded in Virginia on April 26, 1798. Beckwourth was born a slave, which likely made registering his birth the same as registering property. What makes his birth into slavery unusual is his white master was also his father, Sir Jennings Beckwith, a nobleman of Irish and English descent. His mother was a slave of African descent. (James later changed his last name to Beckwourth.)

Beckwourth’s father eventually executed a deed of emancipation for his son; and the family moved to Missouri in the early 1800s, where James apprenticed under a blacksmith. In 1824 the young Beckwourth joined one of the first beaver trapping expeditions, led by General William Ashley of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. He was present at the first mountain man rendezvous at Henry’s Fork, Green River in 1825. If there’s one thing about Beckwourth’s life that’s for certain, once he got a taste of freedom and adventure—he couldn’t get enough it.

Beckwourth continued to roam the West during the fur trade, and at some point, was accepted by the Crow Indians, with whom he lived for 6 – 8 years. With the Crow, he distinguished himself as a fearless warrior. All I can say is, any outsider who distinguished themself in combat with the Crow Indians had to have been a badass SOB.

At the end of the fur trade, Beckwourth joined the US Army to fight in the second Seminole War in Florida, serving under General Zachary Taylor. After that adventure, he moved back to the American West to trade with the Indians, and later helped establish a trading post at the present-day site of Pueblo, Colorado. In the 1840s, Beckwourth rode out to California where he practiced “horse trading”, which he had learned from the Crow. During the gold rush he gambled professionally, and is credited for discovering Beckwourth Pass through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. After California, he again ended up in Colorado Territory, where he frequently hired out as a scout for the US Army. Throughout his travels he reportedly had several wives of various races and ethnicities and fathered several children. In his late 60s, Beckwourth returned to a Crow village in Wyoming, where he lay down and died.

No doubt, James Beckwourth deserves credit for making the most out of what was handed to him. Born into slavery, he ended up knowing freedom like few others. He chose where he roamed and what he did. Only in free society such as America could a nobleman raise a son with a slave woman, who would become James Beckwourth.

God Bless America,

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

Phase 2 in Planning Your 2020 Hunts

Sat, 29 Feb 2020 06:00:00 GMT

Dates to keep in mind this month while planning your 2020 hunts are March 5th, the controlled-hunt application deadline for all species in Utah; and April 1st, the controlled-hunt application deadline for elk and deer tags in Montana. Utah offers some outstanding tags as far as trophy and overall quality are concerned. Though all I can say is, if you want to experience Utah’s high-quality hunts you better start applying for bonus/preference points while you’re still young, because it’s going to take a generation or more to accumulate enough points to draw one. I, for one, consider myself too old to start applying for points in Utah for the first time (I’ll never live long enough to draw one.) Nonresidents have a much better chance of drawing elk and deer tags in Montana, though the overall quality of the hunts are nowhere near that of Utah. Of course, there will always be exceptions. Both states have rather detailed tag-allotment systems that demand hours of study.

A nice option to Utah’s rare, high-quality tags and Montana’s opportunity-based tags are simple-to-obtain, Idaho OTC elk and deer tags. If you’re willing to put in the effort to get off the beaten path you really can have a quality, wilderness hunt in Idaho, with realistic expectations of bagging a trophy-class animal, with nothing more than a OTC tag. Outfitters also have guaranteed elk tags and set-aside OTC deer tags. All of these tags offer the opportunity for a great hunt, without having to wait years to draw a tag. OTC tags also offer the opportunity of hunting the same area year after year in Idaho, all the while increasing your familiarity with game movements, and hopefully increasing your success as the years go by.

Note on spring bear hunts:

Slots for Spring 2020 bear season are almost filled. As of today there are only 3 hunts left with availability: May 17 – May 22 for 2 hunter, May 31 – June 5 for 2 hunters and June 7 – June 12 for 1 hunters.

Good hunting,

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