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!

Spring Means Babies

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 22:44:27 GMT

Ten days. Only ten days until spring officially starts. The start of spring means different things to different people. Some celebrate with a Spring Equinox party, some start seeds in the house for the garden, some go shopping for a new wardrobe, some just crab about winter never ending. Me? I start writing foaling dates on the calendar and dreaming of the kind of foals we are going to have!

Here at Darling Creek, the first foal could come as early as April first. That’s only 21 days away! I always say foaling is like Christmas only better. You can look and imagine what’s going to come out but it's always a surprise. A surprise in color, size, sex, personality, and amazing every single time that all of that could fit in the mare.

I’m feeding every day watching the mares get bigger and slower and more miserable. We were originally going to have 25 foals in 2023. Two of the older mares didn’t conceive. They will go for a vet visit next week to see what needs to be done for them to conceive later this spring. Another mare had a foal way too early and another just doesn’t look bred anymore.

For the foals coming, there is a lot of excitement on my part for different reasons. We have 2 mule babies coming, one out of a new mare we purchased last winter that turned into a great horse for hauling outfitting clients and one out of a tried and true mare. My old faithful mare Annie, that is 27 , is foaling once again with a horse foal. Her foals are always the best and it is amazing she can carry a foal once again! Her oldest “foal” is 19 and her youngest – on the way! Then there are all the new mares we bought last year coming with babies. Will they be fillies or colts? Will they be bay or black or buckskin or gray? Hopefully everything will go smooth and there will be no rushing a mare to the vet or rushing the vet out to Darling Creek. I’m praying now that winter will break and spring will truly arrive so mares aren’t foaling in the cold. The mares and babies will be fine if it does have to happen in a snow storm, but I’ll feel better if it’s warmer and more spring like!

Our mares “foal out”, which means they have their babies outside and the babies jump up right away, grab a suck of milk and follow their Mommas on gangly legs. The babies from the minute they drop are developing feet and legs, bone and muscle, brain and coordination by being able to jump up and go. I’ve read that horses raised this way are called the “special forces” in the horse world. By the time they are starting to be ridden, they already know how to climb up and come down a mountain, cross a creek or a bog, step over logs and run on uneven ground. This is good training for making great mountain horses- ¾ of the battle is over before you even throw a leg over them. If you don’t think this is important, try riding a stall raised horse in the rugged mountains like The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. It is a wreck in the making. BTW, Darling Creek Livestock supplies all of the livestock for Wild Idaho Outfitters and Castle Creek Outfitters.

We put a lot of time and care into our stock from picking and raising the mares, stallions, and jacks to training them so they are safe and reliable mounts. This is of utmost importance and something we don’t take lightly. That horse you ride to your drop camp and you are frustrated with because you don’t have the skills is taking care of you. Unbeknownst to you, she saved a little boys life the season before when he jumped off too fast and hung his foot in the stirrup and was laying under her. She kept her footing and her wits about her when Camas Creek was raging in the spring. She is smart enough not to fall off that narrow crumbling trail. These are the kind of babies I am anxiously awaiting. These are the kind of babies that I have ridded their Mommas and Grandmas and Daddies for miles and miles through all kinds of weather and conditions. These are the kinds of babies, I put my kids and grandkids and outfitting clients on and never look back, because I know they are safe! These are the babies come this time of the year, I can hardly wait for them to arrive! These are the mares I am watching their beautiful swollen bellies, anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring and their Christmas packages! To me spring means horse and mule babies at Darling Creek!

Contributed by Kelly Swingruber (Wrangler for Wild Idaho Outfitters and Castle Creek Outfitters)

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

Post Season Trail Cam Pics Still Plenty of Bears Left for Next Year

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 10:00:00 GMT

We had a successful spring bear season this year, taking several nice bears, half of which were color phase. Game cameras show there are still plenty of bears left in our area to hunt this fall or next spring. For example, bear season closes on the June 30^th and on the evening of June 26^th a hunter sat on a bait until approximately 9:45 pm, by 10:37 pm a nice sized cinnamon bear was chowing down on the bait. The bear had us figured out and was only coming out at night, you say? Presumably, the same cinnamon bear was back for more chow by 7:43 the next morning. After that, the bait was quiet for a while, then presumably the same bear came back again on July 5^th at 1:30 in the afternoon with another adult cinnamon, and a cub appears on a few frames. A client had shot a cinnamon on this same bait early in June, which was the only bear we took off it this spring

Another camera showed 4-5 black bears and 1 cinnamon visited a bait site during the same time frame; only one bear was taken off this bait this spring. Nearly all our baits were literally licked clean by July 7^th, after being rebaited the last week of June. I can’t imagine how many bears inhabit the mountains of Central Idaho, and I don’t believe for a second that anyone knows. Though, I speculate that sport hunting isn’t putting the slightest dent in the population.

Good hunting,

Joe Cavanaugh

Positive Attitudes and Hunting Success

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 10:00:00 GMT

When I met my bear-hunting client a few of weeks ago, one of the first things he told me is that he usually has “pretty good luck on hunting trips like this”. As we all know, luck is a good thing to have on one’s side, but it’s difficult to obtain on-demand. Later the hunter informed me that what he really wanted was a nice cinnamon-phase bear, as he had already taken several other color phases of black bear. I told him he had chosen the right area, which he had because Unit 28 produces a high percentage of color-phase bears; though I what I was thinking is, he better pray for a dose of exceptionally good luck. The first evening on bait he shot an absolutely beautiful cinnamon bear with chocolate feet. Positive attitude or just plain luck—you decide which one was the winning factor. Having either one can’t hurt your odds of success and having both is better yet.

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

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

Winter Book Review: Elmer Keith’s Big Game Hunting

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 11:00:00 GMT

Over much of the country we’re in the dead of winter now, with cold winds, deep snow, and bitter people to deal with. Next hunting season feels so far away. I can think of no better approach to stay focused on hunting and cope with nasty winter weather than to find a warm, quiet place and get absorbed in some good hunting literature; and, no other hunting book is more fitting to the Northern Rocky Mountain region than Elmer Keith’s Big Game Hunting.

Although Keith is most famous for handguns and big-bore rifles, what really keeps me coming back to this book year after year is Keith’s acute observations of nature. Elmer Keith was a superb naturalist, though he’s not necessarily as renown for it as he should be. If you want to enhance your knowledge of the game animals inhabiting Idaho, this is the book to read. Many of the stories in the chapters on elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and black bear take place here in Idaho, including hunts in the North Fork, Middle Fork, and main Salmon River drainages, the Selway, Lochas, and Clearwater drainages, and the Flathead drainage in neighboring Montana.

Elmer Keith’s Big Game Hunting not only informs you of animal behavior, but also provides useful information on wilderness camping, packing, woodcraft, and of course there’s plenty to read on guns, bullets, and shot placement. The chapters on “How to Look for Game”, and “Still-Hunting” are timeless. Keith’s writing draws from years of hands-on experience as a cowboy, wrangler, hunting guide and guided hunter. Every time I read this book I pick-up some useful bit of information on game, or I am reminded of something I recently observed in the field, but hadn’t fully noted yet. Whether you’re planning a DIY, drop camp, or guided hunt in Idaho this fall, understanding the game animals you’re after is key to consistently filling your tags.

Good hunting,

Joe Cavanaugh