Idaho Elk, Mule Deer and Black Bear Blog

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!

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

A Lifelong Dream Fulfilled

Thu, 03 May 2018 21:43:53 GMT

Hello, past and future Castle Creek hunters! We have a big announcement to share with all of you! Castle Creek Outfitters has come under new ownership! We will be offering quality Elk and Mule Deer, and Spring and Fall Black Bear Hunts, in the Salmon-Challis National Forest in Eastern Idaho. We look forward to getting to know all of you as we begin this new journey! George McQuiston, Caleb Bergeleen, and I (Camden Powell) have come together to fulfill a lifelong dream and we purchased Castle Creek Outfitters from Shane McAfee! We will have many more updates to come and we invite you to contact us with any questions you might have. We look forward to getting to know all of you and showing you what we are all about.