All-American Birthday of the Month: Mountain Man James Beckwourth 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. April 26, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information #WIOAdventures, American West, Elk Hunts, Idaho Black Bear Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts, Mountain Man, Mule Deer Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Fine-Tuning Last Year’s Gear List 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. April 15, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Black Bear Hunts, Drop Camps, Elk Hunts, Guided Hunts, idah, Idaho Hunts, Mule Deer Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Castle Creek Outfitters Welcomes Joe Cavanaugh: Our New Blog Writer 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. April 8, 2020By Monica Oliver Announcements, General Information Black Bear Hunts, Controlled Hunts, DIY Hunt, Drop Camp, Elk Hunts, Guided Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts, Mule Deer Hunts, Spring Black Bear Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Idaho Trophy Species Tags: Open for Application April 1 – April 30 The tag application period for Idaho trophy species (moose/sheep/goat) runs from April 1st to April 30th. In comparison to neighboring states, Idaho implements a rather unique tag-allocation system for these species, which offers hunters reasonable odds for drawing a tag and a quality hunting experience. April 1, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Idaho Hunts, Trophy Species 0 0 Comment Read More »
Trail Conditioning: Physical Prep for Big Game Hunting 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. March 23, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Black Bear Hunts, Drop Camp, Elk Hunts, Guided Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts, Mule Deer Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Analyzing Controlled-Hunt Statistics: Priorities First 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. March 16, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Black Bear Hunts, Controlled Hunts, Elk Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Mule Deer Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Highly American Birthdays 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. March 2, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh General Information Black Bear Hunts, Deer Hunts, Elk Hunts, Idaho Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Phase 2 in Planning Your 2020 Hunts 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. February 29, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Elk Hunts, Guided Hunts, Guided-Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts, Mule Deer Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Snowshoes for Late Winter Adventures For those of you who are itching to get outside and do some predator hunting or general, backcountry reconnaissance—late winter is an advantageous time of year to do so, and snowshoes are the optimum means of travel. By March, deep snow has covered much of the downed timber and brush, and warm afternoons followed by cold nights have formed a hard crust on the snow. That crust is key for traveling in country burdened with deep snow as it can easily support a man on snowshoes, and a loaded toboggan in tow. February 24, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Idaho wilderness hunts, Public Land, Snowshoes, Wolf Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Winter Book Review: Elmer Keith’s Big Game Hunting 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. February 17, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Drop Camps, Guided Hunts, Idaho Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »