Post Season Trail Cam Pics Still Plenty of Bears Left for Next Year 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. July 27, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, Guided Hunts, Idaho Black Bear Hunts Bear Hunts, Guided Hunts, Guided-Hunts, Idaho Black Bear Hunts, Idaho hunting, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Positive Attitudes and Hunting Success 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. July 20, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information, Guided Hunts, Idaho Black Bear Hunts Bear Hunts, Guided Hunts, Guided-Hunts, Idaho Black Bear Hunts, Idaho hunting, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Choosing Prime Bear Bait Locations 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. May 8, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Black Bear Hunts, Idaho Black Bear Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
General Sherman’s Birthday 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. February 8, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Black Bear Hunts, Elk Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts, Mule Deer Hunts, Wolf Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »
Idaho Spring Black Bear Hunting The application deadline for Idaho controlled-hunt, spring bear tags is February 15. Fortunately for all of us, most Idaho black bear tags are sold over-the-counter (OTC). This includes tags for units 28 and 27, where Castle Creek and Wild Idaho Outfitters conduct their bear hunts. The reduced-price or “wilderness tag” is good for all of Unit 27 and those portions of Unit 28 within the Frank Church Wilderness, as well as within most designated wilderness areas in the state of Idaho. January 31, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information, Guided Hunts, Idaho Black Bear Hunts Black Bear Hunts, Idaho hunting, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts, Wolf Hunts 0 0 Comment Read More »