The late whitetail general season in unit 10A has been shortened by 10 days due to lobbying done by a group called Northern Idaho Whitetails Forever. In addition they will now only allow non-residents to purchase one tag.
This was supposedly done to help better manage the deer population and increase the number of trophy quality bucks in the unit. Although the person who heads the group often hunts out of state he has a problem with nonresident hunters who choose to hunt in Idaho. In his mind they are adversely affecting the quality of whitetail hunting in his home area.
What this move did was take away something that we don't have much of here in Oregon.....OPPORTUNITY. That is why I have been making the drive to Northern Idaho around Thanksgiving every year for 10 years now to hunt whitetails. Does he think Idaho hunting is mismanaged??? Try living in Oregon.
The truth is that the whitetails are like rabbits in 10A and there are plenty of large bucks available. I have taken a mature buck almost every year that I have hunted there including 2017 where I tagged out on a 13 point the second morning after having a close call on a 10 point on the first day. Over the years I have had Idaho residents ask me how I find these bucks and I just tell them that I get out and walk rather than ride a quad around or drive my truck all day like I see them doing. I killed that buck in the pouring down rain while everyone else was inside their dry pickup cabs. I grew up hunting blacktail deer in Oregon and I use those tactics to hunt whitetails in Northern Idaho and have had a great deal of success. I like to head over there around Thanksgiving because I only have to take 3 vacation days in order to get 9 hunting days. In late November the rut is usually still in full swing and the hunting is still as good as it has ever been. I even brought my family with me last year to experience this hunt with me but now I guess I won't have that opportunity again.
What these new season dates (that he advocated for) accomplish is they create overcrowding during early November in an already overcrowded area. It also increases the hunting pressure in neighboring unit 8A in the latter part of the month. This will do nothing to help the hunting quality as intended. I think his intentions were good and I don't question that however I think his data on the population and number of quality bucks is inaccurate and his solution is extremely flawed.
His grassroots group Northern Idaho Whitetails Forever is the opposite of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation due to the fact that his group REMOVED access and opportunity for hunters while RMEF creates and increases access and opportunity for hunters.
I have no problem with him personally and I'm sure he's a great guy and obviously a skilled hunter, however I think he was very misguided in this endeavor and believe he did a real disservice to hunters by successfully lobbying the Fish & Game to shorten the season in that unit.
This was supposedly done to help better manage the deer population and increase the number of trophy quality bucks in the unit. Although the person who heads the group often hunts out of state he has a problem with nonresident hunters who choose to hunt in Idaho. In his mind they are adversely affecting the quality of whitetail hunting in his home area.
What this move did was take away something that we don't have much of here in Oregon.....OPPORTUNITY. That is why I have been making the drive to Northern Idaho around Thanksgiving every year for 10 years now to hunt whitetails. Does he think Idaho hunting is mismanaged??? Try living in Oregon.
The truth is that the whitetails are like rabbits in 10A and there are plenty of large bucks available. I have taken a mature buck almost every year that I have hunted there including 2017 where I tagged out on a 13 point the second morning after having a close call on a 10 point on the first day. Over the years I have had Idaho residents ask me how I find these bucks and I just tell them that I get out and walk rather than ride a quad around or drive my truck all day like I see them doing. I killed that buck in the pouring down rain while everyone else was inside their dry pickup cabs. I grew up hunting blacktail deer in Oregon and I use those tactics to hunt whitetails in Northern Idaho and have had a great deal of success. I like to head over there around Thanksgiving because I only have to take 3 vacation days in order to get 9 hunting days. In late November the rut is usually still in full swing and the hunting is still as good as it has ever been. I even brought my family with me last year to experience this hunt with me but now I guess I won't have that opportunity again.
What these new season dates (that he advocated for) accomplish is they create overcrowding during early November in an already overcrowded area. It also increases the hunting pressure in neighboring unit 8A in the latter part of the month. This will do nothing to help the hunting quality as intended. I think his intentions were good and I don't question that however I think his data on the population and number of quality bucks is inaccurate and his solution is extremely flawed.
His grassroots group Northern Idaho Whitetails Forever is the opposite of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation due to the fact that his group REMOVED access and opportunity for hunters while RMEF creates and increases access and opportunity for hunters.
I have no problem with him personally and I'm sure he's a great guy and obviously a skilled hunter, however I think he was very misguided in this endeavor and believe he did a real disservice to hunters by successfully lobbying the Fish & Game to shorten the season in that unit.