oregon elk? or idaho elk?

S

SIDEHILLARCHERY

New member
Dec 29, 2012
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I'm looking to hunt either Oregon or Idaho next year for archery elk. Would just like to hear pros and cons for both states!

Many thanks
Billy price
S.H.A Strings
 
Well let me start of by saying that they both a great states to hunt.  I personally have lived in both states and currently reside in Idaho.  I've bow hunter for elk in both states and have friends that currently hunt in Oregon for elk as well. 


For me it all depends where you want to hunt in Oregon.  Do you want to hunt for Roosevelt or do you want to hunt for the Rocky Mountain elk?  Hunting for the Roosevelt elk is a huge challenge.  Just finding the right area with enough of an openeing to have a shooting lane is what your going to find challenging.  If you do want to hunt for Roosevelt elk then the Tioga Unit on the Oregon Coast is an outstanding unit. 


Tioga unit pros and cons:
Beautiful country that holds a ton of elk.  You can get back in some areas where you almost get trampled by elk.  There are also some big bulls in the area. Your also not going to run into any wolves over in Western Oregon either.


The Tioga is very steep in places and even has rock bluffs that you cant see until your right next to them.  The country is very thick but it is logged a lot so there are Reprod areas that make it easier to find elk in the thick country.  Lots of locked gates during elk bow season.  Tempatrure is also another thing the Tioga has and it gets hot.  One year i hunted that unit and it was 98 degrees all week which made the hunting tough.


For Idaho I find that there are a lot of great areas but you do want to get away from the areas surrounding Boise due to all the weekend hunters that get out there and clog up the roadways and trails.  I recommend packing into one of the wilderness areas and getting away from most of the people. You will have better odds that way but you will also run into more wolves in Idaho then you would in Oregon.

I could go on for hours about hunting in either state.  But when it comes down to it, How far are you willing to go to get that bull of a lifetime?




 
Idaho is the better of the two.  I have hunted both and Oregon is having wolf problems right now that has killed large portions of our elk herds.  Roosevelts are still OK, But the Game guys are planting them in all parts of the state to give themselves a job watching them.  Idaho has more wild places to get away from people and find larger elk herds.
 
I agree, If you do want an area where there are not a lot of places to hunt but you do have to hunt hard to find that big bull and dont mind packing in.  Try out the Eagle Cap wilderness in Oregon.  Beautiful country and when you do find the elk, they will be worth the time you put in.
 
I would have to agree the bullhunter and eddew7x7. I think there is more opportunity for elk in idaho. Tioga holds a bunch of elk but getting away from people seems to be the biggest problem. More people are starting hike and get off the roads it seems and locked gates are under tighter restrictions each year. 1000$ fines seems to be common now for the daring hunter going behind gates.

I love Beulah unit which is next to the strawberries in eastern Oregon. As for the wolves I here there are down towards Lomala already and there is more than what ODFW says. I watched some youtube videos of a pack that had 14 wolves that they claim had only 7 in Oregon.

If I had the time I would head to eastern Oregon or Idaho.
 
I hunt in Eatern Oregon and there is more wilderness than people think with lots of elk and yes there are becoming more and more wolves, seems to be in wallowa county and  the wenaha unit,I have seen pics of huge elk herds back in towards minam going over mt harris or catherine creek area, thats where i will be heading for part of 2013 and into the starkey area honey holes.
 
Id say its a toss up really. Id probably lean towards Idaho though. I think there is more and better country to hunt.
 
I can't speak for Oregon but I will say Idaho has been fantastic the couple times I have hunted it. I have packed 4 plus miles in each time and it is me and the elk. I have had many close calls at some very nice bulls 350 plus but havent closed the deal yet except for my 5X6 bull I shot a couple years ago. I would love to hunt it each and every year but I need about another 10 weeks of vacation and a large raise to find the time and money to take care of business.
 
WardDawg7 said:
Don't forget Montanta it's not that far either
Click to expand...

Absolutely. That is where I have killed my best elk so far in the Little Bull Mountains. Definitely some trophy potential.
 
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