Western Hunting Journal, Premiere Issue whj001_premiere | Page 87

White-tailed Deer Relative Densities in Idaho

High Density

Medium Density

Whitetail deer are commonly associated with the eastern portion of the United States , as well as the Midwest . But surprisingly , there are healthy populations in the West . Whitetails are common throughout eastern Washington , Idaho ’ s Panhandle and Clearwater regions , across the state in Montana and in parts of eastern Colorado and northern Wyoming . For me , I always gravitate back to my stomping grounds in Idaho . Deer numbers are plentiful and the terrain is spectacular . And more importantly the opportunities for out-of-state hunters seems endless .

LICENSES Licenses in Idaho are sold over the counter , but

Low Density

Few - None

White-tailed Deer Distribution

they do have a quota on them . This hasn ’ t always been a concern , because when I started hunting whitetails in Northern Idaho these tags never sold out . I could roll in to town the week before Thanksgiving and purchase a tag . You can even buy two tags in Idaho , which I did a few times back in the day when they never ran out . I ’ d hunt until I found a mature buck , then I ’ d buy another tag so I could finish out the season with a second tag in my pocket . I ’ ve been lucky enough to harvest two bucks more than once . More recently , Idaho has been selling out of this tag almost every year a week or two before Thanksgiving , so make sure you plan accordingly .

Another interesting feature to Idaho is liberal opportunity and seasons . You can hunt whitetails with the whitetail tag in many units using “ Any Weapon ” for either sex from the second week in October through Dec . 1 . Archery hunting begins the last weekend of August and runs until the last weekend in September , and often for a couple more weeks in mid-December . There are even a few muzzleloader seasons mixed in a few of these units . All these hunt units and seasons can be hunted with the same over-thecounter whitetail deer tag . It provides an amazing amount of opportunity .

PRIVATE PROPERTY Idaho has an interesting way to manage private land access . It is the responsibility of the landowners to post their land . The only exception to this is on tilled open ground , where they do not have to post their land . I ’ ve copied the statement below directly from the Idaho Department of Fish & Game website :

The Idaho trespass law states that “ no person may enter private land to hunt , fish , or trap without permission if the land is either cultivated , or posted ...”. So , land that is cultivated cannot be hunted without permission , and the landowner must post uncultivated land to keep hunters out . Hay fields and irrigated pasture are cultivated lands .

Proper posting consists of legible NO TRESPASSING signs ; trees or posts painted with 100 square inches of high visibility orange paint ; or , metal fence posts painted orange for the top 18 inches . One of these markers must be posted every 660 feet ( or closer ) around the property and at reasonable access points ’. Conspicuous signs posted where a public road enters and leaves private property , through which or along which road the public has a right-of-way , also constitutes proper posting .

Finally , I always carry OnX- Maps hunt chip . I have it both on my phone , and a chip for my GPS unit . This software provides information on land ownership . There ’ s a lot of timber company property in the Idaho Panhandle mixed with state and federal land , so it never hurts to know exactly who ’ s ground you ’ re hunting .

CAMPING / LODGING Hunting whitetails in Northern Idaho means you ’ ll be hunting when it ’ s cold . While I ’ ve camped during this season , you have to be ready for below freezing temps , and quite often , snow . This is one of the reasons I don ’ t camp here anymore . While completely doable , there are always challenges when camping in the snow and Arctic-type cold .

The nice thing is there are lots of small towns spread out through Northern Idaho , and almost all of them have a small motel or two . Just be forewarned that these can fill up pretty quick the week or so before Thanksgiving , so make your reservations well in advance . I often book my rooms the day I check out for the following year . This way I make sure I ’ m staying where I want .

The other nice thing about staying in town is there is usually a restaurant or two that open early enough to grab a bite to eat in the morning . I generally eat breakfast and dinner in town , and carry lunch with me up in the mountains . This makes for an extremely relaxing hunt . JOHN CHILDS

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